Ryan Luehrman shielded himself between the ball and the defender. He had just caught his second touchdown of the season, and an important one at that.
The redshirt junior has the most touchdown receptions on Ohio thus far, and there are still nine games ahead of him.
But he’s not a wide receiver. He’s a tight end.
Throughout the fall camp and at media day, offensive coordinator Tim Albin said he wanted to have the tight ends more involved in the Bobcats’ offense – and not just as run blockers.
“I think we’ve got some really talented tight ends,” Albin said at the Aug. 7 media day. “They’re going to be really good this year.”
Already in the early stages of the season, they’ve been more than good. They’ve been vital.
Last season, then-starter Connor Brown had eight receptions for 84 yards and one touchdown. Luehrman, through two games, is just three receptions and 20 yards behind Brown’s 13-game stats.
A plausible explanation as to why Albin and Co. would want the tight ends more utilized this season, especially now, is because of the youth and injuries at running back and wide receiver.
Running backs O’Shaan Allison and Julian Ross are both dealing with injuries, and their returns are unknown. That leaves junior De’Montre Tuggle with the brunt of carries and other duties in only his first season at Ohio.
Wide receivers Cam Odom and Tyler Tupa – both redshirt juniors – didn’t play against Marshall a week ago, and the receiver room relied on Shane Hooks to make his first start and Jerome Buckner to fill the shoes of the older players.
Insert Luehrman and his twin brother Adam. Both have the potential to be lethal redzone threats against opposing defenses with their height and their bigger frames. After all, Ryan’s touchdown catch against Marshall was at the 7-yard line on a fade route. His touchdown in Week 1 against Rhode Island was another fade route, this one at the 4-yard line.
“They have been targeted intentionally, more than what they were in the last couple of years,” Albin said.
Albin credits the size advantage that the Bobcats’ tight ends have compared to the defensive backs once the field is shorter. In its first three games, Ohio’s tight ends have been the lone receiver out wide with three receivers positioned on the other end of the field. It’s a package that’s only really been shown in the red zone, but it’s one that Ohio will likely rely on more as the season progresses.
That ability to be red zone threats is also something that Luehrman believes the unit has earned after their play the last few seasons, primarily as blockers.
“Blocking is very important, you can’t over emphasize that enough,” he said. “But definitely if you want to catch the ball you have to prove to them that you can be a viable option in the passing game, and I think we’ve done that.”
Of course, their position in the run game hasn’t changed much, and Ohio’s offensive identity is still based in its pistol-based power run game. For as often as they split out like receivers, they also still line up next to the tackles and do everything from reach blocks to down blocks.
But it’s the versatility that’s now getting sprinkled in where opposing defensive coordinators have to focus a little more on the tight ends than they might have in the past against Ohio.
After all, there is a reason why Luehrman was named an honorable mention this week by the John Mackey Award – the end of the year trophy given out to the country’s best tight end.
Regardless, Luehrman and the position unit aren’t satisfied with where they’re at and they know there’s ample time to be better than they have already shown.
“We’ve got to keep perfecting our craft,” he said. “We’ve got to keep finding a new mistake and not make the same mistake twice. Just take it one game at a time.”
