Ohio State tackle Shane Olivea squirmed in his chair while coach Jim Tressel was being grilled during his weekly press luncheon about the Buckeyes' ailing offense.
By the time Olivea's diagnosis was sought, he was more than a little perturbed.
Asked what the unit does well as a group, Olivea responded, "According to you guys, not much."
The Buckeyes are ranked last in the Big Ten and 114th out of 117 NCAA Division I-A teams with an average of 278 yards per game. Even lightly regarded Indiana -- which hosts OSU this week -- has managed a modest 346 yards each outing.
But thanks largely to a superior defense and a trustworthy kicking game, the Buckeyes are 6-1. And to Olivea, that's what counts.
"A team may have the fifth-best offense in the country, but they might be 1-6. What does that say? I'd rather be 6-1 the way we're winning rather than scoring 35 points and losing 50-35," he said. "A win is a win. It doesn't matter how it comes."
But the eighth-ranked Buckeyes aren't foolish enough to think the wins will continue to flow without a bigger contribution from the offense.
They have rushed for a league-low 761 yards this season. Through seven games last season, Maurice Clarett alone had rushed for 847 while missing one full contest with a knee injury.
OSU has won twice this season without scoring an offensive touchdown. But with potent Purdue, Michigan State and Michigan looming, that trend isn't likely to continue.
"Offensively, we've obviously got to improve -- and improve dramatically -- if we want to reach our goals," Tressel said. "In order to win on the road, you've got to make sure you take care of the football, No. 1, move the football, No. 2, and create field position and score points.
"We know we have a lot of work to do. Our guys are continuing to work and search to have our offense be a part of a very successful team."
Even Olivea admitted he's frustrated.
"You want to go out there and help out the defense," he said. "You want to go out and put points on the board and take pressure off them. When you have a three-and-out, they look at you like, `Man, help us out a little bit.' But we feel we're taking steps in the right direction."
While many judged the lackluster showing against Iowa last week -- 185 total yards and a paltry 11 first downs -- as a step backward, the Buckeyes found reasons to be encouraged.
Tressel said he was pleased with the pass protection, and Olivea pointed out that the team churned out first downs in the fourth quarter (four of them) while protecting a lead.
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