Ohio State is No. 1 nationally in this unusual category: Buckeye Numbers

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Jim Tressel would be proud of the 2017 Ohio State Buckeyes. He’s the former OSU coach who – while attempting to drive home a point – famously like to quote an old coaching line, that the punt is the most important play in football. The Buckeyes are No. 1 in the country in one punting category – the nation’s only major college team not to permit a punt return this season. The average punt returns allowed is 8.5 among the 129 Football Bowl Subdivision schools. Boston College has permitted the most returns, 19. Yet after 20 Ohio State punts through seven games, not a single punt has been returned against the Buckeyes. According to play-by-play accounts: 10 ended in fair catches. 5 were downed by the Buckeyes. 4 went out of bounds. 1 went into the end zone, resulting in a touchback. Ohio State, however, isn’t quite…

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