The most eye-catching number from Ohio State’s 20-8 rout of North Carolina last weekend might not be the Buckeyes’ gaudy goal total.

There’s no doubt the offensive onslaught, especially a 14-goal second half, was impressive. But Ohio State also sprayed 53 shots, a noteworthy total for a program that’s long been one of the more methodical teams in the sport.

Coach Nick Myers insists the Buckeyes’ main aim is generating as many quality looks as they can. But Ohio State (3-0) also took a statistical deep dive after going 4-7 against a Big Ten-only schedule in 2021, and a more assertive approach is one of the byproducts.

“For us as a coaching staff, we’ve really tried to evaluate the analytics of the shot clock era, study it, [see] who’s been successful, how do we need to adjust to where we were prior to the shot clock to now and how do we continue to grow,” Myers said. “Because the game’s different. It just is. Bottom line. I don’t think it’s necessarily one thing. It’s studying the game and really studying the possessions of the game.”

The Buckeyes were remarkably steady in their shot production over the last decade. After averaging 34.7 shots in 2012, Ohio State took between 32.1 and 33.9 shots per game for the next six seasons. When the shot clock was implemented in 2019, the average jumped to 38.5 — followed by 38.9 in 2020 and 38.4 last season.

So a leap to 51.7 attempts a game stands out through three games, even if part of it is a function of more opportunities thanks to the stellar early play of Justin Inacio (.812 faceoff percentage).

OHIO STATE SHOTS PER GAME

Year       Shots

2012      34.7
2013      33.7
2014      32.1
2015      33.3
2016      33.9
2017      33.8
2018      33.2
2019      38.5
2020      38.9
2021      38.4
2022      51.7

“There is definitely a difference in our approach,” attackman Jack Myers said. “We want to score in many different ways. I can see how people would think last year it was, ‘Get the ball to the offense, get time of possession, try to sustain offense.’ Whereas this year, we’re definitely trying to speed up our game and we can do that with the middies we have. There was definitely a big emphasis this fall to get the ball up and out and play fast.”

Myers had two goals and seven assists against North Carolina, but he was hardly the only star. Seven Buckeyes managed multi-point games, and Jason Knox (four goals), Colby Smith (three), Ari Allen (two), Trent DiCicco (two) and Jackson Reid (two) each had multi-goal outings.

Another tweak for Ohio State was creating a more balanced offense. Tre Leclaire scored a school-record 159 goals over the last five seasons, and he was the biggest known on the roster. Little wonder the offense was designed to get him looks. Last year, he took 21.8 percent of the team’s shots. The year before, it was 22.1 percent.

So far, Smith is the team’s most frequent shooter at 16.8 percent.

“We have an offense where guys are playing different positions,” Jack Myers said. “Guys are playing both attack and midfield, and when we go out there [in] our motion offense, we call it position-less because guys can play above the cage and below the cage. We just try to move as much as we can as an offense and move the ball as quickly as we can. That breeds shots for other people and it balances our offense.”

The Buckeyes’ adjusted look wasn’t implemented just to win games in February. It was created with an eye distinctly on April and May and figuring out how to get the program to the top of the Big Ten.

That’s still to come, but Nick Myers had one particular barometer in mind.

“Certainly coming off last year, 10 Big Ten games, knowing that we needed to have an offseason where we took a step forward, knowing we’re in a conference with Maryland,” he said. “Certainly, the likes of the other four Big Ten teams and how strong they are, but Maryland’s kind of the bar right now in the Big Ten, and if you’re not designing a team and a curriculum and an outline to compete with them, then what are you doing?”

Right now, they’re looking pretty comparable. Ohio State’s 18.3 goals a game is tied for fifth nationally with the Terrapins. Both teams are 3-0. Yet it will be quite a while before they encounter each other, and the Buckeyes have plenty in front of them.

It’s also worth remembering a change in offensive approach does not constitute a philosophical overhaul. Jack Myers said a daily emphasis in the fall was effort and toughness, two adjectives typically associated with the Buckeyes. And his coach was quick to point out how off the radar Ohio State was prior to pounding North Carolina.

“When a lot of things break your way, you’re not as good as what people are saying right now,” Nick Myers said. “You and everybody else in the world, not one person put us in their preseason poll this year. That’s still who we are. First time in 10 years I haven’t had a preseason All-American on our team. That’s how we’re going to continue to operate with that mindset, and be humbled by the fact we still have a lot of work to do.”