As Ohio State’s season enters the halfway mark on Saturday, time may be running out for its much-maligned offensive line to figure things out before the lack of production ultimately results in a season-altering loss.

Through five games, Ohio State averages only 131.6 yards per game and less than 4.4 yards per carry, both ranking near the bottom of college football. Due, in large part, to that inability to produce on the ground, Ohio State is also tied with Illinois for the 75th-best red zone offense with just six touchdowns in 17 red zone trips.

Why Ohio State is struggling upfront or how it can remedy the issues isn’t a straightforward answer because it’s not a singular issue causing those struggles. The sense of urgency is there for offensive line coach Justin Frye and his players to find answers, however, with the schedule set to heat up soon.

“We have, just in general here at Ohio State, a very high standard, so you’re always chasing that and pushing for that,” Frye said on Wednesday. “Are we there yet? No. Are we working to get there? Yeah. You can watch from week one to week four, and there are some improvements there. There are some guys in the first group who have pulled away from the second group.

“But at the end of the day, you want the production and all those things. So no one’s happy, no one’s like, ‘Hey, we’ll get it next week.’ There’s a legitimate fight right now in the (offensive line) room from the staff and the kids all together.”

Frye alluded to his offensive line perhaps getting ahead of itself and trying to do too much too fast this season, which may be the main culprit for the lack of production. In preparation for Purdue this week, Frye said he’s somewhat cut back on what he’s asking of his players in order to “get back to the basics and be more remedial.”

“The bad stuff’s not because we’re unable physically,” Frye said. “There are some things going on that we need to correct that we’re capable and able to do, but we’re just not doing right. So, do I have to simplify a scheme? Yeah, probably. Do (the players) have to latch on and re-bite their scheme because maybe they’ve gone too far, too fast? It’s somewhere in the middle.”

Frye said that while he and his players would “love to block them all,” simplifying the task and perhaps asking the line to account for fewer defenders while getting help from backs and tight ends would allow the line to play “fast and free.”

“It’s a little bit of everything,” Frye said. “The personnel and the kids, what are they doing? They’re diving back into themselves. There’s no sheltering or kicking back, and they understand that. From a coaching standpoint, I’m looking at how hard I’m coaching it, what I’m coaching, the details I’m giving to them, making sure I’m not spreading them too thin, and then we have to go put them in the right schemes so they execute better.”

As head coach Ryan Day said on Tuesday, Frye noted the problems are correctable, and the right personnel will be on the field to make those corrections.

“It’s a good little mixture, but that’s the answer. (The problem) is not something random,” he said. “Now it’s about how we all re-bite, refocus, and get into that.”

Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on Twitter @DillonDavis56.