Will Ohio State "Rush" Into November Against Illinois?

"November is for contenders, we always say that..." ~ former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel

The Illinois Fighting Illini will enter into Ohio Stadium on a forecasted chilly evening  to battle long-time rival Ohio State.  While Ohio State is listed by Las Vegas oddsmakers as a comfortable favorite (Ohio State has a -28.5 point spread), Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and his coaching staff will do their very best to focus their team upon defeating the Fighting Illini and securing the seventh victory for the 2014 season.

Ohio State fans recall how Illinois came into Ohio Stadium in 2007 and upset the then-top ranked Buckeyes.  As I stated this past week on the MotSandG podcast, it is quite vivid to me how Illinois tormented Ohio State coaches (most especially, former Ohio State head coach John Cooper), players, and fans throughout the 1980s and 1990s (1988-1992, 1994, 1999).  When Ohio State fans contemplate how the Buckeyes had to rally last weekend on the road at Penn State (31-24 2OT), as well as how Illinois defeated a favored Minnesota team last weekend, the coaching staff, players, and fans cannot overlook the capacity of Illinois upsetting the Buckeyes.

Illinois has seventeen players on its roster from Ohio.  The overwhelming majority of these players were not recruited by Ohio State; the lone exception to this is Caleb Day of Hilliard, who spurned Ohio State for Illinois in 2013.  The most notable Ohioan is V'Angelo Bentley of Glenville, who made the key fumble recovery against Minnesota that secured the Illinois victory last week.

The areas that I will be focusing upon throughout the game will be...

1.  Ohio State relying upon its running game - Quarterback J.T. Barrett sustained a sprained MCL injury against Penn State.  Although Barrett has been cleared to play against Illinois, it would be surprising to see Barrett being asked to contribute much in the running game against the Fighting Illini.  Ezekiel Elliott may be a workhorse, and other running backs such as Curtis Samuel and Warren Ball may also have opportunities to pad their respective statistics.  Bri'onte Dunn will not play against Illinois, due to injury.


2.  How Well Will Ohio State's Defense Contain Illinois' Reilly O'Toole? - O'Toole has ascended into the role of Illinois' starting quarterback, after starter Wes Lunt was lost to injury.  O'Toole is more of a dual-threat quarterback, capable of making plays with his legs as well as his arm.  Will Ohio State's quick and aggressive defense be able to contain O'Toole Saturday night?

3.  Will Ohio State Play Cardale Jones Against Illinois? - Anyone who has listened to me throughout this season's MotSandG podcasts will hear me questioning why backup quarterback Cardale Jones has not received more playing time this season.  Considering Barrett's sprained MCL injury, it is in Ohio State's best interests to rest Barrett as much as possible, with the remainder of the 2014 season left to play.  While Jones is not the passer Barrett is, Jones has the physical skills capable to play the quarterback position as a game manager for the Buckeyes.  On this week's podcast, I even made the suggestion that true freshman quarterback Stephen Collier, who has been targeted for a redshirt season, may be worthy of playing time, depending upon the type of potential lead Ohio State may be able to build upon against Illinois.  Think of it this way - suppose Barrett reinjures his leg, and is out for the season, so now Cardale Jones is the starter.  Anyone else comfortable knowing Stephen Collier is next up, with no playing experience?  Thought so.

Perhaps Ohio State will be able to shut down Illinois all across the board, and get off to a fast start.  While that would be very pleasing to Coach Meyer, as well as all Ohio State fans, I believe Illinois will be able to keep it close until the end of the first half.  Look for Ohio State to pull away in the second half, behind a strong rushing performance, and an opportunistic defense.  I have it Ohio State 35, Illinois 17.

[Nike] LeBron James: Together

Wow...

Random Thoughts as Ralph D. Russo Looks At UM/MSU, Winsipedia, & Old School Prediction On OSU/PSU

Happy Saturday October 25th, 2014!  Below are some random thoughts for what should be another glorious Saturday for college football...

• How bad did UM play last season versus Michigan State?  @ralphDrussoAP provided a stark idea.

If Michigan runs for 1 yard against Michigan State on Saturday, it will be 49 more than it did last season.
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) October 23, 2014

• winsipedia.com is a solid tool that allows fans to compare and contrast historically how teams have historically performed against each other.  Below is a link that shows how Ohio State compares against Penn State through the years...

http://www.winsipedia.com/ohio-state/vs/penn-state

I offered up my prediction for how I believe Ohio State will play at Penn State.  Considering how porous Penn State's offensive line is, this may be the experience Penn State QB Christian Hackenberg may have at the hands of Ohio State's defensive line tonight...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxGcNWVc8hE&t=0m54s

2014 OSU Football ~ Buckeyes @ Nittany Lions Will Be "Happening" Valley

Ever since the loss to Virginia Tech on September 6th, Ohio State has been rolling offensively.  Proof?  Ohio State has averaged 56 points a game over its last four opponents (Kent State, Cincinnati, Maryland, and Rutgers).  Granted, none of those opponents are considered to be college football juggernauts, but it would be fair to state that Ohio State has exorcised the demons (I figured Halloween is right around the corner, so why not be a little colorful with the analogies?) that plagued them as the 2014 college football season began.

Conversely, Penn State seems to be going in the opposite direction.  Penn State began the season with a stirring last second victory over Central Florida (26-24) in the season opener, and the Nittany Lions concluded the first month of the season with a 4-0 record.  The positive momentum was surprisingly blunted by visiting Northwestern (27-6), then Penn State lost at Michigan (18-13).  Considering Penn State had a bye that preceded its visit to Ann Arbor, and still lost to a struggling Michigan team, had to be disconcerting to Penn State coaches, players, and fans.  For what it is worth, Penn State is coming into this game with Ohio State off another bye week.

Here are the three areas I will concentrate upon as the kickoff begins at 8pm EST on ABC:

1.  Can Penn State's Defense Slow Down Ohio State's Offense?  - Penn State's defense has been keeping the team in games, ranking 6th in the country at points allowed (average 15 points a game).  The strength of the Penn State defense is the run defense, while Ohio State prides itself on a powerful running game.  With those statistics in mind, keep in mind that these are the opponents Penn State has played up until this point - Central Florida, Akron, Rutgers, Massachusetts, Northwestern, and Michigan.  Penn State defeated Rutgers 13-10, largely behind five interceptions of Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova; Ohio State just thrashed Rutgers 56-17.

2.  Will Penn State's Offensive Line Be Able To Protect Christian Hackenberg?  - Even Penn State coaches and fans recognized going into the 2014 season that the Penn State offensive line was the decided weak link of the team.  It would be generous to say that Penn State has struggled to run the ball; Penn State ranks 121st in the country at rushing the ball.  Against Michigan, Christian Hackenberg was continually under siege.  Ohio State's defensive line, led by stalwart Joey Bosa, may be extremely difficult to slow down, let alone stop.  Will Penn State head coach James Franklin move Hackenberg out of the pocket in order to keep the Ohio State defensive line in check?

3.  Ohio State Gets A Sizable Lead; Send In The Backups? - As stated up above, Ohio State has averaged 56 points a game over its last four victories.  While it has been rewarding to witness the continuing maturation and development of Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett, it has also been somewhat disappointing that the Ohio State coaching staff has not been giving backup players such as backup quarterback Cardale Jones more playing time.  Perhaps I am concerning myself too much on possible negative consequences, but Jones is literally only one play away from having to run the Ohio State offense, yet has had little to no playing time this season.  Will Ohio State play its backups and rest its starters if the Buckeyes get a commanding lead over Penn State?

Penn State Head Coach James Franklin will be using the night game atmosphere to his advantage, relying upon the 106,000 fans in Beaver Stadium to impact and disrupt Ohio State with as much noise as possible.  As stated up above, Penn State had a bye weekend, so perhaps Coach Franklin has figured out a few things that will keep Ohio State off balance defensively this game.  Then again, the oddsmakers in Las Vegas have installed the Buckeyes as 13.5 point favorites, and I always believe there is a reason why there are new buildings and casinos continually being built out there by these individuals.  I have it Ohio State 56, Penn State 17.

[Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde] Video: Possible CFB Spoiler Scenarios

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/forde-yard-dash-065846493-ncaaf.html

Buckeyes Prepare For First Rumble Against Rutgers

Rutgers University is off to a surprising 5-1 start to its 2014 season.  With a surprising victory in the first week over Washington State, an inspiring victory at Navy, and a scrappy victory in its first B1G contest against Michigan, Rutgers is poised to make the second half of its inaugural season as a member of The B1G Conference quite successful.

While Ohio State has been established as a strong favorite (Ohio State is close to a 20 point favorite), it would be wise for Ohio State fans to not necessarily count this game as being a sure thing.  One need only reminisce back to the second week of the season, when Virginia Tech entered Ohio Stadium as an underdog, only to be rejoicing happily upon the conclusion of that game.  Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer will certainly be emphasizing the "don't be cocky" theme to his well-rested squad this entire week.  Both Rutgers and Ohio State come into this contest off a bye week.

The three primary areas of concern I have for this game are as follows:

1.  How Will Ohio State Handle A Strong Rutgers Pass Rush? - While undersized by traditional B1G standards for defensive lines, Rutgers has strong pass rushers led by Darius Hamilton and Kemoko Turay.  Turay was the player responsible for blocking the Michigan field goal that culminated in the Rutgers victory over the Wolverines.  While the Ohio State offensive line has been improving since the struggles versus Virginia Tech, will the Buckeyes be able to adequately protect QB J.T. Barrett against what should be a blitzing Scarlet Knights pass rush?

2.  Will Ohio State Be Able To Pressure Rutgers QB Gary Nova? - Nova has improved tremendously this season under the tutelage of new Rutgers offensive coordinator/QB coach Ralph Friedgen.  Friedgen is a veteran college and NFL coach, who may have some tricks up his sleeve to help Nova with what promises to be a fearsome Ohio State pass rush, led by DE Joey Bosa.  Will Ohio State be able to pressure Nova into mistakes, as Penn State was able to in what turned out to be the only loss for Rutgers this season?

3.  Will Ohio State Be Able To Run The Ball Offensively? - The improvement of the Ohio State offense since the Virginia Tech has coincided with the emergence of sophomore RB Ezekiel Elliott as Ohio State's primary ball carrier.  While undersized, look for Rutgers to stack the box against Ohio State.  Will Ohio State be able to capitalize upon this strategy if Rutgers pursues it?

Even with all of my concerns, I believe Ohio State is starting to find its rhythm both offensively and defensively.  The improvement along both lines of scrimmage, as well as within the secondary, will be too much for a talented Rutgers team making its first visit to Ohio Stadium.  This game should be close until the second half, but Ohio State has too much size and speed for Rutgers to keep pace with the Buckeyes.  I have it Ohio State 42, Rutgers 21.

25 Years Ago Today: The Great Trade Robbery (video link)

Twenty-five years ago today, then-Dallas head coach Jimmy Johnson orchestrated one of the best trades in NFL history.  I remember being in college, watching then-Browns owner Art Modell on an NFL pre-game show expressing interest in trading for Herschel Walker.  Considering how badly Johnson fleeced the Minnesota Vikings, the Browns were tremendously lucky.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:11619469

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/0ap3000000407355/The-surreal-Sunday

Grading 2014 Ohio State Football, At The Bye

While I agree with Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer that having a bye week at this point in the season is not necessarily wanted or welcomed by the coaches, players, or fans, it does provide an opportunity to assess how Ohio State is doing after the first third of the season.  (Technically, Ohio State was at the 1/3 point after the Cincinnati game, but this bye weekend gives me a chance to evaluate the team, without an opponent to preview against.).  Let us begin with the various position groups:

• Quarterbacks:  A solid 'B', but could rise to an 'A' by the conclusion of the season.  Redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett was unenviably thrown into the starting position when projected starter Braxton Miller's shoulder injury was season-ending.  Barrett struggled immensely against Virginia Tech in week two, but has had three straight sterling performances versus Kent State, Cincinnati, and Maryland.  Will Barrett be able to continue his strong play as Ohio State continues B1G competition for the remainder of the season?  Cardale Jones has played sparingly as a backup so far this season.

• Running Backs:  B+.  Ezekiel Elliott has seized the starting position, and looks to be in the Carlos Hyde mold of being able to wear an opposing defense down.  Senior Rod Smith figures to be a complimentary player for the remainder of his Ohio State career.  Coach Meyer has praised Bri'onte Dunn as being worthy of more playing time.  True freshman Curtis Samuel is presently battling an ankle injury.  The coaching staff seems to have concluded that Dontre Wilson is best used as a perimeter player running the ball; the same for Jalin Marshall.  Warren Ball has battled injuries this season, and gets little playing time.

• Wide Receivers:  B-.  This position group is kind of a mixed bag.  The talent is there, but has not established itself on a consistent basis.  Michael Thomas, Corey Smith, Evan Spencer, Devin Smith, Jalin Marshall, Dontre Wilson - all play, yet none have seized the starting positions with a commanding performance.  Senior TE Jeff Heuerman has battled injuries, but may have turned the corner.  Nick Vannett has also played capably this season.

• Offensive Line:  B+.  Considering where this group started, how the players were being mixed in and out of the lineup, with inconsistent results...This offensive line may be the most pleasant surprise on the team.  Losing four starters, and moving the only returning starter with Taylor Decker to left tackle, meant the offensive line was completely unsettled and incohesive.  The offensive line is only going to get better by the season's end.  Senior Darryl Baldwin has been singled out by Coach Meyer for his continuing development at right tackle.  Jacoby Boren has taken a firm grasp of the starting center position.

• Defensive Line:  B-.  Joey Bosa is staring down a first team All-American selection after this season.  The suspension of Noah Spence has hurt Ohio State's pass rush.  Michael Bennett, Adolphus Washington, and the combo of Steve Miller/Rashad Frazier have played well, but have not been nearly as dominant as expected by the fan base.  An opportunity to dominate the opposition looms when the Buckeyes travel to Penn State on October 25th.

• Linebackers:  B.  True freshman Raekwon McMillan may have clinched the starting middle linebacker position by the season's end.  Darron Lee was the player of the game in the season opener versus Navy.  Joshua Perry has been relatively quiet on the playmaking front.  Will this group be able to step up with physical rushing opponents such as Michigan State and Minnesota on the horizon?

• Secondary:  C.  A true work in progress.  While improving, this is the weak area of the team.  How much of it is scheme, and how much of it is personnel?  Eli Apple may have turned a corner, no pun intended, with his performance at Maryland last weekend.  This position group may improve with better performances at Penn State and Indiana.

• Special Teams Units:  B+.  True freshman Sean Nuernberger has been better after two missed field goals against Virginia Tech in the second game of the season.  Will Nuernberger be able to come through if needed to make a game winner?  Cameron Johnston is quietly reliable at the punting position.  Coach Meyer stresses the importance of special teams as being a gateway to playing time, and the coverage units have been solid.

Conclusion:  If 2014 Ohio State football were a stock, this would be a solid buy acquisition.  Ohio State should be 7-1 heading up to East Lansing, MI, for what should be a B1G East Division elimination game.  "Should be" does not mean "will be", especially after Virginia Tech came into Ohio Stadium and defeated the Buckeyes in week two of the season.  If Ohio State can defeat a very good Michigan State team in front of a national television audience, it is not far-fetched for Ohio State to possibly emerge as a playoff participant.

Terrapins Can Make It Terrible For Ohio State's First MD Visit

Ohio State travels to Byrd Stadium in College Park, Maryland, for its first ever contest against B1G newcomer Maryland.  Maryland was projected as having a strong initial season within the B1G, and this trip to Byrd Stadium should prove to be quite a raucous beginning for Ohio State as the Buckeyes begin conference play for the 2014 season.

Last weekend's contest versus the University of Cincinnati left Ohio State fans curious about the Buckeye pass defense.  New co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash was brought in during the offseason to fix what was considered the weakest link in Ohio State's defense.  After allowing Bearcats WR Chris Moore to average nearly 74 yards per reception (3 receptions for 221 yards, 3 touchdowns), who could blame Ohio State fans for feeling somewhat anxious heading into a game that features two of the B1G's leading receivers in former Ohio State recruiting target Stefon Diggs and Deon Long?

Besides Diggs and Long, Maryland features other players on its roster who may be familiar to Ohio State fans.  Players such as OT Damian Prince, OT Derwin Gray, and WR Taivon Jacobs were all recruited by Ohio State, but chose Maryland instead.  The lone Ohioan listed on Maryland's roster is freshman TE Andrew Gray, who did not receive an Ohio State scholarship offer.

Three areas I will focus upon during the game are:

• Ohio State's Press Coverage With Its Secondary:  Anytime a team decides to play aggressively with its pass defense, it is a high risk, high reward situation.  Receivers such as Diggs and Long can easily take a pass all the way to the end zone, like Chris Moore did last weekend.  Will Ohio State adjust its safety play to offer up more help to its cornerbacks, and help neutralize the threat of big plays?

• Ohio State's Pass Rush Must Come Up Big:  So far this season, sophomore DE Joey Bosa has been causing disruptive plays along the line of scrimmage, resulting in turnovers against the opposition.  Will Bosa be able to come up big again, especially against a Maryland team that may double-team him?  If Bosa is double-teamed, will Adolphus Washington or Michael Bennett be able to pick up the slack, and create the necessary pressure to help Ohio State's secondary? 

• Ohio State's Run Game Must Control The Clock:  Against Cincinnati, sophomore RB Ezekiel Elliott ran for 182 yards, while teammates J.T. Barrett, Rod Smith, Dontre Wilson, Curtis Samuel, and Jalin Marshall also contributed to the overall team rushing effort (380 yards on the ground).  To keep Maryland off the field, Ohio State will need its rushing attack to come through in the clutch time of this contest.

While the oddsmakers have penciled Ohio State as a strong favorite, I believe this game will be in doubt until midway through the fourth quarter.  Even though there will be anxious moments for Ohio State fans, players, and coaches, I have it Ohio State 42, Maryland 31, with Ohio State scoring a late touchdown to secure its first B1G victory of the 2014 season.