MY THOUGHTS.....Illinois

 

The Ohio State Buckeyes won their 10^th consecutive game and a road win against a ranked, and decent Illinois team, 34-16.

                Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin continues to excel in the role Coach Ryan Day has for him: a game manager.  Sayin completed 70 percent of his throws for 166 yards and Jeremiah Smith led the receivers with five catches for 42 yards and a touchdown.  Bo Jackson showed his versatility out of the backfield as a receiver, catching two passes, including one in which he tight-roped the sidelines on a 17-yard catch-and-run for a score.  Carnell Tate contributed four receptions and so did Max Klare who again displayed his receiving abilities he developed at Purdue.  The running game still appears to be a work in progress, but Bo Jackson and C.J. Donaldson were able to get a push, as the offensive line was able to knock the Illinois defense off the ball down around the goal line, which is where Donaldson was able to score twice.  The offensive line also allowed a time-consuming drive in the second half that put the game away.  The offense averaged a mere 4.3 yards per play and their longest play from scrimmage was 22 yards.  This was the result of a more conservative game plan than last week against Minnesota and due to very good starting field position thanks to Illinois turnovers.  The offense converted eight of 15 third-down tries and scored four touchdowns in the red zone.

                The Ohio State defense finally yielded their first touchdowns in the red zone this season.  Sonny Styles led the way with 10 tackles, while Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs pitched in with nine.                Reese also had two sacks as he and the rest of the defensive front seven was usually in the face of Illinois quarterback Luke Altmeyer, forcing a pick and a fumble.  The three turnovers forced by the defense led to three Ohio State touchdowns.  Jermaine Matthews, who moved to nickel cornerback in place of the injured Lorenzo Styles Jr., had the interception that led to Ohio State’s first touchdown, while Kayden McDonald and Caden Curry pounced on Illini fumbles to also set up short touchdown drives. 

                Next week, Ohio State goes on the road for the second consecutive week to Madison to face Luke Fickell’s Wisconsin squad who appears to be struggling a bit.

GAME 6: Illinois

October 11 Predictions

MY THOUGHTS.....Minnesota

 

Despite another slow start by the offense, the Ohio State Buckeyes got it in gear and overwhelmed the Minnesota Golden Gophers 42-3.  Minnesota took the opening drive 66 yards on 13 plays and got a field goal.  After that drive, the Gophers ran 38 plays for 96 yards, converting only 1 of 11 third downs.  Minnesota went three-and-out five times, with Ohio State’s defense getting seven tackles for loss and a sack.  Sonny Styles led the way with eight tackles and a TFL and newcomer Payton Pierce almost as good, with seven stops and Davison Igbinosun led the way in the secondary, with five tackles and excelled in pass coverage.

                Carnell Tate had his best game ever, with nine receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown.  Tate has evolved from a very good backup last year to being the clear second choice behind Jeremiah Smith.  He and Smith have accounted for sixty percent of Ohio State’s passing offense through the five games.  Smith accounted for seven catches and two scores and Max Klare has emerged as a good third receiver option, with five catches for 63 yards.  So, for opposing defenses, it’s been a pick your poison proposition.  If there was anything to nit-pick about, it would have to be not getting too much production out of the ground game.  They managed to net 133 yards, but 33 of those yards came on one run by James Peoples.  Once again, Bo Jackson led the way with 63 yards and a score.  C.J. Donaldson got only three carries the entire game, and only in short yardage situations, which was a surprise.  One went for Ohio State’s second touchdown of the game, and Lincoln “The President” Keinholz snuck it in from a yard out for the final score. 

                Ohio State faces a stern road test at Illinois next week, whose only loss was the debacle against Indiana.  Coach Brett Bielema has brough the Illini football program back to respectability, so the Buckeyes cannot afford to take them lightly.

GAME 5: Minnesota

Oct 4 Predictions

MY THOUGHTS.....WASHINGTON

 

The Ohio State Buckeyes travelled west and, despite a slow offensive start, pulled away from the Washington Huskies to earn a 24-6 victory, snapping Washington’s 20-game home win streak.

                The Ohio State defense was ferocious the entire game, giving up a mere 234 yards and a pair of field goals to a Washington offense averaging over 530 yards and 55 points per game.  Through four games, the Ohio State defense has yet to give up more than 9 points to an opponent, which hasn’t happened since 1973.  The Ohio State defense so dominated Washington’s high-powered offense, the Huskies managed only one out of eleven third-down conversions.  Washington averaged a paltry 1.3 yards on those 11 third down plays and also went 1-for-3 on fourth down conversion tried.  Caden Curry played, by far, his best game, with 11 tackles, a whopping five tackles for loss and three sacks.  He, along with Kayden McDonald (7 tackles, 3 TFLs, 2 sacks) were instrumental, especially in the red zone, in limiting the Huskies offense.  Arvell Reese made several stops of elusive Washington QB Demond Williams Jr. and Davison Igbinbosun had his best game of the season thus far, with six tackles and a couple of key coverages on deep throws. 

                Julian Sayin entered the game ranked number one in the FBS with a 78.9% completion rate and against the Huskies, he lived up to that mark, completing 22-of-28 passes (78.6%) for 208 yards and two touchdowns.  He played efficient, mistake-free football in the first road start of his collegiate career.  Bo Jackson continued where he left off the last game, leading the ground game with 80 yards, averaging nearly five yards per carry.  C.J. Donaldson added a rushing and receiving touchdown and Sayin picked up a first down running on a third-and-twelve.  Jeremiah Smith showed why he is the best receiver anywhere, hauling in eight receptions for 81 yards and the first touchdown, while Bandon Innis, Carnell Tate, and James Peoples each contributed with three catches. 

                All in all, the Buckeyes got the conference season off to a good start, despite their early struggles and come back for their only home game in the month of October next Saturday against Minnesota.