GAME 10: Ohio State v Northwestern

November 14 Predictions

MY THOUGHTS.....Oregon

 

Ohio State’s season is done as far as the CFP is concerned following a second straight loss by double-digits, the first time that has happened since 1999. 

                The Buckeyes started out hot with a 14-0 lead.  They led 14-3 when Oregon converted a first down on a fake punt, and at that moment, the Buckeyes started to fall apart and could never find a way to get back on track.  The carnage resulted in 38 unanswered points by Oregon, the most allowed by Ohio State since October 2, 1999, when the Buckeyes gave up 42 straight to Wisconsin.  A week after Ohio State gained 200 yards on the ground at USC, they ran for just 53 yards against Oregon.  This includes nine carries for five yards in the second half.  Bo Jackson led the way with 48 yards and Ohio State’s touchdowns in the first quarter, while Legend Bey and Isaiah West also contributed.  Luke Fahey put the ball up 50 times, completing 72 percent of his throws for 360 yards and touchdown passes to Jeremiah Smith and Nate Roberts when the game was out of reach.  His ill-timed interception near the end of the first half enabled Oregon to take the lead just before halftime.  Devin McCuin led the receivers with nine catches, while Jeremiah Smith had seven for 133 yards. 

                Christian Alliegro and Earl Little Jr.  led the defense with six tackles apiece while Eddrick Houston and Cincere Johnson each had two tackles for loss.  But for the second straight week, the defense was left out on the field and got shredded.  Oregon was 8 for 17 on third down conversions and gave up nearly 400 total yards.

                It has now become apparent there are serious issues with the entire team, and they have cropped up right when Julian Sayin was lost.  The fact the defense has been shredded for two straight weeks means these issues are far more than the loss of a starting quarterback.  Perhaps there are “locker-room issues” perhaps coaching issues and at the end of the season, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and defensive line coach Larry Johnson, may be looking for another team and perhaps Coach Ryan Day himself could be on the “hot seat” if drastic improvement does not happen.

GAME 9: Ohio State v Oregon

November 7 Predictions

MY THOUGHTS.....USC

 

Ohio State was a no-show in the Halloween house of horrors that was the LA Colosseum as USC won a double-digit victory, 30-18.

                This was a strange game in that the statistics in no way reflected the score of the game.  Ohio State had over 200 yards rushing, 25 first downs, and outgained the Trojans 464-338.  Yet the red-zone troubles once again haunted this offense, settling for four Connor Hawkins field goals and scoring the lone touchdown in the fourth quarter when the margin dictated a faster pace.  The defense, uncharacteristically, gave up some big plays, including on the second play of the game, giving up a long score that set the tone for the rest of the game. 

                Bo Jackosn ran for 121 yards and Isaiah West contributed 65 but also had a costly fumble in the third quarter when it looked as though the Buckeyes were going to get back in the game.  Luke Fahey performed better than expected for his first start, not throwing an interception, but several of his throws seemed off target that would’ve gone for big gains.  The bright spot in the offense was, once again, Jeremiah Smith, hauling in 10 receptions and the lone touchdown. 

                Payton Pierce led the defensive effort with six tackles and Earl Little Jr. had five and was in the Trojans backfield quite a bit.  Jaylen McClain and Riley Pettijohn each had five stops, but the defense couldn’t get stops when they needed them.  In addition to the long touchdown play on the second play of the game, they also allowed USC to go on a couple of time-consuming drives in the second half and add field goals to pad their cushion.

                With all that said, it was clear the Buckeyes came into this game asleep and when they woke up, it was too late.  Ohio State’s CFP hopes are now hanging by a thread with Oregon coming to town next week.

GAME 8: Ohio State v USC