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

October 31 Predictions

IDLE WEEK Thoughts

 

The Ohio State Buckeyes head into their idle week with a 6-1 record, still undefeated in conference play, with a major question at the QB position and other players that are banged up.

                The major concern, of course, is at the QB position with Julian Sayin apparently out for the rest of the season.  So, it will fall to either freshman Luke Fahey or sophomore Tavien St. Clair to lead the offense.  Fahey has been the established backup to Sayin, completing nine of his 13 throws for 203 yards and two touchdowns, but has also thrown two interceptions.  St. Clair, in his limited time, is five of seven for 52 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.  Add to the question at quarterback is RB Ja’Kobi Jackson, perhaps the best blend of power and speed at that position, is still hobbled after sitting out the Indiana game.  Fortunately, Bo Jackson stepped up against Indiana, and he leads the team on the ground with 516 yards, averaging nearly five yards per carry and four touchdowns.  His receiving touchdown at Indiana was key as it came just before the half and gave the Buckeyes the lead.  The highlight of the offense is, of course, the leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy, Jeremiah Smith.  His performance this season will soon become the stuff of legends; hauling in 52 catches for almost 1000 yards and 12 touchdowns.  Devin McCuin is a distant second with 19 catches, although he has been a reliable second option in the passing game and so has TE Nate Roberts who now has 11 reception and his 68-yard catch-and-run against Maryland raised eyebrows with his surprising speed for his size. 

                Other than the fourth-quarter collapse at Texas, the defense has performed very well, holding Iowa to 14 points and a potent Indiana offense to only one sustained TD drive.  Earl Little Jr. leads the way with 38 tackles to go along with four pass breakups and a fumble recovery.  Payton Pierce has played well in every game and is right behind Little Jr. with 37 stops and Jaylen McClain has led the way in the secondary with 32 stops, four pass breakups and a sack.  McClain also has two of the four interceptions the Ohio State defense has managed.  The four interceptions seem disappointing, but the defense has pounced on six fumbles for a total of ten turnovers in the seven games. 

                The schedule ramps up in intensity from here on out, beginning next week with a trip out to the West Coast and USC, followed by a game verses Oregon in the ‘Shoe.  It may seem strange, but out of the five remaining opponents, Michigan would seem to be the weakest as in addition to USC and Oregon, Northwestern and Nebraska have had better than expected seasons; both of whom took Indiana to the wire.  So, the second half of the season should prove interesting, especially with a new man under center.