Eleven Warriors Roundtable: Will MD Cure What Ails Ohio State?

With Maryland leaving Terrapin Station for a high noon battle in the Shoe and the Buckeyes looking to put together a complete performance after four straight lackluster offensive outings, Randy Edsall's squad could be just what the doctor ordered. 

At 5-0, Ohio State is still the top-ranked team in the land but a rash of turnovers and penalties combined with red zone struggles have somewhat overshadowed Ezekiel Elliott's season and some solid outings from the defense. 

To touch on those topics and more we welcome Tim, Johnny and Kevin to this week's edition of the 11W roundtable. 

Ezekiel Elliott put the Buckeyes on his back last weekend and set a handful of single-game school records en route to his fourth 200+ yard rushing game in scarlet and gray. If you were coaching Ohio State for just one mythical national championship game and could start any running back in the school’s history, where would Zeke stand in your pecking order and why?

Kevin: For me, it came down to Eddie George and Ezekiel Elliott, but I’m riding with Zeke.

Admittedly, there is probably some bias here given that I was only one year old when Eddie George won his Heisman, but I think Ezekiel Elliott is the best running back ever to play at Ohio State. It’s a strong take, I know, but hear me out.

Last season, Elliott was just 49 yards shy of George’s ’95 record total of 1,927 yards as a true sophomore with a broken left wrist and on 55 fewer carries. Eddie George also had the advantage of running behind arguably the best offensive lineman of all time (no disrespect to Taylor Decker, but he’s not Orlando Pace).

My favorite part of Ezekiel Elliott’s game isn’t even his rushing ability, it’s his blocking. Urban Meyer called Zeke “the best back in the country without the ball in his hand." And from what I observed, that’s spot on. He is a violent and effective blocker both in the passing game and in the running game and he rarely takes plays off. That’s a rare trait in elite college backs.

Another key factor for me is this isn’t so much a hypothetical question with Ezekiel Elliott. He’s been put in this situation before and he delivered with 220, 230, and 246 yards. Would Eddie George, Archie Griffin, or my guy Chic Harley have done that? Maybe. But Zeke has already proven that if you put the team on his back, he’ll carry them. So to me, he’s the obvious choice.

Tim: Don't want to get too technical, but I think this depends on the type of offense you're running for this game. If Urban Meyer is coaching this team and you're running a similar style of offense, I certainly think Elliott could be in the conversation to be used. If you're running more of an old-school, three yards and a cloud of dust-type offense, then there's probably some others to be considered, as well.

I think a lot of times we get caught up in the here and now and sports and anoint players as 'The Next Big Thing' before they have even finished their careers. But Elliott certainly seems to be on that path to being mentioned with the Archie Griffins, Eddie Georges, etc. when it's all said and done. Let's just wait until that point in time comes and then decide.

Johnny: He'd be pretty high up there. Running back is interesting, because it's one of the few positions that seems to be fairly stable over time (in terms of size and athletic ability) despite all of the massive changes that college football has undergone. If early 70s Archie Griffin licked a psychedelic toad, stumbled into a wormhole, and fell into the year 2015 with two years of eligibility left, I still feel like he'd be a pretty successful football player.

I don't know that I'm ready to put Zeke in the same tier as Griffin, Eddie, or Byars, but the season is still young. As of now he's making a serious argument for the best OSU running back of the 2000s, and should he inexplicably stay another year, the title of best of all time comes up for grabs too.

The Buckeyes have a host of first-year starters playing well on defense including Gareon Conley, Tyquan Lewis and Raekwon McMillan. Which if those three is playing the best? Which is surprising you the most and which player is the most indispensable?

Johnny: Conley doing what he's been able to do at a very difficult position where's he's repeatedly asked to be on an island and play aggressively is one of the more impressive things that I've seen from an Ohio State player this year. Lewis probably gets marks for most surprising, and Raekwon has been predictably great, but I'm ready to hyperbolically anoint Conley as the Next Great Ohio State Corner and then get real mad if there's any dropoff next season.

Kevin: My answer is the same for all three: Gareon Conley.

Coming into the season I had no idea what to expect from the corner position outside of Eli Apple. All I knew was when Apple was out the first series against Michigan State last season, the secondary did not look good.

I’ve been more than pleasantly surprised with Conley’s performance thus far. He’s been relatively lock-down to the point that teams are testing Eli Apple more instead. He’s also a sure tackler and an asset in run defense.

If Ohio State loses Gareon Conley, or any corner for that matter, it’s a serious problem. Marshon Lattimore would fill in nicely for him immediately, but that leaves virtually nobody in the nickel spot with Cam Burrows’ injury and Damon Webb’s suspension. When this happened last week, the Buckeyes ditched their 3-3-5 nickel set and Darron Lee effectively had the nickelback responsibilities (taking one of the best pass rushers on the team out of the pass rush).

Obviously the team coped for a few series against Indiana, but I’m not sure they could survive prolonged periods of time down another corner.

Tim: This is a tough question because I think all three are playing at a really high level. I'll start with the most indispensable and that's Gareon Conley. Ohio State's depth at corner is extremely thin with the suspension to Damon Webb and when Conley went out of the game Saturday the Buckeyes were one play away from having a true freshman come in. There are consistent, proven backups behind McMillan and Lewis; can't say the same for behind Conley.

I'll say Lewis is the most surprising because I'm not at all surprised by what McMillan has done, but you could also make an argument for Conley here, as well. I picked Lewis, though, because not a ton of people really knew about him and what he was capable of and he's seemingly come out of nowhere since spring and has been one of Ohio State's top two defensive linemen thus far, in my opinion.

I'll pick McMillan to be playing the best, but again, all three are playing at a high level and you could make an argument for all three here. He's leading the team in tackles and one thing about McMillan I've noticed is that he seems to just always be around the football. That's something you want out of your middle linebacker.

The playcalling trio of Urban Meyer, Ed Warinner and Tim Beck shelved the wildcat last week in what was generally seen as a favorable move but a residual effect was just two touches for Braxton Miller. What is the chief reason for his lack of involvement in the offense? Does he need more touches? If so, how would you go about making it happen?

Tim: Urban always talks about "flow and feel of the game" when it comes to involving Braxton so I think that's a lot of it. I don't, however, think the Wildcat is the right way to go about that. I think that kind of messes with Ohio State's offensive rhythm and outside of one highlight-reel run against Virginia Tech that formation has been a big disappointment. I think Miller should line up as a running back next to Jones in the shotgun more than he does and take a handoff that way. As far as touches go, I'd say Miller probably needs 5-6 per game with hopes that he breaks off at least one play of 20-plus yards.

Johnny: They just don't know what to do with the guy, which is unfortunate and also kind of irritating. I get that offensive packages take time to implement and figure out, but if the best thing that you can come up with for one of the most explosive college football players in the country after an entire summer of planning is "Hey, maybe the wildcat sometimes?" then you've done a poor job at planning.

Let him run, but as an actual component of the running game. Put him back there with Zeke, put him in motion, get him into space, and treat him like the threat that he can become at a skill position.

Kevin: It’s an odd situation, because if he truly is a receiver now then we should expect him to get a receiver’s number of touches. Jalin Marshall’s career high in touches is 8 against Alabama (3 rushes, 5 receptions). Michael Thomas’ career high is 7 catches against Alabama. Braxton Miller got 8 touches against Virginia Tech, 10 touches against Hawai’I, and 6 against Western Michigan. So he’s actually getting an above average number of touches for his position in most games. It’s difficult to say he needs more touches when you look at it that way.

On the other hand, Braxton Miller is not Michael Thomas or Jalin Marshall. He’s the most dynamic player on the field and I think he needs as many touches as possible. However, I do think the wildcat is the wrong way to go about getting him the ball. It’s led to far too many negative yardage plays that put the offense in a hole.

I would like to see more jet sweeps, screen passes, and slant routes. Basically, I’d do anything I can to get the ball to him in the open field.

Urban talks tough when it comes to turnovers and penalties but rarely takes away playing time from guys guilty of such errors. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes are 117th in the land in Turnovers Lost (13) and 104th in Fewest Penalties (8.0 per game). What do you make of the sloppy play? Is there a cure beyond fighting through it? Would you handle the situation any differently?

Kevin: I’m not sure what the cure is, but I’m definitely not in the camp that thinks players should be benched for making mistakes. In my opinion, that almost always has an adverse effect. It causes players to play scared instead of confident. The players have earned their spot with hundreds of reps in camp and practice, they shouldn’t lose it on one or two plays.

Players know what’s expected of them, and they know when they make a mistake. I think the best thing you can do is give them the chance to bounce back from it. Jalin Marshall’s game against Indiana is the perfect example of that.

Johnny: The turnovers and penalties have been going on for a while, stretching all the way back to the end of last season, so maybe they're just a product of the players that are on the field. Maybe some guys just have a loose style of play that allows for making dumb mistakes, which is the bad that comes with the good of having creative players that take risks.

In other words, turnovers and penalties are actually good and you are a bad person for thinking otherwise. Please read my 15000 word essay on this topic via my new partnership with Gawker media.

Tim: I think both are certainly concerning and I think both, for the most part, are self-inflicted. The penalties are especially fixable, but I think what's killed Ohio State is it seems to be committing penalties at critical times. Whether it be getting touchdowns called back like Saturday or simple, more subtle things like a false start on 2nd-and-4 from the 6-yard line making things more difficult in the red zone, the Buckeyes are hurting themselves. As far as turnovers go, they're going to happen; that's just football. But to have nearly three a game is unacceptable for a team like Ohio State. Urban says the team works hard at preventing them in practice, and I'm sure they do, but at some point you've got to just go out and stop committing them in games before I'll believe Ohio State can actually fix that issue because that one has been going on for quite some time now.

In his Monday presser, Urban Meyer was asked about OSU’s continued red zone struggles and if inserting J.T. Barrett at quarterback could be an option. Interestingly, Meyer admitted he’s thought about though no decisions have been made. Would you advocate such a move? Why or why not?

Tim: Yeah, I wrote about that because I thought those comments were definitely interesting, but frankly I'd be surprised if Urban actually went out and did something like that. I think this whole quarterback situation is already complicated enough as is and I think this would only intensify things. Both Cardale and J.T. were effective in the red zone last year so there's no reason this issue can't be fixed.

Kevin: I think that’s a wonderful idea. Play to your team’s strengths. Cardale Jones’ game is north-south. He has a rocket arm that teams have to respect, and is a bulldozer when running right at you (as we saw on a few plays during Ohio State’s playoff run).  But when north-south space is limited in the red-zone, you have to “use all 53 yards” laterally (to quote Kyle Jones). Cardale is not the guy to do this.

Putting J.T. Barrett at quarterback allows you to effectively run speed option and zone read plays that stretch the defense laterally. Schematically and statistically, it makes sense.

The only downside I could see is it may negatively affect Cardale Jones’ rhythm. If that turns out to be a non-issue, I love the idea.

Johnny: God, that is so stupid. Dance with the date you came with. Cardale is the starter. Nothing would destroy his confidence more than pulling him in the most important game situations in favor of a guy who has spent 75% of the season on the bench.

Literally the only reason why I can think of that Urban would say that is to troll Big Ten coaches who still might think they have to kind of gameplan for J.T.

Corey Smith’s severe leg injury combined with losing Noah Brown in fall camp has the Buckeyes thin at wide receiver though they should get Parris Campbell back this week. Aside from Mike Thomas and Jalin Marshall, who should we look for to step up at wideout? Can Campbell or one of the other numerous young guys be a factor? Or, is it more likely none of the true wideouts step up and Meyer asks more from the crop of H-backs in Miller, Wilson and Samuel? 

Johnny: Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson have both been very good this year. I had left Dontre for dead due to a poor overall resume and then his suspension, but I can't deny that the guy has been playing with his hair on fire ever since he got back. I'm not a huge fan of knuckleheads on my favorite football team, but I am a huge fan of redemption stories. If Dontre can turn this whole "student athlete" thing around and become a person who can contribute to the team on a consistent basis, I'd like that.

I'm also a fan of hedging my bets, so let's see what Parris and Curtis can do first.

Tim: Frankly, I think this is Ohio State's biggest issue. The Buckeyes have a talented group of wide receivers, but they only have one true wide receiver left they have any confidence in in Mike Thomas. Yes, Marshall, Samuel, Miller, Campbell and Wilson are all explosive players, but none of them are natural wideouts and that's where I think the losses of Smith and Brown will be most noticed. Maybe we'll see some of the younger guys — Terry McLaurin, James Clark, K.J. Hill, Johnnie Dixon — this weekend against Maryland, but how much they're used going forward remains to be seen.

Kevin: It’s hard to know what to expect from guys you’ve barely seen in game action, so my official answer is “I don’t know.” Guys like Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin, Johnnie Dixon or James Clark could step up, but I just haven’t seen enough to know. However, I will say two things:

1) I am very excited about K.J. Hill. I love his shiftiness in the open field. He’s an ankle breaker who excels in the screen and slant game. I think eventually his skill set will translate nicely to route running and he will obviously get bigger now that he’s under Mickey Marroti’s care. At this point, it looks as though he’ll be redshirting this season, but perhaps the Corey Smith injury changes things.

2) I love Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson as pure receivers, and I love them even more now that they’re showing effort blocking downfield (to Curtis Samuel’s credit, he’s been a good blocker since he got here). I’d love to see more of them out wide and more of Braxton in the slot.

The hope this week is that Maryland’s stank will at least temporarily cure what ails Ohio State. Vegas must be thinking the same as the Buckeyes are a 33 point favorite. Does OSU cover this week? Give us your score prediction and game MVP. 

Kevin: Maryland doesn’t have a quarterback and from how it sounds, they barely have a head coach. I have the Buckeyes winning 38-6. The MVP could honestly be anyone, but I’m going with Michael Thomas simply because I think he’s the best receiver in the country and I’m continually amazed with the plays he makes on a game by game basis. So it’s a safe bet he makes a play or two this game.

Tim: Ohio State should cover because Maryland is awful; the Terrapins have been outscored 73-6 in their last two games, and if the Buckeyes don't look impressive against this team, it's definitely a huge red flag. I'll say Ohio State wins, 52-17, and I'll pick Cardale Jones as the game's MVP with four touchdown passes.

Johnny: No they won't, despite Maryland currently being a rickety mule drawn cart steered by an insane, shirtless Randy Edsall. Cardale will continue to settle down and improve, but expect the Terrapins to do what Indiana did and dare Ohio State to beat them through the air (at least in the first half). This will be a gut check moment for the coaches, because teams are going to make them decide just how much faith they've placed in their starting quarterback.

Personally, I say ride or die. Let Cardale wing it around 40 times and see what happens; you're almost halfway through the season, and if you're still trying out offensive identities, at least make it an entertaining one. I think (hope) that this is the week it happens. Dolo MVP, 42-17 Buckeyes as they pull away in the second half.