11W Mailbag: Outlooking J.T. Barrett's Return, Ohio State's IlliBuck Dominance and a Potential Trap Game at Illinois

Will J.T. Barrett's suspension (and thus lost reps) have a long-term effect on our team's performance down the stretch? — AznChipmunk

That's kind of the million dollar question, isn't it? OK, maybe not quite a million dollars, but it's pretty safe to assume that's the main worry on most every Ohio State fan's mind heading into Saturday.

There's no doubt Barrett stayed as sharp as he could last week in practice even though he was suspended, but practice reps are not game reps. That being said, Barrett is an excellent practice player, per Urban Meyer, so any rust that's collected shouldn't stick around long. Whether or not the team rallies around him again after his mistake is a different situation entirely. We'll see.

Any new faces garnering playing time this week? What do you anticipate from the QB position (Barrett)? Do you think he starts slower as he shakes off the rust or do you think he will come out angry and with something to prove? Hovenaut and BuckeyeCWRU

Really the only "new" face that will see time at Illinois is Sean Nuernberger, the guy who was the starting kicker on last year's national championship team. Meyer said Wednesday he'll handle the placekicking duties while Jack Willoughby does kickoffs. Outside of Nuernberger, not really.

Barrett could start a little slow, but I think he's probably pretty anxious to get back on the field and show why he was the guy Meyer tabbed as starter before his OVI citation. He could press some and not be as efficient initially against the Fighting Illini, but fortunately for Ohio State, Illinois' defense isn't among the Big Ten's best (eighth overall, allowing 341.9 yards per game).

I think Barrett will play well and lead Ohio State to a ton of points both with his legs and arm.

With a noon start time, which team do you think is more likely to come out flat — an Illinois team that has little to play for, or an Ohio State team that's unimpressed and looking forward to Michigan State? Does this have the makings of a trap game? — Bringthejuice and Buckeye Phi

Actually, kickoff is 11 a.m. locally. It'll feel like noon for the Buckeyes, though (#BODYCLOCKS), the same way it did when they won 60-35 in Champaign in 2013.

It does have the makings of a trap game, however, because of what is at stake for Ohio State. Illinois is playing with an interim head coach, has an interim president and interim chancellor. This season's been a mess.

Ohio State, though, is on the cusp of making the Big Ten title game and College Football Playoff for the second straight year. The 2015 season was going to come down to what happens against Michigan State and Michigan for the Buckeyes all along, but in order for that to still be the case, they have to win Saturday.

So because of that, and the fact that it's a high noon affair not at Ohio Stadium, I think there's a better chance for Ohio State to be the ones that come out flat. Then again, Meyer's teams have been pretty good at avoiding such situations since he's been in Columbus.

If the opportunity presents itself, does Meyer bury the pedal or does he let off the gas to prepare for the stretch? Along those lines, if the chance is there to let Ezekiel Elliott to pad some stats, does he approve? Seven yards and a cloud of dust this Saturday in the wind tunnel? — RK84 and BuckeyeFreak4844

I think Meyer's going to try and come out and make a statement to the nation, even though he won't say it. Last week's game against Minnesota was relatively unimpressive, but now that Barrett's back in the saddle at quarterback the offense is looking to get back in sync and play like it did at Rutgers. Ohio State's in a good place at No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings, but if Meyer has a chance to add a lopsided victory to the résumé, I think he'll try and do it.

He could let Elliott pad some stats, but if Ohio State has a big lead in the fourth quarter I doubt we'll see the Heisman Trophy candidate much. Meyer knows what has to happen to get a player in a position to win the award, but Elliott's value to this team is extremely, extremely high. He doesn't want an injury to occur late in the fourth quarter of, say, a five-touchdown game.

Eric, in past years Illinois has put up a fight taking OSU to overtime during the 2002 championship run and even pulled off the upset in 2007. What kind of game do you expect to see this weekend? Will Illinois put a fight and take it down to the wire or do you expect Ohio State to roll much like last year? — BuckeyeCWRU

There's always the chance for an upset, especially at the wind tunnel that is Memorial Stadium. No matter the weather, the air is always moving rapidly there.

One- or two-score victories in Champaign are largely the norm for Ohio State in the last decade or so (24-21 win in 2000 — John Cooper's final year — a 23-16 overtime win in 2002, 17-10 victory in 2006, a 30-20 triumph in 2008, 24-13 in 2010 and 17-7 in 2011). However, Meyer's club stoned Illinois 60-35 two years ago on the road and then again at home, 55-14, last season.

Interim head coach Bill Cubit has the Fighting Illini playing well this season, all things considered. They dominated Purdue on the road last weekend (yes, I know, it's Purdue). But, I think Meyer will have his team ready to go Saturday and barring any weird plays that turn into cheap touchdowns for Illinois, I expect Ohio State to win big. Illinois will play hard, but the Buckeyes are just too talented and too deep.

Who has the best opportunity to showcase their improvement from last week to this week — Chase Farris, Tyvis Powell, Nick Vannett? Please feel free to choose any Buckeye. — BroJim

Solid question, and I'll go with Vannett. He caught two passes against Minnesota for 12 yards — his first catches in a month — and appeared to block well. Aside from a few mishaps, it looks like his blocking has improved immensely this season. That's good news for Ohio State, along with Marcus Baugh's development. As was shown last year, Meyer's offense requires two worthy tight ends.

Farris is playing better, too, but still needs to work a bit on fine tuning his game. Luckily, there's another preamble Saturday before the big games on the schedule.

With the health of our wide receivers being a concern does Nick Vannett build on the game from last week in terms of receptions? — SoulPatrol32

That would seem to make sense, wouldn't it? Vannett has a huge body and solid hands and made some plays last season that we haven't seen yet in 2015. With Barrett back at quarterback, I think there's certainly a solid chance Vannett could see more targets. 

Illinois seems to have a competent offense (from what I've seen, at least) so how do you expect our defense to hold up against Wes Lunt and Co.? Do you have a yardage total for the Illinois offense? — AMart71314

Illinois does have some playmakers on offense, whom I outlined in my preview this morning. It starts with Lunt at quarterback, but Josh Ferguson and Ke'Shawn Vaughn are solid running backs and Geronimo Allison a more than serviceable receiver.

Ohio State's fully aware those players can hurt its defense, at least that's what I felt like talking to guys like Joshua Perry, Raekwon McMillan, Tommy Schutt and Joey Bosa this week. Illinois averages 384.3 yards of total offense per game, but I'll lean with Ohio State a bit and go with 325 yards on the day for the Fighting Illini.

Is there any thing that Illinois has that is a serious threat to OSU, something that we cant defend or will have trouble with on the offensive side of the ball? — WesBranscum

I think Ohio State can pretty much defend anything any team would throw at it this season, but like I said above, the Illini have some talented skill players. My #take? The biggest issue could be defending the running backs in the passing game out of the backfield and making tackles in space.

I grew up with the Monheim family, Mason always seems to have good games against Ohio State. He hasn't been talked about much this season. What are your keys to the game on the offensive side for the Buckeyes? Why do we always have a tough time against Illinois? Does Zeke continue his streak, more so, does he seal the deal in the first half? — Adamluangraj

Mason Monheim not only has a great name, but he has beautiful, illustrious flowing hair and a penchant for a baller handlebar mustache. He's a senior linebacker with 66 tackles and an interception this year, a leader of the Illini defense. To your point, he racked up 11 tackles last season against Ohio State and seven apiece in the two years prior. Nothing to gripe about.

Offensively, Ohio State's must be able to run the ball. With how the wind whips through Memorial Stadium, that's pretty much the biggest area of focus for any road team trying to win there. There's just something odd about it and the fact it's a rivalry game for a turtle that gives Ohio State fits in Champaign.

I think Elliott gets to 100 yards, but not in the first half. Illinois will do its best to take him away, so expect Barrett to make some plays with his feet early to help Ohio State move the ball. Just like at Rutgers and against Penn State.

Should we sacrifice a live chicken (or at least a KFC bucket) to exorcise the Memorial Stadium voodoo? — What Would Troy…

Beautiful reference to one of my favorite sports movies, Major League, (yes, I'm a Reds fan) but I don't think that's quite necessary. Remember: The last (and only) time Ohio State played there under Meyer, it won by four possessions.

Why does the staff give Braxton Miller more carries than Jalin Marshall? Can they not see Marshall is emerging as a stud while Braxton dances in the hole and goes backwards most of the time? — BuckeyeCity

Nice observation, and I'd say a fair one to boot. Marshall was terrific last season in the H-back role, particularly in Ohio State's post-season run. However, I think why Miller gets more touches in the running game than Marshall is due to a couple reasons.

First, Meyer is trying to showcase and use Miller as much as he can before he's gone. The head coach adores him, and even openly said he feels like he "owes" the former quarterback for what he's done for the program. Meyer wants to do his very best to give Miller the best shot possible at being an NFL wide receiver.

The second, Marshall is primarily playing wide receiver this season. He moved there in the spring to continue rounding out his game in hopes of becoming more versatile, but had to stay there permanently with the injury to Noah Brown. Then Corey Smith went down and the staff is still trying to find consistency at the position from guys not named Michael Thomas. They trust Marshall, which is why he's always on the outside — not really playing H-back anymore.

What are the chances that Elliott has the workload reduced to stay fresh for the stretch run? Is there any chance Juice Williams will be suited up and give Illinois a chance in this game? — Jumar

I don't really think there's much chance of that. Elliott's a freak of an athlete just like most of the guys Ohio State recruits, but he's too important to take out of the offense unless the game's decided. If Meyer was going to reduce his workload, he would have done it already with the Michigan State and Michigan coming games up next.

And no, unfortunately for the Illini, Juice used up all his eligibility.

Why don't we run more WR screens, or even screens designed for Zeke? I feel like setting plays like that up would have at least helped Cardale Jones get into a rhythm last week, even if they didn't go anywhere. — DocOc_88

I thought there might be a chance for that to happen, because screen passes are easy throws for any quarterback. It probably would have helped Jones some, but either the staff doesn't have confidence in him to make those type of throws or thought they could exploit Minnesota differently to win. They won, so it looks like they made mostly the right decisions within the offensive game plan.

Assuming J.T. Barrett stays healthy and we are not up big against any of our future opponents, have we seen the last of Cardale on the field for the Buckeyes this season (and maybe ever)? — Killer Nuts and DocOc_88

I think so. Jones wouldn't have played last year had Barrett not gotten injured. That is unless it was in mop-up duty like you mentioned.

Meyer made the move to Barrett and it worked well. He made a mistake, served his suspension and is now back, a decision again made by the head coach. Unless Barrett gets hurt again or leads Ohio State to huge leads in the near future, it is now his baby. There's a real good chance Jones never plays another snap unless its in the NFL. Wild, I know.

If Miller's injury is more serious than initial statements indicate, what does the back end of the WR corps look like? Does this preclude Ohio State from running four- and five-wide sets? (Especially on the road with fewer players dressing). Recently it seems like I've been watching Buckeye defenses dominate games, give up a couple big plays, then I look up at the end of the game and the stats look pretty mediocre. Is the defense an elite unit? (aka, the Joe Flacco question) — Booj

All signs point to Miller being 100 percent and ready to play in full capacity Saturday, but if he went down again the back end of the receiving corps would have James Clark and Jeff Greene hanging out. Parris Campbell should play, a big boost for the unit and the offense as a whole. Dontre Wilson is still dealing with foot problems and Johnnie Dixon's knees won't cooperate.

For your Flacco question — who isn't an elite NFL quarterback, by the way — I would like to take a wait and see approach. Illinois' offense isn't bad, but it's not Michigan State's. If Connor Cook comes into Ohio Stadium next week and throws for 350 yards and four touchdowns like he's fully capable, we'll probably have a better idea of the answer to your question.

I think the group certainly has the potential to be elite, but have left a few plays out on the field this year (think of Tyvis Powell dropping interceptions and 18-year-old Saquon Barkley nearly running for 200 yards). They're very, very good, but haven't put it all together yet.

Over the span of this year OSU has given up a couple big/broken plays. Does this fall on the D-line and linebackers not finishing or being able to get to the QB, etc.? — Bucks4Nuts

It falls on the whole defense, I think. Joey Bosa's been in the grill of opposing quarterbacks all season long, but *only* has 3.5 sacks. The quarterback run-outs and big run gashes the unit gives up mostly fall on the linebackers for not fulfilling their gap responsibilities, but if a runner breaks out the safeties and corners have to take good angles and make a tackle. That hasn't happened with enough consistency.

Do you think K.J. Hill makes it into this game? — NOLABuckeye

No. Meyer said on his radio show Thursday that Hill's got all the tools, but is just too inconsistent. Redshirt coming.

Does the Illibuck trophy rank in the top-5 of college football's dumbest and most meaningless trophies? What do you view as the worst or most meaningless? — HotSauceCommittee

No way, man. The IlliBuck is the second-oldest rivalry trophy in the Big Ten (the Little Brown Jug is 22 years its senior) and used to be an actual living, breathing turtle. How is that dumb or meaningless? (If you don't agree, look at these photos of Jack Mewhort and try to tell me its unimportant to players)

I don't know about the worst or most meaningless trophies, but I always have kind of thought the Victory Bell (North Carolina-Duke) was silly because that rivalry really only means squat on the hardwood. Also: TIL there's a battle known as the Textile Bowl between North Carolina State and Clemson with the winner rewarded an actual trophy. I get the rivalry, but what?

Chances the Illibuck is replaced with a live turtle again? — Toad1204

Probably zero. It's much, much cheaper and easier just to transport a wooden turtle than a live one.

If the Buckeyes were to come out an play their best game so far, what does that score and yardages look like? — Timhbomb

It would probably be somewhere around 600 yards of total offense for Ohio State and less than 200 for Illinois, but that's pretty unlikely. The Buckeyes would win something crazy like 63-3, but my pick was Ohio State 42, Illinois 21.

BONUS: If OSU had to play with only its second string players, would it still be favored? Can we talk about the two up north teams yet? — BadApple

Interesting question, but probably not. Ohio State's crazy talented and has a lot of depth this year on both sides of the ball, but Illinois' first-stringers have Division I Big Ten scholarships, too, even if they got them from Tim Beckman.

BONUS: Any great postgame presser stories from years gone by that you can share with the community? — Seattle Linga

Well, this is only my third season covering college sports so not too many years have gone by. Yet.

I think the best stories I have stem from last year, because I was fortunate to cover some of the biggest games of the college football season. When Ohio State skunked Wisconsin, 59-0, let's just say the locker room was pretty wild. If you want to, picture a bunch of college-aged but grown men butt naked and waving towels around as they went to and from the shower. Then Michael Bennett, who had presumably done some national television stuff immediately after the win, comes in the locker room still in full pads and stops right at the doorway to speak with reporters. Guys are going nuts, and Bennett is just chill, because to quote him, "There (was) still work to be done."

Anyway, he saw some of his teammates running around and just smiled and shook his head as he answered a question. Bennett was always a pretty serious dude unless you got him talking about something simpler than football, but even when he saw those guys carrying on he couldn't heed his laughter.

The mob around him was unequivocally in the way of anyone moving in and out of the locker room with any sort of efficiency. So Jerry Emig, the sports communications director for the team, asks him to move out of the way. Bennett responds: "It's cool, man. I'm almost done. Besides, I'm finally a champion. I feel like I can do whatever I want."

At that brief moment, he could.

Thanks for all the inquiries as always. See you next week.