After a romp over Akron left the Buckeyes standing 3-1, Ryan Day's outfit heads to Piscataway, New Jersey to take on upstart Rutgers at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday.
All signs point to quarterback C.J. Stroud resuming his starter role after a week to rest his ailing shoulder while the defense hopes to show the type of progression necessary if Ohio State truly wants to have a shot at winning the Big Ten.
Just like every Friday throughout the season, the 11W Roundtable is here to get your mind right. Today's discussion welcomes our scheme analyst Kyle Jones and staff writers Garrick Hodge and Griffin Strom.
A lot of the talk this year has focused on what hasn't gone well for Ohio State but there's no doubt some guys have really emerged into legit contributors. Which player has exceeded your expectations the most so far this year?
Kyle: There are a few guys that have stood out far more than I anticipated (Dawand and Matthew Jones on the OL, Mitch Rossi as a quasi-fullback, Ronnie Hickman never coming off the field, etc...), but the most surprising is easily Denzel Burke. I had no expectation that this true freshman would not only win a starting cornerback job but that he'd quickly become one of the more reliable defenders on the entire team. According to PFF, he has been targeted by opposing QBs more than any other Buckeye (25 attempts) but has given up just 11 catches, with five passes broken up. More importantly, though, is he's shown to be a reliable tackler, having allowed just one single yard after the catch on those rare completions. His first real test will come next week against Maryland and its explosive passing attack, but for those who had been clamoring to see The Next Great Buckeye Cornerback, I think he might already be here.
Garrick: Dawand Jones. Not that I thought he'd flop or anything like that. But he's really proven why Ohio State would even consider moving an All-American in Thayer Munford away from his natural position. Jones' pro football focus grade four games in is insane. He's really been a treat to watch.
Griffin: Even with the criticism the team has received this season, there’s still a lot of directions you could go with this one. I’ll shine the spotlight on a player that, despite his size, will still fly under the radar solely due to the position he plays. It’s easy to forget that Dawand Jones wasn’t exactly a proven commodity coming into this season, at least to the outside world, and the big man has been nothing short of excellent in his first season as a regular starter at right tackle. Greg Studrawa realigned his entire starting five to get “Big Thanos” into the lineup this year, and four games into the season, it’s clear to see why. Jones is the highest-rated tackle in the Big Ten, per Pro Football Focus, and he’s certainly exceeded expectations with that metric.
Ohio State's defense, beyond guys starting to emerge in certain spots, seems to be installing some different looks, and in combination, making some progress. What is the ceiling for this defense in 2021? Can it evolve into a group that can at least slow down an elite offense or will the pressure remain on Day's offense to outscore great and even pretty good teams?
Griffin: Tough to say. The Ohio State defense pitched a shutout after Akron’s second drive of the game last weekend, and looked dominant doing so for the most part. However, that was Akron. Despite what Twitter might tell you, the Buckeyes have had impressive stretches on defense even before that, having stopped Tulsa from scoring on six-straight drives a couple weeks ago, and even giving the Ohio State offense a chance to tie it up against Oregon on more than one occasion late in that ballgame. I believe inconsistency will remain, but think Ohio State will have the ability to get stops in big moments as it continues to improve.
Kyle: The game plan against Akron was a major step in the right direction, as Matt Barnes took the unit out of its comfort zone for long stretches of time. The Buckeyes played more two-deep coverages than any time since Chris Ash was in charge, mixing Cover 2 zone and Match-Quarters with Cover 3 and the occasional blitz. While OSU would have had no trouble matching up with the Zip receivers in man-to-man, it was clear that the goal was to prepare guys like Cam Martinez and Lathan Ransom in advance of playing more dynamic offenses like Maryland, Indiana, and Penn State. I don't believe that this year's defense can truly change its identity all that much at this point, but given how ridiculous the offense is (averaging 8.6 yards per play), the unit can probably get by with being fairly vanilla.
Garrick: I have a hard time believing this defense is ever going to shutdown an elite offense. It doesn't help that some veteran players have missed the last two games with injuries, and who knows how long those may linger. But, lots of young players have really stepped up so far for Ohio State's defense when their number is called, such as Denzel Burke and Ronnie Hickman. While there's been obvious coverage breakdowns that have led to touchdowns, I've actually thought the secondary has been serviceable considering how young it is. Until last Saturday, the problem has been the pass rush, or lack thereof. If that can change, the season trajectory could be more favorable.
The K'Vaughan Pope dismissal, on the heels of Dallas Gant entering the portal, has some in the fan base questioning the team's culture. I feel like this is just a situation where young guys are better and a couple older guys were salty about it. Does Day have an issue here? Or might this actually almost be a good problem to have?
Garrick: Let's just call the Pope outburst for what it is: it was a reaction driven by anger by a frustrated player who put in his time at Ohio State and wasn't reaping the benefits of it. It wasn't a good look, but the sky isn't falling. Every program in America has transfers year in and year out because players slip down the depth chart. That's just how it goes in 2021. Now, I once covered a program where the team's starting linebacker punched its starting quarterback in the face and injured him so badly it caused him to miss the team's bowl game. Now, THAT'S a culture problem. Pope's outburst seems to be an isolated incident and Gant's transfer is just a result of the transfer portal being what it is.
Griffin: The Buckeyes lost their four top linebackers from last year, but that didn’t mean there was any shortage of names vying for time in the position group this year. With one linebacker spot being taken off the board with the increased use of the bullet position, it was always going to be the case that somebody would be unhappy with their snaps. Add Palaie Gaoteote and Steele Chambers into the mix, and suddenly Al Washington had quite a few mouths to feed without much leeway after the pressure added by the early-season loss. I find the situation unfortunate for Gant and Pope, but I’m not convinced it’s indicative of a wider culture problem in the program.
Kyle: This feels to me like a modern-day occurrence that we'll see more and more as time goes on. Just as the scholarship limits kept programs like OSU from hoarding talent, the transfer portal will allow players to find places where they can actually see the field, rather than spend four years sitting on the bench. The good news for Ohio State is that there are so many freshmen and sophomores seeing the field this season, meaning the future is very, very bright on both sides of the ball. While the Buckeyes are certainly trying to compete for a CFP title this season, their chances will be even better next year and the following, given the experience that players like Henderson, Wypler, Burke, Martinez, Cody Simon, JTT, and Tyleik Williams are gaining this season.
Looking at the national landscape now that we're four games in for most teams, what has surprised you the most outside of anything at Ohio State? Clemson's struggles? The perceived increase in parity? Some really sketchy quarterback play at many top programs? Something else?
Kyle: As someone who loves the sport as a whole, I could not be happier about the chaos this young season has brought. Just look at some of the teams populating the top 25: Arkansas, Michigan State, Fresno State, UCLA, NC State, and 4-0 Wake Forest! Even our beloved beach chickens from Coastal Carolina have shown last year wasn't a fluke. This is a GOOD thing, as the inevitable death march of watching Alabama, Clemson, OSU, and Oklahoma crush everyone en route to the playoff gets old after a while. All of a sudden, the Ohio State-Penn State matchup in a few weeks looks like an absolute #banger. Even the regular-season finale in Ann Arbor is looking more interesting. College Football fans only get a dozen or so days where we actually get to watch the sport play out each year, and I, for one, welcome a world in which every single one is interesting.
Garrick: Has to be Clemson. That team had a damn cakewalk schedule outside of its season opener and is now all but guaranteed to miss the CFP. A bunch of four and five star recruits cannot move the ball offensively to save their life. A popular Heisman pick looks lost out there. Not that most of you are complaining, of course, but it's baffling to see.
Griffin: Most surprising through four games, as far as I’m concerned, is just how mediocre Clemson has been thus far. Dabo and the Tigers are now 5-4 in their last nine games dating back to last season, with four of those five wins coming against unranked opponents. Clemson may still possess a stifling defense, but the fact that preseason Heisman contender D.J. Uiagalelei has yet to throw 200 yards passing in a game this season is – frankly – shocking. The only game in which Clemson has truly looked good was its Week 2 matchup with FCS opponent South Carolina State, which is saying something.
Ohio State heads to Piscataway as a 15-point favorite over the Scarlet Knights. Do the Buckeyes cover? Give us your final score and game MVP.
Griffin: Rutgers may be legit, but I have a hard time believing its much improved defense has the ability to slow down Ohio State’s offense enough to get the win. Greg Schiano and company might limit the Buckeyes under their season average of 43.2 points per game, which is why I don’t quite like Ohio State to cover, but I still think it wins by a two-touchdown margin. I’m going 34-20 Buckeyes, and by the sounds of things, Ryan Day plans on riding the running game early to take some pressure off of C.J. Stroud. That means TreVeyon Henderson may be a likely choice for MVP.
Kyle: Rutgers won't beat itself the way Akron did last week, but the Fighting Schianos simply cannot throw the ball. If the Buckeyes are able to get some early points, this game could get out of hand quickly, with the home team unable to mount much of a comeback. I think Ohio State makes a statement as conference play really picks up, winning 49-14 as Ransom extends the pick-six streak to three weeks in a row.
Garrick: They won't cover, but only just miss out. I'm predicting a very Minnesota-like game for Saturday, with Ohio State winning 38-24. I'll say TreVeyon Henderson continues to shred opponents on the ground, and runs four around 150 yards and scores twice in the win.
