Eleven Warriors Roundtable: From Black Out To Scarlet Knight

By Chris Lauderback on October 23, 2015 at 10:10 am
J.T. Barrett takes over the reins as Ohio State's starting quarterback Saturday night against Rutgers.
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Fresh off a 38-10 suffocation of Penn State, Urban Meyer's troops hit the road this Saturday for a prime time showdown with Rutgers. 

The Scarlet Knights (3-3) feature the league's second ranked scoring offense (34.3 ppg) which hung with Michigan State a few weeks back and put up 55 points on Indiana last Saturday as part of a furious comeback victory though their resume is also dotted with a 25-point loss to Penn State.  

Can a Buckeye defense that has struggled to stop the run and still has a tendency to surrender big plays put the clamps on the Scarlet Knights? How will the Buckeyes replace Tommy Schutt? Was the decision to start J.T. Barrett the right call? 

For hot takes on these questions and more we welcome Ramzy, Kyle and Andrew to the latest edition of the 11W roundtable. 


Urban Meyer declared J.T. Barrett his starting quarterback on Tuesday. What's your take on the decision? Good move? Will it stick? Why or why not? Any concerns on how Cardale Jones will handle things moving forward? 

Kyle: In terms of efficiency, Barrett has been far ahead of Jones in recent weeks, making the change seem like the right move. However the Buckeyes haven't asked him to throw the ball much at all for some reason, and in order to keep Jones on the bench, he'll have to distribute the ball outside. Barrett has succeeded against teams that weren't prepared for the double-tight end, power-option team that the offense has become, but will quickly begin putting nine defenders in the box until he shows the ability to distribute the ball to more than just Ezekiel Elliott.

Ramzy: Cardale's greatest strength from his run at the end of last season is weakened in the absence of a proven deep threat. Zone 6 has been unable to stay healthy and as a result nobody outside of Braxton Miller - as if he needed to prove his skills - has emerged. It's evident Cardale is lacking confidence in those receivers and it's resulted in him hanging onto the ball.

Conversely, the offense under J.T. seems to just click better, move more smoothly and chew up yardage without the labor and strain we were seeing under Cardale. I think the upside for #12 with the right receivers can be higher, but the offense Ohio State has right now is best suited for #16. It's the perfect time to start putting more space between the Buckeyes and everyone else.

Andrew: Good move. I've said it before. but I had sided with Cardale for a long time. That changed around week two or three of the season when Cardale began to go downhill. I absolutely think it will stick and I believe J.T. comes out Saturday night looking like the guy we all remember from the 2014 campaign. Watching him run the read option against Penn State last week was a thing of beauty.

I'm not concerned about Cardale and how he will handle it. I'm sure there will be a few tweets here and there that will be overanalyzed by the Twitter detectives, but I think he will be fine. He's still going to get drafted in the first 2-4 rounds and I'm sure he knows teams are watching him closely. If he starts whining and has awful body language on Saturdays then that's not going to help his cause when the NFL Draft comes around.

Joey Bosa has been dominant in recent weeks from both his normal outside spot and in shifting inside at times in obvious passing situations and is a sure fire top five pick in the upcoming draft. As a college player, where do you rank him among other great Ohio State defensive ends and why? Who’s your top three?
Bosa has been unblockable in recent weeks.

Andrew: My memories of Ohio State football date back to my childhood in the early 90's, so I obviously can't go back as far as some of my elders. That being said, I would have Joey Bosa #2 on my list of Ohio State's best defensive ends. I got him right behind Mike Vrabel and ahead of Will Smith. Vrabel's 36 career sacks and 66 TFL is damn impressive. With Bosa heading to the NFL after this season it will be tough to compare his stats with Vrabel who was in Columbus all four years. There's absolutely no shame in being runner-up to the Buckeyes' career sack leader.

Kyle: Given that my parents were five years old when he graduated from OSU, I can't in good conscience name Jim Houston here (sorry old-timers, he was more of a receiver at OSU anyway). Anyway, Bosa is as consistently effective, while also being perhaps the most physically talented player to ever play the position in Columbus. To me, the closest thing I've seen to him at the end spot is Will Smith, who didn't quite dominate at the level of Bosa, but was still scary good. For third, I'll pick Mike Vrabel over Vernon Gholston, but just by a hair. Vrabel was more decorated than Smith, but lacked the natural physical abilities of the other two on the list.

Ramzy: I'll stick to the ones I've personally seen play, since gloating over teams or players that predate your birth is something better left to Michigan fans. Mike Vrabel is the best DE I've seen, followed by Will Smith. After that you've got Bosa in a group that includes John Simon, Vern Gholston,  Darion Scott, Alonzo Spellman and Jason Simmons. Vrabro and Smith were four-year players which I'm certain Bosa won't be, so he's at a disadvantage. I'd put Simon ahead of him now. Bosa has been relentless through half his junior season and unlike Vern doesn't visibly take any plays off. At his current pace I'd have him leaving Ohio State in the top five all-time, which is to say the top five I've ever seen. Since we're going to get at least six years of a Bosa coming off the edge perhaps we'll be able to combine them into a hydra when this question comes up again halfway through 2018.

Apologies for going all Tressel on you but let’s talk about Cam Johnston. Dude dropped four punts inside the 20 last week (inside the 8 actually) giving him 14 for the year and 71 for his career. He’s now just nine away from breaking A.J. Trapasso’s career mark. Where would you list him in the team MVP race? As far as perfection of individual craft, how does he stack up against Zeke at RB and Bosa at DE?

Ramzy: This season there's a comedy segment the stadium plays during commercial breaks where current players are given playful interview questions. For the Penn State game these queries were all about Halloween costumes, candy and traditions. Every player had a story to tell for each question, but Johnston's response was the same across the board: Favorite costume?"Yeah, we don't have Halloween in Australia." Favorite candy? "Yeah, we don't have Halloween in Australia." Best memory? "Yeah, we don't have Halloween in Australia." What I'm trying to say is he's easily the most consistent player on the roster, he's definitely the MVP of that unit and it's unlikely he'll ever have a cavity.

Andrew: Well right now I can't really put either quarterback in the MVP race, so I would have Johnston #3 on the list behind Zeke and probably someone like Adolphus Washington. Ever since the Sugar Bowl, I've had a newfound respect for punters. What J.K. Scott did that night was absolutely absurd. Johnston has been just as impressive and he truly is a master of his craft. I would say Johnston is to punters what Zeke is to running backs and Bosa is to defensive ends. All three of them have perfected their positions, but punters just don't get the recognition that other positions do. 

Kyle: Considering he plays for an undefeated team that is scoring an average of 37 points-per-game, I can't in good faith call him the 'most valuable' member of his squad. However, he has as advanced a skill set for his position as anyone. I love watching the way the ball spins off his foot, since he has at least four different ways in which he can kick it, and still seems to always drop it wherever he wants. Zeke has a wider skill set, for sure, but might not be as refined as the Aussie.

With Tommy Schutt sporting a cast against Penn State and now headed for wrist surgery causing at least a two week hiatus, Ohio State gave snaps to Joel Hale, Michael Hill and Donovan Munger along the defensive interior. How do you see the Buckeyes adjusting to compensate for his loss? Will one of these three step up? Will we see even more of the Lewis, Washington, Bosa, Hubbard combo that’s been exceptional on obvious passing situations?
Can Michael Hill seize an opportunity with Tommy Schutt on the shelf?

Kyle: Outside of clear running situations, I expect to not only see a lot of Hubbard playing end with Bosa inside, but also plenty of Chris Worley coming in to create a three-man line with Darron Lee acting as a stand-up rusher on the end. Injuries have begun to threaten the depth on the defensive side of the ball, and someone unproven will have to step up. Hubbard seems like a popular choice, but don't be surprised of a more unknown name emerges.

Andrew: I look for Michael Hill to fill in nicely in Tommy Schutt's absence. I do think Hale and Munger will be rotated in as well, but Hill is the guy I am highest on. I think we will continue to see more of the "rushmen" package but it probably won't be as effective down the road against most of the pro-style teams like Michigan State and Michigan (except in obvious passing downs, of course).

Ramzy: That Rushmen package is great on obvious passing downs but it appeared to leave the edge containment vulnerable. If Lee and (Perry? Booker?) can guard against that then I think they should be in good shape with that front four. Otherwise...defensive tackles have recently been enigmas. Even Michael Bennett needed to have his switch flipped to turn into the hell-demon he became late in the 2014 season. Hill and Munger need anger management sessions, and by that I mean the coaches need to find a way to piss them off.

The Silver Bullets are giving up just 16.3 points per game (13th nationally) but they’re surrendering 161 rushing yards per game (60th nationally) and while better than last year, they are still susceptible to the big play.  Do either of those shortcomings or maybe another defensive metric cause you great concern down the stretch? Why or why not?

Ramzy: Rutgers has probably the best and most balanced offense the Buckeyes will have seen at this point - and that's no cue for a weak schedule joke. They have a whole slew of problems - mostly among their adult employees and about a half-dozen burgeoning criminals on the roster - but offense isn't one of them. I'm happy to give most of the blame for what's plaguing the Silver Bullets to health problems but at this point Ohio State should have the depth Urban craves to patch those holes. Safety play and the middle of the defensive line keep me up at night. The former has no reason to be where it is at this point, albeit they may miss Webb at nickel; the latter is still waiting for a hero.

Kyle: The aforementioned lack of depth may be the culprit here, especially in the back seven. Penn State began gashing OSU by going right at Dante Booker once he came in to replace the injured Josh Perry. The nickel position is less than stable with Damon Webb's absence and only Marshon Lattimore able to contribute. At Safety, Cam Burrows and Erick Smith are gone. This means the back end of the defense is playing nearly every single snap as well as special teams, where nearly all of these players contribute regularly. Mistakes are often made when players get tired, and although these players are well conditioned, quite a bit is being asked of them. 

Andrew: I think the middle of the defense still needs to improve. Raekwon McMillan has all the potential in the world but he has been out of position at times and has missed some pretty big tackles. I am not particularly concerned about the 161 rush yards per game. The defense gave up some big runs to Indiana and Maryland but I am confident Fickell/Ash/LJ will get things fixed before November rolls around. Minor concern for now, but nothing I am fretting over at the moment.

Give me one player either flying under the radar or maybe not meeting expectations right now that you expect to be a legit factor down the stretch. Who and why?
Farris hasn't been great and was exposed big time last week.

Andrew: I am going to go with Parris Campbell here. I think there's a reason—besides the suspensions, of course—he was the first guy to hit the field alongside Michael Thomas against Virginia Tech. I know he's nursing an injury now but I think he is poised to come back and make some noise this season. Once he's healthy and gets over the dropsies I think we are going to fall in love with the kid.

Ramzy: will always love Tyvis Powell. I will always love Nick Vannett. Maybe my expectations for them were overinflated, but they haven't been nearly as disruptive as I had anticipated.

Kyle: Chase Farris is definitely one of those guys we all want to succeed, but his pass-blocking was exposed last weekend by Carl Nassib. Granted, the PSU end will be in the race for a number of conference-wide awards, we can bet that opponents will bring tons of pressure from that right side. 

In three league games Rutgers quarterback Chris Laviano is averaging 282 passing yards per game on 65% on the strength of a 386 yard, three touchdown, one interception performance in last weekend’s improbable comeback win over Indiana. What kind of success will Ohio State have against the Rutgers passing attack?

Kyle: Much of those yards are thanks to the presence of Leontee Caroo, who may not be in uniform Saturday. If that's the case, the task becomes much easier. However if he can go, then OSU must get pressure on Laviano, much as they did last year when they recorded four sacks of Gary Nova. If Laviano is consistently on the move and escaping the pocket, the threat of Caroo diminishes greatly.

Andrew: The Rutgers passing game has been pretty solid thus far, but there's one big question mark leading up to Saturday's game: Is Leonte Carroo going to play? Carroo left last week's game with an ankle injury and as of Tuesday his status seemed to be totally up in the air. If he misses this game, that is a significant blow to the Rutgers passing game. I've only seen bits and pieces of Rutgers this year but the kid looks legit to me.

I think Rutgers is going to have to throw the ball a lot in the second half. I'm guessing Laviano throws for about 250 yards with a couple scores, but nothing ridiculous like he did against Indiana. The OSU secondary should be fairly busy and I am expecting a three-interception performance. Let's say Bell, Apple, and Darron Lee all get one.

Ramzy: Well all Laviano did was exploit the worst back-seven in the conference. Ohio State should have had over 400 passing yards against the Hoosiers, minimum. It's inexplicable that it did not. Anyway, I think Rutgers will have some success against Conley and Apple. The key for the defense is if it gives up a bunch of useless yards and then stiffens where allowing points is concerned. That's what happened against Penn State; that's the strategy teams are using against the Browns this year (e.g. they're happy to give Josh McCown 400+ passing yards...and like one or two TDs and a loss) so we'll see if the Bullets go that route again.

The Buckeyes head to New Jersey as a 21-point favorite. Will they cover? Give me your final score and game MVP predictions. 

Ramzy: Buckeyes win 44-24; Cam Johnston gives the Scarlet Knights long fields to work with all evening. Rutgers is especially lousy where defensive pass efficiency is concerned so rather than attempting to shore that up I think they'll take their chances selling out to stop the Ohio State rushing game and force J.T. to beat them through the air. If he can get some good throwing wins early that would bode well for a more comfortable win, but the Buckeyes have just been lousy in the 1st quarter - and they seem to hate having momentum because that's when they tend to lapse the most.

Kyle: Buckeyes win 42-10, with J.T. Barrett recording four scores again and earning some post-game accolades.

Andrew: Yes, Ohio State will cover. I got the Buckeyes winning by a score of 47-21. J.T. Barrett puts up five touchdowns and is your game MVP and Big Ten Player of the Week.

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