11W Mailbag: Examining Ohio State's Bye Week Blues, The Outlook of Cardale Jones Against Minnesota and Dilly Bar Dan

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Who will be more missed this week by their respective team: Jerry Kill or J.T. Barrett? — Fatpants

I had to start with your question this week, because I just realized your site avatar is a photo of the one and only DJ Byrnes as a #youth. Brilliant.

Anyways, I think Ohio State will miss J.T. Barrett more than Minnesota will miss Jerry Kill, by a slight margin. Losing a head coach the way the Golden Gophers did, especially how they did (to health reasons) is more rare than said coach getting fired for job performance in the middle of a season.

(aside) I really feel for Kill. I've only spoken with him twice in my life, both at Big Ten Media Days in the summer, but he is a genuine, smart and caring dude. Being approachable as a head coach is a huge way to experience success at any level, and Kill is just that. I wish him well and hope he gets his health issues ironed out soon.

The Buckeyes were rolling before the bye week, and Barrett was an instrumental reason why. It finally looked like Urban Meyer had figured out the quarterback situation, but here we sit in November still trying to figure out what's next at the position once his suspension expires. There's so much on Cardale Jones' plate once again, so how he performs goes deep into who wins Saturday.

Do you think Minnesota comes out with the same emotion they did last week against TTUN? Or do you expect to see a flat, defeated team or a team with a lot of energy that has banded together in an effort to rebound from a tough loss? — Adamluangraj and BuckeyeCWRU

I'd go with the former here. It was a crushing loss, yes, but it was pretty evident those guys adore Kill — with good reason — so I think they will do their best to continue and play with the same passion the rest of the season.

Plus, they're traveling to Ohio Stadium, to play under the lights, against the defending national champions. Who wouldn't get up for that?

What is your #hottake on the J.T. thing? Another "your take" question, regarding the short- and long-term effects of the J.T. saga in the room...if any. On one hand it seems like the immediate impact could be negative, but it also seems like both Meyer and Barrett himself could potentially help turn this situation into a galvanizing (overall positive) moment going forward. — AZNchipmunk and Brband64

J.T. Barrett made a mistake, and a large one at that. If you believe what Meyer, Taylor Decker and some of Barrett's other teammates said this week, he feels terrible about it and is doing his best to move on from it in a positive manner by learning from it.

Personally, I've been in his shoes before. If he was indeed giving someone a ride home and felt fine to drive, who's to say he wasn't just trying to be a good friend? There's a chance plenty of you have been in a similar situation before and at least thought about doing the same thing. I know I have.

Still, that does not condone his actions. He is underage. He consumed alcohol. He drove a vehicle in the dark knowing all of those things. He got caught. He needs to face discipline for his actions, which is happening. Tuesday is his date in court, so once we know the legal ramifications of his situation, we'll learn where that puts him from an athletic standpoint moving forward.

I think Barrett's a good kid, but this is extremely out of character for him. As was his rant last Wednesday after practice to the media about his ability to throw the ball down the field. This is my second season covering him, and he's never done anything like that. It was just odd.

So, my #hottake is that Barrett needs to learn from this and be thankful he didn't hurt either himself or someone else because he drove drunk — I think we can all agree that's what's the most important thing to come out of this. Barrett's smart, a leader and a good football player. He'll learn from this and be better for it.

To the second part of the question, I think the initial ramifications were absolutely negative because he can't play Saturday. It could galvanize the team, but that remains to be seen.

Is J.T. allowed to be at the game with the team? Is he practicing this week? If not allowed on the sidelines, is he at least allowed to watch from the stands? — Oyster, NOLABuckeye

I doubt he'll be with his team during the game, but he'll be there in some capacity, maybe watching it in the locker room or up in the box with the coaches. Having him on the sideline would be a huge distraction; television cameras would be on him the entire game.

Yes, he's been practicing this week, and Meyer said his primary job is to help Braxton Miller get comfortable in the backup role. I'd be willing to bet, knowing Barrett, that he's all over Jones as well to make sure he knows the game plan inside and out.

Any idea how many reps J.T. will get in the practices after his DUI? Will they give all the reps to Cardale to prepare for Minnesota, or give some reps to J.T. knowing he will be back at starter for the Illinois game? I'd hate to see him get zero reps knowing he might be starting in two weeks. — GoBucks2204

No idea how it'll shake out next week, because all Meyer's said is they're just focused on Minnesota, but my guess is Barrett's been doing mental work behind Jones and then working with the younger guys this week. He'll get his reps to remain sharp. He — and Meyer — are too smart not to make that happen.

Assuming Cardale is more efficient than he has been, but still not at the same level J.T. was against Penn State and Rutgers, who starts/how does the play break down between J.T. and Cardale against Illinois/Michigan State? What will it take for Cardale to remain the starter? — ChicagoBuckeye and HayesTresselMeyer

Fair question, but I'd honestly be shocked if Barrett doesn't start in the games against the Michigan schools. Meyer could bleed his suspension into the Illinois game just to drive the point home, but Barrett's the better option at quarterback in the offense. He proved that against Penn State and Rutgers, and neither of those teams are as good as Michigan State or Michigan.

In order for Jones to remain starter, he'd have to come out and play like he did against Maryland consistently in order to show Meyer he can perform at a high level in the offense. Thus, he would need to be better than Barrett not only in the game but in practice, too. And, as we know, that decision comes down to one man and one man only.

What do you think about the prospect of Braxton Miller being the red zone quarterback? What are the pluses and minuses of that strategy? Or, will he be the backup in the more traditional sense — enabling him up to remain at H-back as we approach the goal line? To add on to this; with all the coach speak of Miller being fully healthy, is this finally the week we see him actually throw a pass or does the charade continue for another week? — ScarletNGrey01, YTOWNBUCKI, LouBuck35, Buckeye Phi

There were so many questions about Braxton Miller this week that I tried to siphon them all into one response.

I think Meyer's openness to using Miller in the red zone is intriguing, but not really all that surprising. Miller is one of the best guys I've ever seen in space with the ball in his hands, so if you need to get some small chunks of yards, who better to do that than him? He can make most everybody miss in order to get that last inch needed.

I really, really, really doubt he throws a pass Saturday. Why? For one, I don't think he's confident to fire one through coverage (if it's called) because of his shoulder situation. Second, it's doubtful Meyer wants to put something like that on film ahead of the Michigan State and Michigan games. Ohio State's season comes down to those two weeks, provided they take care of business Saturday and at Illinois next weekend (yawn).

Miller in the red zone provides a run threat just like Barrett did, so I think it's reasonable to expect Ohio State to employ something similar in that regard Saturday. That is, unless Jones gets hot and they can move the ball consistently with him and running the ball with Ezekiel Elliott. The plus is you have the most dynamic player in the country with the ball in his hands taking the snap. The minus is his throwing days are (likely) over.

For the rest of the game, expect him to be in his normal H-back role.

If Jones stinks up the first half, will Meyer go with Miller in the second half or might we see Stephen Collier? — BreakAwaySpeed

I'm curious what your definition of "stinks it up" is, but no, I think it's Jones' night regardless how he does in the game's opening 30 minutes. Miller will get plenty of shots, too, and I think he could be used often in the red zone, but I wouldn't bet on seeing Collier.

Will Stephen Collier see the field this season? How bad does the blowout need to be? — LarryP713

I believe he played some against Hawai'i. The blowout will need to be upwards of 40 or 50 points, so I don't see it happening, which is a shame. Collier's an extremely nice, very professional kid.

How do you see Braxton being used this week being named the No. 2 quarterback? Will we finally see some throws from No. 1? Jump passes at the goal line? And as tradition goes, does Ezekiel Elliott continue his 100-yard streak and continue to build his case for Heisman Trophy? — Adamluangraj

As I discussed above, I don't think Miller will throw much — if at all — on Saturday. He could toss some touch passes, but those don't really count. Of course, now that I've defiantly said all that, watch him come out and throw the ball 15 times. Sigh.

Yes, I think Elliott eclipses 100 yards again, but not until late. Minnesota's defense will sell out to stop him because they've got three very talented cornerbacks, but I think by the second half the Ohio State offensive line will wear down the Gopher front seven and Elliott will get to 100 yards.

What is it going to take for Elliott to move up the Heisman Trophy ballots? — Toad1204 and D1145Fresh

To keep doing what he's been doing, add a few break out performances against really good teams (i.e. Michigan State, Michigan) where he tallies more than 200 yards and for Leonard Fournette and Trevone Boykin to stop being amazing. Both of those guys are playing outstanding at the moment, but their team's Novembers are tough. Just like Ohio State's.

Will Cardale finally find his way and lead the Buckeyes to a decisive win going away? — Seattle Linga

I can't predict the future, but my guess is that Jones will play better than he did before he lost the starting job to Barrett. He knows its his show, so he should be relaxed. Now he just needs to go out and execute.

How much do you think we see read options/designed quarterback runs for Jones? I know he's not as effective as J.T. in running, but it forces defenses to account for him as well instead of just focusing on Elliott. It has seemed this year with Cardale he hasn't gotten too many opportunities to run like last year. — Buckeyefan774

That's a fair assessment, but I think if you remember back to the post-season last year, most of Jones' runs came on scrambles when he didn't have his first or second read and just tried to run/jump over somebody.

Meyer, Ed Warinner and Tim Beck tried to run a similar offense with Jones as Barrett earlier in the year, and it didn't work out like they'd hoped. That's not to say that Jones can't be successful running, but as far as the read-option game and that quick decision that needs to be made at the line of scrimmage, Barrett is simply better.

I could see Ohio State trying that Saturday to figure out how Minnesota plans to play defensively, but if it isn't working, they'll go away from it pretty quickly in order to find a better way to help them win the game.

Minnesota was able to move the ball surprisingly well against TTUN. Was there something schematically that they were exploiting, is Minnesota's offense moving from abysmal to almost mediocre, or was it aliens? BONUS: Have you ever seen worse clock management than the end of Minnesota-TTUN? — OSUBias

I don't think it was aliens. Those guys played their hearts out at home in front of a crowd that was purely pro-Jerry Kill. It put some things on tape that could show teams how to move the ball against Michigan, and quarterback Mitch Leidner (354 total yards, two touchdowns, no turnovers) was terrific.

However, Minnesota scored 10 points against Kent State. It got shut out at Northwestern and lost by three touchdowns (48-25) to a Nebraska team that's really not too good. So, I think the passion card played into things quite a bit last weekend and it'll be tough to do it again.

To your second question, no, I haven't. Someone responded to your question on the mailbag post with a photo of Chris Webber's famed timeout that didn't exist in the 1993 NCAA title game, and while that was bad, I didn't see it live. I wasn't even 2 years old.

Minnesota was able to put up some significant rushing yards against TTUN's supposedly solid defense. Given that the Bucks have had problems earlier this year giving up some big running plays, how worried should we be going forward if Minnesota is able to break a couple of long runs? Is this the game we finally take a kickoff or punt return to the house? — BadApple

You should be very worried if you're an Ohio State fan moving forward if Minnesota can run the ball with success. It's certainly been a problem for Ohio State's defense all season, but remember: Saquon Barkley ran for 194 yards in a game Ohio State won by four touchdowns. I know, life is hard sometimes.

On the second part of your inquiry, I doubt it. Best chance is on a punt return with Jalin Marshall, and he always seems to be one broken tackle away.

In your opinion do you think the staff is a looking at tape a little of MSU and UM? I know the main focus Minnesota but can't help to think the next couple of weeks they might be game planning ahead somewhat. — AllinOSU

No.

Mitch Leidner is a fairly mobile quarterback, and as we have been hurt by mobile quarterbacks a few times this year, do you see the defense putting a spy on him, especially with the absence of Tommy Schutt? — AMart71314

I don't think Ohio State will start out doing that, but if Leidner is able to break contain a bit early on like Maryland's Perry Hills did they certainly could put a spy on him in passing situations.

It's pretty obvious running quarterbacks are irritating Meyer, the defensive players and coaches, so that is certainly an option they've surely considered.

Almost every pass Leidner throws looks like a prayer, how many interceptions do you see OSU coming away with? — KevinJ

Leidner is much improved from last season, but he's no world beater. I think Ohio State picks him off twice.

Do you anticipate Minnesota will play much 0 coverage similar to last week against TTUN? If so what are most likely patterns we will see to combat that? i.e. give Cardale easy decisions to get the ball out quickly; I feel his biggest problem earlier in the year was holding on to the ball too long due to indecision. — 76rosebowlsurvivor

That's very observant and I agree with you. I think Jones' problem all year long is trying to make the perfect play every time because he knew he had to make plays in order to keep the starting job. That isn't the case now, at least this week.

I'd expect Ohio State would try some quick screens or slants with Michael Thomas to get the ball out of his hands early because Minnesota is going to stack the box to stop Ezekiel Elliott. Thomas is excellent at getting separation because of his size and speed, so look for him to be featured early and often.

With a lot of the attention this week focused on the QB position what are some of the other key match-ups/important areas we should keep an eye on this game? — BuckeyeCWRU

Great question. Like I just spoke above about the need for Jones to get the ball out of his hands quickly, I think the biggest matchup in the game is whether or not Ohio State's wide receivers can create separation and make plays on the outside. Can the Buckeyes protect? Can they run the ball?

It all revolves around the offensive line and Jones.

Parris Campbell back in the attack?

(EDIT - Good to go, thanks depth chart)

(BONUS) Dilly Bar fan? — Hovenaut

Including this, Hovenaut, because I thought Campbell would be back good to go this week too after seeing the depth chart. But, Meyer said on his radio show they "expect to get him back next week," so he's questionable for Saturday.

BONUS: You better believe it. I've been a Dilly Bar fan since my youth, and Dilly Bar Dan was and is a personal hero of mine after last season. The man deserves a medal. Or something.

Will Torrance Gibson or K.J. Hill get a chance to play? Will Marcus Baugh get some catches? — BeatTTUN

Nope. Probably not, unless Nick Vannett gets injured.

Am I wrong in thinking that Darron Lee is almost playing nickelback in passing situations due to injuries in the secondary the last few weeks? Seems he's out wide in coverage a lot more this year. — BrutusAndBeers

You're certainly not wrong. I believe Ohio State's been trying to use Lee's athleticism to help them out on the back end of the defense due to all the injuries/suspension to Damon Webb. Lee's freak ability allows him to be big enough to stop the run/rush the passer, but also fast and quick enough to guard some wide receivers. However, with Webb back, that could change.

Besides, Lee didn't really seem to care Wednesday night that he's not making as many 'wow' plays this season after such a breakout 2014.

Assumeing Iowa wins out and makes it to the B1G Championship, with the upcoming slate of Minnesota, Illinois, MSU, Michigan, and Iowa (obviously not a given, but for arguments sake) how would you rank the games in terms of difficulty? — ChicagoBuckeye

1. Michigan 2. Michigan State 3. Iowa 4. Minnesota 5. Illinois

[commence the debate]

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BONUS: Any pre-game rituals you care to share with the community? — Seattle Linga

Well, each football Saturday naturally revolves around what time the game starts and whether or not it's in Columbus. Just like everyone else, I'm sure.

So for home night games, I usually sleep in until roughly 10 a.m., roll out of bed, turn on GameDay, make a baller bacon, egg and cheese bagel sandwich, watch some noon #bangers then hop in the shower and get dressed around 4 p.m. or so. Then I'll head to the stadium and wait for the game to start, because leaving late sucks due to traffic.

My life is wild, I know.

BONUS: I was impressed seeing Seger's Tipp City blow out my Benjamin Logan Raiders earlier this year. How does Tipp City stack up against Wapakoneta? Are there any talks about moving the Tipp City home games away from the small facility in front of the swimming pool? — Meek

Dude, what year did you graduate? It is good to know a fellow former member of the Central Buckeye Conference visits 11W. Tippecanoe High School class of 2010, right here.

It wasn't until I saw your question that I tapped into seeing how well Tipp is doing this year — I always assume they're dominating because that conference is *terrible* and then learn later of an early playoff exit. BUT, holy crap! The Red Devils dropped 76 on the Raiders this year? I know the guy who coached me in football moved on, but dang.

If I'm not mistaken (after checking the brackets), Tipp plays Piqua Friday night in the playoffs. And don't hate on the swimming pool setup by our football field — you just don't understand how cool it is to have to take a bus to every single one of your games, regardless if it's home or away (this should be read in a sarcastic tone).

Thanks as always for your questions, look forward to next week.