The final month of Ohio State’s regular season is about to begin.
The Buckeyes’ final four-game stretch of the regular season starts at noon in Evanston, Illinois, where Ohio State will play Northwestern in its third road game of the year and ninth game of the season overall.
Ohio State and Northwestern are entering this game moving in entirely different directions, as the Buckeyes have won all eight of their games this season. In contrast, Northwestern has lost its last seven in a row. As such, it would be surprising if today’s game ends up being competitive for four quarters.
There’s still plenty we’ll be keeping an eye on, though, as the Buckeyes play in the worst weather they’ve faced all season on what appears set to be a wet and windy morning and afternoon in Evanston.
Final Thoughts
Weather shouldn’t stop the Buckeyes from winning big
Because Ohio State is known for its high-flying passing attack, it’s rarely considered a good thing for the Buckeyes to play in bad weather. General thinking suggests that rain and wind will lead to a lower-scoring slugfest than big numbers in the box score. I don’t think it will stop Ohio State from dominating today, though, because I believe the Buckeyes will be better equipped to handle the weather than the home team will.
Both teams have to play in the same weather, and C.J. Stroud has shown he can still be an effective passer even in less-than-ideal conditions. A Northwestern defense that ranks 105th in the FBS in yards allowed per carry will help the Buckeyes get their run game back on track.
On the other side of the ball, Northwestern has been one of the most turnover-prone teams in college football with 19 giveaways in eight games. Wet conditions will only increase the likelihood of turnovers in this game. Ohio State’s defense has proven plenty opportunistic as it recorded 10 takeaways with two defensive touchdowns in its last two games.
– Dan Hope
Ohio State will win, and even Northwestern knows it
Pat Fitzgerald is my favorite head coach in the Big Ten because he is (almost always) refreshingly honest when he speaks about the Wildcats and how it stacks up to the rest of the league. That's how he was this week leading up to his team's matchup with the Buckeyes on Saturday.
“When you pop on the tape and take a deeper dive, it’s a complete team,” Fitzgerald said. “Coach Day and his staff have done a phenomenal job in recruiting. They’ve got depth everywhere and explosiveness in all three phases. Coming off a really hard-fought game at Penn State, that was impressive to watch. ... We’ll have our hands full.”
Ohio State is a complete team, the coaches recruit well and the Buckeyes are explosive in all three phases. The Wildcats will not only have their hands full but also have more than they can carry. Fitzgerald understands this. And while I still expect him to fire up his team and for Northwestern to try hard, I think everyone at Ryan Field on Saturday – coaches, players and fans – know this one ends with Ohio State on top.
– Chase Brown
Questions
Can the run game get back on track?
The Buckeyes flat-out stunk in the run game over the past two weeks. OK, they did have three rushing touchdowns and nearly cracked 100 yards against Penn State. Through three quarters, though, the Buckeyes had just 37 yards on 19 attempts, and 41 of their 61 yards in the fourth quarter came on a single rush. The week prior, Ohio State mustered just 66 rushing yards on 30 carries, which was the second-worst team rushing performance in the past decade.
Good thing for the Buckeyes, Northwestern’s 109th-ranked rush defense is the worst they’ve played thus far. That fact, paired with weather conditions that may lead to a run-heavy game plan, could – no, SHOULD – allow the Buckeyes to put up big numbers on the ground.
– Griffin Strom
How early will we see backups enter the action for Ohio State?
This almost feels like a mean-spirited question, and if this game was played somewhere other than American soil, perhaps there wouldn't be a need for it. But this game is going to resemble something of a crime scene considering both teams' current trajectory. It's only a matter of time before the Buckeyes' second-string gets some reps at Ryan Field Saturday, it'll just depend on when Ryan Day decides to take his foot off the gas pedal.
- Garrick Hodge
Players to Watch
Chip Trayanum
If the weather is bad as expected and Ohio State dominates as expected, that could be the perfect combination for the Buckeyes’ backup running backs to get a heavy workload in the second half in Evanston. Ohio State has reason to be cautious with Miyan Williams against Northwestern after he dealt with both hand and knee injuries last week, while TreVeyon Henderson has also been battling a foot injury, giving the Buckeyes incentive to give their other running backs the reps once the game is in hand.
Dallan Hayden has taken most of the reps behind Henderson and Williams this season, but that could change this week now that Trayanum has moved from defense to offense. Day said Trayanum has been practicing “full-time” on offense, and Saturday could be an opportunity for the former Arizona State running back to show he can be a weapon with the ball in his hands after spending the first half of the season on defense as a backup linebacker.
– Dan Hope
J.T. Tuimoloau
I'll go with the softball pick here by choosing Tuimoloau. The second-year defensive end had arguably the greatest individual performance from a defensive player in college football history against Penn State last weekend. However, the Buckeyes still have many more games left to play this season. How will Tuimoloau perform in those contests? With the Northwestern game on Saturday, he can prove that the dominance in Happy Valley was not a one-time occurrence and, therefore, permanently put himself on the map as one of the best edge rushers in the sport.
– Chase Brown
Miyan Williams
Williams’ breakout performance against Rutgers, a 189-yard, five-touchdown showcase, took place all the way back in Week 5. Since then, Williams has just 28 yards on 12 carries. Williams missed Week 6 with injury and left last week’s contest with multiple ailments after just his second carry of the game. For the Buckeye run game to return to form, it needs Williams healthy and at his best, and we haven’t seen that in more than a month. Ryan Day says Williams should be good to go this weekend, but his snap count and productivity remain to be seen. On paper, at least, a healthy Williams should see an improved performance against the Wildcats.
– Griffin Strom
Zach Harrison
It seems the last few weeks Ohio State has had a different "alpha dog" step up on its defensive line and have a breakthrough game. I'm predicting it will be Zach Harrison this week, as he'll record at least one sack and a pass deflection in what would be a very comfortable win for Ohio State.
- Garrick Hodge
