As the Buckeyes and Longhorns prepare for their second matchup in just a matter of months, we examine what can be taken away from their previous contest back in January. OSU came away with a 28-14 victory that was closer than the score indicated, but both teams are replacing a significant amount of talent on and off the field
Both teams saw 13 starters depart in the offseason, while the Buckeyes must also replace the play-callers on either side of the ball. But despite all the changes, there is still much that can tell us what to expect this Saturday when these two blueblood programs face off once again.
While questions remain about what, exactly, Matt Patricia's rebuilt Buckeye defense will ultimately look like this season, the OSU offense is expected to look similar to past iterations with Ryan Day still firmly in command. On the opposite sideline, Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkoski returns after largely holding Jeremiah Smith in check back in January with a conservative, zone-heavy scheme that utilized a heavy amount of pre-snap disguise.
Oh, and Texas also has one of the best offensive minds in the game, Steve Sarkisian, calling plays for the most hyped QB prospect in a generation, so we touch briefly on that topic as well.
Here's what we go over in this week's video breakdown:
- Texas' heavy use of two-deep zones to put a cap on the OSU passing game
- Why TreVeyon Henderson's 75-yard TD off a delayed screen was the perfect call
- Matching OSU's 2-TE sets with traditional 3-4 personnel
- How Sark stresses opposing defenses with motion, RPOs, screens, and Play-Action, no matter who is under center
Click the header photo above to watch the video, or head straight to YouTube.
