Needing to make a statement after weeks of middling performances, Ohio State stepped on Nebraska's neck from the opening snap and never looked back in a 62-3 dismantling of the then 10th-ranked Cornhuskers.
Brimming with confidence following the impressive showing from all nine units, the Buckeyes now turn their attention to a Maryland team that's just about as banged up as its state flag.
Will the Terps be able to move the ball at all against Ohio State's stout defense? What should we make, if anything, of the improved showing from Zone 6?
For a breakdown of all things Buckeye and some thoughts on the current CFP rankings, I welcome Tim, Vico and Kevin to this week's edition of the 11W roundtable.
Ohio State’s absolute undressing of Nebraska came as a surprise to everyone who passed a lie detector. Just how surprised were you? Which positional unit impressed you the most with their performance against the Cornhuskers and why?
Kevin: Honestly, I wasn’t all that surprised. I know that’s easy to claim now, but I didn’t see Nebraska as any real threat to Ohio State. I saw Tommy Armstrong was a walking interception and expected the Buckeye secondary to have a huge game. Now, did I expect 62-3? No. I expected something more like 38-10.
I think the easy answer here is the receivers, but I think I was most impressed with the secondary. The Buckeyes shut down the Nebraska passing game, holding the Huskers to just 126 yards and allowing only three players to catch a pass. Also, they scored twice, which is good.
Vico: Very surprised. I think I predicted 30-20 in our staff predictions. I get to see an Ohio State game once every other year or so, so I'm glad it was that game instead of Northwestern, or even Penn State last year. I was most impressed with the offensive line. Isaiah Prince had an all-time awful game against Penn State but dominated on Saturday. Jamarco Jones seems to be having an epiphany at the left tackle position as well.
Tim: I was surprised in the sense Ohio State won by 59 points but not that it was a blowout. The Buckeyes were better in every phase and it showed. I think the secondary's performance was most impressive.
The much-maligned Zone 6 hauled in two touchdown passes against the Huskers (Brown, McLaurin) and K.J. Hill led all true wideouts with five catches for 66 yards. Is this group making progress in your eyes? If they hover around this current level of effectiveness (accounted for 38% of team receptions vs. Nebraska) is that good enough to beat a team like Michigan?
Vico: My hunch is the answer is "no, they haven't turned a corner" even if Saturday was a nice game. I would want to see more, even from a young pup like Binjimen Victor. Michigan has better defensive backs than Nebraska. We should want the wide receivers to convert on some of those tough passes.
Kevin: There’s been improvement, for sure. Though honestly, it couldn’t get much worse. I think they’ve at least done enough to force opponents to respect them, which wasn’t the case against teams like Wisconsin and Penn State. I think as long as a team like Michigan has to account for them instead of just keying on J.T. Barrett and Curtis Samuel, it’ll be good enough.
Tim: I think the wide receivers are what they are at this point. I think outside of Noah Brown and Curtis Samuel (if you count him as a WR) it's going to be a crapshoot every week.
Maryland’s quarterback situation is very much in flux considering Perry Hills was already battling a shoulder before being knocked out of the Michigan game and the Terps have used two different backups, Caleb Rowe and Tyrrell Pigrome, already this season. With the issues at QB for the Terps, how might Luke Fickell and Greg Schiano adjust Ohio State’s defensive plan?
Tim: I don't think there will be much adjusting. Ohio State is going to attack the Maryland offense and a multiple-turnover game is certainly a possibility.
Vico: Tyrrell Pigrome is more a run-first quarterback, which just adjusts the defense's perception of tendencies should he be in the game. Beyond that, the strategy probably remains the same. Make Maryland throw since it's averaging just 182 yards through the air for all games against FBS teams. It's 10th in the conference in passing even as it averages 232 rushing yards a game (third in the conference).
Kevin: I don’t really think they really will. I think we’ll see Ohio State do much of the same defensively because quite frankly, it’s been great. I think Maryland is the team that’s going to have to make adjustments in this game, not the Buckeyes.
Ohio State’s rush defense looked stout against Nebraska (78 yds, 3.3 ypc) and currently ranks 4th in the B1G allowing 119 rush yards per game on 3.3 per carry. Across the line from them this week will be a Maryland squad sitting 3rd in the B1G averaging 232 rushing yards per game on 5.4 per carry. Who wins the line of scrimmage this week? What kind of rushing output should we expect from the Maryland rushing attack?
Kevin: Maryland’s rushing attack is good, but it’s not going to be very effective Saturday, mostly because of Maryland’s issues at quarterback. The Terps aren’t going to be very dangerous through the air, so Ohio State can sell out on the run and take that aspect out of the game. I just don’t see Maryland doing much of anything successfully on offense Saturday afternoon.
Tim: Ohio State will win the line of scrimmage battle and I'd be surprised if anything else happened. I'll predict the Terps don't get to the 100-yard mark on the ground (they definitely will now).
Vico: In almost all applications, Ohio State is going to win the battle in the trenches. My only worry is how we get tried early up the middle. Our defensive tackles are "pretty good", but that's where you'll want to challenge Ohio State in the run game. I expect Maryland will try our defensive line early, and with some initial success. It'll get 100 yards on the ground for a team.
Mike Weber hasn’t eclipsed the 100-yard rushing barrier in five straight games, averaging 69 yards on 14 carries per outing during that span (4.8 ypc) though we recently learned he's had an issue with his AC joint. Should Ohio State fans be concerned at all that the starting tailback has only reached the 100+ yard mark three times in nine games or is this more about how the playcalling is unfolding this year?
Vico: I think it's more the latter. Mind you, Weber is a redshirt freshman who hasn't shown the ability to break a long touchdown run like Elliott was adroit at doing. He's still good all the same. He just competes for touches and Beck/Warinner/Meyer go into "safe mode" and run Barrett when in doubt.
Kevin: Well, Urban Meyer revealed this week that he’s been suffering with a shoulder injury for the past three or four weeks so I’m not about to sound the sirens. Even if he wasn’t hurt, I still wouldn’t be concerned. Weber’s splitting carries with Curtis Samuel, who is one of the best players in the country. As Samuel’s number increase, I would expect Weber’s to decrease. Also, it’s not like 4.9 yards a carry is bad. In fact, that’s pretty fantastic.
Tim: There's no concern in my opinion. Weber is doing just fine for the chances he's given and he's also playing hurt. He's averaging around 90 yards per game for the year and I don't expect that to change.
Ohio State’s cornerback duo of Marshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley has been outstanding this season. Lattimore, in particular, as a first-year starter has been nothing short of spectacular. What are thoughts on these two? Where would you rank them on the list of other CB duos since Urban’s arrival: Howard/Roby, Grant/Roby, Grant/Apple, Conley/Apple?
Tim: They're certainly near the top in Urban's tenure and I'd fully expect both to be first-round picks when they declare. That doesn't happen, like ever.
Kevin: This might be a scorching #HotTake, but I think this is the best cornerback duo since Urban Meyer has been at Ohio State, slightly ahead of the Apple/Conley pair last year. I saw a stat from @PFF_College that opposing quarterbacks have just a 25.2 passer rating when throwing at Conley and Lattimore, which is insane. ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay also thinks Lattimore will be a top-10 pick if he leaves early. It’s kind of crazy looking back that the secondary was a question mark before the season.
Vico: I'd put them second to Grant/Apple in that list. Roby was the better CB than Apple but the secondary was much more stout in 2014 than 2013. Lattimore and Conley are already having a spectacular season, which is consistent with the "I love the Schiano hire" proclamations I had been making since Ohio State announced his addition to the staff. Their overall athleticism allows for creative defensive schemes to take advantage of them.
The latest CFP rankings came out Tuesday and the Buckeyes came in at No. 5. Do you agree with that placement? Looking at the top six, the committee went with Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, Washington, Ohio State and Louisville. Did they get it right? If not, what would your top six look like and why?
Kevin: I absolutely hate watching rankings before the end of the season when we already know what the Buckeyes need to do to make the playoff, but I’ll play along.
I think the committee got the top six almost exactly right. The only thing I would switch is Clemson and Michigan, ranking the Wolverines at No. 2 and Clemson at No. 3, but I understand why the committee did what they did, and ultimately the No. 2 and No. 3 slots are interchangeable anyway.
Vico: I'd flip Clemson and Michigan in terms of my subjective interpretation of team quality even if Clemson arguably has the better résumé right now. Beyond that, I think the top six is right. I just don't see what's there to love about No. 8 Texas A&M right now, though.
Tim: I think 5 is fine for Ohio State and I think the committee's top-six was fine. If the Buckeyes win out they'll get in. Nobody needs to be freaking out.
Coming off the blowout victory, Ohio State is a 27.5 point favorite against the Terrapins. Will they cover? Give us your final score and game MVP prediction.
Vico: I went with 41-24 in my staff prediction this week, which assumes they don't cover. I'm always negative though. Game MVP goes to J.T. Barrett and Tyquan Lewis.
Tim: I picked Ohio State 45-14. J.T. Barrett is MVP with four touchdowns.
Kevin: Yeah they’re going to cover without a problem. I have 48-7, The Local Team. I think your game MVP is Curtis Samuel, who is almost guaranteed to have a punt return for a touchdown.
