Tomorrow, Ohio State welcomes Johns Hopkins to Columbus, in a rematch for both teams after an opening win by Ohio State. The game was a nice way to start off the year, but its allure quickly wore off in the first half of the year.
Ohio State, by virtue of its recent form, is trending the opposite way of Johns Hopkins. Both teams struggled through the year, but the Buckeyes seem to have figured out how to play defense, while Johns Hopkins has looked anything but a title contender.
The Jays have turned to an almost exclusively senior starting lineup after none of their star-powered freshmen have really panned out. Joey Epstein didn't even get the start against TTUN, a game which the Jays lost 13-10. That marked the first time the Wolverines had ever defeated the Jays. Not what you want to see.
This is an absolute must-win game for Ohio State, but I have a hard time figuring out how Hopkins might threaten for four full quarters. In their game against TTUN, the 1-3-2 zone Ohio State introduced at the start of the year flummoxed Hopkins yet again. If you're ba Blue Jays fan, that has to be the most frustrating aspect of this team. They're just not progressing.
I hounded the staff hete for weeks about not turning the corner on D. Eventually, after a goalie change and extended practice time, they finally started to get better as a team. A lot better. That's not happening at Homewood.
Connor DeSimone and Joey Epstein very much bear watching. But that defense is just porous, and the offense sputters against zone looks. I would imagine Ohio State will do the same thing again, and force the Jays to beat it. Until Hopkins proves it can do that, the Jays are going to struggle.
In other good news, Ryan Terefenko is finally back, just in time for a stretch run. The dynamic middie will be a welcome sight, and hopefully he stays healthy as we head into the final three games of the year.
The starters seem settled, the defense is really rounding into shape, now we just need the offense to gain its former consistency to get a set of complete games rolled together.
Bottom line, it would be a shock if Ohio State dropped this game. Not impossible. But a hard task.
Final prediction: Buckeyes 16, Blue Jays 11
Go Bucks!
Game is at 11 a.m. EDT on BTN+.
