The 11W Football Mailbag is the only stop you need for answers to your most pressing questions about Ohio State's next matchup. Have a question? Ask it, and if we can, we'll answer it.
Before we get too knee deep in this, let's take a moment to honor those fallen heroes and those lost in the tragic events of 14 years ago in New York City, Washington, D.C. and elsewhere. I was just a snot-nosed fourth-grader in Mrs. Bensman's class when the terribleness began, but won't ever forget the horrid feeling in the pit of my stomach that day.
Thank you. Now, back to football.
What was your favorite part of the Lane Stadium experience? — CAL POPPY
I figured it would be best to answer a question about the Virginia Tech game first, mainly because it should be a better game than the one against Hawai'i and it helps put it officially in the rearview mirror.
My favorite part of the whole experience — and I think I speak for a lot of out of town media — was Enter Sandman. I was in the press box, but after speaking with Birm (who was on the field) and witnessing the vibrations percolating through my seat, it's hard to top that. The fans were rowdy, the fireworks were sweet and it gave me goosebumps the size of Volkswagens. Hard to top that.
Which has a bigger impact to the start of the game; Ohio State's short week, or Hawai'i's grueling cross globe trip? — RK84
I think both will have a significant impact, but the thing that should have more impact is Hawai'i's cross country trip. The Rainbow Warriors left Wednesday and flew to California, before finishing up the rest of their 4,500-plus mile trip Thursday. It's a good idea to get the bulk of the travel over with as soon as possible, but it takes at least a few days before your body gets to feeling "normal" in a cross country time zone. That's just one man's take, though.
Ohio State's short week is going to be something to keep an eye on, but the guys on the team are young, talented, and they get great care from both the training staff and strength and conditioning team. Plus, the addition of four players who didn't play last week due to suspension will help with depth in key areas.
Who gets more snaps this week, J.T. Barrett or Cardale Jones? Do you think Stephen Collier will get a little playing time? Any chance Barrett starts this game? Take a step further, do we see a rotation by series in this game? So they both get snaps BEFORE game gets backups in? Will Torrance Gibson get some playing time at wide receiver? — KevinJ and VegasBuckeye04, BuckeyeEddie27, Jumar, BGSUBucksFan, KBonay and Louts8wings
Got tons of questions about the quarterback battle and Torrance Gibson, so I decided to pool them all together for simplicity's sake.
First, on the quarterbacks: I think Jones still starts against Hawai'i, but it is a little intriguing to consider the possibility of Barrett getting the start because of Ohio State being on short rest. Jones took some heavy hits against Virginia Tech and Barrett didn't even play a whole quarter. Because of that, I could see him getting the nod, but if I was a betting man, I would still say Jones starts.
Meyer spoke both Wednesday and Thursday about the job being unsettled and that he plans to use both moving forward, reiterating what he's said many times before about using the guy at that moment that gives Ohio State the best chance to score. I could see both guys playing early if the game gets out of hand quickly, that way they get work with the first team offense, but doubt Meyer will do any sort of a series rotation. It just doesn't seem like something he'd do.
I do believe Stephen Collier will get some snaps in the second half. Braxton Miller is the team's third string quarterback, but by the time Collier could go into the game it should be more than decided. Thus, there wouldn't be a need to play the guy who earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors after what he did in Blacksburg, Va.
As far as Gibson goes, I think he certainly could see some playing time Saturday, but he won't unless Ohio State is about 70 points ahead (a distinct possibility). The ankle injury he sustained in camp really set him back to make an early impact, plus there's just so many guys at the position — especially with Dontre Wilson, Jalin Marshall and Corey Smith returning. Based off what Meyer said on his radio show Thursday, I just don't think he'll get much — if any — time. Too much depth.
Since we're all expecting this game to be over before the fourth quarter begins, who do you guys see making the biggest impact among true freshmen this weekend? With this being a short week heading into Hawaii, will we see more second and third stringers earlier in the game as to not overwork and get too many reps early in the season on the starters? — Rosenbuck, SFlaBuckeye13, Buckeye4life050233 and NOLABuckeye
All great questions. There certainly could be more backups and third stringers playing early because it being such a short week, but Meyer will want to keep his starters in the game as long as possible to build a lead and work through the kinks that were present in the Virginia Tech game. Remember: It's only Week 2. There's no such thing as game reps and you never know — Hawai'i could make it interesting early.
As far as the true freshmen are concerned, it's fair to think that the following players could see time Saturday if Ohio State jumps out to a huge lead: K.J. Hill, Isaiah Prince, Matthew Burrell, Eric Glover-Williams, Denzel Ward and the three linebackers. Ward and Prince are the only two named on the depth chart in any sort of capacity, so look for them first. Meyer is also very high on Jashon Cornell, Justin Hilliard and Nick Conner (for good reason) but he'll want to get the backups at linebacker some good playing time. They deserve it.
Assuming the game gets put away early, how much playing time will the starters see? Will they stay out for awhile to work on schemes or will they rest them quickly and use the rest of a game to let the young guns develop? — BadApple
Dovetailing off the question before, I think the starters will see plenty of time. Obviously, it all depends on what the score is in the game. Writing off Hawai'i because they're such big underdogs could prove to be a big mistake for Ohio State and result in a slow start. It all depends on how the team comes out. Even if the Buckeyes do get way ahead early, the starters will at least play a half, if I had to put a tangible figure to it.
Will we know who redshirts after this game? — Bucks4Nuts
In short, yes. Ohio State shouldn't have any trouble with the Rainbow Warriors, so plenty of young guys will probably get their chance to go play at Ohio Stadium. If they don't, they're probably redshirting.
What are the chances Mike Weber is ready to go for this week? Is Bri’onte Dunn after that fumble? — BuckeyeGrownFloridaLiving and MAVBuck
Don't expect to see Mike Weber Saturday. Though I'm sure he's rehabbing like crazy to get back as soon as possible, he got hurt a little more than three weeks ago. The staff will want to make sure he's good and ready before giving him the go ahead. Why risk a setback?
Dunn's fumble was unfortunate for a guy Meyer often spoke highly about during camp, earning him the backup job. I don't think he's going to lose that spot because of one fumble, though, at least not yet. As Meyer said on radio Thursday, he was giving great effort. Mistakes happen, how they come back from them is what's more important in his eyes.
Will Jalin Marshall see any time at the H-back, or is he a permanent wide receiver? Is he now behind Parris Campbell for good, or will this be fluid throughout the season? — KjonesATX
All excellent questions, and very pertinent with Marshall and others coming off suspension. I don't think he's permanently behind Campbell, simply because of what he did late in 2014. He was awesome.
Marshall is bound to still see some time at H-back. Even though there might be a logjam at the spot with Miller, Wilson and Curtis Samuel, that's the way Meyer wanted it. He and Zach Smith yearned for the depth so they could push and pull guys in and out at will and not have any drop off, while at the same time keeping bodies fresh. I think the spot is going to be fluid all season, unless Miller continues to make amazing plays like he did against Virginia Tech and demands more touches.
Will Parris Campbell see a diminished roll in this game, with three receivers coming off suspension? — EZE
I think it's certainly fair to assume Campbell's snaps will deplete, especially because of his two dropped passes against the Hokies. However, he was named special teams player of the week for a reason, and as we know, that's the first way to earn minutes on either offense or defense.
Meyer called Campbell "a starter" on his radio show Thursday, so expect him to be out there early. He's a solid blocker on the edge running game and the staff is searching for someone to be the replacement for Evan Spencer in that category after the injury to Noah Brown.
Campbell didn't lose any points for the dropped passes, Meyer said, but in the future the obvious expectation is for him to catch them. If it continues to be an issue, he'll lose time. Just not quite yet.
Who do you think Meyer starts at punt returner this week? — NavyBuckeye91, GrandTheftHarley, FlyerBuckeye
Ezekiel Elliott made a mistake fielding one punt Monday and it ultimately led to seven points for Virginia Tech. What was odd about him being the punt returner last week was that he wasn't even on the two-deep at the position.
He is now, slotted behind Marshall. I think Marshall is the starter at the spot, despite his sometimes adventurous experiences at the position last season. He had some major high moments there, too, and seems to have a knack for finding the crease and staying on his feet when a bunch of bodies are flying at him.
The same could be said for Miller, but Meyer said Wednesday he wasn't "quite" ready to take that step forward. He hasn't done it since high school, so that makes sense considering how much quarterback he played in college. It could happen in the future, though. After all, Ohio State's goal is to get the ball in his hands as much as possible.
Who is the starter opposite Joey Bosa — Tyquan Lewis or Sam Hubbard? Over/under 2.5 sacks for Bosa? — Ajwellman_ and Minnbuck
I'll do you one better and say that Bosa isn't going to start this game. Sounds crazy, I know, but it could just be the one final thing Meyer holds over him to finish out disciplining him for screwing up and getting suspended in the first place.
Bosa's going to play a lot, but the fact he's listed as a co-starter with Hubbard on the depth chart makes me think the latter will start, then the All-American will come in shortly thereafter. Lewis will keep his spot in the lineup, too, and the three of them in addition to Jalyn Holmes will all rotate.
I'll take the under on the sacks. I think he gets 1.5 and then calls it a day.
Who is the player on offense that is skating on thin ice right now with playing time going forward, or are we not there yet? — BUCKEYE3M
I don't think we're there quite yet. Ohio State's only one week into the season and it hasn't had it's full battery of playmakers available.
How will Ohio State fix the turnover issue? I feel like Meyer has been preaching and working hard on ball security, but it's not working... Thoughts? Thanks for all you do guys, truly! — Branelijah
First off, thank you for the kind words. We all appreciate it very much.
Second, your point is a fair concern. Ohio State's been rather turnover prone lately, even dating back to last season. Two of the three Monday could have been avoided very easily, though, if Jones hadn't tried to force a pass and Elliott caught the punt. Just mental errors more than anything.
The thing is, with Meyer's spread offense I think turnovers are bound to happen more often than not. The ball is moving around quickly on jet sweeps, touch passes, screen passes, options, read options — not your normal ground and pound or pro-style attack. (For more on this, including some nice #data, check out Citro's column from May) To fix that, players just have to be rock solid in their technique and ball protection. There's really no other explanation, I feel.
Will Jack Willoughby make a field goal? Will Jack Willoughby kick the ball out of bounds again on the kick-off? Who will kick field goals? Will Braxton and Jalin be on the field at the same time or will it be an either/or situation? — Icouldnotgofor3 and CC
You both asked about the kicking game, so I'll start there.
I don't know if Willoughby will make a field goal or kick it out of bounds. I can't predict the future. I can, however, say that he might not even be the starter Saturday. Meyer said Wednesday that whoever kicks best at practice Thursday will get the job.
Kicking it out of bounds is something that Meyer is willing to live with, if it doesn't happen all the time. He likes for his kickers to put the ball in the coffin corner, which is why you see the ball heading left and near the goal line every kickoff. It gives the kickoff team less ground to cover, less space for the returning to work with and thus a better chance at making the tackle. It also takes time to perfect that, and Willoughby didn't do it at Duke, so it's a work in progress.
As far as Miller and Marshall are concerned, I think we could see an either-or situation, unless Marshall spreads out wide opposite Michael Thomas. He worked on the outside all spring to get better at wide receiver, so we'll see if he's earned the trust from Zach Smith yet to do that or not.
Who's Hawaii's biggest playmaker? In other words, who should we keep a look out for when the Rainbow Warriors have the ball? — DrSpaceman
Finally, some Hawai'i-based questions (also, great username — 30 Rock is a great show).
Hawai'i's biggest playmaker is a wide receiver by the name of Marcus Kemp. He broke one for 79 yards and a touchdown last Thursday against Colorado, and finished with six catches for 116 yards against the Buffaloes in his team's victory. Kemp also led the Rainbow Warriors with 797 receiving yards in 2014.
Quarterback Max Wittek is also a solid player, but he's more about throwing the ball and not a true game breaker with his feet.
What kind of schemes will the defense employ to deal with a team that features a passing attack? — ScarletNGrey01
A whole bunch of nickel and dime packages, which we often saw from Ohio State against Oregon in the national championship game. Oregon had more speed and talent than Hawai'i does, but the base concepts are still the same. If Ohio State feels it needs more speed on the back end to thwart the passing attack, there are sure to be more defensive backs on the field in place of linebackers and potentially even defensive linemen.
Which Hawaii player's name will the announcers botch — or pronounce correctly — first? — Potatodigger and RawBuckeye
For pronouncing incorrectly, I'll go with tight end Metuisela 'Unga, purely because the guy has an apostrophe at the beginning of his last name. I've never, ever seen that before. Maybe I just need to get out more.
There are a load of other interesting names, but if I had to pick one tough one that could be done correctly by the commentators I'd go with Rigoberto Sanchez, the punter. Not too hard, not too difficult, right?
(Also, thanks for showing me how much I'm going to dread typing names for tweets and game coverage this weekend.)
BONUS: Hawaiian pizza — aloha or no aloha? — Hovenaut
Aloha! I love me some Hawaiian pizza. The woman in my life introduced it to me when we met in college and I've had it multiple times since then. It's delicious, if done right.
BONUS: What is your favorite sports movie? — FlyerBuckeye
Hoosiers, hands down. I'm a huge basketball fan and always enjoy watching Ollie sink the free throws, Jimmy hit the shot and Norman Dale bench Rade for not following his orders. Takes some serious stones to do that in a basketball-crazed state like Indiana. I also enjoy Caddyshack (if you count that as a sports movie) and Bull Durham.
Thanks for all the questions this week. Keep them coming.
