After a decisive 42-24 victory at Virginia Tech to kick off their bid to repeat as national champs, Ohio State opens the home slate tomorrow afternoon as overwhelming favorites against the Rainbow Warriors from Hawai'i.
The game itself will undoubtedly be a lopsided affair but not without intrigue as Cardale Jones is set to make his first ever start in Ohio Stadium and the Buckeyes welcome back Joey Bosa, Jalin Marshall, Corey Smith and Dontre Wilson from suspension.
In prep for tomorrow's kick, I've assembled a freak-nasty threesome of 11W stalwarts in Tim Shoemaker, Johnny Ginter and Kevin Harrish to discuss all things Buckeye.
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Most of us were surprised Cardale Jones was named the starter after talk throughout camp seemed to imply J.T. Barrett would be the guy. Did Urban make the right call in your mind? Said differently, is Jones still the starter (assuming no injuries) when Ohio State takes on Michigan State 10 games from now?
Tim: For the majority of camp I thought J.T. was going to be named the starter until I heard some things in the final week that made me really second guess myself. However, the whole time I also believed that there was really no wrong decision to be made and I think that's still the case here. I don't think anyone can say that the wrong choice was made — at least not at this point in time. I think Meyer's plan was pretty clear going forward and he's going to start Jones while Barrett will also play. How much Barrett plays, though, will be determined by feel of the game. Ohio State should blow many of its opponents out here in the coming weeks, so he'll see plenty of time then. Come Michigan State week, though, I wouldn't be surprised if Jones is the only guy out there.
Johnny: I don't think Urban made the right call, but I also don't think it matters all that much. J.T. is the more efficient QB, and it was pretty obvious that on some of the read option type stuff that they had Cardale running on Monday night would've been much more effective with Barrett making those calls.
But frankly? Whatever, man. Right now the only thing the Ohio State offense needs is a distributor, and as long as ol' Dolo can take care of the ball, I'll ride with the guy who's probably somewhat less injury prone (or susceptible to the wear and tear that an Urban Meyer offense can generate on a QB).
Kevin: I was 100% team Barrett, but it's hard to argue with Cardale, especially after that performance. He may not be as shifty or quick as Barrett, but he's definitely more difficult to bring down due to his size (Virginia Tech didn't record a sack Monday night). He isn't as flawless of a decision maker in the passing or read option game, but his ability to break tackles and his overall arm strength compensates for that. He made some plays Monday night that J.T. Barrett simply can't and won't even attempt to make (i.e. 60 yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel off his back foot). His decision making may be frustrating at times, but his talent is undeniable.
Since this is the direction Urban Meyer has gone, I absolutely think he'll stick to it. Cardale Jones will be the starter through the season, barring injury.
With Hawai’i coming to town as 41-point ‘dogs, how much will J.T. Barrett play this week?
Kevin: Traditionally, Urban Meyer doesn't pull his star quarterback very early in the game. I vividly remember watching Tim Tebow throw a fourth quarter touchdown pass when up over 40 points on a lesser opponent, and he handle Braxton Miller in much of the same way. That being said, I think the staff wants to get Barrett in there. I expect J.T. Barrett will play quite a bit, possibly even the entire second half. It's interesting that Meyer may be quicker to pull his quarterback to reward the backup with reps than to protect the starter from injury.
Johnny: Probably a lot. I'd be surprised if Cardale is still in after halftime. I'd also be really irritated, because that'd mean that Hawai'i has either conjured some kind of voodoo to make it a close game or Urban Meyer is taking a nap on a bench somewhere.
Tim: I'd fully expect Jones and Barrett to get close to the same amount of snaps here throughout the game's first three quarters. I think it will be well in hand by then and Stephen Collier will get most of the work in the fourth.
Urban’s always talking about nine units strong and while the Buckeyes enjoyed a decisive win, room for improvement remains. Which unit did you see as the weakest link against the Hokies, what does that unit need to improve upon and what kind of ceiling do you see?
Johnny: The secondary is still vulnerable to big plays, although I suspect that a lot of that is by design. Chris Ash has a high risk, high reward defensive philosophy, and last year it was extremely effective in terms of generating turnovers. As long as that remains the case, I'm not going to sweat it too much. And while Hawai'i can air it out (probably? Actually hell, I don't know. You would assume that they can in theory, right?), I don't foresee their gambling style to hurt them in this game or others down the line.
Also the kicking game sucks. Jim Tressel wept.
Tim: I thought it was a pretty solid game overall and I'm tempted to say the wide receivers, but under the circumstances — missing three key guys — I think they did just fine. The offensive line didn't allow any sacks, but if Cardale Jones wasn't the biggest dude playing quarterback in college football, I think they would have allowed a couple. I wouldn't call the offensive line's performance 'weak' by any stretch, but it certainly wasn't where I thought it would be and Urban Meyer said as much after the game. Virginia Tech has a really good defensive line, but I thought Ohio State could have played slightly better up front and it will going forward.
Kevin: This technically is not part of the "Nine-Units", but special teams across the board did not look awesome. Of course there was the missed field goal by Jack Willoughby that seemed to shift momentum, the muffed punt, the kick out of bounds, and Cameron Johnston even had a punt or two that weren't quite up to the standard we've come to expect from him. I expect it will be a non-issue throughout the season, given Cameron Johnston's talent, Jalin Marshall's return, and Ohio State's infrequent need to kick field goals, but special teams certainly wasn't a strength Monday night.
With Bosa back from suspension this week guys like Sam Hubbard and Jalyn Holmes, both of which looked solid against the Hokies opposite Tyquan Lewis should see their playing time severely limited. Which of those two impressed you the most on Monday night and will either be a factor going forward? If so, how?
Tim: I thought Hubbard played a really solid game and Holmes made the most underrated play of the night when he forced that fumble with Ohio State leading 21-17. The very next play from scrimmage after that was Braxton Miller's 53-yard highlight-reel touchdown run. I think Hubbard will play a bit more than Holmes going forward, but both of them will continue to see some snaps. Because both seem to be viable options, it may also give Ohio State some flexibility to move Bosa inside.
Kevin: Sam Hubbard impressed me the most, especially given that he played safety in high school, not defensive end. He looked like a natural born pass rusher and even recorded a sack early in the game. Unfortunately for him, he's still not Joey Bosa. It's hard to imagine either one of them playing many meaningful snaps this season over Bosa, but it's refreshing to know that there is depth at that position if he needs a breather or a suffers an injury.
Johnny: Hubbard seems to be the guy, which is convenient for me because I feel like I can make a lot of very lazy jokes about his name in the future.
"HUBBA(RD) HUBBA(RD)," Johnny Ginter wrote on Twitter, who would later go on to win the Presidential Medal of Honor for his wit and verve.
Now that his suspension is in the rearview, what kind of production do you expect to see from Jalin Marshall this week? What about fellow wide receiver Corey Smith? Does the return of these two severely limit snaps for either Parris Campbell or Johnnie Dixon after both saw plenty of action Monday night?
Johnny: Jalin Marshall is too dynamic not to be thrown back in ASAP. He's not Braxton, but his talent IS capable of taking over games by itself (see: Indiana last season). He was also mostly excellent in the playoff run, and I expect that to continue. He'll make an impact.
Corey Smith will have a harder time working in, despite his blocking skills. Dixon seems to be ready for primetime right now, and since Campbell had a couple of ugly plays against VT, I think Thomas-Miller-Dixon-Marshall is a pretty terrifying pass catching/ball running hydra for any team to deal with.
Tim: Ohio State is going to rotate a ton of guys at wide receiver — it has always liked to do that. Again, most of these games won't be very close over the next few weeks so plenty of guys will see the field. I think Parris Campbell and Johnnie Dixon will still be in the rotation, but maybe won't be out there as much as they were Monday night. Marshall will be on the field more than any other receiver outside of Michael Thomas, I think.
Kevin: I expect Jalin Marshall to make an instant impact, and Corey Smith to see significant playing time as well. Obviously, this cuts into the reps of Parris Campbell and Johnnie Dixon, but they'll still see many meaningful snaps. Zach Smith rotates receivers quite frequently, so even those far from the top of the depth chart will be given opportunities. Remember, with Devin Smith, Evan Spencer and Michael Thomas at the top of last season's depth chard, guys like Jalin Marshall, Corey Smith, and Noah Brown still saw the field often. This season will be no different. The younger guys will get plenty of reps
Also back from suspension, does Dontre Wilson have the chops to force his way into the H-back or receiver rotation in a meaningful way as the season wears on or could he be the odd man out forced to make the most of potential opportunities in the return game?
Tim: Dontre is interesting because he's always talked about by the coaches and players, but his production hasn't exactly lived up to that yet. There's definitely a role for him on this team, but there are also an absurd amount of guys around him who are just as talented and he'll need to produce on the field if he doesn't want to see his number of snaps decrease.
Kevin: I may be in the minority, but I think Dontre Wilson is enormously talented and I would not be shocked to see him have a breakout season. Looking back at his performance last season, I think people would have very different opinions of him if his season had not been cut short due to injury. He was one of the few sources of offense against Navy and Virginia Tech, and was consistently open against a great Michigan State secondary (although he did have a few big dropped passes). Unfortunately, he was injured right as the offense began to click.
Returning to a pass heavy offense, I think he certainly has a chance to shine this season; the talent is there. Of course, I could be wrong, but I think writing any player off as a bust after watching them play for a season and a half is utterly ridiculous.
Johnny: Dontre Wilson isn't that good as a football player. And that's okay, sometimes guys just don't work out the way that you expect. But the truth is that a lot of other players have performed demonstrably better than he has, and deserve to play more than him. He's a return man, and right now that's the only place I'd put him first in any depth chart.
Young and/or unproven guys like Sam Hubbard, Tyquan Lewis, Gareon Conley and Jalyn Holmes all put forth solid efforts against the Hokies. Which young and/or unproven Buckeye most impressed you on Monday night? Why?
Kevin: Gareon Conley. He may not have made any big plays, but he didn't give up any either. He did exactly what he needed to do. As a cornerback, it's usually a very good sign when people aren't talking about you the day after a game. Usually, it means you did your job.
Johnny: Conley had a couple of boneheaded plays, but corner is an extremely hard position to pick up. I'm really impressed with a guy that young playing that particular position that well. He's going to be very good.
Tim: I actually wrote about this Thursday, but I was really impressed with the way Gareon Conley played at corner. I thought he was physical in the run game, made some really nice tackles and was also solid in pass coverage. I think if he can solidify himself throughout the year at that other corner spot, Ohio State's defense can be really good.
The Rainbow Warriors are led by former USC quarterback Max Wittek and are coming off a 28-20 home win over Colorado. In that affair, Wittek completed 19/38 for 202 yards with three touchdowns and two picks. What kind of day will he have Saturday?
Tim: Well, considering he drew the short straw and has to be the guy fielding snaps with Joey Bosa coming off a suspension, I'm not sure he's going to have much success. Hawai'i is pretty overmatched in this game so it may be a long day for Wittek.
Johnny: Maybe better than people think. Human nature is human nature, and the biggest enemy for Ohio State right now is lack of focus. Hawai'i is a bad football team by most measures, but that doesn't mean Wittek is incapable of dropping a couple of bombs on a distracted secondary if they aren't paying attention.
But to answer your question, he lives in Hawai'i and is flying eight hours to Ohio to get his butt kicked up and down the field for three hours. So he is going to have a bad day.
Kevin: It's going to be a brutal day for Wittek. Aside from passing against a very talented secondary, he's going to be facing a pass rush from an angry and ready Joey Bosa. He's not going to have anything close to the time or open receivers he had last week. I really can't see a scenario where he has a great game.
Finally, what’s the final score (reminder, spread is 41), who is your game MVP and why?
Kevin: 69-14. My MVP is Joey Bosa. I think he'll be more ready for this game than he's ever been, and he's facing an inferior offensive line. I expect him to record multiple sacks.
Tim: I'm taking Ohio State to win this game, 56-10. Because it's so lopsided, the game MVP could literally be anyone, but I'll take a shot in the dark and say Curtis Samuel scores a pair of touchdowns and has over 100 yards of total offense.
Johnny: 63-14. And the game MVP is going to be me, because I'm going to heroically watch the game and take care of an incontinent dog at the same time in an apartment that keeps flooding. Where's MY highlight reel, AMERICA???
