Week 2 of the Eleven Warriors scouting report is here, and it is a big one.
Ohio State has had an extra couple days to prepare for its rematch against Oklahoma after taking down the Sooners a season ago, 45-24, in Norman, Okla.
The Sooners blasted UTEP in their season opener, 56-7, but have had some holes to fill from their 2016 squad. Without further delay, let's get to know Ohio State's Week 2 opponent a little bit better.
Offense (Spread)
Quarterback: Baker Mayfield (No. 6) 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, redshirt senior
Strengths:
- Extremely mobile. Moves well in the pocket and is always a threat to get yards with his legs.
- Veteran experience. Reads the field and commands the offense with confidence.
- Protects the football. Threw 40 touchdowns to just eight interceptions last season as a Heisman finalist.
Weaknesses:
- Does not throw the ball away often. If flushed, will likely try to force a ball downfield.
Running back: Abdul Adams (No. 23) 5-feet-11, 205 pounds, sophomore
Strengths:
- Shifty back that has the ability to make multiple people miss on one play.
- Good route runner with solid hands out of the backfield. Will leak out of the backfield at times as a check down option.
Weaknesses:
- Inexperienced. Has just 60 career carries and one start, which came last week.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Mark Andrews (No. 81) 6-foot-5, 254 pounds, redshirt junior / Jeff Badet (No. 2) 6-foot, 178 pounds, redshirt senior
Strengths:
- Andrews is a matchup nightmare for linebackers. Great size, hands over the middle.
- Andrews moves well for his size and is an excellent route runner. Caught seven passes for 134 yards and a score in the season opener. Also, leading returning receiver from 2016 team.
- Badet (Kentucky transfer) is a big play threat with top end speed.
Weaknesses:
- Andrews is not asked to block much from his tight end spot. If put on the line of scrimmage, can be beaten with physicality.
- Badet does not have intimidating size, not a likely candidate to be targeted for jump balls/back-shoulder fades.
Offensive Line: LT Orlando Brown (No. 78) 6-foot-8, 345 pounds, redshirt junior / LG Ben Powers (No. 72) 6-foot-4, 310 pounds, junior / C Erick Wren (No. 58) 6-foot-1, 306 pounds, redshirt senior / RG Dru Samia (No. 75) 6-foot-5, 302 pounds, junior / RT Bobby Evans (No. 71) 6-foot-4, 312 pounds, redshirt sophomore
Strengths:
- Overall, Oklahoma has one of the best offensive lines in college football, as the Sooners return all five starters from 2016.
- Brown is one of the top 2018 NFL draft prospects in the country. For his size, he moves extremely well and rarely allows pressure from Mayfield's blind side.
- The Sooners tend to run left behind Brown and Powers, especially near the goal line.
- Evans and Samia move well, and the Sooners will pull them around as lead blockers on counter plays.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Weaknesses:
- Wider splits can give defense more opportunities to shoot the gaps in the run game.
Overall Analysis: Despite losing their top two rushers and leading receiver from 2016, the Sooners still boast one of the best offenses in the country. Oklahoma has arguably one of the best offensive lines in the country playing in front of a Heisman finalist from a year ago. The Sooners like to run plenty of RPOs (run/pass options), making reads easier for Mayfield. Oklahoma is likely to use a by-committee approach at running back, as the Ohio State defense will likely also prepare for Rodney Anderson (6-foot-2, 218 pounds) and Marcelias Sutton (5-foot-8, 192 pounds). Senior wide receiver Jeffrey Mead (6-foot-5, 195 pounds) could also get more targets against Ohio State after the success of Simmie Cobbs in Week 1.
Defense (3-4)
Defensive Line: DE D.J. Ward (No. 87) 6-foot-2, 260 pounds, redshirt senior / DT Neville Gallimore (No. 90) 6-foot-2, 310 pounds, redshirt sophomore / NG Matt Romar (No. 92) 6-foot, 295 pounds, redshirt senior
Strengths:
- Gallimore, the lone returning starter in this group, possesses great size and uses it well to take up blocks. He tied for second on the team in tackles for loss in 2016.
- Gallimore is also a threat to deflect passes at the line of scrimmage. Possesses great awareness.
Weaknesses:
- Despite being redshirt seniors, Romar and Ward do not have much meaningful playing experience. They combined for just 45 tackles in 2016.
- For a nose guard, Romar is not a player that will take up multiple blocks. Slightly undersized for his position.
Linebackers: SLB Caleb Kelly (No. 19) 6-foot-3, 229 pounds, sophomore / MLB Kenneth Murray (No. 9) 6-foot-2, 242 pounds, freshman / WLB Emmanuel Beal (No. 14) 6-foot, 218 pounds, senior / JACK Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (No. 31) 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, redshirt senior
Strengths:
- Okoronkwo is without question one of the best linebackers in the country. He will line up close to or on the line of scrimmage for most of the game, dropping into coverage and rushing the passer. His speed makes him a threat to get to the quarterback on every play.
- Beal, like Okoronkwo and Kelly, brings experience to the linebackers for Oklahoma. Despite being slightly undersized, Beal was second on the team in tackles a season ago and plays well in space.
Weaknesses:
- As mentioned, Beal is undersized at just 218 pounds. While he possesses good athletic ability, his frame makes it harder for him to get off blocks at the second level.
- Murray is perhaps the most physically gifted in the group, but played limited reps in the blowout win over UTEP. Is he mentally prepared to re-align the Sooners defensive front as needed?
Defensive Backs: CB Parnell Motley (No. 11) 6-feet, 175 pounds, sophomore / CB Jordan Thomas (No. 7) 6-foot, 185 pounds, senior / FS Will Johnson (No. 12) 6-foot, 185 pounds, redshirt senior / SS Steven Parker (No. 10) 6-foot-1, 204 pounds, senior
Strengths:
- With each member of the Sooners defensive backfield standing 6-foot or taller, Oklahoma can likely play more man-to-man than in previous years.
- A veteran backfield should help a freshman MLB with coverages and lining up a defense pre-snap.
Weaknesses:
- Struggled to make tackles in open space against Ohio State last season.
- At just 175 pounds, Motley will likely struggle to hold a jam at the line of scrimmage in man coverage.
- Oklahoma lost reserve cornerback Jordan Parker to what appeared to be a significant knee injury against UTEP. He is not expected to play against Ohio State. He started eight games for Oklahoma last season.
Overall Analysis: The strength of the Sooner defense is their front seven. Okoronkwo is one of the best defenders in the country and I expect Ohio State to utilize RPOs and zone reads where Okoronkwo is the main read, in an attempt to limit his effectiveness on the game. Last season, the Sooners defensive backfield struggled to keep up with Ohio State's physicality at wide receiver. It will be up to the new group of Buckeyes to do more of the same this season.
Special Teams
Kicker/Punter: Austin Seibert (No. 43) 5-foot-9, 210 pounds, junior
Analysis: Seibert handles both kicking and punting duties for the Sooners, as he did last season. As a placekicker, Seibert converted on 11-of-16 kicks and 72-of-74 extra points. As the Oklahoma punter, he averaged 41.15 net yards per kick, which ranked seventh in the Big 12 conference. Seibert does not have the biggest leg, with his longest kick last season coming from just 39 yards. He did convert a 46-yarder in 2015 as a freshman, a year in which he made 18-of-23 field goal attempts.
