A week after dismantling UNLV in Ohio Stadium, Ohio State takes its show on the road for just the second time this season as the Buckeyes head to New Jersey to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a Saturday night affair.
What was once a 27.5-point spread has swelled to 30 signaling it could be another rough night for former OSU assistant Chris Ash who has guided Rutgers to a 1-3 record entering tomorrow's matchup against his old boss, Urban Meyer.
With Ohio State fans expecting a dominant performance, we welcome in a guy who had his share of dominant performances in Jeff Logan. A four time B1G champion, Logan became just the second Buckeye tailback to rush for at least 1,200 yards in a single-season (1976) while earning All B1G and Academic All-American honors.
The former Buckeye captain and 610 WTVN radio analyst (among other notable achievements) joins 11W staffers Dan Hope, D.J. Byrnes and Kevin Harrish in the Rutgers edition of the roundtable.
Your seats are ready, gentlemen..
The receiving corps (I’m not sure how much longer I can participate in this Zone Six stuff) had a strong outing against UNLV as the top six guys in Zach Smith’s rotation tallied 12 receptions for 251 yards and five touchdowns. Have you seen any growth from this group since the season opener? Parris Campbell and K.J. Hill currently lead the team with 18 grabs through four games. Safe to say those two lead the team all year from a production standpoint? Or maybe you have a wildcard in mind?
Jeff: Zone 6 has been a work in progress and this lack of consistency has affected the growth of the pass game results through the first few weeks of the season. The receiving corps has lots of promise and speed, but have been light on results. It seems like too many cooks in the kitchen have spoiled things early on this season. No one has really been the “go-to” WR, and there needs to be some continuity of personnel in order to build confidence with JT Barrett. Clearly Parris Campbell and KJ Hill are the most experienced, but I expected more out of Binjamin Victor and Austin Mack at this stage and think they are the future stars if they can keep improving.
Kevin: Yeah, I do, and I think a lot of it comes from the play calling. I think last season we saw them try to force the downfield passing game a little too much when it wasn’t working. Now, we’re actually seeing an offensive identity.
They’re using bubble screen releases to get those shifty receivers the ball in space when the defense loads the box to stop the run. This plays to the receiver’s strengths, as they can get a ton of yards after the catch, as we’ve seen these past couple of games. And while I’m here talking about bubble screens, I’m going to vent a little bit. I’m hearing a lot of people give #takes that those bubble screens won’t work against top teams, and I think that’s ridiculous. Here’s why:
There’s almost always a run option attached to those screens. The quarterback counts the men in the box, identifies if the numbers advantage is inside with the run or outside with the screen and runs the play accordingly. Oftentimes, there’s even another pass option deeper down the field they can hit if the opponent crashes down to stop the bubble screen. They aren’t just calling “bubble screen right” on Madden and hoping for the best.
The only way to really stop those screens is to take men out of the box, which opens up the run. If you’re still not sold, go back and watch Clemson’s offense last year.
Dan: I have seen growth from the wide receivers since the season opener, particularly over the past two games. Granted, the past two games have been against Army and UNLV, but the wide receivers have started running better routes and getting open more frequently, without the egregious drops that plagued that unit in the first two games. We still haven't seen a go-to player emerge from the group, but I think each of the top six receivers have shown different qualities that can add value to the offense.
As I said in our first roundtable of the year, I still expect Austin Mack to emerge as Ohio State's top receiver by the end of the season. Campbell looks like he will lead the team in production – his big-play ability could lead to big numbers, and Urban Meyer has hinted he could end up playing a Curtis Samuel-like role for this team – but Mack has flashed the ability to be a Michael Thomas-like player as a downfield receiver. I think he has already started to separate himself from the pack in that regard, and that will start to manifest statistically as the season progresses.
DJ: The receiving corps is in the same place as the rest of the offense for me. Rolling over inferior opponents (especially a bottom-10 pass defense like UNLV) does not move the needle with me. Wake me up when Penn State rolls into Columbus with Ohio State coming off an open week. If they roll the Nittany Lions, Earle Bruce’s grandson can use as many 100 emojis as he wants in his post-game celebratory tweets.
And yeah, K.J. Hill and Parris Campbell are the best receivers on the team. Though I do wish I could combine Hill’s catching ability with Campbell’s speed.
Through 4 games, name a guy that hasn’t come along as you’d hoped. Is there still reason for optimism?
Dan: Dante Booker's first four games of the season haven't lived up to the hype. That's not to say he's played badly, but the strongside linebacker has been only a part-time player for the defense and has yet to make any game-changing plays. There was talk in the preseason about Booker being a similar athlete to Jerome Baker. So far, we have yet to see Booker play with that level of athleticism, so I have my doubts about him being the breakout star and future early-round NFL draft pick that some projected him to be.
Booker missed almost all of last season due to injury, so he could still be shaking off the rust. The fact that he isn't playing fast could have as much to do with still becoming comfortable within the defense as it does with actual physical speed. If he doesn't elevate his level of play soon, however, his role could diminish with young linebackers like Malik Harrison, Baron Browning and Pete Werner pushing for increased playing time.
DJ: The entire linebacking corps. Chris Worley has looked lost more than a fifth-year senior should despite a move to the middle. Dante Booker and Jerome Baker have been out of position a lot too, though that has since been shored up in recent weeks with the drop in competition. The good news is there is plenty of time to right the ship.
Kevin: I’m going to go with Jerome Baker. With how he played last season, I thought he would be one of the top linebackers in the country this season and a possible high-round draft pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, and I really haven’t seen that.
This offseason he mentioned he was focusing on knowing his alignment and assignments this year instead of just relying on his freak athleticism, and I think we still need to see improvement in that area, especially against teams that run a lot of run-pass option plays like Oklahoma did and Penn State will.
Jeff: I really thought Austin Mack would be a dominant go to receiver since the day he arrived and it has surprised me so far as to how little he has been involved. I still think the upside here is unlimited and expect great things from this kid going forward.
Conversely, pick a guy you see as one of the unsung heroes thus far. What has that player done to justify his status?
Jeff: The clear surprise this year has been J.K. Dobbins. With the continued health issues of 1,000 yard rusher Mike Weber, it could have been a disaster for Ohio State having to rely on no college experience at this position. Running the ball in the B1G 10 is critical to competing for a title and the more it appears that Weber’s hamstring injury will be an ongoing issue, this is quite a boost for the offense.
Dan: Billy Price might not qualify as "unsung," but his performance through the first four games of the season hasn't gotten nearly the attention it deserves. Moving from guard to center isn't the simple transition it's sometimes made out to be – after all, it comes with the added responsibilities of making offensive line calls and snapping the ball – but Price has seemingly handled the transition seamlessly and continued to be the dominant interior offensive lineman he was for the Buckeyes last season. A strong anchor at the center position is crucial to the overall success of an offensive line, and Price has very much been that so far this year. He'll never get the attention that J.T. Barrett or J.K. Dobbins do, but he's right up there with them as one of the offense's most important players, and he's already become one of the best centers in college football.
DJ: Isaiah Prince. He had a nightmare last year against Penn State, and though he was never that bad again, he never played up to the standard of a former five-star recruit. Nobody would confuse him with Orlando Pace this year, but he has been solid in his pass protection.
Kevin: I’m gonna go peak Jim Tressel and say Drue Chrisman. Through four games, he’s punted 14 times and downed the ball inside the 20-yard line 13 of those times. If I’m not mistaken, all 13 of those have actually be inside the 15 – that’s insane. Imagine doing your job perfectly 93 percent of the time. You guys can all vouch that I sure don’t.
Cameron Johnston was legitimately incredible throughout his four years at Ohio State, and I thought Chrisman had huge shoes to fill, but through four games he’s filling them just fine.
Parris Campbell currently leads the team in both receptions (18) and receiving yards (322) from the H-back position. How does Campbell stack up against Meyer’s other H-backs at Ohio State? Who would select as the top three H-backs to play under Meyer? Justify your rankings.
Jeff: The H-Back position under Urban Meyer and his offensive philosophy has been extremely important. This season seems to be by committee or dysfunctional at best. There is a Percy Harvin “curse” brought here and that is a tough act to measure up against. Dontre Wilson was the victim of these unrealistic comparisons and projections. Historically under Urban the top 3 would clearly be Curtis Samuel, Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson. In 2015 all three were on the roster together which spreads the statistics. No one has reached the unrealistic expectations of the H-Back position but Curtis Samuel in my estimation was the best we have had at that position under Urban.
DJ: I had seen enough of Campbell when he had that first-half drop against Indiana. He then clowned me in the second half and showed why Meyer has raved about him for what seems like the last 30 years. He is special when he gets the ball in space.
As for my H-Back rankings:
- 1. Curtis Samuel: This needs no justification. The man put up more total yardage than Percy Harvin.
- 2. Braxton Miller: Miller gets the nod for No. 2 based on being a superior athlete over any other contender, despite the coaching staff not knowing how to use him in his final season.
- 3. Parris Campbell: I could be talked into placing him over Miller by the end of the season. Right now, I think he’s already at Jalin Marshall’s level, with more potential to be unlocked.
Dan: Campbell isn't as shifty as Curtis Samuel or Braxton Miller, but he might be faster than both of them. I don't think we'll see Campbell make defenders miss as regularly as Samuel, Miller and Jalin Marshall could, but he's already proven he can leave a defense in the dust with his speed once he gets into the open field. From a production standpoint, he's well on his way to having a more productive season as a receiver than Miller, Marshall or Dontre Wilson ever did.
Percy Harvin at Florida remains the most dynamic weapon Meyer has ever had at the H-back position, but Samuel – who had the most productive season a Meyer-coached H-back has ever had last year – is a close second. Marshall ranks third because of the key role he played on Ohio State's 2014 national championship team. I don't think Campbell will surpass Harvin or Samuel, but he definitely has the potential to surpass Marshall if he builds upon his strong start.
Kevin: Paris Campbell has been good and dangerous from the position, but I’m not about to knight him after four games. Let’s just wait and see.
For me, No. 3 would have to be Philly Brown. He wasn’t quite the hybrid some of the other guys were as he only technically had 14 carries in his career (quite a few more if you include those pop passes), but he was a very good true slot receiver and was a huge part in the most productive Ohio State offense ever.
No. 2 is Jalin Marshall. To me, he was everything fans hoped Dontre Wilson would be. He was a dangerous receiver and a versatile runner, which was something Brown didn’t really offer.
No. 1 is Curtis Samuel and I really don’t think that needs much justification. The dude was the definition of a hybrid player and is really the only h-back that’s not only lived up to what Percy Harvin brought to the position, but surpassed it.
J.T. Barrett lit up UNLV with five touchdown passes in six possessions before taking the rest of the afternoon off while backup Dwayne Haskins came in flashing a ton of arm talent but also inexperience as he tossed a pick six and a few other near interceptions. Whether you’re a J.T. backer like yours truly or a guy that’s been clamoring for Haskins to get his shot, did last Saturday’s happenings do anything to change your opinion? Why or why not?
Kevin: In my mind, I’m even more convinced J.T. Barrett gives the team the best chance to win than I was before. For every beautiful ball that Dwayne Haskins threw, like that touchdown pass to C.J. Saunders, there was a dangerous throw or a drastic misfire.
Haskins might have more upside than Barrett in the long run– he sure seems to have more confidence – but there is a drastic difference in experience. I think that showed on Saturday and it would be even more evident against a good team during a closer game.
Jeff: J.T. Barrett will clearly own all passing and TD’s accounted for records at OSU when he is done here. I doubt most fans will realize how lucky we have been to have J.T. for the time he has been here. His opening act in 2014, when we lost Braxton Miller, was his baseline and I doubt anyone could have accomplished what he did in that season ever again. His success in 2014 ultimately became his worst enemy after accounting for nearly 4,000 yards of offense that year, as this was the measure for future growth and I doubt anyone could have replicated those numbers or grow them as was demanded by the fan base. The Haskins-Burrow-Martell threesome in the wings and the highlights we have seen the past couple of weeks should be considered a blessing that the future is bright at QB for the Buckeyes – but the best QB for 2017 is #16 and this debate should end right here and now.
Dan: I believe J.T. Barrett is still the right quarterback to lead the Ohio State offense, and Saturday's happenings strengthened my opinion. Viewed through an objective lens, Ohio State's offense clearly ran most effectively on Saturday when Barrett was the quarterback. Haskins was at his best on his first series with the first-team offense, while he was surrounded by fellow backups for the rest of his playing time on Saturday, so there's a case to be made that Haskins would have played better if he was able to play the whole game with the first-team offense. But it's not fair to harp on Barrett's moments of inaccuracy – which were few and far between on Saturday – and conveniently ignore Haskins' shortcomings. Haskins performed well on Saturday for a quarterback seeing his first extended playing time at the collegiate level, but Barrett couldn't have played much better – if not for a fumble by Campbell at the 2-yard line, Barrett would have had six touchdown passes in six possessions.
Saturday, to me, served as confirmation of what I've been hearing all along – that while Haskins is the more physically gifted passer of the two, Barrett continues to stand out above him in terms of his decision-making and ability to run the offense. Considering what happened against Clemson and Oklahoma, there's reason to be legitimately concerned about Barrett's ability to make the plays he needs to make in games. And I think Haskins' future at Ohio State is bright. But I still don't believe Haskins is an upgrade right now, because there's more to the quarterback position than arm strength – things that will come to Haskins in time, but that Barrett already has through experience.
DJ: Somebody on Twitter said Dwayne Haskins showed enough last Saturday to justify your opinion either way. That man is lost to history now, but he was wise.
Barrett is a fine QB against teams like UNLV, Army, Rutgers, Maryland, Nebraska, etc. The problem comes when he faces a defense with athletes capable of going man-to-man on the outside with Ohio State. Then suddenly the offense turns into a pumpkin incapable of consistently passing against box-loaded formations.
I’m a Haskins guy. I think the stretch of schedule from Oklahoma to Penn State would have been perfect to make the change and blood the youngster. But the only way that happens is if J.T. Barrett loses a leg, and even then Meyer might justify starting him.
So, we’ll see. For me, Barrett is what he is at this point. Hopefully the coaching staff can figure out a way to play to his strengths, because Penn State, Michigan State, Iowa, and Michigan will definitely try to replicate Oklahoma’s plan, and Barrett hasn’t been elite against an elite opponent since Oklahoma in 2016.
Now that we’re exactly one-third of the way through the regular season slate, give me an offensive and defensive MVP through the first four games and back up your selections.
Jeff: MVP’s through 4 games – J.K. Dobbins on offense and Sam Hubbard on defense. Offense is an easy one, though, Billy Price deserves some love due to the move to the all-important center position and his leadership in getting the OL together. Defense is a little tougher as they have been less than overwhelming in the first two weeks, but improved greatly against Army (UNLV does not count as an opponent!) He is the most consistent and dependable player on the D, but you could throw in a few others on the D-Line as considerations.
Dan: Offensive MVP has to be J.K. Dobbins, as the true freshman running back has been simply spectacular in his first four games at Ohio State. While the passing offense must continue to grow, the running game remains the clear strength of Ohio State's offense, and the biggest reason for that is Dobbins. A strong offensive line up front plays a big factor, too, but Dobbins already appears well on his way to being an Ezekiel Elliott-level running back (in terms of talent) for the Buckeyes.
Defensive MVP honors go to Nick Bosa, who is quickly emerging as one of the best defensive ends in the country – much like his brother, Joey, did in his sophomore season at Ohio State. While fellow defensive ends Sam Hubbard, Tyquan Lewis and Jalyn Holmes are all very good players with NFL futures of their own, Bosa is a cut above the rest in terms of his ability to wreak havoc in the trenches and penetrate opposing backfields to make big plays. He already has seven tackles for loss this season even though he only plays about half of Ohio State's defensive snaps due to the defensive end rotation. It's going to become increasingly difficult to keep Bosa off the field – even with the talent he has around him – if he keeps playing the way he has so far this year.
DJ: Hard for me to single out one player at this point, but on offense I’ll go with J.K. Dobbins. Ohio State’s offense could be in a world of hurt if it hadn’t plucked Dobbins out of Texas earlier this year.
Defensive MVP will shock some people: Dre’Mont Jones. With Ohio State being so loaded at defensive end, the play of Jones on the inside becomes even more crucial. He’ll be a first-round pick next year.
Kevin: Offensive MVP is J.K. Dobbins for me. The guy has already established himself as one of the premier running backs in the conference through four games as a true freshman. He’s been so good that Ohio State hasn’t even really missed Mike Weber, who was the returning starter and a 1,000 yard rusher last season.
Defensively, I’m going to go with Dre’Mont Jones. I think he’s the unsung guy on that defensive line full of future NFL pass rushers, but he’s legitimately one of the best interior linemen in the country. He’s insanely quick off the ball and gets into the backfield in a hurry to blow up run plays and disrupt the pocket from the inside on pass plays. You saw that in action with his tackle for a loss resulting in a safety last week.
Ohio State’s next three opponents should all be in trouble if the Buckeyes come to play, setting up a date with Penn State in about a month. The Nittany Lions didn’t look overly impressive this past Saturday at Iowa but got the job done. Meanwhile, we’ve seen the Buckeyes struggle with the only big time opponent they’ve faced thus far while handling lesser competition. With a month to go before the showdown in the Shoe, which team will be the favorite and how many points when Penn State arrives in Columbus? Who wins and why?
Dan: If Penn State remains undefeated through its next three games – which would mean beating Michigan one week before playing Ohio State – the Nittany Lions should come into Columbus as 3-4 point favorites. If Penn State loses a game between now and then, and Ohio State remains undefeated, then the home team likely becomes a slight favorite. I'm inclined to believe the Buckeyes will win the game on Oct. 28 for three reasons: home-field advantage, the Nittany Lions barely beat Iowa despite a Herculean effort by Saquon Barkley and Penn State will be coming off a tough game against Michigan while Ohio State will be coming off a bye. I wouldn't bet on the Buckeyes, though, because they'll have to play much better against Penn State than they did against Oklahoma, and the next three games against Rutgers, Maryland and Nebraska won't give the Buckeyes enough of a test to show whether they've truly gotten better.
Kevin: Ohio State will probably be favored by like, 3.5. It’s a home game the year after Penn State ruined Ohio State’s undefeated regular season.
Honestly, I don’t know what to expect. Oklahoma destroyed Ohio State with those run-pass option plays and I think Penn State is the only team left on the schedule that can do anything like that. The Buckeyes will need much better linebacker play to counter that.
The good news is, I’d expect Rutgers, Maryland and Nebraska all to attack Ohio State in that sort of way, giving the Buckeyes plenty of tune-up time before Penn State comes to town.
Jeff: All of Buckeye Nation should have been watching the Iowa-Penn State game as a scouting report. Penn State is very good and experienced at QB and RB, but the fact that they have a dominant, tall WR in Juwan Johnson is a huge threat to our coverage issues. Saquon Barkley has nearly 1,000 all-purpose yards already (leading rusher and receiver) and is the best player in college football. Not sure what game will be more difficult at this stage for Ohio State: Iowa on the road or Penn State at home. If played today, Penn State would be the favorite, but with a month to go – this should be a pick ‘em come game time.
DJ: I’ll be shocked if Ohio State is a home underdog to Penn State, who is a notoriously different team in true road environments than at home. Something like Ohio State (-4) sounds about right to me.
I’m not going to predict that game just yet. Too many variables. Let’s see how Ohio State looks when it goes to Nebraska. If they drop a 63-3 on them in Lincoln, I’ll feel a lot better about Ohio State’s chances because Penn State, while fun to watch, is beatable.
Ohio State opened as a 27.5-point favorite this Saturday night at Rutgers. Will the Buckeyes cover? Give us your final score and player to watch.
Kevin: My final score is 56-7. Ohio State covers and the game hits the over. My player to watch is Kendall Sheffield. He got picked on a little bit last week and had a few pass interference calls go against him, but I think he has a big game this week.
DJ: I know one thing and one thing only: Ohio State covers against Rutgers, but it won’t be a blowout from the start. Eventually Ohio State’s depth will take command and the Buckeyes will roll, though. 38-3.
Player to watch: Parris Campbell. Buckeyes will try to get him the ball as much as possible, and he’ll do the most with it.
Dan: I've got Ohio State winning this game 45-7. Considering that the Buckeyes have defeated Rutgers by at least 39 points in each of the last three seasons, I'd be surprised if they don't cover. Rutgers' defense has improved from last season, so I don't think Ohio State will score 58 points like it did last year, but I still expect this game to have a lopsided final score. The player to watch in this game will be Rutgers' Janarion Grant, as the Scarlet Knights need him to make big plays on offense and in the return game to have any chance of keeping this game competitive. But an Ohio State player I'll be keeping an eye out for is Baron Browning, who I think could continue to see more playing time in the linebacker rotation with Chris Worley's status for this game in question due to a sprained foot.
Jeff: Rutgers football the dream team of the B1G Network gurus – good for market share, bad for league football. Poor Chris Ash, there is not enough time or local talent available (after Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan clear the table in NJ) to win even a little bit in the B1G in football. Greg Schiano had success with 6 bowl games in 11 seasons, but not in this conference. The average margin of victory for Ohio State vs. Rutgers to date in a 3-0 run is 46.3 points. I’m expecting to be talking about a similar rout (45-7) Saturday night when I am doing the post-mortem on the #bestbuckeyecoverage with Matt McCoy on 105.7 The Zone in the wee hours!
