The Ohio State football team doesn’t play a game this week, but you still have questions that you want answered.
Since James Grega, who usually answers your questions each Friday afternoon, is on his way back from Big Ten Basketball Media Day in New York, I’m filling in for our open week edition of the Eleven Warriors Football Mailbag, fresh off James’ basketball mailbag on Wednesday and Andrew Lind’s recruiting mailbag on Thursday.
The loyal commenters of Eleven Warriors greeted my turn in the mailbag rotation which no shortage of great questions, which made it tough to whittle down the questions to just the usual 11, so I’ve decided to answer 12 of your questions about the Buckeyes, their upcoming tilt with Penn State and even the uniforms they’ll be wearing in that game.
Does it hurt or help to have an off week before Penn State given that the Buckeyes were playing better every week for the past four? – TMac
The advantages of having an open date before Penn State should significantly outweigh the disadvantages. Yes, the Buckeyes are on a roll, and two weeks between games could slow their momentum a bit. From a practical standpoint, though, the advantages of the off week are clear. While the Nittany Lions will be coming off a tough game against Michigan next week, the Buckeyes not only have an extra week to rest up and get fresh and healthy, but also to get a huge head start on Penn State in their preparation for the game.
Is it better to have Michigan beat Penn State this week and climb up in the rankings, then play/beat a possibly 10th-13th ranked Penn State, then assuming Michigan goes undefeated, we get them later on possibly ranked in the top 7-10? Or are we better off beating PSU at #2 and then facing a potentially unranked Michigan team? – RunEddieRun1983
Ohio State fans should forget about the rankings and root for Penn State to win on Saturday. Beyond the obvious factor of not cheering for Michigan – as Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said on his radio show Thursday, "I just can’t ever imagine cheering for our rivals" – it’s a matter of which Penn State team would you rather face next week: a team that could be primed for a letdown coming off a big primetime win, or an angry team that knows it must win to keep its championship hopes alive?
I don’t think there’s much reason to worry about what Michigan will be ranked, because the equation appears pretty simple at this point: If the Buckeyes win out, they’ll make out the College Football Playoff. If they don’t, they won’t. I also wouldn’t worry about the inverse scenario of last year – a 1-loss Penn State getting in over a 1-loss Ohio State – because the Nittany Lions don’t have a signature out-of-conference win like the Buckeyes had last year over Oklahoma.
What type of offensive game plan should we expect to see against Penn State? One that’s aggressive, like we’ve seen since Oklahoma? Or the one that’s incredibly risk adverse like we’ve seen in previous big games? – Jamie Lannister
I think we’ll see a more aggressive offensive game plan, like we’ve seen the last five weeks, because I think offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson and co-offensive coordinator Ryan Day have found their rhythm working with one another and Ohio State’s personnel. You’re right that the Buckeyes have tended to play conservatively on offense in previous big games, but I think the bigger problem against Oklahoma was that Wilson, Day and Meyer just hadn’t figured out how to mesh their philosophies together yet.
I don’t blame anyone for taking a wait-and-see approach with the offense going into this game, because we haven’t seen the offense face any real adversity since the Oklahoma game, but the Buckeyes have shown more creativity and confidence despite playing against lesser competition. Add in the fact that Wilson and Day have two weeks to prepare for this game, and I fully expect to see some new wrinkles on offense as well as a willingness to take chances on plays they feel confident in.
What (or who) is the key for Ohio State defensively against PSU? Who's more likely to hurt us, Trace McSorley or Saquon Barkley? – Iowabuckeyes
I’m tempted to go against the grain and say that McSorley could be the player who causes more problems for Ohio State. The Buckeyes’ passing defense has struggled against talented quarterbacks this season, and McSorley will be the best quarterback not named Baker Mayfield that they’ve played yet. Like Mayfield, McSorley is also an athletic quarterback who can do some damage with his feet, which makes him precisely the type of quarterback who could give Ohio State problems.
Ohio State’s run defense hasn’t allowed anyone to have sustained success running the ball up the middle against them this season, so it’s reasonable to believe they’ll be able to keep Barkley in check in the ground game.
The answer to this question is still Barkley, though, because of the fact that he is not just one of the best runners in the country, but also an excellent receiver out of the backfield and kickoff returner. If Ohio State’s linebackers are out of position in pass coverage like they were in allowing numerous big plays against Oklahoma, Barkley will expose them. And Ohio State’s issues with kickoffs have been well-documented, making Barkley’s big-play ability in that area scary as well.
Penn State has a talented group of downfield receivers, and McSorley is a gunslinger who can make plays over the top, but Barkley – who has more than three times as many all-purpose yards as any of his teammates – is the engine that makes the Nittany Lions’ offense go and the player who Ohio State must stop, first and foremost, from making big plays.
Saquon Barkley could pose a greater threat to Ohio State as a receiver and kickoff returner than he does as a runner.
Question for Mr. Hope, late of the Clemson nation. Please compare and contrast the differences in play between the Tigers D-Line and that of the Buckeyes. State's personnel is ranked as at least equal to Clemson's, yet in big games the Tigers play seem to be more dominating. Is the difference real and if so is it due to coaching or some intangible characteristic of college football in the south? – NorthBerg
I am of the opinion that Clemson has the best defensive line in the country. Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence and Clelin Ferrell are all elite talents who have the potential to be future top-10 NFL draft picks, and Austin Bryant – who leads the Tigers with 11.5 tackles for loss – might be a future early-round draft pick in his own right. Clemson’s defensive line really should dominate every opponent it plays.
That’s no disrespect intended to Nick Bosa, Dre’Mont Jones, Sam Hubbard, Tyquan Lewis and Jalyn Holmes, who are all excellent players and future NFL players in their own right. Ohio State is deeper on the defensive line than Clemson, so the Buckeyes should be more than capable of dominating any opponent, too. But if I had the opportunity to build a defensive line from any four players from either team, I would pick three Tigers and one Buckeye: Wilkins and Lawrence at defensive tackle with Ferrell and Bosa at defensive end.
Larry Johnson is one of the best defensive line coaches in college football, so I don’t believe coaching is an issue for the Buckeyes. I do believe Brent Venables’ defensive scheme at Clemson places a greater emphasis on making stops in the backfield than Greg Schiano’s scheme at Ohio State, so that might be a factor. But it is worth noting that Ohio State is currently tied for the lead among all Football Bowl Subdivision teams with 58 tackles for loss, so the defensive line is showing the potential to be dominant – we just have to see if it translates over to a big game, which it didn’t against Oklahoma or against Clemson last year.
Thoughts on Rashod's Berry production so far and how is he incorporated in the offense in the future. – Seattle Linga
Berry’s role in Ohio State’s offense appears set to only grow after he played a season-high 33 snaps last Saturday against Nebraska. Unlike the first six games, when Baugh played the lion’s share of tight end snaps with the first-team offense, Berry rotated in frequently on Saturday, which I believe is a sign of things to come. While I don’t expect Berry to usurp Baugh as the Buckeyes’ starting tight end, Berry offers a combination of size and athleticism that could add a different dimension to the Buckeyes offense in terms of playmaking ability and creating mismatches.
How much Berry plays will depend on how much he continues to improve in regards to his technique and consistency, but I expect him to be a part of the rotation with the first-team offense on an every-game basis from here on out. That could mean cutting into Baugh’s playing time, but it could also mean the Buckeyes using more two-tight end sets – which they started to experiment with last week – from time to time.
Thoughts on the o-line and new guy Meech? – Hovenaut
Before last Saturday, I had honestly started to wonder whether Meech – aka Demetrius Knox – would ever see the field in a meaningful capacity for the Buckeyes. Following his poor performance off the bench in the season-ending loss to Clemson last year, Knox wasn’t even on the Buckeyes’ depth chart for the first six games of this year, making it appear as though as he has become an afterthought on Ohio State’s offensive line.
So I was admittedly surprised that Knox ended up winning the starting right guard job over Matthew Burrell following Branden Bowen’s season-ending injury, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well Knox performed in his first career start, as he slotted in on the offensive line without any major issues and asserted his size to make a big impact as a run blocker.
I still have to see how Knox and the offensive line play against a tougher opponent in Penn State before I’ll be sold on the new starting five, but overall, I think the Ohio State offensive line has performed well this season. It’s no surprise that center Billy Price and left tackle Jamarco Jones have been excellent, but the player who appears to have improved significantly is right tackle Isaiah Prince, who has acquitted himself well this year after being a major liability last year.
Pro Football Focus has Denzel Ward and Damon Arnette as two of the top seven corners in the B1G. Obviously Coombs likes a rotation. Do you see Okudah taking Sheffield's spot soon? IMO Sheffield has not remotely played well, let alone lived up to his preseason hype. – BuckeyeCrusader
I thought that was something that could potentially happen until last week’s game at Nebraska, when the Buckeyes decided to abandon their three-man cornerback rotation and play Sheffield and Ward on every snap in the first half – instead of rotating Okudah into the lineup – with Arnette suspended for the first two quarters.
Okudah didn’t play a single snap in last week’s game until the Buckeyes took most of their starters out of the game in the fourth quarter, which suggests that they don’t believe Okudah is ready to play a significant role yet. Okudah was a five-star recruit who should be a great cornerback for the Buckeyes in time, but Ohio State cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs has been averse to playing freshmen at that position in a regular capacity.
Sheffield has been the weak link among Ohio State’s top three cornerbacks, but I do think he will remain in the rotation going forward. I also think it’s a bit harsh to say he "has not remotely played well." He has certainly had some coverage lapses and struggled with pass interference penalties, but he has also had plenty of plays where he has done his job effectively. He plays a position where mistakes tend to be amplified over successful snaps, but he has no shortage of potential to continue getting more consistent as he gains more playing experience.
Kendall Sheffield is likely to remain in Ohio State's cornerback rotation even though his play has fallen short of expectations.
Is the safety position an area of concern? We've seen it improve but against weak passing attacks. The Nebraska game had some 'interesting' moments. – KBonay
I’d say Ohio State’s safety play has been solid this season, especially over the past few weeks. Jordan Fuller has emerged as a versatile playmaker in the secondary, particularly against Nebraska, as demonstrated in our Kyle Jones’ most recent film study. Damon Webb, who leads the Buckeyes in tackles (34) and interceptions (two), has played mostly assignment-sound football.
There were some interesting moments for Ohio State’s passing defense against Nebraska, but I wouldn't pin all of those on Webb and Fuller. Erick Smith has been a liability in pass coverage at times, but his playing time could be limited the rest of the season; while he did check in at the safety position in Ohio State’s nickel defense for the first half against Nebraska, that was a temporary assignment only because Fuller moved to slot cornerback with Arnette suspended. While Smith and Fuller rotated early in the season, Fuller has since earned the starting safety job alongside Webb outright by playing at a high level in recent games.
Penn State could be the safeties’ toughest test of the season yet, as their assignments will include going up against one of college football’s best tight ends (Mike Gesicki) and making sure they don’t allow one of college football’s best running backs (Saquon Barkley) to get free out of the backfield as a receiver. Webb and Fuller have shown enough through seven games this year, though, to make me believe that they will have themselves in position to make plays more often than not.
How do you feel about what you've seen so far of our alternate jerseys? – Et Tu Brutus
I typically leave the discussion about Ohio State’s uniforms to Andrew Lind, our resident uniform expert, who did the reporting earlier this week to reveal what the Buckeyes’ alternate jerseys for the Penn State game will look like. With that being said, I have mixed feelings on what I have seen from the alternate uniforms so far.
From a design standpoint, I think the gray/black combination looks nice, and I look forward to seeing how they look under the lights during the second half of next Saturday’s game. At the same time, it’s off-putting to see an Ohio State jersey that is almost completely devoid of scarlet. The helmets, which were revealed today, have the same problem. I will have to see what the full uniforms look like in action, however, before I make a full determination on whether I like them.
What's your confidence level in this team right now, especially against stiffer competition? Would we be able to compete with the likes of Alabama, Clemson, TCU, etc.? – Isaacl2118
This is a really tough question to answer, because the Buckeyes weren’t very competitive with Oklahoma and haven’t played a tough opponent since. That said, I do truly believe that the Buckeyes have gotten better on both sides of the ball since that game, which leaves me relatively confident that Ohio State can be competitive with any team in the country.
Alabama is once again the best team in college football, in my opinion, and will be as long as it keeps winning. I thought Clemson was the second-best team in the country, and still think the Tigers might be, but their surprising loss to Syracuse certainly raises questions about them.
The real question right now, and the only one that really matters through next Saturday, is whether Ohio State can compete with Penn State. If the Buckeyes can’t beat the Nittany Lions, it won’t matter whether the Buckeyes can beat the likes of Alabama and Clemson.
I still think Ohio State is capable of competing with any team, though, and I’d be fairly confident picking the Buckeyes to win against most teams – even the likes of Georgia, TCU and Wisconsin, who are all ranked ahead of Ohio State going into this weekend.
It seems OSU vs. PSU is always a closely fought battle (think Terrelle Pryor). Who needs to step up in a big way for the Buckeyes to pull off the win? – BuckeyeTrappedInSouth
When I think back on what went wrong for the Buckeyes in their loss to Penn State last year, two things stand out in my mind: the offensive line’s inability to protect J.T. Barrett and the blocked field goal that Penn State’s Grant Haley returned for a touchdown.
Ohio State must be better in both of those areas to beat the Nittany Lions this year.
As aforementioned, Ohio State’s offensive line – specifically Isaiah Prince, the lineman who was beaten like a drum in State College last year – has been better this year, but like much of the team, is a unit that still has to prove itself against the tougher competition that will come against Penn State. Barrett has been excellent in Ohio State’s last five games, in large part because the offensive line has kept him clean, but he has struggled when he has to deal with a heavy pass-rush, like he did last year in Happy Valley.
The Buckeyes have had some issues with sloppy special teams play, especially against Maryland two weeks ago. That didn’t matter against the overmatched Terrapins, but it will matter against the Nittany Lions. If Ohio State’s offense and defense can play at the same level they’ve played since their loss to Oklahoma, the Buckeyes should be capable of beating Penn State, but they cannot afford to make major mistakes on special teams, which cost them in a close game last year.
