The storylines that surrounded the Ohio State football program throughout the month of August had little to do with actual football.
As Ohio State investigated head coach Urban Meyer and how he handled allegations of domestic violence and other misconduct against former wide receivers coach Zach Smith, then subsequently made the decision to suspend Meyer for the Buckeyes’ first three games, fall camp and other football storylines were overshadowed.
But as the calendar turns to Sept. 1 on Saturday, the focus will return to actual football once again – at least for a few hours.
While Meyer won’t be at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, the rest of the Buckeyes will be, as they open their season against Oregon State with kickoff set for shortly after noon.
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12:07 P.M. – SATURDAY, SEPT. 1 OHIO STADIUM COLUMBUS, OHIO |
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Despite all the potential off-field distractions that they’ve had to deal with over the past several weeks, the Buckeyes say they’ve never let their focus stray far away from Saturday, as they look to begin their season with a mark in the win column.
“From Day 1, this team has stuck together,” Ohio State linebacker Tuf Borland said this week. “And have been completely focused on Week 1, being 1-0, focused on Oregon State. And here we are.”
Buckeye Breakdown
Although the off-field storylines have stolen most of the attention over the past month, there are plenty of on-field storylines for Ohio State going into the season opener, too – starting, of course, at the quarterback position.
Dwayne Haskins started to make a name for himself last year at Michigan, when he led the Buckeyes to a second-half comeback win in relief of an injured J.T. Barrett, but he will make his first-ever start for the Buckeyes on Saturday, as a new era for Ohio State at the quarterback position begins.
Haskins appears to have more deep passing ability than Barrett, but less running ability, which means Ohio State’s offense could have a different look and feel than it has for the past few years when the Buckeyes take the field on Saturday.
Given that the Buckeyes are favored to win Saturday’s game by 38.5 points, according to Vegas Insider, they might not need to open up the offensive playbook to its full capacity in the season opener. Nonetheless, Saturday will be the first opportunity for Haskins to get a start under his belt, and Ohio State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ryan Day – who will also be serving as the Buckeyes’ interim head coach on Saturday – believes that is a big step in his quarterback’s career.
“You saw at the end of the season last year, when he had to step into a role, he stepped right in there and he was ready to go,” Day said of Haskins. “But now being a starter, that's different. You have to prepare different, you have to be ready. Teams have film on you and they start to see some of your tendencies. So it's going to be a week-to-week process as we get going.”
The other quarterback question going into Saturday’s game is how the Buckeyes will utilize Tate Martell. Despite naming Haskins as the starter, both Meyer before his suspension and Day this week have said that the plan is for Martell to also see playing time. It’s unclear whether any of that playing time will come before the game is in hand on Saturday, however, as Day said Thursday that they are not planning to use Martell as a package player as of now.
“The plan is to get him on the field and play,” Day said. “We’re not going to put him in right now for packages or things like that. We’re just going to let him go play the offense.”
While the Buckeyes’ quarterbacks will look different, there will be plenty of familiar faces around them. J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber are back at running back, and both are expected to see regular carries in Ohio State’s offense. It’s uncertain exactly how the Buckeyes will rotate their wide receivers, but their six returning co-starters from last year –perhaps particularly Parris Campbell and Austin Mack, who were listed as solo starters on this week’s season-opening depth chart – should lead the way.
There is some uncertainty about the Buckeyes’ offensive line, particularly at left tackle, where Thayer Munford and Joshua Alabi are listed as co-starters – leaving it uncertain who will be manning Haskins’ blind side on Saturday. Munford was in line to be the starting left tackle going into fall camp, but “has had a few nagging injuries” this preseason, according to Day, potentially opening the door for Alabi to start.
Either way, the Buckeyes will have two brand new starters on the left side of their offensive line, as Malcolm Pridgeon is set to take over as the Buckeyes’ new starting left guard, while Michael Jordan slides to the middle of the line as the Buckeyes’ new starting center.
Still, the Buckeyes have three returning starters up front in Jordan, right guard Demetrius Knox and right tackle Isaiah Prince, and Prince is among those who are confident that the new starters will step up to keep Ohio State’s offensive line strong.
“I think we look really good,” Prince said. “We’ve worked hard all year, and this is something we’ve definitely prepared for. So I’m just excited to show everybody what we can do.”
On the other side of the ball, Ohio State’s defensive line is the group entering the season surrounded by hype. Just about everyone agrees that Nick Bosa is one of the best players in college football, and Chase Young and Jonathon Cooper should combine with him to form one of the nation’s top defensive end rotations. Dre’Mont Jones and Robert Landers lead a talented group of defensive tackles. And defensive coordinator Greg Schiano said this week that several true freshmen could see playing time along the defensive line, including defensive ends Tyler Friday and Tyreke Smith and defensive tackles Tommy Togiai and Taron Vincent.
“There’s going to be a good mix of the guys we’re used to seeing, and then some new guys coming in there,” Schiano said of Ohio State’s defensive line.
Nick Bosa leads an Ohio State defensive line that is expected to be one of college football's best in 2018.
The biggest question mark on the defense, though, is at linebacker, where the Buckeyes are set to three new starters on Saturday – Malik Harrison and Pete Werner outside, and Baron Browning in the middle – as Borland, who will start at middle linebacker once fully healthy, is working his way back from an Achilles injury. Borland is expected to be available to play, however, and with several other linebackers also pushing for playing time – including Dante Booker, Keandre Jones and Justin Hilliard – Schiano says the Buckeyes could rotate more players at the position than they have in previous years.
“It’s a deep group; not a very experienced group, but a very deep one,” Schiano said of the linebackers. “We, for the first time, may try to rotate some linebackers in there; not at the end of the game, but during the middle of the game, try to rotate guys in, and we’ll see.”
In the secondary, meanwhile, Saturday’s game could serve as a continuation of the battle between Isaiah Pryor and Jahsen Wint to start alongside Jordan Fuller at safety, as both are expected to see regular playing time – much like Fuller and Erick Smith did early last season before Fuller seized the starting job for himself. Damon Arnette, Kendall Sheffield and Jeffrey Okudah will all rotate at cornerback.
Saturday’s biggest storyline might be the fact that Day will be calling the shots on the sideline for the Buckeyes, while Meyer will be forced to watch the game from home. Ohio State doesn’t deny that it will miss Meyer, who is 73-8 in his first six seasons at Ohio State, on Saturday.
“His presence, obviously, overwhelms a lot of people. Whether that be the opposing team or just having him in your locker room, he has a presence, he’s a leader, one of the greatest coaches of all-time,” Campbell said. “I think that’s what we’ll miss.”
But with Day and Schiano leading a highly qualified group of assistant coaches, and a roster full of talented players, the Buckeyes are nonetheless confident in their ability to start the season strong without their head coach.
“This is something that we have been prepared for,” Prince said. “Something Coach has prepared us for. There’s a bunch of great leaders on the team, there’s a lot of older guys on the team and I think we’ve been through a lot. So we know how to stick together and just focus on the first game of the season.”
Oregon State Breakdown
Unlike the typical one-off non-conference opponent that Ohio State pays to play at Ohio Stadium in September, Oregon State is a Power 5 team.
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| OFFENSE | ||||
| 41.1 | 6th | POINTS FOR | 20.7 | 113th |
| 243.2 | 17th | RUSHING OFFENSE | 137.5 | 97th |
| 262.8 | 36th | PASSING OFFENSE | 196.3 | 88th |
| 506.0 | 7th | TOTAL OFFENSE | 333.8 | 112th |
| .465 | 6th | 3rd DOWNS | .402 | 63rd |
| .897 | 23rd | RED ZONE | .886 | 33rd |
| DEFENSE | ||||
| 19.0 | 15th | POINTS ALLOWED | 43.0 | 127th |
| 105.1 | 6th | RUSH DEFENSE | 235.8 | 120th |
| 195.9 | 30th | PASS DEFENSE | 237.3 | 83rd |
| 112.6 | 13th | PASS EFFICIENCY DEFENSE | 159.9 | 124th |
| 300.9 | 9th | TOTAL DEFENSE | 473.1 | 120th |
| .321 | 17th | 3rd DOWNS | .532 | 129th |
| .725 | 8th | RED ZONE | .892 | 112th |
| SPECIAL TEAMS | ||||
| 5.5 | 98th | PUNT RETURN | 5.8 | 91st |
| 24.2 | 17th | KICKOFF RETURN | 20.5 | 81st |
| 41.6 | 9th | NET PUNTING | 36.9 | 88th |
| MISCELLANEOUS | ||||
| +0.4 | 35th | TURNOVER MARGIN | -1.2 | 123rd |
| 6.9 | 101st | PENALTIES | 7.0 | 102nd |
| 17 | EDGE | 1 | ||
From a competitive standpoint, however, Oregon State doesn’t appear likely to pose much more of a threat than a mid-major team would on Saturday
The Beavers are coming off a 1-11 season in 2017 in which they did not win a single game against a Football Bowl Subdivision school. They were the worst team in the Pac-12 last season by a wide margin, losing six of their games by 28 points or more.
Oregon State does have a brand new coaching staff from last season, led by new head coach Jonathan Smith, who was previously the offensive coordinator at Washington. New Beavers offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren, meanwhile, comes from Colorado – which means Schiano and the Buckeyes’ defensive coaches have had to watch both the Huskies’ and Buffaloes’ offensive game film from last season to get a feel for what Oregon State’s offensive scheme could look like this season.
“We’re trying to mesh those two together, with you try to listen to as much as you can of what people are hearing they’re doing, but you got to be ready for everything,” Schiano said. “So it’s one of those deals where you hope your system’s flexible enough that depending on what they do, you can adjust.”
New Oregon State defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar, meanwhile, was previously the outside linebackers coach at Wisconsin, which means the Beavers’ defense could look schematically similar to the Badgers this season.
“They have a several-front defense,” Day said, referencing what he’s seen from Wisconsin. “They’ll be three down (linemen), four down, and have been one of the better defenses in the country year in and year out at Wisconsin, so he brings that to the table.”
Coaching, though, can only go so far, and Oregon State simply doesn’t appear to have the talent to seriously challenge the Buckeyes on Saturday.
The Beavers should be bolstered by the return of 6-foot-7 quarterback Jake Luton, who missed Oregon State’s final eight games of last season after suffering a thoracic spinal fracture. Back and healthy now, Luton has an arm that can stretch the field and a solid group of receivers – led by 6-foot-4 target Isaiah Hodgins – who could put Ohio State’s passing defense to the test.
Oregon State also has four returning starters on its offensive line, and Schiano praised them on Thursday, saying he expects them to provide a solid first test for the Buckeyes’ defensive line.
“They’re not gigantic, they’re a good size line, but they’re athletic, move well, they’re physical,” Schiano said. “If you can be a physical line that can move a little bit, then that opens up the screen game and things like that. So they make you defend the whole field, which is going to be a challenge.”
Quarterback Jake Luton (6) and left tackle Blake Brandel (73) are crucial players for Oregon State's offense. Troy Wayrynen – USA TODAY Sports
All of that said, Oregon State’s offense was one of the worst in college football last season – ranking 112th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total offense, and tied for 113th in scoring offense – and it will be without its top two offensive playmakers from last season. Running back Ryan Nall, the Beavers’ leading rusher from the past two seasons, is now with the Chicago Bears, while tight end Noah Togiai, the Beavers’ leading receiver in 2017, is sidelined by an injury.
Defensively, the Beavers were even worse last season – ranking 120th in total defense and 127th in scoring defense – and will be without several projected starters on that side of the ball in Saturday’s game, too, including safety David Morris, cornerbacks Isaiah Dunn and Jay Irvine and defensive end Jeromy Reichner.
Up front, the Beavers are led by defensive tackle Kalani Vakameilalo, one of the team’s most experienced players with 19 starts over the past three seasons. Inside linebacker Jonathan Willis, who had 68 total tackles and six tackles for loss last season, and strong safety Jalen Moore, who had 75 total tackles last season, return as two of the Beavers’ most productive defenders from 2017. But they will need many more unproven players to step up around them to have much chance of slowing down the Buckeyes.
Realistically, Oregon State has a long way to go just to become a competitive, middle-of-the-pack team again, so it would take a herculean effort for the Beavers to pull off an upset in Columbus. But they still plan on putting their best foot forward and trying to shock the world on Saturday.
“Everybody’s just excited to play,” Vakameilalo said this week. “It’s been a long time. We’ve been working so hard this offseason, preparing for this game, and we’re not nervous at all. We’re just trying to execute our plays, and like every game, we’re going to come in with a mentality to get a win.”
How It Plays Out
Unless Ohio State plays at its absolute worst, and Oregon State plays at its absolute best, the Buckeyes shouldn’t have much trouble winning this game. Ohio State is substantially more talented on both sides of the ball, and the absence of Meyer doesn’t change that – though it will serve as added motivation for the Buckeyes to play at their best.
| Date | Location | Result |
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| Sept. 8, 1984 | Ohio Stadium | Ohio State 22, Oregon State 14 |
| Sept. 21, 1974 | Ohio Stadium | Ohio State 51, Oregon State 10 |
“Being a man down, not having him here, guys are excited to go out and play and guys are excited to show what we have, and obviously when he gets back, to have it be on a good note,” Campbell said.
Ultimately, the question isn’t whether the Buckeyes will win their first game of the season on Saturday, but how quickly they will be able to put the game away.
While Saturday’s game is an important game for everyone – as it’s the first time the Buckeyes will be playing a game in more than eight months, and an opportunity for the coaches to evaluate what the team still needs to work on before it faces tougher competition – it should also serve as an opportunity for Ohio State’s backups to see some extended playing time, depending on whether the starters can take care of business early.
It’s always hard to predict how exactly the first game of the season might play out, as there are plenty of unknown variables going into the season for both teams. For the Buckeyes in particular, they have plenty of players who have to prove they can live up to the hype – and an interim head coach who also has to prove himself, as Day has never been a head coach before.
Even so, anything less than a lopsided win would come as a surprise, considering that Ohio State is one of the most talented teams in college football while Oregon State was one of the worst teams in the Power 5 last season.
ELEVEN WARRIORS STAFF PREDICTION: Ohio State 55, Oregon State 10
