Just like that, Ohio State’s season is nearing the end.
The Buckeyes have one more road game before their final home game. If they win both, they’ll play a neutral-site game for the Big Ten championship. Then, they will play a bowl game (or two).
While titles could be on the line in future weeks, Ohio State is still in the midst of the Big Ten season. It took care of business on Saturday with a 26-6 win against Michigan State. The Buckeyes will travel to College Park, Maryland, for a noon game against the Terrapins on Saturday and have a chance to head into Michigan week riding a three-game winning streak.
Here’s a look at this week’s stock report.
Stock Up
Mike Weber
After one week, it seemed like Mike Weber had made an astute decision to return to Ohio State for a fourth season. A couple months later, that isn’t so obvious.
Weber rushed 20 times for 186 yards and three touchdowns in the opening week against Oregon State. In the next eight games, he maxed out at 91 yards in a game and did not score a single touchdown. That downward trend began to change with his 9-rush, 91-yard game against Nebraska a week and a half ago.
Then, on Saturday, he crossed the 100-yard threshold for the first time since the first week of the season. Weber took 22 rushes for 104 yards and scored his fourth touchdown of the season. Urban Meyer effusively praised him after the game, saying 75 percent of his carries came after contact. Ohio State will need a fresh, healthy Weber down the stretch to maximize the offense’s potential.
Dre’Mont Jones
If you had told Dre’Mont Jones before the season that he would have had two game-swinging touchdowns by this point in the year, he would have called you crazy. He would have been right to do so.
However, after scoring against TCU, Jones snagged a fumble in the end zone on Saturday for his second score of the season. He added a pair of tackles, a pair of quarterback hurries and a pass break-up. It’s been harder for Jones to make an impact on defense without Nick Bosa around to be the focus of opposing offenses, but his recent performances have shown he’s still up to the task.
Chris Holtmann
What can’t Chris Holtmann do?
Last year, he took the Ohio State job later than most coaches are hired, then proceeded to finish second in the Big Ten and earn an NCAA tournament berth. The common sentiment was that he performed an incredible coaching job on a veteran-laden roster that had enough talent to reach that ceiling, but needed a coach to guide it there. Holtmann was that guy.
But, most people thought this season would be a reloading year. The 2019 recruiting class has three top-50 players and the team only returned a couple key players. That hasn't seemed to be a problem.
Two games into the season, the recalibration of expectations has begun.
NCAA.com’s Andy Katz already slotted the Buckeyes at No. 22 in his latest poll after ranking them 12th in the Big Ten in the preseason. The Buckeyes beat Cincinnati on the road by eight points, then smashed a typically feisty Purdue Fort Wayne team. Holtmann’s team next heads to Omaha, Nebraska, for a Thursday matchup against Creighton.
Northwestern
One of Pat Fitzgerald’s goals every season at Northwestern has been to be Big Ten champions. He named it as one of his yearly objectives earlier this season. In his first 12 seasons as Northwestern head coach, Fitzgerald never finished better than second in the division.
That changed this year, though, and the Wildcats already clinched a Big Ten championship berth. Unlike Ohio State or Michigan, whichever team comes out of the Big Ten East, a College Football Playoff berth will not be on the line. Northwestern will look to play the spoiler.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns actually won a game. That is all.
Stock Down
Ohio State’s interior offensive line
Personnel changes aren’t coming. Urban Meyer confirmed that on Monday. But that doesn’t mean Ohio State’s starting offensive linemen are doing a bang-up job.
Both Malcolm Pridgeon and Demetrius Knox have had their fair share of struggles this season, and they haven’t subsided after 10 games. Pridgeon both missed blocks and made mental mistakes against Michigan State. Still, Meyer and Greg Studrawa will ride it out with him and Knox.
Michael Jordan, who doesn’t have as many problems as a blocker, has had issues with slow, inaccurate snaps the entire season. That popped up again against Michigan State and played a large part in Tate Martell’s fumble. When asked whether Jordan’s snaps are an issue, Urban Meyer had a one-word response on Monday: “Yes.”
Wyatt Davis, Branden Bowen, Josh Myers and Brady Taylor each seem like they could be possible solutions to the problem in the interior, but don’t expect Ohio State to start any of them any time soon.
Michigan State quarterbacks
This offseason, Brian Lewerke was viewed as a Heisman Trophy darkhorse. That was before he started playing.
Lewerke had an all right beginning to the season, but he could not stop throwing interceptions and his completion percentage dipped in the past month. He completed 5-of-25 passes for 66 yards against Michigan, sat behind Rocky Lombardi the next week, then went 11-of-20 for 87 yards versus Maryland.
On Saturday, Lewerke didn’t fare any better, going 11-for-28 for 128 yards with an interception. Lombardi entered the game with Lewerke struggling and immediately seemed to be a revelation. His first throw was a 27-yard completion, and he followed that up with a 13-yard throw two plays later. But after his successful opening drive, which concluded with a 44-yard field goal, Lombardi faltered. He went 7-for-20 for 92 yards.
After Lewerke entered the year with such high expectations, it’s almost impressive to see how much he and Lombardi struggled against Ohio State.
