What was supposed to a 3:30 p.m. date with Maryland in College Park turned into an off week for Ohio State as the Terps ran into COVID-19 issues leading to the game's cancellation.
Ryan Day is doing his best to make sure the Buckeyes keep their eyes on the prize although it has to be frustrating seeing a game canceled due to eight positive tests when Boise State played last night with 14 players out.
Despite the lack of an Ohio State game tomorrow, the 11W roundtable marches on with Kyle Jones, Johnny Ginter and David Regimbal offering up their thoughts on the state of the Buckeyes through three games.
With Ohio State's game against Maryland officially canceled, the Buckeyes now have an extra to week to prepare. Is that a good thing, a bad thing, or not a thing at all? Why or why not?
Kyle: Assuming this is the only cancellation of the season, it's no big deal. This becomes a bye week allowing the team to focus on fundamentals in practice and/or recover from any lingering injuries. The second half against Rutgers showed there are things that can still be cleaned up, and they don't need a specific opponent to prepare for to improve. I'm sure everyone involved would have rather had this later in the year once bodies are a little more banged up, but I have a bad feeling this won't be the only game that gets called off.
Johnny: It's not much of a thing, but it will become a thing as soon as Ohio State plays their next game, because it'll then be used as retroactive evidence for however many points the Buckeyes beat Indiana/Michigan State/radioactive hellwolves from wasteland district nine by at some point in the future.
With that said, I'm sure Ryan Day isn't sad about getting more prep and practice given how frustrated he was with the team last week.
David: Amazingly, when Ohio State's eight-game schedule came out, I thought the first two-games against Nebraska (who badly needed to take a big leap in an important year for Scott Frost) and Penn State (the Buckeyes' toughest divisional opponent over the last five years) would be a tough open. Then on the other end, closing the season against Michigan State and Michigan looked like a hurdle of at least some difficulty, with the middle four games serving as a soft, sweet center.
Who would have thought Ohio State's toughest opponent of the year would be a top-10 Indiana squad that already dethroned the Nittany Lions and the Wolverines?
It's obviously not a good thing that the Buckeyes lost a game, as they already had the fewest opportunities to impress among serious playoff contenders. But having an extra week to prepare for Indiana certainly isn't a bad thing.
Ohio State’s rushing attack is averaging 4.82 yards per carry through three games. Over the previous eight seasons, only the 2018 squad has a worse average. Can and will the 2020 rushing attack improve? Does it need to for the Buckeyes to have a shot at the national title? Or maybe you think Justin Fields will be a major factor in the run game when he needs to be and that will be enough?
David: I truly believe lanes will open wider for the running backs when Fields is more of an active threat in the run game. He was active in the first game with 15 carries, but he only ran the ball six times in each of the last two games against Penn State and Rutgers, which includes four sacks over those games.
If Ohio State gets the opportunity to play against Alabama, Clemson or Notre Dame in the playoff, I'd expect Fields to open things up for the running backs.
Johnny: The rushing game isn't going to get better, at least to the point where we can stop wringing our hands about it on a weekly basis. Trey Sermon and Master Teague are who they are, and... I'm okay with that? Somehow? I mean, yes, if Justin Fields gets hurt or sick Ohio State is utterly screwed. But his talent raises all ships, and as long as the running game is something that exists on this plane of reality then it's probably fine. And that includes a shot at a national title game; I'm not super impressed so far by any team in this ersatz football season, and a kickass passing game might be enough to get a team to the top.
Kyle: The run game certainly CAN improve, I just don't know how much more it needs to. That 4.82 average is good enough for 41st in the nation, but viewing that stat in a vacuum is misguided in my opinion, as I wrote about this week, this offense packages both the run and pass together and while the run game has been average, it's set up a deadly play-action passing game. Defenses have focused on stopping the run first as the Buckeyes' base 12 personnel (1 back, 2 tight ends) package forces opponents to respond with heavier personnel in kind, but that has created the one-on-one matchup outside in the passing game. The real number to track is the average yards-per-play overall, which is 7.2 (14th nationally), and absolutely dangerous enough to compete for a national title.
As good as Garrett Wilson (24 rec, 344 yds, 2 TD) and Chris Olave (18 rec, 288 yds, 3 TD), no other non-tight end has more than five catches or 68 yards. Will a true third receiver emerge or are we looking at a true hodgepodge of production from Jameson Williams, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and maybe Julian Fleming? Between those three, which will have the best career at Ohio State?
Kyle: As noted above in regards to the play-action passing game, the only reason this offense would need a third receiver to step up is if (heaven forbid) Wilson or Olave goes down with an injury. Otherwise, each member of the duo is having one of the best seasons by a receiver in Ohio State history. Wilson is on pace to become just the sixth Buckeye receiver to reach 1,000 yards receiving in a year, despite a shortened, eight-game regular season, and Olave should join him in eclipsing that barrier should the team make it all the way to the CFP final. Never has the program seen such production from two receivers at once.
The young guys will continue to see the field, however, and it's hard not to say JSN has the brightest future, but that's with an extremely small sample size. Luckily, thanks to the historic production of Wilson and Olave, that question shouldn't really matter until next fall.
David: I think it's a hodgepodge, and I don't think that's a problem because that's how unguardable Wilson and Olave have been. Those two are a cheat code, and if a team can summon whatever dark magic is required to stop those two at the same time, I'd imagine that would open some opportunities for the three other wideouts you mentioned.
As far as which of those players will have the best career? Give me Smith-Njigba. Humans aren't supposed to be able to do what he did catching that touchdown against Nebraska.
Johnny: It's probably to Ohio State's benefit to not have a true "third" right now, because all of these guys are going to be really, really good and it'll be fun to watch them sneak up on teams. With that said, I think that Jameson Williams ends up being the game breaker among the three. A better question is how dare you, Chris? Ohio State is sorta kinda throwing to tight ends and you want to ask us a question about wide receivers? For shame. For shame!
With what you’ve seen thus far, name the four best teams in college football. Will those four make the playoff, assuming there is one?
Johnny: Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and uhhh Cincinnati. I'm kidding! Notre Dame isn't any good, we all know that.
In all seriousness, this is one of the most wide-open years in college football in a while, and it's a shame that COVID messed with it because getting to see this play out over a full season would've been sweet. Alabama, Ohio State, and Notre Dame are probably good to go for the playoff, assuming nothing weird (by which I mean, utterly predictable) happens. And hey! Maybe Cincy does have an outside shot at the top four! It'd be funny, so it should happen.
Kyle: Alabama and Ohio State remain the clear frontrunners, as both remain unbeaten and have made it look easy. The next best team has to be Notre Dame, as their win over Clemson wasn't a fluke. The Tiger passing game was just fine without Trevor Lawrence, but the Irish defense shut down Travis Etienne and the run game and more impressively, stoned Brent Venables' blitz packages. The Buckeyes had trouble identifying and picking up the multitude of blitzes he sent in the Fiesta Bowl last season, but the Notre Dame O-line and running backs seemed to revel in pass protection, dishing out punishment to Clemson pass rushers and allowing Ian Book to throw for 310 yards. Assuming Book doesn't suddenly become a turnover machine, the Irish appear poised to return to the CFP.
Finally, I'm giving the fourth slot to BYU. Say what you will about their schedule, but they've been the most dominant team in the nation all year long, and their offense looks as explosive as those in Tuscaloosa and Columbus. There's a reason Zach Wilson has emerged as a first-round QB prospect, and it's not just because he's feasting on cupcakes. The Pac-12 could certainly produce a contender of their own (Oregon?), and if Cincinnati keeps stringing together wins over some better competition in the AAC, they may have a better case one month from now. But as of today, the Cougars have done everything they can to make a case for a seat at the big table.
David: Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Clemson are the four best teams, and unless there's a blowout in the ACC title game, those four teams are getting in.
If you could build a trio of wide receivers dating back to Urban Meyer's arrival, which three are you taking? Garrett Wilson or Chris Olave make your list?
David: What a terribly difficult question. Michael Thomas is an automatic add. Then you have to choose two from Olave, Wilson, K.J. Hill (the career Ohio State receptions leader), Parris Campbell (single-season reception leader and one of five Ohio State receivers to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in a season), Terry McLaurin (fast and good), Devin Smith (good at catching the deep ball) and Curtis Samuel (good at everything).
I hate this question. I'm going with Thomas, Olave and Samuel.
Kyle: The first response on everyone's ballot should be Michael Thomas. We all know his talents were underutilized during his time in Columbus, but he's proven to be an all-time great at the position. I'm lining him up at the X spot and letting him destroy cornerbacks with slants, hitches, and other solo routes. Next, I'd probably choose Wilson. He came in as the most heralded wideout prospect in years, and he's somehow surpassed expectations. He's my deep threat at the Z spot. Finally, I'm lining up Curtis Samuel in the slot for his pure versatility. It only took the Carolina Panthers four years to watch his college film and realize he can line up all over the field and create mismatches, and I'm doing the same. He's getting the ball on underneath crossing routes, reverses, and the occasional handoff from the running back spot. There are plenty of good options to choose from, but these three allow me to attack through the air in a number of complementary ways.
Johnny: Mike Thomas, Curtis Samuel, and yeah, Garrett Wilson makes the list. It's hard to leave off the likes of Devin Smith, Parris Campbell, and K.J. Hill, but in terms of raw talent I think two of the three players I've picked are some of the best athletes the program has produced in a while. Garrett Wilson is going to join them.
