Football and fans return to Ohio Stadium today.
In just a few short hours, Ohio State will play its first home game of the 2021 season – and its first game at Ohio Stadium with members of the general public in attendance since 2019 – when it hosts Oregon in a non-conference clash of top-12-ranked teams who are both looking to defend their championships in their respective conferences this season.
Opinions vary on just how competitive today's game will be, but it's unquestionably one of the most anticipated games of the year for the Buckeyes as they play one of the strongest opponents on their regular-season schedule at the Shoe, with kickoff set for noon and Fox televising.
As we wait for Ohio State's second game of the season to kick off, Eleven Warriors’ Dan Hope, Griffin Strom, Garrick Hodge and Kevin Harrish share their final thoughts, questions and predictions below.
Final Thoughts
I'm excited for a real gameday environment at the Shoe again
While I did feel privileged to be part of the small crowd of people who got to attend Ohio State's three home games at Ohio Stadium last year, it still felt weird to watch the Buckeyes play actual, competitive football with the stands nearly empty. Artificial crowd noise and cardboard cutouts couldn't come close to replicating the fan-packed stands that make a gameday at the Shoe so special.
We all missed The Best Damn Band in the Land last year, too, so while I'm often more focused on doing my job than taking in the scenery around me, I'm going to make sure I stop for a few minutes to actually watch Script Ohio and Saturday's halftime show, which will be paying tribute to those who were heroes during the Sept. 11 attacks of 20 years ago today.
I promised myself last year that I'd appreciate it even more than usual the next time I got to cover a normal Ohio State football game again. I'm not gonna let myself forget that today.
– Dan Hope
Sellout or no sellout, it will be nice to have plenty of fans back in The Shoe
Earlier in the week, Ohio State officials said they expect 90,000-plus fans to be in attendance for Saturday's game. Whether that number reaches 100,000 or not by Saturday at noon, it will be nice that OSU coaches and players will get to experience the best atmosphere at Ohio Stadium in nearly two years. Considering how difficult the past 18 months have been, that’s a cause enough worth celebrating.
– Garrick Hodge
For an early-season encounter, injuries loom large
Injuries can happen at any point in a college football season, so maybe I should be less surprised by the high volume of high-profile injury issues that are plaguing both sides heading into this matchup. Just one game into the year though, one wouldn’t necessarily expect the health status of four potential starters on Ohio State to be in question, with two of Oregon’s defensive stars in the same boat.
The Buckeyes haven’t confirmed anything about the health of Harry Miller, Cameron Brown, Sevyn Banks or Josh Proctor yet, while things have been similarly shrouded from the Ducks’ end about potential future first-round draft picks Kayvon Thibodeaux and Justin Flowe. The health of both teams – particularly on defense – could be a major factor in this one, but I have a feeling things will cancel out enough that there won’t be many real gripes from either fan base about the legitimacy of the win.
– Griffin Strom
Finally, a big non-conference game in the 'Shoe
It feels like it's been forever since Ohio State played a premier non-conference game. To be fair, Oregon was originally on the docket last year and TCU was supposed to be a home-and-home (and also, better at football), but that doesn't chance the fact that the Buckeyes haven't played a non-conference opponent with a pulse since Baker Mayfield planted a flag in the artificial turf of Ohio Stadium, which seems like forever ago.
I personally live for big-time non-conference games, so I'm even more excited for this one than I am for even a top-10 Big Ten game. There's just a different kind of energy when it's a noteworthy program outside of the conference.
– Kevin Harrish
Questions
Will Ohio State commit to Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson?
Many Ohio State fans already thought Williams and Henderson were the running backs who should be getting most of the carries for the Buckeyes this season, and they certainly looked like the Buckeyes’ most dynamic runners at Minnesota. Yet Williams only got nine offensive touches and Henderson only got three offensive touches against the Gophers as the Buckeyes also worked Master Teague and Marcus Crowley into the rotation.
Teague is a veteran who already has a lot of experience and deserves to have a role, and Crowley has also worked hard to earn a role this season after tearing his ACL as a true freshman. In a big game like today's, however, the Buckeyes need to have their best running backs on the field more often than not, and I believe Williams and Henderson are those backs.
I'd be surprised if Teague was shuffled out of the rotation entirely, and he still might be the back Tony Alford trusts most with the game on the line given his experience. But I won't be surprised if Williams and Henderson end up being the running backs who play the most against the Ducks.
– Dan Hope
Oregon really isn’t this overrated, is it?
Beating Fresno State by one touchdown at home doesn’t exactly scream a top team in the country to me, regardless of Kayvon Thibodeaux’s injury status. The Ducks are going to get two important pieces back into their secondary, which they’re going to need going against OSU’s vanuted wide receiver corps. Oddsmakers have so little respect for the Ducks on the road that they’re 14-point dogs. We’ll see just how many adjustments they’ve made from Week 1 to Week 2.
– Garrick Hodge
Will C.J. Stroud enjoy the same level of protection?
In the aftermath of the season opener, the Ohio State offensive line got its flowers – and rightfully so – for not allowing a single sack on the Buckeye quarterback for the first time since the 2018 season. However, the Gopher defensive front was one of the Big Ten’s worst in 2020 when it came to pressuring the quarterback and stopping the run. The presence of Thibodeaux – healthy or otherwise – could go a long way in testing Greg Studrawa’s retooled unit this weekend, but if Nicholas Petit-Frere and Dawand Jones can put on a similar performance in keeping Stroud clean in the pocket, they’ll deserve a whole lot more credit moving forward.
– Griffin Strom
What's the defense going to look like?
Ryan Day made it pretty clear last week that what we saw against Minnesota – for better or for worse – was probably not all that indicative of what we'll see against pretty much every team remaining on the schedule, because Minnesota has a very unique type of power offense with personnel, packages, formations and plays Ohio State just isn't going to see going forward.
That means today is when we get to start making our impressions of this Buckeye defense, and I'm fascinated to see what it actually looks like, especially if Sevyn Banks and Cameron Brown are able to play.
– Kevin Harrish
Predictions
Ohio State will have at least one first-time starter on defense again this week
After breaking in seven first-time starters on defense against Minnesota, I think we will see another one or two defenders starting their first games as Buckeyes against Oregon. Bryson Shaw is a candidate to make his first start at free safety if Josh Proctor is limited or out due to the injury he suffered last week, while Lejond Cavazos could be a dark horse to start at cornerback if Sevyn Banks or Cameron Brown can't go. Palaie Gaoteote could also be in the mix to start at linebacker now that he's eligible, though that's probably a long shot given that he just became eligible on Friday.
The defender who I'm actually going to predict to make his first start against Oregon, though, is Cody Simon, who I think gets his first start at Mike linebacker alongside Teradja Mitchell. While Tommy Eichenberg started against Minnesota, Simon may be in line for more snaps against Oregon, as Eichenberg was a good fit to match up with Minnesota's massive, run-heavy offense but Simon has more athleticism to match up with the Ducks' spread attack.
– Dan Hope
Ohio State controls the tempo, cruises in home opener
In a sense, this is almost a disappointing prediction because this was a great matchup on paper before the Buckeyes are scheduled to play three straight games expected to be snoozefests. Call it a Week 1 overreaction, call it Scarlet and Gray Kool-Aid, but I just can’t see that Oregon defense stopping Ohio State, and the Ducks won’t control the clock nearly as effectively as Minnesota to compete this one competitive for more than a half.
– Garrick Hodge
Miyan Williams becomes the clear-cut starter at RB
This may not be earth-shattering to anyone who watched the Buckeyes’ season opener, but I expect redshirt freshman Miyan Williams to finish Saturday’s matchup with a stranglehold on the Ohio State running back competition. Ryan Day hinted this week at the need for the Buckeyes to tighten up rotations on several areas of the depth chart, with running back being toward the top of the list.
Nine carries was all it took for Williams to rack up 125 yards and a touchdown against Minnesota, and most of the possessions in which he was sidelined left spectators scratching their heads. The outcry will only get louder if the Buckeye run game continues to see ho-hum results from fourth-year veteran Master Teague, and at least after Week 1, Williams appears too talented to leave off the field.
– Griffin Strom
Ohio State finishes with at least five sacks
The Buckeye defensive line didn't really get after the quarterback all that much last week (save for Zach Harrison's game-changing strip-sack, which is quite a massive exception), but I think that was more a product of what Minnesota was doing offensively than it was the Ohio State pass rush lacking.
I think we see Larry Johnson's unit make a statement in this game and reclaim their status as one of the most fearsome pass rushes in the country.
– Kevin Harrish
