Preview: Ohio State Looks to Get Back on Track in Third Game of Season Against Tulsa

The Buckeyes suffered their first regular-season loss since 2018 against Oregon last Saturday, and they’re certainly not happy about it. But unlike the last two losses the Buckeyes have suffered, which both came in the College Football Playoff against Clemson in 2019 and Alabama in 2020, they don’t have to wait eight months for another chance to get back in the win column.

“This loss doesn’t sit well at all,” Day said Tuesday. “We wanted to win this game, we had it circled for a long time, and so we’re very disappointed. But we’re able to get back on the field here within a week and start to get to work and get things fixed.”

Getting things fixed and getting better in all areas is what this week is all about for Ohio State. The Buckeyes are heavily favored to beat Tulsa, one of two back-to-back non-Power 5 opponents coming to Ohio Stadium, and really shouldn’t be in any jeopardy of losing on Saturday. Right now, however, Ohio State can’t afford to look at it that way.

TULSA GOLDEN HURRICANE

0-2 ROSTER / SCHEDULE

3:30 P.M. – SATURDAY, SEPT. 18 OHIO STADIUM COLUMBUS, OHIO

FS1 FOX SPORTS GO

If the Buckeyes are going to re-emerge as one of college football’s best teams this season, they have to improve upon their flaws – especially on the defensive side of the ball – and there’s no better way to get better than by playing games. So while Saturday’s game would probably be viewed as a formality if Ohio State had cruised to victories in its first two contests, it’s important for the Buckeyes to make actual progress on the field this weekend.

“This week, it’s all about getting back to fundamentals and it’s about the process,” Day said. “It’s not about looking to see what’s going on with the scoreboard or anything like that. What we’re trying to do is we’re just trying to make sure that when we get out there, first on offense, that we’re moving the football down the field, we’re playing physical, we’re taking care of the football and we’re finishing off drives. On defense, we’ve gotta get out there and we’ve gotta stop the run, we’ve gotta get teams off the field, we’ve gotta get some three-and-outs, create some turnovers, create some TFLs and be aggressive. 

“That’s all we’re really focused on. We look up, we’ll figure out what the scoreboard says. But that’s really the focus, and certainly coming off of a loss last week, we have their attention.”

The Headlines

First Look at Defensive Changes

This section of the preview really could just be “The Headline” this week, because there’s no question what the dominant storyline for Ohio State is entering Saturday’s game. The Buckeyes’ defense has been a glaring problem so far this season, prompting Day to say that changes would be made on that side of the ball this week.

Day has declined to specify what those changes actually are, but everything from changing defensive play callers to schematic adjustments and personnel changes appears to be on the table. Ohio State needs to test those changes in game action to see if they’ll actually work, so we should expect to see new elements on defense on Saturday even though the Buckeyes might not want to completely show their hand against Tulsa.

RELATED Garrett Wilson Says Ohio State Defense Has “Some New Things They’re Working On” in Practice

Playing better defense against Tulsa, who has scored just 20 points per game so far this season, should be expected. Even a dominant defensive performance against the Golden Hurricane wouldn’t prove a ton, considering that Tulsa is less talented than most of the teams Ohio State will play this year.

For a defense that desperately needs to improve before it resumes conference play, though, Saturday is an important opportunity to continue working through the kinks. Ohio State might be able to get by on its talent against Tulsa, but if the Buckeyes are going to play better defense in October and November, they need to become more consistent with their execution right now.

A Chance to Get Reps

Ohio State didn’t have any non-conference games last season, and most of its backups played very sparingly in 2020 as a result. That’s one factor that’s likely contributed to Ohio State’s underwhelming start to the season, as the Buckeyes are relying on many players – especially on defense – that had barely played at Ohio State before this season.

That makes it important for Ohio State to take care of business early in Saturday’s game and build a comfortable lead as early as possible so that the Buckeyes can get their young backups on the field in the second half for game reps that could make them more ready to play both later this season and in the future.

The Buckeyes have already been doing that to some extent on defense, where they played 25 players against Minnesota and 26 against Oregon, so it may actually make sense for Ohio State to play fewer players on defense – at least early in the game – as it tries to find more consistency on that side of the ball. Still, there are players like second-year defensive backs Kourt Williams and Cameron Martinez who could potentially help the defense but are still awaiting their first snaps as Buckeyes, and Saturday could be an opportunity to get them some reps and see what they can do.

Offensively, Saturday could be the first time we see a quarterback other than C.J. Stroud throw a pass this season. Considering that no other quarterback on the roster has even thrown a pass yet in their Ohio State careers, Day and quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis would surely like to get at least one or two of Kyle McCord, Jack Miller and Quinn Ewers on the field over the next couple of weeks.

The Buckeyes would presumably like to get their second-team offensive line on the field, too, while Saturday could also be our first real opportunity to see what freshman wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Jayden Ballard can do.

Freshman quarterback Kyle McCord is among the players who could make their Ohio State debuts against Tulsa.

Tulsa’s Defense is Unusual

While Ohio State’s loaded offense will have a clear talent advantage over a Tulsa defense that no longer has 2020 national defensive player of the year Zaven Collins, the Golden Hurricane will present an unconventional matchup schematically. As our Kyle Jones broke down in August, the Golden Hurricane utilize a 3-3-5 defensive scheme that puts a lot of athletes on the field and will force Stroud to make different reads than he did in his first two games as the starter.

“They’re a little different in terms of their alignments and what they do,” Day said. “They have a lot more of those linebacker/safety bodies around the football, and they run to the football, play fast, give you a lot of different looks. So you’ve gotta do a good job of identifying what they’re trying to do to you.”

Tulsa was without three defensive starters in its season-opening loss to UC Davis due to one-game suspensions stemming from a brawl in last season’s Armed Forces Bowl against Mississippi State, but held Oklahoma State to just 309 yards in its 28-23 loss to the Cowboys last week. The Golden Hurricane also rank in the top 20 nationally with 18 tackles for loss, so expect Tulsa to be aggressive in trying to blow up plays in the backfield.

Keep An Eye on These Guys

Tulsa RB Deneric Prince

Considering that Ohio State has allowed 236 rushing yards per game in its first two games of the season, Tulsa should look to attack the Buckeyes on the ground. With Prince leading the way, the Golden Hurricane are capable of doing damage against the Buckeyes if they can’t shore up their run fits this week.

Prince isn’t quite Mohamed Ibrahim or CJ Verdell, but the Texas A&M transfer has averaged more than six yards per carry this season, gaining 185 yards and scoring two touchdowns on 30 rushing attempts. Prince pairs with Shamari Brooks, who was Tulsa’s leading rusher in 2018 and 2019 before missing the 2020 season with a torn ACL, to give the Golden Hurricane a quality one-two punch at the running back position.

Stopping Prince from running all over it like Ibrahim (163 yards, two touchdowns) and Verdell (161 yards, two touchdowns) will be priority 1A for the Ohio State defense this week.

If Ohio State's run defense doesn't play better on Saturday, Tulsa's Deneric Prince could take advantage. (Photo: Jonathan Dyer – USA TODAY Sports)

Tulsa DT Jaxon Player

The most disruptive Player on Tulsa’s defense, Jaxon Player earned first-team all-conference honors for the American Athletic Conference in 2020. He leads the Golden Hurricane with 2.5 tackles for loss this season and has 19.5 career tackles for loss.

At 6-foot and 294 pounds, Player is the penetrating defensive tackle in Tulsa’s three-man front, and could test the Buckeyes’ interior offensive line in a similar fashion to how Oregon defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus led the Ducks’ efforts to slow down Ohio State’s run game last week.

Ohio State Safeties

While there are other Tulsa players we could highlight here, like leading receiver and punt returner Keylon Stokes and leading tackler Kendarin Ray, the real players most Ohio State fans will be keeping an eye on this week are the Buckeye players who still have a lot to prove. And one position where Ohio State really needs an unproven player to step up this week is at free safety.

Now that Josh Proctor is out for the season, the Buckeyes need someone they can count on to erase big plays on the back end. Bryson Shaw didn’t do that consistently as the starting free safety against Oregon, so it’s likely multiple safeties will see snaps in the deep middle against Tulsa; Marcus Hooker also has starting experience at free safety, but Ryan Watts (who was previously at cornerback) and Kourt Williams (who was previously at bullet) are also options at the position.

Ideally, one of those players will begin to make the case on Saturday that they’re capable of filling Proctor’s shoes.

“We have a couple guys that we’re considering, because this is going to have to be a long-term fix,” Day said.

RELATED Ryan Day Says All Options on Table at Free Safety Following Season-Ending Injury to Josh Proctor

Game Week Talk

“You want to get back out there and get that bad taste out of your mouth.”– Ryan Day

Day is encouraged by the way his team has responded to the loss to Oregon, saying Thursday that he thinks the energy at practice this week has been “very good … but now we’ve gotta go put it on the field.”

“They’re a talented team. I don’t want anyone to get it mistaken.”– Nicholas Petit-Frere on Tulsa

From the perspective of how highly recruited the players on each team’s rosters were, Ohio State’s talent is clearly on a different level than Tulsa’s. The Buckeyes are ranked third in 247Sports’ team talent composite this year, while Tulsa is ranked 83rd. Ohio State’s left tackle doesn’t want his team to view its opponent as inferior, though, saying “I don’t think there’s anyone on that team that isn’t a good player.”

“Our guys like to be tested at the highest level, and that’s what you’re getting an opportunity to do this week.”– Tulsa coach Phillip Montgomery

Although they are massive underdogs, the Golden Hurricane are looking forward to the opportunity to play the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium in a nationally televised game. Tulsa linebacker Yohance Burnett described it as “an opportunity for us to showcase our ability,” and Tulsa guard Dylan Couch said he thinks it will make the Golden Hurricane a better team going into conference play.

Get Smart

• This is the second time in six years that Ohio State is hosting Tulsa at Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes beat the Golden Hurricane, 48-3, in the first-ever game between the two schools in 2016.
• Ohio State has won every game it’s played against non-Power 5 schools since 1991. The Buckeyes’ last loss to a non-Power 5 opponent was a 23-11 loss to Air Force in the 1990 Liberty Bowl.
• Tulsa has lost its last 14 straight games against Power 5 opponents. Its last victory over a Power 5 opponent came in a 31-17 win over Iowa State in the 2012 Liberty Bowl.
• Ohio State has won its last 10 games coming off of losses. The Buckeyes haven’t lost back-to-back games since they lost their final two games of the 2013 season against Michigan State and Clemson.
• Tulsa has one player from Ohio on its roster: Elijah Taylor, a seventh-year senior backup defensive end from Cincinnati who previously played at Notre Dame and Eastern Kentucky. Proctor is Ohio State’s only player from Oklahoma.
• Ohio State is 31-3-1 all-time against current members of the American Athletic Conference.
• Ohio State’s status report of unavailable players will be released at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

RELATED Across The Field: Q&A with Tulsa Beat Writer Kelly Hines on Ohio State’s Third Opponent of 2021 Season

How It Plays Out

Line: Ohio State -24.5, O/U 61

Since Ohio State opened as a 31-point favorite on Sunday, the line has been bet down by nearly a full touchdown. Considering that Ohio State has won all of its last nine games against Group of 5 opponents by at least 24 points, that indicates that bettors believe the Buckeyes are more vulnerable this year than they’ve been in recent years.

That said, everyone on the Eleven Warriors staff expects Ohio State to win this game by at least three scores. While the Buckeyes clearly have some flaws and areas they need to improve in, especially on defense, their first two opponents of the year were substantially more talented teams than Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane might score three or four times – especially late in the game if the Buckeyes pull their starters early – but Ohio State should ultimately be able to pull away and win this game comfortably.

Ideally, Ohio State will be able to take care of business early and build a substantial lead by the middle of the third quarter so that it can play its backups for most of the second half. If that doesn’t happen, that would be a big disappointment.

Personally, I expect the Buckeyes to be highly motivated after last week’s loss and get out to a fast start to take a sizable lead into halftime before ultimately cruising to a victory.

Eleven Warriors Staff Prediction
	49		17