LOL the Tulsa dude in the header photo kills me.
But hey, we're not here to talk Tulsa, we're here to get your prepped for Ohio State's epic showdown with Akron tomorrow night in Ohio Stadium.
Of course, Ohio State could use a blowout to boost some confidence and ensure another ~30 guys play on defense. That said, things got interesting on the offensive side of the ball as Ryan Day announced yesterday starting quarterback C.J. Stroud would be a Break Glass In Case of Emergency option only due to a lingering shoulder issue.
That shouldn't matter against Akron and to get your mind in the right place before kick off, we welcome Dan Hope, Johnny Ginter and Matt Gutridge to this week's roundtable.
Am I reading into the tone and comments from Ryan Day this week as he expressed how guys need to earn playing time and stressed winning is hard? Is there a chance Day isn't happy with the team's attitude and/or practice habits? What about NIL - any chance that's been a distraction to the team?
Dan: I don't buy the narrative that NIL has been a distraction; I think the vast majority of Ohio State football players understand that their focus needs to be on football and the team before any NIL activities. It's hard to know how the team has been practicing since we don't actually get to attend practices during the season, but Day does seem to be trying to get the message across to his players that they need to perform well on the practice field during the week to prove they belong on the field on Saturdays, and I think that's been reflected somewhat in how playing time has varied from week to week. That said, I also think some of Day's comments about the team's inexperience this week were intended as a message to Ohio State fans that this team is still a work in progress and that it's not easy as fans might think it should be for the Buckeyes to dominate their opponents week in and week out.
Johnny: I don't think that you're reading too much into it at all; a lack of leadership in general was going to be a concern when you lose a unifying force like Justin Fields, and the last year and a half has presented a unique challenge for team cohesion that one relatively normal offseason might not be adequate to overcome. That's not necessarily an excuse, because plenty of other teams seem to be navigating it just fine. But it's not hard to imagine a scenario where a combination of new players, COVID, and NIL lead to a difficult locker room situation.
Matt: Players should earn playing time and winning is hard. Every season brings new challenges - including new attitudes. When Urban Meyer arrived in Columbus, he stressed establishing the right culture, having the right locker room. I possess zero insights as to what this year's team dynamic is like. However, I did detect a difference in the atmosphere in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center at the Coaches Clinic during Ryan Day's first season as head coach.
When it was Meyer's team, you could feel his presence everywhere. There was a palpable sense that every person on the team was being evaluated and scrutinized. If you were not giving your absolute best for the team you'd be called out.
The atmosphere was much lighter in the WHAC during the spring of 2019. The overseeing eye of Meyer was gone and it was noticeable. Coaches and players were looser and relaxed.
Over time, has the rigidness of Meyer completely abandoned the building? Are the players not being held to the higher standard? I have no idea, but I did notice the different atmosphere in the building two years ago. Not saying it was bad, but it was definitely different.
In regards to NIL, it can definitely be a distraction. Earlier this week, I re-watched the 30 for 30 on the '85 Bears. The professional players were talking about how there were hurt feelings in the Chicago locker room the season following the Super Bowl. Why? Some guys felt left out because of the substantial difference in money from commercials and promotional opportunities.
These were grown men getting upset. Add this same dilemma to college kids and there is likely to be jealousy and hurt feelings because of the financial disparities.
How are you feeling about the staff's ongoing decision to play so many guys on defense? Did you think clear starters would emerge by now? Is this simply out of necessity since it's building depth which is something Ohio State didn't do last year for a number of reasons including the covid-shortened regular season?
Matt: I always thought spring and summer practices were used to evaluate and determine which players on offense and defense provided the team the best opportunity to win. If the staff is currently playing this many guys to determine which combination gives the team the best defensive unit going forward, something is wrong with the evaluation process.
Yes, the shortened season didn't help this year's team, but this still should have been able to be decided with spring and summer evaluation.
Dan: I am surprised that Ohio State has rotated as extensively as it has on defense so far this season, especially at linebacker, but I do believe a big reason why they are doing that is because they have so many inexperienced defenders and still don't know exactly who their best defensive players are. I also don't think there's anything inherently wrong with having deep rotations and playing a lot of players, as has been a typically successful staple of Larry Johnson's defensive lines up front. Still, Ohio State needs to figure out who its best defensive players are as soon as possible so that it knows which players it needs to have on the field with the game on the line. At times, it's felt a bit haphazard as to who's in the game in certain situations – there needs to be a purpose to the rotations so that the Buckeyes aren't getting with the wrong players on the field with the game on the line.
Johnny: Again, other teams have had the same issues and not approached it in this way. I think that there's just been some significant talent revaluation going on the past few months, which suggests that maybe the talent wasn't properly evaluated in the first place. At a certain point it just looks like flailing, in that they're throwing players at the fridge to see if they stick. That, too, indicates poor planning on the part of the defensive staff. The good news is that there are some really great young players (like Denzel Burke) who are getting some valuable playing time right now.
TreVeyon Henderson's monster breakout game last week turned heads all around college football. What does his performance mean for the distribution of carries moving forward?
Johnny: If you rush for 277 yards in a game, then that's it, you're the dude. Running backs benefit from repeated reps more than any position other than quarterback, and Henderson should be getting the lion's share going forward (which in a perfect world is 20-22 carries a game). We can try and figure out how many times Miyan Williams and Master Teague get to tote the rock between them, but I think at that point we're just quibbling over around 7-10 carries, max.
Matt: From the Preseason Roundtable: "I see all three getting carries early in the year. With Miyan and Master getting the edge due to their time with the program. However, by the end of the season, I expect TreVeyon to be the No. 1 back due to all of the intangibles he brings to the table."
From the Minnesota Freshman Tracker: "TreVeyon Henderson is poised to have a special season. It's a lofty number, but if given the opportunity, and barring injury, the young star has the game-changing talent to chase down J.K. Dobbins' freshman rushing record of 1,403 yards."
I'll stand by those words. Henderson will split carries with Williams, but should secure the lion's share. It's still a long shot, but he has the skill-set to chase down history.
Dan: I think it's pretty clear Henderson should be the running back getting most of the carries in competitive games. As Day has noted several times since Saturday, Henderson's ability to hit home-run plays sets him apart from every other running back on the roster, and he's proven now that he can consistently make plays over the course of a full game. Still, I think we will continue to see a healthy dose of either Miyan Williams or Master Teague – or maybe a little bit of both – in the rotation, especially in games like this week's, as the Buckeyes aren't going to want to overwork Henderson as a freshman and wear him down.
Obviously the Buckeyes should cruise this weekend but how are you feeling about Ohio State's ceiling for this season? Will Day's squad win the Big Ten East? What about the Big Ten title? Playoffs gonna happen? What do you think based on what you've seen from Ohio State and the rest of college football through the quarter point of the regular season?
Dan: I still think Ohio State will manage to win the Big Ten for a fifth consecutive season, but I don't think it's going to be easy. Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State all look like they'll provide real competition in the Big Ten East, and I'm not sure there will be any gimme games in the division – Maryland and Indiana are both capable of challenging for an upset, and even Rutgers has come a long way from where it was a couple years ago. Because of that, I'm not bullish on Ohio State making the playoff right now, as the Buckeyes likely need to run the table the rest of the way and that's going to be a challenge.
In terms of ceiling, though, I'm still not taking anything off the table for the Buckeyes – even a national championship run, however unlikely that might seem right now – because all of their goals still remain achievable at this point and I am optimistic this team will get better (though I doubt it will ever be elite defensively) as the season progresses.
Johnny: Their offense, even with some questions at quarterback, is still elite. But the defense is going to have to make massive improvements to be a playoff contender, and right now the goal should be winning the Big Ten East and continuous improvement. Overall I think both Penn State and Michigan have looked better in the early part of this season than Ohio State, but the Buckeyes have a higher ceiling than both. They just have to get there, and right now they're a long ways away. But with that said, an Ohio State team that beats both of those squads and wins the Big Ten championship deserves a shot at the playoff.
Matt: The optimist in me is grasping hard at the Buckeyes winning the Big Ten East and playing for the Big Ten title. Playoffs? Maybe, but with the current state of the defense, the sporadic offense and possibly splintered coaching staff; the pessimist in me can see some painful losses this season.
Here's to the forever optimist and Ohio State playing for the Big Ten title on the first Saturday of December. At this point, the rest will be a bonus.
Ohio State enters this turd favored by 49 points. Do the Buckeyes cover? Give us your final score and how many total yards the defense will allow.
Matt: Day and company have failed to cover this year in Ohio Stadium. Time for that to end. Ohio State 63, Akron 10.
Dan: Ohio State really shouldn't have any trouble with Akron, but that spread is just too big for me to predict a cover. I'm going with a final score of 59-17; I came up with that score prediction before we knew C.J. Stroud would be out, so I'm a little less confident in it now, but I've decided to stick with it as I believe the Buckeyes will be able to dominate in the running game and Kyle McCord will make some plays in the passing game. I've got Akron scoring two touchdowns and a field goal on right around 300 yards of offense.
Johnny: 49 points is frankly silly, no way does Ohio State cover that spread. 49-14 good guys, and the defense shows some improvement but still gives up close to 400 yards of offense.
