It’s finally game day in Columbus.
In just 12 hours following the publication of this article, Ohio State and Notre Dame will be live on ABC as the second-ranked Buckeyes and fifth-ranked Fighting Irish go head-to-head in the marquee game of the opening week of the college football season.
That matchup has already been talked about ad nauseam at this point, as we’ve spent the past eight months looking forward to seeing the Buckeyes play an actual game again, but as we count down the final hours and minutes until the 2022 season finally kicks off, Eleven Warriors beat writers Dan Hope, Griffin Strom, Garrick Hodge and Chase Brown have come together to share some last thoughts going into the game and spotlight some of the players we’ll be watching most closely from inside the Shoe on Saturday night.
Final Thoughts
It's hard to overstate how much pressure the defense is facing
Earlier this week, Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said his preparation process for this week is the same it's been as his other stops in his coaching career, but the expectations are higher.
My man, you've got that right.
Things were so tumultuous last year that former defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs was essentially demoted after one loss in Week 2 of the regular season after an abysmal defensive performance. While it's probably not smart to jump to conclusions about what Ohio State's defense is going to be this year after a single game under a new scheme one way or the other this time around, fans expect to see vast improvement immediately. Especially when Knowles has set his expectation as producing a top-five defense multiple times in the preseason.
Ohio State has an offense built to win a national championship, and it's perhaps the single-best unit in the nation. The only question mark that could prevent the Buckeyes from winning it all is the defense, and we're finally going to get our first look of exactly how far that unit has progressed.
– Garrick Hodge
A win is a win
The consensus from both Ohio State fans and national experts alike entering this game has been that the Buckeyes will not only beat Notre Dame on Saturday, but win by a substantial margin. The Buckeyes enter the game as 16-point favorites, and even those in South Bend seem to think a Notre Dame win is unlikely tonight.
But let’s not lose sight of the fact that this is a matchup between two top-five teams, or what happened in Ohio State’s marquee non-conference game last year, when the Buckeyes lost to Oregon despite being double-digit favorites. Ohio State would love to make a statement by winning in convincing fashion, but any victory ought to be celebrated tonight.
– Dan Hope
Ohio State has a golden opportunity to make a statement
Yes, as Dan pointed out, a win in any fashion over the No. 5 team in the country would be rather impressive for the Buckeyes. But if the oddsmakers prove wise in their assessment of the outcome, Ohio State has a chance to pick up some serious steam on their path to a national title right out of the gates.
Expectations for the offense are sky-high, and understandably so. Defensively, though, Ohio State could silence any critics with a dominant performance against one of the top teams in the nation in just its first game under Knowles' new scheme.
If the Buckeyes fire on all cylinders and finish with a multi-touchdown win under the lights at the Horseshoe, it will signal the type of trajectory that Ohio State is aiming for in 2022 – one that could end with college football's ultimate prize come January.
– Griffin Strom
Questions
Can the Buckeyes run the ball with authority?
So much of the attention going into this game has been focused on the new defense and on C.J. Stroud, and rightfully so in both cases. But while I’ll certainly be keeping a close eye on how the defense performs and how Stroud fares in the first game of his potential Heisman campaign, I’m equally interested to see how the Buckeyes’ rushing offense does in this contest.
Although Ohio State averaged more than 5.5 yards per carry for the 2021 season as a whole, the Buckeyes weren’t always able to get the tough yards on the ground when they needed them against top competition last year. Notre Dame’s defensive front will be one of the best Ohio State faces all year, so it would make a statement if the Buckeyes are able to win the war in the trenches and put up big numbers on the ground.
– Dan Hope
Can Ohio State’s defensive line bring Tyler Buchner to the turf?
Since Chase Young departed from the Buckeyes after the 2019 season, it has felt like Ohio State’s defensive linemen have always been a half-second too late to sack the opposing team’s quarterback.
Young collected 16.5 sacks in 12 games three years ago – a lofty standard for any future defensive lineman to meet in the following seasons. I don't think anyone expected the Buckeyes' assortment of talent to meet that number over the past two years, not even five-star recruit Zach Harrison. However, I believe Ohio State fans expected more production than they got from the unit in 2020 and 2021, and that thinking is justified. Those teams were paced by Jonathan Cooper with 3.5 sacks in eight games and Haskell Garrett with 5.5 sacks in 10 contests.
Notre Dame's offensive line is one of the most talented in college football, so a solid performance from the Rushmen could go a long way in proving whether or not the Buckeyes are truly worthy of that title. It also might tell Buckeye fans which defensive linemen possess game-wrecking potential in 2022.
– Chase Brown
Can Ohio State slow down Catholic Gronk?
Not only does Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer idolize Rob Gronkowski, he also plays a similar style to the longtime NFL standout. Ergo, I have hereby dubbed Mayer "Catholic Gronk" until further notice.
The 6-foot-5, 265-pound playmaker will no doubt be a security blanket for Tyler Buchner considering he's the most proven target the Fighting Irish have in the passing game, racking up 71 catches for 840 yards and seven touchdowns a season ago. In addition to stopping the run, slowing down Michael Mayer will be priority No. 1 for Jim Knowles.
The newly hired defensive coordinator has an interesting choice ahead of him regarding how he'll defend Mayer. Will he counter with Ronnie Hickman, Tanner McCalister or someone like Kourt Williams II, whose potential to be a safety/linebacker hybrid is intriguing? Or will he use a combination of the three?
If Knowles can take away Mayer from Notre Dame's offensive gameplan tonight, best of luck to the Fighting Irish keeping pace with OSU's offense.
– Garrick Hodge
Players to Watch
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Smith-Njigba would become the first wide receiver in Ohio State history to top 100 receiving yards in six consecutive games if he hits triple digits tonight. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t achieve that milestone, as I expect the Buckeyes’ star receiver to pick up where he left off last season and start the year with another big game that gets the nation buzzing.
– Dan Hope
C.J. Stroud
The Heisman frontrunner could produce Heisman moments on Saturday night against Notre Dame. Is there any better stage for that kind of performance than under the lights in front of 100,000-plus fans in Ohio Stadium? Not to mention the primetime window on ABC with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call. All eyes are on Stroud, and he looks poised to rise up to the challenge.
– Chase Brown
Jack Sawyer
Sawyer will play a big part in making life miserable for Tyler Buchner, as the standout defensive end is expected to take a big leap from Year 1 to Year 2 at OSU. Sawyer will also be worth watching because he's the best candidate to start at Jim Knowles' Jack position in the defense, a notable hybrid between linebacker and defensive end. Watching Sawyer may give an indication of how much flexibility Knowles will allow that position early in the season.
– Garrick Hodge
Lathan Ransom
Ransom may not even start for the Buckeye defensive backfield on Saturday. In fact, everything we've seen in practice would indicate that he'll come off the bench to begin the season. But no one player has received more praise from Knowles in the past couple of weeks than the third-year safety who's already back from a gruesome leg fracture suffered in the Rose Bowl.
Even Hickman, who took first-team reps at free safety ahead of Ransom in an open practice a few weeks ago, said the Arizona native had “one of the best camps I've seen in my four years here.” Both Ransom and Knowles said he's repped at all three safety positions for Ohio State in the preseason, and Knowles said he's looking for creative ways to get Ransom involved in one way or another.
Ransom said Knowles' scheme is his favorite to play in so far as a college football player, and if given the opportunity to make a difference in the season opener, don't be surprised if he does exactly that.
– Griffin Strom
