It’s time for another Saturday of Buckeye football.
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ARKANSAS STATE RED WOLVES |
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1-0 ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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NOON – SATURDAY, SEPT. 11 OHIO STADIUM COLUMBUS, OHIO |
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BIG TEN NETWORK FOX SPORTS |
Today’s game against Arkansas State doesn’t come with the same hype as last week’s game against Notre Dame, but it’s nevertheless another opportunity to watch Ohio State play football and for the Buckeyes to get better in the second game of their three-game non-conference slate to begin the 2022 season.
Ohio State’s offense will look to gain steam after scoring only 21 points last week, while the defense will look to build off its second-half shutout against the Fighting Irish. Perhaps most excitingly, today’s game should provide an opportunity to watch some of the Buckeyes’ true freshmen and other young players make their debuts in Ohio Stadium – provided the game plays out the way it should and Ohio State is able to win comfortably.
Here’s what’s on our minds going into today’s game:
Final Thoughts
This win needs to be decisive
My final thought entering last week’s game was “A win is a win,” but the standard’s a little higher this week.
While every Buckeye fan should have celebrated an 11-point win over Notre Dame, celebration will be minimal if Ohio State wins by only 11 points this week. The Buckeyes are favored to win this game by 44.5 points, so a blowout win should be expected. Specifically, Ohio State needs to put this game out of reach early so that its backups can get some valuable game reps, as those opportunities could potentially be limited once conference play begins in a couple of weeks.
– Dan Hope
Sparks can still fly on Saturday
Arkansas State does not have the same name recognition and brand appeal as Notre Dame, but Ohio State can still keep its fans engaged on Saturday.
The Buckeye defense has the challenge of carrying their dominant performance against the Irish into their matchup with the Red Wolves. At the same time, C.J. Stroud, TreVeyon Henderson, Miyan Williams and the receivers have the task of reminding the college football world that Ohio State's offense is one of the most talented units in the country.
With a hungry defense and an offense needing to prove its value, the starters can get off to the fast start Ryan Day wants from his team, making room for the backups to get much-needed developmental reps they weren't afforded in Week 1.
- Chase Brown
We should see a vintage performance from the offense
It's hard to criticize a double-digit win over a top-five team in the country, and on Thursday our own Kyle Jones broke down how Ohio State's ho-hum offensive performance against Notre Dame was actually better than the stats show.
But let's be clear: There's no reason the Buckeyes shouldn't resemble their 2021 form on offense against Arkansas State.
The Red Wolves had the second-worst total defense in the country last year, and even if they held Grambling to three points in their Week 1 matchup, that's Grambling. Ohio State had the top offense in the nation a season ago, and has every tool necessary to hold that title again this year.
Even if the Buckeyes are down a couple of wideouts on Saturday, I expect to see the type of explosive effort we've become accustomed to from Stroud and the Ohio State offense against subpar opposition.
– Griffin Strom
This one should be over early
By the time this game reaches halftime, the only thing Ohio State fans attending Saturday's game in Ohio Stadium should be worried about is making dinner reservations. It certainly shouldn't be the score of the game, which should be well in hand by halftime.
Ohio State is a 44.5-point favorite entering the game and should be well positioned to cover, simply because Arkansas State cannot match the Buckeyes' on-field talent.
- Garrick Hodge
Questions
How many freshmen will play against the Red Wolves?
The Buckeyes brought in the No. 4 recruiting class for 2022, with five-star talents C.J. Hicks and Sonny Styles as the headliners. Hicks and Styles have impressed the coaching staff thus far, but so have Caden Curry, Kye Stokes, Jyaire Brown, Dallan Hayden, Kenyatta Jackson, Kaleb Brown and Kyion Grayes.
The common theme between all of those players is that they shed their black stripes before Ohio State faced Notre Dame. It wasn't expected that any of them would play significantly in the top-five showdown, but many predict they will see the field this weekend in what should be a comfortable win for the Buckeyes. I'll be keeping a close eye on those freshmen and remain interested to see if any first-years yet to earn their scarlet stripes sneak into the fold against the Red Wolves.
- Chase Brown
Caden Curry and Kenyatta Jackson are among the freshmen who could see action on Ohio State’s defense vs. Arkansas State.
Will Jaxon Smith-Njigba play?
The answer to this question shouldn’t be a matter of whether Smith-Njigba is healthy enough to play, but whether he is fully healthy to the point that he would be at no additional risk of reinjuring his hamstring.
As a competitor, Smith-Njigba will likely want to play if possible – but playing against Arkansas State simply isn’t worth the risk of aggravating an existing injury. The Buckeyes don’t need JSN to beat the Red Wolves, but they might need him when they play Wisconsin two weeks from today, so they should keep him on the bench if he is anything less than 100%.
– Dan Hope
Players to Watch
Jayden Ballard
It’s uncharacteristic of Ryan Day to call out a player as specifically as he did Ballard on Thursday, when he described Ballard’s personal foul penalty on a punt against Notre Dame as “completely unacceptable and ridiculous.” That seemed like Day’s way of sending a message to his redshirt freshman wide receiver.
With Smith-Njigba, Julian Fleming and Kamryn Babb all recovering from injuries, Ballard should see plenty of playing time this week, giving him a big opportunity to respond to that challenge. I think he does and puts on display the big-play ability that made him a top-100 prospect alongside Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr. in the 2021 recruiting class.
– Dan Hope
Emeka Egbuka
If neither Smith-Njigba nor Fleming play against Arkansas State, I think we're likely to see another big game from Egbuka, who was Stroud's top target last week with nine catches for 90 yards and a touchdown.
Sure, the caliber of opponent may lead to less snaps for the Buckeye starters when all is said and done, but Ohio State will have to put plenty of points on the board before pulling its top players. If the Buckeye pass attack returns to form in Week 2, Egbuka will be an integral part of that, and perhaps even the focal point of its aerial assault given what he showed a week ago.
With Stroud firing on all cylinders, Egbuka should have an even better game against Arkansas State as he'll have a golden opportunity to shine bright for the second straight game.
– Griffin Strom
Josh Proctor
After an early benching against Notre Dame, it will be interesting to see how Proctor bounces back against Arkansas State and frankly, how many snaps he splits with Lathan Ransom. OSU safeties coach Perry Eliano publicly backed Proctor earlier this week and said the Buckeyes are going to need his contributions down the road, so we'll see this week if Proctor's limited snaps in the opener was a one-off occasion or a trend worth watching.
- Garrick Hodge
