After months of preparation, Ohio State football will start its 2023 season in Bloomington, Indiana, for a battle with the Hoosiers on Saturday.
Before the Buckeyes and Hoosiers meet at 3:30 p.m., we assume you have learned all you need to know about Ohio State and Indiana before the Big Ten East teams battle at Memorial Stadium. Still, we have some more to share in our season opener edition of Last Call.
 |
| INDIANA HOOSIERS |
|
0-0 ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
|
|
|
3:30 p.m. – SATURDAY, SEP. 2 MEMORIAL STADIUM BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA |
|
|
|
CBS CBS SPORTS |
Here are our final questions, players to watch and best bets for Ohio State's Week 1 matchup:
Questions
When and how much will Devin Brown play?
The quarterback competition has been the dominant storyline surrounding Ohio State football all year long, and that will continue to be the case on Saturday. This element of the ongoing quarterback competition is one that I am particularly curious to see play out.
Given that Kyle McCord was named the starting quarterback for the season opener, it’s likely he will play the majority of snaps with the first-team offense. But how much will that majority be? That’s a hard question to answer since this is the first time Ryan Day has publicly stated he planned to give a backup quarterback “meaningful snaps” in a game.
It’s probably best to allow McCord to play for at least three or four series before inserting Devin Brown into the game for the first time, as McCord needs to be given the opportunity to get into a rhythm and work through mistakes. In a game expected to be lopsided in Ohio State’s favor, “meaningful” could easily mean playing Brown in the second half after the result is already in hand. But if Indiana keeps the game competitive early, Ohio State probably doesn’t want to wait too long to give Brown a chance to show what he can do –and if Ohio State remains genuinely conflicted on who its best quarterback is, that would presumably be another reason to play Brown early in the game, too.
We may not know for sure after Saturday’s game who Ohio State’s starting quarterback will be for the rest of the year, but how Day divides playing time between McCord and Brown will give us a lens into how open this competition actually remains.
– Dan Hope
Will Ohio State lean on the run game?
Neither McCord nor Brown has much experience at the collegiate level. McCord has completed 41 of 58 passes (70.7%) for 606 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions across two seasons, while Brown never threw a pass in his lone season with the Buckeyes. That said, it would make sense that Ohio State would rely on its running backs in the season opener, but how much will Ryan Day and Brian Hartline lean on TreVeyon Henderson, Miyan Williams and the rest of the Buckeye ballcarriers?
Last season, the Indiana defense allowed Williams (147 yards, TD), Dallan Hayden (102 yards, TD) and Xavier Johnson (71 yards, TD) to run wild as Ohio State demolished the Hoosiers, 56-14, in Columbus. In 2023, that same Indiana defense returns six starters and added five transfers who will look to stop the Buckeyes from achieving the same success on the ground. But if the Hoosiers show signs of old habits on Saturday, Ohio State should ride its running backs to victory in Memorial Stadium.
- Chase Brown
Who slots in as Ohio State’s free safety?
Earlier this week, Jim Knowles still wasn’t ready to name a starter at free safety between Malik Hartford, Ja’Had Carter and Josh Proctor, but said he expects each to play. While Carter is probably the favorite to at least start at the position, Hartford has been earning rave reviews throughout fall camp. Knowles has stated he’d like to rotate safeties more than he did a season ago, so it’ll be interesting to see how much interchanging those three do while the game is still a respectable score.
- Garrick Hodge
Players to Watch
TreVeyon Henderson
I am bullish on Henderson in 2023. He had a remarkable freshman season where he collected 183 carries for 1,248 yards and 15 touchdowns and added 27 receptions for 312 yards and four scores as a receiver. If not for a torn ligament in his foot, I believe he would have had a sophomore season that met or surpassed those statistics.
Even with a loaded Ohio State running back room that includes Williams, Hayden, Chip Trayanum and Evan Pryor, Henderson should be the bell cow of the Buckeye ball carriers this season. I expect Henderson to make a statement on Saturday against an Indiana defense that allowed Ohio State to have whatever it wanted on the ground last season – somewhere between 15-20 carries for 100+ yards and a touchdown sounds about right.
- Chase Brown
Mike Hall
The difference is palpable for Ohio State's defense when Hall is healthy and on the field. Interior defensive line play is an unheralded but vital part of elite defensive play, and if Hall can reach the potential he showed against Notre Dame and Michigan State last year it should serve to propel the group that much further.
Entering 2023 with a clean bill of health, I expect Hall's proximity to Indiana's backfield against an offensive line that has notoriously struggled to be an issue for the Hoosiers.
- Andy Anders
Denzel Burke
Burke got off to a rough start in Ohio State’s first few games of last season, and his reputation never quite recovered. After an offseason in which his Ohio State coaches and teammates have consistently said Burke has a different look in his eye, a dominant performance in the season opener would be a great way to begin reestablishing himself as an elite cornerback.
While Indiana is far from the best passing offense Ohio State will face this year, the Hoosiers do have a dynamic No. 1 receiver Cam Camper who Burke will likely be tasked with matching up against for most of the game. And going up against an inexperienced starting quarterback – likely Tayven Jackson – could present a prime opportunity for Burke to nab the first interception since 2021 for the Ohio State cornerback unit.
– Dan Hope
Best Bets
Marvin Harrison Jr. over 94.5 receiving yards (FanDuel)
A year ago, Harrison Jr. torched Indiana for 135 receiving yards on seven catches with a touchdown. Indiana’s secondary was already among the nation’s worst statistically, and it lost several experienced players from last year. This will be the first test for a heap of new players in the Hoosiers’ secondary, and regardless of who’s under center, Harrison Jr. is in line to feast.
- Garrick Hodge
Emeka Egbuka over 68.5 receiving yards (DraftKings)
I feel confident in a nice receiving performance Saturday from Egbuka, one that results in at least 69 yards. Kyle McCord is likely to look to his former high school teammate in Harrison first, but Egbuka is among the best receivers in college football in his own right. I think expecting 70 yards from a player who averaged 88.5 per game in 2022 isn't outlandish.
- Andy Anders
Ohio State covers the second-half spread (-13.5, DraftKings)
Ohio State has trailed at halftime in each of its two recent road openers against Big Ten teams (Indiana in 2017 and Minnesota in 2021), but outscored their opponents 71-24 in the second half of those games, including a 36-7 second half in Bloomington six years ago. I won’t be surprised if the Buckeyes get off to a slow start again this year as they break in a new quarterback and a new offensive line, but I expect them to dominate the second half and pull away for a comfortable win.
While I’d pick the Buckeyes to cover the 30-point spread if I had to pick one or the other, I like the second-half spread of only two touchdowns much better.
- Dan Hope
