Sporting a 2-0 mark and looking for a complete performance in a final tuneup before heading to South Bend, Ryan Day's Buckeyes welcome in the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers for an afternoon showdown in Ohio Stadium.
The Hilltoppers, despite their severe underdog status, should play to win in a way Ohio State hasn't seen over the first two contests against Indiana and Youngstown State.
How will the pass defense hold up against a legit passing attack? How will Kyle McCord perform upon being selected as Day's true starting quarterback? Will the offensive line open up more consistent holes for the tailbacks?
For answers to these queries and more, I welcome 11W's founder Jason Priestas and stalwart staffers Chase Brown and Garrick Hodge to this week's roundtable.
The Buckeyes haven't faced a legit passing team yet so all eyes will be on the pass rush and secondary as Western Kentucky brings its aerial attack to Columbus. What kind of day do you expect from the pass defense? Can the Buckeyes keep the Hilltoppers below 200 pass yards? 250? How are you feeling about Jim Knowles' ongoing penchant for putting his corners on an island so regularly? I know Denzel Burke is holding up fine but are you as confident in guys like Davison Igbinosun, Jordan Hancock etc. in 1-on-1 battles down the line?
Jason: This is a great early test for Ohio State's secondary, a group I believe is on its way to being special this season. Holding the nation's leader in passing yards last season, Austin Reed and 100+ catch Malachi Corley under 200 passing yards is a big ask, especially when you consider the Hilltoppers threw for at least 275 yards in every game but one last season, but it's not outside the realm of possibility. I would consider anything under 250 yards passing a win on Saturday, and the group will do just that.
I grew up with Fred Pagac's fire and hell defenses – the original Silver Bullets, and he would routinely place his corners on islands and get after it. Sure, when it goes wrong, it's not great, but overall, I'm comfortable with that approach. All that said, I'm always a fan of mixing looks that you're giving the opposing offense.
Chase: With the sheer volume of passes Western Kentucky will record on Saturday, quarterback Austin Reed and the Hilltoppers will surpass 250 yards against the Buckeyes' pass defense. And for Jim Knowles and Co., that's fine if, and only if, those yards don't lead to points – not many of them, at least. I believe Jim Knowles has learned that a "feast or famine" mentality is too volatile for consistent success at a program like Ohio State. That said, perhaps a "bend don't break" will be in order to stop Western Kentucky's pass-happy offense on Saturday. Ohio State can allow dink and dunks all afternoon, but they cannot allow Malachi Corley, Blue Smith and the Hilltoppers' wide receivers to beat them deep and rack up those daunted explosive plays. If that is, in fact, the game plan, I expect Denzel Burke, Davison Igbinosun and Jordan Hancock to be just fine.
Garrick: I don't think 200 passing yards is realistic, especially since WKU has attempted 50 and 33 passing attempts in its last two games, plus there's some legit talent there on offense. But limiting the Hilltoppers under 250 sure would be nice with another explosive passing attack coming OSU's way next week. In terms of the one-on-one battles, I'd feel comfortable leaving Burke on an island against most receivers, but if you do that with Igbinosun, you're either going to be rewarded or filled with regret due to his aggressive playstyle.
Similar to week one's distribution, four guys recorded at least five carries last week including the top three running backs. TreVeyon Henderson had the best day by far but it seems unclear if Ryan Day and Tony Alford will settle on a back or two to do the heavy lifting. Right now, who is your RB1 and RB2? Are you surprised Miyan Williams hasn't been more involved to this point?
Garrick: I don't really know if there is a set RB1 or RB2, this really seems like it'll be a flavor of the week type of thing. Chip Trayanum has a ton of speed and versatility to play fullback, so that's probably why he's getting the playing time he is. Ryan Day will likely say the new clock rules are why these players aren't getting more touches, but personally it seems like the run game needs a little more consistency up front before OSU relies on it more.
Jason: For me, it's TreVeyon Henderson and 1A and Miyan Williams at 1B. I love what Miyan brings to this team, but TreVeyon has something none of the other backs have when he's healthy and he's on. With the talent in the backfield beyond those two, I'm not surprised at guys not getting the touches they maybe anticipated getting each week. It's just the nature of the situation, and I'd suggest mentally preparing for that.
Chase: Ohio State's RB1 is TreVeyon Henderson because, when healthy, he is the best running back on the roster. However, I don't know who should be the backup. Williams is coming off a season in which he collected 128 carries for 825 yards and 14 touchdowns in 11 appearances, making me think he should be the RB2. However, Trayanum's athleticism and toughness make him an intriguing option as the second ball carrier out of the backfield. At some point, Ryan Day and Tony Alford need to let Henderson be the bell cow – he's too talented not to be one. As for how Day and Alford will handle Williams and Trayanum, I could see Williams being a goal-line threat for the Buckeyes while Trayanum settles into a change-of-pace role on long drives to replace Henderson when he is winded or needs a substitute.
Regardless of who is running the ball or throwing it, the offensive line has to do its part. Through two games the offensive line is paving the way for 4.6 yards per carry, good for just 62nd-best in the country. Meanwhile, the group has allowed a respectable two sacks. Can this starting five create more running room as it gels in coming weeks? Will that happen in time to beat Notre Dame? Is this group on track with your preseason expectations through a small sample size or are you concerned?
Chase: While Ohio State's offensive line must continue to improve, the unit has performed about as well as an offensive line could after replacing three starters from a season ago, including two linemen – Paris Johnson Jr. with the Cardinals and Dawand Jones with the Browns – who are already full-time starters in the NFL. As the season continues, I expect Ryan Day and Justin Frye will have this position room improving from week to week as the players become more comfortable in the offense and more comfortable working next to one another. Chemistry is a huge for an offensive line, and that takes time. I look forward to seeing how that unit comes out and performs against Western Kentucky on Saturday, establishing the run early and keeping Kyle McCord off the ground as he receives every rep as Ohio State's QB1.
Garrick: Well, they better create more running room eventually, or OSU fans won't be happy with the year's end result. I think passing blocking has been OK sans a few penalties here and there. But run blocking really needs to improve, especially on the outside. I'm a little surprised personally OSU isn't running between the tackles and consistently relies on the stretch play despite the unproven tackles on the outside. But if we're being fair, we all knew the offensive line would take some time to gel, so the results are probably close to what my expectations were coming into the season.
Jason: Obviously, we'd love to see more out of the running game, in particular with the OL on short-yardage situations. But it's a fairly green group I expect to get better and better as the season progresses. As you pointed out, they're outstanding in pass pro right now, and that's the personality of offensive lines under Ryan Day, where the offense will look to pass to set up the run. I don't know if they'll be the Nebraska '95 OL in time for Notre Dame, but I expect them to be better than they've shown in these situations to date.
In my view, Kyle McCord took another step in his development with his 70% completion rate, 258 yards and three scores versus Youngstown State. How are you feeling about where his progression stands knowing we're two weeks away from the matchup in South Bend? Can McCord evolve into a guy that OSU can count on to win a game or will Day be more focused on making sure he isn't put in position to lose a game? What is McCord's biggest opportunity for improvement at this point in time?
Jason: I need to see a bad Ryan Day quarterback for me to believe it's possible. He puts too much focus on the position, not to mention surrounding them with exceptional skill talent and typically great play-calling, for the quarterback not to be a guy who drives the offense for the Buckeyes. You may have to worry about Kyle taking his foot off the gas a bit this week since he won the job, but I'm all in on McCord and think he'll get better and better every month this season. And I don't know that Day has it in him to truly protect or shelter his quarterbacks. He wants to turn them loose.
Chase: Take care of the football and make the routine plays routinely. Ryan Day asked Kyle McCord and Devin Brown to do that in the first two weeks as Ohio State's quarterback competition carried over into the regular season. McCord did that better than Brown, becoming the Buckeyes' bona fide QB1. However, even with his new moniker, McCord's responsibilities remain the same: Take care of the football and make the routine plays routinely. There may come a time this season when McCord needs to lead Ohio State on a game-winning drive, but that won't happen this week – it shouldn't, at least. McCord has his best chance to improve on Saturday against Western Kentucky, becoming more comfortable in the offense before Ohio State travels to South Bend, Indiana and faces Notre Dame on Sept. 23. This weekend, I hope to see McCord find a rhythm and take what the defense gives him. I will hope for more than that, but expect nothing less.
Garrick: Being named the starter full time should make him more confident and relaxed, at least you'd hope so. I also think the matchup with Western Kentucky works in his favor, as the Hilltoppers are very feast or famine defensively, so it could be another big day for Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka with all the risks they take on that side of the ball. Ultimately, we'll find out what he's truly made of in South Bend.
Ohio State enters the contest as a hefty 29.5-point favorite though covering big spreads has been an issue through two games. Does OSU finally cover? Give us your final score and game MVP.
Garrick: I don't think so. Western Kentucky has enough proficiency offensively to keep this respectable, though it's nearly impossible to see the Hilltoppers pulling off the upset. I think 38-17 sounds about right, with Kyle McCord taking home MVP honors with his first 300-yard passing performance of the season.
Jason: I am going to keep picking this team to cover until it finally does. Ohio State 44, Western Kentucky 10.
Chase: I don't believe Ohio State will cover on Saturday, as I see the Buckeyes defeating the Hilltoppers 42-21 in Columbus. The game's MVP will be Marvin Harrison Jr., who I believe will produce an encore performance that feels incredibly similar to the seven-catch, 160-yard, two-touchdown effort he put forth against Youngstown State in Week 2. Harrison is the best receiver in college football, and he is wide open on almost all of his routes. Those are the throws Kyle McCord can make consistently, and I expect McCord and Harrison to be on the same page all afternoon.
