Skull Session: Penn State is Not Our Rival, All Dallan Hayden Does is Win, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss Are the Future and Ohio State Names Players of the Game vs. Purdue

By Chase Brown on October 16, 2023 at 5:00 am
Dallan Hayden, Brandon Inniss
Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY Network
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Welcome to the Skull Session.

Ohio State is 6-0.

Let's have a good Monday, shall we?

 NOT OUR RIVAL. The Buckeyes' "basic" offense produced six touchdowns, and its defense allowed one as Ohio State defeated Purdue, 41-7, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana, over the weekend.

With the dominant win, Ohio State reached the midway point of its 2023 season undefeated at 6-0. But an important question remains for the program after six games and seven weeks: Are the Buckeyes good or great?

We will learn the answer when Ohio State faces Penn State Not Our Rival on Saturday.

Ohio State checked in at No. 3 in the most recent AP and USA TODAY Coaches polls. In the latest NCAA stats update, the Buckeyes' offense ranks 28th and 11th in the FBS at 435.2 yards and 36.2 points per game, while their defense ranks sixth and third at 269.4 yards and 10.2 points allowed per game.

Penn State fell to No. 7 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the Coaches Poll despite a 63-0 win over UMass, as both the Associated Press and coaches elevated Washington after its 36-33 win over Oregon. The Nittany Lions' offense ranks 47th and seventh in the FBS at 404.6 yards and 40.6 points per game, while their defense ranks first and second at 204.4 yards and 8.2 points allowed per game.

Those ranks and statistics in mind, Ohio State-Penn State is the game of the week in college football, with ESPN's College GameDay and FOX's Big Noon Kickoff set to attend the top-10 showdown in Columbus.

In a four-quarter battle between two good football teams, one will emerge great.

For Ohio State to be great and beat Penn State, the Buckeyes must start fast, establish the run and lean on its stellar defense. Or, in other words, the recipe Ohio State used to beat Purdue, scoring touchdowns on two of three first-quarter drives (three of three had Devin Brown not fumbled at the 1-yard line), rushing for 175 yards on 36 carries (without sacks) and allowing 257 yards and seven points defensively.

Are Penn State and Purdue comparable teams? H-E-double hockey sticks no. But when Ohio State faces Penn State on Saturday at Ohio Stadium – a venue that will hold 105,000+ fans in scarlet and gray – the Buckeyes should look to build off of one of its best all-around performances this season versus Purdue, combining those three ingredients (and more) to beat the Nittany Lions in Columbus.

Ohio State holds a 23-14 all-time record against Penn State, including six consecutive wins and victories in 10 of 12 matchups since 2011.

Time to make that 24, seven and 11.

 I GOT HAYDEN'D. Gadies and gentlemen, I present "Tim Tebow - All He Does Is Win," but Dallan Hayden themed.

This kid is a gamer. He's a baller. He's a playmaker and a shot caller.

In case you didn't know... I got Hayden'd. He shattered the mold. And all he does is win. All-all-all he does is (help Ohio State) win games.

Listen. I got Hayden'd. He shattered the mold. And all he does is win. All-all-all he does is (help Ohio State) win games.

Unleash Dallan Hayden. Let him go. It's time. Turn him loose. Let him play. Let him play on Saturdays. Unleash Dallan Hayden. Let him go. It's time. Turn him loose. Let him play. I'm going to the Shoe on Saturday.

Running up the middle, I think that's his game. I GUARANTEE YOU THAT! He's no Archie Griffin. He's rewriting the book week in and week out. He's a unique football player. That's what Dallan Hayden is all about.

He's a gamer. He's a baller, playmaker, shot caller. He's a gamer. He's a baller, playmaker, shot caller. Unleash Dallan Hayden. Let him go. It's time. Turn him loose. Let him play. Let him play on Saturdays. And all he does is win. All-all-all he does win – one more day, one more win – all-all-all he does in (help Ohio State) win games.

Dallan Hayden is a dude.

He was that dude in Ohio State's win over Purdue.

Already without TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams with undisclosed ailments, Ohio State lost Chip Trayanum after a pile up with Boilermaker defenders. That meant Hayden, considered either Ohio State's RB4 or RB5 before Week 7, became RB1 days after head coach Ryan Day shared his desire to redshirt the Tennessee native in 2023.

Hayden led Ohio State's rushing attack with 76 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries. He was explosive all afternoon.

Hayden's second carry of the afternoon went for 17 yards and set up 1st-and-goal at the 7-yard line for the Buckeyes. On the next possession, Hayden collected three carries for 25 yards in an 11-play, 73-yard touchdown drive that put Ohio State up 20-0 in the second quarter. Later, in a six-play, 67-yard drive for Ohio State, Hayden added three more attempts for 21 yards, including a 19-yard run to the Purdue 3-yard line and a 1-yard dive into the end zone, extending the Buckeyes' lead to 27-0.

Is that good?

Given Ohio State's incredible depth in the running back room, Day's plan to redshirt Hayden made sense. Now, I am not so sure.

Do I see Hayden practice five or six days a week? No. Have I paid attention to his efforts as a pass-blocker and a pass-catcher? Also no. But in 2022, I watched him run for 108 yards and one touchdown vs. Toledo, 102 yards and one touchdown vs. Indiana and 146 yards and three touchdowns vs. Maryland. On Saturday, I watched him run for 76 yards and one touchdown vs. Purdue. This kid is a gamer, a baller, a playmaker and a shot caller as a ballcarrier, and he looks no worse than the second-best ballcarrier the Buckeyes have.

Is that an Overreaction Monday Take™? Perhaps.

However, if the Buckeyes' goals are to beat Michigan, win a Big Ten championship and win a national title in 2023, Hayden looks like he should be a part of Ohio State's process to accomplish them.

 THE FUTURE. Ohio State's wide receiver room features Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming and Xavier Johnson as its top four pass catchers. Next season, all of those Buckeyes could be – and probably will be – in the NFL.

Most college football programs could not withstand that level of exodus. Ohio State is not most college football programs. When Ohio State loses its top receivers after 2023, the Buckeyes will reload with Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss and more.

While Ohio State's "and more" remains to be seen (hearing reports of No. 1 overall prospect Jeremiah Smith), I am confident that Tate and Inniss are the future.

OBNOXIOUS SELF-REFERENCE WARNING:

Brian Hartline, man.

He's a wizard.

 PLAYERS OF THE GAME. The Sunday after an Ohio State win in 2023, Eleven Warriors will present an offensive and defensive Buckeye with player of the game awards. This week, running back Dallan Hayden and defensive tackle Tyleik Williams received our top honors for their performances.

Four hours after we shared our selections, Ohio State revealed its picks: Cade Stover as the offensive player of the game, JT Tuimoloau and Williams as the defensive players of the game and Jermaine Mathews Jr. as the special teams player of the game.

All four players were phenomenal in Ohio State's win over Purdue. Stover's 53-yard, two-touchdown performance kept him on pace to have the best receiving season from a tight end in program history. Tuimoloau and Williams were a constant disruption in the backfield, with Tuimoloau recording a sack for the second consecutive week and Williams collecting two tackles for loss and two pass breakups. And Matthews used his eye-popping speed to make an impact on punt and kick return coverage.

Overall, it was a great afternoon for these Buckeyes.

Congratulations to Stover, Tuimoloau, Williams and Mathews.

I hope all four continue in excellence.

Ohio State will need them.

 SONG OF THE DAY. "Chimes, Carmen Ohio" by TBDBITL.

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