Richard Tongohan
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Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0) VS Indiana Hoosiers (2-0)
Richard Tongohan via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
This Saturday will be Ohio State’s first true road game and what better way celebrate that with it being their first conference game of the season? Justin Fields has been more impactful at home, in front of the home fans, but we have never seen him away from the confines of the shoe–at least not up to this point of the season. Both teams stand at 2-0 with dominant wins against mediocre teams, but this is a step up in competition and talent for both teams and not to understate things, it looks to be another exciting game.
Michael Penix Jr, Game Time Decision
The heart and soul of this Hoosier offense lay squarely on the shoulders of Penix, but will he be available for the game against Ohio State? Penix carries a lot of the responsibilities and he accounts for a lot of the offense and its production. In two games, he is 38-40 for 523 yards and 3 touchdowns against 2 interceptions. He also has 79 yards rushing, which has been a problem for the Ohio State defense of old. Will they suffer from the same problems with a faster, in conference team? Or will they put the clamps on and win convincingly once again?
Depending on his health, Penix should get the starting nod, but just in case Peyton Ramsey will be asked to step in once again, in a familiar role as a starter. He was the guy in the last two season and he is a baller. A dual-threat QB that has gone 442-666, for 4,353 passing yards and 31 touchdowns against 18 interceptions. He also has 580 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground. He is more than capable of giving the Buckeyes fits, but that is if he can take care of the ball.
Fields/Dobbins Hot Streak
Justin Fields has been on quite a tear and the trail could heat up a bit more. 38-50 with 6 scores through the air. He also has 21 rushes for 103 yards and 3 more scores. Can he continue to light teams up and will he bring the explosive offense to Bloomington? Will he get his entire offense more involved and can they maintain the momentum against a Big 10 foe? Justin Fields is certainly up for the challenge, but will Indiana throw everything at Ohio State to confuse the young quarterback?
J.K. Dobbins ignited last weeks onslaught against the Cincinnati Bearcats and he too is looking to help his team during the current hot-streak. Although he hasn’t been a consistent part of this offense, when he gets his chance, he doesn’t disappoint. Dobbins has racked up 232 yards with three scores on the ground. He ripped his season-long of 60 yards against Cincinnati before leaving to give his stablemates some reps. Will he continue to terrorize defenses with his blend of speed and power?
The Chase Young Show
Let’s be real, the Indiana Offensive Line has a chance to stop one of the most dominant defensive forces and Ohio State’s Chase Young can certainly be that game-breaker to break past often. This defense led by Young is allowing 186 passing yards and 64.5 rushing yards and they say that they haven’t even scratched the surface or reached their stride. This version of the Buckeye defense has lived up to the hype and they have vastly improved over the tutelage of the new defensive coaching hires.
They play fast and aggressive, and more importantly, they are playing with a chip on their shoulder. Can this new-look defense get to and affect this quarterback? This line still hasn’t given up a sack and this will be a good test to gauge their progress. I can see Young and his teammates making Penix or Ramsey miserable, but we will have to see how it develops. The linebackers and defensive backs have improved, but against a conference foe, it’ll be the measuring stick before the meat of their schedules.
Zone 6 Machine
Zone 6 has been one of the best position groups on the team and they are deep at that position for the third year in a row. They aren’t as quick as last years group, but they still manage to break away and make splash plays happen for Fields and the offense. Victor, Hill, and Olave have been terrors. They have been consistent through two games, but I feel that they have been underutilized and it’ll change soon. They have been the focal point, but once they start clicking, watch out. Balance is the name of the game and so far, the Buckeyes have done well to mix in the run and the pass. Once the offense gets comfortable and once the passing game is leaned upon, it’ll be crazy.
The Tight End room has also been targeted more often compared to the recent years at Ohio State, and Ohio State has joined the party. In the first week, Ruckert had a couple of scores and it showed another dimension to the Buckeye offense. Not only will they be used to block defenders, but they also flash their skills in limited action. It acts as another piece to the puzzle for defenses to decipher. Teams are having trouble, but let’s be real, we relish the productivity of this offense.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
PREDICTION
Ohio State Buckeyes defeat Indiana Hoosiers 48-20
Indiana seems to always shock the Buckeyes enough to hinder their offense and that streak looks to continue. It’ll be tough, but once the Buckeyes get it going, it’ll be hard to stop. I can see the starters putting the game out of hand by the 3rd quarter and I expect the backups to gain more valuable reps against Indiana’s first and second teams.
Continue reading...
Richard Tongohan via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
This Saturday will be Ohio State’s first true road game and what better way celebrate that with it being their first conference game of the season? Justin Fields has been more impactful at home, in front of the home fans, but we have never seen him away from the confines of the shoe–at least not up to this point of the season. Both teams stand at 2-0 with dominant wins against mediocre teams, but this is a step up in competition and talent for both teams and not to understate things, it looks to be another exciting game.
The heart and soul of this Hoosier offense lay squarely on the shoulders of Penix, but will he be available for the game against Ohio State? Penix carries a lot of the responsibilities and he accounts for a lot of the offense and its production. In two games, he is 38-40 for 523 yards and 3 touchdowns against 2 interceptions. He also has 79 yards rushing, which has been a problem for the Ohio State defense of old. Will they suffer from the same problems with a faster, in conference team? Or will they put the clamps on and win convincingly once again?
Depending on his health, Penix should get the starting nod, but just in case Peyton Ramsey will be asked to step in once again, in a familiar role as a starter. He was the guy in the last two season and he is a baller. A dual-threat QB that has gone 442-666, for 4,353 passing yards and 31 touchdowns against 18 interceptions. He also has 580 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground. He is more than capable of giving the Buckeyes fits, but that is if he can take care of the ball.
Justin Fields has been on quite a tear and the trail could heat up a bit more. 38-50 with 6 scores through the air. He also has 21 rushes for 103 yards and 3 more scores. Can he continue to light teams up and will he bring the explosive offense to Bloomington? Will he get his entire offense more involved and can they maintain the momentum against a Big 10 foe? Justin Fields is certainly up for the challenge, but will Indiana throw everything at Ohio State to confuse the young quarterback?
J.K. Dobbins ignited last weeks onslaught against the Cincinnati Bearcats and he too is looking to help his team during the current hot-streak. Although he hasn’t been a consistent part of this offense, when he gets his chance, he doesn’t disappoint. Dobbins has racked up 232 yards with three scores on the ground. He ripped his season-long of 60 yards against Cincinnati before leaving to give his stablemates some reps. Will he continue to terrorize defenses with his blend of speed and power?
Let’s be real, the Indiana Offensive Line has a chance to stop one of the most dominant defensive forces and Ohio State’s Chase Young can certainly be that game-breaker to break past often. This defense led by Young is allowing 186 passing yards and 64.5 rushing yards and they say that they haven’t even scratched the surface or reached their stride. This version of the Buckeye defense has lived up to the hype and they have vastly improved over the tutelage of the new defensive coaching hires.
They play fast and aggressive, and more importantly, they are playing with a chip on their shoulder. Can this new-look defense get to and affect this quarterback? This line still hasn’t given up a sack and this will be a good test to gauge their progress. I can see Young and his teammates making Penix or Ramsey miserable, but we will have to see how it develops. The linebackers and defensive backs have improved, but against a conference foe, it’ll be the measuring stick before the meat of their schedules.
Zone 6 has been one of the best position groups on the team and they are deep at that position for the third year in a row. They aren’t as quick as last years group, but they still manage to break away and make splash plays happen for Fields and the offense. Victor, Hill, and Olave have been terrors. They have been consistent through two games, but I feel that they have been underutilized and it’ll change soon. They have been the focal point, but once they start clicking, watch out. Balance is the name of the game and so far, the Buckeyes have done well to mix in the run and the pass. Once the offense gets comfortable and once the passing game is leaned upon, it’ll be crazy.
The Tight End room has also been targeted more often compared to the recent years at Ohio State, and Ohio State has joined the party. In the first week, Ruckert had a couple of scores and it showed another dimension to the Buckeye offense. Not only will they be used to block defenders, but they also flash their skills in limited action. It acts as another piece to the puzzle for defenses to decipher. Teams are having trouble, but let’s be real, we relish the productivity of this offense.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
- Fields VS Secondary
- Defensive Front VS O-Line
- Back Seven VS Speedy WR’s
- Linebackers VS Penix/Ramsey/Scott
- Slobs VS Hoosier D-Line
PREDICTION
Ohio State Buckeyes defeat Indiana Hoosiers 48-20
Indiana seems to always shock the Buckeyes enough to hinder their offense and that streak looks to continue. It’ll be tough, but once the Buckeyes get it going, it’ll be hard to stop. I can see the starters putting the game out of hand by the 3rd quarter and I expect the backups to gain more valuable reps against Indiana’s first and second teams.
Continue reading...