Have the Buckeyes found something that can get them back into national title contender form?
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
This week’s topic: Is Ohio State back?
Josh’s Take
Ohio State scored a big-time victory in Happy Valley this past weekend, stealing James Franklin’s lunch money once again. The Buckeyes out-physicalled (a real term, I swear) Franklin’s Penn State squad, rebounded well from mistakes, and made just enough plays to leave the Nittany Lions’ den with an impressive top-5 dub.
Doing so on the road, in a hostile environment, should give OSU plenty of confidence moving forward, as they keep or even re-focus their eyes on Big Ten and CFP goals… Both of which may have become blurry or grainy after the Oregon loss and a rough outing against Nebraska.
So now the million-dollar question(s) is: Are the Buckeyes back? Did they re-establish themselves as legitimate national title contenders with this hard-fought win in enemy territory? Or was it simply par for the course with Franklin on the opposing sideline?
Of course, one could also argue that Ohio State never left. I mean, Ryan Day’s team was ranked No. 4 when they touched down in Pennsylvania, and they are now sitting at No. 3 with a one-point loss to No. 1 and a road victory over No. 6. OSU seems well-positioned to at least make the 12-team CFP, provided they take care of open, remaining business.
The “are they back?” debate is what Gene and I decided to embrace for today’s edition of You’re Nuts… On Nov. 4, no less. How fortuitous. I have no insight into my partner’s POV on this one, but I think that at least one of us will surprise with our answer/response. Much like we’re all surprised that these are our choices — just generally speaking, about nothing in particular.
Personally, I am not ready to jump back on the Buckeye bandwagon… Yet. I absolutely believe that they have the talent to contend for and even win a national title, however, I still need to see more. Specifically from Jim Knowles’ defense.
Now, does that mean I have zero concerns with or about Ohio State’s offense? No, not quite. Will Howard has to avoid/eliminate big mistakes, Donovan Jackson needs to hold up at LT, and the offense must find a higher level of consistency. But we have proof of concept. We believe that OSU’s skill guys are pretty much unstoppable if put in a position to succeed. And despite the occasional frustrating playcall – AKA boundary run – we know that Day and Chip Kelly can scheme up an offense with the best of them.
But the Silver Bullets on the other side of the ball have much to prove, in my humble opinion. Because while they limited Penn State to six points on offense and currently rank No. 3 nationally in PPG allowed, it’s not the average to above average opposing offenses that I worry about. It’s the Oregons and possibly even Indianas of the world that I need to see stifled and choked out by Knowles and Co. before I am or would be willing to believe in the latter’s ability to contribute to a national championship run.
For nearly three years now (more, if you harken back to the Coombs days), we have seen the Buckeyes’ defense feast on inferior opponents and then get exposed by those with equal or close-to equal talent. Additionally and arguably more worrisome is the fact that the pass rush has gotten worse and the scheme more vanilla.
The current defensive product is not what many envisioned when Knowles was hired by Ohio State, nor is it what many envisioned when Larry Johnson chose – and chooses – to stick around and develop five-star talent along the defensive line.
Until OSU takes belt to ass against an Oregon or 2022 Georgia-type offense, I can’t and won’t consider the Buckeyes a national title favorite. However…
I am willing to at least hedge and say that I believe Ohio State has a chance to put themselves in that (title contender) position. I was 1.5 feet out after Nebraska, but I am cautiously dipping my toes back in as of today. If the defense steps up against Indiana, I might really come around. And trust me, I want to. But I need to see the best of the Silver Bullets – and Knowles, Johnson, et. al – before I believe that this is or will be OSU’s next title team.
Gene’s Take
I will start out by saying that, in a vacuum, the win over Penn State was impressive. Sure, Ohio State was favored by a few points heading into the game, but for a team that has not handled adversity well under Ryan Day, coming off a lackluster performance and going on the road against a top-five team and then immediately falling behind by 10 points, only to come back and emerge victorious? That is a good win.
The Buckeyes did a lot of things well in the victory against the Nittany Lions.
The offensive line may have found its new starting group, as Donovan Jackson and Carson Hinzman performed admirably in their new roles, albeit with a few hiccups. That culminated in a complete show of force to end the game, as Ohio State ran the ball 11-straight times to bleed the clock. The biggest area for concern overall for the Buckeyes moving forward was their ability to put together something at least competent up front without Josh Simmons, and on Saturday they answered that bell.
Ohio State’s defense also put together a really impressive showing, not allowing a single offensive touchdown across the entire 60 minutes — the first time Penn State has been held out of the end zone on offense in a game since 2014. Jim Knowles’ unit looked much more in sync, and even included some increased variability along the defensive line, perhaps signaling Knowles has finally been allowed to take full reigns of the unit and that Larry Johnson has been told to cede some control of his position group.
On top of that, it was great to see a lot of the younger players make significant impacts in the game, especially on a team full of veterans.
Brandon Inniss hauled in his second career touchdown with the Buckeyes, giving Ohio State a lead it would not relinquish early in the second quarter. Jelani Thurman made a massive bobbling catch on fourth down to extend a drive. Kayden McDonald entered the game for an injured Tyleik Williams and was a critical part of the fourth quarter goal line stand to virtually ice the game. Oh, and of course Jeremiah Smith led the team in receiving yards. The list goes on and on…
All that to say: Yes, Ohio State’s victory over Penn State was impressive and hard-earned. However, even with a big win over the No. 3 team in the country, I am not ready to jump on the Buckeyes’ national title bandwagon just yet.
Fair or not, the James Franklin era Nittany Lions are kind of just a team that always loses this game. Ohio State has won eight-straight meetings between the two schools, and 12 of the last 13. It hasn’t mattered what kind of obvious flaws the Buckeyes are dealing with in any given year, whether it be a historically bad defense in 2018 or below-average quarterback play in 2023. Outside of a fluky blocked kick in 2016, Ohio State has still found ways to win despite any limitations.
Simply put: the Penn State game has not been an accurate barometer for how the Buckeyes’ season is going, or how it is going to go when Day finds himself matched up against another top-five ranked team later in the year.
Are there positives to take from this performance? Absolutely! I definitely feel better about Ohio State’s chances moving forward now than I did before the Penn State game. However, it is hard to erase the years of data from my brain that show the current head coach has a hard time getting the job done against top teams that aren’t the Nittany Lions.
Ohio State still has to get through two very difficult games in the regular season against an undefeated Indiana team currently ranked No. 8 in the country and of course a Michigan team that has not impressed this year but has defeated the Buckeyes three-straight times. If they managed to get through both contests unscathed, they will likely face off against No. 1-ranked Oregon in the Big Ten title game. All of that is before we even begin to discuss potential College Football Playoff matchups.
Ryan Day is 3-7 against top-five opponents and only 9-8 against top-10 teams. Just for comparison’s sake, for all of his faults Urban Meyer was 13-4 against top-10 teams and 6-1 against the top-five — and he won a national title. Until Day proves that he can parlay having one of the nation’s most talented teams into consistently winning at the top end of the sport, I cannot confidently say that the Buckeyes are ‘back’.