Ohio State Takes on The Minnesota Gophers Saturday in Columbus

Ohio State Takes on The Minnesota Gophers Saturday in Columbus

OhioState

Ohio State comes into its 7th game of the season ranked number three in the country, picked to win the Big Ten, and a winner in all six of its games so far. They just beat Indiana 49-26 in the Horseshoe and now face a struggling Minnesota team at home with a noon kickoff on Fox. Dwayne Haskins continues his great play, passing for 6 touchdowns and almost setting a school record for yards in a game (he had 455 yards while the record is 459 by Art Schlichter). Haskins could easily finish the year with the most completions, yards, and touchdowns by a quarterback in Ohio State history.

Parris Campbell had a great game last weekend, catching 9 passes for 2 touchdowns and 142 yards.

Did the Buckeyes Struggle?

Ohio State feels that it needs to improve in a couple of different ways. They want to get started quicker so they do not fall behind in games. And they want to stop explosive gains by their opponent on runs or long passes. The Golden Gophers aren’t focused on OSU’s difficulties, they are looking at one of the best teams they will face all year and know it’s going to be rough. Ohio State is favored to win the game by 29.5 points.

Third Down Conversions

Third down conversions will be a focus for Ohio State this weekend where head coach Urban Meyer is looking for the team to complete 80% of the conversions when less than 3 yards. He also wants to see 60% conversion on mid-range downs and 40% on long distance third down plays.

Buckeye Defense

Ohio State hopes to get even more of a pass rush this weekend. Having more of a pass rush will relieve the burden on the backs in coverage. Jonathan Cooper, Malik Harrison and Nick Bosa will be out this weekend which could limit their pass rush ability. If they can stop the big plays and keep Minnesota under the 320 yards they have been kept under the last five games, Ohio State will win. Having safety Isaiah Pryor for the full game this week should help the Buckeye’s stop the Gophers.

No. 3 Ohio State vs. Minnesota Preview

 
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