#2/3 Ohio State
v. Ohio University
Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
Kickoff: 12 noon
TV: ESPN2
By Pete Quint
Beanie Wells
Buckeye fans worst fear came to
life Saturday when Heisman Trophy candidate Beanie Wells went down with a foot
injury. As of now, no word as to the
extent of the injury but the good news is that x-rays were negative and Beanie
was seen walking on his own power in the fourth quarter. Regardless the extent of the injury, there is
probably no chance we will see Beanie this Saturday against Ohio University. Taking center stage will be Daniel “Boom”
Herron, Maurice Wells and Brandon Saine.
Wells and Herron looked good this Saturday and Saine, who saw a little
playing time, is still recovering from an injury. OU had an excellent game against Wyoming last week and
came up just shy of a win. The Bobcats
are a step up from Youngstown
State but the game should
still be a warm up for the showdown with USC the following week.
OSU “O”
How sweet it was to see the
Buckeyes on the field again. They proved
a lot of things to Buckeye Nation; Beanie is a stud, Todd has four legitimate
threats at wide receiver, and the defense is scary good. You can say that it’s just YSU but you can’t
deny that they looked polished except in the redzone but we’ll get to that
later. The Bobcat defense gave it their
all against the Cowboys and recorded two interceptions while linebacker Noah
Keller racked up 15 tackles, seven solo.
The Bobcat defense will be a greater challenge to the Buckeye offense
but with all the weapons OSU has at its disposal, OU won’t be able to keep up
over the length of the game. Expect some
eye opening plays by the Bobcats early on but as the game plays out, the
Buckeyes will wear down the defense and cruise to a victory.
OSU ”D”
OU Quarterback Theo Scott and wide
receiver Taylor Price both had excellent games and Malcolm Jenkins and the
Buckeye secondary need to be ready for this duo. The Bobcat rushing attack was lead by Chris
Garrett with a total of 30 yards. Ohio State
held Youngstown State to -11 yards rushing which does
not bode well for the Bobcat rushers.
This game should be one of ball control with the defense dominating the
Bobcats and giving the Buckeye offense every opportunity to score. Like the YSU game, don’t expect too many spectacular
stats from the defensive side of the ball, just a business-like workday.
Summary
If the Buckeyes continue to fail to
score while in the red-zone and fail to protect the quarterback they will lose
three games this year. USC, Penn State
and Wisconsin
will eat up the Buckeyes if these problems are not resolved. That said OU doesn’t pose much of a threat on
either side of the ball. Even if the
Buckeyes are looking ahead to USC they should be able handle the Bobcats
relatively easily. In 1999, the last
time the two teams met, it was 10-10 at halftime and I expect the Bobcats to
come out with guns-a-blazin’ and give the Buckeyes their best shot. It still won’t be enough.
Prediction: OSU 38 –
OU 10
Why OSU will win: Focus on the task at hand. Superior depth and talent.
Why OSU will lose: Complete
and utter Buckeye meltdown.
Crazy stat or the
game: An Ohio
State victory will be the
800th win all-time for the university.
OU players to watch:
Junior QB #3 Theo Scott
Junior WR #23 Taylor
Price
Sophomore
DE #95 Ernie Hodge
Personal note: This
one will likely be the hottest game of the year. Temperatures will be in the 90’s so keep cool
and drink lots of water with your BEvERages.