Ohio State football fans are still reeling from one whale of an entertaining game in the Fiesta Bowl last Saturday. As expected, it was a close-knit affair that could have gone either way, save for a slew of breaks going in the wrong direction.
As good as this Buckeye team was — and I’ll be pushing up daises before I don’t believe it was the best team in 2019 — it sure feels like the season ended prematurely. It was clear Ohio State was the better ball club on the night of December 28, it just made to many key mistakes and had almost every single break go against it. But, that’s part of the game and you have to try and overcome.
Now we look ahead to the 2020 season, and there’s no reason to be more optimistic than a mosquito at a moon-bathing convention. So let’s dive in.
First, the offense. The key piece is returning, and he’s a good one. Quarterback Justin Fields will be back with a year of seasoning, and an offseason to heal up on that gimpy knee. I still wonder if the injury he sustained wasn’t more serious than what was led on, but either way, he should have time to get that right again.
Remember that feeling. Let it fuel you in everything you do this offseason. Let’s work @justnfields
— Dwayne Haskins, Jr🌹 (@dh_simba7) December 29, 2019
He’ll be protected by an offensive line that somewhat surprisingly has most of itself intact for next year. Gone is the gold-speculator’s find in graduate transfer and left guard Jonah Jackson, but center Josh Myers, left tackle Thayer Munford, and right guard Wyatt Davis are all seemingly headed back to mash defensive lines for another year.
Nicholas Petit-Frere has big-game experience and should be able to take over for the departed Brandon Bowen at right tackle, and a talented yet still developing Enokk Vimahi is the odds on favorite to nail down the vacant left guard spot. That’s a solid and much more proven corps to work with than what the coaching staff thought it had coming into this season.
At the skill positions, wide-receivers Binjimen Victor and K.J. Hill are gone, but it’s still a deep group that will get even deeper with the arrival of the best wide-receiving class in program history — and best in the country. J.K. Dobbins departure will hurt, but Master Teague is the next man up that should shine as the featured back next season.
On defense, the line will again be a very, very good one. Zach Harrison is about to become a star at the end spot. And while the unit loses Chase Young, BB Landers and DaVon Hamilton, guys like Tyreke Smith, Tommy Togiai, Tyler Friday, Javontae Jean-Baptiste and Haskell Garrett are going to keep the level of play high.
Speaking of hustle, watch Zach Harrison, a DE, almost run down Trevor Lawrence on QB draw that went for 67-yard TD. Harrison is a beast. What effort!
— Bruce Hooley (@BHOOLZ) December 29, 2019
The Back seven is probably the biggest concern, but there is reason to believe that OSU can re-load. Linebacker Malik Harrison is gone to graduation, but the team will still have the services of Tuf Borland, Baron Browning, Pete Werner and others. We’re still waiting to see who takes Jeff Hafley’s spot in developing the secondary, but Amir Reip, Sevyn Banks, Cameron Brown, Josh Proctor and gang will have to step up if all four DBs are indeed gone because of graduation and early departure.
And we can’t forget about special teams. Punter Drue Chrisman and kicker Blake Haubeil both have another year to flip bottles, boom punts, and split the uprights.
So yeah, the loss stings but there’s a lot to like about the team coming back in 2020. It should be another year of a dynamic offense, with some question marks in the back-end of the defense, but there is no reason to believe this team can’t make another run at a Big Ten Championship and spot in next year’s College Football Playoff.
Heck, maybe it’ll get another shot at Clemson.