Ohio State game plan for victory
Ohio State came out a bit shaky in the first half against Minnesota. C.J. Stroud looked somewhat nervous or maybe it was just the adrenaline as he overthrew several receivers in the opening quarters and another behind Chris Olave that led to an interception. However, the second half was a different story and Stroud looked like a different quarterback.
While the Gophers went into the half with the lead, OSU came out and showed it had the superior athletes. And to come out on top of Oregon on Saturday, the Bucks will need to play all four quarters at a high level.
I said last week that Stroud didn’t need to be a hero, just take care of the ball and get it in the hands of his playmakers. And that’s just what he did. He’ll again need to hit open receivers and let them use the talents they have.
Oregon’s defense should be better than Minnesota and pose more of a challenge, but it remains to be seen if the Duck’s top pass rusher, Kayvon Thibodeaux will be available after suffering an ankle injury against Fresno State.
Even if Thibodeaux does take the field, OSU should continue to set up the pass with the run. The Bucks rushed for over 200 yards against the Gophers and somewhat surprisingly, it looks as if Miyan Willams has taken over as the lead back getting the lion’s share of carries on Thursday night.
Defensively, Ohio State has to get the pass coverage figured out. To be fair, OSU was missing their top two corners against Minnesota. Oregon was run-heavy in week one using three different running backs which plays into the Buckeye’s strength. It would be nice to see the defensive line get a little more pressure on the quarterback this week and keep a less than impressive passing game grounded.