Tag: Shaun Wade

WATCH: Shaun Wade with 36-yard Pick Six vs. Indiana

Ohio State and Indiana are trading punches in the Horseshoe. One of those punches involved cornerback Shaun Wade’s 36-yard pick six.

After scoring on its first drive of both halves, Ohio State found itself in a little bit of a fight against Indiana when the Hoosiers scored two-straight touchdowns to cut the lead to 14 points. But never fear, Buckeye corner Shaun Wade had a plan.

On 2nd and ten, Indiana quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. dropped back and threw the ball to the long side of the field where Wade was waiting in the weeds to bait the throw. He stepped in front and returned for an easy 36-yard interception return for a touchdown.

It was a big spot in the game because the Hoosiers had momentum on offense.

Ohio State still seems to be in relative control in this one, but more plays like this will put it out of reach. Indiana is still hanging around.

[lawrence-related id=40750]

[lawrence-related id=40740]

[lawrence-related id=40737]

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

Download the USA TODAY SportsWire app to follow Buckeyes Wire and your other favorite teams in the Apple Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android devices.

Five keys to Ohio State beating Indiana this weekend

Ohio State takes on a top ten Indiana squad this week in the ‘Shoe. The Buckeyes are huge favorites but here are five keys to victory.

Very few people expected the matchup between Ohio State and Indiana to be one where both teams are in the top 10. Indiana has been a huge surprise this season, and while the Hoosiers have beaten everyone they’ve faced, it looks like none of those teams are as good as many thought going into the season. Nevertheless, Indiana is a solid team and Ohio State can not look past it.

We have looked at five reasons why the Buckeyes will win, and we did some scouting of Indiana as well this week. Within both of those were some ideas of how the Buckeyes matchup and how they can win. Let’s delve further into the five keys to an Ohio State victory.

[lawrence-related id=40671]

Next … Justin Fields being — well, Justin Fields.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6

Three Ohio State players appear in USA TODAY’s latest NFL first round 2021 mock draft

Ohio State football has three players appearing in the latest USA TODAY Sports 2021 NFL first-round mock draft. Who, and where?

You can never get too much coverage of the NFL draft if you’re a football junkie, and Ohio State is usually right at the top of the list of programs churning out talent. It’s now a year-round process trying to track and predict what players each team will take and, it’s no different with the folks at USA TODAY.

Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz is the media giants’ NFL draft guru and he just came out with his latest and greatest projection of where teams will pick and what names you may hear called. It’s a little closer to reality at this point in the season because there’s a much better shot at a call where teams will land, but all of that will change as the NFL season goes through its latter half.

It will probably be no surprise to you, but Ohio State has some players included in the latest mock — three in fact. Who does Middlehurst-Schwartz have going in the first round, and where? Well, we’re glad you asked.

NEXT … The first Buckeye off the board

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Ohio State’s Shaun Wade says he’s been ‘greedy,’ focus is on getting better

Ohio State’s top returning corner is learning a new position and looking to improve each week. Shaun Wade says he needs to get better.

It kind of felt like Christmas morning when Shaun Wade decided to opt back into 2020 season after almost losing it to the COVID-19 Big Ten postponement. After Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette became first-round NFL draft picks, Wade immediately became the “old man” in the secondary.

Many have pegged Wade as the next great corner at Ohio State, but the OSU cornerback hasn’t quite lived up to expectations in 2020… most importantly, his own. During Ohio State’s weekly press conference, Wade was asked about his play and gave some interesting insight.

Wade said at times, he’s been “greedy” going for the interception, but after watching film from the first three games he knows he needs to be content with just breaking up the pass.

Wade was also asked if he’s concerned about how he’s being evaluated game by game.

“No, because I evaluate myself. My coaches evaluate me,” Wade said … “At the end of the day, you just want to win. If I play bad and we win a natty, I’m going to be happy because we won a natty…”

To be fair, Wade is learning to play a new position, moving from the slot corner to the outside. He said that the distance from the ball is a big adjustment, but that he’s going back and studying film of Okudah and Arnette and their technique. Wade said he’s even picking the brain of younger OSU DBs who have played outside more than himself.

Ohio State needs Shaun Wade to keep learning and it sounds like he’s taking the steps to do so. Anytime you have a player of Wade’s caliber who willingly admits he has room for growth, that’s a player you want to go to battle with. With an eagerness to get better each week, we’ve got a sneaky suspicion that Shaun Wade will do just that. And as he improves, so improves the chances of an Ohio State national championship.

This week, Maryland presents what could be the toughest test of the year to this point and a passing attack that may challenge a young Buckeye secondary. Time to see if Wade has taken big enough strides in the right direction.

[vertical-gallery id=40018]

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

Download the USA TODAY SportsWire app to follow Buckeyes Wire and your other favorite teams in the Apple Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android devices.

Ohio State vs. Maryland 2020 Football Preview And Prediction

Ohio State travels to Maryland this week to take on a team that’s getting its act together. Here’s your preview and prediction for the game.

We’re three games into the 2020 season and Ohio State has taken care of business thus far as they trek towards the toughest leg of their schedule. After taking care of Rutgers and trick plays galore, the Buckeyes are now on to face upstart Maryland.

Seriously, did anyone look at the schedule at the beginning of the season and see this stretch as the part that could make or break the Buckeyes season? If you said yes… I don’t believe you. But it is looking more and more likely to be the case.

Michigan has looked just awful after a season-opening victory over Minnesota. And Penn State? Not much better.

So, here we go with week four of Big Ten play and Ohio State takes on the second-place team in the Big Ten East… the Maryland Terrapins. What an odd time 2020 is.

Record

Ohio State (3-0), Maryland (2-1)

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Saturday, Nov. 14
Game Time: 3:30 p.m. EST
Network: Big Ten Network
Venue: Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium – Capacity – 51,802 (no fans permitted due to COVID-19 restrictions)
All-Time Series: Ohio State leads 6-0
Last Meeting: Ohio State defeated Maryland 73-14 in 2019

Next … The game plan

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Five keys to Ohio State winning big over Rutgers

Ohio State is set to host Greg Schiano and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights Saturday night. Here are five keys to winning big in prime time.

Most people think that Ohio State will win easily against Rutgers this week in Columbus. While I believe that is pretty accurate, there are five keys to winning big that will reign supreme over all the other reasons. Rutgers is probably better than most are giving them credit for, but it is still not on the same level as Ohio State.

That’s not saying that head coach Greg Schiano will make a difference in culture — and ultimately — results on the field, it’s simply to early to expect enough momentum to make this that competitive of a game, or so we think.

Still, Ohio State can’t just step off the bus and roll their helmets on the field. Each opponent must be taken seriously, and so it is Saturday night as well. With that in mind, here are five keys to Ohio State winning big over Rutgers.

Key One: Justin Fields playing within the game

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6

With Cameron Brown confirmed out for the season, Ohio State turns to development

Cameron Brown’s injury forces Ohio State to turn to its inexperienced depth at corner. Time for some accelerated development in Columbus.

Early in the fourth quarter against Penn State, one of Ohio State’s rotating corners, Cameron Brown, was carted off with a non-contact injury. The worst fears have been confirmed by Lettermen Row. Brown is now out for the season with an Achilles injury and the Buckeyes must find someone to replace him. Luckily, they have two players that can step in and provide some help. With Shaun Wade, Sevyn Banks, and Marcus Williamson already inked as the starting corners, and with Brown out, the depth has taken a hit.

An intriguing option to grab playing time is a third-year sophomore Tyreke Johnson. Johnson has the height to play outside but has played even less than Williamson. In fact, he received no playing time against Penn State. He now figures to get some time to rotate in and out against bigger receivers and will most likely be next in line should anything happen to Wade, Banks, or Williamson.

The coaching staff talked up Johnson all offseason and seem to think he is ready to make a leap. Getting him some playing time will help when Wade moves to the NFL next season. The good news here is that — though inexperienced — the Buckeyes do have some depth behind Johnson.

As far as that goes, former high school quarterback Cameron Martinez and safety/corner recruit Lejond Cavazos may also figure in. Both are expected to be answers for the future of the program, but they may be needed for depth now. Former Oklahoma commit Ryan Watts could also factor in should duty call. Still though, for a position group that was already green, having to go deeper into that well isn’t the most ideal situation.

There’s no way around it. Brown going down hurts, but there’s still talent in the program, it might just need some accelerated development to add depth to an already thin and inexperienced position group.

WATCH: Penn State WR Jahan Dotson makes incredible TD catch

Watch Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson make an amazing one-handed touchdown catch against Ohio State

Even in a losing effort for Penn State, wide receiver Jahan Dotson made one of the best catches of the year in all of college football.

Going up against one of the nation’s top corners in Ohio State’s Shaun Wade, Dotson made an incredible one-handed stab, landing in bounds and then finishing it off by taking it into the end zone.

Wade is widely regarded as a first-round talent in the 2021 NFL draft class, and Dotson is doing his best to prove that he belongs in the same conversation.

[vertical-gallery id=623909]

Breaking down Ohio State’s defensive breakdowns against Penn State

Ohio State had some defensive breakdowns in the passing game. We look at what caused them and what OSU can do to fix them.

Ohio State walked out of Happy Valley with a victory that had some ups and downs. One of the downs was some of the defensive breakdowns in the secondary. Granted, Jahan Dotson is really good, and with two circus catches and a perfect throw by Sean Clifford, it made some of the issues seem worse than they really were.

Still, if we’re being honest and a bit nitpicky (we are), then things weren’t as tight in the back-end of the defense as anyone rooting for Ohio State would like.

One thing we did see as a positive was the defensive line getting consistent pressure on Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford. Ohio State was also able to contain the running attack by the Nittany Lions. The pressure certainly rattled Clifford, but he made some big throws at some big times.

Some people will point directly at Shaun Wade, but he played the receiver perfectly on the first one-handed catch by Dotson and then on the throw by Clifford to Dotson for the touchdown over the middle. For the one-handed catch for a touchdown, there was some shoving that didn’t get called that got Wade got off balance, and it still took Dotson making a circus catch.

What most people didn’t seem to remember is that for a little more than a half Dotson was lined up against Sevyn Banks. Banks played soft coverage against Dotson and it showed with the Buckeyes allowing a lot of crossing routes. Banks not getting a hand on whomever he was lined up against allowed Penn State to hit multiple passes straight down the field in the opening of the second half.

[lawrence-related id=39591]

[lawrence-related id=39585]

[lawrence-related id=39565]

Because the Buckeyes were putting pressure on Clifford and using linebackers to add to the pass rushers, Penn State hit the crossing routes much of the night. As soon as the linebackers dropped into coverage, then that all changed. It was a way Penn State took advantage of the aggressiveness of Ohio State.

There were some times where Penn State tried to clear out the linebackers and safeties to allow a one-on-one situation and trust that the receiver could get just enough separation. It worked off and on throughout the game. Something the Buckeyes will need to focus on going forward is getting receivers off their routes earlier, and not letting them get a clean release.

As the season wears on, Banks will get more experience and should be able to come down and provide more press off the line. You can bet teams will key on. Going deep on Ohio State is going to be difficult, and working underneath and over the middle will be an issue until things get worked out through growth, experience, and development.

[listicle id=39286]

 

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

Download the USA TODAY SportsWire app to follow Buckeyes Wire and your other favorite teams in the Apple Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android devices.

Five keys to Ohio State beating Penn State

Ohio State and Penn State are set to do battle Saturday night. We bring you five keys to a Buckeye victory on the road in Happy Valley.

[jwplayer gK2BUcEW]

Ohio State playing rival Penn State this weekend was supposed to be a matchup between two top 10 teams. With Penn State losing against Indiana last weekend, that isn’t happening, but it’s still a huge game. These two have played multiple one-possession games over the last few seasons, and there are always a few keys to which side comes out the victor.

Generally, playing in Happy Valley at night in whiteout conditions enters the fray, but that won’t be the case this year because of the COVID-19 restrictions implemented by the Big Ten on fan attendance. Still, there are plenty of other things to digest for this game.

As we do every week, here are five keys to Ohio State walking away from Beaver Stadium as an undefeated team.

[lawrence-related id=39266]

NEXT … Shaun Wade comes to play

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6