The Buckeyes are back at it today, as they play the Northwestern Wildcats on the road in Evanston, Illinois. Last week, Ohio State won on the road in Happy Valley against a scrappy Penn State team 44-31, as the Silver Bullet defense got after Sean Clifford and the Nittany Lions, forcing four turnovers. Buckeye defensive end JT Tuimoloau forced a fumble and snagged a pair of picks, including a pick six to basically seal the game. Rumor has it that he earned 16 Buckeye leaf stickers at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center!
I see the Silver Bullets and the rest of the Buckeyes causing havoc in Evanston, Illinois for a struggling Northwestern Wildcats team. To get an idea of just how rough it's been for the Cats this season, they got smoked 33-13 by Iowa last week. Up until that point, Iowa had an anemic offense.
The Buckeyes are a 38-point favorite, and should roll to an easy win. But how do they get there? Let's take a look at the Keys to Victory!
Impose your will early
The Buckeyes need to get off to a fast start, and not allow Northwestern to have any hope or hang around. If the offensive line sets the tone early, and the defense causes chaos and forces turnovers, Ohio State should be well on their way to rolling to 9-0!
Don't play down to the competition
I remember the last time Ohio State lost to Northwestern. It was 2004. I was a 13-year-old kid, and the Wildcats upset a seventh-ranked, previously undefeated Buckeyes team in Evanston. I was absolutely stunned. A 1-3 team had knocked off the powerhouse. David had killed Goliath that day. But all throughout that game, it seemed like Ohio State had been sleepwalking, and they paid for it.
While I highly doubt that happens today, the Buckeyes need to handle it better than the 2004 team did. That means going to Evanston with a business-as-usual mindset, which I am confident that Coach Day has instilled in them for games like this where they're expected to win big.
Sharpen up weaker areas of the game/Get the reserves some action
This one will only come into play if and when Ohio State has the game well in hand. But if the Buckeyes are winning big like they are supposed to, I hope they practice other areas of the game they may not be as strong in. Particularly running the football. I know Ohio State is a pass-first, pass-heavy offense with CJ Stroud running the show, and that's completely okay. It's who they are. But it would be great to see the running game roll today. Ohio State is already a National Championship contender. But I believe a solid running game, and an even better defense will be the "X-Factors" that lead to them winning the whole thing in January if they get the job done. And games like this are possibly a great opportunity to work on improving in all those areas.
It would also be nice to see Ohio State be able to dig into the roster a little bit. I don't know how much, if any, action that the backups will see. But if the Buckeyes are winning big, chances are they'll get some action. Hopefully these guys get plenty of work in while the starters rest up for next week against Indiana at home.
While anything can happen on any given day, and games aren't won on paper or in Vegas, Ohio State should roll to 9-0 today. It all goes down at Noon on ABC! GO BUCKS!
Source: ESPN
Picture Credit: clutchpoints.com
Comments