Many believe the 2020 version of the Ohio State football team could contend for a national title again. It has a Heisman front-running quarterback coming back to lead the charge in Justin Fields, a slew of explosive weapons in the passing game, and a veteran offensive line.
So yeah, things should be set up for one whale of a run at some pretty special things once again this fall, but it won’t be easy. It’s not enough to just look good on paper. All the parts have to come together with development, motivation, injuries, and of course breaks. Truth be know, Ohio State didn’t get the breaks it needed in the Fiesta Bowl last year, and it kept the Buckeyes from playing in the national title game.
So what does OSU have to do in order to take the prize home this year?
ESPN has an opinion on that. Bill Connelly, ESPN’s advanced stats guru, put together a piece laying out what some of the top programs must do in order to be a national title contender. Even though Ohio State is expected to be one of those teams, he still believes some things have to be answered.
Next … What Ohio State must do according to Bill Connelly
No. 1 If … the pass rush holds up
What Connelly says
“Chase Young was unfair. Despite being increasingly double-teamed as 2019 went on, the now-former Buckeyes defensive end generated pressure on 19% of his pass rushes (easily the most among players with 200-plus attempts) and sacked QBs 16.5 times (also the most). It’s been a while since Ohio State didn’t have an incredible pass-rusher, but that bar’s probably too high for anyone to clear.”
“One way or another, the Buckeyes will have to continue generating high pressure. The OSU secondary has to replace first-round cornerbacks Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette and safeties Jordan Fuller and Brendon White, and while corner Shaun Wade is a proven entity and fellow juniors Cameron Brown and Sevyn Banks have shined when given the chance, the best favor you can give a newish secondary is a stressed-out quarterback. Ends Zach Harrison and Tyreke Smith are former blue-chippers, but neither enjoyed even a 10% pressure rate; senior Jonathon Cooper’s return from an injury will help, too, but new coordinator Kerry Coombs might have to get a bit creative to get pressure.”
The rush off the edge is a concern when you lose a guy like Chase Young, but if any program can plug and play at that position, it’s Ohio State. The Buckeyes have one of the best defensive line coaches in the country with Larry Johnson, and have gone from one Bosa, to another Bosa, to Chase Young. Watch out for Zach Harrison to be the next great one.
Next … The performance of the wide receivers
If … The young wide receivers step up
What Connelly says
“The Buckeyes’ offense was balanced and brilliant in 2019, and it returns quarterback Justin Fields and three linemen who earned all-conference honors, but J.K. Dobbins (2,003 rushing yards) and three of last season’s top five receivers all depart.”
“No one is a sure thing, but the replacements are close to it. Carries will go to some combination of sophomores Master Teague III and Marcus Crowley, redshirt freshman Steele Chambers and Oklahoma transfer Trey Sermon, while Chris Olave and blue-chip sophomore Garrett Wilson return after combining for 79 catches and 1,281 yards. Still, diversity was a huge plus in the Buckeyes’ receiving corps (six players caught 20-plus passes), and that means a few options from a pool of other recent blue-chippers — sophomores Jameson Williams, Jaelen Gill and injury-prone Kamryn Babb, plus four incoming freshmen led by all-world Julian Fleming — have to produce immediately, especially with a Week 2 trip to Oregon looming.”
We tend to agree here too, though by now you know Jaelen Gill isn’t in the mix anymore since he’s decided to transfer to Boston College. This could be the most productive and dangerous wide receiver group we’ve seen in a long, long time in Columbus.
Usually, the goods are still there for Ohio State to plug the holes left because of the unbelievable talent that goes on to the NFL. Typically, those are replaced by other NFL caliber guys, and you have to feel pretty good about that happening again this fall.
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