Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Ohio State Buckeyes season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
– Ohio State Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 13-1 overall, 7-1 in Big Ten
Head Coach: Ryan Day, 1st year, 3-0
– CFN Preview 2019: All The Team Previews
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE OHIO STATE OFFENSE
– The offense might be a little faster-paced, but it’s not going to throw like that again. Ohio State and Dwayne Haskins bombed away in a special season for the attack – finishing third in the nation in passing efficiency and second in total offense – but six starters are done, and there will be more of an emphasis on the ground game because ….
– Justin Fields isn’t going to be Haskins … at least right away. However, the running element is back at quarterback with the more mobile man from Georgia about to change up the offensive look, even though offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich wants to throw.
As good as Haskins was – throwing for over 4,800 yards with 50 touchdowns and just eight picks – the complaint was over his lack of running. It was silly – really, people, you didn’t like the greatest passing season in the history of the program? – but Fields should create a new problems for defenses. West Virginia transfer Chris Chugunov and Kentucky transfer Gunner Hoak will battle it out to be the No. 2 man.
– 90-catch leading receiver Parris Campbell and three of the top four targets might be done, but the Buckeye receiving corps is going to be fantastic. KJ Hill is the new No. 1 guy coming off a 68-catch campaign, and seniors 6-2 Austin Mack and 6-4 Binjamen Victor are dangerous veterans. Throw in Michigan game hero Chris Olave, star recruit Garrett Wilson, and a loaded group of tight ends, and the passing game is going to be just fine.
– Mike Weber is done from the backfield, but JK Dobbins is about to blow up statistically – both as a receiver as well as a runner – with more work coming his way and more of an emphasis on getting him going. It’s Ohio State, so there’s plenty of running back talent waiting in the wings, but sophomore Master Teague is the top returning running back behind Dobbins with just 106 yards.
– The offensive line was good in pass protection but just okay for the ground game. Now it has to replace C Michael Jordan, OT Isaiah Prince and OG Malcolm Pridgeon. Thayer Mumford should be the star at left tackle – at least with a little more time – and there’s a whole lot of young talent ready to shine.
Nick Petit-Frere is pushing for a tackle job, Josh Myers should step in at center after being the understudy behind Jordan, and Wyatt Davis will work somewhere on the inside. There might be some growing pains, and the depth is questionable, but it’ll be one of the Big Ten’s most talented front fives with a little time.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE OHIO STATE DEFENSE
– The defense didn’t exactly take a year off, but … here comes the Ohio State defense again. Tackling was way too much of a suggestion at times, it wasn’t a physical enough group up front, and for all the talent in the secondary, the pass defense was disappointing. Even Ohio State has to rebuild a wee bit from time to time, but there’s no excuse this year to not be a whole lot better, starting with …
– The D line lost Nick Bosa for most of last year and then to San Francisco, and Dre’Mont Jones left early, but the pass rush will still be terrific for a front four that will keep the NFL full of fresh bodies.
Chase Young and Jonathan Cooper are set on the outside, and the tackle situation is potentially great if 285-pound senior Robert Landers stays healthy and 310-pound Davon Hamilton can be a rock on the nose.
Freshman Zach Harrison was one of the nation’s top defensive end recruits, and last year’s star gets Tyreke Smith and Tyler Friday are about to play bigger roles.
– Three of the top four tacklers are back, and they’re in the linebacking corps. This was an inconsistent group, but the experience should change that. Watch out for more plays in the backfield and a tougher season against the run.
239-pound junior Pete Werner made 58 stops on the outside, 232-pound Tuf Borland returns on the other side after coming up with 67 stops, and 240-pound thumper Malik Harrison is back on the inside after tying for the team lead with 81 stops.
– CB Kendall Sheffield might have left early for the league of mercenaries, but the secondary should be stronger with so much experience returning. Junior Brendon White will work a bit like a linebacker in a new Bullet position after finishing fifth on the team with 46 tackles – he’ll be a statistical superstar.
Leading tackler Jordan Fuller is back at the other safety spot in what should be an all-star season, and the corner combination of Jeffrey Okuda and Damon Arnette will be as good and as physical as any in the country.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP OHIO STATE PLAYERS
Best Ohio State Offensive Player
RB JK Dobbins, Jr.
He doesn’t get enough national love and attention because his stats aren’t unbelievable, but at least last year, that was partly because Dwayne Haskins and the passing game were so amazing.
The 5-10, 217-pounder is going to be a superstar at the next level – yeah, go ahead and think Alvin Kamara – with his pass catching ability and his quickness.
Last year he ran for 1,053 yards and ten scores, but he was bottled up for just 4.6 yards per carry. That’s about to change as he turns a season more like his 7+ yard-per-carry freshman campaign.
2. QB Justin Fields, Soph.
3. WR KJ Hill, Sr.
4. OT Thayer Munford, Jr.
5. OT Nick Petit-Frere, RFr.
Best Ohio State Defensive Player
DE Chase Young, Jr.
The next great Ohio State NFL defensive lineman, Young is a 6-5, 265-pounder who rose up last season when Nick Bosa went down, finishing the season with 33 tackles with 9.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss.
He’s got next-level prototype size, quickness, and ability to hold up more against the run. On a line that’s undergoing a wee bit of an overhaul, he’ll be the one to work around.
2. S Jordan Fuller, Sr.
3. CB Damon Arnette, Sr.
4. LB Malik Harrison, Sr.
5. CB Jeff Okuda, Jr
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Ohio State Offense
Get the running back rotation working right away. Are you really that sure Justin Fields is ready to go from promising prospect to Heisman-caliber superstar? That’s where the bar is going to be set for a team good enough to win the Big Ten again and go to the College Football Playoff – more on that in a moment.
Even with all of the talent in the world, he’s going to need time and there will be wild inconsistencies – that’s where the running game kicks in.
Even if Fields is just okay, the defense and all-around team talent will be enough to get by for most of the season. However, the more the ground game can do, the better.
JK Dobbins is a sure-thing star to work the ground game around, and Master Teague, Demario McCall, and the rest of the backs might have to carry things from time to time.
Biggest Key To The Ohio State Defense
Be much, much, much, much better and tougher against the run. The defense should be a whole lot better and stronger with so much talent and experience returning, but until it is, it’ll be a concern.
It was more than a decade since Ohio State last went through a season allowing more than four yards per carry, much less the 4.52 of last year. The Buckeyes were hit for over 200 yards three times, and while they were able to beat TCU, Penn State and Maryland, those were major battles.
Even worse, they allowed five yards per carry or more six times. In 2017, only Iowa in its strange 55-24 blowout win was able to hit the five-yard mark, and only three teams did it in 2016.
Key Player To A Successful Season
QB Justin Fields, Soph.
No pressure or anything, but …
Fields was either the No. 1 prospect in the 2018 recruiting season, or No. 1A next to Trevor Lawrence. He was fine at Georgia in his little bit of time behind Jake Fromm, but his career will mostly be remembered for the ill-fated fake punt attempt – all Kirby Smart’s fault for making the call – in the SEC Championship vs. Alabama.
And then came the transfer to Columbus.
His arrival led to the departure of Tate Martell to Miami and Matthew Baldwin to TCU, and there’s a major drop-off between him and backups Chris Chugunov and Gunner Hoak.
So now, he not only has to fill in for Dwayne Haskins after the greatest passing season in school history, but he has to 1) stay healthy, 2) lead the Buckeyes to the Big Ten title, 3) beat Michigan, and 4) get to the College Football Playoff – not necessarily in that order.
Key Game To The Ohio State Season
at Michigan, Nov. 30
Yeah, of course, duh, but it’ll take on a different tone this time around.
If Urban Meyer was still the head man, he could afford a loss or two to Big Blue and still be just fine considering his spotless record in the series. But for new head coach Ryan Day, a loss would be a gigantic no-no to finish off his first full regular season.
The rivalry aspect takes center stage, but the Wolverines should be good enough to get to November 30th with a shot at being at least 10-1 with a Big Ten Championship appearance on the line – just like last year. If all goes according to plan, the same goes for Ohio State, too.
– Ohio State Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Ohio State Fun Stats
– Penalties: Ohio State 116 for 1,055 yards – Opponents 81 for 781 yards
– Passing TDs: Ohio State 51 – Opponents 18
– Sacks: Ohio State 41 for 272 yards – Opponents 23 for 116 yards
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. OHIO STATE WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
Welcome to the new job, Ryan Day. Now win the Big Ten title and go to the College Football Playoff or your season is a … okay, isn’t not right to call a campaign that falls short of winning a championship a failure, but …
Anything less than an 12-1 season with another Big Ten championship will be a fai … disappointment.
Of course there’s going to be a drop-off – even at Ohio State – when there’s a change from one of the greatest college football coaches of all-time to just about anyone else, but Urban Meyer left the cupboard stocked with the most talented team in the Big Ten.
Of course there’s also going to be a drop-off when going from an incredible passing season like the one the Buckeyes enjoyed with Dwayne Haskins, but few places can lose a NFL talent under center and instantly replace him with – arguably – the top quarterback recruit in the 2018 class.
Of course it’s going to take a little while for Justin Fields to be amazing, and for the offense to adjust to the new coaches and styles, but the offensive line is solid, the running backs are fantastic, and the receiving corps – even after losing a few key parts – is one of the nation’s most dangerous.
Best of all, the defensive side should get a whole lot stronger. It struggled throughout last season with its consistency, but there’s experience, depth, and next-level prospects galore to quickly bounce back.
So, of course …
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 11
The concern is 2017 Iowa and 2018 Purdue. Will there be a bizarre road meltdown against someone like Indiana in Bloomington, Nebraska in Lincoln, or Northwestern in Evanston? Here’s the positive – considering the date at Rutgers shouldn’t be an issue, those are the only three road games to worry about before the regular season finale in Ann Arbor.
The Buckeyes have to deal with Wisconsin from the West, but that’s in Columbus, as are the East showdowns against Michigan State and Penn State.
There isn’t a TCU-like non-conference game to worry about – Cincinnati is the most dangerous game outside of Big Ten play – and even though the slate is tougher than it seems, four of the first five games are against teams that didn’t go bowling last season, and there are six games in all against teams that failed to get a swag bag.
There will be a loss along the way, but considering this roster, and with so many key games at home, it’s Big Ten championship or bust.
There’s no excuse for the machine to slow down.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
