The big question in this game is whether Wisconsin has any kind of hangover from that loss in East Lansing. That was a devastating way to lose a game, so will they be able to get over it and show up for this game?
Ohio St. Offense vs Wisconsin Defense
Wisconsin is much better equipped to stop the run than Illinois was, so Ohio State will not be able to throw the ball 4 times and stay in this game. Michigan State showed the blueprint to beat this team. They beat them with the passing game. Wisconsin's defensive backs are not great and they miss tackles. Unfortunately for Ohio State, they don't have a senior pocket passing QB or any great receivers like Michigan State does. The key for Ohio State is to play like they did in the first 3 quarters against Nebraska. In that game, they kept Nebraska's defense off balance by throwing screens, designed QB runs, and quick passes. Wisconsin will blitz all night long and will have 8-9 guys in the box. Ohio State will have to be able to throw the ball to have any shot of moving the ball.
Advantage: Wisconsin Defense
Wisconsin Offense vs Ohio St. Defense
Ohio State will need to do much better at stopping the run than they did against Wisconsin last year. Last year, in Madison, Wisconsin lined up and manhandled the front 7 all night. Ohio State is better equipped to handle that this year because their defensive line and linebackers are bigger and the defensive line is deeper. Michigan State showed that Russell Wilson will make mistakes if you get pressure on him. The problem for Ohio State is that they have had trouble getting to the QB all year. Ohio State has been more willing this year to put their corners in man to man coverage than they have in years past, where they played almost all zone. That leads me to believe that Ohio State will load the box to stop the run, and put their corners out on islands vs the Wisconsin Wide Receivers.
Advantage: Ohio State
Advantages
QB: Wisconsin
RB: Even
WR: Wisconsin
TE: Even
OL: Even
DL: Ohio State
LB: Even
DB: Ohio State
Special Teams: Ohio State
Coaching: Wisconsin
Prediction: Both offenses will start out successful, but the defenses will settle in after the first couple of series, which will lead to a slugfest all night. The two keys to the game for Ohio State are whether Ohio State's defense can stay fresh through the 4th quarter, and whether Ohio State's offense can put together any semblance of a passing game. I suspect the Ohio State defense will keep it close, but I don't think the offense will be able to put up enough points to pull it out. I see it as Wisconsin: 27 Ohio State: 17
Subscribe To
Posts
All Comments
Showing posts with label Preview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Preview. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Ohio State vs Illinois Preview
Ohio St. Offense vs Illinois Defense
The big question in this game is which Ohio State team is going to show up, and will it be for the whole game? Will is be the Ohio State team from the 1st half of the Nebraska game that looked like vintage Ohio State, or will it be the Ohio State team from the 2nd half of the Nebraska game which we have been seeing all year. The other big question is can Miller make it through the whole game. You can bet Illinois is going to be blitzing a lot and trying to get as many shots on him as they can. The line is going to have to protect him and he is going to need to be careful when running.
What I would like to see: Ohio State coming out playing like they did to start the Nebraska game. I want to see some creative play calling, an offensive line that dominates the line of scrimmage, and Braxton Miller keeping the defense off balance and on their heels. I want to see Miller make it through the game unscathed and keep the offense on the field long enough to give the defense enough rest so they are not gassed in crunch time.
What I expect to see: I expect to see them closer to what we have seen all year than what we saw in the first half at Nebraska. We have always struggled on offense at Illinois, so I would expect this offense to struggle at least as much as those in the past. Illinois' defense is allowing under 3 yards per carry rushing. That is not good for this offense because they are not good enough to move the ball consistently through the air.
Advantage: Illinois Defense
Illinois Offense vs Ohio St. Defense
Illinois has had an explosive and balanced offense this year. Scheelhaase is a good runner and passer, so it will be important for the defense to remain disciplined. Jenkins has been one of the 2 best receivers in the B1G this year, so it will be important to keep him from getting big plays.
What I would like to see: I want to see the defense punish Scheelhaase when he runs. The defensive line needs to come out and dominate like they did against Nebraska in the first half. The linebackers need to play much more disciplined and aggressive than they did against Nebraska. The DB's will keep the receivers of Illinois in front of them all game to prevent the big plays.
What I expect to see: I expect to see our defense struggle in this game. Our linebackers (primarily Sabino) were exposed in the Nebraska and Miami games as being undisciplined, not aggressive, and unable to get off blocks. The defensive backfield has also shown that they can be beat deep, which is not good against Jenkins. Overall, I expect the defense to hold their own, but will give up some big plays.
Advantage: Even
Advantages
QB: Illinois
RB: Ohio State
WR: Illinois
TE: Ohio State
OL: Ohio State
DL: Ohio State
LB: Illinois
DB: Even
Special Teams: Ohio State
Coaching: Illinois
Prediction: Both offenses will come out aggressive and both will be mildly successful to start the game off. Then, I see the defenses settling down and dominating the middle parts of the game. Illinois has been weak on special teams, so Ohio State will need to get a few big returns and keep Illinois from getting any good returns. I expect the Ohio State offense to get an early lead and the special teams to keep them ahead throughout the game, but Illinois will wear the defense down and score late to stay unbeaten and send Buckeye Nation to a new low. I see it as Illinois: 24 Ohio State: 20
The big question in this game is which Ohio State team is going to show up, and will it be for the whole game? Will is be the Ohio State team from the 1st half of the Nebraska game that looked like vintage Ohio State, or will it be the Ohio State team from the 2nd half of the Nebraska game which we have been seeing all year. The other big question is can Miller make it through the whole game. You can bet Illinois is going to be blitzing a lot and trying to get as many shots on him as they can. The line is going to have to protect him and he is going to need to be careful when running.
What I would like to see: Ohio State coming out playing like they did to start the Nebraska game. I want to see some creative play calling, an offensive line that dominates the line of scrimmage, and Braxton Miller keeping the defense off balance and on their heels. I want to see Miller make it through the game unscathed and keep the offense on the field long enough to give the defense enough rest so they are not gassed in crunch time.
What I expect to see: I expect to see them closer to what we have seen all year than what we saw in the first half at Nebraska. We have always struggled on offense at Illinois, so I would expect this offense to struggle at least as much as those in the past. Illinois' defense is allowing under 3 yards per carry rushing. That is not good for this offense because they are not good enough to move the ball consistently through the air.
Advantage: Illinois Defense
Illinois Offense vs Ohio St. Defense
Illinois has had an explosive and balanced offense this year. Scheelhaase is a good runner and passer, so it will be important for the defense to remain disciplined. Jenkins has been one of the 2 best receivers in the B1G this year, so it will be important to keep him from getting big plays.
What I would like to see: I want to see the defense punish Scheelhaase when he runs. The defensive line needs to come out and dominate like they did against Nebraska in the first half. The linebackers need to play much more disciplined and aggressive than they did against Nebraska. The DB's will keep the receivers of Illinois in front of them all game to prevent the big plays.
What I expect to see: I expect to see our defense struggle in this game. Our linebackers (primarily Sabino) were exposed in the Nebraska and Miami games as being undisciplined, not aggressive, and unable to get off blocks. The defensive backfield has also shown that they can be beat deep, which is not good against Jenkins. Overall, I expect the defense to hold their own, but will give up some big plays.
Advantage: Even
Advantages
QB: Illinois
RB: Ohio State
WR: Illinois
TE: Ohio State
OL: Ohio State
DL: Ohio State
LB: Illinois
DB: Even
Special Teams: Ohio State
Coaching: Illinois
Prediction: Both offenses will come out aggressive and both will be mildly successful to start the game off. Then, I see the defenses settling down and dominating the middle parts of the game. Illinois has been weak on special teams, so Ohio State will need to get a few big returns and keep Illinois from getting any good returns. I expect the Ohio State offense to get an early lead and the special teams to keep them ahead throughout the game, but Illinois will wear the defense down and score late to stay unbeaten and send Buckeye Nation to a new low. I see it as Illinois: 24 Ohio State: 20
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Ohio State vs Nebraska Preview
Ohio St. Offense vs Nebraska Defense
Can Ohio St. do anything on offense? That is the key to the game. The good news is that this is not a vintage "Black Shirts" defense for Nebraska. They got completely manhandled by Wisconsin, though our offense is definitely not Wisconsin. Nebraska is 64th if the FBS in Total Defense and 73rd in Points Against. This should give Ohio State's offense a little better chance than against Michigan State.
The big question to me is how conservative will Ohio St be. If they come out playing predictably conservative, like they have all year, then this is going to be another long night. Nebraska is going to stack the box all night to stop the run and will blitz Miller at every chance. Will Ohio St be able to pass the ball to keep Nebraska's defense honest?
What I would like to see: Everyone assumes Ohio St will come out very conservative, so I would like to see Ohio St. come out in the "I" formation and run a play action deep ball the first play of the game. Then, I would like to see a heavy dose of play action bootlegs, WR screens, and RB screens throughout the first few possessions to hopefully keep the defense honest, so they cannot tee off on the running game and blitzing Miller.
What I expect to see: I expect to see a lot of the same. I expect to see Ohio St come out running the ball and playing very conservatively. Most likely, Ohio St will run almost every first and second down, leaving Miller in tough 3rd and longs all night.
Advantage: Nebraska Defense
Nebraska Offense vs Ohio St. Defense
The key to this matchup is whether Ohio St. can stop Nebraska's running game. Ohio St. needs to be able to stop the run and force Martinez to try to win the game through the air. Martinez is a 50% passer and is prone to making mistakes (5 interceptions this year).
What I would like to see: I am hoping to see Ohio State's defensive line dominate this game. The buckeye defense needs to stop the Nebraska running game, and force them into obvious passing downs. I then want to see the DB's make plays. I want at least 2 interceptions, including a much needed defensive touchdown. They have been close a few times this year to getting Int's that would have turned into pick 6's. This is the game they need to convert some of those Int's.
What I expect to see: I expect to see Nebraska play fairly conservative offensively. They have to know that Ohio State's offense is going to have trouble scoring any points, so they will not too many chances.
Advantage: Ohio State Defense
Advantages
QB: Nebraska
RB: Nebraska
WR: Nebraska
TE: Ohio State
OL: Nebraska
DL: Ohio State
LB: Nebraska
DB: Ohio State
Special Teams: Nebraska
Coaching: Nebraska
Predicion: Both teams will come out conservative on offense and aggressive on defense. This will be another low scoring game. Ohio State's only chance is to get the lead early and try to hang on. It will also be important to get some big defensive and special teams plays. I see the defense keeping it close, but I can't see our offense being able to do enough in a hostile environment to win the game. I see it as Nebraska: 20 Ohio State: 13
Can Ohio St. do anything on offense? That is the key to the game. The good news is that this is not a vintage "Black Shirts" defense for Nebraska. They got completely manhandled by Wisconsin, though our offense is definitely not Wisconsin. Nebraska is 64th if the FBS in Total Defense and 73rd in Points Against. This should give Ohio State's offense a little better chance than against Michigan State.
The big question to me is how conservative will Ohio St be. If they come out playing predictably conservative, like they have all year, then this is going to be another long night. Nebraska is going to stack the box all night to stop the run and will blitz Miller at every chance. Will Ohio St be able to pass the ball to keep Nebraska's defense honest?
What I would like to see: Everyone assumes Ohio St will come out very conservative, so I would like to see Ohio St. come out in the "I" formation and run a play action deep ball the first play of the game. Then, I would like to see a heavy dose of play action bootlegs, WR screens, and RB screens throughout the first few possessions to hopefully keep the defense honest, so they cannot tee off on the running game and blitzing Miller.
What I expect to see: I expect to see a lot of the same. I expect to see Ohio St come out running the ball and playing very conservatively. Most likely, Ohio St will run almost every first and second down, leaving Miller in tough 3rd and longs all night.
Advantage: Nebraska Defense
Nebraska Offense vs Ohio St. Defense
The key to this matchup is whether Ohio St. can stop Nebraska's running game. Ohio St. needs to be able to stop the run and force Martinez to try to win the game through the air. Martinez is a 50% passer and is prone to making mistakes (5 interceptions this year).
What I would like to see: I am hoping to see Ohio State's defensive line dominate this game. The buckeye defense needs to stop the Nebraska running game, and force them into obvious passing downs. I then want to see the DB's make plays. I want at least 2 interceptions, including a much needed defensive touchdown. They have been close a few times this year to getting Int's that would have turned into pick 6's. This is the game they need to convert some of those Int's.
What I expect to see: I expect to see Nebraska play fairly conservative offensively. They have to know that Ohio State's offense is going to have trouble scoring any points, so they will not too many chances.
Advantage: Ohio State Defense
Advantages
QB: Nebraska
RB: Nebraska
WR: Nebraska
TE: Ohio State
OL: Nebraska
DL: Ohio State
LB: Nebraska
DB: Ohio State
Special Teams: Nebraska
Coaching: Nebraska
Predicion: Both teams will come out conservative on offense and aggressive on defense. This will be another low scoring game. Ohio State's only chance is to get the lead early and try to hang on. It will also be important to get some big defensive and special teams plays. I see the defense keeping it close, but I can't see our offense being able to do enough in a hostile environment to win the game. I see it as Nebraska: 20 Ohio State: 13
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)