What can we possibly learn from what seems like the seventh 73-14 win for the Buckeyes this season?
I have no idea, but even a day late because of basketball, I’m going to give it a shot.
If I were to let Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt do this piece, the first item on the list would be that somebody in the Maryland football program blew the whistle on Chase Young.
But that’s not what we’re talking about here.
We’re talking about the action on the field and what we all saw from the Buckeyes.
Let’s get started.
1. At this rate, Master Teague will hit the 1,000-yard mark sometime in the fourth quarter of the Big Ten Championship Game.
I’m not trying to jinx Master Teague, hence my “at this rate,” but he is very much on pace to rush for 1,000 yards this season. In fact, he is now scheduled to hit the 1,000-yard mark with about six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter in the 13th game of the season. Whether that’s the Big Ten Championship Game or a bowl game, that’s the pace Teague is currently on. He is sixth in the league in rushing with 699 yards on the ground, averaging 77.7 yards per game. That number actually goes up 92.7 in conference play, which is good for fourth in the B1G.
2. JK Dobbins should be Ohio State’s Heisman representative.
I don’t believe Chase Young’s Heisman campaign is over, but missing more than one game is generally an elimination. Justin Fields gets more attention than JK Dobbins, but he shouldn’t. Dobbins is elite this season and is putting up elite numbers. Fields has been very good, but he’s basically just the quarterback of a Top 4 team. There were literal carries on Saturday where Dobbins was untouchable. He should be rewarded for his improvement and play this season because he deserves it, as opposed to a guy who simply plays quarterback — albeit very well.
3. Garrett Wilson is perfectly comfortable returning punts.
Any time you have a guy who will grab a bouncing punt when a defender or two is right next to him, you know he is as comfortable on a football field as you are on your couch. Like your couch, football conforms to Garrett Wilson. The coaches love his aggression in getting after the footballs, but on the one in question where there was traffic, Ryan Day and Brian Hartline talked to him immediately afterward and told him to be smarter in terms of game situation. There was no need for him to grab the ball in that situation. It will be a lesson learned, but they still don’t want to cap his aggressiveness too much. They might like to see him turn a few punt returns upfield a bit quicker than he did on Saturday, but he’s going to be just fine.
4. Demario McCall still has a role.
The injury to Marcus Crowley allowed Demario McCall to come in and show what he is still capable of doing. McCall rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns on seven attempts, and is also still getting snaps as a third-down back, as well as in the slot. Now he is heading back to the site of his best game — Rutgers in 2017 — where he rushed for 103 yards and also had a 35-yard touchdown reception. He might not get the attempts he was expecting this season, but when he’s on the field, defenses still better be ready for him.
5. Davon Hamilton is an All-Big Ten player.
I doubt it happens because the All-Big Ten vote doesn’t differentiate between defensive ends or defensive tackles, but Davon Hamilton should be a First-Team All-Big Ten selection this year. The Big Ten simply asks for voters to select four defensive linemen, and since defensive ends put up bigger numbers and most media members can’t watch everybody else’s defensive tackles, they’ll just check the stat sites. He was superb without Chase Young, notching two sacks against an offensive line that had no shot. His performance does beg the question…
Just imagine how many sacks Davon Hamilton would have this season if he wasn't losing them every week to Chase Young.
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) November 9, 2019
6. ‘The Brotherhood’ isn’t just words.
And I’m not going to use a bunch of words to demonstrate my point. Instead, I’ll just post the video of the Buckeyes catching up with former linebacker teammate Keandre Jones, who transferred as a graduate to Maryland in the spring.
7. Ryan Day was right about Tyreke Smith.
Earlier in the week, Ryan Day said sophomore defensive end Tyreke Smith was the healthiest he has been and they needed him to step up. At the time we didn’t know why he needed to step up, but we eventually found out. Smith finished with three tackles and two sacks against the Terps, chasing quarterbacks down much like his missing mentor. If this is what Smith can do when he is healthy, then the Buckeyes might just be okay this coming weekend at Rutgers.
8. The offense is still getting better.
Ryan Day agreed when asked if this offense is still just scratching the surface. He is adamant that there is still so much improving that this team can do. After the game, sophomore tight end Jeremy Ruckert said they’ve run about half the plays that they’ve practiced. Heck, Ruckert himself is one of those guys who scratched the surface on Saturday with a pair of catches. This hasn’t exactly been a basic offense for the Buckeyes, but it has been one that has featured just 13 passes and 14 rushes by Justin Fields and JK Dobbins in the fourth quarter this season. Ohio State has more offense, they just haven’t had to use it.
9. Chris Chugunov looks under control.
Early in the season, the Buckeyes were getting no movement with their backup quarterbacks. Touchdowns weren’t happening. Drives weren’t going anywhere. Chugunov has since thrown touchdown passes in three games, including one in Saturday’s 8-of-11 for 103 yard-performance against the Terps. Yes, you and I could have looked relatively composed against Maryland, but that doesn’t mean we would have known what to do with the ball and when. Chugunov knows this offense inside and out and plays confidently when he is in the game — even standing tall in the face of an impending pass rush when the Buckeyes are up by 50-odd points.
10. Saturday is going to be ugly.
Ohio State travels to Rutgers on Saturday and because of Big Ten rules limiting travel rosters, only 74 Buckeyes will be making the trip. The vast majority of those 74 players will be scholarship players. Which means when it is 63-0 in the third quarter and Ohio State is trying to run the clock out, they’ll be handing the ball off to an Army All-American or an Under Armour All-American. When they are trying to keep Rutgers from scoring, it will be a Top 100 player trying to make the stop. The Buckeyes can turn to their youth and their backups, but all of those guys are still really, really good and looking to make some big plays.
+ 1
Kick Ass team
I am impressed with Justin Fields and I think his passing makes our running game better. Will be very exciting to see how much Justin progresses next year. I think we are getting a little spoiled around here with very good QB play, lol.
I hope Master Teague gets to play all of the second quarter and most of the third quarter and that should get him around 150 more yards rushing. Dobbins and Teague are a great combination.
Can anyone provide an update on WRs Austin Mack and # 80 CJ Saunders health? I do not even know what kind of injury he has this year. Can CJ redshirt this year ? I enjoyed watching him play last couple of seasons.
I do not think the NCAA should have a rule about how many players the visiting team is allowed to bring. That should be up to the Universities and their coaching staffs especially in a situation like Rutgers plus when a small college travels to a powerhouse university I think the coaches should be able to reward players they feel have earned the right to feel the excitement of The Shoe or Death Valley and many other great campuses.
Thanks
Ten things I learned from last Saturday.
1. OSU toyed with MD, remember this is the same MD that basically out gained MI the first half the week before and to me has the upper echelon of backs in the B1G, and let’s not forget the heart pounder last year.
2. OSU was rusty, hence the penalties, that needs to get cleaned up..FAST!
3. OSU’s DL really didn’t miss a beat in the game.
4. OSU is a team that distributes its wealth, there are many who are Heisman worthy, but Dobbins shares with Teague, Hill, Victor, Olive, etc…
5. As long as OSU stays hungry, the only team that can beat OSU is OSU, like injuries, penalties, TO’s, etc…
6. Hand the Heisman to Burrows, over 450 total yards in T town, Take Joe away from LSU and they are a 2-3 loss team, as long as he is upright, he will hurt anyone. It’s his to lose.
7. AL will get a lot of love as Tua warmed up as the game went on and AL nearly came back and stole that game. AL only has to eat their cup cake before playing their only other decent game at Auburn, then observes the SEC battle in Atlanta.
8. MN is good and PSU may not be that elite. Contrary to the talking heads, MN did not dominate PSU. PSU overwhelmingly dominated the conservative MN in the 4th q. and should they have kicked FG’s instead of pushing for TD’s they could have won 32-31. MN made the huge plays, but their running game was not that impressive, especially when it counted!
9. While all eyes are on the big two games; PSU at OSU and OSU is at MI, let’s not forget the two big games our opponents both play before OSU, MN toppled PSU and now PSU hosts a decent IN team. MSU led a decent IL team 31-10 b4 the wheels came off, and will come to AA with an attitude and then Harbaugh must head to Bloomington to play IN. The Hoosiers lost to OSU, and took MSU deep into that game before succumbing. Guarantee that IN will get Allen his signature win or cause a lot of heart ache to one of them…or both!.
10. We all need to SERIOUSLY question the NCAA and their policies. Arguably, one of the most dominating D players in decades on a story book team is being denied his moment in the son…..his crime? It seems that he is guilty of borrowing money so his gal could see him play in the Rose Bowl and then paid it back, to me, that’s character! If this story holds true, SHAME on the NCAA!
It’s not ten things u learned from last Saturday…..its ten things u learned from OSU/MD! And even then, can u keep it to five. It’s bad enough I have to read ten things by the writer!
I have always liked Dobbins’ game and this year he is really finishing runs for extra yards. I would vote Dobbins for Heisman.
I absolutely disagree with your take on Fields. Of course his numbers are not as good as some others because he is often sitting out the fourth quarter and sometimes the whole second half. I know that won’t make any difference to the Heisman committee, but it should.
I agree that JK Dobbins should be OSU’s Heisman rep this year. And post-Wisconsin game, after the head-to-head with Taylor, there was some momentum. But too little too late?
Demario McCall shows flashes at times and I get excited to see more of him. Maybe next year? Isn’t that what we said last year?
Coach Day admitted that there was an emphasis on the passing attack going into the Maryland game. I fully agree with that decision since they seem to have the running game figured out. I hope to see more passing against Rutgers as well.
I think what we learned is that we should stop talking about Buckeye candidates for Heisman. It ain’t going to happen. Not that that’s a bad thing. But Dobbins and Fields will never have gaudy stats because our offense is so diverse.
Jeff … JK Dobbins has gaudy stats.
Strike One: Chase Young plays defense only. Strike Two: Negative press for any reason at all compounds Strike One by an exponent. Strike Three: He’s missed at least one game and likely the minimum will be two if Buckeye fans are lucky. Shortest Hypesman—Heisman campaign ever.
I wish J.K. could be a serious Hypes—Heisman contender but he won’t have the gaudy stats required because of all the carries he shares. Only RB with a chance is Chuba Hubbard and his chance ain’t good because his OSU is terrible.
Chugs is a backup QB and nothing more. If Fields were to go down the only things saving the Buckeyes would be Dobbins and the D.
We learned that the flags didn’t disappear with the retirement of Coach Meyer. Too many and for too stupid of reasons.
I would agree bad press is a strike but j Winston won it don’t forget that
Jameis didn’t miss games and played QB
I learned that Justin Fields is a very good quarterback but he needs more reps – which is obviously not going to happen this Saturday – hope Penn State is more competitive – though I think the game will be similar to Wisconsin in terms of score – meaning a lot of running in the fourth quarter