Even though they haven’t played each other in a bowl game in nearly 44 years, there is a semblance of a rivalry with Ohio State and USC. National titles have been won and lost when these two teams have met in the past, and those losses still sting plenty of Buckeye fans. The two teams have met in the Rose Bowl seven times previously…
Well, it’s here — the final game before we can move on and start talking about the Great Quarterback Competition of 2018. But let’s not move on too quickly because this year’s Cotton Bowl looks pretty darn interesting. No. 5 Ohio State (11-2) and No. USC (11-2) meet once again in bowl season, which is really never a bad thing.
DALLAS — Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and USC head coach Clay Helton took part in the Cotton Bowl’s final press conference before Friday’s kickoff. The two coaches talked about their respective teams and opponent, and what needs to happen to get a victory tomorrow night. Here are the highlights.
The Ohio State defense has given up just one 100-yard rushing game to an opposing running back this season, and that came on the road at Iowa, where Akrum Wadley carried the ball 20 times for 118 yards in a 55-24 win over the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes have faced seven of the top 10 rushers in the Big Ten, and only once — Wadley…
USC has the kind of defense that will throw an entire kitchen sink at Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett. And then after they throw the sink, they will see what else is left over in the cupboard. The Buckeyes have been preparing for many different forms of attack from the Trojan defense, and Barrett is confident that he…
Ohio State last played in the Cotton Bowl 31 years ago, becoming the first Big Ten team to take part in the Texas classic. The Buckeyes won that game 24-12, and OSU fans still have happy visions of Chris Spielman intercepting a pair of passes, and returning one for a pick six. It was a nice cap to a season that about six weeks earlier…
This Ohio State offense is no stranger to talented and versatile defenses — they have played three of the top 10 total defenses in college football this season. Wisconsin, Michigan, and Michigan State all allow fewer than 300 yards of total offense per game, and the Buckeyes averaged 441 yards against them.
The Buckeyes are on pace to set a school record for total offense per game this season. The current record is 511.9 yards per game by the 2013 team, but the 2017 team is currently averaging 523.6 yards per game. Their 42.5 points per game is tied for third-highest in school history as well. Despite those lofty numbers, things haven’t…
The Buckeyes were back on the practice field again on Tuesday morning. You can check out Jim Davidson’s photos from Ohio State’s Cotton Bowl prep.
Back in the spring, the argument could have been made that redshirt freshman Tuf Borland was Ohio State’s No. 4 middle linebacker. Chris Worley moved over from Sam and was the Buckeye starter at middle linebacker. Borland was in the mix to back him up along with true freshman Baron Browning and redshirt sophomore Justin Hilliard.
When a college football team gets left out of the playoffs, there are always questions about their desire to play in whatever bowl game they get assigned to. There is a let down at play that can affect preparation and determination. For the Ohio State defense, those feelings went away pretty quickly after finding out they would…
