The Spartans enter this matchup versus the Buckeyes coming off a last-second field goal to defeat Penn State a week ago. Michigan State relies heavily on a stingy defense and timely offense to sit at 7-2 on the season thus far. Defensively, the Spartans rank 12th in Total Defense (303 yards per game) and an impressive 3rd nationally in…
It is no secret that covering kickoffs has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride for the Buckeyes this season, but not the well-maintained rides at the major amusement parks. This is a traveling carnie ride that comes with a waiver before riding. On the season, the Buckeyes have kicked off 65 times, good for 4th nationally.
Ohio State entered the game versus Iowa ranked near the top 5 nationally in Total Offense, while yours truly undermined the offensive prowess of the Hawkeyes, even referring to their offense as “archaic.” While most of us celebrated Halloween earlier in the week, it appears as though the Buckeyes celebrated by showing up late…
Greg Schiano stated earlier in the week that Iowa will provide a very different look for the Buckeyes offensively compared to recent opponents. While the scheme may look drastically different, the same principles will remain in place for the Ohio State defense. Eye discipline of the secondary and linebackers will continue to be important as the…
The Iowa Hawkeyes are coming off a workman-like win over Minnesota last Saturday, pushing their record to 5-3 thus far on the season. The Hawkeyes are led by their defense which currently sits 44th nationally in Total Defense and 12th in Scoring Defense with 17.4 average points allowed. The strength of the defense lies in the linebacker…
Penn State entered the game on Saturday ranked third nationally in total defense, but showed some susceptibility against bunch formations and switch routes in the weeks leading up to the game versus Ohio State. A key factor that contributed to the success of the passing game on Saturday stemmed from a variation of the “Switch Concept.”
This game has the feel of a Bowl game, even a CFB Playoff game, and quite frankly could probably be analyzed for a few more weeks. This is a matchup of strength-on-strength no matter what phase you study, but let’s take a closer look at some of the key factors heading into the game versus Penn State.
Admittedly, I was late to jump on the “Hype Train” that was J.K. Dobbins. I just couldn’t wrap my head around a freshman running back making such an impact at this stage in his career. But here we are, seven weeks into his career and he has rushed for 775 yards on 100 carries. He currently sits 11th nationally in rushing yards…
The “Silver Bullets” is a term coined from Buckeye defenses of the past who were notoriously aggressive and flew around the field creating havoc. Aside from a few lean years, the defense has been true to form of late. But with defensive coordinator Greg Schiano in charge, the defense appears to be playing faster and more aggressive…
