Matt Tamanini
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Five key factors for Ohio State to beat Oregon in the Rose Bowl
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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As it did with Tennessee it all comes down to whether or not we get Turtle Ryan Day or Dark Ryan Day
On Saturday, Oct. 12, the Ohio State Buckeyes ventured across the country to take on the Oregon Ducks. On Wednesday, Jan. 1, Ryan Day’s Buckeyes will once again head to the West Coast to face Dan Lanning’s Ducks, but this time the marquee matchup will not be in Eugene, Oregon, but instead it will be in the most picturesque setting in all of sports, the Rose Bowl.
In the first meeting between the teams this season, Oregon won 32-31 in a sloppy, but thrilling game. Although the Ducks are undefeated and already hold a victory over the Buckeyes, it is the Scarlet and Gray that come into the College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup as the favorites. The defensive adjustments that coordinator Jim Knowles has employed following the loss in Eugene, and the rediscovered offensive aggression and creativity seen in the first-round win over Tennessee, have many football fans, analysts, and bettors across the country jumping back on the Buckeye bandwagon.
Despite the surge in support for OSU, this game is clearly anything but a foregone conclusion. In many onlookers’ minds — myself included — the matchup will likely serve as the de facto national championship game between the two best teams in the country. So, I am going to break down the five key factors that I think will determine whether or not the Buckeyes advance to the CFP semifinals or lose to a team on multiple occassions in one season for the first time since falling to Marietta twice in 1898.
The biggest question for Ohio State all season has been the reliability and durability of its offensive line. Coming into the season, the unit was considered the weakest link on the team, and that was only exacerbated by the season-ending injuries to its two best players, left tackle Josh Simmons and center Seth McLaughlin.
But give credit to much-maligned offensive line coach Justin Frye and the backups in the room as OSU has cobbled together a unit that has played about as well as could be hoped for in recent weeks. With Donovan Jackson kicking out from left guard to left tackle and Carson Hinzman back as OSU’s starting center, the Buckeyes settled on a three-man rotation at guard for the game against the Volunteers and have said that they will again deploy Luke Montgomery, Austin Seireveld, and Tegra Tshabola at the two guard spots against the Ducks.
Against Tennessee, Ohio State did not give up a single sack and the three guards allowed only three combined quarterback pressures all game. In total, the Vols had seven tackles for loss, but they only amounted to 11 negative yards, and five of those yards (on three TFLs) came after the Buckeye starters had exited the game.
While the offensive line wasn’t perfect in the first-round contest — the three guards graded out far more favorably in run blocking than pass protection according to Pro Football Focus — when combined with Chip Kelly’s creative play calling, what was expected to be significant liability for OSU ended up being anything but.
If the Ohio State offensive line is able to continue to keep quarterback Will Howard clean — while also opening up holes for running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins — it will likely be very difficult for the Ducks to remain undefeated.
In the first meeting between Ohio State and Oregon, the Buckeye defense accounted for zero sacks and only two tackles for loss. While that looks like a complete failure by the defensive line — and it is — it is even more so a failure by Knowles and his staff. The game plan in Euegene put little emphasis on disrupting Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel hoping that the four down linemen would be able to beat Oregon’s five offensive linemen, tight ends, and any running backs staying in to block all on their own... that did not happen.
Instead, Gabriel — who went on to be a Heisman finalist — had a clean pocket on almost 64% of his 36 dropbacks, as the Buckeyes brought an extra defender just 13 times. Against those blitzes, the Oregon QB was 7-for-12 (58.3%) and when he wasn’t blitzed, he was 16-of-22 (72.7%). Gabriel is simply far too good of a quarterback to be given that much time.
However, since then, Knowles and company have admittedly “reengineered” the defense; not necessarily completely starting from scratch, but clearly bending what they had been doing to more closely resemble what Knowles did in his first season at Ohio State and during his tenure at Oklahoma State.
According to PFF, in the eight games since the loss in Eugene, the OSU defense has blitzed exactly 100 times. Those dropbacks have resulted in just 39 completions on 78 pass attempts, for a 50% completion percentage, almost exactly 10% better than on non-blitzed attempts.
While the increased blitzes have been very helpful to the OSU defense, that is not the only reason for the improved production. Knowles' playcalling has also ventured outside of the vanilla line-up-and-run-straight-ahead designs that plagued the unit against Oregon. Instead, we have seen far more creative calls that have allowed the front four to come from different positions and angles. There have been stunts, delays, and much more specifically designed to confuse opposing lines, and it has worked. Because of this, the defense hasn’t needed to blitz as much over the past few games as the defensive line — especially senior ends Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau — have been monstorously disruptive on their own.
Since the game in Eugene, Ohio State has not given up a single passing touchdown and has intercepted opposing offenses five times. In their first meeting, Gabriel was 23-of-34 for 341 yards and two touchdowns. If the Buckeyes want to neutralize Oregon’s elite quarterback, they will need to make things much more difficult for him in the pocket than they did the first time around.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25809812/usa_today_24477995.jpg "NCAA Football: Ohio State at Oregon")
Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
The major byproduct of the Buckeyes not being able to get pressure on Gabriel in the first meeting with Oregon was that OSU’s defensive backs were forced to be in coverage for far longer than they should ever have to be. In an absolutely disastrous performance, receivers being covered by Ohio State’s top cornerback Denzel Burke were targeted seven times, resulting in seven completions for a total of 162 yards and two touchdowns.
Wide receiver Evan Stewart was especially problematic for the Buckeyes accounting for 7 receptions, 149 yards, and 1 score on 8 targets (4 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD on 4 targets vs. Burke). Meanwhile, All-Big Ten Second Team WR Tez Johnson went for 75 yards and a TD on the day. Stewart and Johnson have thus far represented the No. 1 and No. 3 receiving performances against the Buckeyes this season, with the 92-yard day from Northwestern’s Bryce Kirtz coming in between them.
There is no way around it: Oct. 12 was a horrendous day for Burke and, therefore, for the Buckeyes. If Ohio State wants to keep its title hopes alive, it must get better play out of its corners on Wednesday.
While the increased pass rush mentioned previously will no doubt have an impact on the Buckeye DBs’ ability to lock up wide receivers, Knowles has also been experimenting more with the team’s corner rotation recently. Last week, the defensive coordinator said that he considers sophomore Jermain Mathews Jr. to be a starter, even if he is not on the field at the beginning of the game; currently starting alongside Burke is veteran Davison Igbinosun.
While getting burnt in coverage has not been the same type of problem for Igbinosun as it has been for Burke, the former Ole Miss Rebel has had his own bugaboo this season. The OSU corner has been flagged for 13 defensive penalties so far, routinely being called for defensive pass interference, often being in otherwise good position to make a play. Admittedly, Igbinosun has not been flagged at all over the past two games against Michigan and Tennessee, but against a talented and aggressive passing attack like Oregon’s, it very well could come into play again.
In obviously far less field time, Mathews Jr. has been reliable for the Buckeyes. He has been targeted by opposing quarterbacks 20 times this season, allowing only 11 receptions (55%) for 84 yards. Mathews has had over 25 snaps in five of OSU’s last seven games, so the youngster has been working his way up to this point, and it seems like he will be a part of the game plan on Wednesday.
I would imagine that should Burke find himself struggling to keep up in coverage, or Igbinosun getting handsy at inopportune times, Knowles and cornerback coach Tim Walton won’t be shy about putting Mathews out there for extended periods of time.
Ohio State has so many offensive weapons that it seems foolish and a little disrespectful to single one out as a key to victory. However, when that player is arguably the best true freshman in program history, I suppose we can make an exception.
Jeremiah Smith has obliterated all of Cris Carter’s freshman receiving records and has been an integral part of the OSU offense all season long. In the first game against Oregon, he was targeted 13 times and accounted for 100 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions. While that was one of his four games of 100 receiving yards or more, it was also the only time that he received double-digit targets. Since the loss in Eugene, he has not been targeted more than seven times.
Of course, there is a lot that goes into how many times a receiver is targeted, including how the opposing defense decides to cover him. Following that game, which was OSU’s sixth of the season, we saw far more bracket and double coverage against the freshman phenom, which will obviously limit the amount of times Howard throws his way. And — with other wide receivers like Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate, not to mention tight end Gee Scott Jr. and TreVeyon Henderson out of the backfield — if a defensive coordinator makes it a point to double up Smith, OSU will happily take one of their other stars in single coverage.
However, the Buckeyes’ first-round CFP game brought a new wrinkle into the Jeremiah Smith Equation that should make it more attractive to throw his way. During the regular season, Smith lined up in the slot just 39 times — 12.4% of the time — but against the Volunteers, he was inside 14 times or 41.2% of his snaps. While the receiver was only targeted seven times on the game, he did have six catches (the one incompletion was the blatant, uncalled pass interference that led to a questionable interception in the end zone) for 103 yards and a touchdown. His 85.7% completion percentage was tied for this highest mark on the season.
So, having the best wide receiver in the country lining up both inside and outside obviously had a positive impact on his stat line, but it also helped his quarterback. Howard arguably had the best game of his collegiate career, going 24-of-29 for 311 yards, 2 touchdowns, and that 1 shoddy interception. His 82.8% completion percentage was his sixth time at 80% or above this season, and his second-highest behind his 21-of-25 showing against Iowa.
Additionally, Egbuka had 81 yards receiving, Henderson had 54, and Scott had 39, leading to what I think was easily the most impressive Buckeye passing performances since C.J. Stroud was wearing scarlet and gray.
Now clearly Lanning and his staff will be well-prepared for Smith to line up in the slot on Wednesday, but there is only so much that you can do to a) shut down the best receiver in the game and b) contend with the greatest compliment of weapons in the sport.
I am a firm believer that unless you are just head-and-shoulders physically better than your opponent, variety and creativity is the best tool you have to be successful in football. So, if Ohio State wants to continue its impressive offensive output against Oregon, it needs to not only get the ball to Jeremiah Smith as many times as possible, but it also needs to make the Ducks’ defense think about how to contend with him in as many unusual ways it can. Hell, I would not be opposed to Smith lining up in the backfield or even taking a direct snap at some point in the game if it gets the Ducks a bit discombobulated.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25809867/dark_ryan_day.jpg "NCAA Football: Indiana at Ohio State")
Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | Editing Gene Ross LGHL
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day takes the field before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images, Editing Gene Ross Land-Grant Holy Land
Over the years, I have made my feelings about Ryan Day’s play calling and leadership very clear here at Land-Grant Holy Land. I have always known that Ohio State’s head coach possesses an incredibly skilled and creative offensive mind, but it has also long been evident that he often gets in his own way, undermining and even sabotaging his team, most recently in the worst loss in program history against Michigan. That disappointment prompted me to finally accept the fact that — barring a 180° turnaround and/or a national title — it is probably time to make a change in leadership.
Now, one playoff home win does not negate years of big-game collapses, but if Day is going to prove his doubters — me included — wrong, the win over Tennessee is the perfect way to start. As I said just hours before the first-round matchup kicked off, Ohio State’s fate really depends on which version of Day shows up. For me, it has never been a question of player talent, or even coaching acumen; instead, it has been a question of coaching mentality.
I believe that much of the frustration from the fanbase’s “lunatic fringe” — as Kirk Herbstreit condescendingly calls fans with expectations higher than losing to your rival for four-straight years — has been because we know that the difference between winning and losing these big games is often determined by the slimmest of margins. And, when you have a head coach who all too often regresses to an unproductive, ultra-conservative version of himself when the lights are brightest, it is frustrating to know that the only one beating the team is the man in charge.
All season, and especially since the playoffs have begun, Day has preached that he wants his team to leave no doubt. I feel completely confident that his players are capable of that, and I am, perhaps foolishly, starting to talk myself into believing that the head coach is too.
Again, I don’t want to assume that Day’s entire coaching M.O. has done a complete about-face based on a single data point (especially since we have seen him have elite aberrations after three weeks to prepare before). But, if Day has finally learned the lessons that we have all been begging him to over the past four seasons, then I don’t think that there is anyone who can beat this team with him no longer in the way.
So, if the Buckeyes want to take another step toward the national title, bring on Dark Ryan Day and the Death Star Buckeyes.
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Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
As it did with Tennessee it all comes down to whether or not we get Turtle Ryan Day or Dark Ryan Day
On Saturday, Oct. 12, the Ohio State Buckeyes ventured across the country to take on the Oregon Ducks. On Wednesday, Jan. 1, Ryan Day’s Buckeyes will once again head to the West Coast to face Dan Lanning’s Ducks, but this time the marquee matchup will not be in Eugene, Oregon, but instead it will be in the most picturesque setting in all of sports, the Rose Bowl.
In the first meeting between the teams this season, Oregon won 32-31 in a sloppy, but thrilling game. Although the Ducks are undefeated and already hold a victory over the Buckeyes, it is the Scarlet and Gray that come into the College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup as the favorites. The defensive adjustments that coordinator Jim Knowles has employed following the loss in Eugene, and the rediscovered offensive aggression and creativity seen in the first-round win over Tennessee, have many football fans, analysts, and bettors across the country jumping back on the Buckeye bandwagon.
Despite the surge in support for OSU, this game is clearly anything but a foregone conclusion. In many onlookers’ minds — myself included — the matchup will likely serve as the de facto national championship game between the two best teams in the country. So, I am going to break down the five key factors that I think will determine whether or not the Buckeyes advance to the CFP semifinals or lose to a team on multiple occassions in one season for the first time since falling to Marietta twice in 1898.
Offensive line needs to stay strong
The biggest question for Ohio State all season has been the reliability and durability of its offensive line. Coming into the season, the unit was considered the weakest link on the team, and that was only exacerbated by the season-ending injuries to its two best players, left tackle Josh Simmons and center Seth McLaughlin.
But give credit to much-maligned offensive line coach Justin Frye and the backups in the room as OSU has cobbled together a unit that has played about as well as could be hoped for in recent weeks. With Donovan Jackson kicking out from left guard to left tackle and Carson Hinzman back as OSU’s starting center, the Buckeyes settled on a three-man rotation at guard for the game against the Volunteers and have said that they will again deploy Luke Montgomery, Austin Seireveld, and Tegra Tshabola at the two guard spots against the Ducks.
Against Tennessee, Ohio State did not give up a single sack and the three guards allowed only three combined quarterback pressures all game. In total, the Vols had seven tackles for loss, but they only amounted to 11 negative yards, and five of those yards (on three TFLs) came after the Buckeye starters had exited the game.
While the offensive line wasn’t perfect in the first-round contest — the three guards graded out far more favorably in run blocking than pass protection according to Pro Football Focus — when combined with Chip Kelly’s creative play calling, what was expected to be significant liability for OSU ended up being anything but.
If the Ohio State offensive line is able to continue to keep quarterback Will Howard clean — while also opening up holes for running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins — it will likely be very difficult for the Ducks to remain undefeated.
Pass rush needs to get home
In the first meeting between Ohio State and Oregon, the Buckeye defense accounted for zero sacks and only two tackles for loss. While that looks like a complete failure by the defensive line — and it is — it is even more so a failure by Knowles and his staff. The game plan in Euegene put little emphasis on disrupting Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel hoping that the four down linemen would be able to beat Oregon’s five offensive linemen, tight ends, and any running backs staying in to block all on their own... that did not happen.
Instead, Gabriel — who went on to be a Heisman finalist — had a clean pocket on almost 64% of his 36 dropbacks, as the Buckeyes brought an extra defender just 13 times. Against those blitzes, the Oregon QB was 7-for-12 (58.3%) and when he wasn’t blitzed, he was 16-of-22 (72.7%). Gabriel is simply far too good of a quarterback to be given that much time.
However, since then, Knowles and company have admittedly “reengineered” the defense; not necessarily completely starting from scratch, but clearly bending what they had been doing to more closely resemble what Knowles did in his first season at Ohio State and during his tenure at Oklahoma State.
According to PFF, in the eight games since the loss in Eugene, the OSU defense has blitzed exactly 100 times. Those dropbacks have resulted in just 39 completions on 78 pass attempts, for a 50% completion percentage, almost exactly 10% better than on non-blitzed attempts.
While the increased blitzes have been very helpful to the OSU defense, that is not the only reason for the improved production. Knowles' playcalling has also ventured outside of the vanilla line-up-and-run-straight-ahead designs that plagued the unit against Oregon. Instead, we have seen far more creative calls that have allowed the front four to come from different positions and angles. There have been stunts, delays, and much more specifically designed to confuse opposing lines, and it has worked. Because of this, the defense hasn’t needed to blitz as much over the past few games as the defensive line — especially senior ends Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau — have been monstorously disruptive on their own.
Since the game in Eugene, Ohio State has not given up a single passing touchdown and has intercepted opposing offenses five times. In their first meeting, Gabriel was 23-of-34 for 341 yards and two touchdowns. If the Buckeyes want to neutralize Oregon’s elite quarterback, they will need to make things much more difficult for him in the pocket than they did the first time around.
Cornerbacks have to lock up Duck receivers
The major byproduct of the Buckeyes not being able to get pressure on Gabriel in the first meeting with Oregon was that OSU’s defensive backs were forced to be in coverage for far longer than they should ever have to be. In an absolutely disastrous performance, receivers being covered by Ohio State’s top cornerback Denzel Burke were targeted seven times, resulting in seven completions for a total of 162 yards and two touchdowns.
Wide receiver Evan Stewart was especially problematic for the Buckeyes accounting for 7 receptions, 149 yards, and 1 score on 8 targets (4 catches, 100 yards, 1 TD on 4 targets vs. Burke). Meanwhile, All-Big Ten Second Team WR Tez Johnson went for 75 yards and a TD on the day. Stewart and Johnson have thus far represented the No. 1 and No. 3 receiving performances against the Buckeyes this season, with the 92-yard day from Northwestern’s Bryce Kirtz coming in between them.
There is no way around it: Oct. 12 was a horrendous day for Burke and, therefore, for the Buckeyes. If Ohio State wants to keep its title hopes alive, it must get better play out of its corners on Wednesday.
While the increased pass rush mentioned previously will no doubt have an impact on the Buckeye DBs’ ability to lock up wide receivers, Knowles has also been experimenting more with the team’s corner rotation recently. Last week, the defensive coordinator said that he considers sophomore Jermain Mathews Jr. to be a starter, even if he is not on the field at the beginning of the game; currently starting alongside Burke is veteran Davison Igbinosun.
While getting burnt in coverage has not been the same type of problem for Igbinosun as it has been for Burke, the former Ole Miss Rebel has had his own bugaboo this season. The OSU corner has been flagged for 13 defensive penalties so far, routinely being called for defensive pass interference, often being in otherwise good position to make a play. Admittedly, Igbinosun has not been flagged at all over the past two games against Michigan and Tennessee, but against a talented and aggressive passing attack like Oregon’s, it very well could come into play again.
In obviously far less field time, Mathews Jr. has been reliable for the Buckeyes. He has been targeted by opposing quarterbacks 20 times this season, allowing only 11 receptions (55%) for 84 yards. Mathews has had over 25 snaps in five of OSU’s last seven games, so the youngster has been working his way up to this point, and it seems like he will be a part of the game plan on Wednesday.
I would imagine that should Burke find himself struggling to keep up in coverage, or Igbinosun getting handsy at inopportune times, Knowles and cornerback coach Tim Walton won’t be shy about putting Mathews out there for extended periods of time.
Jeremiah Smith should have double-digit targets across multiple spots
Ohio State has so many offensive weapons that it seems foolish and a little disrespectful to single one out as a key to victory. However, when that player is arguably the best true freshman in program history, I suppose we can make an exception.
Jeremiah Smith has obliterated all of Cris Carter’s freshman receiving records and has been an integral part of the OSU offense all season long. In the first game against Oregon, he was targeted 13 times and accounted for 100 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions. While that was one of his four games of 100 receiving yards or more, it was also the only time that he received double-digit targets. Since the loss in Eugene, he has not been targeted more than seven times.
Of course, there is a lot that goes into how many times a receiver is targeted, including how the opposing defense decides to cover him. Following that game, which was OSU’s sixth of the season, we saw far more bracket and double coverage against the freshman phenom, which will obviously limit the amount of times Howard throws his way. And — with other wide receivers like Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate, not to mention tight end Gee Scott Jr. and TreVeyon Henderson out of the backfield — if a defensive coordinator makes it a point to double up Smith, OSU will happily take one of their other stars in single coverage.
However, the Buckeyes’ first-round CFP game brought a new wrinkle into the Jeremiah Smith Equation that should make it more attractive to throw his way. During the regular season, Smith lined up in the slot just 39 times — 12.4% of the time — but against the Volunteers, he was inside 14 times or 41.2% of his snaps. While the receiver was only targeted seven times on the game, he did have six catches (the one incompletion was the blatant, uncalled pass interference that led to a questionable interception in the end zone) for 103 yards and a touchdown. His 85.7% completion percentage was tied for this highest mark on the season.
So, having the best wide receiver in the country lining up both inside and outside obviously had a positive impact on his stat line, but it also helped his quarterback. Howard arguably had the best game of his collegiate career, going 24-of-29 for 311 yards, 2 touchdowns, and that 1 shoddy interception. His 82.8% completion percentage was his sixth time at 80% or above this season, and his second-highest behind his 21-of-25 showing against Iowa.
Additionally, Egbuka had 81 yards receiving, Henderson had 54, and Scott had 39, leading to what I think was easily the most impressive Buckeye passing performances since C.J. Stroud was wearing scarlet and gray.
Now clearly Lanning and his staff will be well-prepared for Smith to line up in the slot on Wednesday, but there is only so much that you can do to a) shut down the best receiver in the game and b) contend with the greatest compliment of weapons in the sport.
I am a firm believer that unless you are just head-and-shoulders physically better than your opponent, variety and creativity is the best tool you have to be successful in football. So, if Ohio State wants to continue its impressive offensive output against Oregon, it needs to not only get the ball to Jeremiah Smith as many times as possible, but it also needs to make the Ducks’ defense think about how to contend with him in as many unusual ways it can. Hell, I would not be opposed to Smith lining up in the backfield or even taking a direct snap at some point in the game if it gets the Ducks a bit discombobulated.
Dark Ryan Day needs to ‘leave no doubt’
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day takes the field before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images, Editing Gene Ross Land-Grant Holy Land
Over the years, I have made my feelings about Ryan Day’s play calling and leadership very clear here at Land-Grant Holy Land. I have always known that Ohio State’s head coach possesses an incredibly skilled and creative offensive mind, but it has also long been evident that he often gets in his own way, undermining and even sabotaging his team, most recently in the worst loss in program history against Michigan. That disappointment prompted me to finally accept the fact that — barring a 180° turnaround and/or a national title — it is probably time to make a change in leadership.
Now, one playoff home win does not negate years of big-game collapses, but if Day is going to prove his doubters — me included — wrong, the win over Tennessee is the perfect way to start. As I said just hours before the first-round matchup kicked off, Ohio State’s fate really depends on which version of Day shows up. For me, it has never been a question of player talent, or even coaching acumen; instead, it has been a question of coaching mentality.
I believe that much of the frustration from the fanbase’s “lunatic fringe” — as Kirk Herbstreit condescendingly calls fans with expectations higher than losing to your rival for four-straight years — has been because we know that the difference between winning and losing these big games is often determined by the slimmest of margins. And, when you have a head coach who all too often regresses to an unproductive, ultra-conservative version of himself when the lights are brightest, it is frustrating to know that the only one beating the team is the man in charge.
All season, and especially since the playoffs have begun, Day has preached that he wants his team to leave no doubt. I feel completely confident that his players are capable of that, and I am, perhaps foolishly, starting to talk myself into believing that the head coach is too.
Again, I don’t want to assume that Day’s entire coaching M.O. has done a complete about-face based on a single data point (especially since we have seen him have elite aberrations after three weeks to prepare before). But, if Day has finally learned the lessons that we have all been begging him to over the past four seasons, then I don’t think that there is anyone who can beat this team with him no longer in the way.
So, if the Buckeyes want to take another step toward the national title, bring on Dark Ryan Day and the Death Star Buckeyes.
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