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- Thread starter BB73
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Poe McKnoe
Head Coach
Their tallest building isn’t actually an office building, it’s Cleveland-Cliffs Hot Briquette Iron Furnace Tower.
Oh, you said fun…
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Captain Buckeye
Legend
The ND QB had 18 yards rushing. No team has found room to run on this defense. The Toledo beat guy stated the OL couldn't push around Rhode Island and their leading rusher is their QB. They won't be able to run the ball.
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
BUCKEYES LOOKING TO PLAY CLEANER
Although Ohio State was never in jeopardy of losing to Arkansas State, ultimately winning the game by 33 points, the Buckeyes weren’t entirely satisfied with their performance. While Day said after last week’s game that he doesn’t want his team to ever take winning for granted, he also felt there were many things Ohio State could have done better in that game, which the Buckeyes were favored to win by 44 points.
In particular, Day was displeased that Ohio State had committed nine penalties, more than half of which were either pre-snap infractions or unsportsmanlike conduct flags. Day was also displeased that the Buckeyes gave away two possessions on special teams – one when Teradja Mitchell was penalized for leaping over the punt shield, and another when JK Johnson ran into the ball as a punt jammer, giving the ball back to Arkansas State on a fumble recovery.
Cutting down on avoidable mistakes like those and playing cleaner football has been a big point of emphasis for the Buckeyes going into their non-conference finale.
“We have to be more disciplined. Disciplined teams go far,” Ohio State left guard Donovan Jackson said this week. “We have to become more refined, more disciplined. Even in practice, being held more accountable to what we do. That goes across the board for every position. We have to like tighten up the small things, because the small things hurt in the long run.”
TOLEDO OFF TO STRONG START
Ohio State’s defense has allowed just one touchdown this season, yet the Buckeyes have given up more than twice as many points as the Rockets in their first two games.
Toledo’s defense has been dominant in its first two games, ranking second nationally in passing defense and scoring defense and fourth in total defense with just 10 total points allowed. With 92 points scored in their first two games, the Rockets are also tied for 16th nationally in scoring offense.
Granted, that success has come against weak competition, as Toledo opened its season against an FCS opponent (LIU) and followed that up with a game against a team that’s arguably the worst in the FBS (UMass). The Rockets are unlikely to be anywhere near as dominant on defense or prolific on offense against a far more talented opponent in Ohio State.
Still, the Rockets’ early success gives the Buckeyes reason to take them seriously as a team that could give them a scare if they don’t play well. So too does their recent history of playing competitively against Power 5 opponents, including a game last year in which they led Notre Dame with under two minutes left to play before losing 32-29.
“This is a very good team,” Day said. “They certainly gave Notre Dame all they could handle last year. And so we got to do a great job making sure that we're preparing just like any other week, and it's the same message. The message is that it's about us, and we have to make sure that we're building every week and getting stronger every week. But this is a good team in Toledo.”
OFFENSE COULD RETURN TO FULL STRENGTH
We haven’t yet seen the fully loaded version of Ohio State’s 2022 offense. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was healthy for less than a full quarter before suffering a hamstring injury against Notre Dame and missing the Arkansas State game, while Julian Fleming has missed both of the first two games. But Day expressed optimism this week that both Smith-Njigba and Fleming – and possibly fellow wide receiver Kamryn Babb, who’s also missed the first two games with a knee injury – could be back on the field Saturday.
“We're hoping all those guys are going to be on the field in pregame warmups and they'll be available for the weekend,” Day said.
Given Fleming and Babb’s injury histories and Smith-Njigba’s value to the team, Ohio State will certainly want to ensure all of them are fully healthy before returning to the field, giving the Buckeyes reason to be cautious in another game they really shouldn’t need those wide receivers to win. At the same time, they’d love to get those receivers back in the rhythm of the offense before conference play begins.
“Not having Julian and Jaxon in there, we certainly miss those guys. We're not the same offense without them,” Day said.
On the other side of the ball, Ohio State is hoping for the return of cornerback Jordan Hancock, who has missed the first two games of the season with what Day described this week as a “significant injury” suffered in preseason camp. If he is healthy enough to play, Hancock could potentially be the No. 3 cornerback in the rotation behind starters Cameron Brown and Denzel Burke, though the Buckeyes will exercise caution not to bring him back too quickly just as they will with the wideouts who have been sidelined.
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
- Ohio State’s Passing Game Versus The Toledo Secondary
- Toledo Quarterback Dequan Finn Versus The Ohio State Defense
- Will Ohio State’s Defense Create Some Turnovers?
Summary
It’s hard to find fault in a 33-point win, but Ohio State has a serious shot at the national championship, so there will always be areas we can feel they can improve on. The Buckeyes did come out of the gates a little sleepy against Arkansas State, only holding a 17-9 lead before Harrison’s second touchdown of the game with 4:24 left in the second quarter. The sluggish start can be attributed to a noon kick, as well as the level of competition after a huge game against Notre Dame to start the season.
Juice shouldn’t be a problem on Saturday night, since this game will be played under the lights, giving players all day to get amped up for the game. Last year we saw the Buckeyes take care of business handily when they hosted in-state foe Akron at night inside Ohio Stadium. Even though Toledo is a little more talented than the Zips were, Ohio State shouldn’t have much of a problem with the Rockets.
With their Big Ten schedule starting next week, Ryan Day is going to want a complete performance from his team before Wisconsin comes into town. The Buckeyes showed they can move the ball without Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as Marvin Harrison Jr. took over last week. It’s likely Smith-Njigba will be back in the lineup this week, which will give him and Stroud an opportunity to work on their timing ahead of next week’s contest against the Badgers.
Even though Toledo has handled their business so far this season, they have done so against an FCS team, as well as one of the worst teams in the FBS. Dallas Gant will undoubtedly want to have a memorable game after what transpired the last time he was in a Buckeye uniform, but Ohio State has just way too many weapons for Gant and company to handle.
We essentially know what we will get from the offense in this game. What will be interesting to see is if Ohio State can continue their improved defensive performance this year, and force their first turnover of the season. Even though the Buckeyes do have a bit of a test against a quarterback that can throw and run, Ohio State has the superior athletes to force Finn into mistakes that he hasn’t been accustomed to making during his time as Toledo’s starting quarterback.
LGHL Prediction: Ohio State 54, Toledo 17
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Fungo Squiggly
Mortal enemy of all things Bucky
Yahoo Pickem Champ
Former Game Champion
'18 BPCFFB II Champ
'18 Keeper League Champ
Rewatching the AK St game before tomorrow. On Henderson's first TD #3 made one of the all time business decisions. He either had absolutely no vision on the play or just glided out of potential contact.
No doubt! I commented on it in the game thread — Henderson ran into the end zone like 3 feet behind him while he was running the wrong way.
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OregonBuckeye
Semper Fi Buckeyes
I expect shenanigans in the first quarter before we lock in and wipe them out
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Telekinesis
Easily Amused by the Bitterly Disappointed
Up and at ‘em for the BP morning tailgate. Bucks are about to light it up tonight! Can’t wait.
O-H!!!
O-H!!!
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