Brett Ludwiczak
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You’re Nuts: Which Tennessee player are you most worried about?
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
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Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
On Saturday night, Ohio State will host Tennessee in a first round College Football Playoff matchup. The battle between the Buckeyes and Volunteers will be the first-ever December game in the history of Ohio Stadium. The only other time Ohio State and Tennessee met on the gridiron, Peyton Manning and the Volunteers beat Eddie George and the Buckeyes 20-14 in the 1996 Citrus Bowl. If Ohio State is able to defeat Tennessee, they’ll set up a rematch with Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Despite having one of the most talented rosters in the country, morale is at season-low around Buckeye Nation following the embarrassing 13-10 loss to Michigan on the last day of November. Ohio State wasn’t able to crack the defense of the Wolverines, resulting in Ryan Day and Chip Kelly coming under heavy scrutiny for their unimaginative game plan against Michigan. The Volunteers are a much better all-around team than the Wolverines, so it is understandable why many Buckeye fans are very nervous heading into Saturday night’s clash in Columbus.
Head coach Josh Heupel has assembled a talented roster in Knoxville. The Volunteers have a 10-2 record this season, marking the second time in the last three years they have reached the 10-win mark. Tennessee has a number of players on both sides of the football that the Buckeyes will have to be locked in on. Today we want to know which Tennessee player you are most worried about heading into Saturday’s night’s elimination game.
The talented junior from Charlotte has been one of the most feared edge rushers in the SEC over the last two seasons. After registering 10 sacks in 2023, this year Pearce earned First Team All-SEC honors as voted on by the coaches for the second straight season, making him the first Tennessee defensive lineman to be named First Team All-SEC in back-to-back seasons since John Henderson in 2000 and 2001. Pearce was considered the top player in the country entering the 2024 season by a number of media outlets and is likely a future first-round pick in the NFL Draft.
Along with his freakish athleticism, what makes Pearce so concerning on Saturday night is he’ll be working against a depleted Ohio State offensive line. Not only was starting tackle Josh Simmons lost for the season after suffering an injury against Oregon, prior to the Indiana game center Seth McLaughlin was sidelined for the rest of the season after suffering an Achilles injury in practice. Donovan Jackson slid over from guard to take Simmons’ spot, and last year’s starter Carson Hinzman returned to the center position after McLaughlin’s injury. Despite only giving up two sacks over the final four games of the season, Pearce and company could cause issues every time Will Howard drops back to throw the football.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25793181/2178058472.jpg "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 05 Tennessee at Arkansas")
Photo by Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Michigan loss is the type of setback that could linger with the Buckeyes, even though there have been a number of weeks between “The Game” and the first-round playoff game. Pearce could lead the charge to add to the uncertainty on offense if he is able to get behind the offensive line early on. Howard was visibly shaken after taking a hard hit in the first half against Michigan, so he might be rattled again if Pearce is able to harass him in the first quarter. The Buckeyes have been notoriously slow starters this year, so if there is a time for Pearce to set a defensive tone it would be on the first couple possessions for Ohio State.
Despite the Buckeyes lining up J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer at defensive end, Pearce is the most talented defensive end in the game, and if it wasn’t for Caleb Downs he would have a serious claim at being the most impactful defensive player on the field on Saturday. In a game that looks like it could be a low-scoring affair, Pearce will demand plenty of attention.
While I agree with Brett that Pearce will almost certainly cause problems for Ohio State’s still unsettled offensive line, I am starting at the top of Tennessee’s roster with their best player, running back Dylan Sampson. Earlier this month, he was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year having accumulated 1,485 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground while averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
I think the Buckeyes’ defense is excellent, but they also have had trouble slowing down elite-level running backs. In their two losses this season, Ohio State allowed Oregon’s Jordan James to go for 115 yards on 23 carries and Michigan’s Kalel Mullings to accumulate 116 yards on 32 carries.
Sampson is averaging 123.75 yards per contest — eighth best in FBS — and is built like someone looking to lay into defenders. At 5-foot-11, 201 pounds, he has speed, but his low center of gravity makes him difficult to bring down. And though he led the SEC in rushing attempts this season, he said yesterday to reporters in Knoxville that he is physically ready to go.
“I feel great,” Sampson said. “This time off has been good to my body, probably the best I felt all season.”
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel is known as an up-tempo, air-raid offensive mind, but because he has a workhorse like Sampson in the backfield with a first-time starting quarterback in red-shirt freshman Nico Iamaleava, he has adjusted his approach, and I think it could be one that makes it very difficult for the Buckeyes to keep up.
I am concerned about OSU’s offensive ability to score, especially if they continue the season-long trend of playing at a snail’s pace; OSU is currently 116th nationally in terms of pace of play. So, if the Vols are able to control the clock with Sampson eating up chunks of yards at a time and moving the chains on every third down, I’m just not sure that Ohio State’s offense will have enough possessions to score enough to keep up.
All-in-all, keeping Sampson contained is going to be one of the biggest challenges, but also one of the most important tasks for the Buckeyes to accomplish if they are going to win this Saturday. I am not completely convinced they can do it, but I sure hope to be proven wrong.
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Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
On Saturday night, Ohio State will host Tennessee in a first round College Football Playoff matchup. The battle between the Buckeyes and Volunteers will be the first-ever December game in the history of Ohio Stadium. The only other time Ohio State and Tennessee met on the gridiron, Peyton Manning and the Volunteers beat Eddie George and the Buckeyes 20-14 in the 1996 Citrus Bowl. If Ohio State is able to defeat Tennessee, they’ll set up a rematch with Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Despite having one of the most talented rosters in the country, morale is at season-low around Buckeye Nation following the embarrassing 13-10 loss to Michigan on the last day of November. Ohio State wasn’t able to crack the defense of the Wolverines, resulting in Ryan Day and Chip Kelly coming under heavy scrutiny for their unimaginative game plan against Michigan. The Volunteers are a much better all-around team than the Wolverines, so it is understandable why many Buckeye fans are very nervous heading into Saturday night’s clash in Columbus.
Head coach Josh Heupel has assembled a talented roster in Knoxville. The Volunteers have a 10-2 record this season, marking the second time in the last three years they have reached the 10-win mark. Tennessee has a number of players on both sides of the football that the Buckeyes will have to be locked in on. Today we want to know which Tennessee player you are most worried about heading into Saturday’s night’s elimination game.
Today’s question: Which Tennessee player are you most worried about?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: James Pearce Jr.
The talented junior from Charlotte has been one of the most feared edge rushers in the SEC over the last two seasons. After registering 10 sacks in 2023, this year Pearce earned First Team All-SEC honors as voted on by the coaches for the second straight season, making him the first Tennessee defensive lineman to be named First Team All-SEC in back-to-back seasons since John Henderson in 2000 and 2001. Pearce was considered the top player in the country entering the 2024 season by a number of media outlets and is likely a future first-round pick in the NFL Draft.
Along with his freakish athleticism, what makes Pearce so concerning on Saturday night is he’ll be working against a depleted Ohio State offensive line. Not only was starting tackle Josh Simmons lost for the season after suffering an injury against Oregon, prior to the Indiana game center Seth McLaughlin was sidelined for the rest of the season after suffering an Achilles injury in practice. Donovan Jackson slid over from guard to take Simmons’ spot, and last year’s starter Carson Hinzman returned to the center position after McLaughlin’s injury. Despite only giving up two sacks over the final four games of the season, Pearce and company could cause issues every time Will Howard drops back to throw the football.
The Michigan loss is the type of setback that could linger with the Buckeyes, even though there have been a number of weeks between “The Game” and the first-round playoff game. Pearce could lead the charge to add to the uncertainty on offense if he is able to get behind the offensive line early on. Howard was visibly shaken after taking a hard hit in the first half against Michigan, so he might be rattled again if Pearce is able to harass him in the first quarter. The Buckeyes have been notoriously slow starters this year, so if there is a time for Pearce to set a defensive tone it would be on the first couple possessions for Ohio State.
Despite the Buckeyes lining up J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer at defensive end, Pearce is the most talented defensive end in the game, and if it wasn’t for Caleb Downs he would have a serious claim at being the most impactful defensive player on the field on Saturday. In a game that looks like it could be a low-scoring affair, Pearce will demand plenty of attention.
Matt’s answer: Dylan Sampson
While I agree with Brett that Pearce will almost certainly cause problems for Ohio State’s still unsettled offensive line, I am starting at the top of Tennessee’s roster with their best player, running back Dylan Sampson. Earlier this month, he was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year having accumulated 1,485 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground while averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
I think the Buckeyes’ defense is excellent, but they also have had trouble slowing down elite-level running backs. In their two losses this season, Ohio State allowed Oregon’s Jordan James to go for 115 yards on 23 carries and Michigan’s Kalel Mullings to accumulate 116 yards on 32 carries.
Sampson is averaging 123.75 yards per contest — eighth best in FBS — and is built like someone looking to lay into defenders. At 5-foot-11, 201 pounds, he has speed, but his low center of gravity makes him difficult to bring down. And though he led the SEC in rushing attempts this season, he said yesterday to reporters in Knoxville that he is physically ready to go.
“I feel great,” Sampson said. “This time off has been good to my body, probably the best I felt all season.”
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel is known as an up-tempo, air-raid offensive mind, but because he has a workhorse like Sampson in the backfield with a first-time starting quarterback in red-shirt freshman Nico Iamaleava, he has adjusted his approach, and I think it could be one that makes it very difficult for the Buckeyes to keep up.
I am concerned about OSU’s offensive ability to score, especially if they continue the season-long trend of playing at a snail’s pace; OSU is currently 116th nationally in terms of pace of play. So, if the Vols are able to control the clock with Sampson eating up chunks of yards at a time and moving the chains on every third down, I’m just not sure that Ohio State’s offense will have enough possessions to score enough to keep up.
All-in-all, keeping Sampson contained is going to be one of the biggest challenges, but also one of the most important tasks for the Buckeyes to accomplish if they are going to win this Saturday. I am not completely convinced they can do it, but I sure hope to be proven wrong.
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