It's Ohio State Week here at MTB and that means we have to cross enemy lines and get inside their head in order to properly know just whom we are dealing with…
So here is our opposition research thanks to our frenimies over at The Buckeye Battle Cry. Make sure to visit them on Twitter and let them know just how delusional their fan base really is.
Here is our "Know Thy Enemy" Q&A with The BBC:
MTB: Are Buckeye fans really serious with the consideration to play Kenny Guiton over Braxton Miller? (Subquestion: If so, can you send Miller our way?)
[Charles] I'm torn on this one, Braxton is obviously a more dynamic of a playmaker but Kenny is the hot hand right now and I think he does a better job making reads than Braxton does right now. I think it is at the point that I'm not worried no matter which one of the two is in and I would be completely fine if Urban chooses/is forced to start Kenny either due to Braxton's injury or simply because Kenny is playing really well right now and you don't want to take the ball away from him.
[Ken] No, the serious Buckeye fans are not serious about this consideration at all. As good as Kenny Guiton has been this year, Braxton Miller is still OSU's dynamic playmaker. (Subquestion: No, and you can't have Guiton either.)
MTB: Guiton has looked great, but let's be real…. That non-conference schedule was about as soft as a candy bar left in the Arizona desert. Do you think he would be the answer if Miller can't go or do you not know enough about him because of said schedule?
[Ken] Guiton is the real deal, whether talking soft candy bars or hardtack candy. Guiton would still be the answer at QB for OSU. As much as Miller is the better athlete, Guiton is a bit better getting the other Ohio State skill players involved in the offense. There are enough playmaking WR's, TE's and RB's that Guiton can keep himself pretty busy getting the ball to them.
[Eric] I'd think you guys would be hesitant to talk about Arizona deserts these days.
This ties in to the answer for the first question. If Miller can't play, Guiton is definitely the answer. He knows the offense extremely well, he's a generally accurate passer with decent wheels, and is confident enough to get the job done. Don't forget, this is the same guy that came in after Miller's injury last year to lead the Buckeyes to a comeback win against Purdue. Sure, it was Purdue, and we all know how …erm…"good"…Purdue is. But considering that required him to come in functionally cold and lead a last second drive for a score and a 2 point conversion, followed by keeping composed enough to win in overtime? He's more than proven that he's good enough.
MTB: How different is this offense with guys like Jordan Hall and Dontre Wilson this year? Also, what does that do to Carlos Hyde's playing time and role?
[Eric] Jordan Hall and Dontre Wilson definitely add a new dimension to this offense, but so far it's not completely different. It's worth pointing out that Ohio State wants to be a Power Running Spread team. It sounds funny, but that's exactly what we're aiming for. Sure, we use a lot of zone reads and other things to minimize the number of available defenders, but we still run it up the gut, and we still use our offensive line to move the defense off the ball at the point of attack.
Interestingly, despite Jordan Hall being more of a shifty/fast back, he works wonders as a straight up running back in a power run game style. Dontre Wilson is much more of an "H-Back" or RB/WR Hybrid. We hit him with screen passes and tosses much more than we run him into the teeth of the defense.
We're still sorting out Carlos Hyde's playing time/role right now. Considering he just came back from his suspension it will be interesting to see how he fits in. His experience and running style are too good not to see the field. And, unfortunately, FAMU was too much of a patsy to see any of the primary running backs get much time. (Incidentally, you should be very afraid that our 6th string running back picked up 160 yards behind our 2nd/3rd string offensive line in that game. Yikes.)
[Ken] I don't think the offense changes that much with Jordan Hall; to me he's always been a versatile, hard-playing player that will do whatever the coaching staff asks of him. Dontre Wilson, however, adds a new 'speed' dimension to OSU's offense. He's one player that can get OSU the edge to running plays and can really stretch the field as a receiver. Carlos Hyde will get more playing time in as we trudge through the Conference schedule. It's still the Big Ten, and a power running game, as you well know, is a valuable dimension.
MTB: What are the chances one of your players does something stupid & gets suspended before this game? Seems to happen to a Urban Meyer coached team on an annual basis…
[Charles] There is always a chance, we are talking about a group of 18-22 year old guys so you can't rule out stupid things happening but I suspect everyone will be very focused on the game this week which will hopefully (crossing my fingers and hoping here) keep them out of trouble.
[Eric] Sure does seem like it, doesn't it? Thankfully, we've had our stupidity for the year, so I'm going to put this at "pretty close to zero". I doubt there are enough boneheads on this team stupid enough to risk playing time for it to be a real possibility.
Of course, now that I've said that…. *knocks on wood*
MTB: Just how good is this defense? They gave up just 80 yards rushing on average this season… Is it bad teams and good play or all a mirage?
[Eric] Let me start by saying this defense is young. Very young. Wisconsin is going to gain a metric sh*t-ton of yardage on them (and yes, that is a scientific unit) simply based on the youth in the front 7. That said, they are very talented, and are growing quickly into their roles. The 80 yards rushing is pretty mythical. The only halfway decent team we played – California – has moved away from the running game into a spread passing game. Wisconsin is without a shadow of a doubt the first real running game we will have faced all year.
Expect this – OSU will start the game with good form tackling. They will then get confident and start arm tackling. Don't panic if your first drive turns into a disaster, the OSU defense will adjust to help out. I'm being a little unfair, it's honestly hard to tell if it's not simply the backups who are arm tackling and the starters don't, but I can't debate the results as they appear on the field.
[Charles] The 80 yards rushing definitely has a lot to do with the competition due to both the skill level involved and the fact that the best team we've faced so far, Cal, likes to pass. At the same time, the ease of scoring by the offense has meant the defense has been on the field a lot and the opposition has had lots of chances to rack up yards. Wisconsin will obviously challenge the defense a lot more but the defense will also be out there for fewer possessions and should be better rested.
MTB: How robbed do you feel that College GameDay isn't coming to this matchup? I mean, LSU vs. Georgia, this game is for all the marbles in the division….. C'MON MAN!
[Charles] The game is primetime on Saturday night, what else do you want? LSU-Georgia is a big game too and frankly way too much attention is paid to perceived slights by the media, focus on the game and let the play on the field speak for itself.
[Eric] Meh. ESPN can sit on it and spin for all I care. Sure, I think Wisconsin/OSU is THE game in the Big Ten this year (that's right M*ch*g*n, that's what I think of you this year), so I do think they missed the boat on this one. That said, if they want to go get their jollies off in the SEC, more power to them.
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