The Miami Hurricanes, fresh off of their 45-0 drubbing of outmatched Florida A&M, roll into Columbus on Saturday for one of the premiere clashes of the college football season.
Miami and their fans will come in with plenty of “swagger” after an excellent performance in their first game of the season, but considering A&M is the equivalent of YSU, their confidence may be a bit inflated.
At the same time, Marshall is not exactly on par with what the Hurricanes will put on the field, so let’s call that one a wash.
Both teams are led by experienced and talented quarterbacks, and are loaded at the skill positions. This game, like most, will boil down to a battle in the trenches.
Ohio State’s Offense vs. Miami’s Defense
Against Marshall, Ohio State flexed its offensive muscle to the tune of 280 yards on the ground (6.8 yards per carry) and 249 yards through the air. An impressive outing, but against a less than stellar Marshall defense.
Still, the fact that Tressel took the training wheels off the offense and continued letting Pryor throw the ball well into the third quarter is an encouraging sign. After the game, Pryor said they were running the same vanilla plays over and over, but it is still nice to see that some of those vanilla plays were passes.
This week, I look for a balanced attack once again. A nice combination of power run plays right into the heart of Miami’s defense combined with some quick throws to the edge should keep the Hurricane defense guessing and on their heels.
Ohio State will almost certainly mix in a few new wrinkles on offense this week, the most dangerous being Terrelle Pryor moving around outside of the pocket. Pryor was credited with 8 carries last week, and while it is unlikely that number will go up significantly, I do think that he will get a few more opportunities to roll out of the pocket and test the edges of Miami’s defense throwing on the run and with his feet.
On defense, Miami boasts excellent athleticism and team speed (they have that new and exciting southern speed, I don’t know if you have heard of it). Their defense decimated Florida A&M’s passing attack with 8 sacks. Mike Adams and J.B. Shugarts will face a serious test against an outstanding pass rush.
I look for Ohio State to open the game on offense with some smash mouth football to neutralize Miami’s pass rush and to calm some nerves. Boren, Brewster, and Browning are the strength of the offensive line, and no matter how fast Miami’s LBs are, they won’t be able to catch anyone after Zach Boren knocks them on their ass.
If Miami loads up to stop the run, some quick passes on the edge or some bootlegs from Pryor are in order. Miami’s defense is talented and capable of stopping a one dimensional offense. A balanced attack is the key to victory this week.
Ohio State’s Defense vs. Miami’s Offense
On defense, Ohio State will look to pressure Miami QB Jacory Harris early and often. Harris is one of the most talented QBs in college football, but he does not look good under pressure (what quarterback does?) and is prone to throwing interceptions (17 last season).
Ohio State’s defensive line is one of the best in college football and should be up to the task of getting in the backfield early and often. The return of Nathan Williams to the starting lineup should provide even more pressure from the front four. It would not be surprising to see some creative blitz packages to turn up the heat even more.
Last week, Marshall utilized quick passes and screens to limit the effectiveness of Ohio State’s pass rush. If Miami uses the same tactic, consider that a small victory for Ohio State, especially if Ohio State is able to get up early.
Miami’s athletes are better than Marshall’s, and they will be more difficult to stop, but the speed and tenacity of defenders like Brian Rolle, Jermale Hines, and Tyler Moeller can keep even the best quick passing, screen throwing offense in check.
Miami will also utilize a no huddle hurry up offense to try and keep Ohio State off balance. Ohio State proved in the Rose Bowl that they can handle an elite hurry up offense. No huddle or otherwise, Ohio State’s defense should be able to handle what is thrown at it.
Miami will get some yards and they will make some big plays, but if Ohio State’s defense is able to bend but not break and the offense holds up their end of the bargain, things will be looking good for the Buckeyes.
If Miami sticks to a more traditional pro style offense, with three new starters along the offensive line (including Ohio State favorite Seantrel Henderson), the ability of Miami to protect their quarterback will be attacked early and often.
It is unlikely that Miami will be able to hold off that attack for four quarters.
Special Teams
If there was one area of concern for the Buckeyes following the Marshall game, it was on special teams.
A blocked field goal, a tipped extra point, and a long kick-off return were all stains on an otherwise spotless performance.
Miami has the athletes to do damage on special teams, so improvement from the kick coverage team is a necessity.
In the place kicking game, the pressure up the middle that caused so many problems is an easy enough fix, so there shouldn’t be continued problems in that area.
On kick return, Ohio State looked solid if not spectacular against Marshall. As long as there are no turnovers on special teams I will be a happy Buckeye.
Conclusion
Ohio State and Miami are two of the most talented teams in the country. In the trenches, Ohio State has the advantage, and that will be the key to this game.
On defense, Ohio State will look to overwhelm the new starters on Miami’s offensive line and disrupt anything that is thrown at them, hurry up style or otherwise.
On offense, Ohio State will negate Miami’s team speed and athleticism by going old school behind the punishing trio of Brewster, Browning, and Boren. Throw in lead blocker extraordinaire Zach Boren and you’ve got a recipe for a Wisconsin style beat down .
If Miami is forced to load the box to stop the run, Pryor and the receivers are more than capable of making them pay on the perimeter.
If things go as planned, this Ohio State team is too talented to be stopped on offense and too disciplined and experienced to give up much on defense.
Establish the run on offense (or spread them out with quick passes on the perimeter, depending on what they give you), pressure the QB on defense, and happy times in the ‘Shoe will follow.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
