Buckeyes Preview 12/1/17: Big Ten Championship, Ohio State vs. Wisconsin Badgers

By Jason Disantis, @JasonInCLE


The last time Ohio State and Wisconsin got together to battle it out for a Big Ten Championship the Buckeyes were on their third string quarterback as JT Barrett broke his ankle against Michigan in the final game of the regular season. The Buckeyes only threw the ball 17 times that day but backup to the backup, Cardale Jones completed 12 of those 17 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns leading Ohio State to a 59-0 waxing of Wisconsin in the 2014 Big Ten Championship.

JT Barrett almost found himself in the same situation as 2014.

Barrett had surgery this past Sunday, a day after a cameraman hit him while warming up before Michigan. JT was able to play most of the game against Michigan until re-injuring his knee on a third quarter run. JT allegedly re-aggravated a meniscus issue he had been having and had it cleaned up arthroscopically.

When asked about whether the Buckeye signal caller will be able to play head coach Urban Meyer said, “He’s been cleared to play so he’s going to play in the game. He’ll practice today and be ready to go.”

If Barrett isn’t able to go or the Buckeyes need to make the call to redshirt freshman Dwayne Haskins the Ohio State offense has confidence that they won’t miss a beat.

“Whoever’s out there I feel confident,” Buckeye wide receiver Terry Mclaurin said. “I know the competitor JT is that he’s going to do whatever it takes to play in this game.”

Regardless of who is behind center the Buckeyes will have to have all hands-on deck against the Wisconsin Badgers.

The Badgers are the only undefeated team left from the power five conference and boasts one of the nations best defenses and a freshman running back, Jonathan Taylor, who leads the Big Ten in rushing. Anyone that follows Wisconsin football isn’t surprised by what the Badgers are bringing on Saturday night.

“They’re, I can’t tell you the exact ranking, but I think they’re No.1 in everything,” Meyer said. “And very good skilled athletes… Giant offensive linemen in Wisconsin. And obviously a very good challenge against an elite running back.”

Along with having the Big Ten’s leading rusher, the Badgers give up the fewest rushing yards (80.5), total yards (236.9), and points per game (12.0) in the conference.

It’s those workman like stats that really embody Wisconsin football.

The Badgers are looking at this game like any other game, and for Wisconsin that’s not just coach speak.

“We’ve obviously played in the Big Ten Championship, obviously,” Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook said. “But with the implications after this game, it’s probably a little bit bigger.”

It’s safe to say at No.4 in the nation and a spot in the Playoff at risk, yeah, for the Badgers it’s a little bit bigger.

But the Buckeyes may have more at stake than a Big Ten Championship as well.

After the most recent rankings the Buckeyes find themselves at No.8 in the nation. But more important is where Wisconsin and Alabama are.



Without a game left to play and no conference championship Alabama sits at No.5 with Wisconsin at No.4. If the Buckeyes can take care of business Saturday night it will give them a win over the No.4 team in the nation which will be their second top ten win, plus a conference championship. None of which Alabama has on their resume.

Despite Ohio State having an outside shot at the playoffs, they know that only one thing is guaranteed Saturday night.

“You can’t really worry about the playoffs,” Buckeye linebacker Chris Worley said. “Our message has been beat Wisconsin. Our message has been do what you can to win the game that week.”



What: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Wisconsin Badgers for the Big Ten Championship
When: December 2, 2017 at 8:00 PM ET
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Watch: FOX
Spread: OSU -6
Over/Under: 51
Money Line: OSU -225, Wisc +220

Buckeyes Preview 9/28/17: Ohio State @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights

By Jason Disantis, @JasonInCLE


The temperature wasn’t the only thing scorching last Saturday at Ohio stadium as the Buckeye offense finally showed what it could look like against the Rebels of UNLV.

Ohio State (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) dropped to number eleven in the polls despite a thirty-three point victory which featured J.T Barrett throwing five touchdown passes to five different receivers. The Buckeyes threw seven touchdown passes to seven different receivers including one of over 20 yards from Barrett and two of over 20 yards from Dwayne Haskins. A total of 13 players recorded a catch for the Buckeyes. In less than a half of work J.T. Barrett threw for 209 yards which moved him into second place all-time for passing yards at Ohio State.

The Buckeyes return to Big Ten play this weekend as they travel to Rutgers (1-3, 0-1 Big Ten) for prime-time game under the lights.

Rutgers has had a rough start to the season going 1-3 and often shooting themselves in the foot on offense. Head Coach and former Buckeye defensive coordinator Chris Ash is aware of the Scarlet Knights mistakes on offense.

“We’re just our own worst enemy right now on offense in those situations. In games against some really good opponents, and we can’t do that,” Ash said. “We can’t have those self-inflicted mistakes that we continue to have that doesn’t allow us to sustain drives and create momentum that we want and need as we move forward.”

Ash knows that if Rutgers wants to start to click on offense they’re going to have to clean up their mistakes. That is going to be tough to do with a Buckeye defensive front that is one of the most talented and deepest in the nation.

“They have always had high-level players, players that are going to go on and be high draft picks or go to the NFL, and obviously be great college players,” Ash said. “But it’s the depth that they have at the D-line that makes it such a special defensive unit.”

For the Buckeyes, they can continue to fine tune their passing game against a Rutgers team that lost their top cornerback, Blessuan Austin, to a season ending knee injury last week.

While Rutgers will be trying to fill the void of losing their best corner Ohio State will be getting healthier. Mike Weber, last year’s leading and 1000 yard rusher, will be returning from a hamstring injury that has slowed him early this season.

Defensively the Buckeyes will continue to try and clean up their play in the secondary. They haven’t been tested since week two against Oklahoma and the inexperience is showing with three pass interference calls last week against UNLV. They shouldn’t get much of a test from Rutgers either.



The Scarlet Knights are led by Louisville transfer quarterback Kyle Bolin. The Scarlet Knights are only averaging 163 yards passing on the young season and Bolin has thrown double the amount of interceptions to touchdowns, 6-3.

The Buckeyes biggest concern is going to be keeping Janarion Grant bottled up. Grant will most likely be a game time decision after suffering a concussion against Morgan State and didn’t make the trip to Nebraska last week. Grant is a wide receiver/kick returner who displays a good combination of speed and athleticism. When asked if he was concerned about Grant not being able to go against Ohio State Ash said “As of right now, no.”

Ash is going to need Grant and anyone else he can get to suit up as it’s going to be all hands on deck this Saturday night when the Buckeyes come to town.



What: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
When: September 30, 2017 at 7:30 PM ET
Where: High Point Solutions Stadium, Piscataway, NJ
Watch: Big Ten Network
Spread: OSU -30.5
Over/Under: 54
Money Line: OSU -10000, Rutgers +4000

Buckeyes Preview 9/22/17: Ohio State vs. UNLV Rebels

By Jason Disantis, @JasonInCLE


This Saturday the #10 Ohio State Buckeyes (2-1, 1-0 Big Ten) will welcome the Rebels of UNLV (1-1, 0-0 Mountain West) to the Shoe. The Buckeyes will be a heavy favorite this weekend as they continue to try and get their offense firing on all cylinders.

Last week Ohio State rolled to a 38-7 victory over Army. J.T. Barrett threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns while adding 32 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Freshman sensation J.K. Dobbins scored two touchdowns while running for 172 yards on only 13 carries.

Buckeye fans even got to see a little glimpse of the future (a future some want sooner than later) as redshirt freshman Dwayne Haskins got some garbage time late in the fourth quarter. Haskins made the most of his time going 4/4 for 46 yards. Although he didn’t get much time the talent was obvious as Haskins showed off the arm that made him a top five pocket passer coming out of high school.

Although it was a comfortable win against Army, the Buckeye offense still didn’t look like a national championship offense. And with Army running the triple-option and only throwing eight passes, the Ohio State secondary didn’t get challenged. Buckeye fans can find solace in knowing that head coach Urban Meyer sees what the rest of us watching. When asked what areas of his team need to get better head coach Urban Meyer said, “Pass defense and continued growth on offense.”





Dating back to last season the Rebels have given up at least forty points in their last five games. Through two games this year UNLV is allowing 414 yards and 29.5 points a game.

Offensively the Rebels have relied on their ground game averaging 350 yards a game with junior Lexington Thomas leading the way with 341 yards and five touchdowns on the year.

Despite some gaudy offensive numbers this year the Rebels find themselves as forty-point underdogs on the road in Columbus. Head coach Tony Sanchez knows that they’re going to have to get creative to stay close to the Buckeyes saying, “We’re going to have to be aggressive, take some shots down the field, think outside the box a little bit to give ourselves an opportunity.”



What: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. University of Las Vegas Rebels
When: Saturday September 23, 2017 at 12:00 PM ET
Where: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
Watch: Big Ten Network
Spread: OSU -40
Over/Under: 65
Money Line: OSU -60000, UNLV +20000