Stephen Leonard
Ohio State Writer
On paper, this game should be over by halftime. Ohio State is riding a 38-game win streak against current members of the Mid-American Conference. With a DeLorean, Doc and Marty McFly, you would struggle to go back far enough. In 1894, Akron beat the Buckeyes 12-6. Ohio just knocked off a Power 4 school in West Virginia and lost in a heartbreaker, Week 1 to Rutgers. This Bobcats team isn’t backing down, much like the mascot back in 2010, taking on Brutus.
Ryan Day knows this Bobcat team will come prepared and look to punch the bully in the mouth. They have a lot of Ohio kids whose dream has always been to play in the Shoe, and those kids are looking to put on a show. However, this Buckeyes team is on a different level, ranked No. 1 and hungry to improve every week.
The Buckeyes aim to maximize development, identity and rhythm in this game before an off week. The Buckeyes open the Big Ten season in Seattle, WA, on September 27th. You get the sense Day knows this is a sneaky good Bobcats team, and the Buckeyes cannot afford to let their guard down.
Offense: First year starting quarterback Julian Sayin has been on fire through his first two starts, and he will need to come out hot again against the Bobcats. They will need to score early and often, with Sayin getting the ball to the playmakers at wide receiver. Sayin is completing 79.5% of his passes, and he will need to continue throwing with deadly accuracy to squash this pesky Bobcats team.
Defensive: Linebacker Arvell Reese will likely be the spy for Bobcats quarterback Parker Navarro. Navarro is the ship that makes this offense go for Ohio, and the reason why this team is pesky. Reese, Ohio State’s leading tackler, will need to shut him down.
Offense: As mentioned above, Navarro is the engine that makes Ohio’s team pesky. He can best be described as simply a baller. Parker is good on the run whether it be escaping pressure, design runs or creating on his own. He is the leading rusher and the leading passer for the Bobcats with 486 yards through the air, 180 on the ground, and 6.7 yards per rush. This kid will need to be contained at all times.
Defense: Linebacker Michael Molner will have to stand out. He was the MAC Defensive Player of the Week after the win against West Virginia. Molner has 14 tackles and 1.5 sacks through the first two games. However, he and the rest of the Bobcats’ defense, giving up 215 yards per game through the air, will have to be exceptional. The air attack of Ohio State’s offense is nothing like what the Bobcats have seen so far this season.
How each quarterback plays early will go a long way to determining the game. If Sayin can keep his high completion percentage, score early and often, this game can be over quickly.
Conversely, if Navarro can keep his team in the game through the first half, watch out. He needs to make his presence felt, specifically on the ground, and limit forcing balls into tight spaces. Parker had three interceptions late against West Virginia, and he can’t replicate those mistakes against the Buckeyes. Which quarterback shows up early will likely determine the flow of this game. Ohio State needs to shut the Bobcats down early and take control of the game in the 1st quarter. The Bobcats need to maintain hope, keeping it close heading into the 4th quarter.
34-0 was the result, but even the shutout score doesn’t paint the full picture of this dominating performance. The Badgers (2-5, 0-4) only had 144 total yards on offense for the game. For comparison, Ohio State QB Julian Sayin had 169 yards passing in the first quarter alone. The No. 1 Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0) came […]
Cody Croy
Author
The Buckeyes are hot on the recruiting trail as 2028 5-star defensive lineman Jameer Whyce has committed to Ohio State, according to ON3 Insider Hayes Fawcett. Whyce held offers from 13 other schools, including Maryland, Illinois, and Missouri. Whyce is the No. 5 defensive lineman in the class of 2028. Whyce comes from a family […]
The No. 8 Oregon Ducks (5-1, 2-1) travel to face the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-3, 0-3) in an important game for the Ducks. Last week, the Ducks’ wings were clipped by the Indiana Hoosiers, causing them to drop from No. 3 to No. 8 in the country.
