On this week’s Off-Script Ohio, brought to you by Land-Grant Holy Land, Cole VanWiechen and Joey Gertz used Ohio State’s bye week to take a breather, and take inventory. With the Buckeyes sitting undefeated
and playing their most balanced football in years, the duo broke down their midseason awards, the national picture, and next week’s home matchup against Penn State.
Midseason awards
No surprises atop the leaderboard. Both Cole and Joey named Julian Sayin as Ohio State’s MVP, with the true freshman quarterback leading the Big Ten in completion percentage and yards per attempt. For Offensive Player of the Year, Cole leaned toward Austin Sierveld, praising the lineman’s consistency up front, while both agreed Jeremiah Smith has been the most dominant skill player in college football.
On defense, Cole went with Arvell Reese, whose emergence as an every-down linebacker has anchored Matt Patricia’s top-ranked unit, while Joey gave the nod to Caleb Downs, who continues to erase mistakes on the back end.
Bo Jackson was the unanimous Newcomer of the Year, having delivered game-changing versatility in both the run and pass game, while the coaching honors went to, who else but Matt Patricia and the defensive staff.
The Surprise of the Year? For Joey, it’s freshman safety Jaylen McClain. Cole chose Lorenzo Styles Jr., who’s exceeded expectations at slot cornerback and solidified one of the best secondaries in the nation.
Around the country: chaos reigns again
Even with Ohio State idle, the playoff picture shifted.
Ole Miss topped Oklahoma 34–26 behind an explosive showing from Winston Watkins and Kewan Lacy. Indiana continued its dominant run with a 56–6 rout of UCLA. Vanderbilt held off Missouri in a defensive slugfest, while Washington dismantled Illinois 42–25 behind four total touchdowns from Demond Williams.
Down South, Texas A&M steamrolled LSU 49–25 in Death Valley, ending the Brian Kelly era in Baton Rouge, and BYU remained undefeated with a 41–27 win over Iowa State. The national race remains open, but increasingly, Ohio State and Indiana look like the Big Ten’s clearest playoff contenders.
Penn State preview: Knowles returns to Columbus
Next up: a reeling Penn State team (3–4) visits Ohio Stadium after firing head coach James Franklin earlier this month.
Since a narrow Week 4 loss to Oregon, the Nittany Lions have dropped four straight, including defeats to UCLA, Northwestern, and Iowa, each one sealed by a late defensive breakdown. With quarterback Drew Allar out for the season, Penn State’s offense has sputtered, ranking 100th nationally in total yards.
Ohio State enters as a 20-point favorite, and both Cole and Joey expect a businesslike performance. Joey predicts 31–10, with Bo Jackson eclipsing the 100-yard mark. Cole sees a slightly closer 27–10 final but expects the Buckeyes’ defense to continue its dominance.
Next week, Off-Script Ohio will return with full coverage of the Penn State game, plus early looks at the Buckeyes’ playoff path and the start of Ohio State basketball’s new season after a 103–74 preseason win over Ohio University.
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