t questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
This week’s topic: Who needs to be Ohio State’s MVP to beat Michigan?
Gene’s Take: The Offensive Line
I want to take a guy like Jeremiah Smith or Julian Sayin to be the ones necessary to lead Ohio State to a victory over the Wolverines. Those two, granted they
are on the field in Smith’s case, are obviously going to play a huge role in The Game on Saturday.
That said, it is going to take a village for the Buckeyes to finally snap this losing streak against TTUN, and that village is largely made up of the five guys that stand between the OSU skill core and the Michigan defense.
All of the focus heading into this match-up is going to be on those skill guys. Are Smith and Carnell Tate healthy enough to play? How will Sayin look in his first start in Ann Arbor? Can Bo Jackson continue his hot stretch against a top-15 run defense?
The answers to all of those questions will likely decide the final outcome, but none of it matters if Ohio State’s offensive line doesn’t play its best game of the season.
The Buckeyes’ blocking over the course of the past few weeks has been a bit of an area of consternation, and the issues have been amplified by the absence of the nation’s top two wide receivers. The right side of the line, specifically, has been an area of weakness, as Tegra Tshabola has really struggled at guard and Phillip Daniels has been streaky at tackle.
Tshabola has been by far Ohio State’s worst lineman this year, both in run blocking and pass protection, posting sub-60 grades in both areas, per PFF. However, nobody else has been able to step up at right guard either. Josh Padilla seemed like the best bet, but he’s missed three straight games. Gabe Van Sickle and Ethan Onianwa have also both been thrown into the mix, but neither has acquitted themselves well.
That said, even the dependable guys like Carson Hinzman and Luke Montgomery have been shaky at times recently. Two of Montgomery’s four lowest-graded performances (62.1 against Rutgers and 61.0 against Penn State) have come in the last four games, and Hinzman is coming off his second-worst game of the season against the Scarlet Knights (54.6).
We know this group of guys is capable of playing better. These five have combined for more than 6,300 snaps over their careers, and nobody has played less than 873 snaps (Daniels) individually. There have been times this year that the Buckeyes’ offensive line has pushed people around, but it feels like lately they have been moving in the wrong direction.
Michigan boasts the No. 12 run defense in the country, and is 30th nationally with 25 sacks on the year. Guys like Derrick Moore and Jaishawn Barham have been game-wreckers, combining for 17 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks as a duo. For Day’s group to have success offensively, they need to be able to keep Sayin upright and at least do enough on the ground to stay on schedule.
Ohio State needs its best offensive line performance of the season on Saturday. If the unit grades out as a champion, the Buckeyes will be heading to Indianapolis.
Matt’s Take: Julian Sayin
I know this is taking the easy way out, but the most obvious answer is the most obvious for a reason. At this point, it seems likely that at least one of the top two wide receivers in the country — Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate — are going to play, so it is incumbant on the quarterback to get them the ball.
Last season, despite having Smith, Tate, and Emeka Egbuka, Will Howard only managed to complete 19 of his 33 pass attempts for 175 yards, throwing one touchdown and two interceptions. An incredibly abnormal day for the eventual national championship-winning QB.
If Sayin has his full complement of receivers available to him on Saturday, he must do a better job of connecting with them. Of course, Gene’s choice of the offensive line will play a big part in that. While TTUN did not record a single sack of Howard last season (and only hit him once), they did amass 17 quarterback pressures.
But where I think Ohio State will need to rely even more on Sayin is if for some reason, neither of his two All Americans receivers are able to contribute in Ann Arbor. Of course, this could mean they are held out, or if they attempt to play, and just aren’t able to either be productive at all, let alone be the otherworldly offensive weapons that they are when healthy.
As we have seen over the last two weeks, with Tate and Smith not on the field, Sayin has not seemed especially connected with his other receivers. While he has been able to turn to tight end Max Klare, especially last week against Rutgers, if the top two WRs aren’t able to go, Sayin is going to need to step up his game and throw those guys open.
I know he is used to being able to throw to physical freaks who can turn a single step into a wide-open window, but that won’t always be the case with Bryson Rodgers, Mylan Graham, Quincy Porter, or (heaven forbid) David Adolph. While Klare and normal third-starter Brandon Inniss should be reliable outlets, if Smith and Tate are out, Sayin is going to have even more responsibility on his shoulders to execute at the highest possible level.
He will need to make perfect reads in the RPO game, he will need to take advantage of open receivers when they break free and not settle for every check down, he will need to take (and execute) more risks than he normally has to with his top two receivers available.
I am optimistic that both Smith and Tate will be available on Saturday — as The Columbus Dispatch’s Lori Schmidt told me she thinks they will be on the podcast today — but regardless of what receivers do or do not play, Julian Sayin will need to have the best game of his collegiate career to give the Buckeyes the best chance to beat their rivals.
