Campus Clash
(12) Oregon Ducks at (3) Ohio State Buckeyes
Oregon: I was expecting a little more from them in their opener. They lost the time of possession battle along with the turnover battle. To be honest, their offense struggled on Saturday against Fresno State. The other night when I was on the radio, I kept saying something that’s been repeated for a few years now. At times, teams tend to overlook opponents in front of them because of the bigger opponent on their schedule the following week. I always say worry about what’s in front of you at that moment and whether you win, lose or tie the game, the next opponent will be there on the schedule regardless. Although they were able to escape with the win, the Oregon Ducks lost a crucial piece of their team yesterday and that’s Kayvon Thibodeaux. Before the season kicked off, I was asked about standout defensive players and his name immediately came up. I feel he’s the best overall football player in the nation. He has strong hands to rip through blockers, the long arms to knock the football down, a great first step to get to where he wants as a pass rusher or to make the tackle and he’s a tackling machine. He’s already been labeled as the top prospect for the 2022 NFL Draft. Without him on Saturday, the Ducks struggled. Isn’t it amazing how one guy can be the major difference? For Oregon to get to where they want to be, they must be firing on all cylinders. Early Saturday, they will travel to Columbus for a huge early season showdown.
Ohio State: I wasn’t happy with how they looked last Thursday against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. I was concerned with their defense last season and the inability to make stops and that same concern is still there after the first game. Just like many of you I’m sure, I thought we were about to get our first major upset of the year. As I was watching that game, I noticed Minnesota running the football up and down the field and the Buckeyes weren’t doing a thing to stop nor contain it. They’re another bunch that needs to tighten up or they will get caught up by a team one day and be defeated. I’ve said this about them for years and I still stand by that. They have a true freshman as their starting quarterback. In the beginning, C.J. Stroud looked as if he had some early game jitters. Eventually, he settled in throwing four touchdowns with no interceptions. With the win on Thursday, Ryan Day remains undefeated in Big Ten play. What will help this Buckeyes offense is the veteran receiver tandem of Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. For the Buckeyes to win the Big Ten once again, they will need the secondary to improve. Speaking of their defense, they have another big-time star in the middle of that defensive line. His name is Haskell Garrett. In the middle, those guys are expected to be clogs and close up space. However, he plays with a pass rushers mentality because he can get off the ball quickly, he can make tackles and getting to the quarterback is no issue for him. On Saturday, the Buckeyes home opener will take place.
Oregon X-Factor: C.J. Verdell– The running back position is full of big names. I feel he doesn’t get his credit. Actually, I feel he’s underrated. He can run with the best of them. C.J. is a speedster who can run in space that displays the ability to run around people. He can catch the ball out the backfield and impact the passing game. He brings that versatility factor to this Oregon offense.
Ohio State X-Factor: Jaxon Smith-Njigba– I like what he brings to the table for this Buckeyes offense. He’s primarily their slot guy but does so much more up the field. Jaxon has become the Buckeyes biggest threat over the middle of the field. He’s the guy they target when they’re looking to move the chains on third down situations. Jaxon knows his role within this offense.
Final Thoughts: What a game this should be. This is their first-time meeting since that 2014 national title game that saw the Buckeyes defeat a Marcus Mariota led Oregon team. As I stated up top, two of my favorite defensive players are featured in this game. Haskell Garrett for Ohio State and Kayvon Thibodeaux for Oregon (hopefully he can play). Both teams need to tighten things up. They both played sloppy football in week one. Oregon needs to take a page out of Minnesota’s playbook and establish Verdell early on. Run the football until Ohio State can stop it. This is also an interesting quarterback matchup. The true freshman in Stroud against Anthony Brown of Oregon. Ohio State will need to close up Anthony’s running lanes. He’s beating me from the pocket. It’ll be fun seeing the shoe filled with fans once again. If Kayvon doesn’t play, I expect Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson to each have a big game for the Buckeyes offense out the backfield.
Prediction: Ohio State 45 Oregon 28
