Game To Watch: #12 Oregon at #3 Ohio State: September 11, 2021

Oregon will visit Ohio State for an early season match-up in Columbus on Saturday at 12:00 EST. The Buckeyes pulled away late against Minnesota in their season opener, riding their big play offense to a victory. The Ducks had a rocky debut against Fresno State, coming from behind late to win the game. Both teams are looking for a better performance on Saturday.

Recent History

Ohio State has won all nine of the previous contests between the two teams. The most recent win for the Buckeyes came in the championship game of the inaugural College Football playoff, when the Buckeyes dominated the second half en route to a 42 – 20 win.

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What To Watch For…

Oregon’s Pass Rush Against Ohio State’s Offensive Line

Ohio State’s offensive line was without their starting center, but still dominated Minnesota’s defensive front. The Buckeyes did not allow a sack and only gave up one tackle for loss in their season opener. The offensive line features four players that could be tackles with Thayer Munford and Paris Johnson playing at the guard spots. The new look worked well last week as CJ Stroud had plenty of time to scan the defense while the Buckeyes ran for 7.7 yards per carry. Oregon will hope to have Kayvon Thibodeaux ready to go after he sprained his ankle against Fresno State. Thibodeaux showed how devastating he can be on the first defensive drive for Oregon when he sacked the QB and forced a fumble to set-up the Ducks’ first touchdown. He is the Ducks’ best pass rusher but the defense was still able to generate pressure even after he left the game. Oregon recorded four sacks and eight tackles for loss in week one and will look to have a similar performance in Columbus. The team that wins this match-up will be in great shape to win the game Saturday.

Can CJ Stroud Play a More Consistent Game Against a Better Defense?

CJ Stroud made the first start of the post Justin Fields era, and early on he looked like a player who had never thrown a pass in a college game before. Stroud was a bit off early and missed several throws, keeping the offense from hitting it’s stride. He settled in during the second half, making a few throws that reminded fans why he was an elite recruit. Stroud completed just five passes in the second half, but four of them went for a touchdown as the Buckeyes pulled away. Oregon has a defense that features play-makers at each level and thrives when it is making big plays. With players like Noah Sewell, Justin Flowe and Mykael Wright playing in the back seven, the Ducks will not let Stroud make mistakes and not pay the price. Oregon has frustrated plenty of good quarterbacks recently, including USC’s Kedon Slovis in the Pac 12 Championship game. Stroud will have to play a more consistent game, but that will be a tough task against a good Oregon defense.

Can Oregon Make Big Plays on Offense?

Ohio State’s defense struggled in 2020 and had trouble stopping Mohamed Ibrahim on the ground and Minnesota’s RPO passing game. The secondary was undermanned with both Sevyn Banks and Cam Brown out and primarily played three freshmen at cornerback. There were some glimpses of potential from the trio and Denzel Burke played well in his first start, but the Buckeyes would like to have their starting cornerbacks ready to go in week 2. Oregon will look to test that defense and see if those weaknesses have been corrected. The only issue is that the Ducks did not look particularly explosive on offense against Fresno State. They only averaged 4.9 yards per play for the game with a long offensive play of 32 yards. Oregon will need their offensive play-makers to make big plays that can silence the crowd and put pressure on Ohio State.

Prediction

Ohio State has a very talented roster and they are a young team that will be more comfortable playing at home in their second game. Oregon’s offense will have more wrinkles for the defense this week and will hit some big plays of their own. The Buckeyes’ offense has so many home-run hitters on offense that it will be tough for Oregon to keep up for four quarters, resulting in a solid Ohio State win. Ohio State 42 Oregon 24.

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