Game To Watch: #4 Ohio State at Minnesota: September 2, 2021

Ohio State and Minnesota will kickoff their season in Minneapolis on Thursday at 8:00 EST. The Buckeyes have gone to the College Football Playoff in the first two seasons of Ryan Day’s tenure and will look to start another potential title run. The Gophers had an excellent 2019 season, but took a step back in 2020 and will look to regain their positive momentum. Every journey begins with a single step and both teams will look to take a step toward their goal on Thursday night.

Recent History

Ohio State and Minnesota have played one another 52 times, with Ohio State emerging victorious in 45 of those contests. Minnesota’s last win against the Buckeyes came in Columbus during the 2000 season. Though Ohio State has won ten straight meetings head to head the last three have been relatively close with a two score or less margin.

Top 25 Players

What To Watch For…

Will Ohio State’s Receivers Take Over?

Ohio State features the two best receivers in the country coming into 2021 and they are joined by a plethora of talented players backing them up. The Buckeyes will have a first time starter behind center, but CJ Stroud will have excellent weapons to work with. Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson will lead the way for Ohio State. Both players have proven themselves as sure handed receivers who are excellent route runners that can move the chains and have the explosive big play ability to take over the game as well. The talented youngsters that join them are not as proven but bring a lot of the same qualities to the table. Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming were both five star recruits in the 2020 class that will look to establish themselves early. Minnesota struggled defensively in 2020 and lost defensive back, Benjamin St-Juste who was one of their better players in the secondary. If the Gophers want to slow down the Ohio State offense on Thursday night, they will have to keep the Buckeyes’ receivers in check.

Can Mohamed Ibrahim be Stopped?

In 2020, the answer to this question was a resounding no. Ibrahim was dominant, picking holes behind a bulldozing offensive line and running for at least 100 yards in every game. He can dominate the game if the defense does not slow him down, but doing so often requires extra defenders in the box which opens up passing lanes for Tanner Morgan and company. Minnesota will try to grind out yardage with Ibrahim and test an Ohio State defense that has a new group of starting linebackers and lost star defensive tackle Tommy Togiai to the NFL Draft. Ohio State’s defense was not great in 2020, but they did do a good job of stopping the run, allowing just 3.4 yards per carry. They will need to slow down Ibrahim with their base defense if they are going to slow down Minnesota’s offense.

Can Minnesota Keep the Buckeye’s Defensive Line Contained?

Minnesota has a veteran offensive line that had good success in 2020 and gets a massive boost with Danielle Faalele back after opting out in 2020. The offensive line paved the way for Ibrahim and generally kept the defense from pressuring Tanner Morgan most of last season. Ohio State’s defensive line will likely be the best the Gophers will face this year and will provide an early test. The Buckeyes have established defensive ends Zach Harrison and Tyreke Smith that will test the Minnesota tackles early. At defensive tackle, Haskell Garrett became an impact player in 2020 and will look to build on that success this season. Next to him Taron Vincent, Jerron Cage and Antwuan Jackson are experienced players with potential. The Buckeyes will also bring waves of depth off the edge with Javonte Jean-Baptiste and five star 2021 recruits Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau. Ohio State has the depth and talent to test Minnesota’s veteran offensive line, winning this battle will be critical for both teams.

Prediction

Ohio State has a very talented roster so Minnesota will want to control the game with their running game and strike with play action passing. Containing Mohamed Ibrahim is a tough task and Minnesota will move the ball early. As Ohio State hits it stride offensively and makes their run of big plays, it will be tough for the Gophers to keep up. Ohio State will ride their offense to a big win. Ohio State 45 Minnesota 27.

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PJ Fleck image taken by Bobak Ha’Eri is licensed under CC BY 3.0.