vs. 
Battle of Ohio? Football powerhouse vs. Club Hockey powerhouse…Ohio U. may just be too small.
It’s the state of Ohio’s first public university vs. its flagship when the two teams hit the gridiron on Saturday.
Here’s a breakdown of which team has the advantage position by position.
Quarterbacks
6th year senior Todd Boeckman demonstrated tremendous experience and was somewhat poised (made some interesting decisions) in the pocket vs. Youngstown State. Ohio junior Theo Scott played above average in a loss to Wyoming recording over 200 yards through the air and a touchdown (1 INT). Scott is somewhat agile and can beat slower defensive lineman in the backfield. Scott is almost a poor man’s Terrelle Pryor; if you take away the 4.45 speed, make it 4.6, take away the pure athleticism, size, strength, and accurate arm…then you have Theo Scott. Oh wait, Ohio State also has Terrelle Pryor.
Advantage: Buckeyes
Running backs
Beanie, Beanie, Beanie… With the most likely scenario being Chris Wells in street clothes on the sideline come Saturday, underclassmen Daniel Herron and Brandon Saine (with some help from Mo Wells) will carry the load. Beanie’s backups have all been solid contributors to the offense. Ohio struggled to rush the ball against Wyoming. Starting running back Chris Garrett was held to 2.5 yards per carry and only 30 total yards. This is an easy choice.
Advantage: Buckeyes
Offensive Line
The Bobcat offense only put up 55 total yards of rushing against Wyoming but allowed only 1 sack. However, Theo Scott will have much less time in the pocket and will be forced to scramble where he tends to make bad decisions (i.e. turnovers). The Buckeye line gave Todd Boeckman an outstanding average of 4.9 seconds in the pocket and allowed Beanie to rush for 100+ yards early on in the game. The Buckeye lineman outweigh the opposing Bobcats by about 16 pounds. I guess it’s just the difference between the Big Ten and the MAC.
Advantage: Buckeyes
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Bobcat wide-out Taylor Price seems to be the only major aerial threat for the Bobcats..that’s until he meets OSU corner Malcolm Jenkins. Price had 139 yards receiving and 2nd option LaVon Brazill had 48 yards versus Wyoming. Ohio’s receiving crew is very 1-dimensional and that will hurt them. Brian Robiskie alone gives the Buckeyes the nod for this matchup. Then you have the sure-handed Brian Hartline, Dane Sanzenbacher, Taurian Washington, Ray Small, DeVier Posey, Lamaar Thomas…and the list goes on. Jake Ballard and Rory Nicol aren’t to shabby either.
Advantage: Buckeyes
(click ‘continue reading this post’ for defense and special teams)
