Keys To Victory: Ohio State at Miami (FL)

ESPN has titled this weekend “Road Test Weekend”, as 12 of the Nation’s Top 25 teams are on the road, with the headliner being Saturday night’s match-up between #1 Oklahoma and #5 Florida State in Tallahassee.

While the Sooners and ‘Noles are being placed on center stage on Saturday night, Buckeye Nation will have their eyes glued to their television sets for the match-up between #17 Ohio State and the University of Miami. You can make the argument that of all the ranked teams on the road this weekend, Ohio State needs to win the most.

After a less than impressive, 27-22, victory at home over the Toledo Rockets, Ohio State Head Coach, Luke Fickell must now find a way to regroup his team and put Saturday’s pitiful performance behind them in time to take on ‘The U’ at Sun Life Stadium in Coral Gables on Saturday.

In 2008, another MAC team pushed Ohio State fans to the brink of insanity. Ohio State, much like this year’s Toledo game, was a heavy favorite in their game against Ohio University in Columbus. And, much like this year’s Toledo game, Ohio State found themselves in an all-out brawl against the inferior Bobcats. The Buckeyes trailed, 14-12, heading into the 4th Qtr against the Bobcats before pulling away for a final score of 26-14.

How did OSU rebound from that game? With an embarrassing, 35-3, loss to the USC Trojans – on the road.

In ’08, the team was led by veteran Head Coach, Jim Tressel and 7 future NFL Draft picks. This year’s version of the Ohio State football team is led by Head Coach Luke Fickell – who has never been a head coach on any level – and a 25 year old QB in Joe Bauserman. Most of the NFL potential on this year’s team was suspended five games for their part in “the scandal”.

If the Buckeyes want to avoid another loss on the road after a lackluster performance against a MAC team, they’ve got a lot of work to do. The University of Miami isn’t even close to the same level as the ’08 USC team, but it’s still going to be tough to beat the ‘Canes on their home turf.

Ohio State gets a boost on both offense and defense this weekend with the returns of RB Jordan Hall and OL Corey Linsley on offense, and CB Travis Howard and S Corey Brown on defense. These players will certainly help, but it’s going to take a total team effort to pull-out the victory over the ‘Canes.

The U will get five of their own players back from suspension for their match-up against the Buckeyes, most notably starting QB Jacory Harris. LB Sean Spence, DT Marcus Forston, WR Travis Benjamin and DE Adewale Ojomo will also be back for the Hurricanes

As the Buckeyes prepare for their first road game of the season, here’s what I believe the team needs to focus on in order to come away from Coral Gables with a much needed win.

Offense

Dominate the Line of Scrimmage

Miami (FL) is known for having some of the best talent in all of college football, but so is Ohio State.

The Buckeyes need to send a message to the ‘Canes – and the rest of the nation – early in the game by getting tough and physical upfront. With backs like Carlos Hyde, Jaamal Berry, Rod Smith and Jordan Hall, there’s no reason that the Bucks shouldn’t be able to cram the ball down Miami’s throats all game long.

Zach Boren is one of the most underrated players for the Buckeyes. He’s a big – 6’0 252 lbs – physical and all-around bruiser from his fullback position. Coach Fick would be wise to use Boren, along with Brewster & Co. upfront, to open up holes for Ohio State’s talented backs.

The last thing the ‘Canes want to see, is smash-mouth football for four quarters from the Buckeyes. They may be talented up front, but it’s hard to imagine anyone on the Miami ’D’ being able to play with the discipline needed to match-up against a well established run game from OSU.

Not only will running the ball successfully against the ’Canes set the tone for the game, it’ll open-up the passing attack for QB Joe Bauserman.

Getting nasty, physical and aggressive upfront is a near necessity for the Bucks. Establishing a run-game early, will allow Ohio State to control the clock and keep the ball out of Miami QB, Jacory Harris’, hands. (Although that may not be a bad thing.)

Convert On Third-Down

Against the Rockets, the Bucks went a miserable 3 for 12 on their third-down conversions.

This pretty much goes along with dominating the line of scrimmage, but if the Bucks have any hope of winning this game, the offense needs to convert on third-down. Running the ball, with success, will help avoid some of the 3rd & Long situations the Bucks found themselves in against the Rockets.

When those 3rd & Long situations do arise, offensive coordinator, Jim Bollman, needs to get creative with his offense. Having Jordan Hall certainly helps.

Hall is a talented, elusive back who has the ability to make defenders miss in open space. Finding ways to get Jordan the ball in open space, will help convert some of those 3rd & Long.

It also wouldn’t hurt to get TE, Jake Stoneburner, the ball more often. With the inexperience a the wide receiver position for the Buckeyes, Jake offers the veteran leadership the offense needs in the passing game.

It would be nice to see the Bucks be successful, 65-70%, of the time on 3rd down.

Don’t Be Afraid to Put Miller In

Against Akron, Bauserman showed why he was named the team’s opening day starter at QB by going completing 12 of his 16 pass attempts for 163 yards and 3 TDs against 0 INTs.

This past Saturday, however, Bauserman looked like he belonged on the sidelines instead of on the field. Against the Rockets, the first-year starter at QB went 16 for 30 for 189 yards and 1 TD. For the second consecutive week, he was successful in not turning the ball over.

Miller can make plays with his feet, as well as his arm. In game one, Miller was just as effective as Bauserman, going 8 of 12 for 130 yards and a score. He also contributed 30 yards on six attempts to the rushing attack. Like Joe, Braxton also finished the game without throwing an INT. However, against Toledo, Miller didn’t see the field.

Bauserman isn’t as mobile as Miller, and when faced with pressure, Bauserman was forced to throw the ball away or throw into tight coverage by the defense. Those are the kind of plays that, when faced with pressure, Miller seems to be at his best – by avoiding the rush and making a play with his legs.

Everyone in the stadium – the announcers included – wanted to see what Miller could do against the Rockets. However, Fickell stuck with Bauserman for the entire game.

Against Miami, Coach Fick cannot be afraid to insert Miller into the game if he needs too. Yes, he’s a freshman. Yes, it’s his first road game against a formidable opponent. And yes, he plays arguably the most important position on the field, which is QB. But there’s some obvious talent there, and if Bauserman comes out firing the way he did against Toledo, putting Braxton into the game should be easy.

I’m all for avoiding any type of QB controversy – the team has enough distractions as it is – but down two scores, on the road with an inefficient starting QB, what’s it going to hurt putting Miller in the game?

Avoid Turnovers

This one is common sense. Turning the ball over will absolutely kill any hope Ohio State has of winning this game. Again, this isn’t Toledo, it’s ‘The U’, and they are more likely to capitalize on OSU’s mistakes than the Rockets.

If the Bucks can win the turnover battle against the ‘Canes, it’ll go a long way in helping the team achieve a much needed victory.

Defense

The ’D’ MUST Do a Better Job of Tackling

Against the Rockets, it seemed as if the Ohio State defense missed more tackles than they made.

With the talent Miami has at their skilled positions, a missed tackle is almost a guaranteed TD for the ’Canes.

Toledo’s WR, Eric Page, and RB, Adonis Thomas, were able to make big plays for the Rockets that ultimately led to points – and the lead – for their team. Miami’s WR, Travis Benjamin, and RB, Lamar Miller, are more than capable of duplicating Page and Thomas’ performances against the Buckeyes.

On defense, the Bucks can set the tone by simply getting back to the basics.

For years now Ohio State has made a name for itself around the college football world with their defense. OSU fans are used to seeing bone-crushing hits, and a defense that swarms to the ball. The ’D’ that showed-up against Toledo just won’t do.

Coach Fickell is a defense-minded coach, so you got to believe that he’ll have his defense ready to go for this match-up.

Pressure Jacory Harris

Losing DE, Nathan Williams, will certainly hurt the Buckeyes on defense, but as Coach Fickell has said all season long – “Next man in”.

The “next man in” behind Williams at the LEO position, will likely be freshman J.T. Moore. Moore, then, will be backed-up by true freshman, Steve Miller.

In all reality, you can probably expect an eight to nine man rotation along the defensive line. John Simon, Johnathan Hankins, Garrett Goebel, Adam Bellamy and Michael Bennett will all likely see a great deal of playing time on Saturday.

No matter who’s playing on the defensive line and linebacking core, the Buckeyes ‘D’ has got to get pressure on Miami QB, Jacory Harris. In last year’s meeting versus the Buckeyes in Columbus, Harris threw 4 INTs against just 1 TD. Those 4 INTs by Harris led to 20 points for the Ohio State offense.

Saturday’s game against Ohio State will be the first of the year for Harris, who was suspended for the team’s first game of the year for his part in the Shapiro scandal that has rocked the University of Miami. Miami lost the game, 32-24, to the Maryland Terps.

If the Buckeyes young defensive line can manage to get pressure on Harris, he’s prone to making mistakes all by himself. The ‘D’ can hardly afford to let Harris sit in the pocket and pick apart the Buckeyes’ secondary.

Which brings me to my second point.

By getting pressure up front on defense, it may help mask the young and (somewhat) inexperienced Buckeyes secondary. Getting Travis Howard back is huge for the ‘D’, but he’s only 1/4 of the equation. Bradley Roby and Dominic Clark have performed well in place of Howard, but neither has played in a pressure packed game like they’re about to face on Saturday.

Pressure up front will be a huge for the Buckeyes on Saturday, in more ways than just one.

Avoid the Big Play

This kind of goes along with the ‘D’ doing a better job of tackling. If the defense can tackle, it will help eliminate some of those big plays.

Toledo’s Eric Page torched OSU’s secondary for a 66-yard touchdown catch that extended the Rocket’s lead to 15-7. Even before that, after Toledo’s first score of the game, the defense was caught off guard when the Rockets went for two instead of the extra point. The conversion was successful.

Tackling better, getting pressure upfront and harassing Harris will all help with avoiding big plays, but it’s not just the defense.

For years, Ohio State prided itself on field position and a strong defense. The defense, appears anyway, to be working on coming together. The special teams? Not so much.

In the 2010 season, big plays on special teams for Wisconsin single handedly won the game for the Badgers. Against Toledo this year, first-year starting kicker, Drew Basil, missed his only FG attempt. Those 3 points would have, at a minimum, pressured Toledo to go for 2 had they scored at the end of the game.

If the Buckeyes want to maximize their chances of winning this game on Saturday, solid defense and special teams play is going to be huge.

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Well, there you have it. Sounds simple, right?

Wrong, but I anticipate the Buckeyes being fully prepared for ‘The U’. Sun Life Stadium is likely to be sold-out in Coral Gables on Saturday, but there’s surely to be just as many – if not more – Ohio State fans as Miami fans, so it’s not like the Bucks are heading into a hostile environment.

One more thing…

Ohio State has taken the “us against the world” approach to this season, citing numerous times that it’s time to “shock the world”.

Well leave the haters out of it, as they’ll be the only ones who are “shocked” by any success Ohio State has this season. Buckeye Nation is behind their team 150%, and have seemingly joined in the ‘us against the world’ mentality. But really, the outside world has no affect (NCAA aside) on the outcome of this game.

Instead of ‘us against the world’, I found a quote from the book ‘Moneyball’ (written by Michael Lewis) that I’d rather see the team embrace…

“The pleasure of rooting for Goliath, is that you can expect to win. The pleasure of rooting for David is that, while you don’t know what to expect, you stand at least a chance of being inspired”.

Goliath (the world) is trying hard to beat OSU (David). They’re doing anything and everything they can to distract our proud program, and so far, to no avail. As I said, the only one’s who would be shocked by OSU’s success this season, reside outside of Buckeye Nation.

Instead of shocking the world, fully embrace the opportunity to inspire. It’ll leave a lasting impression on, not only Buckeye Nation, but the rest of the college football world.

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“Road Test Weekend” Game Schedule

9/15/11 – #3 LSU at #25 Mississippi State

9/16/11 – #4 Boise State at Toledo

9/17/11 – #18 West Virginia at Maryland

#21 Auburn at Clemson

#7 Wisconsin at Northern Illinois*

#15 Michigan State at Notre Dame

#23 Texas at UCLA

#22 Arizona State at Illinois

#17 Ohio State at Miami (FL)

#1 Oklahoma at Florida State

#8 Oklahoma State at Tulsa

#6 Stanford at Arizona

* – Game played at a neutral site. (Soldier Field)