The Ohio State Buckeyes have been one of the best teams in the country all year. The lone blemish on the record is a one-point loss at the current number-one team. In the other top-five road matchup, the Buckeyes took down Penn State. With a third top-five matchup on the horizon – Indiana, oddly enough, and not Michigan – the play of Ohio State at Northwestern will be scrutinized.
Historically, this matchup has not been close. Ohio State owns a 65-14-1 mark over the Wildcats. The last time Northwestern beat Ohio State was in 2004. Before that, it was in 1971. This year, Northwestern is sitting at 4-5 and 2-4 within the Big Ten. Ohio State cannot get caught looking ahead to Indiana. Nebraska nearly caught the Buckeyes looking ahead to Penn State.
Due to the fact that Northwestern is currently rebuilding Ryan Field, this matchup will be played on Wrigley Field.
Ohio State at Northwestern: Take Over Wrigley and Stay Hot
Take the Air Out of the Ball
The last time these two programs faced off, Ohio State prevailed, 21-7. CJ Stroud managed just 76 yards off 10/26 passing in gale-force winds. It’s Chicago, so it’s going to be windy. Will Howard doesn’t quite have the arm strength of Stroud, so Ohio State would do well to make his job as easy as humanly possible just in case. The current weather projection has five miles per hour winds but it’s still Chicago.
The run game of Ohio State at Northwestern poses an opportunity. It may be a correlation vs. causation thing but in the Wildcats’ five losses, Northwestern gave up 93, 144, 149, 199, and 202 yards on the ground, respectively. In the four wins, it held opponents to 40, 40, 59, and 47 yards. Ohio State, meanwhile, has been held under 141 yards just once.
This year, the duo of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson has been great. Judkins is leading the way with 106 carries for 647 and six touchdowns. He has two 100-yard games to his name but has failed to log more than 32 yards in three of his last four games. Judkins was a massive part of the game-winning drive against Penn State, however.
Henderson has been more explosive on the whole. He has amassed 588 yards and five touchdowns off 78 carries for 7.8 yards per carry. He’s coming off a big game in the win over Purdue and has been held to fewer than 54 yards just once all year. Last week, he logged a ridiculous 14.2 yards per carry and even added 43 yards and a touchdown as a receiver.
With how banged up the offensive line has been, running the ball will allow the Buckeyes to generate momentum heading into a stout Indiana defense.
Log Another Shutout
Few offenses have been worse than Northwestern’s. Out of 134 teams, the Wildcats’ 19.2 points per game ranks 121st. For reference, in the two shutouts this year, Ohio State shut down Western Michigan (42nd) and Purdue (127th).
Northwestern’s passing offense averages 176 yards per game (120th), its rushing offense manages 112.1 yards per game (116th), and the total offense amasses 288.1 yards per game (131st).
On the other side, Ohio State’s defense has been one of the best all year. The Buckeyes allow 155.6 passing yards (fourth), 95.2 rushing yards (sixth), and 250.8 total yards per game (best).
Expecting greatness is nothing new for Ohio State and its fanbase. If Northwester finds the endzone, it will snap a touchdownless streak by the defense. When the clocks hit 00:00 in the win over Purdue, the touchdownless streak grew to 130:47 of game time.
Once again, the Buckeyes need to lean on and find its pass rush. Jaylahn Tuimoloau leads the way with just five sacks. However, if last week was a sign of things to come, Jim Knowles may finally have full control of the defense. Against Purdue, the Buckeyes forced four sacks and five tackles for loss.
Bat Around
In baseball, there is a term called “batting around.” To bat around, a team must have all nine batters in the lineup come up to bat. It’s a fairly rare feat in baseball, but not unheard of. Against teams like Northwestern, Ohio State can “bat around” by having as many different players star.
On offense, the Buckeyes have Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka to go with Judkins and Henderson. Ohio State has an opportunity to take care of business and make sure it is firing on all cylinders.
Top-five Indiana, Michigan, and a potential Big Ten Championship await over the next three weeks. It’s time to lock in and get that top College Football Playoff seed in the first 12-team format.
