Here are five questions that will go along way toward determining who gets to play No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1:
1. Will the Ohio State offensive line hold up?
The Buckeyes’ front line has struggled since losing its top two players to season-ending injuries. After adjusting well to the absence of left tackle Josh Simmons (knee) in the middle of the season, center Seth McLaughlin (Achilles) has proven to be a much bigger loss.
Day said the staff would look at different combinations during practice, and it sounds like that will result in Luke Montgomery being the new left guard Saturday night while Austin Siereveld and Tegra Tshabola share time at right guard.
“I feel like yesterday was good mojo coming off the field, good energy coming off the field that way, and they know how they need to play in this game,” Day said Wednesday, “Not that everything has to be perfect, but we’ve got to rock off the ball and knock people back.
Tennessee is only 41st in the nation in sacks but ranks ninth in tackles for loss led by All-SEC end James Pierce.
“They have a good front, and so might we swing and miss every once in a while? Okay, but we’re not going to swing and miss by not being aggressive,” Day said. “We’re going to be aggressive. We’re going to go after these guys and making sure that we’re moving back the line of scrimmage.”
2. Who wins the quarterback battle?
Day praised Tennessee sophomore Nico Iamaleava for having the arm strength to stretch the defense from sideline to sideline and the athleticism to extend plays and get first downs with his legs. A five-star prospect, he has been more of a caretaker for the offense so far, but there is potential for him to do more.
Ohio State got Will Howard out of the transfer portal to guide an offense that is supposed to be explosive, but he has been shaky at times.
“Will is our quarterback. He’s our leader,” said senior receiver Emeka Egbuka. “He didn’t come here by accident, and you guys have seen the product that he’s put out there on the field week after week. So I don’t necessarily think that he played bad in our last game, but moving away from that, we have full trust in him. He’s putting together a great practice week, and we’re excited to see what he puts out there on Saturday and lead us.”
3. Could the Ohio State defense win the game itself?
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles previously has talked about just three points being enough for the Buckeyes to win a game, and he repeated that expectation for his unit this week.
“They spread you out from sideline to sideline, and they create seams in your defense and combine that with tempo so you have to get lined up fast,” Knowles said. “It’s a challenge, but we got the right guys to do it, and I’m confident in our players. They’ve been working hard and are confident in the plan.”
Aside from disrupting the young quarterback, Ohio State will have to slow down All-SEC running back Dylan Sampson, who already has a Tennessee-record 1,485 yards and 22 touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 201-pound junior led the SEC in 11 different statistical categories.
“We can win the game on defense,” Knowles said. “That’s everything that I’ve been working on since I’ve gotten here, and I know there have been times that we have done that, so we have a history of it. The guys know they can do it, and I think they take pride in that if it comes to the defense winning, then that’s what we have to do. We got to do our job for the team, for the program, for the fans. We got to do our job, so take everything else out of it.
“It doesn’t matter what else happens. We have to do our job.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
4. Can the Ohio State staff figure out how to utilize its playmakers?
Of course Howard plays an integral role in executing the plan, but he can only work with what he gets from Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.
They admitted making mistakes in how the Buckeyes attacked Michigan, a defense that is built on a ferocious defensive line. The Volunteers are strong up front, too, and have talented cornerbacks, including All-SEC second-teamer Jermod McCoy.
“We have full trust in the coaches to put together a plan to put us in the position to be successful, but it’s ultimately our job as players to put on the field,” Egbuka said. “So we’re working through all those kinks and getting out all the impurities from last week. We’re solely focused on beating Tennessee this week.”
5. What about special teams?
One week after providing a big boost for the Buckeyes against Indiana, the Ohio State kicking game was a disaster in the loss to Michigan.
Not only did Jayden Fielding miss two field goals, mistakes in the return game forced the offense to start in the shadow of its goal posts multiple times and may have contributed to what turned out to be a surprisingly conservative offensive attack.
Tennessee has one of the stronger punt return units in the SEC, and punter Jackson Ross has been good at pinning teams inside the 20 while still ranking in the national top 25 in net punting average.
SATURDAY’S GAME
Tennessee at Ohio State, 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN, 1410
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