Can No. 2 Ohio St keep foot on the gas in season’s 2nd half?

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Are the Ohio State Buckeyes on an inevitable march to a different championship? Or is it too early — and the schedule too simple up to now — to get a great learn on the Buckeyes’ full potential?

And might they keep away from the out-of-nowhere traps throughout the second half of the season which have scuttled their hopes earlier than?

What You Want To Know

• No. 2 Ohio State completed the primary half 6-0 and 3-0 in Massive Ten video games
• Buckeyes nonetheless have huge video games in opposition to No. 16 Penn State and No. 4 Michigan
• Ohio State is averaging 543.7 yards and 48.8 factors per sport

With all of its offensive depth on show, No. 2 Ohio State completed the primary half 6-0 (3-0 Massive Ten) with out breaking a lot of a sweat.

“We haven’t performed our greatest sport but,” linebacker Tommy Eichenberg mentioned after Ohio State buried Michigan State 49-20 on Oct. 8, the final sport earlier than an off week.

The second half hinges on two key video games — Oct. 29 at No. 16 Penn State and Nov. 26 in Columbus in opposition to No. 4 ranked Michigan (7-0, 4-0 Massive Ten). The Wolverines crushed Penn State (5-1, 2-1) 41-17 on Saturday.

Ohio State’s different second-half opponents, Iowa, Northwestern, Indiana and Maryland, will seemingly be double-digit underdogs. Of these, Maryland might current essentially the most attention-grabbing problem on Nov. 19 at Faculty Park.

The Buckeyes have piled up some sensational offensive stats — 543.7 yards and 48.8 factors per sport — regardless of accidents to key stars. They occur to have a top-10 protection, too, because of new coordinator Jim Knowles.

“It’s scary to me, so I can solely think about what it’s to the remainder of the nation,” receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. mentioned of Ohio State’s potential.

Fox school soccer analyst Joel Klatt known as the Buckeye’s offense “the perfect … within the nation, and it isn’t fairly shut. And everybody goes to should cope with them in some unspecified time in the future this 12 months.”

In a much-hyped opener, the Buckeyes confirmed some rust however beat then-No. 5 Notre Dame 21-10, a win that misplaced its luster when the Combating Irish misplaced at residence to Marshall the following week and dropped out of the AP High 25.

Ohio State simply dispatched two extra nonconference opponents earlier than routing Massive Ten foes Wisconsin, Rutgers and Michigan State, scoring no less than 49 factors in every sport.

And all this with out its full slate of offensive stars wholesome. Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been out many of the season with a hamstring damage. High working backs TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams every have needed to sit out video games due to accidents. A lot of the group’s high defensive backs have been banged up at one time or one other.

Coach Ryan Day mentioned most injured gamers ought to be prepared when the Buckeyes host Iowa on Oct. 22.

“I really feel prefer it’s uncommon in as we speak’s day and age the place you … do have a full deck,” Day mentioned. “Usually, it’s important to play depth, and we all know that. However it’s thrilling to know that if we will get everyone again in there at full energy, then definitely we will put a number of stress on defenses.”

Quarterback C.J. Stroud, a Heisman Trophy favourite, mentioned: “I don’t actually suppose we’ve got a restrict. However I feel we acquired to press this bye week and ensure we proceed to get higher.”

There may be precedent in recent times for confounding losses down the stretch by Ohio State groups which will have been wanting too far forward.

In 2017, the No. 6 Buckeyes have been pounded on the street by unranked Iowa 55-24, a setback that then-coach City Meyer nonetheless struggles to clarify. The subsequent season, they have been ranked second and stumbled in opposition to unranked Purdue on the street, 49-20.

Final fall, Ohio State’s errors and incapacity to cease the run led to Michigan’s 42-27 residence win, which snapped a streak of eight straight Buckeyes wins within the rivalry collection. The loss ruined Ohio State’s season, shutting it out of the convention championship sport and the Faculty Soccer Playoffs.

The Buckeyes have been considering and speaking about revenge ever since. Day’s 2022 maxim of “aggressive stamina” was borne out of the Michigan loss.

If Ohio State and “That Staff Up North” can run the desk forward of this 12 months’s version of “The Sport,” count on an additional heaping serving to of hype throughout Thanksgiving week. It is already percolating in Columbus and Ann Arbor.