Final thoughts before Ohio State vs. Akron

Phil Harrison
·4 min read
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Here we go with another weekend of Ohio State football. It’s another chance for us to see some improvement from a very, very young squad against a team that shouldn’t be in the same galaxy as the Buckeyes. But … as they say … that’s why they play the games.

To add intrigue into the mix, OSU is sitting starting quarterback C.J. Stroud to rest his shoulder, and that means we’ll see either Kyle McCord or Jack Miller spinning the ball around the field.

But that’s just one storyline in this one. As we do every week, we’ve got some random, off-the-cusp, final thoughts before all the fun in the ‘Shoe this weekend. Here is our stream of consciousness about the matchup between Akron and Ohio State before tonight’s kickoff.

NEXT … Final thoughts before Ohio State plays Akron

Final Thoughts for Ohio State vs. Akron

  • The main story in this one is obviously how well either Kyle McCord or Jack Miller plays in relief of C.J. Stroud. Just how good are those two talented passers of the ball behind the redshirt freshman?

  • Remember though, there’s not a whole lot to gleen from this one. Akron isn’t very good at American football right now, so a laser light show doesn’t mean that McCord or Miller should replace Stroud immediately.

  • Still, a good showing by either backup quarterback is better than the alternative of not looking good. So, enjoy it if things look good. Who knows how long the shoulder issue will be a problem for Stroud.

  • Has TreVeyon Henderson done enough to take over the No. 1 spot in the backfield? Head coach Ryan Day was non-committal this week on it, but you have to think in crunch time, it’s Henderson all day, every day right?

  • So back on the quarterback situation, look for Ryan Day and staff to try and bully their way on the ground in this one with the starting quarterback on the bench. However, not one to let off the gas much, you’re still going to see him allow plenty in the passing game — especially with how deep and talented the wide receiver group is.

  • On the other side of the ball, we really need to see some improvement. I say giving up anything more than 20 points against Akron is cause for concern.

  • On the same note, the defensive line is on the clock. It all starts there for a young defense and we haven’t seen enough push or pressure early in the season from what was supposed to be the strength of this team.

  • I’m really interested to see how Day keeps the running backs happy. Master Teague’s touches appear to be falling off, and with the emergence of Henderson as a big-play threat, how do you keep him, Teague, and Miyan Williams happy?

  • The same could be said for the wide receivers. We haven’t seen too much of highly-touted Julian Fleming up until this point and freshman Marvin Harrison, Jr. There’s a good chance that both Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson are off to the NFL after this season, there’s there’s hope for more playing time in the future, but even a guy like Emeka Egbuka has to be chomping at the bit.

  • What are the chances that Quinn Ewers gets a couple of snaps in this one? You won’t see get significant time because of his late arrival on campus, but c’mon Day, give the people what they want with a little glimpse late if the game gets out of hand.

  • If Ohio State can’t administer a public flogging to Akron, we’re seriously going to question what this team can do in 2021.

  • What are we going to see with attendance in the ‘Shoe this week? Against Tulsa, 20,000 fans simply decided to not show up to the game. It’s been a long time since that level of apathy has been shown in Columbus. Is it COVID, is it pricing, or is it a lack of excitement from what we’ve seen so far from this team? It’s probably a little combination of all of it.

  • That being said, win a few games in a row and look good doing it, and the excitement will come back. Right?

  • Wide receiver Chris Olave had zero catches last week. Don’t expect to see that the rest of the year. He might go off today once the offense begins to rip it.

  • Okay, let’s zip up Akron. Go Bucks!

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