Key Matchups: Ohio State Defense vs. Minnesota Offense
The Silver Bullets didn't have a great year in 2020.
They certainly didn't have a poor season either. After all, they dominated almost every single opponent they played and made it to the College Football Playoff national championship game.
But a couple of coaching staff changes on that side of the ball, in addition to some personnel changes, have made for a group that will receive a lot of attention - especially in the opener. We live in a world where sometimes people expect immediate results ... even if those expectations aren't realistic. Ohio State's first chance to show they've gotten better on defense begins Thursday.
Here are a few matchups I'll be paying attention to in particular.
Ohio State Defensive Coordinator Kerry Coombs vs. Minnesota Offensive Coordinator Mike Sanford Jr.
Is it appropriate to begin with a matchup off the field? When Greg Mattison retired, Ryan Day shifted Kerry Coombs from co-coordinator and secondary coach to overseeing the defense as a whole, while elevating Matt Barnes to coach the secondary. Coombs now has a more important defensive role on the whole, but it's the secondary in particular that needs to show signs of improvement from last year.
With a veteran quarterback, running back and offensive line, how might Mike Sanford Jr. scheme up the offense to try and exploit last season's OSU weakness? This is a matchup I'm extremely interested to follow on Thursday night.
Minnesota offensive tackle Daniel Faalele vs. Ohio State Pass Rushers
I'm not sure exactly which linemen will go up against the mountain of a man the Gophers have playing offensive tackle. Heck, with both teams not releasing depth charts, who knows exactly how everyone will line up. But one thing is for sure - the best way to wear down the endurance of a 6-foot-9, 380 offensive lineman is to rotate different players at him and try to beat him with speed, power and finesse.
Larry Johnson's Rushmen will need to throw different combinations at Minnesota's biggest blocker to try and create pressure in the backfield. I expect Zach Harrison and Tyreke Smith to be the leaders of this unit, but Javontae Jean-Baptiste has really made a nice jump this offseason and perhaps Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau will find themselves tangled with him along the way as well.
Ohio State Linebackers vs. Minnesota Running Back Mohamed Ibrahim
The Gophers have a stable, steady back in Mohamed Ibrahim. He enters Thursday's game on a school-record eight consecutive 100-yard rushing performances. With a receiving corps that hasn't proven themselves quite yet, a good performance from Ibrahim can keep the clock moving and perhaps help Minnesota push lengthy drives down the field. I think that's their best chance at being in this game when the fourth quarter comes around.
Meanwhile, Ohio State's linebackers need to have a big game against one of the top backs in the country. Ryan Day expressed a lot of confidence in that group during his media session on Monday afternoon. When he was asked about which guys would play aside from Teradja Mitchell, he eventually named everyone in the group ... but the first name out of his mouth was Tommy Eichenberg. Perhaps we'll see the third-year player from St. Ignatius make an impact on Thursday.
Regardless, that new group needs to keep Ibrahim from ripping off big, momentum-changing plays. Day said the team has focused a ton on tackling with how difficult Ibrahim can be at times to bring down. I don't know if this will be a straight numbers game where the Buckeyes stack the box and dare Tanner Morgan to beat them through the air. But silencing Ibrahim early could go a long way toward a Buckeye win.
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