Ohio State aims to keep things rolling after their 21-10 win over Notre Dame last week. Up next for the Buckeyes? The Arkansas State Red Wolves from the Sun Belt Conference. Both teams come in at 1-0, after the Buckeyes defeated the Irish in a highly televised matchup, while the Red Wolves demolished Grambling 58-3.
But Ohio State is the heavy favorite, coming in with a line of 44.5 points. But even in a game the Buckeyes should win handily, there are still a couple interesting storylines heading into this matchup at the Horseshoe! First, Arkansas State’s head coach Butch Jones knows Ohio State well, as he was an assistant coach on Nick Saban’s Alabama staff when the Crimson Tide took down the Buckeyes for the National Championship when the two teams last played. And while Arkansas State obviously isn’t Alabama, Jones aims to bring the Red Wolves up to a higher standard. He’s coached for a great football team, and he’s coached against great football teams. He knows what solid football looks like, and is attempting to build the Red Wolves into a solid, successful program in the Sun Belt Conference. But he’s still in the middle of the rebuilding process in his second season at the helm. Arkansas State went 2-10 last season, his first. He has a long way to go before his vision becomes a reality.
While it’s interesting scouting the opponent, things tend to get kicked up a notch when the opponent has a former Buckeye on the staff. Rob Harley returns to Columbus as the Red Wolves’ defensive coordinator, where he played for the Buckeyes from 2001-2005, and was a member of the 2002 National Championship team that knocked off Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. But that’s not all. If his last name sounds familiar to anybody, that’s because Rob Harley’s great uncle was perhaps the first famous player in Ohio State football history.
Charles “Chic” Harley played for the Buckeyes from 1916-1919 as a running back, earning All-American honors in 1916, 1917, and 1919. He was Ohio State’s very first All-American, and was also the player who led them to their very first victory over the Michigan Wolverines in 1919. His play was so dazzling and intense, that it inspired the Buckeye football program to move from 14,000-seat Ohio Field, and construct one of the biggest college football stadiums in the country in the Horseshoe, which is why Ohio Stadium is now sometimes referred to as the “The House That Harley Built.” Harley was also a member of the 1951 College Football Hall of Fame class. He never won a Heisman Trophy, but would almost certainly have captured at least one if the award had been around during his playing days. He was that good! Without Chic Harley, the Buckeye football program might never have rose to national prominence.
Fast forward back to today’s game, and the Buckeyes will be tasked with outsmarting Chic’s great nephew, and taking down Arkansas State. Let’s take a look at the Keys to Victory for this game, shall we?
1. Impose your will early with the running game: While Ohio State is expected to win big over Arkansas State, and should, one of the big early keys to this game will be for Ohio State to get the running game going early. They should pick up right where they left off against Notre Dame last week on the ground. Ohio State has one of the best 1-2 punches when it comes to running backs in Miyan Williams and TreVeyon Henderson. They should use them consistently to set up the pass, or at the very least, to take pressure off CJ Stroud.
2. Take shots in the passing game since the offense struggled through the air last week: While it was nice to see the Buckeyes finally break through in the passing game later against Notre Dame, the team definitely struggled with creating a consistent rhythm through the air. Hopefully Stroud and the receiving corps get an opportunity to get some work in perfecting this area of the game. Ohio State has shown that it can run the football, and the Buckeyes may finally have a great defense once again. But if they figure out how to combine those two things with a potent passing game? The rest of the country will be on notice!
3. Don’t look ahead: To fans like us, Ohio State should win against Arkansas State pretty easily. But I can guarantee you that Buckeye head coach Ryan Day never thinks this way. He can’t afford to. If he ever thinks like that as a head coach, that’s a dangerous place to be. Whether he’s getting the team ready for Arkansas State, or defending National Champion Georgia, it’s his job to keep this team locked in and focused. If Ohio State wins big today, and several of the reserves get playing time while helping the starters avoid any major injuries, consider this week a success.
The quest for a ninth National Championship continues for Ohio State. Tune in to watch this week’s game on the Big Ten Network. GO BUCKS!
Sources: ESPN, USA Today, Cleveland.com
Picture Credit: clutchpoints.com
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