Ohio State Football: Buckeyes enter November primed for a run
It’s important for the Ohio State football team to shake off the loss to Purdue because the November stretch drive is about to begin.
The Ohio State football team is officially back into game week mode. Time for the Buckeyes to wash the bad taste of the loss to Purdue out of their mouths.
Back to routines. Back to starting a new winning streak.
Ohio State has a history of bouncing back. Urban Meyer’s only back-to-back losses were to Michigan State in the 2013 Big Ten Football Championship and to Clemson 40-35 in the 2014 Orange Bowl.
Confidence wise, I am wondering how the team is handling the loss. Under Meyer, the Buckeyes lost their first five games by a total of 35 points. The last four by 106.
Heading into the November stretch run, is the glass half-full or half-empty right now?
Ryan Day and Greg Schiano were both optimistic last week when they addressed the media. Day’s issues appear less concerning than Schiano’s so it is easy to understand why he thinks the offensive coaches can fix the problems with the ground game and red-zone inefficiencies.
Whether it is scheme, inexperience, injuries or overall talent, I am not so certain the defense has the horses to make major strides in the back half of the season. There is one caveat, an alpha dog steps up and demands excellence from all the other guys.
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The effort on display in the second half against Purdue reflected an absence of leadership from this unit. Out of all the star players on the defensive roster, it is unimaginable to me that Nick Bosa was the only player who could coalesce this unit when things are not going its way.
Jordan Fuller and Tuf Borland are the captains. I expect both to be the ones that refuse to let the defense slide into mediocrity.
One loss does not derail the goals of beating Michigan, winning the Big Ten, making the College Football Playoff Invitational and winning the national championship. Attainment is achieved if and only if the attitude and determination of the defense gets back to a championship level.
It starts this week against Nebraska, a team hitting its stride, but has no business making it a game against the Buckeyes.
Next. Buckeyes No. 8, three loss SEC teams ranked. dark
I think the unit will show progress and gain confidence heading into its annual showdown with Michigan State.