Ohio State Football: Early preview of showdown with Oregon Ducks
The Ohio State football team will have the opportunity to show the nation what the 2020 team is about in an early showdown on Sept.12 at Oregon.
In only the second week of the 2020 season, the Ohio State football team will have a marquee matchup against the Oregon Ducks. The Buckeyes are 9-0 all-time against the Ducks with the most recent win coming in the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
After a probable blowout win against Bowling Green in week one, the Buckeyes will be able to make an early statement for their quest at a College Football Playoff National Championship.
The Buckeyes and Ducks will both easily be in the top 10 heading into next season. Depending upon the optimism of the Oregon Ducks’ quarterback situation in replacing future first-round draft pick Justin Herbert, this could easily be a top-five matchup in Eugene.
Even with Chase Young and J.K. Dobbins declaring early for the NFL Draft, the Buckeyes will return plenty of firepower on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Justin Fields will return for the Buckeyes after a Heisman-esque year in 2019. He will certainly be a front-runner Heisman favorite heading into the 2020 season.
After the departure of Mike Yurcich, Corey Dennis will be the leader in the quarterback room, assisting head coach Ryan Day with this explosive offense.
With the return of Thayer Munford, Josh Myers and Wyatt Davis, Fields will have the combination of size, experience and leadership on his offensive line that will compete for the Joe Moore Award yet again in 2020.
Fields will have plenty of star power at the wide receiver position in 2020. Brian Hartline’s wide receiver room will consist of Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and the No. 1 ranked 2020 recruit Julian Fleming.
The combination of this WR room and tight end Jeremy Ruckert will provide all the necessary weapons needed for Justin Fields to lead this high-powered offense.
Master Teague, Marcus Crowley and Miyan Williams will have big shoes to fill when competing for the starting running back position to replace J.K. Dobbins. Rumors of Jahmyr Gibbs’ possible commitment to the Buckeyes could make it a four-man competition this spring.
On defense, Ryan Day will lose defensive playmakers such as Chase Young, Jeff Okudah, Jordan Fuller and Damon Arnette, along with co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. Shaun Wade will be a key returner for the Buckeyes headed into 2020 as he chose to stay in school.
Despite the speculation for Hafley’s replacement, if Day brings back Kerry Coombs to lead his defense alongside Greg Mattison, this defense shouldn’t miss a beat. Baron Browning coming back for his senior year along with Justin Hilliard will be huge for the Silver Bullets.
After a 28-27 Rose Bowl victory against Wisconsin, Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal has his program trending in the right direction after only two years as the Oregon Ducks head coach.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Ducks will return plenty of talent including freshman star defensive end Kayvon Thibodeux and Rose Bowl MVP, safety Brady Breeze. The big question mark for the Ducks will be at quarterback. Redshirt freshman Tyler Shough will compete for the job after backing up Herbert this season.
With ESPN College Gameday and FOX Noon Kickoff both more than likely to be in Eugene to preview this game, the Buckeyes have the opportunity to take a step in the right direction towards their quest to Miami for the CFP Championship in January 2021.
Next. Getting to know new QB coach Corey Dennis. dark
In an early-season showdown, Fields will start his Heisman quest in a dominating performance against the Ducks’ defense throwing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. The Buckeyes’ defense will force turnovers in the second half against the Ducks’ inexperienced quarterback to allow the Fields-led offense to pull away. The Buckeyes will roll in a statement win against the Ducks 42-17.