Ohio State football: Tyvis Powell previews Ohio State-Nebraska opener

Tyvis Powell, who earned defensive MVP honors following Ohio State’s victory in the 2014 national championship game over Oregon, discussed the Ohio State football team’s season opener against Nebraska this Saturday at noon. He touched on the offensive prowess, how coaches plan to split carries, defensive standouts, and more.

The Ohio State football team opens their much anticipated 2020 campaign on Saturday, Oct. 24 at noon versus Nebraska. The Cornhuskers limped to 5-7 a year ago, averaging just 28 points per game and allowing 4.9 yards per carry. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes went 13-1 and a perfect 10-0 in the Big Ten, averaging 46.9 points per game.

“I think they’re going to be really good. I will say, it is the first game so it might be kind of shaky, it might take them a quarter or two to get clicking on all cylinders because it will be the first time they go against someone other than themselves,” Powell said. “But once that ball gets rolling, it’s going to be pretty hard to stop.”

The Buckeyes’ offense brings back elite talent like Fields, Wyatt Davis, Chris Olave, Master Teague, Garrett Wilson, and others. Fields averaged 233.8 passing yards per game on 67.2% efficiency and an incredible 41-3 TD-INT ratio with Ohio State last season. OSU also adds Trey Sermon, who averaged 5.8 yards per carry with Oklahoma in 2018.

“They said Trey is doing good, and they’re going to split carries 50/50. He’s playing with a chip on his shoulder because he was at Oklahoma.” Powell said. “I also think Master Teague is really dedicated. When the outbreak happened and they told everyone to leave campus, he chose to stay because he wanted to do rehab to get back.”

On the other side of the ball, Ohio State’s defense is led by co-defensive coordinators Kerry Coombs and Greg Mattison, who loses a bunch of talent in Chase Young, Jeff Okudah, Damon Arnette, Malik Harrison, and Jordan Fuller. The Buckeyes allowed just 3.0 yards per carry in 2019 and will look to do the same, just with a few new faces.

“I saw a quote recently that coach (Larry) Johnson was saying we don’t have a Bosa or a Chase Young, we have a bunch of no-names. I think that is kind of true which works out in their favor because other teams don’t know who’s the guy they need to double team,” Powell explained. “This is the time for them to get sacks and interceptions and pressures.”

With that said, there are a few big-name prospects on OSU’s defense, including Sevyn Banks, Tuf Borland, Baron Browning, Ty Hamilton, and most notably: Shaun Wade. Wade totaled 26 tackles, seven pass deflections, two sacks, and one interception last year, helping Ohio State allow a Big Ten-best 12.5 points per game.

“Everybody is going to know who Shaun Wade is so they might not throw to his side because he’s a pretty dominant player. So that will put the attention on Sevyn and it’s up to him to make plays,” Powell told me. “I got a little bit of a glimpse of them. I think it’s a perfect opportunity for them to make a name for themselves. They’re definitely crazy talented.”

Nebraska’s offense, and more specifically quarterback Adrian Martinez, sputtered against Ohio State last September at home. Martinez had just eight completions for 47 yards and three interceptions in a 48-7 loss. Powell expects a similar result this weekend: “The good thing is they get a chance with Nebraska to knock the rust off. They should be lights out.”

Powell, like the rest of us, is excited to have Ohio State football back.