Scarlet and Game
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Ohio State football’s opening game just got more difficult

By Del Barris

COLUMBUS, OH - OCTOBER 13: Seth Green #17 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers runs with the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Minnesota 30-14. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - OCTOBER 13: Seth Green #17 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers runs with the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Minnesota 30-14. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /
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The Ohio State football team will face a much tougher opener than they would in a normal year.

Ohio State football’s opening assignment got a lot more difficult recently. The University of Minnesota announced no restrictions on crowd size for their sporting events. Not only will the Buckeyes have to deal with a team that is sky high to play them, but they’re also going to have to deal with sky-high Gopher fans.

The September 2nd meeting is a Thursday night game on national TV. It will be the first time since November 30th, 2019 Gopher fans will be able to watch their team in person. I promise you Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck is going to have his team and their fans whipped into a frenzy. TCF Bank Stadium holds just a shade over 50,000 people. I’m guessing the place will be overflowing on game night.

The potential of a filled stadium makes the Gophers more dangerous. I’m not concerned about a young Ohio State (quarterback whoever it may be) playing in front of a large crowd. I’m concerned about a young Ohio State quarterback dealing with the noise and communication problems a large crowd can create.

While a veteran like Justin Fields can easily transition to using hand signals to change a play at the line of scrimmage, in addition to going through his pre-snap reads of the defense, I think it is a bit more difficult a task for a quarterback starting his first game to handle. Then again, we’re talking about a Ryan Day-prepared Ohio State quarterback. Whoever is it will be very well-schooled on how to handle any situation.

So, what are the Buckeyes going to need to do? It’s very simple. Take the crowd out of the game. Score early and get the game under control by the middle of the third quarter at the latest. Do not let the Gophers stay close into the fourth quarter, allow the crowd to be involved, and get behind their team. If it is close going to the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes are in for a real dogfight to get a win.

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Regardless of where the game is being played, it sure is going to be fun watching Buckeye football being played in front of a raucous crowd again.

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