Ohio State Football: The 3 players you need to know vs. Minnesota
By Alex Austin
Minnesota is bringing the best running back in the Big Ten
Mohamed Ibrahim is an NFL-caliber running back. Widely considered the best running back in the Big Ten, Ibrahim will be the focal point of this offense. Behind a very experienced offensive line, Ibrahim will look to pound the ball and be the workhorse.
The Minnesota wide receivers are lacking in known talent so the path to success for the Gophers is to grind the clock with long possessions that do not allow Ohio State to gain any rhythm.
What Ibrahim will find is an Ohio State defensive line that is talented, but linebackers who are taking over starting positions. The defensive line, led by Haskell Garrett, should be able to contain Ibrahim and take on multiple blockers. The biggest question mark comes from the linebackers.
All of the Buckeye linebackers are new starters this year and are put in a difficult position early on where they will need to correctly read blocking schemes and make plays. They may not be seen making the flashy tackles behind the line often, but limiting Ibrahim to 2-3 yards a carry will be more than enough to get the win.
The battle between Ibrahim and the Ohio State linebackers will be the biggest determining factor in if the Buckeyes run away with this one.