Ohio State Football: 3 under-the-radar players who must contribute

Ohio State needs to give C.J. Stroud as much time as possible to find the open player to pick up large chunk plays.

One of the things that helped the Buckeyes immensely against Minnesota, was their ability to hit the homerun play. All of their second-half touchdowns came on big plays, which helped not only extend the lead but also allow Stroud to grow in confidence. This week Ohio State will face a much better defense and they will need to really step up in their protection.

Oregon has two of the best defensive ends in the country, so the Buckeye tackles are going to have to be ready to play. Last week Dawand Jones was rated as the best tackle in college football, so this week his counterpart Nicholas Petit-Frere is a player that will quietly dictate much of Ohio State’s offensive success.

It may seem odd calling a potential first-round pick an under-the-radar guy, but with how many big names there are on offense, Petit-Frere does not get talked about enough. If Jones and Petit Frere can stop the Oregon defensive ends, the Buckeyes should be able to roll on offense. Too many sacks and pressures, however, and Ohio State could get into a dog fight.

The tackles will have a lot on their plate this week, but perhaps slightly less than they originally thought. They may not have to go against Oregon’s best player, so that’s good news for the offensive line as a whole.

The next player is someone who didn’t quite get as many targets last week as Ryan Day would have hoped.