Ohio State football:Three things OSU must do against Akron

I’m not going to sit here and try to tell you Akron is a threat to beat the Ohio State football team. Last week, I felt Tulsa was dangerous. I’m not losing any sleep over the Zips. I’m not trying to be insulting, it’s just the reality of the situation.

They gave up 60 points to Auburn and 45 to Temple. Their only win came against FCS member Bryant. Regardless of how much the Ohio State football team has struggled in some areas, Akron is not a threat. However, there are still a few things I think the Buckeyes need to do.

Put the game away early – Blow out the Zips by halftime, so younger players can get some game reps. Thanks to a porous defense, the Buckeyes have not had many chances to do this since the beginning of last season. It is sorely needed because, unless the defense improves, I don’t know when there will be another opportunity to do this.

It is especially important at quarterback with C.J. Stroud nursing a sore shoulder. If he plays, the hope is to get him out of the game early and let Kyle McCord and Jack Miller get some much-needed playing time. Removing the starters early will also help to avoid any injuries to key players.

Don’t be sloppy – When a team plays a far inferior opponent, it can have a tendency to get sloppy, because they can get away with winning on nothing more than superior athletic ability. That sloppiness can carry over to the next game and create all kinds of problems depending on the opponent. The Buckeyes want to look sharp against the Zips so they can carry it forward to Rutgers the following week.

Get Palaie Gaoteote plenty of playing time – Tommy Eichenberg has been completely ineffective and Dallas Gant is now in the transfer portal. The Buckeyes need help at middle linebacker and Gaoteote can provide it. The USC transfer has plenty of starting experience and is a big body (248 pounds).

He’s been mostly used at the SAM position when the Ohio State football team goes to a three-linebacker look, but he’s capable of moving inside and providing depth behind Cody Simon. The more playing time he gets, the more comfortable he becomes with the defensive scheme. The more comfortable he becomes with the defensive scheme, the more this talented player can contribute to a defense that needs contributors.

Lindy’s Sports college football preview ranked the Zips 125th out of 130 FBS programs. Not a single Akron player is listed on their preseason All-MAC team. Yes, anything can happen in college football, but it isn’t going to happen in this game. Akron simply is not a threat to the Buckeyes.