Ohio State Football: Three keys to victory in the Rose Bowl
By Ryan Stano
Ohio State won’t have Chris Olave or Garrett Wilson for this one. Just having one of those guys missing from this offense would have been a problem. Missing both for this game is quite troubling for one of the best offenses in the country.
The good news is that the Buckeyes still have Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Quite frankly, he might have been the best of the receivers this season. He can make all kinds of plays with the ball in his hands. The problem now comes where he lines up on the field though.
Smith-Njigba does the majority of his damage from the slot. Teams focus on Olave and Wilson on the outside so he can do his damage inside. With both Olave and Wilson gone, will Smith-Njigba still be in the slot? Or will he line up outside and run routes from there?
I would expect a mix of both. Julian Fleming and Emeka Egbuka must step up now with both of those guys gone. One or both of them will be lining up on the outside and neither of them has seen many snaps on the offensive side of the ball. It’s going to be a learning curve.
it’s not ideal for them to see their first meaningful action in the Rose Bowl against an opponent as good as Utah. But they have been practicing for this. The Buckeyes knew who was going to opt out, so the younger players should be prepared.
The second key to this game is up front on the line of scrimmage.