Ohio State Football: Three keys to victory in the Rose Bowl
By Ryan Stano
The biggest reason why the Ohio State football team lost to TTUN in the final game of the season is that they got pushed around up front. They lost the battle at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. They couldn’t run when they needed to or stop the run when they needed to.
That’s something that has to change against Utah. The Utes do a really good job of being physical at the point of attack. They were so physical against Oregon in both of their meetings that they blew them off the field. Ohio State knows what they are getting into with this game.
Ohio State still has a very talented offensive line. These guys didn’t just forget how to block all of a sudden. TreVeyon Henderson is still one of the best running backs in America. I would expect him to have a much better game than he did in Ann Arbor.
The defensive line is what I’m worried about though. They got absolutely gashed by TTUN. Not only could they not stop the run, but they couldn’t get any pressure on the quarterback. Now they have to do both of those things without Haskell Garrett, their best defensive linemen.
If Ohio State can’t stop the run early, this game might be over. Utah has an excellent blocking scheme and can get to the second level with their blocks really well. Ohio State has to fight off their blocks and plug those holes.
The final key for Ohio State to win this game has to do with their mentality going into it.