Ohio State Football: Three keys to beating Minnesota
By Ryan Stano
The Ohio State football team is preparing for its final home game of the season. For the seniors, it will be their final game ever at the Shoe. Minnesota is coming in to try to spoil the party and make everyone sad. They are also looking to become bowl-eligible with a win.
Ohio State is coming off a big win against Michigan State. It was the first game in a while that both their offense and defense looked elite. That should give them a large amount of confidence heading into this matchup with the Golden Gophers.
Minnesota, on the other hand, is coming off a loss to Purdue in which they let the Boilermakers score 49 points. If their defense plays like that against the Buckeyes, they could be in for a long day. But they do have the look-ahead element in their favor.
Ohio State has The Game on the horizon. They might be looking ahead to that epic matchup. If they are, Minnesota is looking to pounce on that opportunity to pull the upset. Ryan Day is trying his best to not let that happen to his group. He is trying to keep them as focused as possible.
There are three big keys for the Buckeyes to win this game and stay undefeated. If they do all of these things, they should have no issues winning the game and covering the spread. The first thing they have to do is give Kyle McCord time to throw.
1. Protect Kyle McCord and this Ohio State football passing attack
Kyle McCord played excellently against Michigan State. He threw for 335 yards and 3 touchdowns in just three-quarters of play. He made sure to get his best player the ball often as Marvin Harrison Jr. finished the game with three total touchdowns. That’s the type of play the Buckeyes need from McCord.
One of the reasons why McCord was able to be so efficient is because of the offensive line. They kept McCord clean in the pocket and allowed him to make good decisions with the ball. When he has time to throw, he is a very good quarterback who is tough to stop.
One of the only chances Minnesota has to stop this passing attack is to get pressure on McCord early and often. They have two guys in Jah Joyner and Danny Striggow who have 4.5 and 6 sacks respectively on the defensive line. Ohio State has to block them well.
The offensive line has done a much better job in run blocking over the last three games. Pass blocking has gotten a bit better too, but there are still some concerns around Josh Fryar. Carson Hinzman hasn’t lit the world on fire up the middle either, but both are good enough right now.
The next key for the Buckeyes to win this game has to deal with their mental mindset.