Ohio State Football: Confidence level against Minnesota
By Eric Boggs
Defensive Confidence Level – 10
Despite missing three starters last week, the Ohio State defense held the Michigan State Spartans to just three points. I acknowledge that the team from East Lansing isn’t very good, having lost seven out of their last eight games since the exit of former head coach Mel Tucker from the program. However, Ohio State was able to hold Michigan State to 182 yards, which was 137 less than the Spartans were averaging coming into the contest.
More than likely, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles will have starters Josh Proctor and Tommy Eichenberg back in the starting lineup. Since it is Senior Day and both are in their final season, I can’t imagine they wouldn’t play in what will be their final home game of their careers. Even if it is just the first series of the game, I expect them to get on the field.
Even if Eichenberg and Proctor don’t play and the coaching staff wants them to be held out for one more week in order to make sure there will be no setbacks before next week’s big game in Ann Arbor, this defense has shown they are more than capable in stopping Minnesota, who is coming into this weekend’s game averaging just 318 yards per game, which is almost the same as Michigan State was averaging.
The Gophers are banged up on offense as well, and outside of wide receiver Daniel Jackson, tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford, and left tackle Aireontae Ersery, there really isn’t any other NFL talent on this offense to worry about. Quarterback Athan Kallakmanis will look to Jackson and Spann-Ford more than fifty percent of the time in the passing game while P.J. Fleck continues to bang his head against the wall and force the run despite having a depleted backfield.
Ohio State’s defense is going to have no problem with Minnesota on Saturday, which is why I am at a perfect confidence level score of 10 for the defense.