It's showtime. THE Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas are ready to dance in primetime in Week 2, and as you could have guessed, Michigan great and OSU hater Desmond Howard is quickly thinking the Longhorns are going to win, claiming Will Muschamp and the defense are going to look electric in slowing down Ohio State. Come on.
While on College GameDay in Austin, Howard indeed propped up Muschamp and Texas in an attempt to bring down Ohio State, saying, "I think the defense is going to be on display tonight against the Buckeyes. I can’t wait for this matchup.”
Respectfully, we're going to disagree. Ohio State and Ryan Day know that a statement needs to be made, and that the offense will need to be humming to keep things tight against Arch Manning, Cam Coleman, and others. With that, here are three keys to the offense looking sharp while making Howard eat his words at the same time.
3. Don't overthink things and get Jeremiah Smith the ball early and often
Feed him! Much has been said about all-world receiver Jeremiah Smith being held to seven receptions and 46 yards in two career games against Texas. Sure, we'll be quick to agree that hasn't been overly impressive on his part.
Still, throw all of that out the window for this blockbuster affair. Arthur Smith needs to let No. 4 do his thing while testing the Texas secondary. Put the ball in Smith's area and let him do what he does best. Texas will try to contain him, but let's be real, that's always going to be easier said than done.
2. Let's see what Devin McCuin can do against the Texas defense
Something that may have gotten overlooked in Ohio State's dominant win over Ball State was that wideout Devin McCuin had quite the debut in Columbus. The speedster finished with six receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Assuming the Longhorns work overtime to try to slow down Smith, it's going to open the door for McCuin to also be a featured weapon, with Sayin and him already developing a strong connection. If Smith has DBs draped all over him, it will open the door for McCuin to have a huge impact on this game as well. That's something to keep a close eye on.
1. The offensive line has to bring its A game against the Longhorns
It all starts in the trenches. Despite the convincing win over Ball State, the offensive line left much to be desired, with right tackle Phillip Daniels having a day to forget in particular. That simply can't be the case when you're going up against a Top 5 team in the country.
The running attack, led by Bo Jackson and Ja'Kobi Jackson, needs to make an impact. In order for that to happen, the hosses up front simply have to do their job in opening up holes. Yes, protecting Sayin and giving him time to scan the field is obviously important too, but if the rushing attack can't get off the ground, it will be a major problem. Let's see what the big fellas can get done here.
Should all three of these keys come to fruition for the Buckeyes, it could end up being a fun night for all of the Ohio State fans who made the long journey to Texas. And at the same time, it would serve Howard a reminder that as much as he wants to work in trying to bash his alma mater's main rival, Ohio State will always be ready to prove him wrong.
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