Ohio State has lost each of the last two games it has played. In those games, the Buckeyes have given up a ton of yards and a ton of points. In those games, Ohio State has allowed 71 combined points. Ohio State's offense wasn't good enough to catch up, so they now have three losses on the year.
Northwestern is the next team that the Buckeyes have to take on. The Wildcats and Chip Kelly will visit the Shoe. Aidan Chiles has done so many good things with Kelly calling plays and scheming for him. He has shown the ability to be a solid quarterback. However, he won't be facing the Buckeyes.
Aidan Chiles has been ruled out for the Ohio State game
Chiles has officially been ruled out by Northwestern for this game against the Buckeyes. That is good news for a defense that has struggled to curtail big plays. Matt Patricia hasn't found a way to get his unit to cover better or rush the passer. It has been a disappointing couple of weeks.
Without Chiles, the Wildcats are going to have a heck of a time beating Ohio State. His ability to execute Kelly's offense was the best chance that Northwestern had of beating Ohio State, even with how poorly the defense has been playing over the last couple of weeks.
However, this also sets up the Buckeyes to have a ton of pressure for this game. A loss to Northwestern in what will be yet another game against a backup quarterback would be catastrophic for everyone involved, including Ryan Day. Even his job wouldn't be safe.
Ohio State has to win this game even more than it did before. While it's unlikely that they have a shot of making the College Football Playoff, beating the Wildcats is a must. Without Chiles out there, that goal has become a lot easier.
Ohio State has a chance to possibly right the ship
There is a chance that the Buckeyes could right the ship and end up going on another big run at the end of the year, as they did at the end of the 2024 season. Other than that, this season will pretty much be seen as a giant waste. However, that run could start against Northwestern.
A big win at home might give the team some confidence in Luke Fahey. He will be the starting quarterback yet again, despite two big losses in the last couple of weeks. He needs some help from the coaching staff to scheme things up for him. The defense needs to be a lot better, too.
Kelly is a crafty offensive mind. Even without Chiles, he can probably scheme up a lot of plays to get guys open. Northwestern has likely been preparing all week without Chiles. They will have one more day of practice to keep up that preparation, as well.
Ohio State's path to a win got a lot easier. However, their pressure has gone up even more than it was before.
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