Week 1 has finally arrived. The Ohio State Buckeyes will be taking on Ball State in the first game of the season. It's a game in which they are massive favorites, but there are still a lot of things they want to accomplish. With so many new faces, Ryan Day is hoping to get some questions answered.
The Buckeyes have over 30 transfers that they are trying to integrate into the roster, in addition to 20+ freshmen. One of the transfers they have is receiver Kyle Parker, who followed Cortez Hankton from LSU. However, he won't be able to make his debut against the Cardinals.
Ohio State to be without Kyle Parker against Ball State
According to Pete Nakos of On3, Parker will miss the first game with the Buckeyes. Ryan Day has told the media many times over the last few weeks that he has been nicked up with an injury and that it will keep him out of Week 1. Day didn't indicate that over the last few weeks, but that is the case.
Parker was one of two receivers that the Buckeyes added from the Transfer Portal in the offseason. They also added Devin McCuin, who has been getting rave reviews. Without Parker in the lineup, that means that the Buckeyes will move guys up the depth chart.
Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd are expected to receive more snaps in Week 1. The two freshmen have been generating a lot of hype, especially Boyd. They will move up to the fourth and fifth spots in the depth chart, which means they will get more snaps with the starters.
It's unclear how long Parker will be out at this point, but this doesn't seem to be a long-term injury. There is a good chance that the team is just being cautious with this and just wants to make sure he is healthy for the massive matchup next week against Texas.
Ohio State shouldn't have any issues defeating Ball State
Even without Parker, the Buckeyes are still massive favorites to crush the Cardinals. The other receivers will be able to accumulate plenty of yards and score plenty of touchdowns. Missing Parker won't cause a massive downtick in offensive production in this first game.
Jeremiah Smith is the best player in college football. With what Malachi Toney did on Friday night, Smith needs to put up some big numbers to keep pace. He certainly has the skills to win the Heisman, but he needs to take advantage of the bad teams the Buckeyes play to put up big numbers.
I don't expect the Buckeyes to play the starters much in the second half. It would be shocking if any of them played in the fourth quarter. Still, the Buckeyes should put up plenty of points. In contrast, Ball State is going to struggle to put up any points on the scoreboard. I see the Buckeyes putting up a 56-0 shutout to start the season, giving fans plenty to cheer about.
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