Last week against USC, the Ohio State Buckeyes had several players out due to injury. They were able to get a little bit healthier during the bye week, but some pretty big names were out. Obviously, Julian Sayin remained out, and he likely won't be returning this season.
Freshman defensive back Jay Timmons was another player who was not available against the Trojans. Timmons has emerged as perhaps the best defensive player that Ohio State has. He will be back for this weekend's game against Oregon, but it might not matter.
Jay Timmons is back for the Buckeyes, but Matt Patricia might neuter his presence
Timmons has shown the ability to affect the game greatly at the nickelback spot. He seems to force turnovers in the biggest games of the season. With Ohio State having two losses now, every game is the biggest game of the year. They can't afford to have another bad performance.
Even with Timmons back, will that make a massive difference for the defense? Matt Patricia had the worst performance of his short Ohio State coaching career. He didn't seem to do much during the bye week to help the defense get better in any way.
While getting Timmons back is great, he won't significantly help the defense unless Patricia fixes the problems that emerged against USC. That includes allowing some big plays, including on the second play of the game. Perhaps Timmons being out there will help the rest of the defense keep guys in front of them.
Ryan Day knows that the defense has to play better, especially with having Luke Fahey as the starting quarterback. There is no margin for error on offense, so the Buckeyes have to play better defense. Leaning on the defense is the only way this team can win moving forward.
Ohio State is more healthy than Oregon is coming into this game
Despite not having Sayin for this game, the Buckeyes are healthier than the Ducks will be in this game. They have a laundry list of players out, including Messiah Hampton, who had some off-the-field issues. Jordon Davison is out of this game, as well.
Surprisingly, Jeremiah McClellan is probable for this game, so perhaps Oregon is getting healthier at the wide receiver spot. Still, Dante Moore won't be playing. It will likely be Dylan Raiola starting again. Ohio State being the healthier team does help them in this backs-against-the-wall situation.
Ohio State has to figure out a way to win this game to keep its season alive. The Ducks have a chance to make the College Football Playoff as well if there is chaos in front of them. That's what makes this game so critical for both teams. This season has had a lot of chaos in it so far.
Timmons returning to the lineup is great. It would be nice if he could find a way to stay healthy, as he has already missed multiple games in his freshman season. However, he already is someone who is making a huge impact.
Add us as a preferred source on Google