Three keys to victory for the Ohio State football team vs. Marshall

2. The Ohio State football team must win the turnover battle

Ohio State's defense is one of the best in the country. They are great up front, in the middle, and in the secondary. It has been extremely hard for teams to move the ball on the Buckeyes. Not only has that been the case, but it was also hard for Akron and Western Michigan to not turn the ball over.

Akron actually ended up turning it over three times. Ohio State scored two touchdowns off those turnovers, getting a pick-six and a fumble return for a touchdown. While the turnover margin wasn't as great for Ohio State against the Broncos, they still don't have a negative turnover margin yet this year.

Turning the ball over a bunch is the one thing that could keep Ohio State from winning this game. If they all of sudden end up -3 or -4 in the turnover margin, that would open things up for Marshall to pull an upset. Ohio State has to make sure they take care of the ball.

So far, that hasn't been an issue. In fact, the Buckeyes haven't turned the ball over yet. Will Howard has been very smart with his throws except for one bizarre throw backward while he was getting sacked against Akron that was. fumble. Ohio State recovered that though, so there was no turnover.

I don't expect this to be a big issue on Saturday. They are a team that knows the value of holding onto the ball. With a team like Marshall, the Buckeyes won't be taking a bunch of chances down the field in order to win this game. The ground game is going to be a big part of their attack.

The final key to an Ohio State victory has to do with that ground game.

3. The Ohio State football team must be strong on the ground

TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins are two of the best backs in the country. After a rough start in Week 1, Judkins was a lot better against Western Michigan. The offensive line in general was a lot stronger in that second game. It was hard for them to be much worse in terms of run blocking than they were against Akron.

The ground game is going to be a very important part of Ohio State's identity this season. Chip Kelly loves running the ball and controlling the clock like he did at UCLA. This team is much more talented than the teams that he had in Los Angeles. The talent in the backfield is much higher.

Once Ohio State starts to establish the run in these non-conference games, Big Ten opponents will see that on film and start to creep up in the box. That opens the door for the Buckeyes to use the play-action pass to push the ball down the field to some of their great receivers.

The Buckeyes very well could rush for over 200 yards in this game as a team. That not only should result in a lot of points scored, but it keeps Marshall's offense off the field too. That's an ideal combination for a powerhouse program looking to avoid a colossal upset.