2. The Ohio State football team must stop the run
Just as it was against TTUN, the primary game plan for Ohio State's defense needs to be to stop the run. The ground game is how the Vols move the ball and sustain drives. Dylan Sampson is certainly a problem. He has run for almost 1,500 yards this season and has 22 rushing touchdowns.
So far, the Buckeyes have done a pretty good job stopping the run. They have the best defense in terms of points allowed and total yards allowed. They are second in passing yards per game and they are seventh in rush yards per game. Defensively, this team is still stout.
The defense was not the problem against Michigan. The Buckeyes just have to get past the first drive. They have had issues all year long against scripted opening drives. After that, they have been lights out. Caleb Downs is going to be a key player in this game.
He had one of his best games of the season against Michigan, recording his only interception of the year. Expect to see him all over the field on Saturday night, including on some blitzes. Ohio State is going to get funky on defense to confuse Nico Iamaleava.
If they can stop the run and force Iamaleava to beat them with his arm in a hostile environment, the Buckeyes are going to be in a good spot. It's going to be very hard for a freshman quarterback to go out there and win this game.
The final key for the Ohio State football team to win this game is a very simple intangible.