The Ohio State football team gets to take on Minnesota under the lights on Saturday night. The Golden Gophers have just one loss, falling in a road game to Cal. Meanwhile, the Ohio State Buckeyes are undefeated after taking down Washington on the road last week.
Heading into this game, the Buckeyes have the best defense in the country. The offense hasn't quite caught up to them, but they hope that changes in this game. There are three players in this game who will have a big impact on the outcome.
1. Julian Sayin
The Ohio State quarterback hasn't set the world on fire so far this season, save for the game against Grambling State. Ohio State's offense has been fairly conservative because of how good the defense is. That could change this weekend, as Brian Hartline might get them to open it up a bit.
Through four weeks, Minnesota allows 211.7 yards per game. That's just 52nd-best in the country. They also haven't faced a quarterback as talented as Sayin. This could be the week that the Buckeyes air it out, and Sayin could have a very impressive stat line when this game is over.
2. Jeremiah Smith
The best receiver in the country hasn't had a monster game yet this season. The Buckeyes got him the ball late in the first half against Washington to get them on the board, and that seems like a smart thing to do. No one can handle Smith one-on-one, and that's an issue.
If Hartline does decide to open up the playbook a bit, Smith is going to be the beneficiary. He's the best vertical threat in the country, so he's going to stretch the Golden Gopher secondary. He could have an 8-catch, 150-yard, and two-touchdown kind of game in this one.
3. Anthony Smith
While Minnesota allows some passing yards, they also get a bunch of sacks. They have the fifth-best sack rate in the country at 11.43 percent. Anthony Smith is the best pass rusher that the Golden Gophers have on their roster, recording 4.5 sacks already.
Smith is someone who can push the pocket around and force Sayin to be uncomfortable. If Minnesota has any hope of getting an upset in this game, Smith has to be a force. He has to have two or three sacks in this game so that Sayin can't get his feet set in the pocket to make good throws.