Could Ohio State be prime for an upset loss? I’ve learned to not worry about things I can’t control. The commitment of another running back, Antonio Williams, a former Wisconsin recruit, to Ohio State last month also might have played a role.
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Minnesota will face a tough challenge when it travels to No. 1 Ohio State in its first game against an opponent ranked No. 1 since 2006.
Elflein said it’s a team effort to make sure Jones succeeds.
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Michael Thomas (3) crosses goal line for touchdown against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the second quarter at High Points Solutions Stadium. Most importantly, Leidner did not turn the ball over, giving the Gophers a chance to win the game in the final moments.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We want to win this football game, and no obstacle and no speed bump, so to speak, is going to get in our way”. He leads the Buckeyes with 35 catches for 536 yards (15.3 yards per reception) and six touchdowns.
An air of uncertainty hung over OSU coming into the game because it was playing without starting quarterback J.T. Barrett, who was suspended for one game after being cited for operating a vehicle while impaired during OSU’s bye week last Saturday.
The underwhelming campaign for Willoughby continued on Saturday.
The good is a defense which checks in 25th in total defense, allowing 324.6 yards per game. Losing their best and most consistent player is a problem when facing the Buckeyes.
Scouting the running game: Rodney Smith was the more effective freshman running back against MI, rolling up 74 yards on just 12 carries to 36 on 12 for freshman Shannon Brooks. Miller would later leave the field and will likely undergo concussion test protocol, he would not return to the game. Minnesota has three games left, all against teams which now have a winning record, and will need to win two of them. For instance, one successful response has been to align Elliott and the tight end together and run tight zone to the open side so that the tight ends can block the overhang defenders. Despite being one of the oldest matchups in the Big Ten, the overall margin is surprisingly one-sided.
Leidner is 141 of 244 on the season (57 percent) for 1,627 yards and eight TDs, though he has thrown six picks.
If OSU defeats MI State (No. 7 in CFP) and MI (No. 17), that will get the Buckeyes into the Big Ten Championship Game. The Gophers also used the read option successfully, as Leidner ran for 56 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown. Nine plays for 30 yards that was thwarted by a bad pass interference call on Nate Wozniak. Demry Croft had to come in with the Gophers facing a 3rd-and-9 and threw an incomplete pass. The suspension came just one week after Barrett had replaced Cardale Jones as the starting signal-caller. Though it’s unclear what his future list is at this time. Last year, the Buckeyes won 31-24 on a bitterly cold day in Minneapolis.
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Braxton Miller – the other quarterback on the Buckeye roster – took five snaps and ran each time. OSU wasn’t the lone team to be busy recently. That targeting penalty big hit in the second quarter saw Leidner get popped at the four yardline and part of his upper body landed in the end zone. Bobek remains out with an injury.
