Oklahoma, a College Football Playoff semifinalist previous year, was ranked No. 3 in the preseason before it lost its opener 33-23 to Houston. There are a lot of new faces on both sides of the ball for the Buckeyes, and after two games in the friendly confines of the Horseshoe, they’re set for a hostile prime-time atmosphere in Oklahoma’s Memorial Stadium.
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“I think they have a really basic defense and I think we can go out there and, I mean, Baker (Mayfield), will light them up”, Kendall said. But in an upset that provided an early shakeup in the race for the College Football Playoff, the Buckeyes actually got to see what worked and how successful they might be after the Cougars racked up more than 400 yards and 25 first downs in a 33-23 victory.
FILE – In this November 28, 2015, file photo, Oklahoma cornerback Jordan Thomas (7) intercepts a pass intended for Oklahoma State’s Brandon Sheperd (7) in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Stillwater, Okla. But while highly regarded teams like Clemson and Georgia have struggled with inferior opponents, Ohio State has done exactly what it’s supposed to do.
While the Sooners represent a much higher level of competition than Ohio State’s first two opponents, co-defensive coordinators Greg Schiano and Luke Fickell appear to have a talented unit with the Buckeyes. So does Oklahoma go with their first half plan against Ward and “mush rush” Barrett and the Buckeyes? The Buckeyes’ visit to Norman, Oklahoma, though, will be a litmus test as to whether they are a true national title contender.
At times during the game, Darlington says they couldn’t even communicate what play they were going to run because of the noise. They tried to come back to this later, but the Houston defense adjusted, allowing Oklahoma just 70 yards rushing.
Seemingly the biggest game of Week 3 of the college football season will come in Norman this weekend, when No. 4 Ohio State takes on No. 14 Oklahoma..
Still, the ideas are the same. “We’ll be more familiar with that type of offense”, linebacker Obo Okoronkwo said.
Asked about how the Buckeyes found Samuel – a Brooklyn native – Smith simply said, “You can find athletes anywhere”. “You know what’s coming”.
But his interest in the Sooners, dating back to the wishbone era of Barry Switzer and dual threats like Jamelle Holieway, was “nothing insane”, which is how he described his recruitment by the school.
While the Ohio State offense has the weapons to be potent – headlined by Heisman Trophy candidate J.T. Barrett – the young and retooling defense has grown into a suffocating unit quicker than anyone anticipated. “Our group made a really good jump this week and they responded to all the things that we put forth”. “He just doesn’t make the plays when they are there, but he had a couple of outstanding plays where nothing was there, and it’s hard to bring him down”. The Sooners surrendered 337 yards in the first half, but just 83 in the second. The Sooners led 42-0 at halftime, and controlled the game defensively, aside from a few breakdowns. Last year’s Ohio State team seemed to outthink itself on offense; this year’s is already back to making defenses outthink themselves because there are so many options to account for on any given play.
“It’ll be a big challenge”, said Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, an OH native. “Motivating coaches, players – all of it together, when you’ve had all that success, go hand in hand”.
– LOTS OF RECEIVERS: No Ohio State receiver has more than four catches this season and Meyer would like a little more clarity about who the top pass-catchers are.
“Great players, excellent skill everywhere”, Stoops said of the Buckeyes.
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Edward grew up in Kansas, also lived in South Bend when his father coached at Notre Dame, and moved to Columbus in 2012 when Urban Meyer hired his dad. “You can tell they’re a very well-coached team as well”.
