The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Ohio State tries to get back on track vs. Army
After being clobbered by Oklahoma last week, Ohio State is looking for a feel-good win over Army. But don’t expect the Black Knights to go down without a fight.
COLUMBUS » Ohio State players likely will be a little cranky when Army visits for the first time on Saturday afternoon. The No. 8 Buckeyes were smoked by Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma at Ohio Stadium last week and will be looking for an outlet for their frustration.
Not to say Army (2-0) isn’t capable of giving the Buckeyes (11, 1-0 Big Ten) some headaches. It has been one of the most improved teams in the nation under coach Jeff Monken.
“Everyone is saying we’re going to get our butts whipped,” said Monken, who led the Black Knights to an 8-5 record last year and the first win over Navy in 15 years. “I’m not walking in here telling the guys to start preparing for (the following game against) Tulane because we’re going to get our butts whipped. That’s not the way we’re wired. We’ve got to look at their team and find the things we can do to be successful.”
Army runs a confounding triple-option attack centered on quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw, who is averaging 162 yards rushing after two games to rank sixth nationally, and 9.5 yards per carry with three TDs. He has seven 100-yard games in his career.
Unfortunately for the Black Knights, the Ohio State defensive line specializes in stuffing the run. The Buckeyes defense is No. 13 nationally, allowing just 60.5 rushing yards per game. It has allowed just one rushing touchdown.
“There’s just some times where you are going to face people who are going to do a good job defending you,” Monken said. “We’re going to play a team this weekend that is going to be really good at playing blocks and at running people down.”