USA TODAY International Edition
Ohio State still has much to prove in Big Ten game
The Ohio State celebration of its memorable win against Michigan was only minutes old when coach Urban Meyer warned team leaders that practice this week would be “over-the-top demanding.”
“When you start using terms like national championship and playoffs, that’s very rare air,” Meyer said. “That’s why we have a job to do: get ready for practice and go win the Big Ten championship and worry about that down the road.”
Meyer wants his team’s focus on the preparation for the Big Ten championship game against Northwestern, set for Saturday (8 p.m. ET, Fox), even though the rest of country is busy speculating about where Ohio State fits in the College Football Playoff picture if the Buckeyes win.
The only certainty: The No. 6 Buckeyes (11-1, 8-1) won’t qualify if they lose to No. 21 Northwestern (8-4, 8-1). The rest will be sorted out by the outcome of other games, most notably the Big 12 championship game. Oklahoma, which plays Texas, is a spot ahead of Ohio State in the new playoff rankings.
The Buckeyes looked dominant in dispatching Michigan on Saturday, but Meyer didn’t bite when asked whether his team deserves to be in the conversation for a national championship.
“I don’t think we are yet,” he said, noting there are areas of the game where his team is national caliber and “certain areas we are not.”
The area where the Buckeyes are undeniably national caliber is offense. Ohio State ranks second with a weekly production of 543.9 yards per game and seventh in offensive scoring at 43.3 points.
“It’s as explosive of a team that I’ve seen on tape in a long, long time,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said.
Much of the Wildcats’ worry about the Buckeyes centers on sophomore pro-style quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who has passed for 4,081 yards and 42 touchdowns. Senior receivers Parris Campbell and K.J. Hill have combined for 138 catches and 17 TDs.
The Buckeyes are also among college football’s fastest teams. Their hurry-up offense makes them seem even faster. Haskins calls Campbell “crazy fast” and “electrifying.”
“(Campbell) is one of the fastest players in college football with the ball in his hands,” Meyer said.
Fitzgerald said every aspect of the Buckeyes worries him.
“They are massive up front on the offensive line,” Fitzgerald said. “At the skill positions, every guy can score by catching a hitch or a slant. (Running backs) J.K. Dobbins and (Mike) Weber can take it to the house by making you miss a tackle.”
Northwestern, giving up 372.7 yards per game, is ranked 48th in the country in team defense, but that doesn’t tell the story. Northwestern’s weekly plan seems to center on finding different ways to win.
Although Northwestern lost to Michigan 20-17, it led the Wolverines by 10 at halftime and was leading going into the fourth quarter.
One of the areas the Buckeyes have not looked national caliber has been defense. They are fast and aggressive on defense, but they have given up too many big plays and points. They gave up 51 points to Maryland, 49 to Purdue, 31 to Nebraska and 39 to Michigan. The Wildcats are disciplined, the least-penalized team in the country, flagged only 34 times. They also started their season 1-3, which included a 39-34 loss to Akron. But they dug themselves out of that hole to win the Big Ten West Division.
“I think the kids rolled their sleeves up,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s been nothing magical.”