2022 First Glance Preview: Ohio State Buckeyes
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Written by: Zach Greene (@zachegreene)
Week 11: Ohio State Buckeyes
Date & Time: November 12th, Time: TBD
Venue: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
TV: TBD
Ohio State at Glance
Head Coach: Ryan Day
Entering his 5th season as the Head Coach of the Buckeyes. 34-4 record making him one of the highest paid coaches in the nation at about 8 million a year.
Record vs. Ohio State:
Overall Record: 12-72 All Time. Lost last season vs Ohio State
Last Game vs. Ohio State. 54-7
Key Returners for the Buckeyes
Passing: CJ Stroud. Heisman candidate Stroud begins his Junior year with the Buckeyes after taking over the starting job last season. Completed over 70% of his passes with 44 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. In last year Rose Bowl, Stroud was introduced to a national audience throwing for 6 touchdowns and 573 yards. Stroud’s ability to move defenses and keep them on edge makes him a top 3 pre-season quarterback. Expect big things from the 20-year-old.
Rushing: TreVeyon Henderson. Entering his second year in the program after a stellar Freshman All-American season. Rushed for over 1,200 yards and 19 touchdowns. Destroyed IU’s defense last season on national television and showed why he was one of the highest rated recruits in the 2020 class. He earned Freshman All-American honors for ESPN, The Athletic, 247 Sports, and Pro Football Focus.
Receiving: Jaxon Smith-Ngigba. Junior out of Rockwall Texas, Ngigba had one of the best games a player can have in the rose bowl catching 15 balls for 3 touchdown and 347 yards. Ngigba can line up on the outside as well as in the slot. Will be the featured receiver after the Buckeyes lost Garret Wilson and Chris Olave in the draft. Expect Ngigba to live up to expectations and be one of the best receivers in the nation.
Tackles: Ronnie Hickman. Nick named Rocket and entering his 4th season in the program, Hickman started in every game last season and led the team with 100 tackles and two interceptions. Voted Second Team All-Big by the coaches. Hickman will be a leader on the defensive side of the ball for the Buckeyes this season.
Preseason Predictions
Lindy’s: 1st in the Big Ten East, College Football Playoff Qualifier
Athlon Sports: 1st in the Big Ten East (12-1, 8-1) College Football Playoff Qualifier
Phil Steele: 1st in the Big Ten East
SP+: 1st Nationally
Over/Under: 11 Wins
Toughest Games
Week 1: Vs Notre Dame
Week 13: Vs Michigan
Impact Newcomers for the Buckeyes
● Caden Curry. DE/ Outside LB
○ Hoosiers’ fans may have heard his name before as he was interested in joining the young core in Bloomington, but Curry enters the Buckeyes program as someone who is likely to see playing time. Out of Greenwood Indiana Curry has a tremendous frame to cause a lot of havoc. When he is on the field his impact is heard. Has the ability to be quick and get small the breakthrough offense lines. Look out for the young man this year.
● Sonny Styles. S
○ 5-Star Safety out of Pickerington, Ohio, Styles is the Buckeyes “Secret Weapon” this season. He received offers from Bama, Clemson, and Notre Dame before deciding to stay local. Can lineup in numerous spots on the field and has the possibility to be a hybrid type of player. Standing at 6’4 220 Styles has a massive presence and reminds me a lot of Issiah Simmons who is now with the Arizona Cardinals. He should be a Senior in High School but reclassified to the 2021 class and now has a chance to make a big impact this season.
● Tanner McAlister. S
○ Oklahoma State transfer McAlister was starter a difference maker on the field. In total, he started 23 games for the Cowboys picking off one pass and making 78 tackles. He is going to start right away and make a difference for the Buckeyes defense.
Biggest Questions Facing the Buckeyes
1. Buckeyes have the talent, but can they mesh to win it all?
2. Can the Defense Step Up and win ball games?
3. Can they not get too far ahead of themselves.
Program Preview
Here we go again! The Buckeyes have yet another stacked and impressive roster that are the favorites to win the Big Ten. There’s no doubt that on paper they have the best roster in the Big Ten and if not the country. It’s clear that they knew they had to upgrade on defense to take this team to the glory land. They did. There three top newcomers are players on the defensive side of the ball. There’s no doubt that this team will steam roll teams and have b a 10 plus win team but that isn’t good enough for this program and their fans. This team is hungry for another title. The time is now for the Buckeyes as they have the best quarterback/running back combo in the nation and impact players on the defensive side of the ball. Now, just because they are stacked does not mean they are taking it all. We’ll have to wait to see how this team all meshes before we can say that they will be going to the college football playoff.
Offensive Preview
The offense is going to put points up on the board in big ways. Hoosiers’ fans remember last year’s nationally televised game where the Buckeyes put up 54 on the young program. Like I mentioned, I think the Buckeyes have the best QB/RB combo in the nation and I expect them to lead this offense. CJ Stroud, Trevyon Henderson along with one of the top receivers in the nation Jaxon Smith-Ngigba. What more do you need! The Buckeyes love to run a West Coast Style offense and spread out the ball. Stroud has a canon and an ability to run while Henderson has 4.3 speed to pair with that. They have one of the best play callers in Ryan Day who loves to get creative and find new ways to challenge defenses. I love the offense side of the ball for the Buckeyes, and I expect no one to be able to stop them this season.
Defensive Preview
New defensive coordinator Jim Knowles takes over and implemented a new defense featuring a 4-2-5 scheme. Considering the amount of a talent this team has at the Safety/Corner position I expect this to suit the team well. Knowles brough Tanner McAlister one of the top safeties in the nation along with two standout freshmen in Caden Curry and Sonny Styles. The defensive side of the ball has a lot of experience. Zach Harrison and Josh Proctor are two guys with multiple years in the program. They know what it takes to win big games. To sum it up, the defensive side of the ball is going to need to step up this year for this team to take it all. We will have to wait and see but there’s no doubt the impact newcomers will make a huge difference this season.
Special Teams Preview
Noah Ruggles is expected to have the field goal kicker duties again after a solid 2021 season. Last season, he went 20 for 21 missing only one field goal. He earned first team All American Honors by ESPN. Jesse Micro is an aussie born punter he has a huge leg and was the starter punter last season for the Buckeyes. He takes over the duties this season.