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Projecting Ohio State football’s starting offense against Texas
Projecting Ohio State’s starting offense against Texas.
www.cleveland.com
Minnesota transfer Phillip Daniels has positioned himself to be Ohio State’s starting right tackle. But will he be the only person who plays that position against Texas?David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com
Projecting Ohio State football’s starting offense against Texas
By Stephen Means, cleveland.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State came into fall camp with a few interesting offensive position battles, and most of them have been decided. But others have created a good problem to have.
Head coach Ryan Day left fall camp pleased with the depth across the board on offense, which even extended to quarterback. Julian Sayin may have been named the starting quarterback, but Day’s confidence in Lincoln Kienholz to excel should he be called on isn’t lacking
The optimism has also spread to other positions on offense, giving Brian Hartline plenty to work with as he makes his play-calling debut against Texas.
The preseason is officially over, and the road to the Buckeyes repeating as national champions starts on Saturday. Here’s a final prediction of what OSU’s starting offense will be against the Longhorns, which includes a surprising name upfront, thanks to a strong preseason:
Sayin gets to make his debut on the brightest regular-season stage possible. But will he be the only QB that plays? Day is open to Kienholz having a role in the run game. It’s unlikely Day will implement this strategy in Week 1. But it’s something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
James Peoples and CJ Donaldson are co-starters, even if only one is out there for the first actual snap. A case can be made for either given Donaldson is the more experienced college football player, but Peoples has been in this system longer. Regardless, expect their usage to be similar. The intrigue is whether Carlos Locklyn is comfortable enough to throw Bo Jackson into this environment or wait until the stakes aren’t as high next week to unleash the freshman.
Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss might be the nation’s best receiving corps. Behind them are Bryson Rodgers and Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter, who could be a starting trio for most Big Ten teams. But Hartline hasn’t truly rotated at receiver since 2019, making one think more than likely the top three won’t be coming off the field much.
Sayin gets to make his debut on the brightest regular-season stage possible. But will he be the only QB that plays? Day is open to Kienholz having a role in the run game. It’s unlikely Day will implement this strategy in Week 1. But it’s something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
James Peoples and CJ Donaldson are co-starters, even if only one is out there for the first actual snap. A case can be made for either given Donaldson is the more experienced college football player, but Peoples has been in this system longer. Regardless, expect their usage to be similar. The intrigue is whether Carlos Locklyn is comfortable enough to throw Bo Jackson into this environment or wait until the stakes aren’t as high next week to unleash the freshman.
Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss might be the nation’s best receiving corps. Behind them are Bryson Rodgers and Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter, who could be a starting trio for most Big Ten teams. But Hartline hasn’t truly rotated at receiver since 2019, making one think more than likely the top three won’t be coming off the field much.
Max Klare gives OSU a weapon at tight end it’s literally never had before, and that’s with all due respect to Rickey Dudley and Cade Stover . But he’s not Keenan Bailey’s only weapon. This might also be the deepest room the Buckeyes will ever have, hence the four names in that two deep. And all four will play a role against Texas.
Austin Siereveld spent the last nine months becoming one of the most important players in the program. Phillip Daniels took a significant jump during fall camp. So what does that mean for Ethan Onianwa? Sierveld’s not coming off the field on Saturday and the same is probably true for Luke Montgomery and Carson Hinzman. Maybe even a fully healthy Tegra Tshabola with a year of experience under his belt falls under that same category.
Ohio State got Daniels and Onianwa out of the transfer portal to be sure of its tackle situation. Now it looks like the Buckeyes have a best-case scenario on their hands, meaning regardless of who starts, there’s a chance we see a rotation at that right tackle spot.
