by This Saturday the second ranked Ohio State Buckeyes travel to Eugene Oregon to take on the third ranked Oregon Ducks in a battle of unbeatens in the Big Ten. Both teams come into this game undefeated with national championship hopes on their minds. This game also marks the first big test for both teams as neither team has played another top tier opponent to this point in the season.
Ohio State comes into this game with one of if not the best defenses in the country. This defense consists of players such as Cornerback Denzel Burke, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams, defensive end Jack Sawyer, and plenty more. Most of these players could have gone to the NFL draft after last season, but they all decided to stay to pursue a national championship.
On the other side of the ball, Will Howard is starting to look more comfortable under center as he threw 4 touchdown passes and ran for one more last week against Iowa. Howard will have to be sharp against a solid Oregon defense this week. Luckily, Howard has a great receiving core and the best running back duo in the country. With receivers like Emeka Egbuka and freshman superstar Jerimiah Smith, Howard has a lot to work with. Still, we can’t look at this offense without talking about that great offensive line and running backs Treveyon Henderson and quinshon Judkins. The Ohio State run game has been averaging close to 200 yards per game and could be their key to victory on Saturday.
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel also has a great supporting cast as receivers Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart will be the first receivers to truly test Ohio State’s secondary. Running Back Jordan James and the Oregon offensive line will test Ohio State’s front four as well. Oregon’s defense has also shown a lot of good things as they have held four of their five opponents to under 20 points. The Ducks have allowed a few of their first five games to be closer than expected, but you would have to believe that all goes away in a game like this.
In all honesty Oregon has not looked great this season, but head coach Dan Lanning has a history of experimenting early in hopes of having his team at top form late in the season. We all know an ugly 5-0 is still 5-0, and this is where the season really begins for Oregon. If the Ducks can hit their stride, they’re one of the best teams in the country. However, if they continue to play as poorly as they’ve been playing in the last few weeks, a number of Big Ten teams could take them down.
Ohio State has looked better through five games and are favored on the road in this top-three matchup. However, most college football fans know that going on the road to play a conference opponent is never easy. I would expect to see a great game that will test both teams physically and mentally with multiple momentum shifting plays on both sides of the ball.
