It’s time for the Texas/Ohio State match-ups! As we do each week, we break down the matchups and tell you where Texas has an advantage, or where the Horns may be lacking. As one might expect, this one looks very close on paper. Let’s take a look …
OHIO STATE PASS OFFENSE vs TEXAS PASS DEFENSE
Julian Sayin was named the starting quarterback in fall camp, which wasn’t a surprise to anyone paying attention. He may not be the prototypical quarterback in terms of size, but he’s bigger at 6-1 and 208 pounds than people give him credit for. Saying was incredibly highly touted coming out of high school, but he’s still a mystery after having thrown all of 12 passes in college football. The good news for him … throwing to Jeremiah Smith erases a lot of deficiencies. Smith, of course, is as good as anyone in the country. OSU is top heavy in the receiver room with Smith, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss. The Buckeyes don’t have a ton of depth, but everyone they’ll trot out there is highly rated and the development in the program is always good. Some observers are sleeping on the tight end group, but transfer Max Klare is expected to do good things and it’s a deep room behind him with Will Kacmarek, Bennett Christian and others. The Texas secondary should be fantastic and interchangeable, but Jaylon Guilbeau still needs to prove that he can excel at corner. The unknown of Julian Sayin makes this one tough to grade, but Ohio State having maybe the best player in all of college football in Smith gives the Buckeyes the slight edge.
Edge – Ohio State *
OHIO STATE RUN OFFENSE vs TEXAS RUN DEFENSE
The Buckeyes will be breaking in a new running back rotation and while there’s talent on the roster, there’s almost certainly going to be a falloff after losing 1,000-yard rushers Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. James People and transfer C.J. Donaldson are kind of 1 and 1A. Peoples, out of San Antonio, is a different type of back than Donaldson, who is more of a bruiser at 232 pounds. Peoples is more of a three-down back. In talking to Ohio State sources, they’re not sure what to expect of this group. The strength of Ohio State’s offense has always been in the passing game under Ryan Day, but this year it’s a bit more of an unknown with a new quarterback. There’s some thought that the OSU offense could lean heavily on the run game, but nobody knows if that’s going to be a successful strategy. The Texas run defense, based on things we heard from fall camp, should be outstanding.
Edge – Texas ***
OHIO STATE OFFENSIVE LINE vs TEXAS DEFENSIVE LINE
People who cover the Ohio State program feel this may be the deepest offensive line the Buckeyes have had in a while. The problem … you can only play five, so there’s still some debate on how to get the best five out there. Not only is there depth, OSU people think this could be one of the better lines in the Big 10, maybe even the country. Ethan Onlanwa, a transfer from Rice, wasn’t able to lock down his position, so Austin Siereveld is expected to get the start at left tackle. Phillip Daniels should start at right tackle, but there’s a chance Onlanwa could slide over to that side. The interior of the offensive line is fantastic with Luke Montgomery, Carson Hinzman and Tegra Tshabola on the inside. This one’s tough to grade because the interior of the Texas d-line is still a bit unproven, but when you factor in guys like Colin Simmons on the edge, it give Texas the advantage.
Edge – Texas **
TEXAS PASS OFFENSE vs OHIO STATE PASS DEFENSE
Safety Caleb Downs is back and he’s one of the best in college football at any position. Jermaine Matthews at corner is expected to have a big year paired with Downs. There is some question with Ohio State’s second safety. Malik Hartford and Jaylen McLane have been battling it out. Ohio State will run a 4-2-5 under Matt Patricia. Lorenzo Styles started out as a wide receiver at Notre Dame but is the starter at nickel. The Texas pass game has weapons and everyone expects Arch Manning to be very good, but this group still needs to go out and prove itself. Another tough one to grade because I expect Texas to make some plays, but Downs is the top player on either side of the equation so slight advantage to Ohio State.
Edge – Ohio State *
TEXAS RUN OFFENSE vs OHIO STATE RUN DEFENSE
Ohio State is always really good against the run and this year should be more of the same. Some years are obviously better than others, but under Patricia as DC, the Buckeyes are expected to be good in this department. There’s some thought from Ohio State insiders that this could be the best run defense in the Big 10. Linebackers Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese are very good, with Styles earning second-team all-conference honors after collecting 100 tackles last year. Tre Wisner is a proven commodity but we have heard some concerns about the offensive line’s run blocking in fall camp.
Edge – Ohio State *
TEXAS OFFENSIVE LINE vs OHIO STATE DEFENSIVE LINE
The strengths of the Buckeyes’ defensive line are that they’re very good on the edge. Kenyatta Jackson, Beau Atkinson (transfer from North Carolina), Caden Curry and C.J. Hicks, who slides down from LB, are all talented. Hicks hasn’t been able to find his way to the field much just yet, but the team has been calling him Abdul, comparing him to former Penn State standout Abdul Carter. The interior of the defensive line is where things get a little sketchy. The Buckeyes would have loved to have kept Hero Kanu for depth. After their first two guys (Eddrick Houston and Kayden McDonald), OSU is very young. True freshman Jarquez Carter has impressed, but there’s not a lot of depth overall. The Texas offensive line has a lot to prove overall, with only one returning starter.
Edge – Ohio State **
SPECIAL TEAMS
Both teams are still a bit of an unknown in special teams. Ohio State’s Jayden Fielding at kicker was good, not great last year. The Buckeyes went out and got a kicker in the portal but they might redshirt him. Punter Joe McGuire is an Aussie who doesn’t have the biggest leg but does what’s asked of him. Ohio State’s return game is somewhat conservative overall. Texas appears to be in good hands with punter Jack Bouwmeester and kicker Mason Shipley, but neither has performed on this type of stage.
Edge – Texas *
