The post Ohio State football sits in a tier of its own after crushing Illinois in Week 7 appeared first on ClutchPoints.
There is little doubt about Ohio State’s status in college football. Head coach Ryan Day’s team won the national championship a year ago with a spectacular run through the expanded playoff system. The current version of the team looks like it may be at an even higher level than the championship team.
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That does not mean the Buckeyes are a sure thing to win a second consecutive national championship. The days in college football when a team had to be at its best from start to finish appear to be over. In many ways, teams that start the season in peak form and try to carry it through a 12-game regular season, a conference championship game and three or four playoff games are at a disadvantage. The pressure of having to play perfect football will wear most teams down.
That may have been the reason Ohio State was able to win last year. They lost regular season games to Oregon and Michigan, and they did not even play for the Big Ten title. They were the No. 8 seed in the playoffs and many expected them to lose to Tennessee in the first round or top-seed Oregon in the quarterfinals.
Instead the Buckeyes played stellar football and rolled to relatively easy victories in each of their postseason games, including a 37-23 triumph over Notre Dame in the title game. Ohio State’s talent level, which included wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson and quarterback Will Howard, simply took over in the most important games.
They are still led by Smith this season, and he is being joined by quarterback Julian Sayin, running back Bo Jackson and a stellar defense. The Buckeyes are at a level by themselves in college football.
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Ohio State’s offense is capable of big plays on a consistent basis
Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
The loss of Howard, Judkins and Henderson could have been problematic for Day and his coaching staff. However, Ohio State is still operating at dynamic offensive level.
Smith is the best player on the team and opponents have to make sure that he is defended by the best cover man the opponents have or double-covered. Smith has caught a team-leading 40 passes for 505 yards and 7 touchdowns. The 6-3, 215-pound Smith is a brilliant physical specimen who can dominate with his strength or speed. However, it is his hands that truly separate him from the other top receivers because he can make the most challenging catch in traffic.
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Day could not expect any more than he has gotten from Sayin under center. He is a remarkably accurate passer who has completed 120 of 153 passes for 1,479 yards. He has thrown 15 touchdown passes and 3 interceptions.
His 78.4 percent completion is due in large part to the protection he has gotten from his powerful offensive line. Sayin has been sacked just twice in the team’s first six games.
The running game has been dominant as well. Bo Jackson — no, he is not related to the legendary Auburn running back — leads the team with 407 rushing yards and a 7.0 yards per carry average.
Jackson does no have to do it alone. CJ Donaldson has 237 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns while James Peoples has 202 yards on the ground and a 5.1 yards per carry mark.
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Buckeye defense knows how to stand up in key moments
The Ohio State defense does not get as much attention as the high-powered offense, but this is clearly a team that dominates on both sides of the ball. They defeated No. 17 Illinois 34-16 in their most recent victory, and the Illini are the only team on their schedule that has scored in double figures.
That does not mean the Buckeyes started to get soft on defense. The defense forced 3 Illinois turnovers that resulted in 21 Ohio State points. Former New England Patriots defensive coordinator and Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia has done an outstanding job of molding the game-changing talent into a highly functioning unit.
Linebacker Sonny Styles is one of the nation’s most effective hitters. He has registered 38 tackles and 1 forced fumble, and opponents have to look out for him on an every-down basis.
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Defensive end Caden Curry leads the Buckeyes with 6.0 sacks and he also 31 tackles, 1 pass batted down and 1 fumble recovery. Linebacker Averell Reese is tied with Styles for the team lead in tackles and he also has 4.5 sacks and 2 passes defensed.
Cornerback Davison Igbinosun has defensed 4 passes and has registered 26 tackles.
Pressure on Ohio State throughout the rest of the season
The Buckeyes are likely to keep their top rating as long as they remain undefeated. However, the pressure will continue to mount as long as they stay undefeated
Day knows how to rally his team if they suffer a painful regular-season defeat. One loss — maybe even two — will not knock the Buckeyes out of the playoffs.
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The coach has negotiated that scenario before and there is no reason he could not do it again. However, if his team stays undefeated, that will represent a new level of pressure that may be more difficult to sustain.
The Buckeyes are at the highest level in college football, but there is still more than a half-season to go. The most difficult games of the season have yet to be played.
