Ohio State Football: Strengths, Weaknesses and Secret Weapons
The Ohio State Buckeyes' national title defense officially kicks off in less than two months, and head coach Urban Meyer is preparing his star-studded team for the grind of repeating.
The Buckeyes will put the nation's longest winning streak (13) on the line when they hit the road for a rare Monday night season-opening clash against Virginia Tech.
What are Ohio State's biggest strengths, weaknesses and secret weapons heading into the highly anticipated 2015 season?
Strengths
The Quarterback Position
With Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett and Braxton Miller back, the Buckeyes boast the nation's deepest and most talented group of quarterbacks.
Each of the three signal-callers have proven the ability to win at the highest level.
Thrust into the starting role after Barrett was lost for the season, Jones guided Ohio State past Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon in an unexpected, yet dominant, postseason run. Before Jones, Barrett got the Buckeyes in position by leading them to an 11-1 regular-season record, breaking Drew Brees' Big Ten record for single-season touchdowns with 45 along the way.
And, of course, Barrett was filling in for Miller, the two-time Big Ten MVP who piled up a 22-2 record during his sophomore and junior seasons.
All three of these quarterbacks have the ability to lead Ohio State to another national title this fall.
The Offensive Line
Ohio State's biggest question mark heading into the 2014 season was its offensive line, which had to replace four multiyear starters who anchored the offense the previous year.
That transition got off to a rocky start. In Ohio State's Week 2 matchup against Virginia Tech, the Hokies completely overwhelmed the unit, which gave up seven sacks in a 35-21 loss. But as the season wore on, the Buckeyes O-line found a groove and developed into one of the best in the country.
And with four starters back in 2015, the Buckeyes should keep rolling.
Left tackle Taylor Decker, guards Billy Price and Pat Elflein and center Jacoby Boren were key to Ohio State's postseason success last winter. The Buckeyes leaned heavily on the group to pave the way for Ezekiel Elliott, who ran for an incredible 696 yards and eight touchdowns against Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon.
Those four are back, and they'll be the heart and soul of Ohio State's offense.
Offensive Playmakers
Ohio State's quarterbacks and the offensive line will drive the offense this year, but the elite playmakers will make this unit elite.
It starts with Elliott, the 6'0", 225-pound running back who possesses a blend of speed and power that make him a nightmare for opposing defenses. Elliott had a breakout sophomore campaign in 2014, running for 1,878 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2014. He's college football's leading returning rusher. Regardless of who starts at quarterback, he'll be the focal point of the offense this fall.
But it's not just Elliott. The Buckeyes have loads of dangerous weapons on the perimeter as well with Michael Thomas, Jalin Marshall, Dontre Wilson, Corey Smith and Noah Brown on the roster. But it's Thomas who should pace the Buckeyes passing game. There's a real possibility that he'll become Ohio State's first 1,000-yard receiver since Michael Jenkins in 2002.
Disruptive Defenders
Ohio State's defense is home to two of the most disruptive defenders in college football.
The Buckeyes will be anchored by superstar defensive end Joey Bosa, who ranked fifth nationally in total sacks (13.5) and tackles for loss (21) in 2014. He was the key cog in Ohio State's defensive turnaround, which went from ranking 47th in total defense in 2013 to 19th last season.
Behind Bosa in the linebacker corps, Darron Lee assumes the spotlight after a breakout redshirt freshman season. The high school-quarterback-turned-linebacker surged down the stretch of the season, ranking second on the team with 7.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss.
Those two bring star power to what should be one of the best defenses in the country this season.
Weaknesses
Depth Up Front
With 15 starters returning for Ohio State's title defense, Meyer's team doesn't have many weaknesses.
One deficiency Meyer harped on during spring practice, though, was the lack of depth in the trenches.
The Buckeyes feel good about their starting offensive and defensive lines, but the second units aren't where the coaching staff would like them to be at this point in the offseason. That's especially true on the offensive side.
“The area [of worry] is the offensive line. That’s the problem,” Meyer said, according to Ryan Cooper of The Lantern. “And once again, not the starters, because I feel good [about them]…I’m very alarmed by the second group of offensive linemen right now.”
Defensively, the Buckeyes have to replace key contributors such as Michael Bennett, Steve Miller and Rashad Frazier. There's a lot of young talent along the line, especially with defensive end Sam Hubbard and tackle Donovan Munger emerging as legitimate reserves. But their inexperience could put a lot of pressure on the first-team unit early in the season.
The Burden of Defending a Title
It's really hard being No. 1.
That sentiment has become a reality over the last decade. The last 10 teams that entered the season with the top ranking stumbled somewhere along the way, falling short and failing to win a national title.
The Buckeyes are the surefire pick for the No. 1 preseason ranking this fall, so they'll be looking to break a decadelong curse?
Can they do it?
The schedule sets up for a fast start, with most of Ohio State's stiffest competition slated for November. That final month of the regular season will be a challenge, though, with Minnesota, Michigan State and Michigan making up three of the Buckeyes' final four games.
If Meyer finds the right leadership to keep his team motivated, the Buckeyes have a great shot at making another College Football Playoff appearance.
Secret Weapons
Curtis Samuel
The Buckeyes are loaded with known quantities on both sides of the ball, but offensively, Curtis Samuel is primed for a breakout season. The true sophomore climbed up the Buckeyes' running back depth chart, and by the end of the season, he was Elliott's primary backup.
But with Elliott back, Meyer and the coaching staff moved Samuel to the perimeter in an effort to feature him more in the offense. He proved to be a capable pass-catcher last season, hauling in 11 receptions in limited time.
That move turned out to be a winning decision. Smith had an outstanding spring practice for the Buckeyes, emerging as one of the team's go-to playmakers.
"We're taking a look at Curtis Samuel as a receiver/H-back/running back," Meyer said, according to Tony Gerdeman of The Ozone. "He's a guy that we've ID'd as a top-five playmaker right now in our program.
That's high praise for Samuel, considering how much talent is on the offensive depth chart. And with the Meyer looking to get him the ball more often this fall, opposing defense will experience that playmaking ability firsthand.
Tyquan Lewis
One of the things Ohio State lacked last season was balance along the defensive line.
Bosa was an absolute force, but the loss of Noah Spence, who was supposed to anchor the weak-side defensive end position, hurt the potential of the D-line.
The Buckeyes believe that issue has been resolved thanks to Tyquan Lewis' development.
The 6'4", 260-pound pass-rusher had a similar breakout spring as Samuel.
Lewis played sparingly as a reserve during Ohio State's title run last year, but he took the year as a stepping stone to something bigger in 2015. He's grasped the bigger picture, according to his position coach, and he's playing smarter because of it.
“It’s clicked in his mind, the kind of player he has to be,” defensive line coach Larry Johnson said, according to Tim Moody of The Lantern. “He’s playing much faster than he played last year. And I think he understands the defensive concept much more than he did last year. But he’s had a really outstanding spring.”
If opposing lines have to account for two elite pass-rushers off the edge, Ohio State's defense will be much more lethal this fall.
David Regimbal is the Ohio State football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.
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