Minnesota vs. Ohio State: Complete Game Preview
Ohio State had identified J.T. Barrett as its quarterback for the homestretch of the 2015 season, but the redshirt sophomore quarterback was arrested for operating a vehicle while impaired Saturday morning, which earned him a one-game suspension from head coach Urban Meyer.
That suspension has put Cardale Jones in the spotlight, and he'll get one more chance to impress as the top-ranked Buckeyes (8-0) host Minnesota (4-4) in a prime-time showdown this Saturday night, Nov. 7.
The Gophers are coming off a tumultuous week, as former head coach Jerry Kill announced his retirement due to health concerns. Interim head coach Tracy Claeys took over and guided Minnesota to a near-upset of No. 15 Michigan, but quarterback Mitch Leidner was stuffed at the goal line as time expired, and the Wolverines hung on for a 29-26 victory.
Can Minnesota bounce back, or will Jones and the Buckeyes be too much to handle?
Viewing Information
Date: Saturday, November 7
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Place: Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio
TV: ABC
Spread: Ohio State (-23), via Odds Shark
Ohio State Keys to Victory
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Get Ezekiel Elliott Going Early
Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott has been one of the most productive running backs in the country, ranking fifth nationally with 1,130 rushing yards to complement 13 touchdowns.
But the dynamic playmaker has had some surprisingly slow starts this year, especially during conference play. Against league opponents, Elliott is averaging 168.8 rushing yards per game, but just 38.3 yards in the first half.
J.T. Barrett provided a huge boost to the running game and paced the Buckeyes in the first half against Rutgers while Elliott found his legs. With Barrett's absence, Meyer should make it a priority to get his star running back going early.
Get Up Early
As a 23-point underdog on the road, Minnesota will do its best to get an early lead to take the crowd out of the game.
With the way Ohio State has struggled out of the gate this season, that's entirely possible.
The Buckeyes have only scored on two of their eight opening drives this year. They also have two turnovers, three three-and-outs and a botched field-goal attempt.
If those struggles continue and Ohio State can't get on the board early, it could open a huge door for Minnesota.
Minnesota Keys to Victory
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Stay Aggressive
Minnesota played like it had nothing to lose against No. 15 Michigan last Saturday, which almost resulted in a season-defining upset.
Interim head coach Tracy Claeys was aggressive in his play-calling, which opened up a lot of opportunities, especially on offense against a strong Wolverines defense.
The most aggressive call came in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, when Minnesota had driven the ball inside Michigan's 2-yard line. With two seconds on the clock, Claeys opted to go for the win instead of kicking a game-tying chip-shot field goal.
Michigan's defense stiffened and came up with the stop and the win, but Minnesota will need that kind of aggressiveness to keep this one close.
Win the Turnover Battle
The Gophers will need to take care of the ball and force at least three turnovers to pull off the upset Saturday night.
That'll be a tall order against the Buckeyes at home, because Minnesota hasn't won the turnover battle consistently this year. The Gophers rank 84th nationally in turnover margin, as they've coughed it up 14 times while only generating 12 takeaways through eight games.
With Jones at quarterback, though, Minnesota will have some opportunities. The redshirt junior has thrown five interceptions this season, and the Gophers would be wise to send consistent pressure his way in an effort to force a few mistakes.
Ohio State Players to Watch
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Cardale Jones
With J.T. Barrett's suspension, the Minnesota game has morphed into one final audition for Cardale Jones as Ohio State's starting quarterback.
The redshirt junior opened the season as the Buckeyes' starter, but after struggling with accuracy, turnovers and red-zone efficiency, he was benched in favor of Barrett midway through the Penn State game.
Given one more chance, how will Jones perform under the lights in an electric atmosphere? Will we see the Jones who tore through a trio of good defenses on Ohio State's way to a national title, or the one who struggled to move the ball against woefully outmatched defenses this year?
What happens if Jones isn't playing well or suffers an injury? With Barrett sidelined, who will be the next man up?
According to Urban Meyer, that would be Braxton Miller.
"There's no question [Miller]'s our No. 2 quarterback," Meyer said at his weekly press conference Monday, according to Eric Seger of Eleven Warriors.
The former quarterback-turned-wide receiver is starting to find his footing at receiver, hauling in 167 of 280 receiving yards and two of his three touchdowns in the Buckeyes' last three games. The coaching staff is still actively looking for more ways to get him involved, and with Barrett out, he could see more snaps running the zone-read.
But is Miller ready to throw?
Offensive coordinator Ed Warinner hinted toward that on Monday.
If Jones struggles on Saturday, don't be surprised if you see Miller taking snaps.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Minnesota Players to Watch
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Mitch Leidner
Ohio State has been sensational defending the pass this year and ranks second nationally in passing yards allowed, surrendering an average of 149.3 per game.
If Minnesota is to pull off one of the most improbable upsets of the year, it'll need a huge game from Mitch Leidner.
The junior signal-caller is coming on strong after a slow start to the season. Two weeks ago against Nebraska, he eclipsed 300 passing yards for the first time in his career. Last Saturday against an elite Michigan defense, he threw for a career-high 317 yards and a touchdown (against no interceptions).
But going on the road, under the lights in one of the most hostile environments in college football, will be a stiff test for the surging quarterback.
De'Vondre Campbell
When the Buckeyes ran through the inaugural College Football Playoff, they cemented their status as the country's top team in most people's eyes.
That wasn't the case for Minnesota linebacker De'Vondre Campbell, who had a strong take on how the Buckeyes compared to TCU, which beat the Gophers handily earlier that year.
"I'm not taking anything away from Ohio State. Great team. Once again, congratulations to them on winning the national championship," Campbell said, via Tyler Mason of Fox Sports. "But overall, I just feel like TCU had a better overall team and it really consisted of the players.
"It's just what I think from playing against both teams, honestly."
His remarks made national headlines and likely caught the attention of the Ohio State football team.
What They're Saying
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Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said that Cardale Jones handled his benching well, and the coaching staff is confident in his ability to lead the offense.
"He had a great week of practice last week," Meyer said, according to Bill Landis of the Plain Dealer. "He's engaged. He handled everything like a man. He threw for 300 yards a couple weeks ago; he's 10-0 as a starter. It's not even a hesitation."
Minnesota defensive tackle Steven Richardson doesn't think last week's last-second loss to Michigan will impact the team against Ohio State.
“'Disappointed.' That’s probably the biggest word I can think of," Richardson said of the Michigan loss, via the school's official website. "I know we have a hard team and we can go into next weekend and definitely get this off our back. We’re not going to think about this next week."
Ohio State offensive coordinator Ed Warinner talked about what Miller can do at quarterback, via Cleveland.com's Ari Wasserman:
"We've had a quarterback package every week with Braxton. So you can see him out there running quarterback, and you've seen the small sample size that we've used in the course of the recent games. There's much more available to us within there. We'll just get more work with that, and evolve that as much as we can so we're ready to go.
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Prediction
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It won't be pretty, but Ohio State will stay alive in the College Football Playoff race with a victory over Minnesota this Saturday.
The Buckeyes will ride Ezekiel Elliott, who will run for 65 yards and a touchdown in a slow-paced first half. Cardale Jones will be serviceable early and will find Michael Thomas on a perfect slant that will go 45 yards for a score, and the Buckeyes take a 14-6 lead into the break.
After Jones opens the third quarter with an interception that's nearly returned for a touchdown, Meyer will get conservative and ride Elliott to the finish line. The Buckeyes' star running back will answer with two long touchdown runs in the third and fourth quarters, and a late field goal from Jack Willoughby will give the Buckeyes a 31-13 win.
Ohio State 31, Minnesota 13
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
