Ohio State Football 2011: Previewing the Akron Game

It's finally that time of year again, and Ohio State fans might be the happiest of them all to see football return again.

Buckeye Nation has had to hear all about the tattoo scandal that cost the school both its head coach and starting QB in the past nine months.

Now, with a new attitude and an us-against-the-world mentality, Ohio State is finally ready to get the 2011 season underway.

They open against in-state opponent Akron on Saturday in Columbus, ushering in the Luke Fickell era as head coach at Ohio State.

Here's a look at what to watch for in the opener of the 2011 season.

What To Expect from the Akron Zips

The Zips come into this season after winning only one game in 2010 under coach Rob Ianello and was near the bottom in the country in almost every major offensive category including yards and scoring offense.

Akron had eight losses by double digits and a loss to FCS opponent Gardner-Webb during their campaign last season.

This season, the Zips will have a new starting QB as Ole Miss transfer Clayton Moore, a dual-threat QB, beat out incumbent starter Patrick Nicely for the job.

The Zips will run out of the 4-3 defense this season led by LB Brian Wagner.

But the Akron defense will need to pull off a minor miracle to keep the Zips in the game if their offense is pedestrian once again.

Buckeye QB Question Answered

After months of debate about who will be the starting quarterback against Akron, Luke Fickell said that senior Joe Bauserman will get the start on Saturday.

He hinted that Bauserman's leadership and experience were enough to inch him ahead of hard-charging true freshman Braxton Miller, who comes in with the same kind of potential Terrelle Pryor had three years ago.

But Fickell said that Miller will get some snaps in Saturday's action, and the depth chart has them on equal footing for the starting QB job.

The fans' choice is easily Miller because they haven't seen too much of Bauserman to be impressed. And he will be on a short leash in the minds of Buckeye fans.

But fans should hope Bauserman plays well in his time as a starter because him struggling will not help this team much this year.

Ohio State's New Defensive Alignment?

Another observation of Ohio State's depth chart going into their opener is they might be moving into a new defensive alignment, with help from new LB coach Mike Vrabel.

Ohio State's defensive alignment sets up where they can either play a 4-3 or 3-4 depending on if Nathan Williams is in the three-point stance or standing up.

Williams is about 15lbs lighter than the next lightest starting defensive lineman in John Simon, and they have two other big linemen starting in Garrett Goebel and Johnathan Hankins.

And in blitzing situations, Ohio State can move Williams outside and bring other good rushers including J.T. Moore and true freshman Ryan Shazier, who has been a star in camp, to create havoc.

The idea is to generate confusion and use the incredible amount of athleticism they have to their peak amount, and the 4-3/3-4 hybrid could be a very good tool to unleash that athleticism.

Other Buckeye Notes before Opener

When the depth chart was released on Monday, one thing seemed amiss. Third-year sophomore back Jaamal Berry was absent from the list.

It turns out that Berry is suffering from a hamstring injury and might not be able to play on Saturday against the Zips. Remember two years ago that he missed his freshman season and was forced to redshirt due to nagging hamstring issues.

Another thing that caught people's attention was the appearance of eight true freshman in the two-deep on the depth chart, and blue-chipper Curtis Grant is not one of them.

Defensively, Shazier, Michael Bennett and Doran Grant, who all have great pedigrees from high school football, have been impressing in camp and should get plenty of action this season.

However, although three true freshman are in the two-deep on the offensive line at this time, due to suspensions to Mike Adams and Corey Linsley, it speaks to the lack of great depth up front for Ohio State.

How Will the Game Play Out?

There may be no worse offense Ohio State will go up against this year than Akron's on Saturday.

The Zips are among the worst teams in the country, and it's unclear whether the offense will run any better this year under new QB Clayton Moore.

But for a young defense short on experience, this is the perfect elixir before a slightly tougher game against Toledo next week.

On offense, look for Ohio State to want to work on the passing game a little bit. But look for heavy doses of Jordan Hall, Carlos Hyde and Rod Smith all afternoon.

Another player to keep an eye on is WR Verlon Reed, who had a breakout camp and won the second starting receiver job that DeVier Posey will claim when he returns from his five-game suspension.

This game will likely be over very quickly.

Prediction: Ohio State Wins 42-6

This game really won't be close, and it will probably end up more like a preseason game as Ohio State prepares for a more difficult game against Toledo next week.

All eyes will be on the debut of Braxton Miller, whenever it happens during the course of the game.

And if he does well, the call for him to start over Bauserman will start to grow slowly every day until he starts.

Ohio State should have no problem winning this game, and doing so in big fashion.

But as it is in situations such as this, this game is about the games within the game.

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