2020 Game #2 | #3 Ohio State @ #18 Penn State | October 31st, 2020 @ 7:30 PM EST

[Rich]

The run game will get going. I actually didn’t think Teague played a bad game at all. I’ll take 110 yards and 4.8 a pop all day long.

There's just no big-play ability to be found there. He's a power runner, but even tonight, when I thought the offensive line was blowing Penn State off the ball most of the night he was still just ok.

He's better than Trey though.

 

[Rich]

Fields was great again. His feel for the game looks miles better this year. Not that he wasn't great last year, but his biggest weakness was hanging onto the ball.

He's not doing that this year. THe ball is always out when it needs to be.

I went into this season thinking he could work his way into the top 10 of the draft and the 2nd QB taken. I think, at this point, he's now simply the 2nd pick overall taken. I can't remember a year where you had two QBs in the same draft this highly rated.

Were it any other year prior after the Andrew Luck draft, he'd go 1st.

 

[redscoon]

It’s odd not seeing an NFL caliber runner in the backfield for OSU. Teague is a solid college back, but lacks the home run potential we are used to seeing. Sermon looks pretty rough. That screen in the red zone he caught is a play that almost any back in recent memory at OSU scores on and he wasn’t even close.

 

[Rich]

It’s odd not seeing an NFL caliber runner in the backfield for OSU. Teague is a solid college back, but lacks the home run potential we are used to seeing. Sermon looks pretty rough. That screen in the red zone he caught is a play that almost any back in recent memory at OSU scores on and he wasn’t even close.

Yea and I guess my big worry about Teague is this: it's ok to be a bruiser. Not everyone makes their money being a home-run hitter.

But then, as the bruiser, at the end of the game, I need you getting 3+ yards a pop to grind out the win. Not getting stuffed for 1 yard losses each of the last two drives. If you're gonna make your name pounding the other team and wearing them down then you gotta do that at the end.

 

[MGMT]

Yeah. Crowley and Chambers might be a better combination. I’m excited for Evan Pryor And Trey Henderson. Miyah Williams looks like what we already have

 

[-Akronite-]

Somewhat sloppy. The final was very close to betting lines, so we basically did what was expected. But if you were watching it was clear that we were in control and some bad calls and missed chip shots kept it closer than it really was.

On to Rutgers!

 

[Akron330]

Have we ever had a QB as good as Justin Fields? I had the conversation with some friends last night. I think he’s the best we have ever had, at least in my life time.

 

[Ohio]

Have we ever had a QB as good as Justin Fields? I had the conversation with some friends last night. I think he’s the best we have ever had, at least in my life time.

He's the best, not sure it's very close either.

 

[Chris]

Gotta keep in mind this is Game 2 as well. As someone else said normally we’d be playing weak ass OOC opponents right now, but we just had our toughest conference game arguably of the season.

 

[-Akronite-]

He's the best, not sure it's very close either.

He’s more accurate than Haskins, the single season B1G td leader, with great (would we say elite?) mobility. God I want the Heisman for him, even if we don’t get over the Clemson hump I want it.

 

[col63onel]

My wife and I had a Halloween thing last night, so I couldn't watch the game live. I went radio silent till we got home, and I watched in on DVR (did so in a little over an hour), not knowing a thing about the game.

Thoughts:

- I actually thought they played pretty well. PSU, despite losing a fluky @ a pretty decent IU squad, is still solid squad (they catch Nebraska and Iowa from B1G west, so 6-2 is certainly doable). They outgained PSU by 200 yards, had 2 100 yard WR and a 100 yard RB. Given that they were up 14 halfway through the first and ended up only winning by 13, I can see why there's concern.

Despite playing 'well', it was just sloppy. 9 penalties, including a few procedural penalties, which never happened last year. 9 point swing on FG shenanigans (Haubeil was hurt and whatever the end of the 1st half was). OSU was ready to down a punt on the 1 and screwed it up.

I mean, if those 2 missed FGs become TDs, we're looking at a 4td win. A lot to cleanup, but all of it is fixable.

- Fields/Wilson/Olave is just not stoppable right now. OLine gave Fields time pretty much all night, and it's too hard to cover those 2. Both are deep threats, but both can work the middle or the sidelines on intermediate route. Add that Fields was 6-7 throwing to the TEs, and that he can find Williams or JSN when he needs....that's just deadly.

- Teague and Sermon getting 166 on 36 carries against a solid D is fine. It's not JK numbers, but it's still good enough. Against a playoff caliber team, Fields will have to run some, or they will work Wilson on some gadget plays. They didn't run Fields at all, and they didn't need to. Against Clemson/Bama/whoever, he will.

- I thought the front 7 balled out. Maybe Tuf Borland's best game. Cooper was a stud, Togai and Garrett where everywhere, and Harrison had a nice game. Browning seemed to do a good job on Freiermuth a couple times. Much better showing than Nebraska.

- Secondary has some issues. I'll forgive Wade for the time Jahan Dotson made back to back one handed catches (one of which looked like a push off). But after halftime, PSU eschewed the run and just went with a quick passing game because of how well the front 7 was playing. And worked a bit too. Needs to be sured up.

It's very possible that we've played the 2 best teams we'll play all year. IU has some nice weapons and a defensive minded HC, but they're IU. Michigan lost at home to a team that lost (flukily) to Rutgers. With the covid situation at Wisconsin, really hard to predict who wins the west, but right now the only 2-0 teams are NW and Purdue. Don't get hurt, get every game played, and stay covid free!