Free Pick: Oregon at Ohio State 9/11/21

This game has been downgraded somewhat by the close win for the Ducks over Fresno State. They struggled to a 31-24 victory and star defensive end, Kayvon Thibodeaux, was injured and his availability is questionable for Saturday. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes were impressive in their opener at Minnesota against the Gophers. Is this a mismatch? Let’s get to the matchups.

OFFENSE:

Quarterback: Anthony Brown was just average against Fresno (15-24 passing for 172 yards and rushing 56 yards and 1 touchdown). First-time starter C.J. Stroud was impressive (13-22 for 294 yards and 4 touchdowns). Advantage: Ohio State

Running backs: Ohio State was led by Miyan Williams with 125 yards on only 9 carries and have talent and depth behind him. Oregon counters with C.J. Verdell and Travis Dye who combined for 138 yards on 31 carries. Advantage: Neither

Receivers: Coming into the season the Buckeyes were loaded at receiver led by, Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, and they didn’t disappoint anyone as they combined on 9 catches for 180 yards and three touchdowns. Oregon was led last week by Johnny Johnson III who showed explosiveness with 3 catches for 76 yards and 1 touchdown. Advantage: Ohio State

DEFENSE:

There is concern for Ohio State on this side of the ball. Minnesota gained over 400 yards of total offense on 75 plays and made 24 first downs. They also had the ball for over 38 minutes. This is a concern for a Buckeye defense that was just average in 2020 and didn’t show a whole lot of improvement in the opener. It remains to be seen if the Minnesota offense turns out to be good against other opponents.

The Oregon defense gave up 373 yards to Fresno State but only 75 of those yards were on the ground. Controlling the Ohio State running game will be a key in them having any chance of winning in Columbus. They received a standout performance from 2020 five-star recruit Justin Flowe who had 14 tackles. As mentioned previously, superstar defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux injured his ankle in last week’s game and spent the 2nd half in street clothes. His status for the game is not known but hasn’t been ruled out for this week. Advantage: Neither

Ohio State was glad to get out of Minneapolis with a win over the Gophers. They exhibited top-level talent to offense and it looks like Stroud has potential at quarterback. Oregon might have got caught looking past Fresno St. to Ohio State and well probably play better but will it be enough in this one especially if Thibodeaux doesn’t play. The current line is Ohio State -14.