MikeyCanez
Sophomore
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2018
- Messages
- 560
Uhhh, yes. Yes, they are.
BUT, I do not think they are the same juggernaut that they were last year and was honestly surprised to see the Buckeyes open as ~double digit favorites after watching their performance in the Big 10 championship game against an admittedly excellent Indiana team. Miami is going to have its hands full, there is no doubt about that. But if the defense can make sure this one starts ugly and stays ugly, then I think there is at least a puncher's chance of walking out with a win.
I am on Team @DMoney when it comes to Julian Sayin. He's smart, he's accurate, he's talented and he rarely makes mistakes. He is still young, but he's not a prototypical NFL quarterback and he benefits from the absurd talent around him. He isn't just defined by that talent however. He's probably a more refined passer than Marcel Reed and he definitely isn't as careless with the ball. He deserves credit for keeping the machine humming along, but I am not sure Ohio State wants to depend on him to go win them the game.
I like the freshman running back, Bo Jackson, he has a bright future, and shout out Miami's own, CJ Donaldson, but I am not terribly scared of their rushing attack, in part because the offensive line is not overly impressive.
The offensive line lost two first-rounders and one of the best centers in the country off an underrated unit last season and while I think the left tackle, Austin Siereveld, is a good player, this unit isn't better than the Texas A&M group that we just tossed around. Indiana sacked Sayin like 5 or 6 times in the Big 10 title game and Miami's defensive line and run defense is AT LEAST as good as Indiana's if not better. Their offensive line and our defensive line is the one clear mismatch in Miami's favor and Mario and Hetherman absolutely need to exploit it if Miami has any chance to win.
I am hardly alone in this take, but I think Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate are the two best wide receivers in the country and it isn't all that close. Part of the reason that Miami went out and got bigger and more physical in the secondary is so that they can stand toe-to-toe with guys like this and I might be crazy, but I am not delusional enough to think that we handle these dudes without SIGNIFICANT help from the pass rush. I think the world of Miami's secondary, but if Sayin has time to throw, these guys are going to get open.
The Ohio State offense might have some weaknesses, but the defense is a different story altogether. This unit has NFL dudes (including multiple first-rounders) in all three levels and Shannon Dawson is going to have to earn his sizable paycheck in this one.
The biggest problem from where I am sitting is that their corners, Davison Igbinosun and Jermaine Mathews are more than capable of handling our wide receiver group on islands, which means they'll be able to comfortably put an extra guy in the box to stop the run and oh wouldn't you know it but that extra guy is only going to be arguably the best player in the entire country, Caleb Downs.
Of course they don't even really need the extra guy in the box that badly because every single member of their defensive line rotation is a future pro (Kayden McDonald might be a Top 10 pick) and the linebackers, Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese, are the best duo in the country and it isn't particularly close. I feel fine about Miami's line holding up in pass protection against Caden Curry and Kenyatta Jackson, but both are excellent against the run and Reese is dynamic rushing the passer as well. **** even the backups like Eddrick Houston and Will Smith are no slouches. I am not sure the A gap will be open for business in this one and that presents all sorts of problems because our receivers flat out aren't good enough to make their corners sweat mano y mano.
One underrated bright spot for us? Their kicker is having a crisis of confidence and has had three weeks to think about the death threats from lunatics in the fanbase. Is it going to be impactful next week? Probably not, but I will take what I can get.
The reality is that Ohio State is positioned well to put us on our ***. Ryan Day is much more dangerous than Collin Klein with one foot out the door and I am not a Matt Patricia fan but he has plenty of bonafides as well.
Am I confident? No. But do I think we are going to roll over and let them walk over us? Absolutely not. Miami is experienced, hungry, and motivated. The offensive and defensive line are as good as any unit in the country and Carson Beck's experience still counts for something.
We are playing with house money, time to put the chips in the center of the table and see what happens.
BUT, I do not think they are the same juggernaut that they were last year and was honestly surprised to see the Buckeyes open as ~double digit favorites after watching their performance in the Big 10 championship game against an admittedly excellent Indiana team. Miami is going to have its hands full, there is no doubt about that. But if the defense can make sure this one starts ugly and stays ugly, then I think there is at least a puncher's chance of walking out with a win.
I am on Team @DMoney when it comes to Julian Sayin. He's smart, he's accurate, he's talented and he rarely makes mistakes. He is still young, but he's not a prototypical NFL quarterback and he benefits from the absurd talent around him. He isn't just defined by that talent however. He's probably a more refined passer than Marcel Reed and he definitely isn't as careless with the ball. He deserves credit for keeping the machine humming along, but I am not sure Ohio State wants to depend on him to go win them the game.
I like the freshman running back, Bo Jackson, he has a bright future, and shout out Miami's own, CJ Donaldson, but I am not terribly scared of their rushing attack, in part because the offensive line is not overly impressive.
The offensive line lost two first-rounders and one of the best centers in the country off an underrated unit last season and while I think the left tackle, Austin Siereveld, is a good player, this unit isn't better than the Texas A&M group that we just tossed around. Indiana sacked Sayin like 5 or 6 times in the Big 10 title game and Miami's defensive line and run defense is AT LEAST as good as Indiana's if not better. Their offensive line and our defensive line is the one clear mismatch in Miami's favor and Mario and Hetherman absolutely need to exploit it if Miami has any chance to win.
I am hardly alone in this take, but I think Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate are the two best wide receivers in the country and it isn't all that close. Part of the reason that Miami went out and got bigger and more physical in the secondary is so that they can stand toe-to-toe with guys like this and I might be crazy, but I am not delusional enough to think that we handle these dudes without SIGNIFICANT help from the pass rush. I think the world of Miami's secondary, but if Sayin has time to throw, these guys are going to get open.
The Ohio State offense might have some weaknesses, but the defense is a different story altogether. This unit has NFL dudes (including multiple first-rounders) in all three levels and Shannon Dawson is going to have to earn his sizable paycheck in this one.
The biggest problem from where I am sitting is that their corners, Davison Igbinosun and Jermaine Mathews are more than capable of handling our wide receiver group on islands, which means they'll be able to comfortably put an extra guy in the box to stop the run and oh wouldn't you know it but that extra guy is only going to be arguably the best player in the entire country, Caleb Downs.
Of course they don't even really need the extra guy in the box that badly because every single member of their defensive line rotation is a future pro (Kayden McDonald might be a Top 10 pick) and the linebackers, Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese, are the best duo in the country and it isn't particularly close. I feel fine about Miami's line holding up in pass protection against Caden Curry and Kenyatta Jackson, but both are excellent against the run and Reese is dynamic rushing the passer as well. **** even the backups like Eddrick Houston and Will Smith are no slouches. I am not sure the A gap will be open for business in this one and that presents all sorts of problems because our receivers flat out aren't good enough to make their corners sweat mano y mano.
One underrated bright spot for us? Their kicker is having a crisis of confidence and has had three weeks to think about the death threats from lunatics in the fanbase. Is it going to be impactful next week? Probably not, but I will take what I can get.
The reality is that Ohio State is positioned well to put us on our ***. Ryan Day is much more dangerous than Collin Klein with one foot out the door and I am not a Matt Patricia fan but he has plenty of bonafides as well.
Am I confident? No. But do I think we are going to roll over and let them walk over us? Absolutely not. Miami is experienced, hungry, and motivated. The offensive and defensive line are as good as any unit in the country and Carson Beck's experience still counts for something.
We are playing with house money, time to put the chips in the center of the table and see what happens.