So excited to be in Indianapolis to see the Buckeyes play in the Big Ten Championship game tonight.
Regardless of what happens, I’m so proud of this team. In my lifetime as a Buckeye fan, from start to finish, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one team improve so much. They’ve been a fun group to watch and it’s exciting that they’re still so young.
Defense has given up too many yards the last few weeks. I think that they’ll have a defensive game plan setup to stopping Gordon. He’ll still get his yards, but as long as he’s not busting huge plays on them, I think they’ll be fine. I could see Ohio State doing a lot to load the box which will create one on one matchups in the secondary. But it’s crucial to focus on what Wisconsin does best and doing your best to slow that down. Another key is simply wrapping Gordon up. Might seem obvious but I feel defensive backs often times try to just knock a guy down. That won’t typically work on Gordon. He has great balance, speed, and power.
On offense, Jones has a lot of skill around him. It’s the coach’s job to design a game plan that fits his strengths. He hasn’t been super impressive in limited action but those reps were also with second team players. This week, he has seen all the reps, he’s part of the game plan. He has the athletic ability. And don’t forget that Wisconsin has had to plan for a starting quarterback they haven’t seen much of. I expect the playbook to be more limited.
A lot of people expect Ohio State to lose. They have more talent than Wisconsin. Wisconsin has not played a team nearly this good this year. Barrett is a huge loss but it can’t just be about the quarterback. Football is still a team game. Is the offensive line going to block? Is the defense going to wrap up and make plays? They do those things, they’ll be fine. Everyone takes care of their responsibilities, Jones will be fine.
I’m 70% confident the Buckeyes will win. I take them over Wisconsin 35-28
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Josh Benner 