Browns “Deep Tracks” Trivia Vol. 1: Reliving Yesteryear
August 29, 2014LeBron James is good in the paint
August 29, 2014
For a preview of the Ohio State defense, click here.
The 2013 edition of the Ohio State offense was an undeniable juggernaut. The highlight reel quarterback. The rumbling running back. Kenny freaking G. But now, with the 2014 season just hours away, as Drake once said, “nothing was the same.”
Carlos Hyde and four-fifths of his mauling line are gone, everyone knew that would be the case. But then, on the night of Monday, August 18, reports started to trickle out of Columbus that Heisman hopeful quarterback Braxton Miller had reinjured his surgically repaired right shoulder that was originally hurt in the Orange Bowl loss to Clemson. By midday Tuesday, the truth was out: Braxton Miller was done for the year.
Last season, this news would have been hugely disappointing, but not utterly devastating. With backup quarterback/smooth jazz legend Kenny Guiton ready to waltz in off the sideline and do a more than serviceable impersonation of Miller, Buckeye fans would have been confident that it would not be a lost season. But this season, with Guiton in Los Angeles with the KISS of the Arena Football League, the mood is decidedly less optimistic in Columbus.
Enter J.T. Barrett. A redshirt freshman out of Wichita Falls, Texas, the man they call Joe Thomas1 will look to right the listing Ohio State ship and force fans to forgot about their despair over Miller’s injury. In spite of an injury that cut short his senior season of high school, Barrett was ranked as the No. 11 prospect in his talent-rich home state. While he did redshirt last season, he should enter his tenure as the starter very familiar with the offense, as he came to Columbus and enrolled early in January of 2013. That familiarity showed through the spring and into the fall, as he passed presumed backup Cardale Jones on the depth chart. Still, the dual threat signal caller possesses a grand total of zero in-game action. He will be thrown into the fire early in the season with the Buckeyes’ showdown with Virginia Tech, as well as tricky games against Navy and Cincinnati. If he cannot make the adjustment to the college game, don’t be surprised to see Urban Meyers call Cardale Jones’s number at some point.
Luckily for Barrett, his receiving corps returns three big contributors from last season in wideouts Devin Smith and Evan Spencer as well as security blanket tight end Jeff Heuerman. He’ll also enjoy the services of hybrid/athlete Dontre Wilson, who was a versatile lightning bolt at various points last season. This year, however, Wilson is listed on the Buckeyes’ first depth chart as a co-starter with redshirt freshman Jalin Marshall. Wilson showed what he can bring to the table last season, and with Marshall challenging him for playing time, fans can be sure that Barrett will have a useful weapon lining up either in the backfield or slot.
Barrett will also enjoy the backfield company of a talented running back, although it remains unclear who exactly that will be. As is the case with Wilson and Marshall, there are co-starters listed at halfback. However, that competition has been so tight that Urban Meyer, Tom Herman, and their staff have listed three options on the depth chart. Fans will be familiar with the work of Ezekiel Elliott and Rod Smith, both of whom got plenty of action in the absence of Carlos Hyde early last season, but true freshman and early enrollee Curtis Samuel is new to the mix. All three should see plenty of time early in the season. Though I can’t claim to know much about Samuel, a four-star recruit from Brooklyn, my early feeling is that Elliott will begin to see most of the carries once the Buckeyes get into the meat of their schedule.
How Barrett (or Jones) can do in Miller’s stead is obviously the biggest question for the offense. Figuring out which of the three running backs can best approximate Hyde’s bruising style is also important. But, after the quarterback situation, the state of the offensive line is certainly the second most vital question for Herman and Meyer to answer. Four starters (Jack Mewhort, Corey Linsley, Andrew Norwell, and the legendary Marcus Hall) are gone. Only last season’s right tackle Taylor Decker remains. He will move to the left this year. Pat Elflein, listed as the starting right guard, saw some action last year. Darryl Baldwin, who saw special teams and mop-up action last year, is currently listed as the starter at right tackle. The starting center spot is still being contested between junior Jacoby Boren and Alabama transfer Chad Lindsay. The left guard spot is also still up for grabs between redshirt freshman Billy Price and senior three-year letterman Joel Hale.
There’s no point in overanalyzing the situation facing the Ohio State offense. They have talent, but without competent quarterback play from either Barrett or Jones and solid performances from the mostly inexperienced offensive line, they won’t go far. Both of those quantities are still largely unknown. Hopefully Saturday’s game will begin to answer some of the massive questions facing the unit.
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Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE
- To my knowledge, no one actually calls him by his birth name. [↩]
4 Comments
Lets get the nerves out early againts Navy!
We (as Buckeye Nation) are expecting great things from J.T!
If he lights it up tomorrow, he won’t be the first red shirt freshman
Also Urban looking like a BOSS up top
That could carry a team and be a star
Yea ain’t lookin’ to good in the fourth quarter. Maybe Braxton Miller wasn’t so bad!