Colin: Ho hum, another dominating performance against Northwestern. Did you notice any new wrinkles good or bad from the Buckeyes following a bye week?
Baver: The angle route JK Dobbins ran on his early 2nd quarter TD reception was a new play Coach Day inserted after watching film of N’Western. Austin Mack ran a dig route that pulled N’Western LB Paddy Fisher just enough away from the center of the field to allow Dobbins to do his magic. It’s the 1st play in the video linked HERE. Another route that color analyst Brock Huard said was a new one was Olave’s first TD catch. It’s the 2nd play of the video linked HERE, 22 seconds into the vid. Northwestern expected Olave to run a crossing route, but Olave turning the route upfield. By the time NW leading tackler Travis Whillock reacted, Olave was blowing by him on the way to 6 points.
Colin: Before the season, the OSU running game looked like a possible weak spot, how do you feel about it now headed into the Wisconsin game?
Baver: JKD and Master Teague have blown me away. Having a QB that can beat you with both his arms and his legs, along with better run blocking, have of course helped the tailbacks a lot. Still, I wasn’t buying the hype about Dobbins reinventing himself in the off-season. Seeing is believing...the kid’s been unbelievable. And Teague was hurt much of August, making me skeptical of this unit heading into the opener. Now, when Teague comes off the bench to spell Dobbins, I picture opposing defenders saying, “Sh*t....now it’s this dude.” You’d probably have to search hard to find a better one-two, tailback combo in CFB this year.
Colin: Bucky Badger ruined our big date by somehow losing to Illinois. Should we be more or less concerned about Wisconsin following such a stunning upset?
Baver: I think Ohio St was going to get Wisconsin’s “A” game no matter what. Good teams often play to their level of competition, but they usually still win those games. Losing as a 30½ point favorite is jaw dropping. So, I don’t think as highly of Wisconsin as I did a week ago. OSU has faced the Badgers 6 times since 2011, winning all of them. That included the Cardale Jones-led beatdown in the 2014 B10 title game. But, the other 5 Buckeye wins were each by 7 pts or less. And if this Buckeye team takes UW lightly, the Badgers are capable of beating them.
Colin: Weather forecast for the game calls for steady/heavy rain. This has me very concerned. Should I be?
Baver: Yeah, I see weather.com has 90 to 100% chance of rain during game hours. I usually get too worked up about bad weather ever since the ’15 loss to Michigan St when Urban buttoned it up. So right or wrong, I’m concerned as well.
Colin: Tell me about this Badger team, and how you see this one going down.
Baver: Jonathan Taylor is in a small slump by his standards, but if I am Badger HC Paul Chryst, I’m still running Taylor early and often. That’s a better choice than dealing with OSU’s pass rush. If the UW offense has success against the Buckeye D early, that would give the Badgers a much-needed boost of confidence. MSU held Taylor to 3.1 yds per carry, but Wisconsin hurt Sparty’s D in several other ways, one of which was with Jack Coan’s efficiency through the air. Coan is big upgrade over Alex Hornibrook.
The UW defense will be the best Ohio St has faced so far. They play a 3-4 front, with their cornerbacks often playing man coverage. UW’s 3 down linemen play the run very well, and they have a trio of big-time LBs in Zack Baun, Jack Sanborn, and Chris Orr. Still, the Illinois tailback duo of Reggie Corbin & Dre Brown combined for 168 yds against the Badgers at 6 yards a pop.
I think Wisconsin provides OSU with its biggest test yet, and bad weather should favor the underdog with more unpredictability. I can see Ohio St taking longer to make adjustments on both sides of the ball. But as long as it’s not a monsoon, I think Day and his staff eventually make needed adjustments and wear Wisconsin down. I’ve got it: Ohio St 27 Wisc 14.
Colin: Meanwhile, Michigan didn't quit on Harbaugh and outplayed Penn State despite losing a tough one 28 -21. Which of those two teams concerns you most moving forward?
Baver: Good call on Michigan hanging tough. UM clearly showed heart, and thoroughly outplayed Penn St. The Nits also got some home cooking from the men in stripes as well. It’s a close call with OSU’s remaining opponents, but I’d rank their toughest upcoming matchups in this order: 1 Wisconsin, 2 Penn St, 3 Michigan.
Colin: Quick calls on Penn State’s trip to East Lansing and Notre Dame at Michigan...
Baver: I like Sparty getting points at home against Penn St. MSU has had PSU’s number over the past few years, and I expect a low scoring, ugly game. I like MSU +6½ in a toss-up game. Tough call, but I think UM at home probably beats ND. They’ve started to turn a corner on offense. I’ll take TTUN getting a point at home.
—Brent Baver and Colin Gawel