McMillian has bigger role for Buckeyes at Wisconsin

The Buckeyes this season have only furthered their case as an elite program.

When it comes to mentors in the coaching profession who Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer quotes, Earle Bruce and Lou Holtz are at the top of the list.

Top teams in college football have had a tough time this season, as the playoff picture has been shaken up numerous times.

Before the 2016 season began, none of us could have expected Ohio State, a team that lost 16 starters, to be arguably the best team in the country after six weeks.

His high games have been eight stops against Oklahoma and Tulsa. They took care of business against Bowling Green, Tulsa and Rutgers, defeating the three by a combined margin of 170 points. But there has been some uneasiness about the passing game after J.T. Barrett threw for only 93 yards in a 38-17 win over in last Saturday.

Buckeyes QB Barrett was not as efficient against IN last week IN the passing game and he faces a tough test this week. It is second in the Big Ten in rushing defense behind Wisconsin, its opponent on Saturday night at Camp Randall Stadium, and is ninth nationally.

Less than 6 minutes later, junior forward Sydney McGinnis – who had one of the attempts in the previous corner kick scrum – booted a long shot that deflected off a leaping MI goalkeeper Sarah Jackson’s hands and then off the crossbar. Ohio State is No. 2 and Wisconsin No. 8 in the Associated Press poll. Their only defeat came at the hands of No. 4 MI, as the Wolverines defeated the Badgers 14-7 in Ann Arbor. The Badgers are tenacious on defense as they’re No. 8 in total defense and No. 4 rushing defense.

They have, for instance, the Big Ten’s leader in sacks, T.J. Watt. With Vince Biegel sidelined this week, Watt will need to continue his high-level play in order to try and disrupt an Ohio State offense that beats teams in multiple ways, a reason they lead the conference in total offense (537.6 yards per game).

In fact, the team’s defense ranks fourth in the nation in rushing yards allowed by only giving up 452 yards on the ground. After a 91-yard kickoff return by redshirt sophomore wide receiver Parris Campbell gave the Scarlet and Gray optimal field position, junior offensive tackle Jamarco Jones didn’t squander the opportunity to regain momentum before halftime.

“This was a very good group of guys who understood that their time was coming”, said Meyer, who is 55-4 in four-plus seasons at Ohio State. This Indiana team doesn’t resemble Bowling Green, Tulsa or Rutgers in any way and Ohio State isn’t going to play a flawless game or win by 50 points every time it takes the field.

All Barrett does is get the Buckeyes touchdowns. It’s a universal law of the current state of college football. They’re going back themselves and trying to make plays. It also helps that Ohio State has players like Sam Hubbard and Tyquan Lewis playing on the edge, so they don’t have to overwork Bosa early during his freshman season. Spacing, relationships to other players, using your hands, using your feet.

OSU junior offensive lineman Jamarco Jones (74) blocks Rutgers redshirt junior Darnell Davis (59) during the Buckeyes game against the Scarlet Knights on October 1. Those games come later though.

How will the Buckeyes do?

Wisconsin will have to have a similar performance against Ohio State, which converts 52.9 percent of its third downs. Penn State won the game 38-14. The decision to attend Ohio State eventually paid off, as Burger was a key part of the special teams unit during the 2014 championship season.

Last Saturday against IN, the Ohio State Buckeyes did something they nearly never do. The Buckeye defense hasn’t needed him to do almost as much since the unit as a whole is playing at such a high level. Ohio State is only allowing 2.8 yards per carry, meaning many successful runs will be hard to come by.