What We're Watching For Against Ball State

Ohio State is finally back on the field, and while the Buckeyes are expected to handle Ball State comfortably, there will still be plenty worth watching in the season opener.

In this episode of The Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr break down what they’ll be looking for when Ohio State takes the field against Ball State — not just on the scoreboard, but in the details that could tell us something about the Buckeyes before next week’s trip to Texas.

On offense, the guys discuss what a successful debut should look like for Julian Sayin, whether the offensive line operates cleanly, how explosive Bo Jackson looks at the second level, and whether Ohio State can take advantage of whatever Ball State gives them without communication issues or missed assignments.

Defensively, the focus turns to rotations and personnel: which defensive tackles play together, how deep Ohio State goes at defensive end and linebacker, where Riley Pettijohn and T.J. Alford line up, and whether the Buckeyes tackle and get off blocks the way they should.

There’s also plenty of special-teams discussion, including whether Connor Hawkins might get an early chance at a long field goal, plus Tony and Tom reveal that they somehow arrived independently at the exact same score prediction.

0:00 — Welcome to the Buckeye Weekly Podcast
1:02 — What does a successful game look like for Ohio State?
2:06 — Clean offense and a clean injury report
3:15 — What Tony wants to see from the Buckeye offense
4:05 — Bo Jackson, Julian Sayin and offensive efficiency
5:08 — What would actually be concerning against Ball State?
6:01 — Why Ohio State should be able to take whatever Ball State gives them
7:23 — What we’ll be watching on defense
8:02 — Defensive line and linebacker rotations
8:34 — Riley Pettijohn, T.J. Alford and Christian Alliegro
9:11 — Tackling, block destruction and defensive fundamentals
10:40 — Could Connor Hawkins attempt a 54-yard field goal?
11:43 — Why Ohio State may use this game to work on specific things
13:34 — Getting the kicking game ready before Texas
14:41 — Tony’s score prediction: Ohio State 52, Ball State 3
15:14 — Tom somehow predicts the exact same score
15:45 — How long will the starters play?
16:16 — How many backups and young players could get meaningful reps?
17:00 — What the second-team offense can show us

What are you most interested in watching against Ball State? Is it the offensive line, the young linebackers, the freshmen, the kicking game, or something else? Let us know in the comments.

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