Football
Friday Walkthrough: Backups Be Ready
By Brandon CastelWhile Ohio State might have longer-standing rivalries with Michigan and Illinois, few games on the schedule can match the physicality of an OSU-Wisconsin battle.
There were two Buckeyes knocked out of the game a year ago when they knocked off the Badgers on a late touchdown in their own stadium, so wideout Dane Sanzebacher expects emotions to be running high when the two teams collide Saturday in Ohio Stadium.
“I’m sure on both sides guys are going to want to get after it. They’re going to want to come into our house this time after what happened last year,” he said.
With so many guys in and out of the lineup this week, we take one last look at Ohio State’ personnel as they prepare for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff with Wisconsin.
Quarterback
What to expect: The last time these two teams met on the football field, Terrelle Pryor did not having a passing touchdown. He did, however, guide the Buckeyes 80 yards in 12 plays in the final minutes of the game, capping it off with an 11-yard touchdown run that broke the hearts of the Wisconsin faithful in Camp Randall Stadium. The Badgers have not forgotten the sting of last year, so they will come out fired up, hoping to take Pryor out of the game. The Buckeyes have done a better job of using him as both a runner and a passer in recent weeks, but this may be the game where he must prove what he can do with his arm.
Injury report: All quarterbacks are healthy and accounted for.
Running Back
What to expect: The Buckeyes are coming off their first 100-yard rushing game of the year by a tailback, but Brandon Saine could find himself coming off the bench this week as starter Boom Herron returns to the lineup. Saine is averaging 6.0 yards per carry this season, while Herron is down at just 3.6 ypc, but the two backs will likely split carries fairly evenly against the Badgers. Herron will have some extra motivation after being knocked out of this game (literally) a year ago, but Saine seems to be better at picking up the tough yardage, and it will all be tough Saturday. Look for freshman Jordan Hall to get a series or two in the game, but probably not 10+ carries like he got a week ago with Herron out.
Injury report: Herron missed the game last week against Indiana with an ankle injury he suffered against Illinois, but should be close to 100 percent Saturday against Wisconsin. Redshirt freshman Jermil Martin is healthy but unlikely to see many carries in this game after spending the week playing the role of John Clay for the scout team. The Buckeyes will likely be without both Jaamal Berry (hamstring) and Marcus Williams (knee).
Wide Receiver & Tight End
What to expect: Like Herron, wideout Dane Sanzenbacher was knocked out of the game last year on a hit by Wisconsin safety Jay Valai. Sanzenbacher leads the Buckeyes with 304 receiving yards and four touchdown catches this season, but he was not a big part of the offense last week. Look for Pryor to get Sanzenbacher involved as long as he is not gun-shy about going over the middle. Expect the Buckeyes to target DeVier Posey, Sanzenbacher and Ray Small down the field as they go against a Badger secondary that is allowing a league-worst 8.1 yards per attempt in the passing game.
Injury report: Tight end Jake Ballard has battled the flu off-and-on this week, but expect to see him out there Saturday. The senior has been a big part of Ohio State's revamped rushing attack, and they will need him to play the role of lead blocker once again when they run the ball out of the shotgun.
Offensive Line
What to expect: Like Ballard, a number of the OSU offensive linemen have been hit by the flu this week, and the Buckeyes will once again be without tackle Andrew Miller, who also missed last week’s game. Miller had been splitting time with Mike Adams at left tackle, so look for Adams to make his third-consecutive start and play nearly every snap for the first time in his career.
Next to Adams, the Buckeyes are expecting to have left guard Justin Boren available, but he did miss practice in the middle of the week with the flu. If Boren can’t go, the Buckeyes would go with senior Andrew Moses at left guard. The same applies if Michael Brewster or Bryant Browning can’t go for some reason.
On the right side, J.B. Shugarts will get the start, unless something happens to Adams, then he would slide over to left tackle. Look for Shugarts to get 40-50 snaps at right tackle with freshman Marcus Hall taking the other 15-20 snaps.
Injury report: Senior Jim Cordle practiced Wednesday for the first time since injuring his foot, but don’t expect to see him in the game Saturday. This has never been a staff to rush guys back, but it’s not out of the question that he could be available to come off the bench next week against Purdue.
Defensive Line
What to expect: One of the most under-appreciated players on the defense, the Buckeyes will find out if they can replace nose tackle Dexter Larimore this week against a big, physical Wisconsin offensive front. Getting the first crack at replacing him in the lineup is senior Todd Denlinger, but Larimore’s absence also means a big jump in playing time for freshman John Simon.
“It’s a great opportunity for me, but I definitely feel for Dex,” Denlinger said about making the start.
“It’s a big loss for our defense, he’s a great player inside for us. At the same time, it’s time for me to step up, me and John Simon, and it’s time to get the job done.”
With Denlinger moving up to play next to Doug Worthington with the first-team defensive line, senior Rob Rose should also see more playing time next to Simon when the second group is on the field. The Buckeye could also use junior Cameron Heyward inside if needed, but that would probably come on a down-by-down basis.
Injury report : Larimore will miss this game and likely one or two more before he recovers from the strained knee. Freshman Melvin Fellows remains out following off-season knee surgery.
Linebacker
What to expect: This is the biggest game of the year for captain Austin Spitler, who is a throwback physical linebacker that needs to play well against Jon Clay and the Badgers power run game. Spitler has only been on the field about half the plays this year because of how often the Buckeyes are in the nickel defensively, but he’ll be out there on just about every snap against Wisconsin. One of the reasons they moved him to Sam linebacker is so he can play over the tight end, so watch to see if he can keep Garrett Graham and Lance Kendricks from getting free releases.
“(The) Sam backer plays a pivotal role in that, creating a new line of scrimmage. When he goes out for a pass, jamming him and trying to help the back end guys out,” Spitler said.
The other player to keep an eye on will be middle linebacker Brian Rolle. At 5-foot-11 and 225 pounds, Rolle is giving up 25 pounds to Clay in a head-on collision. He packs a lot of punch in his little frame, but has he never gone against a back like Clay. While he makes an ideal Mike backer against the spread, this is not exactly the game Jim Heacock and Luke Fickell were thinking of when they moved him inside before the season.
Injury report: The Buckeyes will continue to play without Tyler Moeller, who is out for the year with a head injury. Homan played last week and showed no lingering effects from the shot he took to the head against Illinois.
Secondary
What to expect : The biggest story of the week for Ohio State defensively is the return of senior captain Kurt Coleman. The safety was forced to miss the Indiana game on a one-game suspension imposed by the Big Ten for an illegal hit on Illinois’ quarterback Eddie McGee. There’s no question Coleman is going to be wound with emotion after having to watch his team on TV last week, so watch to see if he can control that emotion and channel it in a positive direction.
With Coleman out, Anderson Russell stepped up to make some big plays, but will primarily be relegated to special teams this week, as the Buckeyes will go mostly base defense against Wisconsin’s power rushing attack. The same goes for Orhian Johnson, who worked as OSU’s fifth defensive back in the nickel last week.
Expect to see Jermale Hines get the start at strong safety along with Devon Torrence at corner, as he seems to have pulled ever so slightly ahead of senior Andre Amos, although the two continue to share playing time across from Chimdi Chekwa.
Injury report: The Buckeyes got Zach Domicone back last week after he missed the first four games with a leg injury, but they continue to be without senior Aaron Gant. After playing some safety and star last week, Nate Oliver will be questionable after missing some time with the flu this week.
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