50 For 50: Which Buckeye Freshmen Will Shine As Closers?

Welcome to our daily feature that I am calling “50 for 50” where I attempt to get us to Big Ten Media Days — which are 33 days away — with a daily sampling of what we can look forward to this upcoming college football season.

We will do this via the following categories: the 50 biggest individual matchups for the Buckeyes this season, the 50 most important college football games this season, 50 Buckeye things to look forward to this season, 50 national predictions, 50 Big Ten predictions, and 50 predictions involving the Buckeyes.

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Biggest Buckeye Matchups

Michigan State QB Aidan Chiles vs. Ohio State SAF Caleb Downs

Just a couple of true sophomores who are trying to make a home at new schools. It may not happen immediately for Aidan Chiles at Michigan State because the Spartans will need to be built back up, but expectations are still very high for one of the top quarterbacks on the free agent market. Chiles is a mobile quarterback who can keep plays alive. That means that OSU free safety Caleb Downs is going to have to keep that in mind in coverage. Routes can break off once the scrambling starts and big plays can happen. The last line of defense will have to choose correctly when things break down.

Most Important Games

Florida State Seminoles at Miami Hurricanes, October 26

Florida State won this one 27-20 at home last year as 14-point favorites. Miami stuffed the run and harassed quarterback Jordan Travis all game long but couldn’t muster enough offense to get the win. The Seminoles have won the last three, including a 45-3 debacling the last time these two teams played “at Miami.” The loser of this game may be eliminated from the ACC Championship Game, which also means they will likely be eliminated from the playoffs.

Things To Look Forward To

Watching true freshmen getting snaps in the fourth quarter.

One of the best things about college football is watching the true freshmen get their first playing time and then doing something with it. It’s rare for a true freshman to help out in the first quarter of a game. They are generally brought in when the ending is no longer in doubt. Ohio State’s non-conference schedule of Akron, Western Michigan, and Marshall should allow for plenty of fourth quarters for some true freshmen to gain some confidence. A year ago, we got to see Brandon Inniss score on a 58-yard touchdown against Purdue and Jermaine Mathews take a pick six back 58 yards against Western Kentucky. Which true freshman (freshmen?) will be scoring from 58 yards out this year? Running back James Peoples might be a good bet. The Buckeyes aren’t likely to be running TreVeyon Henderson or Quinshon Judkins in the fourth quarter of a 40-point non-conference game. Peoples and fellow freshman running back Sam Williams-Dixon will both have opportunities to close out games — and also hit some home runs.

National College Football Predictions

Boise State will have a second-half lead at Oregon.

Boise State will take their 11 returning starters on defense to Oregon in the second week of the season. It will also be interesting to see if new Broncos quarterback — and former USC Trojan — Malachi Nelson can step in and make plays. Regardless, Boise State will rely heavily on running back Ashton Jeanty, who was the No. 7 rusher in the nation last year (112.3 ypg). Oregon, meanwhile, hosts Idaho to open the season before Boise State shows up in week two. Yes, the Ducks are attempting to secure control of the Potato Belt. The Broncos aren’t going to give it up easily, however.

Big Ten Football Predictions

Oregon will not trail in the second half at Michigan.

While Oregon will trail in the second half of their week two game against Boise State, they will not trail in the second half of their week 10 game at Michigan (Nov. 2). The Ducks will have hit their stride by this point in the season, and having games against Illinois and Purdue in the two weeks leading up shouldn’t stress them too much. (Illinois might be physical but the overall talent won’t be there.) Michigan will come into this game following an emotional game at home against Michigan State. Can the Spartans push the Wolverines? If so, the Ducks may not trail at all in this game.

Ohio State Football Predictions

The Buckeyes will return a kickoff for a touchdown.

Eventually, this prediction is going to come true. Ohio State — one day — will return a kickoff for a touchdown. The Buckeyes’ last kickoff return for a touchdown came in 2010 when Jordan Hall took one back against Michigan. Opponents have kicked the ball off to Ohio State 707 times since that last kickoff return touchdown. The madness has got to stop. One way to make it happen is for head coach Ryan Day to be more aggressive in the return game, as opposed to relying on the fair catch constantly. They returned just 13 of the 40 kickoffs they received last year. Cornerback Lorenzo Styles, Jr. was emphatic this spring about wanting to help out in the return game. He has three career returns for a total of 78 yards. There is enough talent on this Ohio State team to make the return game a weapon if Day and his new special teams staff want to make it happen.

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