50 For 50: What Will Brandon Inniss Bring To Ohio State’s Offense?

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 22 days away — with a daily sampling of what we can look forward to this upcoming college football season. Today’s edition features Ohio State receiver Brandon Inniss, quarterback Lincoln Kienholz, defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, and more.

As always, 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

PENN STATE C NICK DAWKINS VS. OHIO STATE NT KAYDEN MCDONALD

If games are won at the line of scrimmage, then consider both Nick Dawkins and Kayden McDonald the beefy tip of the spear of this battle. Penn State is going to try and run the ball against the Buckeyes and then play-action off of the ground game. If McDonald can limit that running game, then the play-action becomes neutered a bit. Dawkins is an experienced center. He started all 16 games last year for Penn State. He is an All-Big Ten type of player this year who will have his hands full in Columbus. But the same could be said of McDonald as well.

Most Important Games

GEORGIA BULLDOGS AT AUBURN TIGERS, OCT. 11

I feel like I mention Auburn’s schedule every day here, but so much of the SEC looks the same to me. Say what you want about the conference and its bootlickers, they do have weekly bangers. I don’t know that this will be a banger, but Auburn may need a win here to stop a two-game losing streak (at Oklahoma and at Texas A&M). A win for the Tigers would send some shockwaves through the sport. And as Alabama knows from last season, two bad losses is all it takes to ruin a season.

Things To Look Forward To

BRANDON INNISS AS AN EVERY-DOWN RECEIVER.

For the hardcore Buckeye fans, you’ve mostly just seen junior receiver Brandon Inniss on the sidelines celebrating big plays and occasionally running routes and making catches. This year, however, you’re going to see him on the field in a much larger capacity. There will be plays designed for him, which is intriguing because we just haven’t seen him given that kind of responsibility. It will be interesting to see the different levels on the field in which he is used. He won’t just be a screen guy or short drag on mesh routes, but who knows how much he’ll be used down the field.

National College Football Predictions

BOISE STATE-NOTRE DAME WILL BE A ONE-SCORE GAME IN THE 4TH Q.

Ashton Jeanty is off to the NFL, which makes a Boise State win this year way more difficult, but much worse teams have gone into South Bend and come away with a win. The Broncos have been through big games against major opponents, and while it hasn’t always gone well for them, the stage won’t be too big for Boise State. I’m not expecting a Bronco win, but I think the outcome will be iffy in the fourth quarter.

Big Ten Football Predictions

DANTE MOORE WILL HAVE 9+ TD PASSES IN THE FIRST THREE GAMES.

Oregon’s passing game is going to be interesting to watch this season. Dante Moore is the Ducks’ new QB but he’s got a loaded room of receivers to make his transition easier. Nine touchdown passes over the first three games of the season may not sound like much, but it would be three more than Dillon Gabriel last year. It would also be one more than Bo Nix in 2023 and two more than Nix in 2022. You have to go back to 2019 when Justin Herbert opened with just one touchdown pass against Auburn, then added five TD passes against each of the Ducks’ next two opponents.

Ohio State Football Predictions

LINCOLN KIENHOLZ WILL RUSH FOR AT LEAST 20 YARDS IN A GAME.

The Buckeyes last had a backup quarterback rush for 20 yards in a game in 2023 when Devin Brown was OSU’s “running threat.” This year, that could fall to Lincoln Kienholz, should he not win the starting job. Kienholz is a tremendous athlete who could be a part of Ohio State’s offense even as the backup quarterback. I’m not saying he’ll be the “red-zone quarterback,” but if he has a strong fall camp, you’re gonna hear Ryan Day and Brian Hartline talking about how he deserves to play. He’s going to have some opportunity to run the ball whether he starts or not, just like Jack Miller (23) and CJ Stroud (48), who both rushed for more than 20 yards in a game as true freshmen backups in 2020.

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