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A way too early look at the 2021 season - Part One

There were plenty of good moments in 2020
There were plenty of good moments in 2020 (Scott Stuart)

We are not even two weeks removed from the end of Ohio State’s 2020 football season and the thirst of fans to talk about the upcoming 2021 season is very real.

It was a strange journey for the Buckeyes to get to the College Football Playoff Championship Game and while the outcome of the final game was not to the liking of any Ohio State fan, there is a major level of satisfaction generated from the 2020 season, starting with even having a season in the first place.

Sure, a trip to Oregon was called off as was what almost assuredly would have been yet another thrashing of the Michigan Wolverines, but the Buckeyes did finally get past the Clemson Tigers as well as becoming the first team in Big Ten history to win four outright league titles in a row, something that had never been done in the 100-plus year history of the league.

Let’s fast forward to the 2021 season now, and if we learned anything last year, we know that we should not put any schedules down in pen, or at least make non-refundable travel arrangements.

But with that being said, let’s look ahead to the 12-game slate that is on paper for the Buckeyes and drop a few notes about each opponent that the team is scheduled to play starting in seven-plus months with a road trip to Minneapolis to open the season in league play against the Gophers.

We start this three-part series with games one through four.

Will Mo Ibrahim be able to shoulder the load?
Will Mo Ibrahim be able to shoulder the load? (USA Today Sports Images)
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September 2nd, 2021

at Minnesota

Minnesota 2020 Record: 3-4, 3-4 – 4th in B1G West

Overall Series: Ohio State leads 46-7-0

PJ Fleck’s boat sank last season, at least when it came to the start of the season where the Gophers were about the only good thing to happen to the Michigan Wolverines as Jim Harbaugh’s team nearly hung half-a-hundred on the Gophers. Michigan would only score 121 points in its next five games, combined, and that is with a 48-point output against Rutgers, in a triple-overtime game that the Scarlet Knights let slip away.

The Gophers will have a couple of big pieces back next season with quarterback Tanner Morgan as well as running back Mo Ibrahim. The Gopher back rushed for 1,076 yards despite only playing in just seven games and rushed for more than 100 yards in all seven of those contests. Morgan on the other hand took a step back in terms of his output, seeing his completion percentage fall down to under 58-percent, his touchdowns to interceptions ratio was not great at 7:5 and his yards per completion fell to its lowest total of his three-year career with the Gophers. It should not come as a surprise that the loss of Rashod Bateman hurt the Minnesota passing game after the talented wide out opted out and then back in and finally back out of the season after a 36 catch for 472-yard season.

If this boat that Fleck is commanding has any hope next season, his defense is going to need to figure out some things in a hurry, coming off of a No. 72 ranking in total defense and 102 against the run. Statistically, it was not a great year for the Gophers on either side of the ball with Minnesota only ranking in the top-20 nationally in three major categories with Time of Possession (5th), Fewest Penalties per Game (15th) and 3rd Down Conversion Pct. (18th).

The Buckeyes will face a more experienced Tyler Shough than the one they would have seen in '20
The Buckeyes will face a more experienced Tyler Shough than the one they would have seen in '20 (USA Today Sports Images)

September 11th, 2021

vs. Oregon

Oregon 2020 Record: 4-3, 4-2 – 2nd in Pac-12 North

Overall Series: Ohio State leads 9-0-0

These two teams were supposed to meet last season in Eugene (Ore.) in one of the biggest regular season games of the 2020 season and obviously that did not happen. There is no firm word at this point if/when that game will be made up, but if things progress as planned, we will at least get to see this game on its return date at Ohio Stadium.

The Ducks got off to a fast start once the P12 season finally got underway last season and ran out to a 3-0 record with wins over Stanford, Washington State and UCLA before losing the in-state battle to Oregon State and then on the road at Cal. The Ducks would have their game against Washington cancelled and that appeared to be the end of the hopes for a P12 title, until those same Huskies would have to back out of the title game and open the door for the Ducks to play the Trojans of USC and pull off the upset. Oregon would go to the Fiesta Bowl and lose to Iowa State, 34-17.

Tyler Shough stepped into the quarterback role and had some mixed success with a 63.5-percent passing clip and 13 touchdowns against six picks. The running game had its moments but not having CJ Verdell in the Fiesta Bowl was a big loss for the Ducks. Ultimately, there are just not enough of the playmakers that everyone is used to seeing with the Oregon offense at this point of the game and the Ducks won’t have long to try and trot out home run hitters against a retooling Ohio State defense in several key positions.

Speaking of defense, the Ducks are sorely going to miss guys like Penei Sewell, Thomas Graham, Jevon Holland and Brady Breeze, all four on defense, three in the secondary, who are all making early jumps to the NFL.

The loss of Zaven Collins will hurt Tulsa's defense
The loss of Zaven Collins will hurt Tulsa's defense (TU Athletics)

September 18th, 2021

vs. Tulsa

Tulsa 2020 Record: 6-3, 6-0 – 2nd in AAC

Overall Series: Ohio State leads 1-0-0

Not a lot of history in this series as this will be the 2nd time these two teams have played with the Buckeyes holding the one-game edge by way of a 48-3 win in 2016.

Tulsa played Oklahoma State close in the season opener and fell to the then No. 11-ranked team by a 16-7 margin. Game two would be cancelled against Arkansas State and then the Golden Hurricane would run off six wins in-a-row despite having a pair of games cancelled along the way including a season finale against Cincinnati. But Tulsa would get a shot at UC the week after in the ACC title game and would come up three points short in that one. Tulsa would play Mississippi State and come up short at the end of the game in trying to make the comeback. People won’t remember that however and will remember an ugly brawl that marred the end of the game. Will Tulsa still be without anyone a couple of games into the season once the conference finally steps in and holds players responsible for their actions?

Tulsa was known more for its defense over its offense in 2020 with the nation’s No. 19 total defense and No. 27 scoring defense, just allowing a little bit more than 21 points per game. Tulsa will lose a big part of that defense with the departure of Zaven Collins to the NFL Draft but also had seven seniors listed on its bowl game depth chart as defensive starters, meaning that this unit will have to largely start over with a glut of sophomores and juniors who will be getting their first real starting experience in 2021.

Akron football will be in for another long season
Akron football will be in for another long season (USA Today Sports Images)

September 25th, 2021

vs. Akron

Akron 2020 Record: 1-5, 1-5– 5th in MAC East

Overall Series: Ohio State leads 7-1-0

There is not a lot that we can say about Akron other than the fact that the Zips finally won a game after holding the nation’s longest losing streak. Akron was 121st in total offense last year and 110th in total defense. The Zips were scoring just a touch more than 17 points per game but giving up 41.3 points per game.

At least there are not early NFL departures on this roster.

The Zips have a pair of young quarterbacks with Zach Gibson and T.J. DeShields and both were thrown into the fire but it was Gibson most of the way and he had the only four passing touchdowns that the Zips had over the course of the season. Granted, he also threw five picks over that period of time and had a sub 58-percent completion rate, but the Zips obviously have more issues than just unproven quarterbacks going into the 2021 season. The Zips only have five seniors to replace between its starting offense and defense but this team, at least based on what the roster looks like at this point, appears to be in for a long season.

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