It’s been a long offseason, but we’ve made it. Game week is upon us, and in just a few short days, Ohio State will take the field for the first time this season against Florida Atlantic.
When the Buckeyes take the field, there will be a lot of players and position groups looking to make an impact. BuckeyeGrove took a shot at some over/under predictions for Ohio State’s 2019 season.
3,000 passing yards for Justin Fields - Fields is going to have some large shoes to step into when he takes the field against Florida Atlantic. Dwayne Haskins threw for almost 5,000 yards in 2018, and before him, J.T. Barrett passed for over 3,000 yards in 2017. Fields isn’t going to throw for as many yards as Haskins did, and nobody expects him to, so Barrett’s 2017 season is a much more appropriate comparison for where Fields may shake out this season. Barrett only surpassed 3,000 yards in his final season, but Fields is expected to be a better passer than Barrett was. Ryan Day has said that Fields can’t try to be what Barrett was, but expect him to match up statistically in his first season. Prediction: OVER
12 sacks for Chase Young - Chase Young is primed for a big junior year. After racking up 9.5 sacks in 13 games last season, the sky's the limit as him and Jonathon Cooper prepare to set the edge this year. While 12 sacks is a tall ask, it isn’t unheard of. The last Ohio State player to reach 12 sacks was Joey Bosa, who got to the quarterback 13.5 times in 2014. Young is certainly on track for these numbers, as he improved by seven sacks from his freshman to his sophomore season. However, with so much talent on Ohio State’s defense, Young won’t be able to get all of the sacks. He’ll improve his numbers this year, most likely eclipsing 10 sacks, but it doesn’t seem that 12 sacks is in the cards with the number of guys in the rotation. Prediction: UNDER
1,300 rushing yards for J.K. Dobbins - Most would consider a 1,000 yard season for any runner a success, but for Dobbins, he has referred to it as a “failure,” and he’ll be running with a vengeance this season. The No. 1 back for Ohio State for the first time in his career, expect Dobbins to get a lot of carries and rack up a lot of yards. If Dobbins can run the way he did his freshman season, leading the team in yards by a large margin while only receiving just over 30 percent of the carries, he’s going to run wild this year. Prediction: OVER
600 receiving yards for Binjimen Victor - Will Binjimen Victor finally put it all together this season? According to coaches, expect great things from the senior wide receiver this year. He’s had a good camp, and with Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon and Terry McLaurin out of the picture, there are a lot of yards up for grabs this year. Starting at the X for Ohio State this season, there’s no reason Victor shouldn’t have ample opportunities to rack up yards. It’s always a question of whether or not he will show up, but with this being his last season, he knows the time for him to perform is now. Prediction: OVER
25 turnovers by the Silver Bullets - One of the key points of focus for Ohio State coming out of fall camp was the amount of turnovers forced by the defense. Players have a new mindset, running faster and playing harder under new co-defensive coordinators Greg Mattison and Jeff Hafley. 25 turnovers, however, is a lofty goal for any team regardless of how good their defense is. Ohio State’s incredible 2016 squad had 27 turnovers, so while this defense should be a marked improvement over last season, don’t expect them to be turning the ball over that often. Prediction: UNDER
35 receptions for Chris Olave - Olave is without a doubt going to have a large role in the offense this season. After his late breakout last year, there’s no way he’ll be kept off the field. As mentioned earlier, there will be a lot of yards and receptions up for grabs this season, as the trio of Campbell, Dixon and McLaurin combined for 167 receptions last year. Austin Mack is healthy now and projected to start at the Z when Ohio State takes on Florida Atlantic, but with the potential of some rust early on, expect Olave to get started early in his breakout year as the battle for the Z starter continues well into the season. Four guys reached at least 35 receptions last year, and it seems like a reasonable expectation for Olave. Prediction: OVER
10 wins for Ohio State - Regardless of how individual units or players perform, all that matters is wins. With a new head coach, quarterback and bevy of coordinators and position coaches, predictions for Ohio State’s season have generally been in-between the 9-3 and 12-0 range. While there will inevitably be growing pains for the Buckeyes, there’s too much talent on this team to deny that they’ll have a good season. Cincinnati is the only real OOC competition they’ll face, and these Big Ten teams are nothing that Ryan Day hasn’t seen before, so there isn’t any reason it seems why Ohio State shouldn’t be able to eclipse at least 10 wins. Prediction: OVER