The Washington Huskies enter their Rose Bowl matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes which will feature two teams ranked in the top ten.
It will be one of the best games of the entire Bowl Game season as Chris Petersen and Urban Meyer are regarded as two of top five best coaches in the nation.
What will be fascinating to watch is the Buckeyes high-powered offense going up against the Huskies suffocating defense.
With the Rose Bowl Game almost a month away, we will take an early look at the Huskies opponent….the Ohio State Buckeyes.
SEASON OUTLOOK
It has been an up and down season for the Ohio State Buckeyes, despite their 12-1 overall record. Head coach Urban Meyer found himself in the middle of controversy, when he was suspended for the first three games of the season by Ohio State University. An investigation found that Meyer improperly handled domestic violence allegations involving one of his former assistant coaches. The suspension created a distraction to the Buckeyes football players and program at the start of the season.
On the football field, Ohio State has had a tremendous season with only losing one road game to Purdue 49-20. The Buckeyes found themselves just outside of the College Football Playoff discussion and finished the season ranked #6 in the final College Football Playoff rankings. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins is a serious candidate for the Heisman Trophy, as his season has been nothing short of stellar. The Buckeyes boast a formidable offensive attack which is one of the top in the nation.
RECORD
* 12-1 Overall Record
* 0.923 Overall Winning Percentage
* 8-1 Conference Record
* 0.889 Conference Winning Percentage
* 5 Game Winning Streak
HEAD COACH
* Urban Meyer is 81-9 through six-plus seasons leading one of the most storied programs in college football. He has coached the Buckeyes to a national championship in 2014 – the program’s eighth – by winning the first College Football Playoff (CFP), to a repeat appearance in the CFP in 2017, to six consecutive Big Ten conference divisional titles, two Big Ten championships in 2017 and 2014, to a 54-4 record in Big Ten games and to a 22-5 record versus ranked teams. He currently leads the nation as the most winningest active coach in college football with an .853 percentage.
* Record at Ohio St.: 82-9 (7th)
* Overall: 186-32 (17th)
KEY STATS
* The Buckeyes own the nation’s No. 2-ranked total offense (549 yards/game).
* They have the No. 2 best passing offense in the nation (373.0 yards/game).
* Ohio State owns the No. 8 best scoring offense in the nation (43.5 points/game).
* Buckeyes quarterback Dwayne Haskins 4,580 yards ranks first nationally as so does his 47 touchdown passes.
* Scoring defense ranks at #55 in the nation with giving up an average of 25.7 points per game.
* Total defense ranks at #68 in the nation with giving up and average of 400 yards per game.
KEY PLAYERS
Offense
* QB – Dwayne Haskins
- 47 total touchdowns leads the nation and a Heisman Trophy candidate.
* RB – J.K. Dobbins
- Only player in Buckeyes history to record 1,000 yard rushing seasons during freshman and sophomore campaigns.
* WR – Parris Campbell
- Buckeyes leading receiver with 79 catches for 992 yards and 11 TD’s.
Defense
* DT – Dre’Mont Jones
- Has recorded 13.0 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks this season.
* LB – Malik Harrison
- Leads the team in total tackles at 74.
* DE – Chase Young
- Leads the team with 14.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks this season.
BIGGEST STRENGTH
* The high-powered offense of the Buckeyes is their biggest strength. They have playmakers all over the field and put up some huge numbers in both scoring and total yards. They are extremely difficult to defend.
BIGGEST WEAKNESSES
* For being ranked the #6 team in the nation, the Buckeyes don’t even rank in the top 50 in both scoring defense and total defense categories. They win most games by outscoring their opponents in shootouts. Their defense is not considered elite for a top 10 ranked team.
