Ohio State vs. Miami U (2005 Preview)

The Ohio State Buckeyes open their 2005 campaign in Columbus against the Redhawks of Miami University, one of the Mid-American Conference's top teams. The Buckeyes have only lost one game in their history to a MAC school (to Akron in 1895), but I believe it is possible for Miami to compete with them in this game. If Ohio State sputters on offense and turns the ball over, or if they fail to establish an effective pass rush, the Redhawks could turn this game into a carbon copy of the Buckeyes' narrow win over Marshall in 2004.

The Redhawks' offense features three outstanding players who can change the course of a game if given the opportunity: Josh Betts, Ryne Robinson, and Martin Nance.

Josh Betts, Miami's senior quarterback, completed over 60% of his passes last year for 3,495 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. His arm is very strong, his accuracy is above average, and he is one of only two quarterbacks in school history to have thrown for over 3,000 yards in a single season. The other player? Ben Roethlisberger.

Junior receiver Ryne Robinson is Betts' favorite target. Although only 5'10", he is lightning quick and has some of the best hands in the MAC. He led the team with 64 receptions for 932 yards and four touchdowns in 2004 and looks to build on that success in 2005.

6'5", senior receiver Martin Nance, a huge target who has been clocked at 4.35 seconds in the 40-yard dash is Miami's most dangerous offensive weapon. Although he spent much of last season nursing an injury, in 2003, he had the most productive single-season of any receiver in Miami football history, catching 90 passes for 1,498 yards and 11 touchdowns.

If Betts has time to throw, he will be able to utilize the talent he has at wide receiver to pick the OSU secondary apart. It is imperative that Ohio State pressures Betts and knocks him down a few times early in the game. If they do not do this, it could be a long day for the "Silver Bullets" and their fans.

Miami's defense is young and lacks experience, but two things they are not short on are athletic ability and speed. Leading the way for the Redhawks is senior cornerback Darrell Hunter, who was a second-team all-MAC player last season.
Hunter is 6'1", 205 pounds, and has a recorded 40-yard dash time below 4.30 seconds. Read that last sentence again, then guess which player Miami will line up on Ted Ginn Jr.

On offensive for the Buckeyes, Troy Smith will be suspended for this game, so it's up to (as of now) Justin Zwick to get the offense rolling. With Zwick under center, Ohio State must establish a legitimate running threat to help take some of the pressure off of him. Hopefully, the three-headed monster of Tony Pittman, Eric Haw, and Maurice Wells will make an impact, but if not, expect to see Ginn line up in the shotgun and take a few direct snaps like he did in last year's Alamo Bowl. Whatever it takes to get the running game off the ground must be done so we don't see Season Two of "Nervous Justin."

(If you watched any of his games last year, you remember "Nervous Justin." He is the kid who would take the snap from center, drop back to pass, then run around like a teenager being chased through the woods by Jason Vorhees.)

Anyway, this game will be interesting for Ohio State fans, as we will get our first glimpse at Mike Nugent's replacement, Josh Huston. We all know how important the kicking game is in Coach Tressel's game plan, and if the Buckeyes' special teams don't deliver, Ohio State could be in serious trouble.

Something else to watch is what the coaching staff does with Ginn. Will he line up in the defensive secondary at all, or will he stick to playing offense? Let's not forget, many recruiting experts compared him to a young Deion Sanders, and he was the top-rated defensive back in his recruiting class. At some point you have to let him play defense. Knowing this, Coach Tressel has mentioned that they plan to use him in certain man-to-man situations and inside the red zone. Let's hope so. Think about how much different the 2002 team was once Chris Gamble stepped in as the starting cornerback. His big play ability and penchant for the dramatic helped provide a spark, and I doubt they would have won the national championship without him in there.

Prediction: Ohio State: 31 - Miami University: 17