Ohio State football has one major question they need answers for, and it could be the difference between winning and losing
The Ohio State Buckeyes head to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions this weekend in a top five college football matchup. This game obviously has huge ramifications for the path to winning the Big Ten, but also to figure out how the first ever 12-team playoff field could look. It has a chance to […]
The Ohio State Buckeyes head to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions this weekend in a top five college football matchup. This game obviously has huge ramifications for the path to winning the Big Ten, but also to figure out how the first ever 12-team playoff field could look. It has a chance to be one of the better games of the 2024 season so far.
On paper, the Buckeyes have the clear talent advantage over Penn State. If it was based simply on the depth of said talent, it should be Ohio State by a good margin. One thing that levels the playing field is the Ohio State offensive line issues recently, specifically at left tackle.
One of the bigger risers in the 2025 NFL Draft class is Josh Simmons, who has been tremendous this season for Ohio State. Originally a transfer from San Diego State, there was a lot of buzz for how good he has been this season. There has even been first round talk with how well he has performed, but unfortunately, Simmons was lost for the rest of the year with a leg injury during the Oregon game.
Last week during the Nebraska contest, left tackle was extremely problematic. Redshirt junior Zen Michalski has been pressed into duty, and it hasn’t been pretty. Michalski is also now dealing with an injury, and it sounds like he is very questionable for this game against Penn State.
So what’s next? The thought out there is that Ohio State could move All-American left guard Donovan Jackson out to left tackle, and then would bring in sophomore offensive lineman Luke Montgomery into Jackson’s vacated spot. In that scenario, you have your best offensive lineman in the most important spot, and bring in arguably your most talented lineman off of the bench.
Whether it is Jackson or someone else, the left tackle for Ohio State is going to have a really problematic challenge facing off against pass rusher Abdul Carter. After beginning his career as a linebacker, Carter has transitioned to EDGE this offseason, and has gotten better and better each week.
There is a good chance that Carter will be in contention to be the first overall selection in the 2025 class in April. The 6-3, 253-pound pass rusher is starting to see his production match his talent. So far this season, he has recorded 30 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, and three pass breakups.
This is a matchup that Penn State should win handily. If the left tackle position can hold up against Carter, Dani Dennis-Sutton, and company, they have a very good chance to be a successful offensive showing. That could be the key to coming out of Happy Valley with a victory.
We were robbed of seeing Simmons versus Carter, but we should still be getting a good football game.
