Ohio State football is back in action on Saturday after a very impressive road victory in Seattle vs. the Washington Huskies. The Buckeyes return home to host another Big Ten matchup with the Minnesota Golden Gophers coming to town to try to throw a wrench in the lofty plans of the Scarlet and Gray.
According to Vegas, it’ll be an uphill battle, but you can never look ahead, and you can bet that Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has been preaching that all week because it would be natural for the team to exhale a bit after a win many predicted wouldn’t happen out in the Pacific Northwest.
We like to look into the crystal ball a bit and give you some predictions that might happen each week with the Buckeyes’ matchup, but they aren’t just the run-of-the-mill predictions that are very likely to happen. Instead, they are bold ones that go a little deeper than you might think.
Here’s a look at five bold predictions for Ohio State vs. Minnesota on Saturday night.
Tight end Max Klare will catch two touchdown passes
When Max Klare transferred from Purdue to Ohio State, it was big news because it was an opportunity to take even more pressure off of new quarterback Julian Sayin and receiver Jeremiah Smith as another weapon in the middle of the field and a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.
So far, though, that hasn’t quite lived up to the billing. It will in this one. Minnesota will bracket Jeremiah Smith and make Ohio State work its way down the field methodically. Sayin will have to utilize Klare as an underneath option and will do so often, especially in the red zone, which will result in two touchdown catches for the talented tight end.
Julian Sayin will throw for over 350 yards
Julian Sayhin has been fantastic so far this season, but the leash hasn’t quite been let all the way out yet. He has shown signs and flashes of his potential when asked to do so, and you get the feeling that he could sling it all over the field if the team really needed him to.
It’s doubtful Ohio State will need him to do that against Minnesota this week, but it feels like a good chance to get a boil going for later down the road and let the redshirt freshman throw it around a little bit more in this one. Look for more throws, more completions, and more yards to pile up against Minnesota on Saturday night, resulting in over 350 passing yards.
Bo Jackson will become the clear starter and rush for over 100 yards
It’s been coming. Bo Jackson might just be a true freshman, but the offense is different with him in there. He’s not the biggest guy, but he runs with a lean, has great vision, and is a home run threat unlike any other running back on the roster. Slowly but emphatically, he’s gotten more and more carries and had more than either James Peoples or CJ Donaldson last week.
Against Minnesota, it’s time to officially stamp him as the No. 1 back and let him loose to see what he can do. Jackson will get more than half of the opportunities to run the ball on Saturday, and not only will he make it known that he’s RB1, but he’ll go for over 100 yards rushing.
Lincoln Kienholz will score a rushing touchdown
It was a hotly contested battle to be the starting quarterback between Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz, according to the coaching staff, and there have been comments made by Ryan Day that the team would need them both during the season. But so far, we haven’t seen much of the kid from South Dakota.
But, he is a bigger, more athletic option that can get out and run a little, and somewhere along the way, you have to believe he might get some short yardage and red zone opportunities, especially with a perceived reluctance to use Sayin in that capacity. Because of that, look for Kienholz to find his way on an opportunity or two inside the five-yard line for packages installed for him, and look for him to pay it off with a touchdown.
Minnesota will score more points than any team so far against Ohio State
I think time will show that the Washington offense is one of the best that Ohio State will face all season. And yet, the Buckeyes only gave up six points to an explosive attack last week inside Husky Stadium. It was further proof that the Matt Patricia defense is one that might be the best in the country.
There will be a bit of a lack of focus after the effort we saw in the Pacific Northwest, where Minnesota will score more than any other team has that’s gone against the Silver Bullets so far. It won’t be enough to scare OSU fans towards an upset, but this defense can’t continue to play at the level it has so far, right?
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: 5 bold predictions for Ohio State vs. Minnesota Week 6 matchup Saturday
Reporting by Phil Harrison, Buckeyes Wire / Buckeyes Wire
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