5. The Defensive Line Shuffle
The season-ending patellar-tendon injury to defensive tackle Tracy Sprinkle created a new challenge for Meyer and company to manage a line that already had some question marks coming into the season.
Rather than slide the next player up the depth chart, the Buckeyes are going to use more of a rotation and shuffle different guys in and out to keep the defensive tackle group fresh.
Perhaps one or two players will emerge as the leader of the group to earn more snaps, but the rotation as of now appears to consist of Dre’Mont Jones, Davon Hamilton, Joshua Alabi, Robert Landers, and Malik Barrow.
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane may not be a great test to prove which players belong on the field in marquee matchups, but it’s a good way to ease these players into action.
The good news for Ohio State is that more than 30 players made their Buckeye debuts against Bowling Green, meaning that few, if any, will have “first-game-jitters” when they step on the field.
All things considered, if the Buckeyes get through the game with a convincing win and as few injuries as possible, it’ll be a great week. The real test comes Sept. 17, when Ohio State travels to a hostile road environment in Oklahoma, where the Buckeyes can justify their top-five ranking.
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