Blake Biscardi evaluates the Ohio State Buckeyes through Week 10 and provides perspective on how good Ryan Day’s team is this season.

Dear fellow Buckeyes,

Ohio State continues to navigate one of the more difficult schedules in the country. It was not a surprise to see the Buckeyes start slow and struggle in the first half against an improved Rutgers team with the No. 8 total defense. 

Ryan Day preaches the importance of bringing it week-to-week if they want to be a championship team. So far, the Buckeyes have done that as they earned another hard-fought victory to improve to 9-0. Ohio State entered the game coming off of two physical matchups against Penn State and Wisconsin. Rutgers was also the second leg of Ohio State’s back-to-back road tests. 

The first-half let down was not overly concerning, though frustrating at times. However, a constant for this Ohio State team is the defense’s ability to make a play when needed the most. Jordan Hancock’s pick-six off of the tipped pass changed the entire complexion of the game. Momentum finally shifted in Ohio State’s favor, and the Buckeyes never looked back. 

1. TreVeyon Henderson and Marvin Harrison Jr. are special, high-impact players. 

The Ohio State offense is better with TreVeyon Henderson and Marvin Harrison Jr in the lineup. Henderson missed a month due to injury and returned last week, totaling 207 yards of offense. He followed up that performance in Madison with 208 yards of total offense in Piscataway. 

His vision, burst, and speed make him the ultimate difference-maker for the Buckeyes. Henderson has spent the last two Saturdays reminding the world why he’s one of the best running backs in the country. In Miyan Williams’ absence, he carried the load in the backfield and made timely impact plays to pilot an Ohio State win. 

On the perimeter, Marvin Harrison Jr.’s Heisman campaign is officially underway. Last week, Henderson and Harrison were the two biggest impact players for the Buckeyes, and the stat sheet proved it. However, that’s not always the case. While Henderson still put up big numbers, Harrison’s didn’t jump off the page. 

No. 18 still caught two touchdowns, which were high-impact plays, and that’s where value for the Heisman Trophy is also earned. Of course, as a wide receiver, he needs to put up big numbers. But if Harrison is still catching touchdowns, a lower-yardage game is acceptable. As I’ve said before, when two teams are on the field, one player is not like the rest despite all the talent on display. That player is Marvin Harrison Jr., and that is precisely why he is the best player in America and should be atop the Heisman voting boards. 

2. Opportunistic Defense + How to Evaluate the Buckeyes

Any time the Ohio State defense has needed to make a play this year, they have. Jim Knowles is coaching a special unit that is leading the Buckeyes to victory week in and week out. The defense saw three possessions inside the five-yard line and managed to give up zero touchdowns. That’s right, Rutgers kicked three field goals on those possessions. 

By nature, Ohio State fans watch football using comparison logic. There are three popular viewpoints they test during games: Can this team beat Michigan? Is this team good enough to win the National Championship? How is this team compared to last year’s squad? 

Allow me to answer all three of these questions. 

1. Yes, this team can beat Michigan in Ann Arbor. This sentence is not a guarantee, but they can. The 2023 Buckeyes are the most complete team since 2019 and are built to slow down Michigan. Ohio State lost the last two years because of big plays and defense. Those two areas are now strong points for this team. Marvin Harrison Jr. will also be the best player on the field. 
2. Yes, Ohio State can also win the National Championship. The Buckeyes have all the main ingredients to hoist the trophy. However, Kyle McCord will need to take better care of the football and start faster in games. His completion percentage difference from the first half to the second improves by 11%. It’s great to play your best football later in the game, but it can be dangerous in a matchup game where talent is equated. 
3. Let’s play a game: remove this year’s defense and insert the 2020, 2021, or 2022 defense and answer these questions to yourself. How many losses would Ohio State have playing this schedule? Would they have beaten Notre Dame, Penn State, Wisconsin, or Rutgers? That’s the best formula to evaluate and compare this team to recent years. You can ask the same question about the offense in any of the last three years. If you substitute previous offenses, this team is far and away the No. 1 team in the country with a defense this good. But guess what? The 2023 Buckeyes are also ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings.