COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Luke Fickell was expecting a peek into the crystal ball, not a full-blown trip to the future.
But midway through the first quarter of the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl, the Ohio State defensive coordinator had seemingly been zipped ahead nine months -- and he had every reason to like what he saw when he got there.
In the head of the battle, it might have been difficult to come to terms with an injury to one senior, a suspension for another and then the unexpected loss of star defensive end Joey Bosa thanks to a targeting ejection that left the Buckeyes suddenly without three veteran starters.