Yesterday, we briefed the Minnesota Golden Gophers offense, with quarterback Zack Annexstad being declared my ‘X-factor’ on offense for this Saturday’s game. The Ohio State Buckeyes defense is good, and containing Annexstad will help limit the big play ability teams have had against the Scarlet and Gray. Even with an absolute unit in Daniel Faalele, a (very nice) 6-foot-9, 400-pound freshman, at offensive tackle, the Buckeyes can still get to the QB because they have defenders than can do just that.
Likewise, Minnesota has their own defensive weapons, and that could cause problems to the Ohio State offense, specifically in short down situations and passing plays that take a while to develop.