Ohio State took their first “improvement week” off the season after taking care of MAC foes in Akron and Western Michigan the first two weeks of the season. They enter week 4 with a 2-0 record, and will play against their final non-conference opponent of the regular season in Marshall at noon on FOX.

1. Can the Buckeyes start off fast?

Against Western Michigan, the Buckeyes scored on nearly every one of their first half possessions, and held the Bronco’s to 0 points. Coming off a bye week is always strange, but with this one happnening the third week into the regular season, you hope you can continue the moment that you had going into it. This game should be a good chance for the starters to work on what they have been preparing for the past few weeks, and no offense to the Thundering Herd, but this game gives Ohio State one more game to change to fine tune some of their base concepts in live game reps.

2. Will we see a change to Kick-off return?

Not to knock on Jayden Ballard, but the Buckeyes have made improvements neary everywhere with the exception being with Kick-off return. To be fair, the Buckeyes have only had 4 opportunities so far but when you dont catch the ball or miss out on good field posistion because of a mental lapse, you have to reevalute the scheme.

3. What role does CJ Hicks have in this defense?

So far, the linebacker rotation has been between Cody Simon, Sonny Styles, and Arvell Reese, with CJ Hicks playing 4th in the depth chart, and seeing his snap count decrease. I think we are getting to the point where CJ has a skill set that is not being utilized, but it is hard to move him to the defensive line because they also have good depth, and so far Arvell Reese has ben one of the best linebackers for Ohio State in the first two games. There is the risk that Hicks might enter the tranfer portal if he doesnt see the field more as a junior, but he is a talent the Buckeyes dont want to lose.

4. Do we see Julian Sayin take over as second string QB?

When evaluating the quarterback depth, you dont want to force anyone out, but at the same time, we got to see how good Sayin is as a true freshman, and was the best quarterback in his class, while Devin Brown has been in the system for 3 years now, but has not been consistant. My theory is that we do see Brown and Keinholz leave after this season because of the young talent the Buckeyes have with Sayin, Air Noland, and Tavian St. Clair in the 2025 class, but this bye week would have been a good opportunity to get Sayin more reps.

5.Can the Buckeyes force more turnovers?

After a multiple turnover game against Akron, the Buckeyes did not have a single turnover against Western Michigan, but that was aided by the fact they held the Bronco’s to several 3 and out possessions. Marshall might show a bit more life offensively, and could have a chance to let the secondary record a few more interceptions.

What are your top questions entering the game?

Photo Credit – SI.com