Podcast: Dwayne Haskins and the defensive line define 2018 Ohio State

The good news: Ohio State just drubbed Rutgers 52-3.

The bad (?) news: Much like Oregon State, Rutgers is bad; so how much can we really take away from the game as the Buckeyes get ready for TCU on Saturday? That’s what Patrick Mayhorn and I try to sort through on the latest episode of the Hangout in the Holy Land.

Show notes are as follows:

(0:00) - Intro to the show, Colton makes Patrick atone for the sins of Jeff Brohm and Purdue.

(4:00) - Rutgers recap starts. What are actual things we can take away from Ohio State beating a team this bad?

(7:30) - Is Ohio State playing things close to the vest leading up to TCU?

(10:00) - People love talking about Dwayne Haskins’ arm, but not enough about how smart he is. The offense looks way less pre-determined with him than it has in years past.

(14:20) - Why Tate Martell is “chaos consistency,” and the value of trusting the process over results with the way he played.

(17:00) - Is Ohio State actually a passing offense now? Plus, notes on the run game (20:50), and hoping Mike Weber gets more north-south.

(25:15) - The defensive line defining this year’s team, laughing at Chase Young’s aggression, while simultaneously always being nervous that he and Nick Bosa are going to get ejected.

(32:40) - SHAUN WADE HIVE, and the secondary looking totally different with a healthy Jordan Fuller

(36:10) - Better linebacker play + why Justin Hilliard deserves more playing time.

(39:50) - Doubling down on Demario McCall returning punts

(42:40) - Looking around the rest of week two in college football