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Joel Klatt says Ohio State’s re-worked o-line can win a national title
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Joel Klatt believes in Ohio State.
Most notably, the FOX college football analyst believes in the Buckeyes’ offensive line, which has been re-shaped on the fly and performed admirably in Saturday’s gigantic victory at Penn State that kept OSU firmly in the College Football Playoff conversation.
The Buckeyes ran for 179 yards against the Nittany Lions, in Happy Valley, with their Playoff hopes pretty much hanging in the balance. Although Penn State had 3 sacks, Ohio State’s offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the game.
Then, at the end of the game, the Buckeyes’ o-line imposed its will on the Nittany Lions after the Ohio State defense pulled off its dramatic stand to keep Penn State from tying the game. All that embattled o-line did was run the clock out with 11 straight running plays to end the game after the Buckeyes got the ball back with about 5 minutes left.
The college football world took notice, and Klatt was at the head of the list.
“When it counted, they could run the football. And Ohio State, with the ability to run the football, is a scary football team,” said Klatt on his podcast on Monday. “They’re loaded on the outside, we know that. We know their backs are great. The question was about this offensive line, and those questions were serious, and they were answered in an emphatic way.”
Today, as Week 11 beckons, Klatt sees potential greatness now for Ohio State in 2024:
“This is absolutely a national-championship-caliber team, based on how those five guys played up front,” said Klatt.
The 3rd-ranked Buckeyes will try to prove Klatt right again this Saturday at home against Purdue, with the game kicking off at noon ET on FOX.