Schuttin' from the hip: In the midst of changes, distractions and criticism, is this the week Ohio State figures it out?

Each week, Saturday Tradition managing editor Dustin Schutte offers his spin on what matters most in the B1G.

What if Ohio State just … figures it out?

Gloss over the headlines and stories that have surfaced out of Columbus through the first month of the season and you might believe the sky is falling. Nearly every week, it’s been something different.

The defense took the brunt of the criticism through the first 2 games, against Minnesota and Oregon. The performances were so poor that Ryan Day put secondary coach Matt Barnes in charge of running the defensive play-calling, yanking that responsibility out of the hands of Kerry Coombs.

In a Week 3 against Tulsa, questions surfaced about CJ Stroud’s ability to lead a high-powered offense. Last Saturday, it was K’Vaughan Pope’s episode on the sideline inside “The Shoe” and Twitter tirade that put the program under a microscope.

Based on what we’ve seen over the past 4 games, it’s fair to associate the word “unraveling” with Ohio State.

Yet the Buckeyes sit at 3-1 heading into October, are coming off a 59-7 win over Akron and are still ranked No. 11 in the Associated Press Poll. It’s almost as if we lost sight of the fact that Ohio State is still the most talented team in the conference.

That’s what brings me to the thought sitting at the front of my mind heading into the first weekend in October: What if Ohio State just figures it out on a road trip to Rutgers?

Don’t make me reflect on Ohio State’s 2014 season and the disastrous Week 2 home loss to Virginia Tech.

We can probably all agree the Buckeyes haven’t played up to the same standard Day set when he took over in 2019. Heck, the program suffered its first regular-season loss since 2018 in the 35-28 decision to Oregon in Week 2.

As “bad” as it has looked at times, Ohio State still has a lot going right.

Receivers Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Chris Olave have all totaled over 250 yards and each has 3 touchdown catches on the season. Freshman running back TreVeyon Henderson sits at 439 rushing yards and 7 total touchdowns in his first year. Stroud’s completion rate is over 62% with 8 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions.

Ohio State’s offense is averaging 559.3 yards and 43.3 points per game, leading the B1G in both categories.

Defensively, the middle of the line has exceeded expectations. Haskell Garrett and Tyleik Williams have combined for 6 of the Buckeyes’ 10 sacks. Ronnie Hickman has picked off 2 passes and totaled a team-best 33 tackles as a sophomore.

It may not be as evident as it’s been in the past, but there are positives in Columbus.

This is Day’s youngest, most inexperienced starting group during his time at Ohio State. So far, it’s playing like it. At some point, though, it’s bound to just “click.” And this roster is capable of flexing its muscle on most of the B1G when it finally happens.

Rutgers enters Saturday’s game looking as good as it ever has since entering the B1G in 2014. Ohio State won’t be able to just roll the Buckeye-stickered helmets on the field and leave Piscataway with a win. But, if Day’s team plays its first complete game of the season on both sides of the ball, it could utterly dominate Greg Schiano’s Scarlet Knights.

Saturday’s game could easily be the spark that lights the scarlet-and-gray fuse. With Maryland, an off week and Indiana on the schedule over the next 3 weeks, Ohio State could generate a lot of confidence and momentum heading into the Oct. 30 showdown with No. 4 Penn State.

The changes, criticism and distractions have continued to pile up in Columbus. Even with the negative attention, this team is one strong performance away from righting the ship and chasing down a fifth-straight B1G title.

It might start turning this weekend in Piscataway.

Really, that’s your comparison?

Would anyone ever compare a fast-food cheeseburger to a filet mignon from a 5-star restaurant? The answer, of course, is no.

That’s essentially what Tennessee linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary did in a recent interview with the Knoxville News Sentinel, though. After spending one year at Michigan before heading to Tennessee, Jean-Mary was asked to compare the two stadium experiences.

“I will say the No. 1 difference — and I am not just saying because I am standing in front of you — is the fans,” Jean-Mary said. “I think the University of Michigan crowd, which is a good crowd — I am not going to say it is a bad crowd, it is more of a tennis crowd. We have more of a gladiator stadium crowd at the University of Tennessee.”

Jean-Mary is on Tennessee’s staff in 2021, when fans are permitted inside stadiums at full capacity. The only season he was at Michigan? 2020. Yes, the year spectators were barred from entering a venue in the B1G.

I’m no expert, but I’d guess that makes a pretty big difference.

Obviously, Jean-Mary is playing to the home crowd. Any coach on any staff would do that. It’s an unfair slight to Michigan to refer to that fan base as a “tennis crowd,” at least in this instance.

In order for Jeany-Mary to define Michigan as a “tennis crowd,” he’d have to have experience in front of a crowd at all.

Enough of the Friday night nonsense

If you’re like me, you’re tired of seeing the handful of B1G Friday night games scattered throughout the season. Sure, it’s fine in the opening week of the season when we’re so starved for the start of college football we’re willing to go dumpster diving to find it.

That should be the end of the road, but it’s not. Instead, the conference and one of its lucrative television partners (FOX) insists on jamming Friday Night Lights down our throats. We’re not the only ones sick of it, either.

Mike Locksley isn’t too thrilled with the league this season and had no trouble calling out the B1G during his weekly press conference. This week, the Terrapins will be playing their second Friday night contest in 3 weeks.

“I guess we’re still the new kids on the block with having to play two Friday night games in back-to-back weeks almost,” Locksley said. “At some point, we’ll get full membership to where we may not have to do this and make my life a little easier.”

Yes, Locksley is primarily talking about the short stick Maryland drew this year. But based on that comment, he doesn’t appear to be a big fan of the idea in general.

If Locksley is willing to lead the charge on this front, I’ll gladly lobby with him. Anyone else?

Quick Draws

No. 5 Iowa vs. Maryland: Good on good. Yes, that’s a tired football cliché, but that’s exactly what we’ll see when Maryland’s offense is on the field against Iowa’s defense. Taulia Tagovailoa leads the B1G with 10 touchdown passes through 4 games while the Hawkeyes are atop the B1G with 6 interceptions. It’s a fun matchup to watch.

No. 14 Michigan vs. Wisconsin: Which quarterback is going to make the most plays — or the fewest mistakes? Graham Mertz has just 1 touchdown pass with 6 interceptions during Wisconsin’s 1-2 start. Cade McNamara hasn’t turned the ball over yet but has thrown a B1G-low 53 passes this season. It’s all going to come down to the guys under center Saturday.

Minnesota vs. Purdue: Both teams are playing really well defensively through the first month, which likely is going to result in a low-scoring game. Minnesota’s offense may have the advantage in this one because of the size of the offensive line and the play of Trey Potts out of the backfield. Purdue also could be without its top two running backs, star receiver David Bell and key tight end Payne Durham.

No. 11 Ohio State vs. Rutgers: Does Rutgers have the depth, talent and energy to hang with Ohio State’s athletes for a full 60 minutes? There’s no question Greg Schiano has his team scratching, clawing, biting and doing whatever it needs to in order to stay competitive. Ohio State hasn’t shown that same nastiness yet, but it really doesn’t have to against the Scarlet Knights.

Indiana vs. No. 4 Penn State: This is a revenge game for Penn State. It’s at Beaver Stadium in front of a juiced-up crowd in a night game. Indiana is going to have to play nearly flawless to escape State College with a victory. Considering how well the Nittany Lions have played on both sides of the ball in the first 4 games, that’s unlikely to happen.

Northwestern vs. Nebraska: Each of the past 4 meetings between these programs has been settled by 8 points or less. If history tells us anything, this will be an entertaining game. The question is whether or not Northwestern’s offense will be able to somehow move the ball against the stout Nebraska defense. If not, the Huskers should be able to do just enough offensively to get back to .500.

Safety

Michigan-Wisconsin — O/U 43.5

Take a deep breath, close your eyes and forget about what you saw in the 4th quarter of last weekend’s game between Wisconsin and Notre Dame. A kickoff return for a touchdown and a pair of pick-sixes in the final 14 minutes really boosted that point total up in a 41-13 victory for the Fighting Irish.

Now that it’s out of your memory, go ahead and hammer the under, set at 43.5 via FanDuel. There are a few good reasons to do it.

Michigan and Wisconsin have combined to play 7 games this season. In 4 of those games, the point total has hit under that 43.5-point threshold. In 4 games this season, the Wolverines’ defense has allowed a total of 47 points. The Badgers, meanwhile, have allowed just 36 points in 3 games on the defensive side.

This game may not even hit a 30-point total.