Ohio State football will battle the 4-5 Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday. It is expected to dominate in its third-to-last game of the season, but no game against any opponent should be seen as a layup.
The 8-1 Buckeyes must keep their foot on the gas, and against Northwestern, there is one thing they must do to come out on top by a wide margin.
That one thing is to slow down the Wildcats starting quarterback, Jack Lausch, who threw for 250 yards and a touchdown against the Boilermakers in Northwestern’s last game on November 2.
Lausch has thrown for more than 200 yards in three of the Wildcats’ four wins this season, and in two of their last three games, he has failed to top 100. He’s been the key to their offense this season.
In those two games he’s failed to hit 100 yards, the Wildcats were outscored a combined 63-17. Ohio State shouldn’t have any problem limiting him though as it has had one of the most dominant defenses in the country over the last few months.
Top Defenses, through Week 11
• Opponent-Adjusted, Per-Play1 Ohio State
2 Tennessee
3 Texas
4 Notre Dame
5 Penn State
6 Ole Miss
7 South Carolina
8 Georgia
9 Oklahoma
10 BYU
11 Oregon
12 AlabamaFull Power 4 list, from #1 to #68: pic.twitter.com/KPCAqHmSTp
— Pick Six Previews (@PickSixPreviews) November 15, 2024
The Buckeyes will have a significant edge in the trenches, and they should be able to get pressure on Lausch that he has yet to see this season. Northwestern has yet to have a leading rusher top three figures this season.
Stop Lausch and you win the game with ease. Expect Day to think similarly on Saturday.
