OSU will dominate season opener

A passing grade is probably the best Ball State can hope for in a monumental mismatch against preseason No.1 Ohio State on Saturday afternoon at Ohio Stadium in the Buckeyes' football season opener. Ohio State is a 50-point favorite against a team picked to finish eleventh in the Mid-American Conference in a preseason poll of the conference's coaches. There are not a lot of comparisons of strengths and weaknesses to weigh. There's not a lot to say about the relative strengths of the two teams. Their NIL budgets are universes apart. The Buckeyes' starters are better at every position. Their back-ups are better than Ball State's back-ups at every position. An Ohio State win is a 99.9 percent certainty. But there are many things it would be good to see regardless of how competitive or uncompetitive the game might become.. Some of them are: …. Bo Jackson having two carries which go for 20 yards or more. Adding what the coaches call explosive runs to his skill set is something Ryan Day wants to see all season from OSU's leading rusher last season with 1,090 yards. … Julian Sayin getting his first career rushing touchdown, preferably on a play where he doesn't get hit, just to show a quarterback run is in OSU's playbook. … Another one-handed catch for a touchdown by Jeremiah Smith. … A touchdown catch by 5-star freshman Chris Henry and also a trip to the end zone by another freshman receiver, Brock Boyd. … A long kickoff return by yet another freshman, Legend Bey. … No season-ending injuries for anyone on either team. … OSU's offensive line not allowing any sacks after Indiana and Miami both had five of them in the Buckeyes' two postseason games last season. … A field goal of 45 yards or longer from new kicker Connor Hawkins. … Tavien St. Clair gets most of the snaps in the second half and shows he's ready to be the back-up quarterback. … Former Ohio State walk-on and Lima Senior graduate Diante Griffin, now at Ball State, gets into the game. . The prediction: Ohio State 56, Ball State 3