PERSONNEL NEWS

Strategy And Personnel

The Sports Xchange

November 13, 2018 at 9:20 pm.

GAME BREAKDOWN

KEY MATCHUP: Ohio State’s offense would like to continue to prove it can run the ball effectively with the tag team of J.K. Dobbins (712 rushing yards) and Mike Weber (711 yards) and that no doubt will be one of the points of emphasis for the offensive line against Maryland’s defensive front seven. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said this week that the line is still not where it needs to be. The Buckeyes rushed for 120 yards last week in the win at Michigan State, but they’ll be looking for better results on the ground this week. Maryland’s rushing defense ranks seventh in the Big Ten, giving up 161.4 yards per game. Ohio State is an uncharacteristic seventh in the conference in rushing with an average of 172.3 yards per game, but many of its yards were accumulated earlier in the season. The Buckeyes may continue to experiment with a red-zone package that includes mobile quarterback Tate Martell replacing Dwayne Haskins.

DRAFT SLANT

–DT Dre’Mont Jones has been forced to pick up the slack left by the injury departure of Ohio State’s best player and likely one of the top picks in the 2019 NFL Draft, DE Nick Bosa. NFLDraftScout’s Rob Rang puts Jones at No. 29 on his Big Board for the April draft. The 6-foot-2, 285-pound redshirt junior has 23 tackles, including nine for loss, 5.5 sacks and one interception. He recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown last week in Ohio State’s 26-6 victory over Michigan State and had two tackles, two quarterback hits and one pass breakup. Rang wrote: “Jones is not as big or powerful as some of the other top defensive tackles in this class, but his initial quickness and active hands make him difficult to contain. Teams looking for a three-technique penetrator will find Jones and his still-untapped potential very intriguing.”

ROSTER REPORT:

–LB Baron Browning is probable for Saturday’s game at Maryland with an undisclosed injury, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said Monday. Browning did not play last week against Michigan State after suffering an injury in practice.

–K Sean Neurnberger has missed the last three games after suffering a groin injury and there’s no report on whether he’ll be healthy enough to return this week. The senior was replaced by sophomore K Blake Haubeil.

–CB Jeffrey Okudah has an unspecified injury that leaves his status unclear for Saturday’s road game against Maryland.

–S Isaiah Pryor’s status (undisclosed injury) is uncertain heading into Saturday’s Big Ten game at Maryland.

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