After suffering a deflating 35-21 upset loss to Virginia Tech last Saturday, Urban Meyer and the No. 22 Ohio State Buckeyes are hoping to right the ship in a bounce-back game against Kent State.
The Golden Flashes—fresh off of back-to-back losses to Ohio and South Alabama—will enter Ohio Stadium as 32-point underdogs, according to OddsShark.com.
The Buckeyes should do what they want against their overmatched MAC opponent, and Meyer will want to establish a positive vibe with a bye week on the horizon.
Here are five things Ohio State must accomplish against Kent State this Saturday.
Get Off to a Fast Start
After starting his tenure at Ohio State with 24 consecutive victories, Meyer has watched his Buckeyes drop three of their past four games. A common thread in those three defeats: slow starts.
Against Michigan State, the Buckeyes fell behind 17-0 before they found their bearings. In the Orange Bowl against Clemson, Ohio State lacked a rhythm early and the Tigers built a 20-9 lead. And last week against the Hokies, the Buckeyes trailed 21-7 going into the locker room at halftime.
It's an alarming trend that Meyer wants to buck.
Getting off to a fast start will be a priority this week.
Hit the Big Plays
Virginia Tech loaded the box to prevent Ohio State from establishing the run and force J.T. Barrett into making quick decisions.
That strategy paid off in a big way for the Hokies, as the Buckeyes failed to take advantage of the consistent one-on-one matchups on the perimeter. Ohio State's bevy of playmakers, led by Dontre Wilson and Devin Smith, were largely held in check for much of the night.
Bleacher Report's Michael Felder highlights how the Buckeyes can get down the field.
Kent State is allowing 392 yards per game this year, which ranks No. 73 in the country. The Buckeyes should aim to eclipse that number by the end of the third quarter.
Establish the Offensive Line
Ohio State fans grew used to watching a dominant offensive line pave the way for Carlos Hyde and a bruising running game.
Four senior starters from that unit are gone, though, and in their place is a group that has struggled out of the gate.
"I'm very disappointed. There is a standard set for offensive line play for many, many years and it's been enhanced by our line coach Ed Warinner over the past few," Meyer said after a sloppy season-opening win over Navy, according to Tim Shoemaker of Eleven Warriors. "The first two quarters didn't resemble an offensive line of Ohio State."
Virginia Tech piled up an unbelievable six sacks in the final nine minutes of the game last Saturday—and seven total—so the Buckeyes will need to do a much better job protecting the quarterback.
Establish the Running Backs
Through two games, the Buckeyes running backs have had a hard time filling Hyde's big shoes.
The combination of Ezekiel Elliott, Curtis Samuel and Rod Smith has piled up just 152 total yards this season—10 yards shy of Hyde's weekly average in his final 10 games with the Buckeyes.
That's a problem the Buckeyes need to address this week.
Against Kent State's undersized defensive front, Elliott and Samuel should have big days.
Establish Noah Spence
Noah Spence—one of Ohio State's top defenders—will be making his season debut this Saturday.
It will be the first time the star defensive end has taken the field since the Big Ten title game against Michigan State last December. Spence was handed a three-game suspension from the Big Ten days before Ohio State's matchup against Clemson last January.
His return boosts an already strong defensive line. With Joey Bosa on the other side and Michael Bennett and Adolphus Washington anchoring the interior, the Buckeyes will boast one of the most ferocious defensive fronts in the country.
Speaking of Spence, during the Big Ten teleconference this week, Meyer said he's eager to get his prized pass-rusher back on the field.
"He went down to the scout team and performed," Meyer said, according to Mike Huguenin of NFL.com. "(He is) very selfless and we are anxious to get him going."
All stats via NCAA.com.
David Regimbal covers Ohio State football for Bleacher Report.
Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.
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