Ohio State football: 5 reasons the Buckeyes will beat Army

Ohio State football: The Ohio State Buckeyes will be back in the Shoe on Saturday afternoon to host the Army Black Knights.

The Buckeyes will get a second chance at a new beginning. Their home opener didn’t quite turn out the way everyone expected it to. The Oklahoma Sooners took the Bucks to school and back with a perfect display on offense led by senior quarterback Baker Mayfield. However, there’s a long season still ahead with plenty of opportunities to patch up the imperfections along the way.

Having another shot to break the ice the right way at home will do wonders for the Bucks. This back-to-back home stand against lighter opponents starting with Army this weekend and UNLV should help the Bucks regain their footing.

With that being said, this game should not be taken lightly. Army will be looking to take advantage of this opportunity to catch the Bucks while they’re down. Instead of taking this game as just an easy win to pad the win column, the Bucks should come out like they would against their best opponents and prove their worth.

This match up against Army should remind many Buckeyes fans of a special game that occurred just a few years ago. In 2014, the Bucks hosted the Navy Midshipmen in their first game. This game was none other than J.T. Barrett‘s first start as a Buckeye.

Navy put up a solid fight as they had the Bucks on their heels throughout the first half. Barrett eventually got in sync with the offense as they pulled away in the second half but the game was telling nonetheless. Teams like Army and Navy can catch opponents by surprise who don’t have experience playing against their style of play.

With so much work in progress on the Bucks’ young roster, this game will be crucial to their success down the road. Expect no less than the best from the Bucks on Saturday as they look to avenge their loss in the home opener.