Ohio State football: 3 reasons Buckeyes will flatten Nebraska

2. New contributors will fit in seamlessly against the lackluster Cornhuskers.

A new season means it’s time for the Buckeyes to reload following the annual mass departure of key contributors whether it be offense, defense, or special teams. One thing the Buckeyes excel at is replacing the most important positions with seemingly superior talent with each passing year. What is most impressive about the Buckeyes is they have this innate ability to remain static in their play style regardless of which position suffers the most departures.

The Buckeyes tend to dominate the run game regardless of who is toting the rock. Of course, there are some seasons where the passing game draws the allure but it will always come down to getting that potent run game flowing whether it’s the quarterback or the running backs. The Buckeyes never lack in talent at any of the skill positions, they just lack in experience during some years which has allowed them to run into upset situations.

It is wise to not get cute with flashy offense or creative schemes which is something the Buckeyes have mostly stayed true to. It was easy for the Buckeyes to fall in love with the high-flying passing offense with former quarterback Dwayne Haskins but trouble soon followed a flip from the traditional ways. Inconsistency in the run game caused some problems which are not as easy to remedy.

This season, the Buckeyes have a major abundance of talent on offense with the addition of running back Trey Sermon to join returning back Master Teague, the return of Justin Fields, and returning receivers along with new additions. Teague was set to be first in line when replacing star J.K. Dobbins but the team had other plans when they brought in Sermon from Oklahoma. Sermon averaged over six yards per carry and had 25 touchdowns from scrimmage at Oklahoma.

The addition of Sermon was surely not a direct response to what they believed was a lack of talent in the backfield but more so because Teague has been recovering from injury. Teague suffered an Achilles’ injury which bared some uncertainty regarding his return for the beginning of this season. There is positive news regarding this as Teague has been ahead of schedule in recovery and should be set to play soon. He has averaged a healthy six yards per carry in his two-year career and has five total touchdowns.

Nearing the conclusion of last season, it became very apparent that the Buckeyes were going to be returning an extremely talented receiving group. This group of receivers consists of Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and freshman Julian Fleming. Olave has been known for his big-play ability but he added consistency to his repertoire last season. He was second on the team in receptions but led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns.

Wilson arrived on the scene last season by making his presence felt every time his name was called. It was not difficult for Wilson to gain Fields’ trust with his steady hands and ability to high point the catch and come down with it. It’s not every day when a freshman receiver gets playing time for the Buckeyes and makes that kind of impact. Wilson had four catches in the College Football Playoff Semifinal.

Fleming was the top-ranked receiver in the Class of 2020 and won three consecutive state championships at his high school in Pennsylvania. He had 72 receptions for over 1,500 yards and 23 touchdowns in one season. The Buckeyes didn’t possibly need an All-American top receiver to join two proven stars already in their arsenal, right?

The Buckeyes have the perfect mix of experience and young talent on their roster. There is not much within the team that would indicate the team needs time to jell. Expect the Buckeyes to come out the gate firing on all cylinders as the Cornhuskers have the pleasure of being the first victim.