3 reasons the Buckeyes will rout Northwestern
By Alec Hartman
3. The Buckeyes will limit the Wildcats from cashing in on turnovers.
One thing the Buckeyes have done better than the teams who are ranked ahead of them is take care of the ball. Even with the turnover meltdown from Justin Fields against Indiana, the Buckeyes have less turnovers lost than the other top four teams. This characteristic will be particularly important versus the Wildcats.
The Wildcats have forced the eighth most turnovers in the nation with 16 total. They are not quite on Indiana’s level who are fourth in turnovers gained but are in the same vicinity. With that considered, the Buckeyes need to be even more vigilant with ball security this weekend so they don’t fall victim to what Indiana nearly pulled off against the Buckeyes.
The Wildcats are not particularly spectacular in any category as they fall in the middle of the pack offensively and defensively. This means the Wildcats are most reliant on their opponent’s mistakes in order to generate offense. Looks like they’re going to be in trouble against a Buckeye offense that takes ball security seriously.
What is most concerning about the Wildcats’ lack of production is that they’ve only had one game cancelled during the regular season. The Wildcats have played two more games than the Buckeyes and are still quite a ways behind in multiple categories. One saving grace for the Wildcats is total defense where they rank 14th in the nation in least yards allowed per game.
Head coach Pat Fitzgerald has led the Wildcats since 2006 and won Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2018. He’s still looking to lead the Wildcats to their first Big Ten Championship victory and gets a shot at the Buckeyes after a rather short regular season. However, the Buckeyes have a better shot at defeating the Wildcats to gain another conference title if they limit turnovers.