Senior quarterback J.T. Barrett (16) hands the ball off to freshman running back J.K. Dobbins (2) during the Ohio State- Oklahoma game on Sep. 9. Credit: Jack Westerheide | Photo Editor

Coming off a disappointing 31-16 loss to now-No. 2 Oklahoma, Ohio State will look to rebound against the undefeated Army Black Knights (2-0) Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in Ohio Stadium.

Ohio State offense vs. Army defense

This has the potential to be the definition of a tune-up game for Ohio State’s offense. Last time out, redshirt senior quarterback J.T. Barrett put up just 183 passing yards and the rest of the team only added 167 yards on the ground, accelerating panic among Buckeye fans over Barrett at quarterback and the offense as a whole.

The defense Ohio State will go up against has been solid to this point, ranking 31st in rushing yards allowed (92.5 on average) and 68th in passing yards allowed (216.5 on average). However, Army has played two weaker out-of-conference opponents in Fordham and Buffalo and has yet to face a team from a Power Five conference.

Squaring off against a secondary that is somewhat young heading into the year — two starting sophomores, a junior and a senior — Ohio State could have a chance to fix some of the issues in its passing game this season. The team is 57th in the nation with 243.5 passing yards per game and has completed only 55.7 percent of pass attempts this season.

Observers have attributed the passing-game struggles thus far to Barrett’s play, but coach Urban Meyer said as the focal point of the offense, Barrett will be the chief recipient of all feedback, positive or negative.

“Well, [he’s] the starting quarterback and you lost. We didn’t play very well,” Meyer said. “A lot of it is going to be on him.”

One aspect of the team’s game that has not struggled has been the ability to run the football. The Buckeyes are 32nd in rushing offense, averaging 229.5 rush yards per game with four of the team’s seven touchdowns coming on the ground.

Freshman running back J.K. Dobbins has been the leading force in the backfield while filling in for injured redshirt sophomore Mike Weber. Dobbins’ 253 rushing yards rank 17th among FBS running backs. He has received high-marks since fall camp from coaches, and so far has lived up to the hype.

Army’s defense has been effective this season plugging up the run, as opponents have only averaged 92.5 rushing yards per game (31st in the nation). The Black Knights have allowed only two opposing touchdowns to come on the ground. However, the team has not faced opponents with a running game as potent as Ohio State’s, with Buffalo ranking 112th in rushing yards per game (85) and Towson sitting at 105th among FCS schools (58 yards per game). The Black Knight defense will be tested Saturday going up against one of the best rushing offenses in the nation.

Ohio State defense vs. Army offense

Army’s offense is designed to do one thing and one thing only: run. Like all service academies, the Black Knights are known for the triple-option, an offensive gameplan where the offense deploys a wishbone offensive backfield look rather than the more traditional look of two players behind the line.

So far this season, no team has totalled more yards on the ground than the Black Knights, with 835 rushing yards. Their 417.5 rush yards per game is second in the nation, as is their 11 rushing touchdowns.

Defensive coordinator Greg Schiano said Army’s unique triple-option — run by only a select few teams — poses a threat to Ohio State’s defense, and that instead of looking back at the loss to Oklahoma, the defense has focused almost solely on watching tape of Army.

“It’s such a different animal moving forward that we’ll deal more with regular football corrections a week from now on Sunday when we get done with the Army game,” Schiano said. “I think people say, ‘Oh, it’s an option.’ Totally different. It’s not like anything else we see all year.”

The rushing attack is led by a somewhat unlikely suspect in senior quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw. Ranking sixth in the nation in rushing yards with 324, Bradshaw is tied for the team lead with three rushing touchdowns, and despite having only three more carries than junior running back Darnell Woolfolk, he has 138 more rushing yards this season. Woolfolk’s 186 rushing yards rank 39th in the country. He also has three touchdowns on the season.

The one thing Bradshaw does not do is throw the football. So far this season, he has completed just 2-of-10 passes for 17 yards, with all of the completions and passing yards coming in the team’s 21-17 victory over Buffalo last Saturday. Over Bradshaw’s three-year career as the starting quarterback, he has 348 total rushing attempts compared to only 149 passing attempts.

The Army offense plays right into the strength of Ohio State’s defense. While Ohio State ranks last in the nation with an average of 403 passing yards allowed per game, its defense has suffocated the run game of the opposition, allowing just 60.5 rushing yards per game and only one touchdown on the ground thus far. Though the Buckeyes have only faced more traditional rushing attacks, the ability to load the box anticipating the triple-option rather than play to defend either a pass or a run could give the Buckeyes an edge.

The last time Ohio State faced a team that ran a triple-option was in Barrett’s first career start in a game against Navy on Aug. 30, 2014, when the Buckeyes won 34-17 on the road.

Predictions:

Edward Sutelan: Ohio State wins 49-7

Colin Hass-Hill: Ohio State wins 42-9