Players to Watch: San Diego State Week 2

San Diego State

Colin Lockett #24:  Despite San Diego State’s embarrassing loss, to FCS side Eatern Illinois, Lockett’s performance was one of the bright spots of the day, for the Aztecs.  Lockett registered 8 catches, for 98 yards, and also had one rushing attempt, for 48 yards, that went for a touchdown.  Lockett is a wide receiver that stands 5-11, 180 pounds, and is a speedster.  The Buckeyes will need to keep Lockett in front of them, and wrap him up whenever they get the opportunity, due to his ability to blow the top off a defense, with one touch of the ball.  Lockett will most likely be matched up against Bradley Roby, so I would expect Lockett to have a pretty quiet afternoon.

Adam Muema #4:  Muema was plugged as the best running back Ohio State might face all year, by Coach Meyer, in his press conference on Monday.  Muema is a bowling ball type running back, measuring 5-10, and weighing 205 pounds.  Last year, he split time in the backfield ,and still registered  1,458 yards and 16 touchdowns.  Needless to say Muema is San Diego State’s best player.  Unfortunately for Muema, and luckily for Ohio State, Muema was pulled from the first half of the Eastern Illinois game, with an ankle injury, and remains questionable for Saturday’s meeting with the Buckeyes.  Muema has stated on his Twitter page that he plans on playing.  If Muema does play, he will be a good test for the Buckeyes young front seven.

Ohio State

Bradley Roby #1:  Roby returns from his one game suspension,and judging from Coach Coombs comments on Monday, Roby is hungry for some football.  Coombs stated that Roby handled his suspension like a professional, and while his teammates were preparing for Buffalo, Roby was watching film on San Diego State.  Take two weeks of film study, mixed in with a quarterback that just threw four interceptions, in his last outing, on 63 pass attempts, last week against an FCS school, and Buckeye fans should expect Roby to come away with at least one interception this Saturday, maybe even two.

The Defensive Line:  This group wasn’t really given a chance to shine in the opener.  Buffalo threw a lot of quick passes, which negated any chance for the line, to have an opportunity, to rush the passer.  San Diego State allowed four sacks last game, and has a relatively average offensive line.  If they don’t have Muema on Saturday, or if his impact is nullified, then expect the Aztecs to go to the air often.  They threw the ball 63 times last game.  Of course, the majority of those attempts could have been short attempts, but with Roby and Barnett back in the line-up, expect a lot of press to be played by the Buckeyes.  That press will force for longer drops and routes, which would mean, more opportunities for the young Buckeye line to generate some pressure.

Braxton Miller #5:  Not only did the Aztecs offense fail to impress last Saturday, but their defense was destroyed, by the spread attack of Eastern Illinois, as well.  The Aztecs defense surrendered 533 yards of total offense to the Huskies, which includes 361 yards through the air.   Once Braxton turns on the tape of this defense, he, and Coach Herman, will be salivating.  Their secondary is a serious area of youth, and concern, so look for players like Philly Brown to get more involved, like Coach Meyer wanted.  Also, look for Braxton to spray the ball around to several receivers, and expect an overall improved aerial attack.  The Aztecs have a tendency to drop eight players in to coverage, at times, but I’m also expecting Braxton to scramble more, in order to open up the field for him, and the offense.

Comments

  1. I’d like to add Dontre Wilson as honorable “player to watch” mention. Just the couple of glimpses we got last Saturday were exciting. I hope he gets a few more touches tomorrow!

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