Ohio State Football: Preview, predictions, and live stream vs. UNLV

Ohio State football looks to maintain their momentum against UNLV. Here is everything you need to know heading into their Week 4 matchup.

It’s always tough to keep your head up after losing an in-conference game at home, but Ohio State did just that before taking the field against Army. Ohio State, in a game they won 38-7, displayed the resiliency needed to pull off the victory.

The game got off to a slow start for the Buckeyes, but a second half surge helped put the game away for good. Ohio State has dominated lesser competition up to this point and should be all-systems-go against a struggling UNLV squad.

Senior quarterback J.T. Barrett has played well for the Buckeyes so far and his 137.9 rating is currently hovering around his career average. He will have the chance to further pad his stats against a UNLV team that has struggled against below average competition to this point.

Ohio State’s playoff hopes took a hit against Oklahoma but a solid game against UNLV will help get them back on track. Here’s how you can watch their matchup this Saturday.

Date: Saturday, Sept. 23
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Columbus, OH
Venue: Ohio Stadium
TV: Big 10 Network
Live Stream: BTN2Go

Keys to Victory

The path to victory will be pretty wide for an Ohio State team that has shown the ability to easily handle poor competition. Ohio State struggled against Oklahoma partially due to an inability to establish the run game, but should have an easier time doing so against UNLV.

If they manage to get J.K. Dobbins going the way they did against Indiana (29 carries, 181 yards), this could be a long day for the Rebels. J.T. Barrett is at his best when the run game has the defense on their heels, which is likely to be the case on Saturday.

UNLV has a much more difficult road ahead of them. This is the team that dropped their first game to the Howard Bison of the FCS, the largest upset in college football over the last decade. UNLV fared better against Idaho, but still struggled with consistency in the passing game.

If UNLV is to win this game it will come on the back of excellent defense ans special teams play. They aren’t in good position to ask their offense to take on a deep Buckeye defense, but might have to if they want a chance in this game.

The Rebels are coming off a bye week and will hope to catch the Buckeyes sleeping after a hard-fought win over Army. If they are unable to do so, this could be a long game for the traveling Rebels.

Prediction

There’s little reason to believe that Ohio State doesn’t run away with this game early. They have struggled to get things going in the first half against both Indiana and Army, but should take this opportunity to reverse that streak.

Look for Dobbins to break the 200 yard mark with Barrett joining in on the fun with 100 yards of his own. Barrett should manage to fine tune his passing as well, throwing for close to 300 against a Rebel defense that allowed 261 in last week’s win over Idaho.

Next: Week 3 - New Year's Six Bowl Projections

The defense, a week removed from their smothering of Army’s offense, should be able to capitalize on a turnover-happy offense that has put the ball on the ground five times in two games this season. UNLV would be lucky to put up any more than ten points against an overpowering Buckeye defense.

Final Score: UNLV 6, Ohio State 44