Buckeyes redeem themselves in Blacksburg against Virginia Tech

Somehow, Urban Meyer, Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett, and the rest of the coaching staff did indeed keep the starting quarterback job a secret until the first offensive possession. To keep the fans and team even more antsy, the much anticipated quarterback competition winner was delayed just a little longer, when the Buckeyes captains decided to defer to the second half, after winning the coin toss before the game. With both quarterbacks in the offensive huddle, Jones ran out with the offense right before the first offensive play for Ohio State. Led by Jones, the Buckeyes drove down the field on the first drive and scored a touchdown, the beginning of an impressive night for the scarlet and gray offense.

Even with the quarterback competition, Braxton Miller’s position change to wide receiver seemed to be the biggest storyline during the game, solely due to the fact that he had 78 receiving yards, 62 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and an incredible, video game-like spin move.

The Buckeyes may have struggled in the second quarter, but they had no problem against the Hokies in Lane Stadium, and redeemed their loss from 2014, beating Virginia Tech, 42-to-24, Monday night in Blacksburg.

Quarter by Quarter

First Quarter

• 10:54 – Third and 22 – With nothing open downfield, Cardale Jones runs for 16 yards, giving the Buckeyes a chance to convert a fourth and six play.
• 9:44 – First and 10 – Cardale Jones finds Curtis Samuels for a 24-yard touchdown, while Samuels was being grabbed by a defensive back. (7-0)
• 6:39 – First and 10 – With his first carry of the game, the Heisman frontrunner, Ezekiel Elliott, behind a perfectly blocked front, ran away from Virginia Tech’s defense for an 80-yard touchdown run. (14-0)
• 4:26 – Fourth and 5 – In their first chance to score of the game, Virginia Tech’s Joey Slye missed a 50-yard field goal.
• 0:56 – Fourth and 12 – The Buckeyes struggles at kicker continue into 2015, with a 43-yard missed field goal by Jack Willoughby.

First Quarter Analysis

Ezekiel Elliott started the 2015 season right where he left off in 2014. But, with only one carry, he wasn’t able to show his athleticism outside of his big run in the first quarter.

The only thing that seemed to be able to stop Ohio State’s offense was the Buckeyes themselves. With two big dropped passes by Parris Campbell, one of which would have likely been a touchdown on the first drive of the game, a missed field goal, and a few holding calls on first-down carries by Jones. Even with the few mistakes, the Buckeyes held a 14-to-0 lead after the opening 15 minutes.

Second Quarter

• 13:13 – First and 10 – Hokies QB Michael Brewer finds a wide-open Sam Rogers, who leaked out of the backfield, for a 51-yard touchdown. (14-7)
• 11:07 – Third and 4 – Cardale Jones pass gets tipped and intercepted by Desmond Frye, killing yet another drive.
• 7:05 – Fourth and 4 – Joey Slye makes a 46-yard field goal following Frye’s interception. (14-10)
• 1:25 – Fourth and 5 – Ezekiel Elliott muffs a Virginia Tech punt, giving the Hokies the ball on the Ohio State 38-yard line with less than a minute and a half remaining in the half.
• 0:15 – Third and goal – Michael Brewer completes a one-yard pass to a wide-open Ryan Malleck, giving the Hokies all the momentum heading into halftime. (17-14)

Second Quarter Analysis

The missed field goal by Willoughby in the first quarter seem to kill Ohio State’s offense. The Buckeyes had a stagnant offense the entire second quarter, along with the defense struggling at times, that not only allowed Virginia Tech to get back into the game, but take a 17-14 lead into the half.

Elliott, somehow, only had four carries in the first half. Whether it was play-calling or just the defensive scheme Virginia Tech was running, the Heisman-favorite must get the ball more. Even with just four carries, Elliott still ran for 105 yards in the first half. One of those carries, by the way, was a nine-yard run to end the first half.

Also, Jones, somehow, didn’t complete a single pass in the second quarter. In fact, he completed more passes to the Hokies (one), than he did to the Buckeyes (zero).

Third Quarter

• 13:53 – First and 10 – Cardale Jones connects with Braxton Miller for a 54-yard touchdown pass to start the second half off on the right foot. (28-17)
• 2:18 – First and 10 – Ohio State forces a fumble on running back J.C. Coleman, Eli Apple recovers the ball near the 50-yard line.
• 2:05 – First and 10 – The first play of the fumble recovery, Braxton Miller, with a highlight reel spin move, breaks away from the Virginia Tech defense and runs for a 53-yard touchdown. (35-17)
• 0:02 – Second and 10 – Tyvis Powell picks off Brenden Motley’s pass on Virginia Tech’s own 30-yard line.

Third Quarter Analyis

Whether it was a halftime speech or just the fact that the Buckeyes finally woke up, Ohio State came out of the locker room with a completely different game in the third quarter. Not only did they outscore the Hokies 14-nill, but they silenced the crowd, forced a turnover, and put their foot down on the pedal, completely taking over the game and taking all of the momentum from Virginia Tech.

When Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Brewer went down with a broken collarbone early in the third quarter, the Hokies’ offense look lost, and Ohio State took full advantage of the opportunity.

Fourth Quarter

• 12:26 – First and goal – Cardale Jones makes it look easy with a 10-yard touchdown run, basically putting the game away for good. (35-14)
• 8:14 – First and 10 – Second-string quarterback J.T. Barrett was given some playing time and found Michael Thomas, who had a fabulous stop-and-go route, for a 26-yard touchdown, on his first and only of the game. (42-17)
• 5:22 – First and 10 – Backup running back Bri’onte Dunn fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Virginia Tech’s Mook Reynolds. Giving the Hokies a great opportunity to score a touchdown late in the game.
• 1:55 – Second and 9 – Brendan Motley finds Isaiah Ford for a 17-yard, garbage time touchdown. (42-24)

Fourth Quarter Analysis

The Buckeyes carried their momentum from the third quarter directly into the final quarter, putting away the Hokies and making a statement in Blacksburg. Even backup quarterback J.T. Barrett played very well in his limited time in the final nine or so minutes of the game. The statement game also allowed other second-string players to receive some playing time during the final minutes.

Top Performers

QB Cardale Jones – 9/18, 186 yards, two touchdowns; 13 carries, 99 yards, one touchdown

RB Ezekiel Elliott – 11 carries, 122 yards, one touchdown; two catches, 16 yards

WR Braxton Miller – six carries, 62 yards, one touchdown; two catches, 78 yards, one touchdown

CB Gareon Conley – eight tackles, 0.5 sacks, 0.5 tackles for loss

S Tyvis Powell – eight tackles, one interception

Darron Lee – six tackles, 0.5 sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss

DE Tyquan Lewis – six tackles, 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss

DE Sam Hubbard – four tackles, one sack, 1.5 tackles for loss

Final Thoughts

It’s simple: The Buckeyes offense in 2015 is incredible. Even without three receivers (suspended) and another one out for the season due to a broken leg, the scarlet and gray have an insane amount of playmakers, and they proved that Monday night.

Even with the offense having a so-so night, including two turnovers, a few dropped passes, and a couple costly holding penalties, they still (somehow) racked up 42 points. Along with 42 points, Ohio State also out-gained the Hokies, 572 yards (360 rushing, 212 passing) to 320 yards. The Buckeyes also averaged 10.2 yards per play. Yes, you read that right, the scarlet and gray averaged a first down per offensive play.

Heisman-favorite Ezekiel Elliott, with just 11 carries, had one of the quietest 122-yard, one touchdown games in recent memory. And to think that he is just one of the hand full of playmakers on this year’s team? Wow.

Braxton Miller, the wide receiver, still sounds weird, but it almost seemed like Miller has been a receiver his whole life Monday night. To say that he exceeded expectations would be an understatement. Is he Urban’s new Percy Harvin from Meyer’s Florida days? It is definitely possible. If so, the rest of the country better watch out.

The defense may have struggled at times, allowing two wide-open touchdowns in the first half, but they stepped up their game in the second half and outside of a garbage-time touchdown late in the game, didn’t allow the Hokies to score in the final 30 minutes.

With the suspensions over, the squad back to full strength, the Buckeyes and their fans are in for one hell of a 2015 season that will be filled with plenty of points, highlights, and (hopefully) trophies.