NEO High School Football Week 3: Stow beats Solon
September 12, 2016Robert Griffin III placed on IR with fracture in left shoulder
September 12, 2016The Ohio State Buckeyes may have weathered the storm in their dominate 48-3 win over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, but like every other game, there are some good things, bad things, and ugly things that happened throughout the game. Let’s look at what stood out:
The Good
While the offense struggled early on, they were very impressive following the storm in the second half and had plenty of players stand out throughout the game. Meanwhile, the defense dominated as they did in Week 1. Almost every single Silver Bullet could have fit in the “good” category but I have opted to focus on a few.
J.T. Barrett
His passing game was one to forget (14-for-22, 149 yards), but the redshirt junior continued to do very well in the running game. Whether it was read options or just scrambles, Barrett realized that the passing attack wasn’t the way to go, especially in the second half following the long halftime delay due to a storm, and took advantage of his running ability.
While he had 16 carries for 62 yards and two touchdowns, he also gave his running backs and other skill players plenty of room to run the ball as well due to his ability to read the option correctly.
Mike Weber
Weber may be a redshirt freshman, but he sure doesn’t play like one. Whether it’s running downfield with the ball in his hands, plowing through opponents, or some impressive blocks in the backfield giving Barrett more time in the pocket, he has proven that he can be the real deal and running back already.
In his second career game, he scored his first touchdown as a Buckeye to go along with 17 carries for 92 yards as well. When the storm and rain hit, head coach Urban Meyer was able to lean on his running back in order to move the ball on offense. Weber was one of the main reasons why the Buckeyes blew out Tulsa even though their passing attack struggled.
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Meyer was quite happy with how his running back played.
“I thought he played well. He’s a guy that used to be the guy that holds the ball down here. Now he’s Chin Chinchin, he claws the ball nice. And those kind of days, that ball can come out of there. And you saw the other team had a couple of issues where interceptions and turnovers. I thought the best thing he did is he hit the hole hard, he ran hard, but he also hung on that ball. It’s night and day compared to who he was a year ago.”
Curtis Samuel
For the second consecutive game, Samuel led the Buckeyes in receiving yards (five catches for 62 yards) even though he is their H-back. Only two games into the season, one thing is already obvious in Ohio State’s offense: Curtis Samuel is their top playmaker. Whether he’s lined up on the outside or in the backfield with Barrett, he can make plays no matter where he is on the field.
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To go along with his receiving, Samuel also added eight carries for 78 yards as well. He even had plenty of good blocks that helped the offense move the ball down the field as well.
Run offense
Even when the pass offense is struggling like they have at times throughout the first two games of the season, the run game has proven that they can take over the load and continue to move to Buckeyes offense and light up the scoreboard. Whether it’s Barrett, Weber, Samuel, or someone else, their run offense really is impressive and so talented.
Red-zone offense
For the second consecutive game, Ohio State converted all of their red-zone attempts into points, whether it be a touchdown or field goal. In Saturday’s win over Tulsa, they were 6-for-6, with four touchdowns and two field goals. With so many playmakers all over the field, it’s tough for an opposing defense to stop the Buckeyes, let alone inside the red zone.
Raekwon McMillan
The quarterback of the defense, McMillan proved just how much he means the the young, inexperienced Silver Bullets this fall. He led the team in tackles (eight) along with forcing a fumble that changed the momentum of the game in the first half. The middle linebacker even had a pass breakup as well, proving just how versatile he is for Ohio State’s defense.
Sam Hubbard
Replacing a guy like Joey Bosa is a hard task, but Hubbard is going to try his best to do so. In the win over Tulsa, he had six tackles, one sack, and two forced fumbles. He may not be as good as Bosa yet, but the junior has all the skills and strength to put pressure on opposing backfields this season and beyond.
Hubbard admitted that it was tough coming back and playing after the 50-minute weather delay at halftime.
“It was tough. You cool down and get tight. You just have to warm back up and stay locked into the game and make adjustments. We handled it pretty well. We warmed up and got out to a fast start.”
Malik Hooker
The fact that this is Hooker’s first year as a starter is truly incredible. With yet another pick-six, along with adding four tackles and a pass breakup, he has already proven to that he will be a star for the Silver Bullets not only this season, but for years to come.
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The safety not only has a great ability to track the quarterback’s eyes and where the ball will be thrown to, but he can cover all areas of the field as well, as he explained following the game.
“I was reading off my technique and fundamentals. The linebackers forced the receivers to run inside and I just tried to get to the ball. It felt good to get in the end zone. Defense requires a lot of film study, to know where their sets are; I saw a play that I had previously seen on film. I was able to react to it, and make a great play.”
Marshon Lattimore
He may have only had three tackles, but Lattimore’s two interceptions — including a pick-six — were the reason why he was named the Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in Week 2 against the Golden Hurricane. He and Hooker are two of the many athletes in Ohio State’s secondary this fall.
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With the offense struggling in the first half, Lattimore admitted that he and the defense knew they had to provide a spark, and they did just that with two pick-sixes late in the first half.
“From day one I said I want to contribute. The offense was going slow, so the defense and I went out there trying to make a spark. During halftime the coaches just gave us little adjustments, coming off a long break so they wanted to try some things. This was my first pick six ever; I was excited to just get out there. I had some blockers in front of me, so they really helped me out, too.”
Run defense
Not only have the Silver Bullets yet to give up a touchdown (only two field goals alllowed) in their first two games of the season, but their front-seven has dominated the opponents as well. Whether it’s putting pressure on the quarterback or stopping the opponent’s run attack, the new-look front seven has already proven that they are very good.
Against Tulsa, they allowed the Golden Hurricane to run for just 61 yards on 37 carries (1.6 yards per carry). Obviously, that will be hard to keep up, but it’s still mightily impressive.
Third-down defense
Honestly, what hasn’t the defense been able to do so far this season? While they have been great in all aspects thus far, the Silver Bullets third-down defense has also been quite impressive as well. They allowed Tulsa to convert just 4-of-16 third downs in Saturday’s win over the Golden Hurricane.
Tyler Durbin
The walk-on may not have known that he would be leaned on so much this season, but he made his first two field goal attempts of his career on Saturday. He may have felt plenty of pressure on nerves, but Durbin proved that even though he has very little experience, especially in big games, he can be counted on going forward.
The Bad
Third-down offense
While the passing game’s struggles may have played a major role in this, the fact that Ohio State’s offense only converted 4-of-16 third down attempts cannot happen against a better opponent later in the season. But then again, as the season goes on, the Buckeyes’ young playmakers will continue to get better with more experience, which will help on third downs.
The Ugly
First quarter offense
The first quarter was one to forget (and throw away the tape of) for J.T. Barrett and company. Whether it was the long delay at halftime or the storm and rain, the offense woke up. With such a struggling passing game in the opening quarter, Ohio State only had 40 total yards. Luckily, they played much better in the second half to earn a blowout victory.
Pass offense
While the run game bailed them out, J.T. Barrett must play better in the passing game as the season goes on. Not only did he not have a passing touchdown, but only 149 yards through the air is unacceptable against such a weak opponent, whether it was bad weather for the majority of the game or not. But, like I previously mentioned, the rushing attack was able to bail out the air attack.
2 Comments
I loved seeing how the team reacted to the weather. You could tell that one team was loving the challenge, embracing the suck, and getting crazy. The other team (ironically, the Hurricanes) just wanted a warm locker room. It’s that kind of thing that demonstrates the character of a team. Love it.
Also, if the season maintains its course, The Game is going to be special. TTUN is playing really, really well. Their coach might be certifiably crazy, but I guess that can be a good thing. Worked for France (until a Russian invasion) and Germany (until a Russian invasion). Any way we can change the name of Ohio Stadium to “Moscow,” just for one game?
I think we just need snow. Anyway, Harbaugh is a ticking time bomb, but it is usually Year 4 when it goes off. These next two years will be great battles that hopefully the Buckeyes win anyway.