Brantley, Vitale among the notable cuts in Browns 53-man roster trim
September 1, 2018Browns add five players, but waive Meder, Nassib and three others
September 2, 2018Giving up 31 points to a team that went 1-11 a year ago isn’t ideal, but when your offense scores 77 points, does it really matter? Not even a 72-minute weather delay at halftime could stop the Ohio State Buckeyes offense in their season opener Saturday afternoon, as they basically did whatever they wanted to against the Oregon State Beavers throughout much of the game.
If you didn’t know better, you would have thought Dwayne Haskins Jr. was entering his fourth year as the starting quarterback. In his first start with the Buckeyes, the redshirt sophomore dominated while also setting a number of records as well. He completed 22-of-30 passes for 313 yards and five touchdowns in about three quarters. Haskins led the scarlet and gray on eight touchdown drives. Outside of one interception when he overthrew an open receiver, the gunslinger was nearly perfect. Not bad for his first start, no matter who the opponent was.
Whether it was Haskins, Mike Weber flourishing as the backup running back, or basically any other member of Ohio State’s offense, the Buckeyes nearly did nothing wrong offensively Saturday afternoon. He may not have gotten the start, but Weber finished with 20 carries for 186 yards and three touchdowns.
The defense struggled at times, allowing 31 points, but they have plenty of time to improve. Given Nick Bosa’s impressive game, one that he had two sacks and two fumble recoveries, one of which was for a touchdown. In the first game of the season, he proved that he will be a nightmare for opposing offensive linemen all season long.
Without head coach Urban Meyer, acting head coach Ryan Day had quite the debut, especially considering he is the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. Day and Haskins seem to have a special bond on the field, one that could lead to some really, really good things this season.