Ezekiel Elliott hurdles a Western Michigan defender. (USATSI)
Better, but still not there yet.
In a game where fans and players alike were looking for more out of a lackluster offense the past two weeks, that’s exactly what they got. If it’s one thing that Ohio State’s 38-12 win over Western Michigan told us, it’s that Urban Meyer knows what he is doing – with the decision to start Cardale Jones over JT Barrett.
Jones set a career high for passing yards with 288, and he also threw for two touchdowns. While improved, Jones still made a few mistakes, under-throwing multiple guaranteed touchdown passes.
Jones’ two touchdown passes came in the first and second quarter, one to Michael Thomas and one to Jalin Marshall.
ICYMI: Michael Thomas struck quick for @OhioStAthletics on this TD dive. Brought to you by @hotelsdotcom. http://t.co/nwJP2dvArA
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) September 26, 2015
Fleck’s Broncos made the game interesting after quarterback Zach Terrell found wide-out Daniel Braverman for a 55 yard touchdown connection. Broncos’ kicker Andrew Halderman failed to convert the PAT, leaving the score at 14-6.
After a Jack Willoughby field goal, the Silver Bullets came up with their third consecutive game in a row with a defensive touchdown. Adolphus Washington picked off Terrell and ran it back 20 yards to put the Buckeyes up 24-6 going into halftime.
The Buckeye running backs stole the show in the second half. Ezekiel Elliott racked up 124 yards, one touchdown, and two spectacular “ZekeLeaps” in the third quarter, and Curtis Samuel rumbled for a 40 yard score in the fourth quarter to seal the deal.
#ZekeLeap:
We are starting to catch on to Ezekiel Elliott's go to move. #WMUvsOSU https://t.co/kw2u4QADXi
— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) September 26, 2015
The Ohio State offense improved tremendously from the past two weeks on third down, converting 8 of 13 attempts.
Neither the offense or the defense played up to expectation, but at the same time, expectations are high when trying to compare this team to last year’s.
One thing that will still drive Meyer and fans crazy is that OSU committed 12 penalties for 86 yards. False starts have continued to plague the Buckeye offense, and there’s no real excuse for them, especially inside The Horseshoe.
So despite racking up 511 total yards of offense and improving the offensive production, this team still has a lot of work to do. Fortunately, though, there aren’t many other teams out there playing their best football at the moment.
But the Buckeyes better be ready to play their best football this coming weekend against an upset-minded and undefeated Indiana team that will be looking to take their best shot at the defending national champions.
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