The Ohio State Buckeyes game planned as they travel to the heart of Texas to Cowboys Stadium to face what was and is their toughest opponent to date in TCU and man, it did not disappoint! In the last game of Coach Meyer’s suspension, Coach Day was tasked with this tall task in what will be his final and most memorable game before Meyer’s return and it certainly had my heart stopped a early on before the team started to show their playmaking ability. The Buckeyes were very much tested and although they made it through, they need to fix a few things and there are a few areas of concern for this team moving forward.
The dynamic and potent offense that Ohio State possesses, the offense took a while to function correctly despite the 40-28 score. Firstly, the lack of consistency with Michael Jordan and the Center position. There were many times during the game, where Jordan snapped the ball too low which disrupted the rhythm at least momentarily. Additionally, the 7 to 11 connection being open? Yes, it was open and Haskins got the ball out and to Mack, but he could not reel in the ball and he accounted for 4 drops, which boggles my mind and is uncharacteristic of him. He made up for it in the second half, but if he grabbed that near TD pass in the end zone, it would’ve been the difference, but a win is a win–especially against a good TCU team!
This game showcased two teams that want to be in contention for a CFB Playoff berth and it was gut-wrenching and hard to watch at first after sputtering on offense early and remaining stagnant to where the offense only managed three FG attempts with one barely missing. The defense scored on what should have been a safety, but all together the refs managed to let them play with minimal penalties for either team. Both offenses managed to make the big play with Anderson’s 93-yard sprint to the end zone, which is their longest play from scrimmage and the longest play surrendered by a Buckeye team. There was also that bomb that resulted in another 50+ yard TD against Wint, who was not sure where the ball was before getting dragged into the end zone.
On the flip side, the Haskins and the Buckeye offense would not be held back and they responded in the second half with two big plays to put them up for good in the game. A screen pass to Campbell and a bomb to Hill made up for the slow start to the game. and Haskins even earned a rushing TD to pull away. The defense after Bosa strained his abdomen or groin area also chipped in with big-time plays that swung the momentum in their favor. Dre’Mont Jones intercepted a shovel pass and housed it, while late in the game Harrison picked off Robinson to seal the game for the Buckeyes.
It was a stiff test in what was essentially a home game for the Horned Frogs, but a few of the hometown kids showed up. Specifically J.K. Dobbins ran roughshod and ran with power and anger as he racked up 121 yards on 18 carries, while his stablemate Weber grinded out 64 yards with the same amount of carries. Next week, the Buckeyes will try to re-establish everything under Coach Meyer, who returns against Tulane after his suspension. They will need to fix a few things and rest the players who were injured for Happy Valley in two weeks. Go Bucks!
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