So by now I am sure all of you know Ohio State beat Buffalo 40-20. Some of you are probably very happy with how the game went. Some of you are probably pretty upset by how the game went. Some of you are just content with how it went. So goes every sports game ever played and ever fan base ever.

That being said lets take a look at how the game went based on facts and not knee-jerk reactions. Ohio State came into the game with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Early on they showed flashes of what we all had envisioned this team to be over the long off-season.

Offense

OSU showed great speed and power in the run game. The Offensive line was blowing people off the line and opening gaping holes for Jordan Hall to have 2 long Touchdown runs of 49 and 37 yards. He finished the game with an impressive 21 carries for 159 yards and those 2 TDs.

The big question for the passing game was would Braxton Miller show improvement and would the WRs become playmakers. Braxton completed his first 7 passes and had a great early start throwing 2 TD passes in the 1st qtr. He had one really bad pass that ended up being a pick 6 by freak athlete Khalil Mack. Once the team got up big they went away from the passing game only throwing 5 total passes in the 2nd half. Braxton also suffered a lot with cramping like nearly everyone out there.

Kenny Guiton came in to spell Braxton when he had the cramping issues and led the team down the field and threw a TD pass on his first drive. Needless to say he is the best back-up in CFB IMO.

Dontre Wilson showed signs of being a star running the ball well and had a 51 yard KO return. He also had a bad fumble which isn’t surprising for a True Freshman.

Clearly the team was impressive going up big early and decided to not show their entire playbook early in the year and went vanilla for most of the game frustrating fans and media members alike.

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Yes, I understand Ohio State won 40-20 over Buffalo. Yes, I prefer a victory over a defeat, even if this was a victory marred by several issues, which I will address momentarily.

Ohio State cruised out to a 23-0 first quarter lead over visiting Buffalo, but seemed to lose focus over the remainder of the game. Below are some areas that I am believing need to be addressed for Ohio State to maintain its national championship goal for the 2013 season.

• Poor tackling, especially by members of the secondary. Tackling high meant not only broken tackles, but missed tackles in several instances.

• Muffed and juggled punts. Corey “Philly” Brown needs to fix that to avoid any turnovers.

• Lack of defensive pressure. Noah Spence had a sack that was nullified due to the penalty on Curtis Grant. Pressure was better later in the game, but it seemed to be lacking at the onset.

• Both Taylor Decker and Jack Mewhort struggled with pass protection. Yes, Khalil Mack is a tremendous player, but they seemed to struggle against other members of Buffalo’s defense.

• Why weren’t Warren Ball and Ezekiel Elliott used more? Where was Bri’onte Dunn? Ohio State sure could have used a strong physical running attack later in the game to control the clock.

• Why was Braxton Miller in the game at the end of the game? If anything, with Miller’s cramping issues, it would have made sense to give Kenny Guiton even more playing time.

• Why were Ohio State’s players cramping, while Buffalo had no cramping issues? That was very puzzling to watch. Yes, I know how hot and muggy it was – it was hot and muggy for both teams, not just one.

• Lastly, and maybe this is just my pet peeve…enough with the whole “scarlet and gray section” concept. Ohio State has tried to get fans to do this for the last two years, to no success. People are going to wear their scarlet shirts or jerseys, no matter which section they are assigned.

Big props to Jordan Hall for his outstanding performance as the starting tailback. Of the freshmen, I was most impressed with Joey Bosa along the defensive line.

Yes, victory always tastes better than defeat. It is also possible for Ohio State to learn and grow from a victory.

There is an old coaching adage that a team improves the most from its first game to its second game. With a likely poll drop, due to the somewhat lackluster performance, and with San Diego State coming to town, improvement in the second game will certainly be needed as the season progresses.

Good morning Buckeye Nation. Bet you don’t know what today is!! That’s right its opening season for the Buckeye men and women’s cross country teams and women’s field hockey. So sit back and relax and enjoy our wall to wall coverage and break down of these sports.

Seriously I know these other sports don’t get the attention like football and basketball but they are important to a lot of folks especially to the ones out there working so hard on something they have such passion for and few recognize their sports. I do Three Yards to bring this information to you and to recognize all of Buckeye Nation sports because everyone who wears Scarlet and Gray is awesome.

Opener Falls Short: Buckeyes men’s soccer team opened their season last night and fell to UNC Wilmington 2-1 in double overtime. Senior Sage Gardner had the lone Buckeye goal.

“I am really proud of the way the team played tonight,” John Bluem, Ohio State head coach, said. “I thought they put in a great effort and the turning point really did not come until the red card late in regulation. Credit has to be given to UNCW though and their forward Colin Bonner; he had two good chances and finished both of them.”

The Buckeye soccer team gets back on the field Sunday taking on a Northern Illinois team that beat Cincinnati 3-0 yesterday.

“I know our guys will regroup and come out strong Sunday,” Bluem said. “Northern Illinois played very well against Cincinnati and the players know they need to move on from tonight and be prepared for the next match.”

Sweep: Ohio States women’ volleyball team took out Liberty last night in their season opener. The 23rd ranked Buckeyes won the three sets 25-22,25-22,26-24.
Senior outside hitter Kaitlyn Leary tied a career high 21 kills and had 8 digs while junior outside hitter Erin Sekinger had career high 15 kills and junior Taylor Sherwin had 40 assists.
Ohio State returns to action Saturday with a 1pm match vs. Green Bay in DeKalb, Ill. The Buckeyes close out the NIU Invitational Saturday night, facing host Northern Illinois at 8pm

Opening Day: As I said earlier the Buckeye field hockey team opens its season today, its 43rd. They will be taking part in the Conference Cup hosted by Temple in Philadelphia, PA. The Buckeyes take on Temple today at 2:30 and then finish the tournament tomorrow vs #2 Maryland or #20 UNH.

Get Your Tickets: Ohio State ice hockey single season tickets go on sale Tuesday at 10am. The Buckeyes will have 22 home games during this inaugural Big Ten hockey season.

To get you in the mood: OK not like you really need to get in the mood for the football opener versus Buffalo today but I will leave you with some videos to enjoy.

Buckeyes Tradition video.

Bringing the “Juice”

All we do is win!!

This you can NEVER get tired of

Buckeye Radio Network: Seen some folks on twitter and talked to some people who want to know where to here the game today. Here is the link for the Buckeye Radio Network

Good luck to all wearing the Scarlet and Gray today and everday. Until next time Buckeye Nation…

(H/T to @davidtrichel)