Game one is in the books in Columbus, and it was an avalanche of Scarlet and Gray. Here are five things we can take away from a record-setting offensive output by the Buckeyes:
5. The talent is young, but there is a deep well of offensive fire power
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Yeah there’s a litany of talent that has jetted to the NFL, and it’s only game one, but it’s clear that Ohio State has a lot of speedy, athletic kids on the offensive side of the ball. Of course there’s J.T Barrett, but from hybrid back Curtis Samuel, to running back Mike Weber and a whole host of receivers that were seemingly singing kumbaya in the end zone, there should be no shortage of options in Columbus. In this one, the collective effort resulted in an Ohio State record 776 yards of total offense and 77 points.
4. Ohio Stat’s defensive line needs a wee-bit of work
It’s hard to find a sore spot in a 67 point win, but you don’t have to look far to see that the defensive line wasn’t nearly as dominant as years past. It is a young unit to be sure, but there was a lack of a pass rush throughout the entire game. On the back-end the defensive backs were able to lock it down, but it’ll be one area that has to improve as the opposing talent upgrade in the schedule begins. You can’t put that much pressure on your defensive backs in the upcoming weeks.
3. This is J.T. Barrett’s team
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What a difference a year makes. Gone is the quarterback competition/controversy from 2015. This is Barrett’s team, and it is evident by his ability to command the huddle, make the right reads and spread the ball around to the open windows the defense leaves open. Six touchdowns through the air and one on the ground through what amounted to about three quarters of play is all you need to know about his performance. He should have a big year and it’s off to a great start.
2. This will be a more balanced team this year
Urban Meyer has always described his philosophy at Ohio State as a power, spread run team, but it took it to the extreme last year. Partly because of inconsistency at quarterback, and partly because of having Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield, Ohio State finished only 100th in the country in passing yards per game in 2015. This year, it looks like there will be more than enough opportunities to turn that around with what’s on the roster and who’s pulling the strings.
1. It’s only game one
All that being said, it would be foolish to think that this team is a shoe in for anything after just one game. It’s easy to get caught up in how great things looked after such a small sample size, but that’s just it, one game against an opponent that was good, but not great. There are still many battles ahead that include trips to enemy territory against more physical teams, and more athletic teams. We’ve still yet to see what will happen with so many youngsters when they face the adversity that will ultimately come.
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Phil Harrison is a frequent contributor to The Student Section. He is also a featured contributor to collegefootballews.com, and talking10.com. You can follow him on twitter @PhilHarrisonCFB or email him at pharrison28@gmail.com. If that doesn’t work, you can find him in the doghouse at home.
