It was a little stormy, and a little long, but Ohio State’s game against Tulsa finally did come to an end in a waterlogged Columbus. There’s now two weeks worth of game film to examine, but what can we take away from the soggy, lightning filled game against the Golden Hurricane?
5. The offensive line is still getting its footing
Tulsa defense has been up to the task thus far against Buckeyes. Not outmanned..
— Tim May (@TIM_MAYsports) September 10, 2016
The offensive line has been a strength at Ohio State ever since Ed Warinner has been in charge of the slobs. He’s now helping with the offensive play calls, so it’s now left mainly up to Greg Studrawa who was with Urban Meyer at Bowling Green and was in charge of the offensive line that won a national championship under Les Miles for LSU.
There are only two returning starters, and both of them (Pat Elflein and Billy Price) have slid down to play new positions. It’ll take some time for everyone to figure each other out and it has yet to happen. There needs to be significant improvement for next week in Norman or some dreams might get derailed.
4. Curtis Samuel can play a little football
http://gty.im/602234560
We hear all of the hubbub from Meyer and the offensive coaches that Mr. Samuel was going to be the feature hybrid guy coming into the season, but we’ve heard that about others before (Braxton Miller anyone?).
But at least in the case of No. 4, it seems to be coming true. Samuel racked up 261 all-purpose yards against Bowling Green, and followed it up with another 140 yards today. To get those totals, he obviously has to get touches, and that too is occurring with 22 and 13 respectively.
3. The young wide-outs will be inconsistent
http://gty.im/600703384
Last week, nine players caught a pass for Ohio State, with five of them making it to the promised land. Each time Barrett dropped back, it seemed a speedy receiver was getting separation and breaking free for a long gain.
Saturday, that wasn’t the case. Barrett struggled to find open guys throughout the first half meaning either the receivers weren’t running good routes, or the Tulsa secondary was playing lights out. This will likely be a game-to-game type of affair, and OSU will have to live with the highs and lows.
2. The defensive line is improving
http://gty.im/494396402
Or so it appears. Tulsa quarterback Dane Evans didn’t have nearly as much time to throw as Bowling Green’s James Knapke did, and the result was a very meager day offensively for the Golden Hurricane.
Larry Johnson did wonders at Penn State for what seems like eternity, and he’s earning his pay in Columbus too. The line is young, but almost nobody in the country is as good at developing talent along the front like Johnson. We should see improvement continue throughout the year.
1. Malik Hooker is a boss
Last week, the 6-2, 205 lb. safety for Ohio State hauled in a miraculous interception that people are still playing around the world.
And this week, he followed up that one with another pick, this time for a touchdown.
His ability to diagnose plays and get all the way across the field from the far hash is almost unbelievable. Remember, he’s just a redshirt sophomore, so we should be seeing plays like these for at least another year after this one.
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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.
