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Ohio State dominated everyone the last five weeks. Now comes Penn State and the real challenge
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This was the perfect stretch for Ohio State, almost therapeutic in a way.
After that Week 2 loss to Oklahoma, the calendar really worked in the Buckeyes’ favor, rounding out non-conference play against Army and UNLV and jumping back into the thick of the B1G slate with Rutgers and Maryland. The scarlet and gray had an average margin of victory of 42 points and hung half-a-hundy on the scoreboard in three of those four games.
Ohio State parlayed that momentum into another beat-down on Saturday night, plowing over Nebraska 56-14 in Lincoln. The offense racked up 633 yards and 41 first downs in another explosive showing. J.T. Barrett completed 27-of-33 passes for 325 yards and five touchdowns.
Now the Buckeyes are headed into the bye week with a 6-1 mark, a spot in the top 10 and are back in the College Football Playoff discussion.
Ohio State has outscored its last five opponents 266-56, no game decided by fewer than 31 points. The defense has held opponents scoreless in 13 of the last 20 quarters.
J.T. Barrett — you know, the guy everyone wanted benched earlier this year — has been on a five-game hot streak, completing 73 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,351 yards and 18 touchdowns. He’s only thrown one interception on the season, but hasn’t turned the football over once since Baker Mayfield planted the “OU” flag at midfield of Ohio Stadium.
Yeah, the schedule has been the ideal tonic for Urban Meyer and Co.
That was just the warm-up, though. That five-game exhibition stretch has concluded and the real challenge waits on the doorstep in Columbus. The showdown that everyone has been waiting for since the season kicked off on Aug. 31.
Penn State is coming into “The Shoe” in two weeksThe past month has served as a loud reminder that, as long as Meyer is on the sideline, the Buckeyes are never completely out of the B1G or College Football Playoff picture. Ohio State’s 40-point victories are reminiscent of that 2014 national title run, as it torched nearly everyone in its way after an early season loss to Virginia Tech.
It doesn’t mean squat if the Buckeyes stumble on Oct. 28 against the Nittany Lions.
Penn State brings the nation’s top scoring defense (allowing nine points per game), Heisman frontrunner Saquon Barkley and slew of offensive weapons to Columbus. For Ohio State, this is the perfect chance at redemption, an opportunity to offset a tough less with a better win, all while getting revenge on the team that stole its B1G title a year ago.
The “do it against Penn State” crowd has been yammering about that since the loss in September. To some degree, it’s become a bit old and annoying. After all, Ohio State has been winning games by more than 40 points per contest. That’s something that’s gone wildly underappreciated in the Meyer era.
At the same time though, that clan beckoning for the Buckeyes to put together that type of effort against the reigning B1G champs is right on the mark. Gus Johnson said it best during Saturday’s game in Lincoln, “at Ohio State, only two things matter: beating Michigan and winning national championships.”
Yup.
The last five wins have been nice, but Ohio State hasn’t really proven it belongs back in the Playoff picture. It’s not been given the opportunity to redeem itself from that loss to Oklahoma.
Finally, that chance is here. At least, it will be in two weeks when Penn State rolls into town.
This has been the game circled on the calendar for months. It’s only grown in importance and significance as the season has progressed.
Yes, the month-and-a-half between Oklahoma and Penn State has proven to be therapeutic for the Buckeyes. They’ve had time to prepare for their biggest challenge yet while perfecting their craft. But with the Nittany Lions knocking on the door, the therapy session has ended.
The only remedy for Ohio State now is a win over Penn State on Oct. 28.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB