Rapid Reaction: No Meyer, no problem as Buckeyes roll over Beavers in opener

Any concerns the Buckeyes may suffer a letdown in their first game without head coach Urban Meyer were put to bed very quickly Saturday.

Ohio State opened the 2018 season in action against the Oregon State Beavers, and it did not take long for the Buckeyes to assert their dominance. The Buckeyes scored on their first five offensive drives of the game and scored a defensive touchdown to take a 42-14 lead into halftime.

Sophomore QB Dwayne Haskins looked sharp in the first half as he completed 14-of-18 passes before the break for 164 yards and three scores. He was rarely under pressure and showed great accuracy and presence leading the offense.

The other star for OSU’s offense was RB Mike Weber. Though a lot of the talk has centered on J.K. Dobbins coming into the season, Weber reminded everyone that he has the ability to star at any moment. He carried the ball eight times for 92 yards and 2 TDs and added a three-yard touchdown on a catch. Both Dobbins and Weber are supremely talented, and Ohio State will need both of them to reach its full potential this season.

The only real threat put on by the Beavers came in their second drive of the game. QB Conor Blount connected on consecutive passes of 26 and 49 yards to tie the game at 7-7 early on. That is as close as they would get the rest of the way after the Buckeyes defense forced four punts and two turnovers in the first half.

The domination continued as Haskins connected with Terry McLaurin early in the second half for a 75-yard touchdown pass. When it was all said-and-done, the Buckeyes ended the game with a huge 77-31 victory over Oregon Sate to start the 2018 campaign.

Ohio State’s star on the defensive side of the ball was none other than DE Nick Bosa. He was a problem throughout the first half of action and came away with two fumble recoveries, one of which was recovered for his first career touchdown.

But the rain delay seemed to affect the Buckeyes defense in the second half, as Oregon State was scoring with much more frequency in the final two quarters. Is that a concern moving forward? Or was the absence of Meyer and a lengthy delay just the perfect storm — no pun intended — for the Beavers to convert on some opportunities?

Either way, the Buckeyes made light work of Oregon State as most believed they would. And that offense might be the most dangerous the program has had in a long, long time.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.