Ohio State is safely past Northwestern, moving to 8-1 on the season with a 31-7 win inside Wrigley Field. And, just as important for the road ahead, the Buckeyes appear to have gotten through the game in healthy fashion.

It wasn’t a flashy performance to open the game with the Buckeye defense looking out-schemed and out-played on the first 2 drives of the game. But Jim Knowles quickly had his unit playing well, and Ohio State slowly but surely put itself in a position to put this one away.

Some missed opportunities dotted the landscape of the fourth quarter, but this one never got close after halftime. Here are the key takeaways from Week 12:

Defensive hiccups put to bed quickly

Ohio State entered halftime up 21-7, so what did the Buckeyes have to be worried about? At that point in the game, not much, but the defense looked off-balance early in the game.

While the defense did force a turnover on the first drive of the game, Northwestern was able to drive all the way to Ohio State’s 18-yard line before the Buckeyes took over possession. The 2nd drive was even better by the Wildcats as they covered 92 yards with a touchdown.

Across their first 2 drives, the Wildcats held the ball for 12:26 and ran 24 plays with 151 yards gained. Northwestern produced 7 plays of 10+ across both those drives while going 4-for-5 on 3rd down.

Simply put, Northwestern mostly dominated the first 2 drives of the game. But it was a much different story from then onward.

Ohio State would force a pair of 3-and-outs before halftime. Northwestern would mount one sustained drive coming out of halftime, but it did not lead to points as the Buckeyes began to flex their dominance.

After starting the game 4-for-5 on 3rd downs, Ohio State would limit Northwestern to 2-for-11 the rest of the way. That’s one way to respond to a sluggish start.

Ohio State RB duo showcases potential

Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson have been balling out on the regular for Ohio State, but Saturday’s game was a particularly impressive performance. The duo combined for 26 carries and 150 yards with Judkins cashing in a pair of short touchdown runs, but the individual efforts are what stood out in this one.

Both players are tough to bring down in the open field, and they each delivered some impressive carries. At one point, Judkins met a Northwestern head-on in the hole but delivered a punishing shoulder and stiff-arm combo to dispatch the would-be tackler.

At another point, Henderson delivered a mesmerizing hesitation move that froze a defender before lowering his shoulder against a Northwestern linebacker:

Again in the second half, Henderson showed off his open-field moves by delivering a textbook hurdle up-and-over a would-be tackler:

Together, Judkins and Henderson have been the best RB duo in the country, and they put the entire skillset on display in this one.

Carnell Tate’s picture-perfect homecoming

Carnell Tate grew up in Chicago before finishing his high school career at IMG Academy in Florida, so returning to his hometown to play at Wrigley Field had to feel special. And he made the most of his opportunity.

Late in the first half, Tate delivered a massive touchdown to give the Buckeyes some breathing room with an impressive diving grab in the end zone. It’s a highlight-reel grab, but Tate would add to his total with another touchdown in the second half.

Tate finished the game tied with Jeremiah Smith for the team lead with 4 catches and led all players with 2 receiving touchdowns in the game. That’s the kind of outing in his hometown Tate will remember for some time.