
Ohio State: Buckeyes still have kinks to iron out
There is perfection and then there is complete perfection.
Sound contradictory? Not when it comes to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
OSU has a perfect 6-0 record halfway into the regular season. The Buckeyes have rolled past their opponents by an average of 29 points per game and new quarterback Dwayne Haskins is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate, or at least a good bet to be a finalist invited to New York for the ceremony.
So, what could be better?
Plenty.
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On Saturday, in a 49-26 victory over Indiana at Ohio Stadium, the Buckeyes tied their own Big Ten record for most consecutive victories over one conference opponent. OSU has beaten the Hoosiers in 24 straight meetings, equaling the Scarlet and Gray’s streak from 1972-2003 against Northwestern.
But the more relevant number coming out of that game is that the Buckeyes surrendered at least 26 points in a game for the fourth time this season.
And it’s not like OSU has faced juggernaut offenses in those games, except for Penn State. Indiana hadn’t scored more than 24 points against any Power 5 team coming in, not even against league cellar dweller Rutgers. Against OSU, the Hoosiers piled up a season high in passing yards with 322 and had 406 total yards, very close to their average of 412.2 per game entering Saturday.
What it boils down to is this: Ohio State is still giving up too many big plays.
Indiana’s Stevie Scott had a 45-yard run, accounting for all but 19 of his rushing yards on nine carries on the day. Three Hoosiers receivers had catches of at least 30 yards and two — J-Shun Harris and Nick Westbrook — went over 100 yards receiving.
OSU is fourth in the B1G in average points allowed, which isn’t bad, but that flatters some of the other defensive numbers. The Buckeyes are No. 8 in the conference and No. 55 in FBS in total defense, allowing 366.3 yards a game. If anybody in Ohio wants to look ahead to the Nov. 24 Michigan game (and really, who doesn’t?) that’s 136 yards per game more than the Wolverines are allowing. Michigan leads the nation in total defense.
Missing All-American defensive end Nick Bosa hurts, but OSU should still be deep enough and talented enough to turn in better performances on defense.
“I’m worried about (upcoming opponent) Minnesota and I’m worried about our defense and I’m worried about our run game,” Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said in his postgame press conference. “And worried about getting guys healthy.”
One way to mask defensive deficiencies is to keep the ball, and that usually involves a stout running game. It’s an easy facet to overlook while Haskins slings the ball all over with such great success. But OSU has run for 3.2 yards per carry in each of the past two games and that won’t cut it in November. That type of struggle is understandable against Penn State, but the Indiana game wasn’t any better. J.K. Dobbins in particular had a hard time getting in gear against the Hoosiers; he gained 82 yards but needed 26 carries to do it and he never had a carry longer than 9 yards.
Another consistent problem for the Buckeyes is penalties. On Saturday, OSU committed nine for 82 yards. Four of the yellow hankies led to Indiana first downs. In the B1G, only Nebraska and Maryland are giving away more penalty yards per game than Ohio State (80.2) and that’s a consistent disadvantage for the Buckeyes because their opponents are called for just 52.5 yards of penalties per game.
Yes, Ohio State is still undefeated. In the end, six wins in six games is all its fans can ask for. But if the Buckeyes want the second half of the season to be as productive as the first, and especially if they want to repeat as B1G champions, they will have to fix some of their flaws. Otherwise their position as a likely College Football Playoff participant will come under threat.