It wasn’t the prettiest of games for Buckeye Nation. Toledo came out and took it to Ohio State, but in the end, the Buckeyes managed to find a way to win.
They are some good things to take away from this game.
For one, Ohio State didn’t cower away when Toledo made big plays. Instead, they answered back, making big plays in all three areas of the game. It shows that even for a young team they have resiliency and good leadership.
There are some rising stars on this team. On offense, Carlos Hyde and Verlon Reed really stood out. It’s clear the coaching staff is looking for ways to give Reed more touches as he’s a playmaker. Hyde shows again that he can be the go to back. He runs hard, initiates contact and has good vision.
Joe Bauserman wasn’t great but he wasn’t awful either. While he needs to work on his pocket presence and not putting too much air under the ball he did some things well too. Joe doesn’t force plays, as he’s willing to throw it away when there’s nothing there. He showed he could manage the game well.
Defensively, John Simon shows he’s a leader. He came back from injury in the second half and made big plays. Dominic Clarke also shows he has the ability to play consistently well. He did well in coverage and made a huge play by breaking up a pass in the second half.
The special teams came up big as they made two of the biggest plays of the game. Chris Fields’ 69-yard punt return for a touchdown changed the tide of the game. In the second half, the punt team downed the ball inside Toledo’s five-yard line, which tilted the field position battle in Ohio State’s favor.
While there were glimmers of hope this game shows Ohio State needs to improve in many areas.
For one, the scheme and execution were less than stellar. Offensively, they looked like a completely different team. They were using the run to set up the pass, which doesn’t work when you have an offensive line that cannot block. They continued to go back to the run, even when it was painfully obvious it wasn’t working. They had success when they came out throwing to set up the run. However, the coaching staff didn’t make that connection.
The absence of Braxton Miller was puzzling.
Why didn‘t they put Braxton in? While Joe didn’t have a bad game, it could have helped the offense to have a different change of pace. Considering the way the offensive line played, it may have helped to have a more mobile quarterback in.
Speaking of the offensive line, how can they continue to be so bad?
The weakness of this offense has been their inability to dominate the line of scrimmage. They made Toledo’s defensive line look like Nebraska. They didn’t create any push up front, which made it difficult to establish any offensive momentum as the running game could not get going.
The other side of the ball needs improvement as well.
The defense has much work to do. They seemed incapable of defending the screen effectively. Toledo did a great job using the outside passing game to set up the run inside. The Buckeyes need to do a better job playing within their assignments. Too many times, they didn’t break down to make the tackle.
While at times the special teams came up big, they still have issues.
The blocked punt for a touchdown was inexcusable. It just goes to show how bad the offensive line played. The kickoff coverage team continues to have trouble staying in their lanes and breaking down to make a play. Similarly, at this point, can anyone say with any certainty that the Buckeyes can make a field goal?
Overall, it was an ugly win, but a win nonetheless.
People forget how young this team is. The fact they were able to bounce back from big plays to beat a good team was impressive. While they have a lot of work ahead of them, they showed some mental toughness by getting the job done.
Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
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