THE RUNNING START
TV: Saturday, 8:00 ESPN
This will be the first time Ohio State and Virginia Tech have played in football. Ohio State is an 11.5 point favorite.
The Buckeyes may have some young players, but Virginia Tech takes young to a different level. I believe Ohio Stadium will rattle the Hokies as they play in front of the largest crowd in school history.
Ohio State is 39-16-1 against current members of the ACC.
The Last Time...
- Ohio State lost at home was against Penn State (14-20) on November 19, 2011. Since then the Buckeyes have won 15 straight at home.
- Ohio State lost at home to a non-conference opponent was September 12, 2009 against USC (15-18). The Buckeyes have won 15 straight home games against non-conference opponents since.
Verbal on Virginia Tech
- This is the first time Virginia Tech has played a Big Ten school in the regular season.
- The Hokies two leading rushers in 2014 are freshman, Shai McKenzie and Marshawn Williams.
- Virginia Tech had nine freshmen or sophomores start last week.
- Isaiah Ford became the second true freshman to start an opening game at wide receiver for Virginia Tech.
- Ten Hokies caught passes against William & Mary.
- The expected crowd in Ohio Stadium will be the largest any Virginia Tech team has ever played in front of.
Today's Trivia Questions:
Can you name the team with the nation's longest regular-season winning streak?
Since 1890 (124 games) how many home openers has Ohio State lost?
Answers at the bottom of today's article.
The Series:
First game between the schools.
 |
Category |
 |
|---|---|---|
| 34.0 (56th) | Points For | 34.0 (56th) |
| 17.0 (49th) | Points Against | 9.0 (21st) |
| OFFENSE | ||
| 194.0 (54th) | Rushing Offense | 220.0 (41st) |
| 226.0 (68th) | Passing Offense | 266.0 (45th) |
| 420.0 (65th) | Total Offense | 488.0 (45th) |
| DEFENSE | ||
| 370.0 (115th) | Rushing Defense | 76.0 (29th) |
| 20.0 (3rd) | Pass Defense | 117.0 (21st) |
| 390.0 (71st) | Total Defense | 193.0 (11th) |
| OFFENSE MISC. | ||
| .250 (102nd) | 3rd Down Conv. | .533 (28th) |
| .750 (76th) | Red Zone | 1.00 (1st) |
| 8.0 (46th) | Punt Return | 12.5 (30th) |
| 26.5 (25th) | Kickoff Return | 18.7 (74th) |
| DEFENSE MISC. | ||
| .333 (47th) | 3rd Down Conv. | .083 (4th) |
| .750 (45th) | Red Zone | .667 (31st) |
| 92.0 (28th) | Pass Eff. Def. | 81.9 (19th) |
| 45.5 (15th) | Net Punting | 38.3 (53rd) |
| Total: 4 | The Edge | Total: 13 |
VIRGINIA TECH PASSING
QB Michael Brewer (Junior)
Last Game: 23/30 (.767), 251 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
2013 Stats: 7/10 (.700), 65 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
Career: 64/88 (.727), 691 yards, 7 TDs, 1 INT
VIRGINIA TECH RUSHING
RB Shai McKenzie (Freshman)
Last Game: 106 yards, 11.8 ypc, 1 TD
2013 Stats: Did Not Play
Career: 106 yards, 11.8 ypc, 1 TD
VIRGINIA TECH RECEIVING
WR Willie Byrn (Senior)
Last Game: 49 yards, 3 rec., 16.3 ypr, 0 TD
2013 Stats: 660 yards, 51 rec., 12.9 ypr, 2 TDs
Career: 724 yards, 55 rec., 13.2 ypr, 2 TDs
VIRGINIA TECH DEFENSE
DB Derek Di Nardo (Senior)
Last Game: 4 solo tackles,1 assisted tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss.
2013 Stats: 3 solo tackles, 6 assisted tackles 0.5 tackles for loss.
Career Stats: 9 solo tackles, 8 assisted tackle, 2 tackles for loss and 1 interception.
LB Chase Williams (Senior)
Last Game: 3 solo tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and a pass break up.
Career Stats: 11 solo tackles, 11 assisted tackles, 3 tackles for loss and 2 sacks.
OHIO STATE PASSING
QB J.T. Barrett (Freshman)
Last Game: 12/15 (.800), 226 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
2013 Stats: Did Not Play
Career: 12/15 (.800), 226 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
OHIO STATE RUSHING
QB J.T. Barrett (Freshman)
Last Game: 50 yards, 5.6 ypc, 0 TD
2013 Stats: Did Not Play
Career: 50 yards, 5.6 ypc, 0 TD
RB Curtis Samuel (Freshman)
Last Game: 45 yards, 6.4 ypc, 0 TDs
2013 Stats: Did Not Play
Career: 45 yards, 6.4 ypc, 0 TDs
OHIO STATE RECEIVING
WR Devin Smith (Senior)
Last Game: 94 yards, 47.0 ypr, 1 TD
2013 Stats: 660 yards, 15.0 ypr, 8 TDs
Career: 1,666 yards, 18.5 ypr, 19 TDs
OHIO STATE DEFENSE
DB Tyvis Powell (Junior)
Last Game: 8 solo tackles and 5 assisted tackles.
2013 Stats: 34 solo tackles, 27 assisted tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 pass break ups and 1 interception.
Career: 42 solo tackles, 32 assisted tackles 1 tackle for loss, 2 pass break ups and 1 interception.
LB Darron Lee (Freshman)
Last Game: 5 solo tackles, 2 unassisted tackles, 2 tackles for loss and a fumble return for a touchdown.
2013 Stats: Did Not Record a Tackle.
Career: 5 solo tackles, 2 unassisted tackles, 2 tackles for loss and a fumble return for a touchdown.
Freshman Arm:
J.T. Barrett was on the second freshman in the history of Ohio State football to start a season opening game. Barrett's 226 passing yards were better than the 182 Schichter put up against Penn State in 1978. Barrett's yardage was the third most of any quarterback in their first start in Ohio States history. Guiton's 276 yards against California in his first start last season ranks as Ohio State's best.
Freshman Legs:
Many people will remember that J.T. Barrett was 12-15 passing the ball. What many don't realize is that Barrett led the team in rushing with 50 against Navy.
True freshman Curtis Samuel ran for 45 yards on 7 carries.
Seasoned Sophomores:
Ezekiel Elliot and Dontre Wilson are primed to make more of an impact in 2014. Elliot gained 44 yards on 12 carries and Wilson rushed for 43 yards on 6 carries. Wilson also caught 2 passes for 46 yards.
Block That Kick:
Since Urban Meyer arrived at Ohio State the Buckeyes have 9 blocked kicks/punts. Will Virginia Tech be the first victim of the 2014 season? To put the Beamer Ball notion to bed I hope it happens.
THE RUNOFF
Coaches
Urban Meyer
25-2 at Ohio State (3rd year)
129-25 overall (13th year)
Meyer is 0-0 against Virginia Tech
Meyer is 48-4 in August and September games
There's a reason this is Virginia Tech's first game against a Big Ten team in the regular season.
Frank Beamer
225-109-2 at Virginia Tech (28th year)
267-132-4 overall (34th year)
Beamer has the most wins of any active coach
Beamer is a graduate of Virginia Tech
Cliff Claven's Little Known Facts Corner:
- The last time Ohio State lost a night game in Columbus was against USC in 2009.
- The Buckeyes have won 64 consecutive regular-season home games against unranked, non-conference opponents (Florida State, 1982).
- Time for a return? The Buckeyes did not returned a kickoff or punt for a touchdown in 2013. That broke a ten-year streak of having at least one return in a season.
- The Buckeyes scored at least 30 points in 13 of the 14 games in 2013 (Michigan State 24).
Today's Trivia Answers:
Can you name the team with the nation's longest regular-season winning streak?
Answer: Ohio State has won 25-straight regular-season games.
Since 1890 (124 games) how many home openers has Ohio State lost?
Answer: The buckeyes are 112-8-4 in that time span.
Record Breakers
Although the 2013 season did not end the way the team or the fans wanted, the offense was explosive. Below you will find a list of the 15 single season records and the set by the Ohio State offense in 2013.
Single Season Offensive Records set by the 2013 Team (previous record / year):
Can the 2014 offense come close to 2013's stats without Braxton Miller?
- Rushing Yards: 4,321 (4,199 / 1974)
- Rushing Yards Per Attempt: 6.8 (5.7 / 1974)
- Passing Touchdowns: 38 (33 / 1995)
- Passing Touchdowns: 38 (33 / 1995)
- Total Offense Yards: 7,167 (6,222 / 1995)
- Total Offensive Plays: 1,003 (939 / 1995)
- Yards Per Play: 7.14 (6.62 / 1995)
- Yards Per Game: 511.9 (497.5 / 1998)
- Points Scored: 637 (504 / 1998)
- Points Per Game: 45.5 (42.5 / 1969)
- Touchdowns: 87 (64 / 1995)
- Field Goal Percentage: .900 (.892 / 2002)
- First Downs: 361 (303 / 1995)
Single Game Offensive Records set by the 2013 Team (previous record / opponent / year):
- Rushing Average: 10.5 at Illinois (9.23 / at Illinois / 1962)
- Punt Average: 57.0 at Illinois (57.0 / Indiana / 1944)
As good as the offense was in 2013 the defense was close to as bad. Below you will find the 10 Single Season Records the defense did not want to break
Single Season Defensive Records set in 2013 (previous record / year):
Virginia Tech should be a good barometer to see if the 2013 defense is a nightmare of the past.
- Passes Completed: 330 (315 / 2002)
- Passing Yards Allowed: 3,752 (3,404 / 2002)
- Passing Touchdowns Allowed: 31 (22 / 1981)
- Completion Percentage: 61.8 (60.8 / 2011)
- Total Plays: 1,000 (964 / 2002)
- Total Offensive Yards Allowed: 5,284 (4,566 / 1989)
- Points Allowed: 317 (297 / 1989)
- Touchdowns Allowed: 42 (37 / 1989)
- First Downs Allowed: 283 (249 / 1989)
- Punt Return Average: 16.4 (14.9 / 1954)
Sources- The Ohio State Team Guide, The Virginia Tech Media Guide and NCAAstats.org
Next article: The Ohio State Effect: Sunday or Monday evening
