Going into Notre Dame I think a fair amount of the fanbase figured it to be a tough game that the Buckeyes would have to grind out... While some had a delusion of grandeur here and there and predicted a blowout score, I think the pulse of 11w was pretty fair in thinking Ohio State and Notre Dame would be a closer game and the Buckeyes would have to fight it out... That was the case, but coming out of the game and seeing ND drop one to Marshall the next week I think had everyone second guessing the value of the win to some extent... That was what it was.
Coming out of Arkansas State there were some grumblings... not many, when you win 45-12 at home and the defense continues to play well there isn't room for a ton of complaints.. However, we are a bit spoiled, so I think after two weeks the main concerns that we were hearing/feeling were the following:
1. No turnovers on defense...
2. No sacks by DEs (even though I think we've all really enjoyed seeing Mike Hall throwdown)...
3. PENALTIES! And even coach Day lamented his concern over this issue.
4. Continued balance with offensive play calling, and more continuity with Stroud and his WRs given that the health of JSN, Fleming, and the like has been a concern
5. Denzel Burke's mental mistakes and perceived step back from his freshman season
There are others, but some are totally out of the control of the fanbase and even the team, for instance the lack of depth at cornerback...
So given that information... It feels like to me what the Buckeyes did against Toledo, more than put up a ton of points, was they checked a lot of those boxes and relieved some of the concerns we had.
They secured their first pick, and then recovered a Toledo fumble... CHECK!
JJB, and Jack Sawyer got themselves home on 3 total occasions against Toledo... CHECK!
Penalties... 1 penalty for 5 yards... CHECK!
Balance... 34 total passing attempts vs. 44 total rushing attempts and some big coming out performances by young guys... CHECK!
Continued continuity with Stroud and the offensive weapons... He completed passes to 5 different WRs including 2 TDs to Julian Fleming and Route Man Marv... CHECK!
I think the only misstep and box that did not get checked... Denzel Burke, while I feel like he was better than he was against Arkansas State... something is still missing there in his sophomore year... The depth at CB tells us he's going to have to get it sorted out really quick for the defense to continue to get better.
That said, onto conference play, onto Wisconsin... GO BUCKS!
