Going into the half losing by a field goal is not how anyone saw the end of the second quarter playing out, especially after the monster plays that the Buckeyes came screaming out of the gate that allowed them to put up two quick touchdowns. The Hokies came storming back, however, with 17 straight unanswered points, and that's where we find ourselves going into the second half.
Still, I believe that there's room for optimism. Though Zeke definitely needs to get the rock much more than he has thus far, let's talk a little bit about what's going on stat-wise on the field.
- Cardale is only 6/13 passing for 95 yards, but some drops and tipped passes make that look worse than it is. He's not playing at the unconscious level that he did at the end of last season, but hopefully he'll settle down.
- One big positive is that Cardale also has 63 yards rushing, which has come through some very clever play design
- Zeke is already over 100 yards rushing
- The defense continues to go for high risk/high reward. They've sacked Michael Brewer several times but have also given up 4 plays of 25 yards or more. That, in addition to the 2 turnovers, is what has allowed Virginia Tech to take over the game for the time being.
- Still: even with an atrocious 2nd quarter, the Buckeyes are averaging 9.9 yards per play to the Hokies' 5.9
If Ohio State can tamp down on the turnovers and stop VT from picking up big chunks of yardage, the Buckeyes should be able to allow their natural advantage on offense to allow them to retake control of the game. That, of course, is always a big if against a Bud Foster defense.
