Always happy to be among friends on Eleven Warriors! In this off season I landed my first gig as a sportswriter. It's at an upstart site and app called MySportsVote.com. I encourage you to check it out, it's like the poll portion of this great site but on sports nationwide. I'll give them a quick shout with every article I post here for my fellow Buckeyes. You can find more about them and me in my profile links here on Eleven Warriors. I love this site, and everyone who has helped me enjoy and write about Ohio State!
Favorite Stat of the Game: I’ve got multiple favorite stats in this game, but they all lead to something that is vitally important to championship teams and that is a balanced offense. Ohio State had 31 first downs, five by penalty, 13 by passing, and 13 by rushing. They had 270 rushing yards and 238 passing yards. The offense was balance and only really had more rushing yards because of their running the ball at the end to run out the clock. In the 2014 National Championship season, Ohio State was balanced with the run and the pass and they are so far in 2019.
The Brooklyn Dagger Award: Justin Fields’ seven-yard touchdown run in the 1st quarter. It’s difficult to say the first score was the decisive one but it literally was in this game. Ohio State scored and never looked back, the offense would score five more touchdowns and the defense would give up none whatsoever. It was a dominating and complete performance.
Dwayne Haskins (Player of the Game) Award: It’s difficult to go against Fields when he accounts for four touchdowns, but J.K. Dobbins really set the tone for this game. He had 144 yards rushing and two touchdowns by half time on 17 carries and was virtually given the rest of the day off. Except one play in which he threw the lead and best block for Fields to get his second rushing touchdown of the game. Fields might have the stats so far, but Dobbins is the heart of the Buckeyes.
Ryan Shazier-Devin Smith Award: Garrett Wilson. The hype seems very real with this young man. He only had the one catch, but it was a beautiful one for a score. The defender had good position on him too, but Wilson just went over him and made a sure handed catch. This guy is going to be a special one in scarlet and gray.
Dane Sanzenbacher Award: This one goes to the Ohio State secondary. Fuller, Arnette, Okudah, and White. Those four haven’t had any huge interceptions or the most acrobatic of the pass break ups, but they haven’t given up a big play, or committed a big penalty. Those were two huge problems for these guys last year, and all of Ohio was vocal about it, so when they are quietly doing their jobs this year, I’m going to give them the credit they deserve.
Taylor Decker Award: The Slobs. The offensive line improved a lot from Week 1 to Week 2. They opened more holes and let the offense keep their foot on the gas throughout the game, and any time you go over 500 total yards you got to tip your hat to the big guys in the trenches.
Fedora Award: K.J. Hill, Austin Mack, and Binjimen Victor had to take over for a trio of record setting seniors in McLaurin, Dixon, and Campbell and so far, are looking like just as solid of a trio. Today they had 16 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown. These guys have guys like Wilson and Olave to compete with too, and they are taking charge like you’d want your good seniors to do.
Sweater Vest Award: Chase Young. No one can stop The Predator from hunting his prey, and that’s anyone trying to use the football to score against his defense. He got 1.5 sacks and ate up double teams as usual, but he also made his presence felt in preserving the shutout, with a blocked field goal attempt in the 2nd quarter. Luke Fickell may have had second thoughts at about that time regarding recruiting Young as part of the Buckeye staff in 2016.
Archie Award: This one goes to a pair of Basket Bucks who were honored at the Horseshoe today. Jim Foster and Thad Matta were inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame. These two took the Ohio State Men’s and Women’s Basketball programs into the 21st century and built them to what they are today, and it was good to see them get recognition for that on a fall Saturday in Ohio Stadium in a football state.
Horned Rimmed Glasses Award: A.J. Hawk and Mike Nugent. The all-Americans and 2002 National Champions were also inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame. Woody Hayes always honored history, American and Buckeye, and Ohio State should be proud of these historical and great players.
Bad Coaching Moment of the Game: There was virtually no bad coaching by the Buckeyes in this one, the closest thing to a problem they had was nearly splitting the time of possession. UC had the ball 28:39 and Ohio State had it for 31:21. When that’s what you’re nitpicking about, your team has coached a great game.
Urban Meyer (Good Coaching) Moment of the Game: There wasn’t just one, it was the whole game by Ryan Day, Kevin Wilson, Larry Johnson, and the rest of the crew. Things this team did poorly last year they have done well through two games this season. They are showing improvement in key areas and Ryan Day is putting his stamp on this team and this program.
Glass Half Empty: It’s only been the first two weeks of the season. It’s very difficult to put so much stock in such early games (even though that’s what we writers do) and Ohio State may not face a stiff test and find out what they’re made of until a road trip to Nebraska who lost a heartbreaker today.
Glass Half Full: They are checking off all the boxes they should be at this point. Is the secondary, linebackers, and defense vastly improved so far? Yes. Is Justin Fields the real deal so far? Yes. Is this staff, players, and program in sync so far? Yes. Have the Ohio State Buckeyes shown that they so far have what it takes to win and contend for championships? Yes. That’s all Buckeye fans and Ohio ask for. So far.
2014 Moment: J.K. Dobbins 60-yard touchdown run. Dobbins is a complete back with shiftiness, hard-nosed, tough running, and speed to leave defenders eating his dust. He can catch passes out of the backfield very well too. He’s going for his third straight 1,000-yard season and maybe catching a guy named Zeke on the Ohio State career rushing leaders list.
2002 Moment: Tuf Borland’s interception. Just when it looked like the Buckeyes may lose their shutout and UC was in the RedZone, Tuf Borland came up with a great interception for the defense. Borland brought up shades of Hall of Famer A.J. Hawk as he sprinted down the sideline, except Hawk probably wouldn’t have been caught. Still Borland’s play was showing a massive improvement in the Buckeye linebacking corps in defending the pass and improvement is what any good competitor should be all about.
1968 Moment: This has got to be the defense shutting out UC and the offense committing no turnovers. Both are qualities of champions. No matter who you play, keeping an opponent off the scoreboard is no easy task and deserves a hat tip, even when done by a perennial elite program like the Buckeyes, and while many teams aim for no turnovers and winning the turnover margin, getting it done is another thing a team should be proud of.
