Post-Game News & Notes
1. Prior to the season, we knew very little about this Buckeye team. We knew that Chase Young and Jeffrey Okudah were All Americans; that Jordan Fuller and K.J Hill and Malik Harrison and Shaun Wade were solid players; that Larry Johnson, Sr. and Brian Hartline were excellent coaches and recruiters. Just about everybody else was a question mark.
Justin Fields was a talented transfer who'd basically never played; Jonah Jackson was a seasoned transfer who'd excelled at a lousy program. Would J.K. Dobbins be a Heisman-caliber running back like 2017, or a huge disappointment like 2018? And could Master Teague be a viable second option if Dobbins continued to regress? Josh Myers and Wyatt Davis and Nicholas Petit-Frere were 5-star prospects who'd barely seen the field; Brandon Bowen and Thayer Munford and Austin Mack were recovering from injuries. Chris Olave had shown flashes of brilliance in a couple of games at the end of last season, while Binjimen Victor had shown flashes of brilliance for three years without every really putting it all together. Jashon Cornell and Jonathan Cooper were a 5-star semi-busts, while Davon Hamilton and Robert Landers were 3-star overachievers. We expected that Tuf Borland would be too slow, Pete Werner would be out of position, Baron Browning would be an enigma, Damon Arnette would be getting beat deep, and Blake Haubeil would shank kicks. How could Ryan Day replace a legend without suffering a drop off in production? And how could we expect anything good from a couple of Michigan retreads on the defensive staff?
We are now eight games into the season. Most of the questions marks have been replaced with results, and vast majority of results have been overwhelmingly positive. Justin Fields has played far better than we could have hoped, while J.K Dobbins has not only returned to his 2017 form but well exceeded it. And despite limited playing time, Master Teague has emerged as one of the best backs in the country. The offensive line has gelled nicely, with Myers and Davis looking like future All Americans. Chris Olave has developed into one of the best wide receivers in the country, and true freshman Garrett Wilson has shown flashes of star potential; on the downside, Victor and Mack and Hill have been somewhat disappointing. We easily recognized Chase Young's greatness, but he has far surpassed any reasonable expectations. Cornell has made more big plays in eight games than the rest of his career combined, while the other defensive linemen have all made solid contributions. Tuf Borland is still too slow, but he has a role on this defense, while Baron Browning has proven to be a monster with athleticism to spare. Peter Werner just keeps making plays and never seems to be out of position in this revamped defense. Even Damon Arnette is playing at a high level, with few mistakes and penalties. And what happened to Blake Haubeil? Formerly a liability, he is now drilling 50-yard field goals like an NFL veteran. Ryan Day looks like a coaching genius, and the Michigan retreads have completely revitalized a moribund defense.
2. Now onto the Wisconsin game. The final score was Ohio State 38, Wisconsin 7. It could have 45-7, but Ohio State called off the dogs and ran out the clock. Indoors on a fast track, it could have 59-7. Ohio State was just that dominant. Wisconsin got their only score thanks to a semi-blocked punt followed by a mini arm punt. Ohio State scored pretty much at will.
3. Justin Fields' performance ran the gamut from awesome to awful. He was 12 of 22 for 167 yards, 2 touchdowns, no interceptions; he was also sacked 5 times for 36 yards lost. The weather, the quality of the opponent, some dropped passes, and some offensive line miscues impacted the passing game, but Fields still has plenty of room for improvement. In the end, Fields didn't turn the ball over; made some big plays in key moments; and effectively managed the game when the Buckeyes got a three-score lead.
4. The Buckeyes were able to pull away from Wisconsin primarily because of the running of J.K. Dobbins, who had 20 carries for 163 yards (8.2 average) and 2 touchdowns, as well as 3 receptions for 58 yards. After what can only be described as a mediocre season in 2018, Dobbins has re-emerged as a Heisman candidate in 2019. For the year, Dobbins has 154 carries for 1,110 yards (7.2 average) and 9 touchdowns, and 13 receptions for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns.
5. Dobbins cracked the 1,000-yard mark for the season, and he becomes just the second Buckeye (along with Archie Griffin) to have three 1,000-yard seasons at Ohio State. Dobbins is averaging 139 yards per game, and he is on pace for 1,804 yards for a 13-game season; 1,943 yards for a 14-game season; and 2,081 yards for a 15-game season.
6. Master Teague had 13 rushes for 76 yards (5.8 average), which showed that he was the second-best back on the field today.
7. Chris Olave had a career-best 7 receptions for 93 yards and 2 touchdowns. Fields-to-Olave should be a real thing down the stretch and into next season.
8. Chase Young is the best player in college football. PERIOD. The Predator had 4 sacks, another TFL, and forced a pair of fumbles. Wisconsin ran only 22 pass plays all game, and Young got sacks on 18.2% of those plays. That is simply unreal.
9. The defense as a whole stuffed Wisconsin's high-powered running attack all game long. Heisman hopeful Jonathan Taylor was held to 52 yards on 20 carries (2.6 average) and no touchdowns; the only spark that the Badgers could find was a 28-yard wildcat run that caught the Buckeyes off guard. As a team, Wisconsin had 34 rushes for 83 yards (2.4 average) and no touchdowns.
10. Wisconsin had a similar lack of success in the passing game, as starting quarterback Jack Coan was 10 of 17 for 108 yards, 1 touchdown, no interceptions; Coan was also sacked 5 times for 30 yards lost. Coan threaded the needle on a couple of passes for big gains (including the Badgers' lone score), but was mostly ineffective due to a combination of a strong pass rush and tight coverage downfield.
11. Wisconsin entered the game averaging 40 points, 444 yards (6.2 per play), and 24 first downs per game; and they were converting 52.0% percent of their 3rd downs. The Buckeye defense held the Badgers to 7 points, 191 total yards (3.5 per play), 9 first downs, and 4 of 13 (30.7%) on 3rd downs. Total domination.
12. Tommy Togiai saw significant playing time in the middle of the Buckeye defense and contributed 3 tackles and a sack.
13. A special shout out to Justin Hilliard, who is getting some meaningful playing time as he recovers from injury. Hilliard made a superb play when he tackled Jonathan Taylor for a 6-yard loss early in the second quarter. That play, as much as any other on the day, was a definitive statement from the Buckeye defense - the Silver Bullets are back, baby!
14. Blake Haubeil drilled a 49-yard field goal in conditions that were less than ideal. Haubeil has suddenly gone from a a liability to a weapon. A solid kicking game might be necessary down the road as the schedule gets more difficult (Penn State, Michigan, post-season).
15. The Buckeyes won the time of possession battle (31:58 to 28:02) against a Badgers teams that loves to grind out the clock.
16. The Buckeyes had only 2 penalties for 15 for yards; Wisconsin had 3 for 30 yards.
17. The Buckeyes won the turnover battle, 2 to 0; however, the Badgers did partially block a Buckeye punt.
18. Now comes a bye week followed by Maryland and Rutgers. Then the season begins for real.
