Ohio State Offense Shows Up, Leads Win Over WMU

Sep 26, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer celebrates with his team following the game against the Western Michigan Broncos at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won the game 38-12. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

After two weeks of watching Ohio State get bailed out by their defense, the Buckeyes looked like a much more complete team Saturday against Western Michigan. Factory of Sadness has everything you need to know about Saturday’s game, including the outstanding players, key moments, and numbers behind the Buckeyes win.

It’s no secret that the offense has been scuffling for the Ohio State Buckeyes in the last two weeks against Hawaii and Northern Illinois. With another MAC opponent in Western Michigan, Ohio State had another opportunity to shake off the rust and get back to peak form.

Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer changed the game plan before the very first snap by making a couple of key decisions. First, Tim Beck and Ed Warinner changed places for game day.

Beck, the new co-offensive coordinator, spent the game up in the booth primarily calling plays. Warinner, the team’s offensive line coach and usual play caller, moved to the sideline to better work with his group.

More importantly, Warinner surrendered primary play calling duties to Beck and Meyer, a move that paid early dividends.

The second decision Meyer made is really what helped Beck call a better offensive attack: play faster. The first drive was the very definition of this approach, as QB Cardale Jones hit WR Michael Thomas for a 38 yard score as part of a 3 play drive that covered  65 yards in 49 seconds.

The total number of snaps were limited for the Ohio State offense. They racked up 275 yards while holding the ball for only 10:11 in the first half on a mere 33 plays (18.5 seconds per play).

The tempo worked, as the Buckeyes hit 8.3 yards per play after back to back weeks of only around 4 yards per play in the first half.

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Though the offense was doing well, that was not the case for the defense. Ohio State’s defense had been so strong this season, but they struggled early in the first half. Western Michigan held a 12:40 to 2:20 time of possession advantage in the first quarter, while gaining a whopping 154 total yards. 87 of those yards came on the ground in the first quarter.

The biggest Broncos play came when WR Daniel Braverman beat CB Marshon Lattimore badly on an out and up for a 55 yard touchdown grab. The Broncos gained 235 total yards in all by the end of the half. 84 of the 235 yards came on the ground, which showed the defense at least improved some against the run as the game progressed.

But those were the only highlights early for the Broncos. They had multiple special teams miscues, including a blocked field goal and another that was tipped. They also missed the extra point following the Baverman score and had a touchdown called back because of a holding penalty.

Two long drives, one of 15 plays and one of 13 plays resulted in zero points because of those mistakes. However, the biggest error was also one of the most exciting plays of the year!

Western Michigan set up a screen pass to the right side of the field, but a missed block and a poor throw allowed a leaping DL Adolphus Washington to intercept the pass and rumble 20 yards for a touchdown.

Jones then led an 11 play, 59 yard drive to end the first half, which despite ending with a grounding penalty, showcased the value of the new game plan. Jones looked sharp and decisive while making better throws down the field.

Save for the grounding penalty, Jones showed better poise in the pocket and a better approach, all while attacking more down the field. He ended the first half 13-19 for 226 yards and 2 touchdowns of 37 and 38 yards.

The story remained the same on offense to start the 3rd quarter. Jones hit four passes and had a great run on a draw to set up RB Ezekiel Elliott to score from five yards out.

Elliott himself, who many have clamored for to get even more touches for the struggling offense, carried the ball five times on the drive and gave birth to a new hashtag, #ZEKELEAP:

Western Michigan did manage a touchdown in the 3rd quarter on a one yard pass from Zach Terrell to Jeremiah Mullinax to cap off another long drive ( 12 plays, 57 yards) to answer the aforementioned Elliot touchdown. But the second half effort by the Silver Bullets really limited the Western Michigan attack, holding the Broncos to a mere 103 yards in the second half.

H-Back Curtis Samuel‘s career long 40 yard touchdown run allowed Meyer to pull Jones with 6:34 left in the 4th quarter. Barrett promptly underthrew one receiver and then was picked off on his next attempt, continuing the struggles of last year’s record setting starter.

Jones ended his afternoon only 19 of 33, but threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns with the one interception. Also, Elliott continued his streak of 100 yard rushing games, now with nine in a row after running for 124 yards on only 16 carries.

The 7.8 yards per carry is a big improvement from the last couple of weeks and shows that Warinner moving to the sidelines may have had a positive effect on the “Slobs” up front.

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