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Ohio State Football: 2016 Season Is Far From Over

By Ryan Rosko

Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer leads his team on the field prior to the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer leads his team on the field prior to the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Despite last night’s setback, Ohio State can and will have a very successful season.

Losing to Penn State was not something the Ohio State football program or their fans envisioned. Yet, it happened. The level of play was horrible all around as the coaching was just as bad.

Still, losing this game could be good for such a young team. Like you, I do not want to see the Buckeyes lose, but if they had to, hopefully they can learn from their mistakes. Then after learning from them, Ohio State can go out and destroy the rest of their schedule.

The loss pushed Ohio State out of the playoff picture for the moment. However, their season is far from over. The Buckeyes can still win not only the Big 10 Conference, but also the 2016 Playoff.

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To get to that point, adjustments will need to be made and there is no reason not to think that won’t happen. Going forward, Ohio State will have to run the table, including a win over Michigan the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Right now, there are doubts, rightfully so, but yesterday morning Ohio State was the second best team in the country. The Buckeyes are more than capable of winning, they just cannot play like they did yesterday.

Also, OSU will need Penn State to lose again. I give them credit for winning, but by the end of the season, they will lose once more. Perhaps even multiple times.

Each level of Ohio State’s football program had a hand n the loss. Quarterback J.T. Barrett struggled yet again. He has so much talent, but does not always display that like his counterparts across the country.

What the loss boiled down to was Ohio State’s horrific offensive line play and coaching. It was easy to lose track of how many times the linemen made so made mistakes so early.  As far the coaching goes, what can I say, they all (including head coach Urban Meyer) had one of, if not their worst games since coming to Columbus.

Although Ohio State’s defense kept them in the game, too many times Penn State was able to either extend plays or make more plays down field than they should. With the talent Ohio State has on defense, no such thing should occur. That falls back on defensive coordinator Luke Fickell.

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On offense, they were a complete mess. How does H-Back Curtis Samuel not get a rushing attempt until the third quarter? Offensive coordinators Ed Warinner and Time Beck, along with Meyer did not put Barrett in a position to succeed.

Besides, like with multiple quarterbacks, with two OCs, Ohio State does not have one. They are too predictive. When it comes to a put up or shut up play that determines a game, how can one be confident that the same play over and over again will lead to a win? It simply cannot.

Regardless of what happens this season, changes must happen with the coaching staff. From moving on from Fickell (which should have happened even before Meyer became coach) to settling on one OC, and more, the coaching staff cannot stay the same.

Next: Slow Start Led To OSU's Loss

Going forward, Ohio State is going to be better. Such goals like the Big 10 Championship game and the playoff is still possible. However, in order to take care of their business for any chance of participating, their approach must change; Something that should be expected.

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