Ohio State’s Defense Steps Up But Jones Was Benched

Sep 19, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman Joey Bosa (97) tackles Northern Illinois Huskies punter Jake Ambrose on a botched snap during the second quarter at Ohio Stadium. The game is tied 10-10 at half. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Despite opening as a 35 point favorite, Ohio State struggled to get through another unranked opponent. Factory of Sadness has everything you need to know about Saturday afternoon’s game, from the highlights, standout players, and numbers behind the Buckeye’s home opening win.

Ohio State entered the game favored by more than 30 points against Northern Illinois. However, while watching the first half of Saturday’s match up, you would have thought that Ohio State was the underdog. The first two series saw two turnovers from the Buckeyes.

On the very first drive, QB Cardale Jones overthrew H-Back Braxton Miller by five yards for an interception. Jones’ interception lead to a Huskies touchdown three plays later. On the second drive, RB Ezekiel Elliott took a poor exchange from Jones up the middle for what would have been a first down. Unfortunately, the ball was punched out and recovered by the NIU defense.

The Buckeyes ended the first quarter with only two first downs and 79 yards of total offense. Their offense play  continued the malaise from last week against Hawaii despite a full week of preparation and practice. Had it not been for a CB Eli Apple interception after the Elliot fumble, the crowd might have been out of midway through the first.

The second quarter didn’t start any better. Jones, after watching Elliott run through NIU defenders all three plays before, threw his second pick of the day while trying to force a pass into double coverage. Thankfully, the Silver Bullets held the Huskies in check most of the first quarter.

Ohio State held NIU to a field goal after Jones’ second interception and forced a bad snap on a punt on their first series after WR Michael Thomas’ circus touchdown grab.

Thomas’ 23 yard catch along the side of the endzone was yet another example of why he’s being considered a potential first rounder for the upcoming 2016 NFL Draft. But the story of that catch was the quarterback that threw it to him. After watching Jones struggle through most of the first half, QB J. T. Barrett was called in for relief.

I know Ohio State fans everywhere are enamored with Jones’ arm strength, but Barrett’s incredible accuracy was on display on the Thomas touchdown throw.

Despite being called in relief, even Barrett couldn’t save the Buckeyes from some ugly numbers from the first half:

– 143 total yards

– 5 total first downs

– 4.3 yards per play

– 3 turnovers

Barrett wasn’t much better. After Elliott had some success on the ground, the offense settled for a field goal on their first drive of the second half and then Barrett threw an interception on their second drive. The only positives of the Barrett led offense was a faster tempo and Elliott averaging 4.7 yards per carry.

In fact, I would argue that Elliot was underutilized all day. 23 carries isn’t usually something you see from a back not getting the ball enough, but with both quarterbacks struggling, why not lean on your most steady player? Why not give the ball to a guy that has gone over 100 yards in his last eight games?

Much like last week against Hawaii, the Buckeyes defense was the story of the day. Darron Lee jumped a screen, intercepted the ball, and ran it back 41 yards for a touchdown the play immediately after Barrett’s interception. On the day, the Ohio State defense surrendered only 190 yards to a Huskies offense. Coming into today’s game, NIU had averaged well over 500 yards a contest.

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For the second week in a row, Ohio State gave up fewer the 100 passing yards, giving up only 80 to NIU quarterback Drew Hare. Big play threat WR Kenny Golladay  had only 3 catches for 19 yards, proving yet again that the secondary for this Buckeye team might actually be the best part of the entire defense.

Ohio State is fortunate that Western Michigan is next on the schedule. After watching Ohio State struggle against fellow MAC school Northern Illinois, the Buckeyes are in serious jeopardy of losing their number one ranking. That  especially is the case with No.2 Alabama facing No. 18 Ole Miss in prime time. Now facing a genuine quarterback controversy and an offense desperately seeking a spark, head coach Urban Meyer’s squad has a lot of work to do.

Saturday Superlatives

Game MVP: Adolphus Washington

There’s no way we can even consider a Buckeyes offensive player here. The one positive of the entire day was the play of the front four from the Silver Bullets. Washington made his presence felt all day and was a major reason why Northern Illinois couldn’t take advantage of the Buckeye’s poor play.

Since we can only pick one MVP, we’ll stick with the guy that flashed the most all day to help make up for a lackluster performance from the offense.

Play of the Game: Darron Lee’s Interception

The Buckeye offense was reeling all day long and even prompted a quarterback change. Yet Barrett threw an interception stopping a drive that was really humming. Enter Derron Lee, who jumped a screen pass and never looked back.

Under the Radar Player of the Game: Shawun Lurry

In all ways, the Northern Illinois secondary stepped up big time. All Lurry did to force Jones out of the game was pick him off twice. Lurry continued to fly all over the field and made a great play on a deep attempt to Jalin Marshall in the second half. A big reason why this game was so close was because Lurry limited the Buckeyes playmakers in the passing game.

Next: The Game By The Numbers