Ohio State Football: Week 1 win is great, but struggles early were a concern
By Ric McElroy
Ohio State got the win in Week 1, but it didn’t appear that was going to happen early on.
College football is back, thank God! However, The Ohio State University showed that things haven’t changed. The wide outs, tight ends, backs and any other play-maker ran their routes but still struggled to separate from Indiana’s defensive backs.
Poor J.T. Barrett had all kinds of trouble finding anyone open. The Buckeyes took the opening kickoff and drove down the field but stalled and had to settle for a field goal.
If it weren’t for their troubles running or throwing, perhaps they could have gained more. Subsequently, Indiana then their respective kickoff and drove the length of the field for a touchdown.
Later on, Indiana drove down the field again and scored another touchdown, this time from Simmie Cobbs. Cobbs and the rest of the WR corps had their way with the young Buckeye defensive backs. As a result, Indians then led 14-6.
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Finally, the Buckeyes got the running game going via true freshman JK Dobbins and later near the goal with Antonio Williams who scored from a yard out.
Both teams went back and forth to start the third quarter but the Buckeyes got more out of their running game as the game progressed. For some reason, Ohio State went on forth and two around the Indiana thirty yard line. Yet, the run backfired after Parish Campbell dropped a pass in the end zone the play before.
Combining the passing and running of Barrett and Dobbins, the Buckeyes took the lead on a two yard Barrett dive. The defense picked up their play simultaneously along with the offense!
Indiana though did follow up and scored on a touchdown pass from Richard Lagow. One play after the kickoff, Barrett connected with Campbell for 74 yards to take back their lead. The third lead change in the third quarter resulted in Ohio State being ahead 27-21!
Ohio State continued to hold onto the lead and scored again, this time on a 59 yard play fro, Johnnie Dixon. Barrett skirts into the endzone for a two point conversion increasing the lead to 35-21.
The Buckeyes recovered an Indiana fumble deep in Hoosiers territory and scored on the next play from Barrett to Benjimen Victor. It looks like that took the wind was taken out of Indiana following that series!
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Williams ultimately scored his second touchdown of the night from 5 yards out. It was all Buckeyes in the second half as they took the game 49-21! Now it is time to look forward to the Oklahoma game next week at 7:30 PM.