Ohio State spanked the Miami RedHawks today, winning 56-10. It was the kind of game that probably is a coach’s dream — a comfortable win, but chock full of errors that will keep players and coaches focused on improvement.
The Buckeyes scored 35 points in a row to put the game away. They got a special teams touchdown, a good thing for a team looking to significantly improve its special teams play. Ohio State racked up 244 yards through the air and ran a lot of passing plays involving a lot of players. Braxton Miller had some great runs, and Devin Smith made one of the most unbelievable catches I’ve ever seen from a Buckeye receiver. The defense had two picks and held Miami — admittedly a pure passing team — to -1 yard on the ground. The back-up quarterback, Kenny Guiton, played significant minutes and looked comfortable running the offense. And no one got hurt, aside from Miller’s cramps.
At the same time, the coaches will have a lot of negatives to point out. The Buckeyes offense sputtered early — OSU trailed, 3-0, after the first quarter — and the offensive line looked shaky at times, giving up a number of sacks. The defense allowed more than 300 yards through the air and had some breakdowns early that produced huge Miami gains. Many Miami drives were stopped by its receivers dropping catchable balls , rather than rugged defensive plays by the Buckeyes.
Pulverizing an overmatched team doesn’t mean a whole lot, but I liked what I saw during the last three quarters of the game. I liked the hurry-up, I liked the mix of plays, and I liked the athleticism and skills of the players being showcased by Meyer’s new system. Today was an eminently acceptable start to the Urban Meyer era.
