While most players have downplayed any added importance to the game, wide receiver Mark Andrews said there would be a difference this week.
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How Ohio State responds to an elite defense remains an open-ended question.
Ohio State Buckeyes fans may have entered the 2016 college football season with some concerns about their defense due to all all the players who jumped to the NFL.
With a big build and reliable hands, Andrews is one of the most unsafe pass catchers in the Big 12, and causes matchup nightmares with most any defense he comes up against.
Samuel again put together a solid game, catching five passes for 62 yards and rushing for 78 yards on eight carries. “They’ve got good players at every spot and they’re coached well which is obvious and you see the athleticism, the speed everywhere”. Excellent running back in Webber as well.
“I think going into this game knowing there’s a lot on this game there’s going to be some of the similar factors between last year and this year”.
Meyer is a primarily offensive-oriented coach, so he hasn’t watched much film of Oklahoma’s offense. The execution overall with the first whole group was really solid, really good. I realize that has no meaning concerning this matchup, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that Oklahoma’s defense is anything but shutdown. Now he’s Chin Chinchin, he claws the ball nice. “And I think that’s the main thing”. The Buckeyes know this game will be a bigger challenge. In addition to the two defensive scores, Ohio State limited Tulsa to only 21 yards of total offense in the second quarter. There is a clear identity built around QB J.T. Barrett, and there is also freedom to create something new.
“We started off slow, but we finished strong, and I liked our resiliency throughout the game”.
Urban Meyer’s record in road games at Ohio State is flawless, and this includes games against No. 20 Michigan State (2012), No. 16 Northwestern (2013), No. 8 Michigan State (2014) and No. 10 Michigan (2015). Let’s be honest. Ohio State is (really) good.
The quarterback of the defense, McMillan proved just how much he means the the young, inexperienced Silver Bullets this fall. One of the main components in the selection process for the four-team playoff is strength of schedule, so power programs can no longer afford to pad the first month of their schedules with no-name schools that get paid to take a beating. He has just four catches through two games for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Hubbard admitted that it was tough coming back and playing after the 50-minute weather delay at halftime. We handled it pretty well. “Our offense is balanced, but we like to run, and it’s going to be hard to get that going”.
The fact that this is Hooker’s first year as a starter is truly incredible.
Turning in a great defensive performance against the Buckeyes won’t absolve the unit of its mistakes against Houston, but it will at least give Stoops more confidence in his defense going forward this season.
The safety not only has a great ability to track the quarterback’s eyes and where the ball will be thrown to, but he can cover all areas of the field as well, as he explained following the game.
“We’ll see, those guys all played better outside of the one play, and that’s more of a mental error than anything. I try to spend a lot of time on that and be creative in how to get him involved”, Meyer said. However, OSU could only muster 89 yards rushing in the first half. “With that being said, it’s going to be very loud”.
Edward Warinner working out at one of Ohio State’s camps over the summer. This was my first pick six ever; I was excited to just get out there. “I think everyone around here’s excited about it”.
Not only have the Silver Bullets yet to give up a touchdown (only two field goals alllowed) in their first two games of the season, but their front-seven has dominated the opponents as well. The Sooners on the other hand, have a Texas team who have proven they are better.
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Against the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes, you can make the argument that the defense won the Buckeyes the game.
