A week after the Buckeyes won their season-opening game against Bowling Green by 67 points, fourth-ranked Ohio State won in another blowout, beating Tulsa, 48-3, on Saturday. Interception returns by Malik Hooker and Marshon Lattimore were the only times the Buckeyes got into the end zone in the first half. It also showed Ohio State’s overall talent advantage is hard for most schools to overcome.
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Tulsa had 204 total yards.
The Buckeyes had a massive advantage in the yardage battle, out-gaining the Hurricane, 417-189, Tulsa accumulating just 61 rush yards on the game.
Ohio State running back Curtis Samuel, right, cuts up field against Tulsa defensive back Jordan Mitchell during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio.
But don’t be fooled by the numbers. J.T. Barrett completed 21 of 31 passes for 349 yards and six touchdowns against an interception while Joe Burrow added 68 yards and a touchdown in 6-for-8 passes. Tulsa and Ohio State met for the first time. Tulsa showed it could have what it takes to be competitive in the American Athletic Conference this season, until they started making mistakes that could not stop developing.
Mike Weber led the team with 92 yards on the ground and had a third-quarter touchdown.
Tulsa drove to the OSU 46 but on a third-and-9 sophomore end Sam Hubbard sacked Kane for a 11-yard loss.
Two interceptions returned for touchdowns and two field goals gave Ohio State a 20-3 halftime lead.
Junior cornerback Gareon Conley frustrated the Hurricane on the last play of the quarter when he tackled receiver Justin Hobbs just shy of a first down at the Hurricane 44. Sloppy offensive play and little movement by either team’s offensive units kept things close throughout the first quarter.
The Buckeyes face a tough test next week in Norman, Oklahoma, against the Sooners.
The hour-long break seemed to create a spark for OSU on both sides of the ball, as Tulsa failed to score during the second half. Tulsa started from its own 17 and Hooker stepped in front of an Evans pass on the first play and ran untouched 16 yards for his third interception of the young season. Then with 33 seconds left in the half, Lattimore returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown.
Another long drive (84 yards, six plays) resulted in the first OSU TD for Weber, from the 1, with 47 seconds to go in the third.
Heisman watch: J.T. Barrett followed his seven-touchdown performance in the season opener with two rushing touchdowns in this game.
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Barrett’s 5-yard run with 11:15 remaining in the game made it 41-3 and senior H Dontre Wilson scored from the 5 with 5:58 left.
