While We’re Waiting… Jason Campbell, Cody Allen, and Corey Hart
October 27, 2013Win over Abbotsford takes Monsters to .500
October 27, 2013686 total yards. 408 yards rushing. 63 points. 9 touchdowns.
I could stop there, because in a way that really says it all. For the sake of storytelling, however, I’ll continue. Braxton Miller looked as good as he has in scarlet and gray. Carlos Hyde continued to build on the momentum of his last two performances. But, even more important than that, the defense was effective and forced turnovers. Because of it, Urban Meyer’s Bucks were able to avenge the 63-14 loss against the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley in 1994 by the same margin.
The first drive really set the tone for the rest of the night with the Bucks scoring in a 7-play, 75-yard drive that took just under two and a half minutes. Exploiting the perimeter of the PSU defense and throwing several times on first down, Miller was able to work his team down the field quickly with completions to Hyde, Spencer, and Smith before Hyde punched it in from 2 yards out. Penn State looked poised to answer back, driving the ball all the way down to the OSU 12 yard line. From there, on 3rd-and-5, freshman quarterback Christian Hackenberg threw an interception into the end zone as safety Corey “Pittsburgh” Brown dropped into coverage and picked it off to stop the Nittany Lion momentum.
Ohio State’s offense just kept on rolling and rolling and rolling. In 7 first half drives, the Buckeyes punted just once (on their second possessions) and had touchdowns to show for the other six trips on extended drives, ranging from 45 to 88 yards in length. The second drive was a mix of Miller and Hyde runs before Braxton broke one up the gut and bounced it outside for a 39 yard score to make it 14-0. After a sack and forced fumble by Noah Spence that was all-but-recovered by Tommy Schutt, Hackenberg through another pick right into the hands of the other starting senior safety C.J. Barnett, who played the route perfectly as the receiver fell to the ground. With a short field, a mix of Miller and Hyde runs coupled with a 20-yard completion to Evan Spencer got the Buckeyes down to the goal line where Miller took it himself for his second rushing touchdown of the game. Multiple rushing touchdowns was something Miller had not accomplished since last year’s Penn State matchup.
After a Penn State three and out, Miller marched OSU down on a 8-play, 60-yard drive, capped by a touchdown toss to Chris Fields to make it 28-0. Penn State got on the board with a 79-yard drive aided by a Ryan Shazier horse collar penalty that finishes with a Hackenberg throw to Brandon Felder. But, Ohio State was not about to let Penn State back into the ballgame. The electric Dontre Wilson bolted for a 49-yard kickoff return that got the Bucks into Penn State territory, and two plays later, Carlos Hyde had a 39-yard touchdown sprint of his own to push the lead back out to four scores. Just for good measure and to remove all doubt, the Buckeyes got the ball back on their own 16 with 55 second left and marched right down the field again. Runs by Hyde (18 yards) and Miller (12) allowed them to get to midfield and get aggressive. It was then that Miller found Corey “Philly” Brown for passes of 23 and 25 yards, the second being a touchdown to continue Philly’s knack for late first-half magic. At the half, the Buckeyes had amassed 414 total yards of offense and 42 points without a turnover and only one punt.
There’s no doubt that Miller’s playing his best football as a Buckeye right now. In situations where he would take off without thinking, he’s standing in the pocket and delivering strikes 15 or 20 yards down the field to receivers. He still has the instincts to take off when there’s imminent pressure, as Penn State apply plenty of it. But, Miller’s improvisational abilities trumped it. How can you expect to contain a mobile quarterback who has skill position players capable of coming down with on-the-run throws? Mix that in with the workhorse that is Carlos Hyde, and opposing defensive coordinators are left scratching their heads. Braxton was 18-of-24 for 252 yards to go with 2 passing scores. On the ground, he carried 11 times for 68 yards and 2 scores. Braxton’s completion percentage the last two games has been phenomenal (a total of 10 balls have hit the ground), and when he’s playing at this level, the sky’s the limit for the Bucks. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention here that the nation’s best backup quarterback, Kenny Guiton, ran for two scores in relief of Braxton, including one where Miller was split out wide.
Then, there’s Carlos Hyde, who I wish could play double duty for the Ohio teams and start today in Kansas City. Hyde’s come back strong off the suspension, and he’s showing a Beanie Wells-type quality to him in the ability to say “give me the ball 30 times and get on my back”. Hyde ran 16 times for 147 yards and 1 touchdown. With 590 yards rushing on the season and four regular season games left to play (and potentially two more), Hyde’s keeping the chances of becoming Urban Meyer’s first 1000 yard running back alive. The ability to have two guys out on the field that can beat you so many ways in the running game is invaluable, and it’s taken Ohio State’s offense to the next level. The final count (yes, it’s worth mentioning again)? 686 total yards, 408 yards rushing (the most Penn State has EVER allowed), and 63 points (the most Penn State has allowed since 1899!).
One final note goes to the defense. For one night anyway, the Silver Bullet mentality seemed to be back. Ohio State forced three turnovers (they recovered a second-half fumble as well), got to the quarterback with 4 sacks, and they allowed just 14 points. The only thing Penn State did decent was execute on third down, where they were 8-of-16. The standouts were Ryan Shazier (10 tackles, 1 sack), Bradley Roby (5 tackles, 2 passed broken up), C.J. Barnett (5 tackles, 1 INT, 1 pass breakup), and Spence (4 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble). With Christian Bryant lost for the rest of the regular season at least, the Bucks will need Shazier, Roby, and Barnett to continue to show leadership and elevate the play of this unit.
The nation’s quietest 20-game win streak marches on with the Buckeyes likely to stay at #4 in the BCS standings when they come out tonight. The Buckeyes will have to hope for some losses ahead of them in the weeks ahead all the while taking care of their own business. Next up is the lowly 1-6 Purdue Boilermakers in West Lafayette. If you thought this game was ugly, look out for next week.
(Photo: Adam Cairns/The Columbus Dispatch)
2 Comments
The key was the D. That INT in the end zone changed the tone of the game bc PSU was driving just like Iowa did. Love seeing the Bucks keep the pedal to the floor too. Run up the damn score.
Buckeyes still ranked #4 in the AP Poll, but I have the feeling that Purdue could be a trap game. They must NOT be overlooked, especially since the Buckeyes have had scares against them in recent years.