That Balanced O

Sometimes in the wild world of college football, taking a week off is your best option. A week after rudely welcoming Maryland to the Big Ten – a performance that moved them from 20^th to 15^th in the AP poll – The Ohio State Buckeyes wawere idle and free to watch the chaos unfold. The result: another two-spot jump in the polls that has the Buckeyes back in the hunt as a dark horse contender for the inaugural college football playoff.

With the SEC West cannibalizing itself, Georgia and Florida State possibly losing their best players for the rest of the season, and the Pac-12 and Big 12 a mess, the door is open for Ohio State to mount a real challenge if they can win out. The November 9 showdown with Michigan State looms large, but the Buckeyes still have some work to do before the trip to East Lansing. Luckily, the past few weeks have seen the emergence of a balanced offense led by J.T. Barrett that should be able to challenge the Spartan defense.

Since the Virginia Tech debacle in Week 2, Barrett has found his stride in Urban Meyer’s up-tempo spread offense. While he’s not the dynamic home run threat as a runner that Braxton Miller is, he has been an effective ground threat running the read option to keep defenses honest. After posting 79 yards on 16 carries against Cincinnati, Barrett followed it up with 16 attempts for 71 yards in the victory over the Terps. He has been just one element of a balanced ground attack. Ezekiel Elliott has finally taken control of the number one job as many expected before the season started with 321 yards and a 6.2-yard average over the last two games. Dontre Wilson and Rod Smith are still getting regular touches with Curtis Samuel and Brionte Dunn also getting occasional chances.

Balance has also been the buzzword for the Buckeye passing game. Against Maryland, Barrett spread his 18 completions to nine different receivers. The week before against the Bearcats, it was 10 recipients for 26 completions. Those various receivers have settled into nice roles. Devin Smith is the deep threat. Dontre Wilson is the versatile playmaker who can be a threat from the slot or out of the backfield. Michael Thomas has begun to show signs that he could become a number one wideout in the future with plays like this one that was somewhat reminiscent of his uncle Keyshawn Johnson. Jeff Heuerman has four catches over the last two games which doesn’t sound like much until you remember that he didn’t have a single reception in the first three games of the season. Nick Vannett has shown flashes of pass catching ability from the other tight end spot. Corey Smith and Evan Spencer have been there to make plays with defenses focused elsewhere. The various running backs have contributed in the passing game.

All of those threats have combined to equal an effective and efficient J.T. Barrett. Preseason concerns have been replaced with almost full trust in the young Texan as he’s quickly begun to resemble a mature signal caller. If the current trajectory continues, Meyer and Tom Hermann will have to feel cautiously optimistic about the Buckeye offense’s chances against the vaunted Michigan State defense. But first Ohio State has to take care of business this weekend, when they’ll hope to replicate the Big Ten welcome they gave Maryland against fellow conference debutant Rutgers in Columbus.

Many bemoaned the Scarlet Knights as an unworthy addition to the conference. But with traditional powers like Michigan (whom Rutgers beat two weekends ago) and Wisconsin faltering and programs like Purdue and Illinois dragging the whole Big Ten down, Kyle Flood’s squad has been a welcome surprise at 5-1 with a three-point loss to Penn State the only blemish on their record.

The Scarlet Knights will have high hopes for their matchup with the Buckeyes. But, then again, so did Maryland.