COLUMBUS — The Ohio State Buckeyes topped the Minnesota Golden Gophers 30-14 on Saturday in a win that was far from perfect.
That was a fact Urban Meyer acknowledged postgame, saying his team is going to have to “get some things fixed.”
Here are three takeaways from the victory:
1. Questions about the defense still are going unanswered. A similar takeaway to one we had after Ohio State’s win against Indiana. Yes, the defense made some big plays in the second half, including Isaiah Pryor’s fourth-quarter interception. But the secondary in particular struggled against slant routes as the Gophers racked up 178 rushing yards, 157 of which came from Mohamed Ibrahim. While it shut out the Gophers in the second half, the negatives in the first half were the same ones Ohio State has struggled with throughout the season.
2. The offense still is struggling to find balance. In order to have any kind of meaningful success, the Buckeyes are going to have to find a way to balance their run and pass game. They got 412 passing yards from Dwayne Haskins, but just 92 rushing yards as a team. Obviously, Haskins is good enough to seemingly will the Buckeyes past most teams (and all of their opponents to date). But as K.J. Hill said postgame, tougher teams in the Big Ten will make more adjustments to contain Haskins’ arm. That makes it important for the Buckeyes to be able to counter with the run.
3. The offensive line’s weaknesses are still glaring. Postgame, Meyer said short yardage, the red zone, and running the ball are not strengths right now. In this one, they allowed three sacks to a Minnesota defense that had recorded just eight as a team through their first five games. As the line improves, so should the Buckeyes’ run game. Until then, it likely will be more of the same.
Contact Ashley Bastock at: abastock@theblade.com or 419-345-5214. or on Twitter @AshleyBastock42.
First Published October 14, 2018, 12:45 p.m.
