#1 Ohio State 37, Ohio 9

Don't let this score fool you. Ohio gave Ohio State a game for at least a half and then some. The spread was 28 points, and the Buckeyes covered. But the Bobcats showed why they're a MAC Championship contender. They hung with the top team in the country for a while until the natural talent gap showed up. Hats off to Ohio and first-year head coach Brian Smith for coming into The 'Shoe and doing their best with what they have. I tip my hat to them.

But what were the strong points for Ohio State, and how'd they climb to 3-0 on the young season? Let's take a look at the Keys to Victory!

Solid Defense

Yes, it's Ohio. But in games where the Buckeyes are expected to win going away, one of the things I look for is whether or not Ohio State keeps up the intensity. Especially on defense. And the way the Buckeyes continuously rallied to the football to make solid tackles, and contained the Bobcats' best athletes, lets me know this unit still wants to continue playing at a high level. No matter who the opponent is. No coasting, no hangover during winnable games, no sleepwalking. And I think that comes from great coaching and upholding an already high standard.

I'm obviously not in the locker room. If I were, I would absolutely LOVE to interview Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia! The guy's obsession with the smallest details and the intricacies of schemes is insane! But Matt Patricia holds himself to an extremely high standard as a coach.

The Silver Bullets already play at a naturally high level when it comes to talent and expectations. But when they have a coordinator like Matt Patricia guiding them, we see what we saw tonight: They contained Ohio's best athletes, and held the Bobcats to 181 total yards (113 passing yards, 68 rushing yards). Minus that lone touchdown by Ohio wideout Chase Hendricks, the Buckeyes played lockdown D. Can't ask for much more than that.

Super Sayin?

I'm sorry folks. I had to. I was born in 1991. I'm a 90s kid who grew up watching Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. I had to slip that reference in there somewhere, haha. Our quarterback isn't Goku, but hopefully by the end of the season, he's pretty close right?

All jokes aside, For the second week in a row, Ohio State let Julian Sayin off the leash, and let him take deep shots to some of the best wideouts in the country. It was fun to watch!

In a 70-0 thrashing of poor Grambling State last week, Sayin was near perfect, going 18-19 for 306 passing yards, four touchdowns and an interception.

Tonight against Ohio, he lit up the scoreboard yet again, going 25-32 for 347 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Sayin needs to cut down on forcing some of these throws, and his receivers need to help him out more too. But it's better that he gets all the kinks out now, rather than have issues later in games against Illinois, Penn State or TTUN. I still have a wait and see attitude with this kid, but I do like what I see. He just seems calm, cool, collected in the pocket, and he doesn't seem to panic much. And when he is locked in, his throws just seem so smooth. His mechanics are fantastic!

But I'll tell you who else was fantastic tonight...

Jeremiah's Career Night!

Whenever Jeremiah Smith decides to go pro, and hang up the Scarlet and Gray, he might be the greatest wide receiver to ever play football at Ohio State, and could be a future Heisman Trophy winner if he keeps it up! Yes, I think he can achieve both those goals. But boy oh boy, is it fun watching him chase greatness!

And even though it was against the Bobcats tonight, #4 went OFF. Smith caught nine passes for 153 yards, and even scored the game-icing touchdown on a neat end-around reverse play. What can't this kid do?

Not only did the 19-year-old Sophomore have a fantastic night, but he also became the fastest Ohio State wideout to reach 1,500 career yards. He did it in just 19 games. When you consider the elite Buckeye company Jeremiah Smith is in, with guys like Ted Ginn Jr., Cris Carter, Terry Glenn, Ricky Dudley, David Boston and many others before him, that makes this achievement even more impressive!

The scary part? He's just getting started. I don't think he's even remotely played his best football yet. And I still say this even though he caught the pass that clinched the National Championship over Notre Dame last year. His ceiling is unknown. That should be terrifying for the rest of the college football world!

But for Buckeye fans, it's a treat to watch every game!

Unfortunately we'll have to wait a week to see Jeremiah and the rest of his Ohio State teammates in action. The Buckeyes have the week off next week, before beginning their Big Ten slate with a road game at Washington on September 27th.

Until then, GO BUCKS!!!

Statistical Leaders

Julian Sayin: 25-32, 347 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs

Bo Jackson: 9 carries, 109 yards

Jeremiah Smith: 9 receptions, 153 yards, TD

Source

ESPN

Picture Credit

eliotlaketoday.com