Alas, despite the torrential downpour that consumed Columbus, Ohio on Saturday afternoon and the sluggish first half courtesy of the Buckeye offense, Ohio State still beat the Tulsa Golden Hurricane by 45 points. A week after Tulsa put up over 500 yards of offense, including 305 yards of rushing, against San Jose State (okay, not exactly a world beating team but bear with me here), the Silver Bullets limited the potent offense to just 185 yards of total offense. Once again, the Buckeye defense stole the show and is continuing to prove to be a strength of this team rather than a liability like most thought they would be this early in the season. Let's get into my observations from the soggy game that leads up to one of the biggest nonconference games of the college football season.
1. Offense goes from unstoppable to sluggish
Scoring a mere six points and registering no touchdowns in the first half is hardly the offensive production fans were expecting after watching the Buckeyes dominate against Bowling Green last week. In fact, the first offensive touchdown wasn't scored until J.T. Barrett ran into the end-zone midway through the third quarter. But despite the lackluster first half, the Buckeyes picked it up in the second half, with Barrett scoring twice, and Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson each scoring once.
Even with this lackluster performance, I would much rather it have happened in this game rather than against Oklahoma this coming weekend where mistakes like these will be much less forgivable. The positive side is that after struggling in the first half, the adjustments made in the locker room produced results after the rain eased up. The ability to adjust on the fly to counter what the defense is showing is certainly something this team will need on the road in Norman this weekend.
2. Defensive dominance
Let's be blunt here: the Silver Bullets have been incredible over the first two games. Most everyone expected the defense to take a step back after losing nine starters and three out of four players from the secondary. Instead, this young and speedy defense has absolutely destroyed two of the top fifteen offenses from the 2015 season in Bowling Green and now Tulsa, having yet to surrender a touchdown. Sure, personnel changes might make those teams not as good as last year, but that's still a huge feat for a team that many have overlooked.
Malik Hooker registered another interception, returning this one for a touchdown. Fellow first-year starter Marshon Lattimore decided not to take a backseat to the guy who's getting all the praise, picking off two passes and returning one for a touchdown as well. Gareon Conley also had an interception, which brings Ohio State's season total to seven interceptions (tied for most in FBS) and two fumble recoveries as well. If the Buckeyes can force these kinds of mistakes against the Sooners, I like our chances, even in a hostile environment.
3. Special teams finally participate
After punting only once against Bowling Green, Cameron Johnston and walk-on kicker Tyler Durbin finally got some in-game reps. Johnston punted five times for an average of 51 yards, and Durbin nailed two chip shot field goals in the first half. While this may sound like a moot point, it's important to get this kind of experience before experiencing a huge road game on a huge national stage. Johnston has all kinds of big game experience under his belt already, but I was happy that Durbin wouldn't be attempting his first collegiate field goal on the road in Oklahoma. I now have slightly more confidence that if it came down to a last-minute field goal to win the game, Durbin could deliver if called upon.
This game against Tulsa simply served a tune-up in my mind. As always there were plenty of things that could, and will be, corrected before Saturday night in prime time. Though I would love to travel to Norman, Oklahoma to watch what should be a great game between two historically great teams, I will instead be on my couch losing my mind. I think it's a very winnable game for this young squad, and I look forward to freaking out about the game whether we win or lose.
