A Win is a Win, Right?

Ohio State took care of business against Buffalo this weekend, at least in terms of getting the fairly comfortable win, right? They looked dominate at times, hopelessly sloppy at others, and actually got a bit of a break when a penalty on Buffalo’s defense wiped out another turnover that might just have made the game uncomfortable. For game 1, some of that is understandable.

On the other hand, some of it is just not understandable at all. It was the defense that was the question mark coming in, with 10 new starters thanks to much of the front 7 graduating, and the suspension of Bradley Roby at cornerback, yet 13 of Buffalo’s points came off of turnovers. The defense actually played fairly well, it was sloppy play from the offense, the strength of the team, that allowed Buffalo to hang around.

Specifically, I was not impressed with the play of the offensive line. Sure, the running game, led by Jordan Hall’s 159 yards and 2TDs, was solid. All too often, however, the pass protection broke down. Coach Urban Meyer needs to get that group squared away if the Buckeyes are going to repeat last season’s 12-0 run. Throw in 9 penalties for 94 yards, and the team will have plenty to improve on against San Diego State next week. I’m sure they will want to clean up some of that sloppy play against the Aztecs, and not have that lingering into the trip to Cal. I expect OSU to be favored in that game, but any time you head West for what will likely be the Bears best shot, you need to be at your best.

Here’s to the team not stepping off the gas and getting sloppy after one quarter this coming week!