Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/616353
GAME PREVIEW: OHIO STATE Sept. 7: No. 1 Ohio State 42, Virginia Tech 24 Senior Braxton Miller — the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in 2012 and 2013 as a quarterback — made his debut at H-back for the Buckeyes, snagging three catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Miller also went viral on social media after unleashing a 53-yard touchdown rush that included a vicious spin move, emphatically announcing his return to college football after missing 2014 with a shoulder injury. The Hokies actually led 17-14 at halftime before the Buckeyes outscored them 14-0 in the third quarter to pull away. Sept. 12: No. 1 Ohio State 38, Hawaii 0 Ohio State couldn't assert itself early against the Rainbow Warriors — who were 42-point underdogs — before an eventual shutout win. The Buckeyes led only 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, 14-0 at halftime and 17-0 at the end of the third before running up the score late. Junior quarterback Cardale Jones completed 12 of 18 passes for only 111 yards with no touchdowns. Sept. 19: No. 1 Ohio State 20, Northern Illinois 13 The Buckeyes overcame five turnovers to emerge with a seven-point win, but it was not without controversy. Jones was benched in the second quarter after throwing two interceptions, in favor of redshirt sophomore quar- terback J.T. Barrett, who completed 11 of 19 passes for 97 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Ohio State's defense held the Huskies to just 190 yards of total offense to pull out the narrow win. Sept. 26: No. 1 Ohio State 38, Western Michigan 12 The struggling offense took a step forward in the 26-point win over the Broncos. Jones completed 19 of 33 throws for 288 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, and stud junior running back Ezekiel Elliott ran for 124 yards and a touchdown on only 16 carries. The Buckeyes led 24-6 at halftime before pulling away even more in the second stanza. Oct. 3: No. 1 Ohio State 34, Indiana 27 Ohio State clawed out its second one-score victory in three weeks against the Hoosiers in Bloomington. The Buckeyes trailed 10-6 at halftime before a monster second half from Elliott, who scored rushing touchdowns of 75, 65 and 55 yards. Elliott finished with 274 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. Oct. 10: No. 1 Ohio State 49, Maryland 28 Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer employed a new wrinkle in his offense — using Jones to start drives and move the ball down the field, then inserting Barrett in the red zone. It worked this game, as Jones completed 21 of 28 passes for 291 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and Ohio State scored a touchdown on all six trips inside the Maryland red zone. Barrett finished 2-of-2 passing for 26 yards, and ran the ball 12 times for 62 yards and three touchdowns. Oct. 17: No. 1 Ohio State 38, Penn State 10 Quarterback drama with the Buckeyes continued. Jones started, but completed only 9 of 15 passes for 84 yards to open the game, and was benched in the third quarter in favor of Barrett, who had scored on rushing touchdowns of 13 and five yards in the second quarter. Barrett finished the game 4-of-4 passing for 30 yards with two touchdowns, in addition to 11 rushing at- The Buckeyes' Season In Review