THREE KEY STATS: BATTLE IN THE TRENCHES, EXPLOSIVE BUCKEYES AND FIRST-DOWN EFFICIENCY
At long last, the Battle of Ohio is over.
The Cincinnati Bearcats took the trek up I-71 for the first time since Ohio State's National Championship winning season. The Buckeyes controlled the game from start to finish, winning 42-0 and allowing just 273 yards of total offense. It was Cincinnati's first shutout loss since 2005.
In today's
Three Key Stats, we'll look at the difference in pass protection, Ohio State's big plays, and how the Bucks efficiency on first down helped them stay ahead of the chains and control the game.
After their bout against Florida Atlantic, it was obvious that the offensive line was the unit that needed to improve the most. The Bucks allowed two sacks and two hurries against a bad Owls defense.
This week, against a defense that finished last year in the top five in total defense, the offensive line stepped it up, allowing just a single sack and no hurries. While there still may be work to be done with this unit, their performance in pass protection and run blocking (Ohio State averaged 5.9 yards per rush) against a solid defense is more than commendable.
On the defensive side, the Rushmen simply got after it. Tyreke Smith recorded his first career sack, Chase Young was in the backfield for 1.5 sacks and Brendon White added another one. Even defensive back Shaun Wade, who had arguably the most complete game of his young career, was able to sack Ridder.
In all, the Buckeyes sacked Cincinnati five times and allowed just one on the other side of the ball.
J.K. Dobbins is looking like J.K. Dobbins again, eh?
With three big rushes, including this 60-yard scamper, it is pretty safe to say he is back and (hopefully) better than ever.
Entire article:
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...-explosive-buckeyes-and-first-down-efficiency