Ohio State Inside the Game with former Buckeyes OL Andrew Moses: Here's how the offensive linemen led Ohio State's victory on Saturday
Carlos Hyde (34) ran for 168 yards against Northwestern, but it was the Ohio State offensive line and Buckeyes like Andrew Norwell (78) who led the way and made it possible.
(Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)
By
Andrew Moses, Special to Cleveland.com
on October 07, 2013
CLEVELAND - Carlos Hyde deserves all the praise and
the many headlines he is getting, following one of his best performances as an Ohio State Buckeye. His running, receiving, and intensity energized a Buckeye team that appeared flat and overwhelmed at times Saturday night. However, Hyde knows he should be sharing the headlines with five of his teammates: the Ohio State offensive line.
Jack Mewhort, Andrew Norwell, Corey Linsley, Marcus Hall and Taylor Decker put together as good a performance as any Buckeye offensive line in recent memory. They gave Braxton Miller all day to throw and opened up gaping running lanes, allowing the Bucks to rack up 248 rushing yards.
I
mentioned last week that the offensive linemen, combined with Hyde, Miller and Dontre Wilson, are proving to be too much for defenses to handle. Saturday night, with Hyde getting almost every carry in the second half, one would think Northwestern’s defense would have been able to slow the Buckeye ground attack. The Wildcat defense didn’t have to worry about Wilson running around the edge, as the freshman did not have a carry. They also could stop worrying about Miller. After his second costly fumble, the offensive coaching staff appeared to lose faith in Miller’s ability to hold on to the ball, as they stopped calling designed quarterback runs.
All that was left was Hyde and the front five.
cont...