OHIO STATE QUARTERBACK DWAYNE HASKINS EXCELS AGAINST MICHIGAN FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR, CONTINUES TO REWRITE RECORD BOOKS
The legend of Dwayne Haskins as an Ohio State quarterback began in the Buckeyes’ 2017 win against Michigan.
In Ohio State’s
62-39 win over Michigan on Saturday, Haskins brought that legacy to new heights.
After J.T. Barrett was forced to leave last year’s game in Ann Arbor in the third quarter due to a knee injury, Haskins led the Buckeyes to a
comeback win over the Wolverines, establishing himself as Ohio State’s starting quarterback of the future and earning his place in rivalry game lore.
This year, however, Haskins led the Buckeyes to victory from start to finish, putting together a spectacular performance against the Wolverines while continuing to rewrite the record books of both Ohio State and the Big Ten.
Against a Michigan defense that was ranked No. 1 in the nation with only 234.8 total yards allowed per game and 123.2 passing yards allowed per game and had only allowed seven passing touchdowns entering Saturday, Haskins completed 19 of 30 passes for 318 yards and five touchdowns, the most ever by an Ohio State quarterback against Michigan.
Haskins was also effective as a runner for a second consecutive game, gaining 34 yards on seven attempts.
With Haskins leading the way, Ohio State rolled to a lopsided victory in its rivalry game, as the Buckeyes scored the most points ever scored in regulation against Michigan in a single game.
“He just had a mindset,” said Ohio State right tackle Isaiah Prince. “He was aggressive. He ran the ball. He dropped his pads. He made the throws, he made the right calls, he made plays without the ball in his hand just by making the right decision.”
Despite the success that Michigan’s defense had all season before Saturday – holding all but one of its first 11 opponents under 200 passing yards – Haskins entered Saturday’s game with confidence.
After his successful half against the Wolverines in 2017, Haskins liked what he saw when he watched Michigan’s defense on film, and sensed an opportunity that he could have a big day.
“I was licking my chops,” Haskins said. “I had seen one-high coverage, and that's a quarterback's dream. So the big responsibility for me all week was to be able to pick up blitzes in protection, because we saw a lot of different fronts and exotic looks. So I spent hours in the film room just trying to figure out how we could pick the blitzes up, and once we picked it up, receivers make plays. I'm going to put it there, and it was just a great overall team effort.”
Haskins certainly had plenty of help from his teammates. Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon, K.J. Hill and Chris Olave were all among the receivers who got open and made big plays on the finishing end of Haskins’ throws, with all four of them scoring at least one touchdown (and Olave catching two).
Haskins also received excellent pass protection from his offensive line, which didn’t allow a single sack in Saturday’s game, and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer brought that up immediately when asked about Haskins after the game.
“I think he'd be the first one to tell you that the quarterback's a product of those in front of him,” Meyer said. “So I think the first thing he would say, and I'd be disappointed and shocked – as a matter of fact, I'm going to tell him to make sure he says it – thank the big guys up front because they won the game for us.”
Entire article:
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...igan-for-second-consecutive-year-continues-to