1. As others have stated in this thread, it was a 14-point win on the road at night against a quality Big Ten opponent, so what's there to complain about? Well, let me see....
2. Kyle McCord. Let's just say that McCord struggled at times and his play was inconsistent. Overall, McCord was 17 for 26 (.654 completion percentage) for 226 yard (8.7 per attempt) and a pair of touchdowns ... but he also threw two interceptions, lost a fumble, was sacked four times (two by way of intentional grounding), and often seemed indecisive and unsure of himself. If McCord keeps winning ugly games like this, then he's Craig Krenzel. The moment he loses one, he becomes Joe Bauserman.
3. The offensive line. Take out the final two drives (5 plays, 2 yards), when Ohio State was killing clock with a 14-points lead, and the offense generated 405 yards on 64 plays (6.3 yards per play). It's difficult to criticize the overall play of the offensive line when you get production like that, but there were too many times when individual linemen (or tight ends) missed assignments or simply whiffed on blocks. You can beat the Wisconsins of the world with sporadically sloppy OL play, but that will be a recipe for disaster against a championship caliber opponent.
4. The defense. The numbers certainly look good – 10 points, 259 total yards, 4.0 yards per play, 6/18 on 3rd and 4th downs – and in general the defense looked good producing those numbers. In general. Wisconsin had 12 drives for the game. On their first five drives, the Badgers had 15 plays for 37 yards (2.5 yards per play) and no points. On their last five drives, the Badgers had a bit more success – 31 plays for 97 yards (3.1 yards per play), but still no points. It was Wisconsin's middle two drives that somewhat exposed the Ohio State defense – 18 plays, 121 yards, 6.7 yards per play, and 10 points (that would've been 14 points but for an excellent goal line stand). In addition, three of the Badgers' 3rd down conversions came during their two scoring drives, including 3rd-and-13 and 3rd-and-8 for their only touchdown; in the fourth quarter, the Buckeye defense also allowed 3rd down conversions of 13 yards and 15 yards, the latter coming when the Badgers were at their own 2-yard line (sweep the leg, dammit!).
5. On the positive side of the ledger, the running attack looked much better with TreVeyon Henderson back in action. Henderson had 24 carries for 162 yards (6.8 average) and one touchdown (33 yards); he also added 4 receptions for 45 yards (long of 30 yards). With his speed and shiftiness – and surprising power – Henderson adds a different dimension to the Buckeye offense, a dimension that has been absent since the Notre Dame game. Xavier Johnson also had a nice game, with 4 carries for 29 yards on jet sweeps.
6. Marvin Harrison Jr continued to show why he is the best player in college football, as he had 6 receptions for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. For the season, Harrison has 48 receptions for 889 yards (18.5 average) and 8 touchdowns.
7. On the defensive side of the ball, tackle Tyleik Williams continues to shine – 4 tackles, TFL, sack, battled pass. Jack Sawyer (6 tackles, forced fumble) and Josh Proctor (4 tackles, PBU) and Jordan Hancock (4 tackles, sack, forced fumble) also stood out.
8. Some other scores from yesterday: #6 Oklahoma lost to unranked Kansas, 38 to 33 ... #13 Utah got pummeled at home by #8 Oregon, 35 to 6 ... #11 Oregon State lost to unranked Arizona b the score of 27 to 24 ... #17 North Carolina lost to unranked Georgia Tech, 46 to 42 ... #20 Duke got shut out by #18 Louisville, 23 to 0 ... Pittsburgh got humiliated by #14 Notre Dame, 58 to 7 ... and our friends up north are being investigated by the Big Ten, the NCAA, campus police, and the FBI. Given that perspective, a 14-point win on the road at night against a quality Big Ten opponent doesn't look quite so bad.
