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The second week of the 2007 college football season has come and gone, and for the Buckeyes, it wasn't nearly as promising as the first. Akron, not exactly a college football powerhouse, held tight before Ohio State pulled away in the second half.

I was fortunate enough to be working on the field on Friday before the football game setting up audio for the Big Ten Network broadcast (I'm an intern there, save your boos), and what I saw then made the game more disconcerting. Akron's players were touring the stadium, taking pictures and enjoying the scenery only 18 hours prior to kickoff. That's not the kind of preparation and focus that you expect when a team is trying to pull a huge upset. Still, OSU was unable to set the tone early.

Offense

Todd Boeckman, who looked so good last week against Youngstown State, looked confused throughout the first half. His two interceptions were inexcusable, poor decisions. On a team that is as offensively challenged as this one, Boeckman just cannot make those types of mistakes.

The wide receivers had the same problem mentioned last week. Brian Robiske is obviously a talented top receiver, but somebody else needs to step up. If Boeckman is going to succeed, somebody needs to be there to keep defenses from double covering Robiske every play. Brian Hartline caught 6 passes this week, but the Buckeyes need to see him from week to week.

Despite Boeckman's struggles, the offensive line is still the issue of biggest concern. They seem to be doing a pretty good job in pass protection, but they're not knocking anybody off the ball on running plays. While Chris Wells got going in the second half after the Akron defense had worn down, he couldn't find much room early. Beanie is getting the majority of the criticism, but the line is holding him back. The Akron safety was an excellent example. When Wells is getting first contact three yards behind the line of scrimmage, there's not much he can do. The run blocking has to improve, or this season is going to go downhill in a hurry.

The biggest loser in the running game right now might be Maurice Wells. Brandon Saine has made plays in each of the first two games, and his hard style combined with his shifty moves could land him the primary back up job on a full time basis, leaving Mo Wells as the odd man out.

Defense

Dominate is the only word that can describe what OSU did to the Akron attack. At one point, Akron went three and out on 12 consecutive possessions. Total, the Zips made three first downs and had 69 total yards of offense.

There's no part of the defense that didn't look oustanding. The line got penetration, the defensive backs had great coverage, and the linebackers were everywhere. Malcolm Jenkins looked especially good, completely locking up whichever receiver he was covering on a given play.

OSU did a much better job of attacking the passer this week, particularly in the second half. I like the way they came out after halftime fired up and ready to go. After a five yard gain on their first play in the third quarter, Akron's next five plays (punts excluded) consisted of two sacks, two completions that totaled two yards and a dropped interception by Thaddeus Gibson.

Just like last week, the only problem for OSU was the plays that got away. There were at least two times during the game where the corner got two hands on the ball but dropped the interception. The Buckeyes did recover one fumble, but there were more big plays to be had.

Special Teams

Ryan Pretorius and A.J. Trapasso are two of the biggest reasons the scarlet and gray came away victorious. Pretorius accounted for OSU's first six points, which were critical since the offense looked completely lost at the time.

Almost as important were the kickoffs and punts. Excluding possessions that were started via safety or turnovers, the Zips started past their own 26 only once, with four of those ten possessions starting either at or inside the 20.

The return game was highlighted by Saine's 39 yard kickoff return to open the game, but overall was unimpressive. OSU continues to shuffle players in and out of the punt return role, and a true big play threat has yet to emerge. Robiske, Hartline and Jenkins combined for only 31 yards on six punt returns, and eight others were fair caught. Look for Tressel to continue tinkering with this aspect of the special teams until it becomes a strength.

Overall

This was an uninspiring effort by the Buckeyes. They came out looking as if they expected Akron to just roll over, which was surprising given Appalachian State's upset of Michigan just a week earlier. Once the second half started, OSU started putting it together and dominating the way they should have all game.

The turnover battle was extremely troublesome. OSU isn't built to come from behind, so they need to take care of the football better. A pair of lost fumbles and interceptions put the OSU turnover ratio at minus four for the season. With the return to Tresselball, those mistakes need to be minimized to keep the Buckeyes from falling behind big early.

And make no mistake about it, this team is playing classic Tresselball. Defense and special teams are obviously the strengths of this team, so expect a lot of tight games later in the season. With a bruiser like Beanie carrying the load, OSU should be able to wear down defenses and take control of games late. Realistically though, we won't know how good this team is until they travel to Seattle this weekend to take on the surprisingly competent Huskies.

Tags: ncaa football, ohio state football