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Everything was set up for the fall. Ohio State struggled offensively against Akron the week before, while Washington ended Boise State’s winning streak. The game was in Seattle, at a stadium known to reach volumes upwards of 135 decibels. Inconsistent quarterback Todd Boeckman was making his first road start, and Tyrone Willingham was looking for his signature win.

So what happened? After a thirty minute wake-up period, Goliath stomped David. In David’s house. In front of Davids wife and children. It was preposterous. Let’s break it down, piece by piece.

Offense

Todd Boeckman continues to struggle since the first game against Youngstown. His numbers weren’t overly impressive, and they didn’t even show the whole story. A fumble that was returned for a touchdown was instead ruled an incompletion, and the Huskies dropped a pair of interceptions. Expecting Boeckman to be the playmaker his predecessor was is unrealistic, but he has to make better decisions. Wisconsin and Penn State aren’t going to drop those interceptions.

Other than Boeckman though, the offense made strides against a solid UW defense. Brian Hartline has arrived as the dependable second wide receiver. He needs to continue to keep defenses from loading up against Brian Robiske.

The biggest improvements were in the running game. Chris Wells was decisive and powerful hitting the hole, but more importantly, the hole was there to hit. The offensive line finally got on the same page concerning the run blocking, and it showed. Wells gained 135 yards on 24 carries. It’s getting tougher and tougher to keep Brandon Saine off the field. Expect Tressel to find more ways to get the dynamic home run threat involved, both carrying the ball and in the passing game.

Defense

I feel like the Ohio State defense is reading what I’m writing and responding each week. After they gave up a lot of yards against YSU, they shut down Akron, but didn’t make big plays. This week? The defense forced 3 Husky turnovers and looked dominant.

While UW isn’t one of the top teams in the nation or even in the Pac 10, Jake Locker is an incredible talent. If not for the Sam Bradford renaissance in Norman, everybody would be talking about this guy. Maybe Jim Tressel summed it up best at his luncheon on Tuesday when he said, “I’m glad we played him as a redshirt freshman instead of a redshirt senior.”

And the point here is that the Buckeye defense didn’t just contain Locker; they abused him. Three interceptions, 4.6 yards per pass and a sub 50 percent completion rate. The only thing keeping the Bucks’ D from completely dominating Locker was his scrambling ability. He picked up 102 yards on 14 attempts.

Beyond that though, the defense was outstanding. Runners not named Locker gained 40 yards on 20 carries.

Total, the Huskies gained 346 yards, which is a bit more than you’d like to see. They need to contain the running from dual threat quarterbacks better, but other than that, this unit is as stout as they come.

Special Teams

The defensive side of the special teams units are doing well. They blocked a kick, they forced a fumble, and they didn’t give up much in the return game, though Washington did bust a couple of long kickoff returns. A.J. Trapasso only averaged 39 yards per punt, but he landed two of his five punts inside the 20 yard line, which hurt his average.

The downside is the other half struggled. Ryan Pretorious missed a 44-yarder and had another kick blocked, and OSU continues to struggle in the return game. Why Saine and fellow freshman Eugene Clifford aren’t getting shots in the return game is a mystery to me.

Summary

Yes, the Buckeyes still have questions. This team isn’t ready to beat USC, LSU or Oklahoma yet. But there’s a long season left, and this is a young team. Young teams grow over time.

Overall, posting this win is huge for the Buckeyes. The Big Ten is a joke this season, and if OSU can steal a victory at Beaver Stadium in late October, there’s a legitimate chance of running the table and sealing a date in New Orleans. USC, LSU, Florida and Oklahoma all have tougher schedules. LSU and Florida play each other, so one of them will lose. OSU will not be chosen over another unbeaten team, so it’s vital that there are no more than two undefeated teams for OSU to have a title shot.

Tags: ohio state football