MY THOUGHTS.....TOLEDO

The old adage, “a win is a win” was thrown around plenty last weekend, even when it looked as ugly as it did on Saturday.

Ohio State came very close to hitting rock(et) bottom against Eric Page and a shifty Toledo squad but continuous help from the Rockets (ie… three illegal formation penalties on punts led to Chris Fields’ TD return and good field position on the others)  and a final defensive stand allowed the depleted Buckeyes to escape with an ugly win in the 'Shoe.

Nursing a five point lead with 3:08 to play, the Buckeyes saw backup QB Terrance Owens move the Rockets from their own 28 to the OSU 17 yard line facing 4th and 6 with :52 left in regulation. John Simon made the decisive play as he bullrushed his man to pressure Owens, who then rushed a pass that fell incomplete intended for Kenny Stafford to seal the deal. 

The defensive stand was a metaphor for the day as the defense, despite some major hiccups of its own, did most of the heavy lifting as the Ohio State offense, led by Joe Bauserman, racked up just 301 total yards, averaged a meager 3.3 yards per rush, and went 3/12 on 3rd down. 

Bauserman completed a rickety 53% of his passes (16/30), showing virtually none of the poise on display last week against much lesser competition. To his credit, he didn't turn the ball over but gave up on more than few plays throwing the ball away seemingly way more early than necessary. 

His stewardship was obviously viewed as good enough by Fickell, who refused to insert what is supposedly his co-quarterback Braxton Miller, likely delivering a sizeable shot to the kid's confidence in the process. 

Another interesting development was the return of Jaamal Berry and his subsequent participation relegated to return duties. He didn't carry the ball and recorded just one catch for five yards. Meanwhile, Carlos Hyde ran hard, though with questionable vision, toting it 20 times for 76 yards and 2 TD and showed nice hands again hauling in four passes for 28 yards. 

The Buckeyes gave fans reason to believe it would be another ho-hum today as they jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead taking the opening kick 67 yards in seven plays. Bauserman looked excitingly fluid hitting 3/3 for 50 yards on the drive including a 26 yard TD toss to Jake Stoneburner. 

But then a reality check, aka the Eric Page Show, took center stage.  Eric Page proved he is the real deal and was easily the best player on the field Saturday.  In fact, it was surprising Toledo quarterback Terrance Owens didn’t try to go to Page on the final fourth down pass.  Bauserman’s sometimes shaky play and an inconsistent running attack meant the OSU offense was unable to control the tempo of the game.  Rod Smith’s fumble in the fourth quarter, when the Buckeyes had momentum and were driving to put the game away, almost cost them the game.  It will be interesting to see how much playing time Smith will get from here on out.  It largely depends if the NCAA ever gets its collective head out of its rear concerning Jordan Hall and the continual recovery of Jamaal Berry from his injury.  Bottom line, this was an ugly game that Toledo let slip away and Ohio State was very fortunate to win.  A few positives stand out, such as Chris Fields on punt returns, Dominic Clarke on pass coverage, the running of Carlos Hyde, and the stellar defensive play of defensive linemen Michael Bennett, Jonathan Hankins, and John Simon.  On the other hand, Bauserman struggled at times, which makes people wonder how he will fare against a legitimate defense later in the year (ie…Nebraska, Wisconsin), and Fickell never really did explain why Braxton Miller never saw the field.  The run blocking looked terrible at times, and, for the second time in the last three games, Ben Buchanan had a punt blocked.

Still, it’s better to be 2-0 than 1-1, particularly with a big road trip coming up.