Game Observations: Ohio State Offense vs. Northwestern
This could very easily turn into a Trey Sermon appreciation story, but we'll try to take a slightly more macro-level look at the Buckeyes.
That said, starting anywhere else would be a crime.
With Master Teague getting hurt early in the game and with the Ohio State passing attack stumbling out of the blocks, Ryan Day turned to Trey Sermon seven times in the first half. He gave Ohio State 60 yards and certainly looked like he was off to a good start.
But as is the aggressive nature of this offense, passing plays were the main dish most of the first 30 minutes. And unfortunately, the Buckeyes were flat.
Justin Fields revealed postgame that he was dealing with a thumb injury that prevented him from throwing the ball very well in the second half. But even when he threw early, Fields said he wasn't using his thumb as an excuse and he just didn't play very well.
Ryan Day Makes His Playoff Case for the Buckeyes
Chris Olave's absence was felt throughout the game, although I like how Fields got freshman Julian Fleming involved right from the start of the game. Fleming finished with four catches for 53 yards. Fields also had one memorable throw to Garrett Wilson, but the Wildcats shut him down. Wilson caught just four of the 10 passes thrown his way.
This game was all about Trey Sermon and the offensive line. And they both gave each other a lot of credit (See the Sermon video at the top and the comments from Josh Myers in the video below).
Meanwhile, this was the first time that the starting offensive line played together as a whole since the Indiana game way back on Nov. 21 (which was ironically only two games ago). I thought for the most part today, the sacks that Justin Fields took were because he held the ball too long, not because of poor line play. It was a very solid day up front, particularly for freshman tackle Nick Petit-Frere. He was an absolute monster. It was great to have him, Josh Myers and Thayer Munford all back.
Sermon broke the all-time Ohio State single-game rushing record when the offense was on life-support. 29 carries, 331 yards and two touchdowns. By contrast, he had 55 carries and 344 rushing yards and one touchdown all season before today's game.
I also thought the blocking from tight ends Luke Farrell and Jeremy Ruckert was solid. Nothing too flashy. Just a pick up your lunch pail, go to work and do you job kind of day. I love that about the tight end room.
OSU racked up 513 yards, of which 399 were rushing the football. They ran for a sack-adjusted 10.4 yards per carry ... that's crazy. But it wasn't a perfect day: OSU was just 4-for-11 on third downs and they didn't score on three of their seven trips inside the red zone. Fields threw his first career interception inside the red zone to close the first half (it was a ridiculously athletic play, but a killer nonetheless).
Ohio State fans have a lot to be proud of today. It wasn't easy - Northwestern's defense deserves a lot of credit for that. If they can bring aboard some better, faster offensive weapons, they could be a Top 10 team in the country with that defense. But the talent gap proved to be too wide and Ohio State won a championship on the back of a tailback who had been looking for a chance to really shine.
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You may also like:
Eddie George Congratulates Trey Sermon on Breaking Ohio State Rushing Record
Big Ten Championship Ohio State Postgame Press Conference Highlights
Trey Sermon's Record-Breaking Day Lifts Buckeyes to Fourth Straight Big Ten Title
Game Observations: Ohio State Defense vs. Northwestern
Justin Fields Injures Thumb Against Northwestern
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