Are You Not Entertained? Akron Edition

For a start to the football season, few could have asked for anything better. The Buckeyes came out and looked absolutely spectacular in their 42-0 win over the Akron Zips.  Did everyone see what they wanted?

Jim

– 400 yards rushing. Jim’s accountability would take a hit if journalists actually had to worry about that.  The Buckeyes only collected 224 yards on the ground.  At least it was better than half!

– No sacks. The only sacks in the game were notched by the Silver Bullets.  This is an absolute success.

– Defense. Did you see them, Jim?

– Carmen Ohio. You may not have seen it if you didn’t go to the game, but Luke Fickell did lead the team in singing Carmen Ohio.

Joe Dexter

– Scarlet Assassins hunting for the Kill. With only a couple of exceptions, the Buckeye’s were very successful moving the ball.  In particular, they were brutal in attacking the Akron defense.  That’s clearly a win.

– The Fickelluration of the Team.  Going for it on fourth and one while in field goal range?  Check.

– Big Hits and Full Out Blitz. The Silver Bullets picked up five sacks on the game, each from a different player, and often in full blitz mode.  I think this is satisfied.

– Reps,Reps,Reps. Plenty of young guys saw playing time today on both sides of the ball.  Even several walk-ons managed to see the field, particularly on the offensive line.  I’d say that everyone got plenty of reps.

Malibuckeye

– Aggression Delivered. Perhaps it wasn’t quite as aggressive as many fans wanted to see.  But a 517-90 yardage differential is certainly a sign of the Buckeye team taking everything and anything that Akron had.

– Fickell’s Imprint. The offense was aggressive through the whole game, even with the young guys in, without completely losing the conservative feel.  Also, going for the first while in field goal range as mentioned before.

– Fair Coverage. Little was mentioned of the OSU suspensions, so I would say the coverage was fair – and certainly football focused.  Though, the reminder of the 2007 National Championship was uncalled for.

– Second (and third) Teamers. And lots of them, particularly throughout the second half.

–Ah, to hell with it. No False Starts.  Sorry Mali – but at least it wasn’t Shugarts!

Joe L

– Winning QB Play. I think 20-28 for 293 yards and 4 touchdowns passing, and 12 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown combined qualifies as “winning”.

– 4 Sacks. How’s 5 sacks grab you?  Surprisingly, none of them came from any of the starting 11.

– Fickell with a 20+ point victory in his first game as the Buckeye head coach. I’ll one up you, how’s a 40+ game sound?

– Successful offensive game plan. 517 yards offense while giving up 90 yards on defense is absolutely successful.

Eric

– At least three passes to the tight ends or runningbacks. Try three touchdown passes to a tight end for an OSU record!  Plus, 8 passes to these units in total, including 5 to the tight ends.

– Viciousness from the Offensive Line. Maybe not viciousness, but the Offensive Line certainly plowed the road.  Plus, they didn’t give up a single sack all game.

– Aggression from the Silver Bullets. 5 sacks in total, plus limiting the Akron running game to a 1.3 yard average on 27 carries.  I think that qualifies as aggression.

– A zero in the OSU turnover column.  Nope.  A fumble from redshirt freshman Rod Smith on the three yardline going in for the score makes this a fail.  There are certainly worse places, and ways, to give up a turnover, but this was definitely a disappointing turnover with only 7 points on the scoreboard.

Jeff

– An honest quarterback tryout. Both quarterbacks got plenty of time on the field, though Braxton was limited to only one drive in the first half.  Bauserman was allowed to take Akron out of the game before Braxton was allowed to play.  Does that count?

– Quality special teams play. Two missed field goal attempts (it counted as one due to Akron jumping offsides on the first) is not a great way to start this out.  Also, Akron was able to net a long kick return.  I want to see a little more before I’m comfortable here.

– Jim Tressel. Sorry Jeff, Tressel was no-where near Ohio Stadium.