In short, yes.
From the opening kick-off Ohio State seized momentum and never gave it back. Young players got in early and often for their first taste of game action, and the play book on offense and defense was kept decidedly shut.
Ohio State looks primed and ready for Miami next Saturday.
As Ken Gordon says:
Overall, this was the dress rehearsal the coaching staff would have scripted if it could.
Unsurprisingly, Terrelle Pryor’s performance was something that many people were anxious to see.
Joe: Pryor to come out poised and ready for a big season.
Eric: A solid throwing day from Terrelle Pryor.
Jeff: The [Marshall] secondary is weak, so abuse it!
Completing 17 of 25 passes for 247 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions showed the poise, the accuracy, the confidence, and the progression that we all wanted to see from Pryor.
Jeff: Foot on the gas pedal.
Mali: Tresselball
Ohio State came out throwing the ball, and while Pryor didn’t air it out as much as he did in the Rose Bowl, the results were almost identical, showing improved efficiency.
Ohio State threw on 11 of the first 19 plays and continued to pass the ball into the third quarter, giving Pryor plenty of practice and future opponents plenty of things to prepare for.
Sorry Mali, it looks like Tresselball will have to wait for another week.
Mali: Stoneburner.
Eric: Dare we dream? 3 catches for Jake Stoneburner.
Also of note in the passing game was Jake Stoneburner’s 3 catches for 41 yards.
While those numbers aren’t huge, they do show that Ohio State, and Pryor in particular, are looking a bit more to the TE in the passing game, adding yet another aspect of Ohio State’s offense that opposing teams must defend.
Jeff: Go big and rest the starters.
Mali: Young bucks.
Thanks in large part to Ohio State’s balanced and potent offensive attack, there were plenty of opportunities for young players to see the field. Ohio State’s participation report shows that pretty much everyone who isn’t putting on a red shirt saw the field.
Joe: Both sides of the line dominating an inferior opponent.
The balanced attack on offense was, of course, fueled by the offensive line. They provided plenty of running lanes for the backs (6.8 ypc) and plenty of time for Pryor in the pocket all night.
The Marshall defense is not the best one that Ohio State will play all year, but so far so good.
On defense, the performance of the line was underwhelming.
A large part of the lack of production from the front seven was Marshall utilizing a quick strike passing game with plenty of screen passes thrown in to neutralize the pass rush.
While the line was unable to get pressure on the QB most of the night, Marshall’s 2.1 yards per carry is an indication that the front seven did show up to play, so no worries on that end.
Against Miami’s more traditional pro style offense, the line should have a little more time to get to the QB.
Eric: A big day for C.J. Barnett.
Joe: Good safety play.
While the line stuffed the run, it was up to the DBs to stop the quick passing game and screen passes.
Tyler Moeller stole the show from the star position, leading the team in tackles with 6, including two tackles for loss.
Moeller also recorded what was undoubtedly the defensive play of the game, forcing a fumble with a monster hit on the QB that doubled as the only sack of the day.
Free safety Jermale Hines also recorded five tackles, the second most on the team. He had some nice hits and looked solid in run support.
Outside of Moeller and Hines, no one in the secondary stood out, but at the same time, no one got burnt on a consistent basis either.
Overall, the secondary and the safeties held Marshall’s quick passing attack (155 yards through the air) largely in check all night .
Eric: A game totally unlike 2004.
Mali: Shutout.
Looking back (and forward), the game couldn’t have gone much better for the Buckeyes, and it was certainly a better performance than the last time these two teams met.
In an ironic twist, the field goal unit gave up the only points of the day (ruining the shutout, sorry Mali), and several shaky special teams plays were really the only negatives on the night.
Mali: No false starts.
Mali: No injuries.
The game did get sloppy at times, and there were several false start penalties, but overall it was an extremely well played and well executed game by the Buckeyes.
Backup center Corey Linsley hobbled off the field late in the game with what appeared to be a relatively minor injury.
Outside of that, Ohio State avoided any serious injuries, and with two extra days before the next game, they should be 100% when Miami rolls into town.
Speaking of Miami, they dismantled their first opponent in expected fashion, setting up next weeks match up nicely.
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