Ohio State Football: Is it time to panic in Columbus?
The Ohio State football team has struggled the last three weeks and recurring problems resulted in a loss on Saturday. Is it time for Buckeye fans to panic?
With the Ohio State football team coming off its worst game of the season in a 49-20 beat down by the Purdue Boilermakers, it might be time for people in Columbus to panic. The Buckeyes dropped to No.11 in the rankings with many fans thinking they should not even be ranked that high, that was how bad Saturday’s game played out.
There was no aspect of that game where they looked like they should be a contender for the national title.
During the last three games Ohio State hasn’t looked like a top 10 team as the Indiana and Minnesota games were struggles for the first three quarters. And the Golden Gophers just gave the Nebraska Cornhuskers their first win of the season.
Then a blowout loss to Purdue.
Nothing for the Buckeyes have changed in the past three weeks to convince fans they are, or should be, a top 10 team. Hopefully this week Urban Meyer figures something out.
Against Purdue, Ohio State’s rushing attack was a no-show with a total of 76 yards and the longest run of the game being 11 yards. The offensive line is getting bullied, running backs aren’t finding the gaps to run through and wide receivers aren’t blocking on the outside, all things Ohio State is known for.
Purdue was doing whatever they wanted against this Buckeyes defense that’s still has yet to figure out how to defend. Then, Dwayne Haskins throws the ball 73 times in the game which goes to show our inefficacy to run the ball.
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Ohio State’s inability to score in the red zone has been a problem all year and it certainly was an issue against Purdue. The Buckeyes settled for field goals instead of punching the ball into the end zone, had a missed field goal and a failed 4th down conversion.
If Ohio State capitalizes on those red zone opportunities it would have been a completely different game. The Buckeyes are now ranked 116th in the country in red zone offense.
An Urban Meyer coached team with Haskins at QB and the weapons he has around him shouldn’t have troubles scoring inside the 20.
The bye week is here and it could not have come at a more perfect time. The Buckeyes have to find themselves and get ready for the tough last stretch of the season.
They still have a chance to win the Big Ten if they win out and can beat the Wolverines. More than likely Ohio State’s chances of making the CFP are slim, but there is always a chance.
Next. Who’s up, who’s down in the Big Ten after week 8. dark
As long as the Buckeyes take care of business the rest of the way, they can hope for something drastic to happen. With that being said, there are plenty of improvements to be made in order for Ohio State to have a chance of making the College Football Playoff.