Ohio State Football: Buckeye Leafs for Miami game
Ohio State completely beat Miami, Ohio in every aspect of the game en route to a 76-5 victory, and the 5-0 deficit to start the game was quickly forgotten.
A safety and a field goal gave the Redhawks (1-3) a five point lead over the Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten), but a J.K. Dobbins run gave Ohio State a 7-5 lead, which was never given back.
The Buckeyes punted on their next drive, as the Redhawks did nine times throughout the game. Ohio State scored on the next six drives and took a 49-5 lead into the half.
Justin Fields’ day ended at halftime after throwing for four touchdowns and running for two more. Chris Chugunov replaced Fields and threw for two scores before Gunnar Hoak came in.
Ryan Day gave each backup QB to have his time to shine and Hoak responded with a 61-yard bomb to Jameson Williams.
Overall, the Buckeyes played a back-up game, as seven different Buckeyes had at least one carry, combining for 227 yards and four rushing TDs. The touchdowns on the ground were split between Fields (2), Dobbins (1) and Steele Chambers who led Ohio State with 63 yards on 8 carries.
Master Teague had the most carries, with 11, while the Buckeyes were also spreading the wealth through the air as 13 different Buckeyes caught at least one pass. Garrett Wilson, K.J. Hill, Binjimen Victor and Williams each caught a TD and Chris Olave caught two.
On defense, the Silver Bullets only gave up 130 yards, 70 coming on the ground and 60 through the air.
My personal prediction for Jeffrey Okudah came true as he intercepted a Brett Gabbert pass early in the second quarter.
Baron Browning and Chase Young, two sacks and two forced fumbles, also played to their rising expectations and led the way for a defense that suffocated the Redhawks.
On special teams, the Buckeyes were led by Blake Haubeil, who was 10/10 on extra points. Even Haubeil saw his back-up come in as Dominic DiMaccio missed out on his opportunity to give the Buckeyes a 62-point lead with time winding down.
Drue Chrisman was inactive compared to Miami punter Kyle Karmer, who punted nine times for 409 yards but had one blocked by Sevyn Banks. That set up a very short field for the Buckeyes offense near the end of the first half.
42 points in the second quarter separated the Buckeyes from the Redhawks, and led the way for a 76-5 victory for the Buckeyes.
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Now onto the Buckeye leafs of the game.
Offense: Justin Fields, 14-21 for 223 yards, 4 touchdowns. 9 carries for 36 yards and 2 scores. Justin Fields once again led the Buckeye offense to a dominating win. Honorable mention is Garrett Wilson for his 52-yard punt return, 54 receiving yards and a TD.
Defense: Jeffrey Okudah, INT and all-around excellent performance led the way for the Silver Bullets. Okudah proved his worth on the stat sheet as his coverage has been phenomenal thus far this season.
Special Teams: Blake Haubeil, 10/10 extra points; extra points is not often a statistic that gets recognition, but Haubeil had a perfect game and has been an excellent kicker for the Buckeyes.
Next. Answering potential 'What Ifs' of CFP picture. dark
Ohio State heads into their road match-up with Nebraska next Saturday in prime-time as Miami (Ohio) begins MAC play against Buffalo.