Ohio State Football: Three possible season-long trends
By Zane Harris
The Ohio State football team opened up their season with a tough in-conference matchup on the road against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Buckeyes came into the game as 13.5 point favorites over Minnesota, however, things looked very bleak from Ohio State in the first half of the game.
After a touchdown on their opening drive on a 71 yard run from Myan Williams, the Buckeyes appeared to be well in control of the game. However, the offense came screeching to a halt, only managing to put up three more points in the half.
On the defensive side of the ball, things were not looking much better. Despite holding Minnesota scoreless in the first quarter, they fell apart after the intermission.
They allowed two Minnesota touchdowns in the second quarter. The first coming on a 13-yard touchdown throw by Tanner Morgan and the second coming from a Mohamed Ibrahim one-yard touchdown run. However, the Buckeyes snapped back into it after halftime.
They opened the second half with a 38-yard touchdown reception by Chris Olave. However, the defense still could not make a stop, allowing another touchdown run by Ibrahim. C.J. Stroud and the Buckeye offense responded with a touchdown of their own on a 56-yard touchdown catch by Garrett Wilson.
On the following possession, the defense had their best possession of the game, ending with a 32-yard touchdown fumble recovery by Haskell Garrett. From there on out, the Buckeyes were in full control and clicking on all cylinders. They closed the fourth quarter on a 14-10 run and got out of Minnesota with a 45-31 win.
There are three major takeaways from this game.