Ohio State has ridden historical dominance from receiver Jeremiah Smith and a mostly timely defensive effort to a 4-1 record.
Julian Sayin has executed Arthur Smith's offense perfectly, albeit with somewhat underwhelming returns from the running back room.
Matt Patricia has been able to find production from a unit that lost multiple top NFL draft picks this past April.
What about the special teams, though?
Has first-year Ohio State special teams coordinator Robby Discher had a strong debut in Columbus?
Ohio State's special teams unraveled in key moment during Texas loss
In short, no.
During the Buckeyes' one loss to Texas that saw a 20-point lead vanish over the span of 17 minutes at DKR Stadium, kicker Connor Hawkins missed a field goal that could've put the game away.
The Longhorns rode the momentum of that miss to a sustained 12-play, 73-yard drive that took away any chance for the offense to respond, with the clock down to just 25 seconds. Sayin threw a pick on the futile final drive.
Hawkins had a miss during the Iowa win, but luckily, the 31-14 final score didn't give it the chance to be a major issue.
A single one-point loss isn't debilitating, especially if the mistakes from it cause the team to reconsider the game plan.
Discher seems content rolling with Hawkins, which is understandable given the youth elsewhere in the room.
Perhaps Ryan Day screwed the pooch by not getting more help at the kicker spot.
Kickoff and punt return teams have struggled too
Unfortunately, this isn't just a kicking problem. Ohio State's return teams have had notable miscues during games as well.
Those miscues came during wins, but that isn't the point.
At Kinnick Stadium in Week 5, Phillip Bell failed to field a punt and allowed the Hawkeyes' punt unit to field the ball at the Buckeyes' two-yard line.
How can anyone forget the stir caused by Legend Bey taking the ball out of the end zone during two different kickoffs against Ball State in Week 1? Day called out Bey at halftime and has seemingly had him in the doghouse since.
There hasn't been a touchdown yet in the return game. Special teams aren't helping JJ Smith and Co. out on the scoreboard much.
Punter Joe McGuire has yet to hit his stride
Starting punter Joe McGuire is averaging 41 yards per punt. That puts him at No. 16 in the Big Ten in net punting average.
To be fair, McGuire hasn't had to punt much.
Still, the program could use more from the punter when it isn't getting it elsewhere from the Buckeyes' third phase.
Discher's debut season hasn't had a single bright spot thus far across the entire special teams. It isn't anything to worry about just yet, but Ohio State fans are a traumatized bunch after Noah Ruggles' missed kick in the 2022 CFP semifinal against Georgia.
Let's hope special teams don't derail a historic offensive season and a solid defensive effort at any point.
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