The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Ohio State can only control what’s in front
COLUMBUS » Control what can be controlled.
A common buzz among Ohio State fans asks, “Can the Buckeyes still get into college football’s playoff picture?”
The scenarios can be debated all day long — and then some — but after the Buckeyes annihilated visiting Illinois, 52-14, Nov. 18 in a game that amazingly wasn’t as close as the score indicates, Ohio State is correctly leaving the playoff talk where it should be:
On the back burner.
The fact is this — because of their ugly 55-24 loss to Iowa back on Nov. 4 (a loss that has every college football fan wondering, “What the heck was that?”), the Buckeyes no longer control their playoff destiny.
Even if the Buckeyes do go to Michigan next week and beat the Wolverines, even if they go to Indianapolis the following week and beat West Division champion Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game, there is no guarantee Ohio State is going to the playoffs.
So Meyer and his team correctly avoided a gander at that scenario after pile-driving hapless Illinois in a monsoon that would make Noah head for his ark.
“Very important,” Coach Urban Meyer said of the Big Ten East championship, the sixth under his tutelage, following the win over Illini.
“We did celebrate it a quick minute. Now it’s over. Now it’s time to put our laser lights on our rival.”
In other words — control what can be controlled.
While we don’t know if Ohio State has enough to get into the playoff final four — they would likely need to be very impressive in their two final wins (both victories) and need a handful of other teams to lose unimpressively — there’s plenty we do know about this Ohio State team, including:
• The offensive line is flat-out running over teams right now.
Behind yet another dynamic performance by sophomore Michael Weber (11 carries, 108 yards, two touchdowns), the Buckeyes ran a season-high 59 times for 325 yards (5.5 yards per carry).
Combine that with the 42-carry, 335-yard (8.0 yards per carry) performance last week against Michigan State, and the Buckeyes have run 101 times for 660 yards (6.5 yards per attempt) and seven touchdowns over the past two games.
The offensive line is a big reason why.
“Most improved unit on our team,” Meyer said. “It was not the strength of our team a year ago. It’s the strength of our team right now. We all know that teams that go to compete with what’s coming up down the road, you have to have a powerful offensive line.”
Ohio State has that right now.
• When Ohio State runs the ball as well as it’s running it, the passing game flourishes.
OSU is a run-to-set-upthe-pass team, not vice versa.
J.T. Barrett was 11-for19 for 141 yards and two touchdowns against Illinois. He carried it only five times.
• A healthy Mike Weber makes a difference.
Over the past two games, Weber has run 20 times for 270 yards. His 9.8 yard average was actually almost half of his 18.0-yard average he had last week in a nine-carry, 162-yard showing against Michigan State.
“Weber is just 100 percent healthy,” Meyer said. “He’s running like a guy that we were bragging about all summer when he had the tough injury.”
• Ohio State’s defense can be scary good.
Again, this goes back to the “What the heck was that?” residue left from the loss to Iowa when the Buckeyes’ defense stopped no one.
Illinois had 105 yards on 42 plays against Ohio State. Take away a 30-yard run by Dre Brown in the late third quarter, and the Illini had 75 yards on their remaining 41 plays.
This after Michigan State mustered only 195 yards on 70 plays (2.8 per play) last week.
Illinois had 31 yards rushing on 21 carries. Last week, Michigan State had 64 yards rushing on 34 totes.
That’s 95 yards on 56 carries over the past two weeks.
“The defense was dominant. They did what they had to do,” Meyer said.
And he probably lowballed it with his assessment.
It’s pretty hard to lose when your defense plays as well as Ohio State’s has played the last two weeks, particularly against the run.
The Buckeyes will need that type of defense — as well as the aforementioned line play and running game — to control what destiny they still do control.
What they can control is a win over their rival (Michigan) next week and a win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game the following week, which would net them an 11- 2 record and a berth in a high-profile bowl game.
Anything more than that — i.e. a playoff berth — would be extra frosting on the cupcake.