Week One of College Football: Buckeyes Still Need Time to Grow

It’s that wonderful time of the year again when certain college campuses like Ohio State get more to think about than the doom and gloom of classes. Week one of college football has come and gone and the results have shown me a few new things about this team.

While Ohio State picked up a 40-20 win against Buffalo, their overall performance was less impressive than what was previously expected.

The Buckeyes came out of the gates guns blazing, opening up a 23-0 lead in the first quarter against the visibly outgunned Bulls. This was a departure from last year’s M.O. of starting slow.

After that, the Braxton Miller-led attack slowed down considerably, with the Heisman hopeful making mistakes that he won’t be able to afford to make against teams near the top of the heap.

The Ohio State defense began showing signs of wear and Buffalo took advantage and almost mounted a comeback in the second and third quarters. Though the final score was lopsided, the game was closer than it entailed.

The growing pains were expected, despite the fact that the team finished the season undefeated the year before and ranked #2 overall in the preseason.

Urban Meyer adjusted the offense to split Braxton Miller’s plays to 50/50 in regards to passing and running. The running back situation was questionable going into the game with Carlos Hyde’s suspension, but Jordan Hall stepped up with 159 yards and 2 TDs.

Though the Buckeyes got the W, they still have a lot of improving to do before they’re ready to compete for the National Championship.