What in the name of “Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust” is going on inside Ohio Stadium? I may have not known Woody personally, but I have to imagine he’s turning over in his grave (may he R.I.P) with Dwayne Haskins and the Buckeyes offense racking up back-to-back 400-yard passing games. Saturday saw Haskins once again complete 75% of his passes and toss 3 more touchdowns to lead Ohio State to a 16-point victory over the visiting Gophers.
Ohio State moves to 7-0 on the season as it prepares to take a trip to West Lafayette, Indiana to play Purdue this week. But before we get to the Boilermakers, we need to get through the Hayes Gaze and Cannon Fodder from the Minnesota game.
Hayes Gaze
I mentioned Dwayne Haskins above, and with another day like that, he could easily be the subject of this week’s Hayes Gaze. There are two issues with this.
First, Haskins is so good, these record-setting days seem like just another day at the office. Let that sink in real quick. The most prolific passing season in Ohio State history has become the norm.
Second, everyone knows how well Haskins has played and I write this article each week to highlight things that people may overlook. That is also why, as much as I want to, I am not putting KJ Hill and his wonderful game in this spot.
With that in mind, this week’s Hayes Gaze is being cast upon the sophomore from Buffalo, New York — Blake Haubeil.
Haubeil may have known going into Saturday’s game, but no one outside the locker room seems to have been aware that he would be handling the placekicking duties for the Buckeyes. Haubeil has been tasked with the Ohio State kickoffs all season, but Sean Nuernberger has handled all the field goal and extra point attempts prior to Saturday. As you have heard, he was held out of Saturday’s contest due to a minor injury, and Habeil filled in nicely, notching three field goals and three extra points.
This may not be the biggest stat line of the day, but I have mentioned it all season that Ohio State really does need to buy into the “Next Man Up’ mantra if they want to play for a National Championship. Seeing someone take that mantra seriously was definitely a plus for OSU. As an added bonus, Urban Meyer now knows he has a kicker who can hit from 47 yards if needed also.
Cannon Fodder
While there were plenty of things to enjoy Saturday, there were as many things that need to be addressed also.
Ohio State gave up 14 points and just under 400 total yards to a Minnesota team with half of their starters being freshman or sophomores. And once again, the Buckeyes have failed to light up the rushing stat line in the box score, being held to under 100 yards rushing as a team.
But this week’s biggest problem, and in turn this week’s Cannon Fodder, comes from the Offensive Line. While this Buckeye line is still made up by a ton (literally and figuratively) of talent, there are serious holes and disappointing play.
The Buckeyes have yet to truly establish themselves and exert their dominance in the running game, but that has been mildly mitigated this season by the “pass first” attack installed by Coach Day and company. But this past weekend, the one aspect that has been a bright spot on the line turned into a dark cloud.
I don’t want to pick on Isiah Prince. He has gone from a less-than-stellar tackle in 2016 to another solid player who looks to be moving on to a long NFL career soon. Saturday, however, he put together a game film he will want to hide from NFL scouts.
Multiple times Prince was simply beat by his man. You knew when it happened because Haskins had to move, and it looked like Prince was simply running after a Gopher.
Not all of this is on Prince. There were other guys on the line who also missed blocks and made mistakes. The coaches should have used their tight ends and running backs to help chip or double team when needed. In fact, on at least one sack Prince gave up, it appeared he looked to the sidelines in frustration for not getting help when he clearly needed it.
As a former lineman myself, I tend to watch the OLine more than some even when they’re not giving up a sack or being called out by the announcers. Coach Stud has put together a very good unit and his guys have responded to adversity since he arrived in Columbus. I fully expect this to be addressed this week. But it definitively needs to get some attention.
Looking Ahead
Purdue is better than their record shows. Rondale Moore has been a pleasant surprise and Purdue has been in every game, even though they are 3-3. They average over 500 yards and 33 points per game. On defense, they’re giving up 415 yards and 23 points per game. Both of these numbers indicate that Purdue will be a pain for Ohio State.
On paper, Ohio State should easily win this game. But going to Purdue for a night game is definitely not “on paper”.
I do expect Haskins to once again clear 350 yards and 3 TDs. The question that remains is if Ohio State can slow down the quick slant/skinny post. If they can, Ohio State will roll big. If they can’t, Moore will have a career day.
Way too early in the week, I am still going with Ohio State to win this game. The Bucks are giving up nearly 20 points per game still, a number that went slightly down thanks to last weekend’s score.
For a pick, I’ll take OSU 45, Purdue 21. Go Bucks! O-H!
“Hayes Gaze and Cannon Fodder” is the weekly look at the good and bad for Ohio State football from Mike Meals. Each week, Mike will look at the good of the week with a loving Hayes Gaze, and at what was the Cannon Fodder at best. You can also catch Mike along with Hayes & Cannon Content Manager/Writer Brandon Zimmerman on the weekly episodes of “The Sons of Schmidt” podcast on the Ozone Radio Network. Follow Mike on twitter (@mmeals)