Hayes Gaze and Cannon Fodder – Hoosier Daddies!

Football is a cruel, cruel sport. How can something so beautiful and entertaining also be so terrible and heartbreaking? In case you somehow missed it, and based on the overnight TV numbers, most of you did not, Ohio State took to Happy Valley Saturday night and knocked off Penn State in White Out conditions.

For those of us watching in the stadium or at home, it was an exciting and dramatic roller coaster of a game. If you somehow were an impartial party, it was still an excellent football game. To the Ohio State faithful, it was great and terrible at the same time.

A win over a Top 10 division and conference foe is still a win. It made for great television. But for the Buckeyes, there were plenty of things that went wrong on a small scale before everything went right on the larger one.

So as the Scarlet and Gray warriors return to Columbus to prepare for Indiana next Saturday, let’s take a look at this week’s Hayes Gaze and Cannon Fodder!

Hayes Gaze

As I mentioned above, a tough win over a Top 10 team within your division at their place is always a good thing. Ohio State tried to let this game go multiple times, but they fought through and won a game that sets them on the inside track to a Big Ten championship and into the College Football Playoffs.

Obviously, many things had to go right on Saturday. But one person’s performance sticks out in my mind, so we shall cast our loving light upon him this Monday morning.

More often than not, since Terry McLaurin arrived in Columbus, I have been critical of his game play. If you look at his stat line from Penn State, you would think this was another time I was going to do just that. McLaurin ended the game with 0 catches for 0 yards, a 0.0 yard/catch average, and 0 touchdowns Saturday. He did not record any rushing stats either. So how is he getting the Hayes Gaze this week?

Go back and watch the game. When you do, look for #83 on the field every play. When you see him, watch him. McLaurin was credited with 3 tackles on special teams, and was in on many more. In a game like this one, those little plays make all the difference. McLaurin also downed a punt at the 2-yard line, obviously setting Penn State up with a long field.

But lastly, watch McLaurin on KJ Hill’s game winning touchdown. McLaurin does a great job engaging his defender, thus keeping him from stopping Hill. That block alone helps seal the score and eventually the win. However, McLaurin wasn’t satisfied with just stopping his man. No, instead he drove his defender into two other Nittany Lion defenders who were closing in on Hill.

As a former offensive lineman myself, I love watching blocks like that. Terry McLaurin, making Orlando Pace proud and getting the love of this week’s Hayes Gaze.

Cannon Fodder

Where do we start? The talent level difference, top to bottom, was clearly in Ohio State’s favor. However, execution was not always something the Buckeyes excelled at. Missed tackles, playing out of position, dropped passes…all this and more can be added to the list of why this was only a one-point victory. Even the coaching staff is far from immune, from why the defense failed to spy Trace McSorley on every play to somehow getting a Delay of Game penalty called on a critical two-point conversion attempt.

But the biggest problem this week was with the Ohio State rushing attack. Simply put, this has to improve. Penn State came into this game giving up over 170 yards rushing per week. Ohio State was only able to rush for 119 yards as a team.

That may seem like a decent enough total, and the Buckeyes did win after all, but it still needs a lot of work. At some point, OSU will have to rely on the rushing attack to win a game. They showed against TCU that when the game was on the line, they could move the ball. But they were not able to do it Saturday.

From the play calling to the execution, this aspect of the game will need the most work. Ohio State has the best 1-1A running back tandem in the country, and they were unable to have either Mike Weber or J.K. Dobbins get 60 yards on the ground. The luxury of a great running quarterback is no longer there. Getting these two rolling will make or break the Buckeye postseason goals this season.

Looking Ahead

I will say, I am extremely happy with the win Saturday. It is great getting to silence the White Out crowd and leave with a win. This week, Ohio State returns home and welcomes in an improving Indiana team.

IU comes in 4-1, fresh off a 24-17 win over Rutgers. Tom Allen has his team playing at a level we have never really seen from IU. However, their lone loss was against the best team they’ve played, Michigan State.

I mentioned it earlier this season, IU is going to be the best and most annoying 5 to 7-win team in the country. They will be a thorn in the side of a Buckeye squad looking to recover from an emotional game, and looking to avoid a hangover letdown.

IU can not match up with the talent level of Ohio State, and it will eventually show. The depth chart alone will win this game for the Buckeyes. Look for a conservative recovery from OSU as they start to get healthy for November. That being said, my extremely premature prediction is 45-17, 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)