It wasn’t pretty, but the Buckeyes got the job done and beat a very good Northwestern team. Heading into the game, the one fear the Buckeyes had was the Northwestern passing defense. In the first half, Ryan Day kept trying to force the throw when the running game was effective. We said at the half, that the Buckeyes needed to focus on the run and stop the Wildcat running game. It took a few drives, but finally, Ryan Day figured it out. Trey Sermon had a monster day and had Day gone that way in the first half, it might have been even bigger.
The defense showed up like they haven’t for large stretches this season in the second half, and Justin Hilliard was a large part of the defensive turnaround. The defense stopped the run and forced Peyton Ramsey to have to throw, which led to some mistakes the Buckeyes took advantage of. The second half showed why the Buckeyes are ranked fourth, putting an awful first half behind them.
OHIO STATE SINGLE GAME RUSHING RECORD FOR TREY SERMON, 331 YARDS 👑😍 pic.twitter.com/j1WikT6PDo
— Barstool OSU (@BarstoolOSU) December 19, 2020
This was one of the few games we could question Ryan Day and his playcalling. He was stubborn in the first half and once he allowed himself to call the game with what Northwestern was giving, it was an easy decision to keep gashing the Wildcat defense on the ground. If the Buckeyes do get into the playoffs, Day has to learn from this game and play within the game and to the weaknesses of other teams. Now we wait for tomorrow to see if the Buckeyes remain in the top four.
We absolutely think they will.
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