So, maybe that wasn’t as hard as many experts set it up to be. The Cincinnati Bearcats were supposed to somewhat of a formidable challenge for Ohio State, but 42-0 later, it was anything but.
The Buckeyes weren’t clicking on all cylinders, but pretty close. The running game got out with some explosive plays, the defense was fantastic, and Justin Fields continued to be a dynamic player at the quarterback position.
As normal, here’s five things we learned from Ohio State’s beat-down of Cincinnati.
The Ohio State defense looks like a much, much better unit
I expected the defense to be much better than last year, but I didn’t expect it to look like this with the first stringers in there. The Bearcats have a style of play that could have gashed things on the ground, but it didn’t happen. Sure, there were moments, and of course it’s still very early in the year, but anytime you throw up a zero on the board against what will likely be a bowl team this year, it’s worth celebrating.
It’s clear this defense is a downhill one with a lot of athletic ability. If it can keep running to the ball, getting pressure on the quarterback and covering things on the back-end, the defense might just be the highlight of your 2019 Buckeye squad.
Dobbins was Dobbins again
You had to be a little concerned about what we saw from Ohio State’s No. 1 tailback in week one. Sure the offensive line could have done a little better job of opening up some lanes and getting a push up front, but there was room there.
Dobbins showed out today, going for 141 yards and two touchdowns on just 17 carries (8.3 per carry). We got to see some of that explosiveness too with a 60-yard scamper early in the game. Ohio State will need more of this going forward to allow Fields to make things happen down the field.
Mismatch in talent
Much of the talk coming in was how underrated the Cincinnati Bearcat squad was. With over 70 players on the team from the state of Ohio, it would play with a chip on its shoulder with undervalued talent that wasn’t that far off from what the Ohio State sideline had.
Not so.
If you watched the same game that I did, it was clear which team was bigger, faster, and much, much more athletic. That’s to take nothing away from what Luke Fickell is trying to build down there, it’s just that the Bearcats don’t attract the level of athlete Ohio State does. And when push came to shove in this one, OSU’s athletes just beat the men in front of them on a consistent basis.
O-line was much improved
Now that’s what we should expect from an Ohio State offensive line. Justin Fields seemed to have more time to throw, and there are times when the big guys up front just pushed the point of attack forward to give the running game an early boost before contact.
Every body benefited.
Fields found room to run, Dobbins went off, and the passing game flourished. More than that, the Bearcat defensive line got worn out from the big bodies leaning against it play after play. Now, we just need to see that on a consistent basis.
A Field day
Justin Fields had himself another day. He’s not throwing up passing numbers like Dwayne Haskins did last year, but lest’s be honest, no quarterback really has in the history of the program. Still, he’s been almost equally as effective and productive.
After accounting for five touchdowns in his debut last week, Fields was responsible for four more against Cincinnati, making it nine total TDs in the infancy of 2019.
The OSU QB threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns on a solid 20 of 25 attempts, and ran for another 42 yards and two touchdowns. It’s a fantastic start to the 2019 campaign, and you have to think it’s only going to get better.
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