Ohio State football hosted Oklahoma on Saturday night in a marquee matchup, but the Buckeyes came out on the losing end.
In a rematch of last year’s thrashing of Oklahoma in Norman, Ohio State football hosted the Sooners on Saturday night, but this time it was a different story. The Sooners shut down the Buckeyes on offense and held the nation’s No. 2 team in check.
The 31-16 “upset” in Columbus was Ohio State’s second loss in its past three games, dating back to last year’s College Football Playoff’s debacle against Clemson. Although it’s way too early to rule the Buckeyes out of playoff contention this year, this loss was a big blow to Ohio State’s hopes.
While watching the game, it was fairly evident who the better team was. Oklahoma out-played the Buckeyes in the second half after playing a fairly even first half.
What did we learn from the Buckeyes’ 15-point home loss to Oklahoma?
3. Secondary not where it needs to be
Let’s face it, Ohio State’s secondary isn’t nearly where it should be. Granted it’s early, but giving up over 800 yards through the air in the first two games combined is eye-popping. Sure, the secondary is young, but that might mean there are major gaps and guys who are unable to fill the void of those who left in the offseason.
Ohio State gets hyped quite often for having an elite defensive backfield, but it didn’t show on Saturday night against Baker Mayfield and the Sooners. He carved up Ohio State’s secondary to the tune of 386 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers.
It’s time to make some changes in the defensive backfield, if you’re Urban Meyer, but the panic button should be pushed to the side. It’s too early to truly panic. If this happens 2-3 more times, then maybe we can talk about that.
Stanford’s secondary is not nearly where it should be, especially with the talent back there.
2. Baker Mayfield hype is real
Didn’t believe the Baker Mayfield hype before the game? Well, maybe it’s time to start. After another electric performance to start the season, Mayfield looks primed to contend for the Heisman Trophy as a senior.
Heading into the game, there were many, including myself, who believed that Mayfield would struggle against a tough Buckeye defense, but that wasn’t the case. In fact, he looked calm all night long and made tough throws look easy. He looked like a true Heisman front-runner.
Want to hear a crazy stat? Mayfield has thrown just nine incompletions through two games this season and he has six touchdown passes. He only has three more incompletions through two games than touchdown passes. That’s wild.
Against a secondary that, on paper, was supposed to be one of the best in the Big Ten, Mayfield looked like an absolute superstar. This guy doesn’t get enough credit for what he does on the field. He’s a leader and can put up video game-like numbers seemingly under the radar.
1. JT Barrett may not be the answer at QB
Is it finally time to talk about J.T. Barrett and the quarterback situation for Ohio State? Yes, I’ll bring it up since it seems to be a recurring topic of conversation. Barrett struggled to run the offense effectively yet again. Is he uncomfortable behind his line? Is he relying too much on the run? Either way, he’s looked suspect, at best, through two games.
Just how bad did Barrett fare against an Oklahoma defense that literally held the Sooners out of the playoff a year ago? He completed just 19-of-35 passes for 183 yards and an interception. He did rush for 66 yards on 18 carries, but is that enough to keep him afloat at No. 1 quarterback?
There’s plenty of talent on the quarterback depth chart behind Barrett, and Meyer knows that. While he might be tempted to go a different direction after a couple shaky performances to start the year, he has to trust the quarterback who got him to the Big Ten title game in 2014 and College Football Playoff last year.
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Surely there will be people calling for Barrett’s job under center, but it’s too early to tell if he will rebound. It’s gut-check time for the senior dual-threat.