Ohio State Football: 3 takeaways from win over UNLV
3. The Buckeyes got everyone involved on offense
Going into Week 4 of the college football season, everyone expected Ohio State to roll past the UNLV Rebels, but few expected the Buckeyes to do it in such exciting fashion.
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Senior quarterback J.T. Barrett lead his team to a 37-0 runaway lead in the second quarter, and did it in impressive fashion.
Barrett move the ball seemingly at will against the Rebels’ defense and scored five touchdowns through the air to five different receivers.
And it didn’t stop there.
After firmly putting UNLV away so early in the game, head coach Urban Meyer decided to sub out his starting quarterback in favor of giving freshman backup Dwayne Haskins a chance to run the Buckeye offense, and the results were still impressive.
While Haskins isn’t quite as polished as Barrett, who in all fairness has appeared in 40 games so far in his four-year Buckeyes tenure, he did finish the game with 228 yards on 15 completions for two touchdowns and an pick-six. It should give fans confidence that he could lead the team if Barrett were to miss time, and when he graduates.
And the Buckeyes didn’t just find success through the air.
Their rushing attack was led by true freshman J.K. Dobbins who finished the game with 14 carries for 95 yards. Dobbins flashed the athleticism fans have come to expect from his four-game tenure, and looks like he could be one of the best backs in the Big Ten for the foreseeable future.
Additionally, special teams also shined.
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Wide receiver Parris Campbell, who finished the game with three receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown, recorded a huge 82-yard punt return following the team’s safety in the first half that gave them excellent field position, and set up a Binjimen Victor touchdown reception.
Simply put, it seems like anytime an Ohio State player had the ball in his hands, he was a threat to score a touchdown.
And it will need to continue.
As the team now looks ahead to conference play, and games against Penn State, Maryland and Michigan, the Buckeyes will need their offense to continue to roll at this rate if they want to keep their College Football Playoff hope alive.