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Ohio State Football: Buckeyes dominate Miami (OH) in final tune-up

By Zach Bigalke

COLUMBUS, OH - AUGUST 31: Quarterback Justin Fields #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes completes a pass to K.J. Hill #14 of the Ohio State Buckeyes for a first down in the third quarter against the Florida Atlantic Owls at Ohio Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Florida Atlantic 45-21. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - AUGUST 31: Quarterback Justin Fields #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes completes a pass to K.J. Hill #14 of the Ohio State Buckeyes for a first down in the third quarter against the Florida Atlantic Owls at Ohio Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Florida Atlantic 45-21. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /
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Ohio State football left no doubt on Saturday as they demolished Miami of Ohio. What did we learn from the blowout by the Buckeyes in Week 4?

Ohio State came out for their Week 4 contest against the Miami RedHawks ready to make a statement against an overmatched opponent.  That’s just what Ryan Day’s crew did at the Horseshoe, crushing their Group of Five challenger in a 76-5 blowout that might boost the Buckeyes back into the top five of the AP Top 25.

Justin Fields did plenty of damage before leaving the game in the third quarter. The transfer from Georgia finished the day with a six-pack of touchdowns. Fields threw four scores as he went 14-of-21 for 223 yards. When he tucked the ball and ran, Fields racked up 36 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on nine carries. It was another impressive display on a short day of work before ceding the spot under center to backup Chris Chugunov.

J.K Dobbins led the way out of the backfield, piling up 52 rushing yards and a touchdown on just eight carries before he too went to the bench after a job well done. Dobbins added a nine-yard catch for good measure as he displayed his versatility as a running back. Steele Chambers ultimately led the team in rushing, finishing the day with 69 yards on his eight touches.

What really stood out, though, was the defensive display by the Buckeyes. Ohio State’s defense held Miami University to just 130 total yards of offense on 63 plays. RedHawks starting quarterback Brent Gabbert went 5-of-15 for 48 yards and an interception before exiting the game for backup Jackson Williamson. But Williamson fared little better, going 2-of-5 for 12 yards. At least the replacement refrained from turning the ball over, a small victory on a day of big losses.

The ground game struggled just as much for Miami. Maurice Thomas finished the day with 44 yards on eight carries, but the team as a whole finished with only 70 total yards on an average of 1.6 yards per carry. Ohio State’s stout front seven proved too much to handle for the crew from the MAC.

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With the takedown of the RedHawks, Ohio State moves to 4-0 in the standings ahead of a key road matchup against Nebraska in Lincoln. At the very least, the Buckeyes will be ranked No. 6 in the polls when they head west, though they could leapfrog an Oklahoma team that was idle in Week 4 to take a top-five ranking to face the Cornhuskers.

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