Following Ohio State’s Big Ten Championship Game loss to Michigan State last December, coach Urban Meyer looked positively inconsolable.
The Spartans’ upset ended the Buckeyes’ 24-game win streak and their hopes of competing in the final BCS National Championship Game, and Meyer wasn’t taking it well. An image of the intense head coach perched on a golf cart in the bowels of Lucas Oil Stadium, “enjoying” some Papa John’s pizza, went viral.
His mood matched that of Buckeye fans. While some questioned Ohio State’s BCS worthiness, the tandem of quarterback Braxton Miller and bruising tailback Carlos Hyde playing behind a senior-laden offensive line gave Meyer’s bunch a chance to compete with anyone nationally.
As Ohio State prepares for Saturday’s spring game, the Buckeyes remain at the top of the Big Ten food chain alongside Michigan State. But those expecting them to take another step forward towards national prominence in 2014 could be in for a rude awakening.
The Buckeyes have major questions to answer on both sides of the ball, and while they’ll be among the Big Ten’s best again, expecting them to be better than 2013 could be a very difficult undertaking indeed.
Last fall, Ohio State’s offense was fueled by its ground game. Hyde rushed for 1,521 yards and 15 touchdowns, and multi-talented quarterback Braxton Miller added 1,068 yards and 12 touchdowns. Miller missed spring practice while…
Continue Reading: Will Urban Meyer’s Ohio State Buckeyes Really Get Any Better in 2014?
