Ohio State Football: Lack of Firepower Dooming Buckeyes Offense

COLUMBUS, Ohio—With 30 minutes to go until kickoff, four-time NBA MVP LeBron James came strolling out of the newly renovated entrance tunnel inside of Ohio Stadium. Moments later, two-time reigning Big Ten MVP and injured Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller followed, with The Horseshoe’s student section chanting his name.

But unfortunately for the Buckeyes, that’s where their star power stopped on Saturday night.

Because with Miller trapped in a neatly tailored navy suit thanks to a torn labrum that will keep him on the sideline for the entirety of the 2014 season—and James’ eligibility having long expired—there would be no saving of an Ohio State offense that appeared impotent in the Buckeyes’ 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech. Ohio State outgained the Hokies (327 yards to 324) but failed to move the ball consistently, as Virginia Tech employed a Cover 0 scheme that forced the Buckeyes to take shots downfield.

“Our opponent really did a good job preparing for us. They exposed us a little bit, some of the weaknesses on our team,” Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said after the game. “It was rather obvious what it is.”

The inefficiency mentioned by Meyer was apparent in the stat line of redshirt freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett, who, in the second start of his college career, connected on just nine of his 29 pass attempts and threw three interceptions. For the second consecutive week, Barrett didn’t find much help from an offensive line that’s still in the…

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