10. The Buckeyes passed their first test in flying colors — for the most part. Now what? Ohio State now has the not-so-easy task of improving every week, which might not be as easy as it sounds because of who the Buckeyes play over the next five weeks. Make no mistake, OSU is in self-analysis mode now. A case can be made they will be playing against themselves as much as they’re playing against someone else.
9. The 42-24 win over Virginia Tech was solid, except for a rough second quarter. The inclination is to believe the Buckeyes’ quick 14-0 lead came too easy and maybe coach Urban Meyer’s squad let off the gas a little bit and opened the door for Virginia Tech to take a 17-14 halftime lead. If that’s the case, it’s a good learning point for OSU.
8. Because, frankly, there will be plenty of temptation for Ohio State to let off the gas over the next five weeks against, in order, Hawaii, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, Indiana and Maryland. Meyer and his staff have the challenge of making sure the Buckeyes don’t go into cruise control and thus regress because they feel they can walk through the motions until an Oct. 16 date with visiting Penn State.
7. Once the Buckeyes got their 14-0 lead over Virginia Tech, they had two costly holding penalties to take another touchdown off the board, threw an ill-advised interception to snuff out another drive, fumbled a punt to give the Hokies the ball at point-blank range and appeared to lose a little defensive intensity for a while. Once OSU snapped back into it after halftime, there was nothing Virginia Tech could do to fight off the tidal wave.
Continue Reading: Ohio State countdown: Buckeyes need to avoid letdown
