Unbeaten with a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate leading a high-powered offense, No. 7 Ohio State has appeared to re-establish itself as one of the nation’s elite programs.
Coach Urban Meyer, though, isn’t sold quite yet.
With the Buckeyes’ defense struggling mightily, Saturday’s matchup with a Purdue team that is scuffling offensively could help it get on track.
Ohio State (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) hasn’t had much trouble putting up points the last two weeks, beating then-No. 21 Nebraska 63-38 on Oct. 6 before a 52-49 win at Indiana last Saturday.
Braxton Miller, who has looked Heisman-worthy much of the season, rushed for 186 yards versus the Cornhuskers and against the Hoosiers, accounted for 360 yards of total offense – including a 67-yard touchdown run and TD passes of 60 and 46 yards to Devin Smith.
Miller enters the week, ranked seventh in the FBS in rushing yards per game at 130.3, and needs 88 yards to become the first Ohio State quarterback to rush for 1,000 in a season.
It’s the defense, though, that has Meyer concerned.
In allowing Indiana to rack up its most points in the series, the Buckeyes nearly blew an 18-point lead in the final two minutes. They’re giving up an average of 400 yards – 10th in the conference – and their 277.7 passing yards allowed ranks 107th in the nation entering Week 8.
Meyer said if Ohio State wants to be considered among the best teams in the nation, it must improve those numbers.
“The (teams) that get to where the errors are rare are real elite teams. At some point you have to play some really good defense, and they all do,” Meyer said. “The top two (in the BCS standings) right now are Alabama and Florida, the two best defenses in America. And that’s not by accident.”
Missing starting linebacker Etienne Sabino for three more weeks due to a broken leg surely won’t help matters, but Meyer isn’t about to start making excuses. He vowed to become a bigger part of the defensive game planning, beginning with Monday’s meeting with the defensive coaches.
Continue Reading: Purdue-Ohio St. Preview
