COLUMBUS, Ohio — The plan needed some adjustments on the fly, but the end result as nonconference play wrapped up was exactly what Ohio State had in mind.
Braxton Miller was on the shelf for almost all of it, the defensive line had to deal with a couple notable injuries and the strength of schedule may have taken a hit due to circumstances the Buckeyes couldn’t control. But they are undefeated, about to get much healthier and might actually wind up being fresher than coach Urban Meyer might have hoped for after four games before kicking off the grind that is the Big Ten slate.
With the “preseason” out of the way, it’s time to take a look back at the superlatives from a stretch that pushed Ohio State’s winning streak to 16 games.
Best game: The Buckeyes didn’t know until late in the week before flying to take on California if they’d have Miller available after he suffered his sprained knee the game before, and the flight itself provided some adversity for the roster. But the spread offense hummed right along with Kenny Guiton at the helm, jumping to an early lead with three touchdown passes from the backup in the first six minutes while the rebuilt defense forced a couple turnovers and survived the up-tempo onslaught from Cal in a comfortable 52-34 victory. The outing wasn’t perfect, but it did offer a glimpse at plenty of the things that could make the Buckeyes dangerous moving forward.
Continue reading this article at ESPN: Ohio State at the quarter pole
