The No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes passed their first road test of the season, defeating the formerly undefeated Washington Huskies 24-6 at Husky Stadium.
Here is who passed the test with flying colors, and
some who didn’t…
A+: Caden Curry
I think it is safe to say a lot of fans were waiting for a big breakout game from Caden Curry, and it is safe to say they got it in this one. Curry went off on the Washington offensive line, recording three sacks, five tackles for loss, nine solo tackles and 11 total tackles.
Curry single handedly saved a touchdown early in the game and kept the mayhem coming. Curry is immensely talented and hopefully this game propels him into a new tier.
A+: Kayden McDonald
I was going to combine Curry and McDonald, but honestly, they both played so well, I figured they each deserved mentioned on their own. McDonald had a similarly strong day to Curry with seven total tackles, four solo tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss on his own.
Just a dominant performance a defensive line that seems to be getting better every week.
A: Breaking streaks
The Washington Huskies came into this game with the second longest home winning streak at 22 games, only behind Georgia at 32 games. That streak is over. Start the count again.
A: Third Down efficiency
Third down conversations and success rate are a key to winning big games, and the Buckeyes were 6-for-10 on third down and 1-for-2 on fourth down, while Washington was 1-for-11 on third down and 1-for-3 on fourth down.
The Buckeyes were able to extend drives and the Huskies were not. That and the red zone defense from Ohio State was a big reason they won this game.
A: Running back touches distribution
I am not even sure how to word this, but I am glad Bo Jackson got the majority of the touches in the backfield. The order of touches moving forward should be Jackson, Donaldson, and then James Peoples.
That is exactly how it went against Washington. Jackson had 17 carries, while Donaldson had nine and Peoples had three. Bo Jackson should be RB1 moving forward.
C: Slow starts
So far, the Buckeyes have been a second half team, and that is fine. However, when the season gets deeper and the games get closer, it would be nice to jump out to some quick and commanding leads.
Let’s try that next time.
F: Gary Danielson
I am putting Danielson on his own here because I like Brad Nessler and think he is a college football icon.
Danielson? Not so much.
Hopefully the Buckeyes don’t have too many Big Ten on CBS games left this season.
