The Ohio State Buckeyes got out of Week 3 with a victory, but that is about the only positive thing that they will take away from the football game.
Sloppy is the best way to describe the product that the Buckeyes put out on the field on Saturday night. Unlike last week when they jumped on Grambling State from the opening kickoff, Ohio State struggled to start the game.
They took their opening series down inside the 10-yard line before the drive stalled out on 4th and goal. After that turnover, they responded with another long drive that got inside the 10-yard line, but they had to settle for a field goal instead of punching it in.
The Bobcats were frisky for the entire first half and trailed just 13-3 at the break. The game would get closer as Bobcats' quarterback Parker Navarro started the second half after suffering an injury in the first half. He was an immediate spark plug for the Bobcats.
After an eight-yard run, Navarro hit wide receiver Chase Hendricks for a 67-yard touchdown that shrunk the Buckeyes' lead to 13-9. Tension filled Ohio Stadium.
That feeling was short-lived as on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, freshman running back Bo Jackson went 64 yards up the sideline, moving the ball inside the ten-yard line. Again, the Buckeyes couldn't punch it in and had to settle for three.
That scoring drive settled the Buckeyes and set them up to score 24 straight points to pull away from the Bobcats for a comfortable 37-9 win.
Jeremiah Smith was the lone bright spot for Ohio State as he finished the day with 9 catches for 153 yards, and one touchdown to go along with one 17-yard carry for a touchdown.
After the game, Buckeyes' head coach Ryan Day gave his thoughts on his team's sloppy performance.
"We were moving the ball well, we just had to finish those drives off, which is frustrating. These are the things that we have to learn. We learned a lot of lessons tonight. As we continue to open up the offense like in the two-minute drill or when we are throwing the ball, we have to learn when it's time to take a sack... these are the lessons that we have to learn."-
Up next for the Buckeyes is a bye week before their Big Ten schedule begins with a trip to Seattle to face the 2-0 Washington Huskies.