Ohio State Has Been Elite in the Most Critical Moments of Each Game this Season

Simply put, the Ohio State Buckeyes are at their best in the most critical moments of every football game. They are obviously so good in so many different areas of the game, but one absolutely stands out more than most.

In each of the Buckeyes first seven games this season, they have scored a touchdown with less than a minute to play. It would be an excellent stat if they were to score any points in the final minute of every game. It would be outstanding if they scored a point in the final minute of four out of their seven total games.

To say that they have scored a touchdown in the final minute in each game this year is... There are no words to describe it. It's beyond impressive that they have done it, and frankly, in terms of gameplay, it is such a gut punch to an opponent.

Going into halftime off of a stop provides a ton of confidence for a defense and a team, regardless of the score. Furthermore, from the offensive side, it provides such a boost to put points on the board before halftime and take a bunch of momentum into the break.

There have been a couple of times that the Buckeyes have "double-dipped" by scoring before halftime and then getting the ball coming out of halftime and taking it down the field to score. Those scenarios are daggers to an opponent because it is a 14-point swing without the other team even touching the football. 

The score in each contest came with less than 0:24 left to go in the game, and probably the most improbable one came against the Kent State Golden Flashes. That one was the 49-yard Hail Mary that Brandon Inniss hauled in at the goal line. 

The biggest one at the time was Jeremiah Smith's touchdown against the Texas Longhorns with 0:19 seconds remaining to take a commanding lead in that matchup.

Last Saturday was pretty important, too, as the Buckeyes needed to get points on the board after a horrible first half, and they did it on fourth down on a touchdown pass to Bo Jackson in the flat.

This is something that they need to find a way to continue with whoever takes over the quarterback position. It will be nearly impossible to score a touchdown in every game right before halftime, but just getting points on the board is mission-critical. 

It's such an unlikely but incredibly positive trend for the Buckeyes throughout the year. It's a major reason why they have a 6-1 record, and even with the looming quarterback change, they are in a really good position to make the Playoffs.