Ohio State Regaining Confidence, but Big Questions Still Loom for Buckeyes

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Standing at the postgame podium on Saturday, Urban Meyer looked noticeably more relaxed, noticeably more confident and noticeably more satisfied than he did a week prior.

But the Ohio State head coach also wasn't about to be disillusioned, either.

Meyer was in a mood to celebrate following the Buckeyes' 66-0 victory over Kent State on, and rightfully so. Ohio State came out and dismantled an opponent from start to finish for the first time during the 2014 season, in an effort that Meyer described as "just what the doctor ordered."

And although he was happy that his team did what it needed to do with the opponent placed in front of it, Meyer also knows that the Golden Flashes aren't on the same level as the Virginia Tech squad that handed the Buckeyes their first loss of the season a week earlier.

Yes, Ohio State had just played up to its potential on both sides of the ball, but Meyer was aware that a significant variable was in play, leaving how much he would truly take away from the Buckeyes' most recent win to be determined.

"I thought our guys played well. Obviously a little talent advantage, but we had to have a game like this," Meyer said. "Normally that's a first game, especially when you have a young quarterback and a young offensive line. But I'm glad we played like we did."

That was the overarching theme of Ohio State's postgame media session, where the Buckeyes were pleased with their play but admitted that they still had questions about themselves due to the lower level of competition that they had just beat.

Heading into a bye week, Ohio State players and coaches alike will have plenty of time to continue to search for those answers as they prepare for a Sept. 27 date against their next quality opponent on the schedule, Cincinnati.

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What Will Be the Buckeyes' Offensive Identity?

While the quality of opponents varied, the Buckeyes' offensive game plan appeared to change drastically in the week between OSU's loss to the Hokies and win over Kent State.

Gone were designed quarterback runs for J.T. Barrett, replaced with a more even attack that saw the freshman signal-caller attempt 30 passes and throw for 312 yards and six touchdowns in little more than a half of action. When the Golden Flashes came out in the 46 Bear defense that Virginia Tech stifled Ohio State with, the Buckeyes were unfazed, dinking and dunking their way to a five-play, 58-yard touchdown drive to start the game.

Swing passes to the running backs and a revitalization of the H-back position both appeared to take Kent State out of its copycat approach after the second series of the game—a nine-play, 65-yard Ohio State touchdown drive that ended with a touchdown catch by running back Rod Smith.

By the end of the first quarter alone, eight Buckeyes had tallied receptions, as Barrett looked more like the "distributor" that the OSU coaching staff touted him to be when he took over for an injured Braxton Miller two weeks before the start of the 2014 season.

"On purpose, and early in the first half I wanted to throw a lot. I wanted to force [Barrett] to make plays—and the receivers," Meyer said. "You can tell we're trying to get guys in open space to see what they can do because you've got Jalin Marshall, who's a very talented guy, Dontre Wilson—I could go down the list. But we're still trying to get our hands on exactly who's going to touch that ball."

Meyer also admitted that with a fourth of the season in the books, the Buckeyes are still trying to identify an overall offensive identity. While Miller put Ohio State on his back two years ago and Carlos Hyde emerged as one of the nation's best running backs last season, the Buckeyes currently find themselves without a bread and butter that they can go to with the ball on a consistent basis.

The game against Kent State was perhaps an indication of what the Ohio State offense would like to hang its hat on, as the Buckeyes emptied their backfield in favor of a pass-happy approach.

"I think he'll be a good empty quarterback, five-receiver set," Meyer said. "We're still, once again, figuring out exactly how we're going to be moving the ball as an offense once we start getting to the Big Ten season."

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What Can the Ohio State Defense Do?

With Miller's return to full strength an assumption at the time, all eyes were on the Ohio State defense during the offseason, as new defensive coordinator Chris Ash took over following the Buckeyes' disastrous end to the 2013 campaign.

But while Ash spent the spring and fall camp implementing a new press-coverage scheme, Ohio State had to wait until the second week of the season to put it on display, thanks to Navy's triple-option attack in Week 1.

In its debut against the Hokies, Ash's attack drew mixed reviews, with the Buckeyes surrendering just 199 passing yards (and 324 total yards), but also allowing Virginia Tech to convert nine of its 17 third-down conversions. Against Kent State, the Ohio State defense was flat-out dominant, giving up just 126 total yards, recording three interceptions and holding the Golden Flashes to just two successful third-down conversions.

Of course, those aren't realistic numbers to expect from the Buckeyes defense on a consistent basis, as Kent State will likely be the worst team that Ohio State faces this season. Still, that didn't stop Ash from being encouraged by his unit's most recent performance, regardless of who it came against.

"Kent State, I know a lot of people say is an inferior opponent, but you still have to come out and play the game," Ash said. "I think we improved from last week. A lot of positives. We've got a lot of things we still need to improve upon, but that's what the bye week's for. I think the kids are seeing improvement and that's what's important."

Continuing to improve will be all the more important for Ohio State heading into its next game, as it prepares for a Cincinnati team that threw for 436 yards and scored 58 points in its season debut last weekend. With the Bearcats' 58-34 win over Toledo being played on Friday night, the Buckeyes got an early look at their next opponent from the team hotel, and they know that they'll have their work cut out for them on the defensive side of the ball.

"I watched Cincinnati last night and they're a very talented team," Meyer said on Saturday. "So we're going to put everything we can into it the next two weeks to win that game."

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Just How Good Are the Buckeyes?

While nothing but positive vibes emanated from the Ohio State interview room on Saturday—and why would anything else after a 66-0 win?—one overarching question remained: Just how good are the 2014 Buckeyes?

The dominant victory over Kent State was impressive, but the Flashes' inherent inability almost made an asterisk necessary for Ohio State's most recent win. That was apparent in the answer of offensive coordinator Tom Herman, when asked what questions he still had about the Buckeyes heading into their bye week.

"If we can do it consistently, if we can play well against a team with the athletes that Cincinnati will have," Herman responded. "We're a work in progress in a lot of places. The biggest question mark other than guys continuing to get better and establish their role on offense is can we establish this type of success against teams that are going to have better athletes?"

With the Bearcats coming to town in two weeks, it shouldn't be long until Ohio State finds out the answer to that question. That's why Meyer is approaching the bye week with only a cautious optimism, well aware that the Buckeyes have yet to prove much of anything in the 2014 season.

"We're going to practice hard this week. A lot of what you do in a bye week is dependent on what kind of team you have. But our guys need repetitions," Meyer said. "Where are we and do I like where we're at? I think so. We're 2-1. You still have a sick feeling in your stomach about last week, but we're moving forward."

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Ohio State Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.