Ohio State vs. Virginia Tech: Postgame Grades for Buckeyes

Using an array of offensive firepower, Urban Meyer and No. 1 Ohio State hit the road and got revenge against Virginia Tech in a 42-24 rout of the Hokies on Monday night. 

The Buckeyes raced out to a 14-point lead in the first quarter, but Virginia Tech responded with 17 unanswered points to take a three-point lead into the locker room at halftime. That's when Braxton Miller and (starting quarterback) Cardale Jones took over, leading the Buckeyes to four second-half touchdown drives to secure the 18-point win.

Positional Unit	1st-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	B	B-
Run Offense	A	A+
Pass Defense	C-	B-
Run Defense	A	A+
Special Teams	F	D-
Coaching	C	B

Ohio State Buckeyes Grade Analysis

Pass Offense

Jones got off to a fast start against the Hokies, completing six of nine passes for 95 yards and a touchdown against the stingy Hokies defense. But defensive coordinator Bud Foster and the secondary settled in, and Jones completed just three passes the rest of the game. One of those completions was a perfectly placed ball to Miller, who got behind the defense for a 54-yard touchdown.

J.T. Barrett came in for mop-up duty in the fourth quarter and showcased his passing ability. He threw a strike to Michael Thomas, who broke All-American cornerback Kendall Fuller's ankles for a 26-yard score. 

Run Offense

Much like the passing game, the rushing attack got off to a quick start when Ezekiel Elliott broke free on his first carry for an 80-yard touchdown. That was the highlight of his game, however, because the defense Virginia Tech played forced Meyer to put the ball in the hands of Jones and the perimeter playmakers. Elliott still managed a game-high 122 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries. 

The most electric play of the game, however, came from Miller. Late in the third quarter with Ohio State up 11, Miller broke free on a perimeter run and escaped the Virginia Tech defense with a video-game spin move on a 53-yard touchdown run. In total, the Buckeyes ran 360 yards on just 37 carries, averaging 9.7 yards per attempt.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Pass Defense

Ohio State got to Michael Brewer and forced him out of a rhythm in the first quarter, surrendering just three completions for 22 yards. But things turned in the second quarter, and Brewer connected on multiple big plays against the Buckeyes, including a 51-yard touchdown to fullback Sam Rogers on a perfectly executed wheel route.

Brewer was hurting the Buckeyes, completing 68.8 percent of his passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns before he broke his collarbone early in the third quarter on a hard hit from defensive tackle Adolphus Washington. Brenden Motley, Brewer's replacement, didn't have much success filling in, completing just four of nine passes for 39 yards and a garbage-time touchdown. 

Run Defense 

Ohio State's run defense had momentary lapses, as it was clearly missing star defensive end Joey Bosa. The Buckeyes allowed runs of 14, 15 and 16 yards to an array of Hokies ball-carriers, but that was the downside to an otherwise brilliant performance. The Hokies ran for just 128 yards on 40 carries, averaging just 2.9 yards per attempt. 

Michael Shroyer/Getty Images

Special Teams

For all the things that went right for Ohio State, the special teams were absolutely horrendous, especially in the first half. New place-kicker Jack Willoughby missed a 43-yard field goal at the end of the first quarter, and Elliott muffed a punt right before halftime that put Virginia Tech in position to take a 17-14 lead before the break. There weren't any disastrous plays in the second half, but there weren't any great ones, either. 

Coaching

Aside from the dreadful second quarter that saw Virginia Tech outscore Ohio State 17-0, Meyer and the coaching staff executed the game plan perfectly.

Moving the ball against Virginia Tech's unique "Bear" defense requires a perfect balance of perimeter running and down-the-field passing. While the Buckeyes missed on a few opportunities, it was clear that they were much more prepared for the Hokies this time around. 

David Regimbal is the Ohio State football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.