2012 Gator Bowl: 5 Things Ohio State Needs to Improve on in 2012

The 2012 Gator Bowl summed up Ohio State's 2011 season.

The play was sloppy, the coaching poor, the game plan dismal and the fans left disappointed. This season almost seemed like a bad dream that all Ohio State fans are excited to wake up from. With Urban Meyer running the show now, things are looking up, but there are plenty of things that need to be fixed in Columbus.

Here are five things that must be improved in order to return to dominance at Ohio State.

5. Braxton Miller's Passing Ability

As fantastic as the freshman quarterback was this year, he has plenty of room for improvement in the passing game.

Miller is an extremely talented runner and has a knack for making plays. Anytime he tucks the ball away and decides to run, it is a sight to see and he has proven time and time again he will rise to the occasion. However, Miller has struggled with some of his throws and has trouble making quick decisions.

In the Gator Bowl, the freshman seemed very hesitant to make decisions in the pocket and overthrew a few passes, including a wide open DeVier Posey that would have given the Buckeyes a touchdown.

Miller needs to be able to get rid of the ball quicker. When he drops back to pass, he has forced the offensive line to block for insane amounts of time. He also needs to greatly improve his accuracy and make the necessary throws. Incomplete screen passes and wide open touchdowns are unacceptable and will continue to lose the Buckeyes games.

The good news is he's a freshman with a ton of talent. With the new coaching staff coming in, and his willingness to get better, Miller could be a Heisman trophy candidate as early as next year as long as he improves his passing game.

4. Rushing the Passer

The Buckeyes struggled greatly to get pressure on John Brantley throughout the Gator Bowl. With the exception of a few plays, Brantley had all day to sit back in the pocket and pick apart the secondary.

No matter how talented a secondary may be, they can only manage to cover for so long before someone breaks open. A solid pass rush also forces turnovers and can cover up poor secondary play when necessary.

Most likely, senior defensive end Nathan Williams will return from a medical redshirt after suffering a knee injury against Akron in Week 1. His presence will do wonders for Ohio State's pass rush along with the return of John Simon. Not to mention the commitment of the top defensive end in the nation, Noah Spence, along with the commitments of three other highly-touted defensive line recruits will add a spark to the defensive front and great depth.

3. How They Start Games

At one point during this season, Ohio State was down 10-0 in the beginning of three consecutive games. All year, the Buckeyes struggled to get out of the gate quickly and were constantly forced to play catch-up.

This year's offense was in no position to play from behind. Ohio State's slow starts are partly on the coaches but also on the players, especially the leaders of the team. Next year's team has to have a sense of urgency every Saturday in order to avoid playing from behind and to allow the offense to function properly. 

Urban Meyer is an extremely intense coach that demands the best from his players. I don't see next year's team struggling to get up for any games early and if they don't want to go 6-6 again, they'd better not.

2. Special Teams

Jim Tressel always hung his hat on excellent special teams play. During his dominant era at Ohio State, his special teams were flawless and extremely reliable. 

Ohio State's special teams play in the Gator Bowl was the worst I have ever seen from the Buckeyes. With a kickoff out of bounds, a blocked punt and the conceding of a 99-yard kickoff return, the special teams play was a complete joke.

While Ben Buchanan had a solid season punting and Drew Basil was a reliable kicker, the special teams always failed to execute the little things. Whether it was keeping a kickoff in bounds or protecting the punter, OSU must improve this and pay closer attention to detail on special teams.

After all, it's the little things that separate the mediocre teams from the elite.

1. Utilizing Their Talent

Throughout the entire season, Ohio State absolutely failed to utilize the talent they possessed. Players like Jordan Hall and Carlos Hyde were completely misused and playmakers like DeVier Posey and Jake Stoneburner were not targeted nearly enough.

Against the Gators, DeVier Posey should have been thrown to at least twice as much as he was. During this same game, the offense was running lead plays up the middle with Hall (a smaller back) while running toss plays to their biggest back, Hyde.

This entire season, Stoneburner was completely ignored, despite that half of his receptions were touchdowns. Hall is an excellent receiver out of the backfield but finished the season with only nine receptions. Hyde is a big back who hits the hole hard, but was never used in short-yardage situations and Braxton Miller was rarely put in a position to succeed.

Meyer's expertise is utilizing the talent he possesses and maximizing it, which is exactly what they need in Columbus. The talent is there, someone just needs to use it.