Ohio State Football: What You Should Be Concerned About

The Ohio State Buckeyes suffered their first home and regular-season loss under Urban Meyer Saturday night, getting blasted by Virginia Tech in a 35-21 upset.

It was a crushing defeat for a team that was hoping to rely on a strong defense and an upgraded group of skill-position players in the wake of Braxton Miller's season-ending shoulder injury.

As Ohio State tries to refocus for a run at a Big Ten title, what should Buckeyes fans be most concerned about? 

The Offensive Line

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Ohio State's offensive line was Urban Meyer's biggest concern coming into the season, and after the Virginia Tech game, it's easy to see why.

The Buckeyes' front line was abused by Bud Foster's aggressive defense. J.T. Barrett was sacked six times in the fourth quarter alone—and seven times in total—which prevented any possibility of an Ohio State rally.

After the game, Meyer talked about the difficulties of blocking Virginia Tech's unique defensive front.

"

Urbs sorta admits to being out schemed. Bear front surprised #Ohiostate

— toddporter (@toddporter) September 7, 2014"

The Buckeyes also struggled to block Navy's small defensive line in the season opener. If this becomes a weekly struggle, it could be a disastrous season for Meyer and Ohio State.

J.T. Barrett's Supporting Cast

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With Dontre Wilson, Devin Smith, Michael Thomas and Jalin Marshall in the fold, the skill-position players were supposed to be one of Ohio State's strengths this year.

That wasn't the case against the Hokies.

Virginia Tech essentially played man-to-man coverage the entire night, providing the Buckeyes receivers with plenty of opportunities to make plays. While Wilson, Smith and Thomas each hauled in impressive catches, Ohio State failed to successfully attack the Hokies' only defensive vulnerability.

“I thought our skilled guys would perform better," Meyer said after the Virginia Tech loss, according to Patrick Maks of Eleven Warriors. "We have enough skill on this football team to get by people. It didn't look like it, but we have to get by people or you're going to see what you saw today you'll see every week."

The Running Backs

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Carlos Hyde had one of the most productive seasons in Ohio State history last year, and he fueled a rushing attack that ranked fifth nationally with 308.6 yards per game.

Urban Meyer planned to replace Hyde with a stable of running backs led by super sophomore Ezekiel Elliott. However, through two games, that stable of backs has produced just 152 total yards—10 shy of Hyde's weekly output in his final 10 games with the Buckeyes.

Part of these struggles are tied to the poor blocking of the offensive line, further justifying that unit as Meyer's top concern. With that being said, Elliott, Rod Smith and Curtis Samuel lack the blend of power and speed that Hyde gave the Buckeyes a season ago. As a result, the offense isn't nearly as potent. 

Ohio State's Offensive Identity

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What will Ohio State's offensive identity be this season?

With Braxton Miller, Carlos Hyde and a senior-laden offensive line, the Buckeyes relentlessly pounded teams on the ground to set up play action in 2013.

Miller, Hyde and the senior offensive linemen are now gone, and the Buckeyes are struggling to establish any kind of groove without them. 

Is J.T. Barrett going to be a distributor to a dangerous group of playmakers? Can the Buckeyes establish any kind of run? Will Barrett trigger the run game, or will the running backs get their numbers called more frequently?

Against the Hokies, Ohio State ran the ball 40 times. Barrett, who isn't remotely as dynamic a runner as Miller, accounted for 24 of those carries.

Meyer will need to lessen Barrett's load in the running game while trying to figure out ways to crank up the passing attack.

Michigan State

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The Buckeyes still have enough talent to make a run in the Big Ten, but after the Virginia Tech game, Urban Meyer can't be very excited to face off against Michigan State later this season.

The Spartans will be just as aggressive defensively this November, when Ohio State is scheduled to travel to East Lansing for a prime-time matchup. With a broken running game and a struggling passing attack, Michigan State will be able to pin its ears back and bulldoze the Buckeyes offense.

The reigning Big Ten and Rose Bowl champions are coming off a demoralizing loss of their own. The Spartans went to Oregon and watched the Ducks score the last 28 points of the game to cruise to a 46-27 victory. 

However, after the Virginia Tech game, it's clear that Ohio State is nowhere near as explosive as Oregon.

If Meyer can't pull things together by November, it will be another long night for the Buckeyes.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via OhioStateBuckeyes.com. 

David Regimbal covers Ohio State football for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.