The 5 Most Telling Stats for Ohio State This Season

When Braxton Miller was lost for the season before it even started, expectations for Ohio State plummeted, as Urban Meyer was forced to turn his offense over to redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett. 

But after eight games, the Buckeyes are lurking as potential playoff contenders with a big matchup against Michigan State looming this Saturday.

Barrett has been better than many expected, and he has Ohio State's offense clicking at a high level. A young and aggressive defense is also starting to come together under the direction of new co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash.

Here are the five stats that paint the clearest picture of how the Buckeyes have performed so far in 2014.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NCAA.com.

Joey Bosa's Big Ten-Leading Sack Numbers

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Ohio State came into the season boasting one of the nation's strongest defensive lines, but the unit has missed the presence of Noah Spence, who was suspended indefinitely by Urban Meyer after failing his second drug test.

But the Buckeyes have gotten a huge boost from Joey Bosa, who leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally in sacks per game. The sophomore defensive end out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been an absolute nightmare coming off the edge this year.

His best game came on the road against Penn State—when the Buckeyes needed him most—as he piled up six tackles and 2.5 sacks in the 31-24 double-overtime victory. His sack of Christian Hackenberg in the second overtime sealed the Buckeyes victory and helped him earn the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award.

Defensive tackles Michael Bennett and Adolphus Washington have been good, but Bosa is pacing the unit—and by extension, the entire defense—with his outstanding play. The super sophomore leads the team in tackles for loss with 14.5 (which is tied for third nationally), and he'll continue to lead the way for an improving defense.

Ohio State's Improved Pass Defense

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Ohio State was one win away from playing Florida State for a national title last year, but its beleaguered pass defense collapsed in a 34-24 loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten title game. 

That sent the Buckeyes to Miami, Florida, to play Clemson in the Orange Bowl, where quarterback Tajh Boyd and the Tigers torched Ohio State with 378 passing yards and five touchdowns in a 40-35 victory.

The back-to-back losses prompted Meyer to make a change, which brought Chris Ash to Columbus to be Ohio State's co-defensive coordinator. So far this year, the Buckeyes secondary has thrived with him at the helm.

Ohio State currently ranks 13th in passing yards allowed, 18th in passing efficiency defense and is tied for seventh in passes intercepted.

Doran Grant has been very good as the team's top cornerback, and Eli Apple is getting better each week. Vonn Bell and Tyvis Powell have emerged as a solid duo at safety, giving the Buckeyes a formidable back end to their defense. 

J.T. Barrett's Passing Efficiency

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Ohio State's offense looks very different without Braxton Miller, and that has benefited J.T. Barrett greatly.

The redshirt freshman out of Wichita Falls, Texas, doesn't have the home run ability that Miller has as a runner, so the Buckeyes have taken their offense to the air. Barrett has been sensational, throwing for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns against just seven interceptions. 

The first-year starter currently ranks fourth nationally in passing efficiency—which is three spots ahead of Michigan State's Connor Cook. Barrett tied a school record for touchdown passes in a game with six against Kent State, and he's on pace to shatter the school record for passing touchdowns in a single season, according to Ohio State's official website.

The young quarterback's emergence has been a big key to the Buckeyes' success this season. 

The Distribution in the Passing Game

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J.T. Barrett has been so successful throwing the ball because the Buckeyes have a deep and diverse group of playmakers.

The group is led by sophomore Michael Thomas, who leads the team in receptions (28) and receiving yards (447). Devin Smith is right behind Thomas, with 16 receptions and 435 yards—and the two have combined for 13 of Ohio State's 25 receiving touchdowns.

But Barrett has been spreading the wealth, as seven different pass-catchers have registered double-digit receptions, while two others (Corey Smith and Jeff Heuerman) each have nine.

In total, 14 different players have caught passes for Ohio State this season. The variety of players on the receiving end of Barrett's passes has kept opposing defenses off balance all season.

The Surging Ground Attack

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In Ohio State's first two games against Navy and Virginia, the rushing attack struggled—averaging just 159.5 yards per game. Much of those early struggles were the result of an offensive line working to replace four multi-year senior starters from a season ago.

Over the course of the last six games, though, Ohio State has run the ball very well.

On the season, the Buckeyes are averaging 259.3 rushing yards per game, which ranks 13th nationally. The emergence of sophomore running back Ezekiel Elliott, who has 709 rushing yards and six touchdowns through eight games, has been huge. 

But it's not just Elliott. Much like the passing game, Ohio State has a number of viable ball-carriers coming out of the backfield. J.T. Barrett ranks second on the team with 496 yards, and Curtis Samuel has been a valuable backup to Elliott with 314 yards of his own. 

On the road against Penn State two weeks ago, the Buckeyes relied heavily on that run game when their passing attack faltered. Barrett threw for just 74 yards and threw two interceptions, but the Buckeyes piled up 219 rushing yards against the nation's No. 1 rush defense to pull out a victory in double overtime.

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