Bowling Green vs. Ohio State: Game Grades, Analysis for Buckeyes

Bowling Green shocked the crowd with a pick-six less than three minutes into the game, but J.T. Barrett propelled Ohio State to a 77-10 thrashing of the Falcons on Saturday.

After the mistake on the opening drive, Barrett led eight scoring drives and helped Urban Meyer's young team set a Buckeyes record for total offense.

Overall, 10 different players accounted for an Ohio State touchdown. Curtis Samuel, Demario McCall and Dontre Wilson found the end zone on multiple occasions, and a defender added a score, too.

Bowling Green simply couldn't stop the Buckeyes, who put together a complete, all-around effort in their season opener.

Pass Offense

Barrett's interception was an awful decision. He should've thrown another pick on a fourth down in the red zone. Otherwise, the junior quarterback was brilliant on Sunday.

Samuel led the pass-catching group with nine receptions, 177 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson also caught a pair of scores, while K.J. Hill, Noah Brown and McCall each had one.

In addition to tying his own record of six touchdown passes, Barrett completed 21 of 31 attempts for 349 yards, which was a personal career-high mark.

Freshman backup Joe Burrow finished 6-of-8 with 68 yards and a score during his Ohio State debut.

Grade: A-

Run Offense

Mike Weber immediately made his presence felt, breaking off an impressive 18-yard run on his first career carry. He carried a few Bowling Green defenders for the final 10 yards.

Things didn't change much.

A redshirt freshman, Weber amassed 136 yards on 19 carries. Samuel took 13 handoffs for 84 yards and another touchdown—he scored three total. Meyer called Samuel "The first true hybrid I've had in a while," per Tim Shoemaker of Eleven Warriors.

Demario McCall registered 54 yards on eight attempts, and Barrett chipped in 30 yards and a touchdown with his legs. Wilson (36 yards) and Burrow (19) rounded out the rushing contributions.

Plus, Ohio State was 9-of-10 on third down when a run was called.

Grade: A

Run Defense

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Ohio State completely owned the line of scrimmage.

Fred Coppet busted off a 28-yard run, but his 12 other carries resulted in 10 yards. Josh Cleveland picked up 31 yards, while Donovan Wilson mustered 18 yards.

On 28 attempts, the Buckeyes limited Bowling Green to 69 yards—just a 2.5-yard average. Joe Burger, Erick Smith, Tyquan Lewis and Robert Landers each contributed on a tackle for loss.

Unfortunately for Ohio State, Land of 10's Jeremy Birmingham noted Meyer said starting defensive tackle Tracy Sprinkle is set to undergo season-ending knee surgery.

Grade: A

Pass Defense

Malik Hooker earned a spot on the Week 1 highlight reel with a stunning interception that led to an Ohio State touchdown. He snatched another pick later in the game, and Rodjay Burns capped the scoring with a 75-yard pick-six.

Bowling Green lost a strong majority of its offense firepower after the 2015 season, including its head coach, quarterback and three of its top four receivers. On Saturday, it showed.

The Buckeyes allowed James Knapke to complete just 12 of 33 attempts for 110 yards, also limiting top target Ronnie Moore to five catches. Knapke was 0-of-7 in the second half.

Nick Bosa—a 5-star prospect and the brother of 2016 first-round NFL draft pick Joey—recorded his first college sack. Jalyn Holmes and Davon Hamilton combined to register the other sack.

Grade: A

Special Teams

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Ohio State had a near-optimal day on special teams, only using the kicker for extra points and almost never needing the punter.

Tyler Durbin connected on 11 extra points while filling in for starter Sean Nuernberger. Meyer passed on attempting a 38-yard field goal during the second quarter.

Cameron Johnston hammered a 48-yard punt that dropped inside the Bowling Green 20-yard line.

Most impressively, the Buckeyes limited Scott Miller to just 17.7 yards per kick return on six attempts.

Grade: A

Coaching

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After a season full of frustration that extended to the offensive coaching staff, Ohio State assembled a wonderful 2016 opener.

Barrett, Burrow and the Buckeyes converted 11 of 13 third downs. They averaged 8.3 yards per play en route to accumulating the program-high 776 yards of total offense.

Defensively, Ohio State limited Bowling Green to a meager 3-of-16 mark on third down and forced three turnovers. The Falcons trudged to a 3.4-yard average on 72 snaps.

The Buckeyes also avoided mistakes on special teams, clearly winning all three facets of the game. That's a reflection of excellent coaching, something Ohio State will need in 2016 with a young but immensely talented roster.

Grade: A

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All recruiting information via 247Sports. Stats from NCAA.com, cfbstats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.