Ohio State Game Grades vs. Northwestern

The No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes looked shaky again Saturday against the Northwestern Wildcats, but they pulled out a 24-20 win. Quarterback J.T. Barrett was given more time than last week to throw, and the run game had decent chunk gains. 

The run defense continued to look unstoppable. 

Here’s how I graded the Buckeyes’ performance.

Rushing Offense: B

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The Ohio State offensive line struggled to open holes between the tackles, but the Buckeyes did a decent job running the ball despite only having 210 yards on the ground. Mike Weber had a 23-yard touchdown run early in the game that was fueled by a gorgeous lead block on the outside by Pat Elflein.

Curtis Samuel didn’t have many carries, but his runs were effective. Samuel had seven carries for 31 yards and a touchdown.

Passing Offense: B

Associated Press

Barrett and the Ohio State offense looked a little better than last week, but that isn’t saying a lot. Barrett was 20-of-29 passing for 207 yards. Nine different Buckeyes caught passes, but the majority were hauled in by Samuel and Noah Brown. Samuel had a respectable day catching the ball with seven receptions for 68 yards. Brown caught five passes for 51 yards.

The offensive line was much-improved from last week, keeping Barrett upright and giving him time to go through his progressions to make the correct throw.

Rushing Defense: B+

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

One area the Buckeyes remain solid is in the front seven. Ohio State only gave up 128 yards on the ground and held Northwestern running back Justin Jackson to 76 yards rushing. The big running play of the day for the Wildcats came on a broken pass play, when quarterback Clayton Thorson took off for 30-plus yards.

Pass Defense: C

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

When you look at the stats of Northwestern quarterback Thorson, the grade may be a bit harsh. Thorson only had 256 yards passing and one touchdown. But the Buckeyes gave up 158 receiving yards to Wildcat wide receiver Austin Carr, who was spectacular all day and exposed defensive back Damon Arnette, who was less than impressive in coverage over the middle.

Arnette did get an interception that led to an Ohio State field goal, but it was off a tipped pass by Raekwon McMillan.

Special Teams: C

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

Tyler Durbin was a perfect 3-of-3 on extra points and made his only field-goal attempt, a 35-yard attempt in the first quarter.

Cam Johnston had an up-and-down day. He had five punts for 183 yards, good for an average of just 36.6 yards. One of Johnston’s punts was a touchback and netted just 17 yards.

Conclusion

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The Buckeyes looked stagnant, but they pulled out a 24-20 win over Northwestern. Ohio State looked improved, but it still needs a lot of work. It can go through the week trying to figure out the issues before Nebraska comes to Columbus for a night game next Saturday.

How do you think the Buckeyes looked? Drop a comment below and let me know!