Ohio State Football: Winners and Losers from Buckeyes' Win vs. Colorado

A much-needed victory was earned by the Ohio State Buckeyes last weekend when they played the Colorado Buffaloes at home.

Several winners and losers emerged on both teams by the time the fourth quarter came to an end.

The winners from the game will look to continue building on their success, and the losers will look to turn things around in upcoming games this college football season.

Winner: Braxton Miller

Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller, replacing Joe Bauserman as the starter, was one of the biggest winners of the game. Although his stat line will not impress many, his leadership on the field could not be ignored.

Miller completed only five of the 13 passes that he threw, but two of those completions went for touchdowns. Miller also rushed 17 times for 83 yards. He looked great on most of those rushes, showing great elusiveness, speed and the ability to break tackles.

Miller was able to lead his team to victory a week after a hard to swallow loss in Miami. If he continues to play with the same confidence that he showed in his first career start, than Buckeyes fans may soon forget the name Terrelle Pryor.

Loser: Tyler Hansen

Colorado quarterback Tyler Hansen came into the Ohio State game as one of the top ten quarterbacks in the FBS in yards per game.

He left with his confidence shaken and a loss for his team.

Hansen did manage to throw two touchdown passes in the game, but made several glaringly poor throws. There was also several instances of miscommunication with his teammates.

He finished the day by completing 22 of 39 passes for 238 yards and no interceptions. Despite the lack of interceptions, Hansen did fumble the ball on a botched hand-off which Ohio State recovered.

It was not a good game for Hansen as he was never able to even keep his team in the game.

Winner: Jordan Hall

Ohio State running back and return man Jordan Hall had another explosive day for the Buckeyes.

Hall carried the ball 18 times for 84 yards and a touchdown. He also contributed a 90-yard kick return that set up another score for the Buckeyes.

Hall has been a huge part of the Ohio State offense since his return from a two-game suspension. He almost looks like a completely different player than he was a year ago.

Hall has gone from being a strict change of pace back into a player capable of being a feature back. It will be interesting to see what happens when last year's starter, Dan Herron, returns from his five-game suspension.

Loser: Jake Stoneburner

After leading the team in receptions and hauling in four touchdown passes in his first two games, tight end Jake Stoneburner has become the forgotten man in the Ohio State offense.

Stoneburner had two targets in the game against Miami and didn't have many more against Colorado. It would seem logical that he would keep getting the ball considering the rookie starting at quarterback.

However, a focus on the running game—as well as a few dropped passes by Stoneburner—have limited his chances to make plays.

It may have been telling that back-up tight end Reid Fragel caught two passes against Colorado.

Fragel is the better blocker so he may be getting more playing time because of the rookie quarterback. It remains to be seen how the Buckeyes will use Stoneburner in the rest of this season's games, but for now he seems to have been placed on the back burner, so to speak.

Winner: Devin Smith

With a lack of experienced wide receivers on the team, the Buckeyes needed a player to step up and play well.

They got that from Devin Smith against Colorado.

Smith caught both of Braxton Miller's touchdown passes in the game. He finished the game by catching three of Miller's five completions for 64 yards.

Smith also showed the athletic ability needed to be a top flight receiver in college football. His second touchdown catch was especially impressive, as he leaped high into the air and came down with the ball while staying in bounds.

Smith's performance against Colorado should lead to more passes thrown his way in upcoming games.

Loser: Colorado Special Teams

The Colorado Buffaloes' special teams had a terrible game against the Buckeyes.

Several penalties and miscues led to missed opportunities for the Buffaloes to stay anywhere close to Ohio State.

Colorado punter Darragh O'Neill had a very tough day with several poor kicks that gave the Buckeyes great field position, including a 20-yard shank.

An even worse special teams performance was turned in by Colorado tailback Rodney Stewart.

Stewart called for a fair catch within the five-yard line, which buried his team deep in Ohio State territory. He also dropped a fair catch right before the half that resulted in a Buckeye recovery and field goal.

Colorado's special teams can't be solely blamed for the loss, but they were undoubtedly a huge part of it.

Winner: Drew Basil

Ohio State kicker Drew Basil finally seems to be settling into his role of kicking field goals for the team.

He had never made a field goal before this season, and it was unclear if he would be able to handle the job.

However, after the Colorado game, Basil seems to be more than capable of performing. He totaled 13 points against Colorado and made all three of his field goal attempts.

Buckeye fans can finally stop holding their breath every time Basil's number is called to put the pigskin through the uprights.