5 Things We Learned From Ohio State's Win Over Northern Illinois

The Ohio State Buckeyes held on for a narrow 20-13 win over the Northern Illinois Huskies. The Buckeyes looked shaky against NIU, especially on offense. Here are five things we learned from Ohio State's win over NIU. 

Clock Management Needs Work

The Buckeyes snapped the ball too early in the play clock on its second-to-last drive. Those early snaps gave NIU much more time on its last drive than it would have otherwise had. It didn't end up affecting the outcome, but that can't happen against better competition. It should be an easy fix. 

Turnovers Are An Issue

The Buckeyes had five (!!!) turnovers against NIU. That's far, far too many to have against a Mid-American Conference team. The Buckeyes threw three picks, two by Cardale Jones and one by J.T. Barrett, and lost two fumbles. If the Buckeyes make those types of mistakes against better Big 10 teams, they won't sneak out with wins. 

Defense Is Strong 

The saving grace for the Buckeyes is that their defense looked great. NIU had nothing going on offense, averaging less than 2.6 yards per play. If the offense struggles, at least the Buckeyes have the defense to stay in games. 

OSU Must Commit To The Run

If the Buckeyes want to limit Ezekiel Elliott's carries to keep him fresh for later this season, that's fine. But the Buckeyes need to pound the ball. The offensive line struggled today, but the Buckeyes should be a run-oriented team. Handoffs to Curtis Samuel, QB runs with Jones or Barrett and jet sweeps with Jalin Marshall and Braxton Miller are options. OSU must commit to the run going forward. 

QB Position Is Unsettled 

This is cheating, since it's more what we don't know. Jones was pulled after two early interceptions, and while Barrett was better, he wasn't a massive improvement. It's unclear who will start for the Buckeyes next time out, but the Buckeyes need better QB play. 

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