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56-10
"Our offense is built to keep scoring. That's Coach Meyer's standard and to have fun." - Carlos Hyde, junior running back, on the OSU offense
Urban Meyer addresses the media after OSU's 56-10 win over Miami (Ohio) Source: Scouting Ohio
John Simon meets with the media after his team's win over Miami (Ohio) Source: Scouting Ohio
Nathan Williams talks about his long road back from a knee injury to playing again for the Buckeyes post Miami OH game Source: Scouting Ohio
Braxton Miller meets the media after his team's win over Miami (Ohio) Source: Scouting Ohio
Pardon the hyperbole, but there may not be a better catch all season long than the one Ohio State’s Devin Smith made in Saturday’s season opener against Miami (OH) at Ohio Stadium. Early in the second quarter, with Ohio State trailing Miami (OH), Smith gave the Buckeyes the lead with an incredible one-handed touchdown grab. Watch Smith use nothing but his right hand to bring down Braxton Miller’s 23-yard touchdown pass right now. Braxton Miller on Smith's catch: "I threw it inside and he jumped. You know he's a hurdler. Throw it as high as you want, he can get it."
Miller rushed for 161 yards, a record for an Ohio State quarterback, and threw for two scores to lead the 18th-ranked Buckeyes to a 56-10 victory over Miami (Ohio).
Meyer, who won two national titles at Florida, is unbeaten in 11 season openers. He had worked as a TV analyst a year ago after stepping down from the Gators job due to health and family considerations.
He was hired last November to revive the beleaguered Buckeyes.
The slow-starting Miller, who stutter-stepped for a 65-yard score just 17 seconds into the second half, was 14-of-24 passing for 207 yards. He connected with Devin Smith for one highlight-reel score and also hit Corey Brown on a 5-yard TD pass.
After Miller's long run made it 28-3, Bradley Roby recovered a high Miami punt snap in the end zone and the rout was on.
Travis Howard had two interceptions and Carlos Hyde scored on 4- and 8-yard runs for Ohio State.
Miller and Hyde, who had 82 yards on 17 carries, helped the Buckeyes roll up 294 yards on the ground and 244 through the air.
Much like during the early spring -- when Meyer called the attempts to learn his new hurry-up, spread offense a "clown show" -- the Buckeyes struggled at the outset. With Miller completing just one of his first seven passes, Ohio State was outgained 172-48 in the opening quarter before a stunned crowd of 105,039 at Ohio Stadium which came expecting to see a refurbished and cutting-edge offense. The first four possessions ended with punts.
Meanwhile, the RedHawks bumbled despite taking a 3-0 lead after the first 15 minutes.
Zac Dysert, who completed 31 of 53 passes for 303 yards and one touchdown with the two interceptions, was victimized by dropped catches again and again. Three times it appeared the RedHawks had a first down after a catch when the ball abruptly came loose.
Smith's spectacular reception turned the tide.
Taking over at their own 17 after a punt, the Buckeyes needed just four plays to cover the distance and take the lead for good. Miller used a play-action fake to freeze the defense before hitting Brown for a 38-yard gain to the Miami 23. Miller then threw high and hard into the right corner of the end zone where Smith leaped, snagged the ball with his right hand and, while twisting, tucked it in as he crashed to the ground.
Once they figured out how to score, the Buckeyes kept it up...
Miller rolled right and flipped a short pass to Brown for a TD before Hyde burst in off right tackle for a 21-3 lead.
A 44-yard throw from Miller to Evan Spencer with 3 seconds left in the half gave Ohio State the ball at the 1, but Hyde was stopped by Miami's Justin Bowers short of the goal line.
Miller scored just 17 seconds into the second half, juking and then speeding past the Redhawks' D.J. Brown down the left sideline for the lengthy score. Moments later, a high snap tipped off the fingertips of Miami punter Zac Murphy, with Roby winning a scrum in the end zone for the touchdown and a 35-3 lead...
Brown finished with seven catches. The Buckeyes' leading receivers a year ago had 14 receptions in 13 games...
IT WAS OVER WHEN... Braxton Miller broke off a 65-yard TD run to start the second half, putting OSU on easy street.
Ohio State has had some mobile quarterbacks over the last decade, but Braxton Miller has done something in the 1st 31 minutes against Miami (OH) that Troy Smith and Terrelle Pryor never accomplished in their time in Columbus. With his rush TD to open the 2nd half, Miller has 164 rush yards. Neither Smith nor Pryor ever topped 150 rush yards in a game.
GAME BALL GOES TO... Miller, who passed for 205 yards and 2 TDs and rushed for 161 yards and another score.
TURNING POINT... Devin Smith’s one-handed catch of a 23-yard pass from Miller for Ohio State’s first touchdown. It was a dam buster, with the Buckeyes gaining 297 yards in the second quarter and two more TDs.
Urban Meyer is now 4-0 in his debuts as head coach at a new school, winning by an average of just under 23 points. The 56 points scored and the 46-point margin of victory Saturday against Miami (OH) are also Meyer's highs in a debut at a new school.
Ohio State has had some mobile quarterbacks over the last decade, but Braxton Miller has done something in the 1st 31 minutes against Miami (OH) that Troy Smith and Terrelle Pryor never accomplished in their time in Columbus. With his rush TD to open the 2nd half, Miller has 164 rush yards. Neither Smith nor Pryor ever topped 150 rush yards in a game.
Stat that matters: 538 total yards for Ohio State. That’s even more impressive when you consider that 490 of it came in the last three quarters.
11 of 13: Games in 2011 that Ohio State had fewer total yards offense than the 368 that Braxton Miller put up against Miami
Miller had his most yards in a game as a Buckeye, 368 total, and his 161 rushing were the most ever by an Ohio State quarterback. Previously Cornelius Greene held the record set in 1974
Linebacker Ryan Shazier was going against a passing offense and still managed to lead the team with eight tackles.
Miller's rushing total eclipsed the previous record of 146 yards set by Cornelius Greene against Wisconsin in 1974.
Urban Meyer is now 4-0 in his debuts as head coach at a new school, winning by an average of just under 23 points. The 56 points scored and the 46-point margin of victory Saturday against Miami (OH) are also Meyer's highs in a debut at a new school.
Urban Meyer led the Buckeyes to 56 points in his Ohio State head coaching debut. It was the 2nd-most points by any Ohio State head coach in their first game on the sidelines in school history.
The 56 points Ohio State scored yesterday were the most given up by Miami in 70 years.
The final count on Ohio State true freshmen who played on Saturday was 14, or 67 percent of the healthy signees from Urban Meyer's first 25-man group.
Former Buckeye Roy Hall's Breakdown of OSU vs Miami
The Bottom Line September 2, 2012 Source: Columbus Dispatch - Ohio State Report Card Offense (3 leaves), Defense (3 leaves), Special teams (4 leaves), Coaching (4 leaves), Opponent (2 leaves), Officiating (1 leaf)
After the game Buckeye Grove talked with several of the players including Braxton Miller, Nathan Williams, Carlos Hyde and Zach Boren about their varying experiences in the game. The Ohio State quarterback talks about the highlight worthy catch of receiver Devin Smith while Williams talks about the long journey back to the field. Hyde talks about coming up short not only on the first half ending play but just missing 100 rushing yards and speaking of gains on the ground, Boren talks about his first rushing touchdown at Ohio State. Source: BuckeyeGrove.com
10 Things We Learned from Urban’s First Game September 1, 2012 Source: The Ozone - 1. No such thing as a perfect offense. With all the changes happening at Ohio State this offseason, many Buckeye fans were expecting to turn on the game Saturday and see something they had never seen before. They were hoping to see an instantaneous explosion on offense with touchdowns every time the Buckeyes touched the football. Only that’s not exactly how it happened, at least not right away. It took these players an entire quarter to really get a feel for the new offense and it took Meyer, along with Tom Herman, awhile to figure out exactly what Miami was doing to defend them...
2. It’s not perfect, but it’s perfect for Braxton. The one thing that jumpstarted Meyer’s offense, besides his adjustments, was quarterback Braxton Miller. He wasn’t perfect, and neither were the guys around him, but there’s no longer a question about how he will fit into this offense...
3. Braxton still has a lot to learn. The one thing Meyer probably wants to avoid is running Miller 17 times a game. First of all, he’s not Tim Tebow, which is to say he’s not indestructible. He has a history of injuries and they need to be careful with his lower body getting all tangled and twisted in a sea of defenders. Secondly, it appears as though Miller may not be quite as well-conditioned, or well-hydrated, as some of the other guys on the team. Miller worked hard this offseason on learning the offense and getting his timing down. What we don’t know is how many days he spent running the stairs at Ohio Stadium...
4. Those WRs weren’t so bad after all. Speaking of those receivers, those can’t be the guys Meyer has been ripping all offseason, can they? Did we not see the ridiculous, one-handed touchdown grab from Devin Smith? How about the fantastic grab by Evan Spence with a defender on his back just before halftime?...
5. We only got to see a portion of the offense. Based on what we know about Meyer, and what we saw glimpses of in the spring, we know this was not nearly the offense we are going to see when he finally decides to unleash it. Maybe this is all he feels comfortable running with these guys right now, but running back Carlos Hyde admitted there is a lot more of the offense we have yet to see...
6. Carlos Hyde is going to be the “bell cow.” With Hall out, the Buckeyes turned to Carlos Hyde Saturday, and the junior did not disappoint. He is going to remember that missed opportunity at the end of the first half, when he should have scored from a yard out, but it was a pretty successful day for Hyde against Miami...The Buckeyes are going to be counting on Mr. Hyde to do some tough running over the next few weeks. It looks like he’s up to the task.
7. This defense is vulnerable if they don’t get more pressure up front. It was hard to really get a gauge on Ohio State’s defensive Saturday, but they didn’t seem to dominate the game the way people expected. Luke Fickell said it was because they asked those guys to do a number of different things, but they are going to need to show a lot more next week against UCF...Like any defense, the Buckeyes really need their front to get pressure if they are going to be successful this season.
8. Travis Howard really has come a long way. Yes, Howard had two interceptions Saturday, which could be used to signify his growth as a corner. Or maybe it’s just a result of the OSU coaches having their corners play further off the line of scrimmage. The good news is Howard held on to the ball both times, which is something this defense has had issues with the last couple years...
9. Nathan Williams is really back. It’s hard to believe, but now we know it’s real. I’ll admit I was skeptical that Williams could really be close to playing in a game without practicing much this fall, but he was out there on the second series Saturday and he played a pretty good amount...Williams brought a lot of energy to the field, and it was amazing they let him play as many snaps as they did. Even Fickell admitted it was more than they planned, but he handled it well and looked like at least a remnant of his old self. If he can get back to where he doesn’t really think about the knee, and he can just go, this line could be scary good...
10. Spence and Washington are ready to go. Another reason it could be scary good is the emergence of freshmen Noah Spence and Adolphus Washington. These two were the most talked about players in OSU’s 2012 class, and now we know why. Both were in the rotation Saturday and both recorded sacks in their very first game. Washington was the first guy in there and played a few more snaps than Spence, but both were effective. Spence looked unblockable at times on the outside, and No. 71 had to hold him more than once to keep him from getting to Dysert. Fickell said afterward they aren’t going to treat these two as freshmen, and rightly so. They play like grown men...
Head Coach Urban Meyer spoke with reporters following practice Wednesday evening. August 29, 2012 Source: The Ozone
Ten Pressing Questions: OSU-Miami September 1, 2012 Source: Bucknuts - 1. So what does this new Ohio State spread offense really look like? – We’ve heard all about it, but look for Urban Meyer and offensive coordinator Tom Herman to take the wraps off their shiny new offense on Saturday. It will be interesting to see what formations are utilized and which players are featured, certainly.
* 2. How has Braxton Miller improved as a passer?...
* 3. How does Carlos Hyde handle being the lead tailback?...
*4. Who will emerge as the playmakers at the wide receiver positions?...
* 5. How will Ohio State’s new offensive line respond?...
* 6. Can the Buckeyes fire up the pass rush and will Nathan Williams be a part of it?...
* 7. How will the OSU linebackers hold up?...
* 8. Can the secondary keep up with Miami’s passing attack?...
* 9. What will the defensive package look like?
* 10. What impact will the special teams have?.
* Bonus Question: Can the Buckeyes get their first win since early November last year?...
Five key factors August 31, 2012 Source: Columbus Dispatch - 1. Maintain poise
The Buckeyes will be pumped to begin the Urban Meyer era. They’ve endured a rigorous offseason program and harsh preseason camp. Now, they get to take it out on an opponent in front of 100,000-plus at Ohio Stadium. But the Buckeyes must make sure that they aren’t so fired up that they get careless with their assignments. They must strike the proper balance between being the “angry” football team Meyer wants and one that plays with intelligence.
2. Keep Dysert under control Miami has a superb quarterback in Zac Dysert and talented receivers led by Nick Harwell. Ohio State’s secondary has talent but must play to its potential. That wasn’t always the case last year, when missed tackles and dropped interceptions proved costly.
3. Win the trenches Ohio State should have its way here, particularly with its defensive line. The best way to slow Dysert is to not let him have time to throw, and John Simon and the other OSU pass rushers should be able to spend plenty of time in the backfield. On offense, Ohio State’s reconstituted offensive line must dominate the line of scrimmage.
4. Establish the passing game The passing game will be better. The passing game will be better. The passing game will be better. That has been the talk throughout camp, and now it’s time to deliver. Braxton Miller dazzled with his feet last year, but the Buckeyes’ success this year rests as much, or more, on his development as a passer in the new spread offense. Miami could provide a decent test. The RedHawks ranked 24th in pass defense last year, yielding 195.2 yards per game.
5. Dominate special teams In games between elite programs such as Ohio State and mid-majors such as Miami, the talent disparity often shows up most glaringly in the kicking game. Special teams has been a Meyer specialty throughout his coaching career, and no doubt the Buckeyes have been working on new tricks. This will be the first chance to unveil them, even if it’s just to whet the appetite for what’s to come.
Ohio State Game Notes Source: OSU Official Site - Urban Meyer is the 24th head coach in Ohio State’s
123-year history of playing collegiate football; Ohio State coaches are 21-1-1 in their debut games...
Urban Meyer, Big Ten Teleconference August 28, 2012
5 Questions: Miami at Ohio State August 29,2012 Source: BuckeyeSports.com - 1. How will the new Ohio State offense perform? 2. Who will step up as far as pass catchers? 3. Can the Miami passing game do serious damage? 4. Which team will be better in the red zone? 5. What about pass protection?...
Will not play: DL Michael Bennett (groin injury); RB Jordan Hall (rehabbing from foot surgery)
Miami (Ohio) at Ohio State Preview August 31, 2012 Source: Eleven Warriors - A pass-run ratio of 60/40 is Meyer’s goal, though opponent personnel will dictate that. With a defensive line that was porous a season ago, Miami could be staring at a long day of Carlos Hyde. The Buckeyes have a decided size and depth advantage...
Preview: Miami (Ohio) at #18 Ohio State August 31, 2012 Source: The Ozone - Miami has a veteran offensive line, but they were 119th in sacks allowed last season. Even with Dysert's quick trigger, they couldn't protect him very well. The Buckeye front four will rotate a number of players, especially at strongside defensive end, where Michael Bennett is recovering from a groin injury...
Week One: Ohio State vs. Miami (OH) — Outlook, History Lesson And Prediction August 30,2012 Source: Block O Nation - the new offense and the players have come a long way since the spring, but coach Meyer and his staff aren't where they want to be yet. All apologies to Redhawk fans, but that's why teams like Ohio State schedule a couple early season games against teams such as Miami-OH — to works out the kinks...
Game Data: Miami (OH) at Ohio State August 30,2012 Source: Bucknuts - OSU has also won its last 12 season openers, dating to a 1999 loss to Miami (Fla.) (23-12) in the Kickoff Classic at East Rutherford, NJ and has won 60 straight regular season nonconference home games against unranked teams. That string dates to a 1982 loss to Florida State.
Miami coach Don Treadwell is an MU alum. Treadwell joins a strong list of Miami graduates who ultimately became the head coach at their alma mater, including Ara Parseghian, John Pont, Bo Schembechler, Bill Mallory, Tom Reed and Randy Walker. Treadwell worked for former OSU coach Jim Tressel for six seasons at Youngstown State (1986-91)...
4Q's With the Enemy : Ohio State August 30,2012 Source: RedHawkInsider.com - This year Miami (OH) fans will get to know their opponent a little better than ever before by infiltrating enemy territory and getting 4 Questions answered by publishers from opposing Scout team sites. This week, Jeff Svoboda from the Buckeye Sports Bulletin was nice enough to answer our inquiries...
Opponent Preview: Miami RedHawks August 30,2012 Source: BuckeyeSports.com - Ohio State opens the 2012 season and the Urban Meyer era Saturday afternoon against the Miami RedHawks in Ohio Stadium. Find out all you need to know about MU in this preview that includes facts, figures, a look at the last game between the two programs and in insider's view from the opponent side...
Junior WR Corey Brown, junior OL Corey Linsley and sophomore LB Ryan Shazier previewed the home opener vs. Miami Monday.
Miami OH Ohio State August 30, 2012 Source: ESPN College Football - Braxton Miller and the new offense are a radical change from the days of Tressel, who once famously called the punt "the most important play in football." Meyer would prefer not to punt at all. His Buckeyes will play uptempo, throw the ball a lot to a lot of different receivers, and should prevent fans from leaving their seats for a bathroom break for fear they'll miss a 70-yard pass play -- or maybe a turnover...
Miami (Ohio) at Ohio State August 28, 2012 Source: CBSSports.com - The first challenge for Meyer's defense will come in the form of RedHawks senior Zac Dysert, who's third among active quarterbacks with 8,530 passing yards behind Oklahoma's Landry Jones and USC's Matt Barkley. Dysert threw for 3,513 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last year.
He closed the season with passing performances of 364, 413 and 372 yards, but Miami of Ohio dropped all three games to finish 4-8 as it regressed from a 10-4 effort in 2010. Dysert, sacked 46 times last season - second most in the nation - will try to stay upright long enough to get the ball to Nick Harwell, who was fifth in the FBS with 1,425 receiving yards and fourth with 129.5 per game...
"Our offense is built to keep scoring. That's Coach Meyer's standard and to have fun." - Carlos Hyde, junior running back, on the OSU offense
