With the game tied 17-all and 12 minutes, 19 seconds remaining on the clock, Ohio State got the ball on its own 37-yard line after Northwestern punted. The Buckeyes were on the ropes for the second-straight week and were suddenly in serious danger of losing their second-consecutive game.
A loss Saturday against the Wildcats would have essentially ended Ohio State’s season. The Buckeyes’ hopes of playing in the Big Ten championship game were likely out the window. The College Football Playoff? Kiss it goodbye.
Ohio State needed to win the game. Period.
Six plays and 63 yards later, the Buckeyes were in the end zone after a 3-yard touchdown run by Curtis Samuel. And after Ohio State’s defense held Northwestern to a field goal on the ensuing drive, it proceeded to run out the clock thanks to some key plays on third down by quarterback J.T. Barrett, and the Buckeyes survived, 24-20.
“I thought our guys nutted up when they had to,” Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said afterward. “The two final drives were big.”
Yes, they were. The two final drives of this game essentially saved the Buckeyes’ season.
Ohio State didn’t play a great game against Northwestern. The Buckeyes appeared to have their offense back on track after scoring 17 points on their first three possessions, but then things stalled for a long period of time before those two fourth-quarter drives sealed the win. At times, the Wildcats were able to gash Ohio State’s defense. Northwestern had scoring drives of 75, 82, 84 and 60 yards.
There are still countless areas in which the Buckeyes need to improve, but Ohio State is still going to celebrate tonight.
“Nothing was perfect,” Meyer said, “but we’re going to enjoy that win.”
The passing game concerns are still there. Barrett was 21-for-32 through the air for 223 yards, but he did not throw a touchdown pass and the only play through the air of longer than 20 yards was his 34-yard strike to K.J. Hill in the fourth quarter. That, of course, was the play that put the Buckeyes in the red zone and allowed Samuel to punch in the game-winning touchdown.
A week ago, Ohio State’s offensive line was exposed. The Buckeyes were determined for that not to be the case again this time around, albeit against a weaker defensive front.
“We knew, us five up front, that we were going to go win the game,” senior center Pat Elflein said. “The last drive and the previous drives where us five on the inside, we were munching them and I think we were doing a good job in there. We finally ran some plays that allowed the offense to allow that inside blocking. We were confident because we knew going down in the final drive we could get it done.”
It was a far from perfect performance and Ohio State knows it.
But Meyer and the assistant coaches and players that were made available to the media following the game wanted to make it quite clear that they weren’t concerned with the issues following the game, that they were going to celebrate this win.
The Buckeyes lived to see another week.
“This team worked its butt off this week,” co-offensive coordinator Ed Warinner said. “I’m proud of this team, proud of our coaches and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Added Meyer: "We’re a project. We have young players and we’re still working things out, but I’ll tell you what, I promise you I’m going to enjoy this win and so are the players and we’re going to move forward.”
