Both Urban Meyer and Ed Warinner wanted to know the same thing.
“We didn't punt, did we?” Ohio State's head coach and offensive coordinator asked after the Buckeyes absolutely embarrassed Nebraska 62-3 on Saturday night in Columbus.
No, the only action Cameron Johnston saw against the Cornhuskers came as the holder for Tyler Durbin's eight extra points and two field goals. The Australian had a host of friends from down under visiting Ohio to see him play but they likely left disappointed after not getting to see him punt.
Ohio State fans are plenty happy with the alternative. The Buckeyes scored on each of their 10 possessions except the final one when the offense ran out the clock to end the game. (You can count Dontre Wilson's muffed punt as a possession, but we aren't).
J.T. Barrett and the Buckeyes started fast and stayed at that speed even when he yielded to Joe Burrow and the backups in the third quarter. But for the second straight game, Ohio State scored a touchdown on its opening drive. That did not happen in the seven games prior. The difference? A better conversation among the minds that orchestrate play calls and install the offensive game plan.
“I like the fact that we're scripting our plays and taking a lot of time into the first 12 plays that are called,” Meyer said. “And it's kind of a whole staff.”
Co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tim Beck received plenty of angst from Ohio State supporters after the Buckeyes fell on their faces offensively in a 17-14 loss to Michigan State last season. It led to Meyer moving Warinner to the box to help in calling the plays, but a lack of creativity and explosiveness crept back into the offense the last month. It all busted out in a big way on Saturday against a top-10 in Nebraska with Barrett as the catalyst.
After a Damon Webb pick-six to start the game on the right foot for Ohio State, Barrett led the offense on a 10-play, 57-yard touchdown drive. The Buckeyes committed two penalties on the drive—a holding by Pat Elflein and delay of game—but in the end, it didn't matter.
Barrett converted both of the third downs the offense faced when he completed a 22-yard strike to Wilson on 3rd-and-20 and finished things off with a strong throw to Terry McLaurin in the end zone after evading pressure and rolling left. The quarterback went 5-of-6 on the drive for 48 yards and the 7-yard scoring toss.
“I think these past couple weeks I've been able to read the defenses pretty well. So with that, I don't think it was anything different,” Barrett said. “Coach Beck did a great job preparing me.”
Added Beck: “We're still finding out our identity a little bit. Maybe three, four weeks ago who can do what and how do we use them? I don't think there's ever been doubt with our guys at all. Just keep plugging away and keep working to get better. It showed [Saturday]. It showed in the last couple of weeks.”
Meyer feels the same way. It isn't easy to get a play you like among the first 12 Ohio State intends to run to start the game if you're an offensive coach on staff. They trust Barrett enough to heed his input as well, a wise move considering his experience and the fact he is actually the one going out and leading the offense.
“Everyone's got their favorites. We put them together throughout the course of the week and then obviously we present it to J.T.,” Meyer said. “And that's how we've been scripting the plays the last couple of weeks.
“We're going to do that consistently now.”
The additional attention to opening drives paid dividends last week against Northwestern too, as an uptempo approach led to a 94-yard drive in under 3 minutes that ended with a Mike Weber 1-yard touchdown run. The Buckeyes scored on their next two drives too but slowed after until the fourth quarter.
“Everyone's got their favorites. We put them together throughout the course of the week and then obviously we present it to J.T. And that's how we've been scripting the plays the last couple of weeks.”– Urban Meyer
That didn't happen against Nebraska. Points kept flying onto the scoreboard with Barrett running the show. He threw for nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns.
“People give us a lot of different looks. People do a lot of different things against us, every week it’s something new,” Warinner said. “Very seldom what we see on film is what we get. You have to make a lot of adjustments. J.T. is good at all that. But we try to put together a nice plan for J.T. What we try to do is have an idea of what the early calls are going to be and have a lot of confidence in those.”
Recent performances show the confidence is growing at the right time for Ohio State. A visit to Maryland followed by one to Michigan State the following week serve as precursors to The Game, which should decide the Big Ten East and give the best indication as who the conference will send to the College Football Playoff. Starting quickly gets Barrett in a rhythm as much as it does the play callers and the rest of the offense.
Barrett's ability to spread the ball around the field and finally hit a few deep throws helps the offense become even more dangerous. Confidence in connecting on those plays starts building early in the first quarter when the first points get put on the board by the offense. Not having to use your punter helps too.
“I think the past couple weeks we also worked well too it was just understanding that come to game day there are adjustments that we have to have made and if we had done a better job in the past couple weeks, somebody would be judged for that,” Barrett said. “I knew we were on the edge of it to really break through.”
”I think we're spraying the ball all over the field,” Beck said. “We're getting the ball out, swing routes to the back, we're getting the ball to the tight end more, which is creating some deep shot opportunities. We're doing a lot of different things. So now it's 'OK, who do you stop? Who do you cover?'”
