Ohio State hasn't had much to complain about the last few weeks.
Since losing to Oklahoma, the Buckeyes have outscored their opponents 210-42 and starting quarterback J.T. Barrett has yet to throw an interception.
The pass offense and pass defense have vastly improved as Ohio State gets into the meat of its Big Ten schedule, but there are other areas that have regressed. First, though, let's talk about what parts of Ohio State's football team have continued to climb the ladder.
Stock Up
Binjimen Victor - Ohio State sophomore wide receiver
There's a reason Victor is tied for the team lead in touchdowns. He might very well be the best wide receiver on the team.
As I have written on elevenwarriors dot com on multiple occasions, Victor has the highest ceiling of any Ohio State wide receiver on the current roster and should be utilized much more than he is. The Buckeye coaching staff used Victor much more against Maryland, as the Florida native had a career-high four catches for 55 yards and a touchdown in his third straight game. Better yet, they made sure to target him in the red zone.
He ranks fourth on the team in receptions, but he should be in at least the top two. I imagine Victor will get even more targets going forward, which is why I am buying stock in him and Ohio State's offense as the season progresses.
Jonathan Taylor - Wisconsin freshman running back
While the Big Ten East has seen plenty of drama this season with the Buckeyes losing to Oklahoma and the Wolverines losing to Michigan State (more on that later), the Big Ten West has unfolded like most thought it would. What some perhaps didn't see is the dominance of Wisconsin freshman running back Jonathan Taylor.
Taylor leads the conference in rushing with 767 yards and nine touchdowns in just five games, with two games of more than 200 yards already under his belt. With only one game against a ranked opponent left on Wisconsin's regular season schedule (Michigan, Nov. 18), Taylor is the front runner to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Peyton Ramsey - Indiana freshman quarterback
It might be hard to believe after watching Richard Lagow throw for 410 yards against the Buckeyes, but Lagow has since been benched in favor of Ramsey. A freshman, Ramsey earned his first start against Charleston Southern on Saturday and threw for 321 yards and two scores while adding another score on the ground.
It was the first time all year that Lagow did not make an appearance for the Hoosiers, who now stand at 3-2 and 0-2 on the season. While Lagow is a pocket passer, Ramsey gives the Indiana offense an extra weapon with his feet, having rushed for more than 50 yards in each of the last two games for the Hoosiers.
Stock Down
Ohio State Special Teams
This is a fairly obvious choice, but while Ohio State's passing offense and defense have improved, the kicking game continues to regress. The Buckeyes' punts and kickoffs have been on a downward trajectory since the Oklahoma loss, when special teams appeared to be the only positive.
Ultimately, this comes down to coaching and I expect that Urban Meyer and special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs will eventually get this thing ironed out. I am a fan of the idea of sending kickoffs into the corner in an effort to pin opponents inside the 20, but eventually you might just have to face the fact that you don't have a kicker that is capable of doing that yet, and boot it through the end zone instead. Meyer has always done a good job of running an offense that plays into his players' skill sets. It might be time to do that on special teams as well.
Big Ten Officiating
Another fairly obvious one, and one I could probably put in here every week. However, the missed targeting calls on Denzel Ward and Damon Arnette were absolutely mind-blowing to me.
Ward's didn't even borderline on targeting, while Arnette's was clear as day and didn't draw a flag until well after the play was over. The judgement of these officials in the moment is starting to become an issue. I realize there is a human element to everything, especially officiating, but when you get paid to do something you are expected to do it well. In addition, the targeting rule is horrible. That is all.
Michigan Offense
I'll be the first to admit that I was wrong about Wilton Speight. At this time last year – hell, four weeks ago – I thought he had late NFL draft pick potential. Poor judgement on my part. I'll take my #CryingJordan. But with Speight out, Michigan's offense looked even worse with John O'Korn running the show in a 14-10 loss to Michigan State on Saturday.
I understand the game was played in a downpour, and I also know how tough it can be to play quarterback in the rain. When that is the case, you probably shouldn't call 35 passes for your second-string signal caller, but that is what Jim Harbaugh did anyway. This isn't just a quarterback problem for Michigan, it's a play calling issue and an offensive line issue. The Wolverines have allowed 16 sacks already this season and have seen their rushing yards per game fall from 212.9 in 2016 to just 167.8 so far in 2017.
It isn't going to get any easier for Michigan, as the Wolverines have to travel to Penn State and Wisconsin before hosting the Buckeyes in the regular season finale. If Michigan can't establish a run game to help O'Korn, or Speight if he returns from injury, the Wolverines might be looking at a three- or four-loss regular season.
