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| #86 TE Jeff Heuerman caught the two-point conversion that sent the game into OT, tied up at 22 all. |
Fitting 10 years have past since the Holy Buckeye play, that the 2012 Buckeye squad, created their own version of the dramatics vs. the Purdue Boilermakers. Talk about your peaks & valleys of a football game. From the lows of trailing Purdue late in the ball game to the lowest of lows (Braxton Miller knocked out of the game, sent to the medical center) to the highs rallying in the final minute to send the game into overtime with a TD plus 2-point conversion with :03 left in the game, to the highest of highs pulling out the 29-22 OT win to improve to 8-0 on the season. This team continues to be imperfect on the field, yet perfect where it matters the most, the win column. If the rally and win wasn't enough, hearing later in the night, that Braxton Miller was being released from the medical center, after being checked out & "symptom free" for head, neck, back, shoulder injuries. What a wild game, which lead me to wonder, are Buckeye fans heading towards a stretch of games, like the home stretch we witnessed in 2002? HOLY BUCKEYES!
Offense:
After being spoiled watching the Buckeyes score 115 points the past two weeks, Buckeye fans watched the offense struggle for most of the afternoon vs. a stellar Boilermakers defense. An early fumble, and a couple of punts lead to the Buckeyes managing to score just seven 1st half points, and looking nothing like the attack, Buckeyes fans witnessed the past two games. The Buckeyes were able to put a touchdown on the board in the 3rd quarter, and where driving again for a potential go-ahead score, when QB Braxton Miller went down. What a scary moment for Buckeye fans & supporters to watch their do-everything playmaker just lay their on the ground motionless and get carted off to the locker room. In came back-up QB Kenny "G" Guiton to be the savior for the Buckeyes on the day. Following, what looked like a game ending INT, Guiton was given another chance with less then a minute to go in the ball game. Guiton magically drove the Buckeyes offense down the field for a 61-yard drive capped with a Chris Fields 3-yard touchdown catch from Guiton. An outstanding play call for the 2-point conversion following, and Guiton & Co. used that momentum to put another drive/touchdown on board in overtime, which capped the scoring on the day. Overall, the offense did just enough, to pull off the come from behind victory and provide us all with some dramatics along the way.
Defense:
Well if you take away the first play of the game, the 100-yard KR, and another big play scoring play, the defense didn't play half bad, haha. Unbelievable, to watch Purdue score on a long touchdown pass & catch on the first play of the game, after what we had to watch from this unit the previous two games. Then giving up a 100-yard KR, is not be acceptable and Urban will not like that. Then following a scoring drive by the Buckeyes, the defense struggled to stop a number of WR screens, and gave up another big play (31-yard pass/catch touchdown), which the Boilermakers had a number of on the day. However, in the end, this unit stepped up in overtime, and did their part in pulling off the upset victory. This unit still struggles to cover in space, and gives up a number of big plays due to poor tackling & being out of position. The defense will have their work cut out for them this upcoming week, when they go up against Penn State's offensive attack.
Next Week:
The Buckeyes (8-0) now turn their focus to a road trip over to State College, to play Penn State (5-2) and the Nittany Lions. After starting the season 0-2, Penn State has rallied to win 5-straight, following their 38-14 win over Iowa, their first win in Iowa City since 1999. Penn State beat Ohio State, 20-14, last season in Columbus. The Buckeyes have won the last two meetings in Happy Valley (2007, 2009).
