All is well with the world!

After a year of having the world upside down,The Ohio State Buckeyes put things in its proper order as they overcame dumb penalties,poor tackling and a sometimes sluggish offense to score the only points of the second half on two Drew Basil field goals to lift OSU to a 26-21 win over michigan at the Big Horseshoe.
Carlos Hyde gouged the Wolverines for 146 yards including two first downs that allowed Ohio State to run out the clock.
The Buckeyes finish 12-0 under Urban Meyer in his maiden season in Columbus...

Buckeye Leaves

1) Bad news for the defense.
Poor tackling handed michigan their first and last touchdowns as players attempted to make big hits instead of wrapping up the ball carrier.
This has begun to be a more common occurrence in football overall and not for the better either.
Christian Bryant and I think Bradley Roby both went for the hit on Denard Robinson,bounced off him and each other and allowed Robinson to romp for the touchdown.
Poor mechanics.

2) Good news for the defense.
I don't know if it was an adjustment by the coaching staff or just an upgrade in intensity,but the facts are that michigan failed on a fourth down early in the half and several third and reasonables as the Buckeye D simply slammed the door on the Wolverines on every occasion in the second half.

3) Carlos Hyde and his hard running wore down the opposition.
Hyde has the rep of being a inside runner,but in this one,Hyde showed an ability to turn the corner that has not always been seen this season.

4) Braxton Miller had the occasional solid run,but a wet day and resulting soft turf kept Miller from running with the usual verve.
Miller still finished with 57 yards rushing,but 42 of that came on one carry.

5) Miller made up for that with a workmanlike 14 of 18 through the air.
Miller was able to use play action to keep michigan off balance as Carlos Hyde needed to be respected.
The threat of Hyde running up the gut was enough to give Miller the extra time to throw.

6) John Simon has been dominant all season,but a knee injury suffered during his four sack outburst against Wisconsin kept the senior from finishing his career at home.
Simon was such a terrific player with a motor that never quit and it was unfortunate that he could not finish up in front of the home crowd.

7) Normally,I have disliked the gimmick uniforms that Ohio State has used against michigan,but I loved the ones used this time.
Brought back memories of the 70's Buckeyes and they can use those again anytime!

8) In many ways,michigan cut their own throat with such a predictable offense.
After a first half that saw three touchdowns scored against them,the defense woke up and realized that when Denard Robinson was in the game,it was a run because Robinson could not throw.
Why Brady Hoke never realized that it was so obvious was the error in this game.

9) Converted linebacker Zach Boren had a terrific game along with Ryan Shazier in plugging the interior in the second half.
As noted earlier,the Buckeyes stopped michigan every time in the second half as michigan only finished with sixty yards on offense in the second half.
Boren and/or Shazier was waiting each time a runner came between the tackles.

10) Drew Basil entered the game with four field goals on the season and he doubled that total in the win as Basil went four for five on the day.

11) Great job by the Buckeye fans for honoring Jim Tressel and the 2002 National Champions.
Tressel was given a deserved standing ovation by the crowd and was carried off the field on the 2002 players shoulders.
I don't begrudge Jim Tressel at all for the punishment of this season,he made a mistake.
It happens....

12) 12-0 for Urban Meyer in his debut.
I must admit that some of these wins took a little bit of luck and a break or two,but it is all about the W.
I am not sure that Ohio State is the best team in the country,but after Alabama whips Notre Dame,they will be the only undefeated team and that is a pretty sizable accomplishment.
To those that thought that this was a long term project in rebuilding-surprise.
A great season and one worth remembering....

Photo Credit:Marvin Fong-Cleveland Plain Dealer.