The #1 Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 38-10, in a game in which QB J.T. Barrett may have earned himself the starting job. The Buckeyes are now 7-0, while Penn State drops to 5-2. PSU actually led 3-0 at the end of the first quarter, but then Ohio State dropped 21 in the second quarter and never looked back. Here are three things we learned from Ohio State's win over Penn State.
3. Penn State Has Zero Trust In It's Pass Protection
I really can't blame Penn State for not trusting its offensive line. It sucks. It's done a solid job opening up holes for the running game, but it simply can't give Christian Hackenberg time. It's really unfair to Hackenberg, who doesn't have a chance to put his talent (and he has talent) to use with such an awful offensive line. Hackenberg was sacked five times and was pressured on seemingly every drop back. I'd love for Hackenberg to get a chance to air it out, but I'm not sure he can with such a poor exucse for pass protection.
2. Ohio State Has Too Many Weapons
Obviously there is no such thing as too many weapons, but the Buckeyes have weapons galore. Ezekiel Elliott needs 25 touches per game, and we've seen what he does with them. Jalin Marshall and Braxton Miller both could get 10-plus touches per game on most teams. There's also the underused Michael Thomas, who is one of the best WRs in college football and could get 7 or so touches per games on a lesser team. And there's also the carries for QBs, whether that's J.T. Barrett or Cardale Jones. There simply isn't enough touches to go around.
1. J.T. Barrett Should Be The Starter
It's time to hand the keys to the offense over to Barrett. The offense is better with him at QB, in part because he's a better fit for what Ohio State is trying to do. It's not an insult to Cardale Jones, but a compliment to Barrett and his skills. Ohio State can, and will, win with either QB, but Barrett gives them the best chance to win the College Football Playoff.