Now that the Buckeyes have upset the Badgers, the Big Ten's Leaders division is wide open. Thanks to a strong effort from the defense, mixed in with some dazzling plays from Boom Herron and Braxton Miller, Ohio State controls their own destiny to get to Indianapolis for the inaugural B1G Championship Game. Let's take a look back on Saturday to see what went right and wrong for the Scarlet and Gray.
What Went Right
- Defense Wins Championships Big Games: The Silver Bullets have shown flashes of defensive domination in games, such as against Michigan State, the first half of Nebraska, and now Wisconsin. Almost collapsing in the 2nd half similar to the Nebraska game, this time Braxton Miller and the rest of the offense were able to give this defense more of a break, to allow for Andrew Sweat and John Simon to continue to harass Russell Wilson all night long. The defense was also able to hold Montee Ball down on rushing the entire night, and was very effective to contain Wilson until the end of the 4th quarter.
- Special Teams Are Back To Being Special: Up until the very last year of Jim Tressel's tenure, Ohio State was known for having very solid special teams, especially when it came to kick and punt returning, thanks to Ray Small and Ted Ginn Jr. Now, after last year's horrendous showing, it appears the special teams are once again clicking. Kick coverage has been fantastic, while the obvious blocked punt by Ryan Shazier was huge, the unit as a whole has been very impressive. Nate Ebner and Shazier are similar to missiles when it comes down to moments where we need a special teams play.
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| Boom's big run got things started |
- Passes Are Nice, Boren Goes Boom: While the fans of Ohio State were screaming to pass the ball all season long, the offensive line and Zach Boren have been fantastic in breaking open holes for Boom Herron to run through. Boren may be the best blocking fullback in the whole country, and he proved it Saturday night. Braxton Miller didn't have any real big passes until the Hail Mary, but was pretty consistent in his attack going 7/12 (58% completion percentage) for 89 yards, and rushing for 99 yards on 19 attempts. He looked cool and collected out there even in the most tense moments. Boom Herron has great vision, as he had 160 yards on 33 carries.
