NORMAN, Okla. — After Ohio State’s 45-24 win over Oklahoma on Saturday night, linebacker Raekwon McMillan and a collection of his teammates stood on the field and posed with a fan-made poster.
That poster had the word “basic” written on it, which was referring to comments made by Oklahoma backup quarterback Austin Kendall a few days before the game.
“I think they have a really basic defense,” Kendall said on a show on Fox Sports Oklahoma. “I think we can go out there and, I mean, Baker (Mayfield), he’ll light them up. I’m really looking forward to it. If my number’s called, I think I can do the same.”
Those comments made their rounds on the Internet and many Ohio State fans took them as disrespectful. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing Kendall has ever said.
But was it the main motivation for Ohio State’s win?
“I don’t think so,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said after the game. “Did coaches use that? Did our defense use that? I think they did. To be honest with you, I didn’t hear much about it. We’re a team that’s — it’s a long journey.
“I don’t think that was a big deal.”
Did the coaches use it? Probably. Coaches will use anything to get their team up for a game, but there’s no way it was a main emphasis in Ohio State’s preparation. Maybe it would have been more important had Mayfield — the starter — said it.
Kendall’s comments made for good radio fodder. And it was a convenient celebration for McMillan and his teammates after holding the Sooners to 17 offensive points. They had fun with it, as kids should.
But do you want to know the real motivation for a young team like this? To win a game against a real opponent for the first time … Ever. Remember, a good portion of the guys on the field were playing in their first true road game. All the rest is just kind of secondary.
If you think a backup quarterback is what drove this win, that’s just, well, basic.
Ohio State’s defense: It’s pretty remarkable how good Ohio State has been at forcing turnovers, and it’s just crazy the Buckeyes have had a pick-six in each of their first three games.
But was it really dominant against the Sooners? Dominant? Oklahoma put up 403 yards of offense, so it’s not like the Buckeyes completely shut the Sooners down.
What Ohio State did well was holding Oklahoma out of the end zone when the Sooners got into the red zone. Oklahoma scored only one touchdown in three red zone trips.
“I don’t think we ever want to say that it’s a ‘bend but don’t break’ defense,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell said. “We used to use the term in the past, but when you go back to press man 95 percent of the time, we like to say that we don’t want to bend a lot.
“But it was a really good offense with two great backs. There were some issues that they got the ball down in that red zone, but we made a few plays. It was big for us to step up.”
Ohio State gives game ball to J.T. Barrett: Though Noah Brown caught four touchdown passes, Ohio State gave the game ball to Barrett, who put up 152 yards and four touchdowns through the air and 74 yards rushing.
Maybe it was Brown who actually deserved the ball, but Barrett’s experience in big games like the Oklahoma one isn’t exactly what you think. He missed the College Football Playoff in 2014 and wasn’t the starter for Ohio State’s big road game at Virginia Tech last year.
This performance was big for Barrett.
Curtis Samuel’s feet: There was one play Samuel was running full speed ahead, chopped his feet quickly and left an Oklahoma linebacker embarrassed. He’s much better than I was anticipating.
What I wrote after Bowling Green was premature: Maybe I got a little carried away when I said Ohio State was a national title contender after its 77-10 win over Bowling Green in week one. That was premature because Bowling Green isn’t a good football team.
It would have been more appropriate to wait until after a game like Ohio State’s win over Oklahoma before making such an outlandish statement. Now it’s fair to say the Buckeyes are a real threat to be in the College Football Playoff.
