COLUMBUS, Ohio – Urban Meyer was not very happy with his fifth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at halftime Saturday.
They trailed Navy 7-6, hadn’t done much on offense and weren’t really dominating on defense.
Up next is a big Saturday night game at Ohio Stadium against Virginia Tech (8:00 p.m./ESPN) and Meyer says the Buckeyes cannot afford that kind of slow start against the Hokies.
“Concern number one is the offensive line…This will be one of the top two — one or two — defensive lines we’ll face every year. Our offensive line did not play like an Ohio State offensive line,” Meyer told reporters Monday.
Then things turned around. Now the third-year Buckeyes coach says he’s feeling better about his young team, which won 34-17 in their opener. Now that so many youngsters have a game under their belts, Meyer says there are no more excuses.
The Buckeyes still have a lot of things to work on but showed signs, particularly in the second half, of having the makings of a good team. One bright spot was freshman QB J.T. Barrett, who did a fine job replacing Braxton Miller, completing 12 of 15 pass attempts for 226 yards and two touchdowns, though he also threw one interception.
Barrett was named Big Ten Co-freshman of the Week for his performance in his first collegiate game.