COLUMBUS, Ohio – Many Ohio State fans were worried when Carlos Hyde took his 1,500 yards with him on graduation day.
NOTE: The City of Columbus Parking Violations Bureau will be open special hours Sunday, September 7, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., for motorists whose cars are towed for illegal parking before and during Saturday’s OSU-Virginia Tech game. PVB will also provide the same 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. special hours on Sundays following all remaining OSU home football games.
They figured with Hyde gone, the Buckeyes would have a hard time finding someone that productive.
It got worse when starting quarterback Braxton Miller was lost for the season, leaving the Buckeyes with only about 11 percent of their total offense from 2013 still in the game.
But Urban Meyer isn’t sweating it. After a 34-17 victory over Navy in the opener, he’s pleased with the job done by his three-head tailback, starting with Ezekiel Elliott who gained 44 yards on 12 carries including a 10-yard TD run.
He also believes Rod Smith — previously overlooked, now in the mix — has earned time. Then there’s flashy freshman Curtis Samuel, who had a fine college debut.
So while others may question No. 8/7 Ohio State’s running game heading into Saturday’s showdown with Virginia Tech (8:00 p.m./ESPN), Meyer and his staff are pleased with the possibilities.
Meyer was not exactly sanguine about other aspects of his team’s performance in their season opener, when the Bucks found themselves trailing the Midshipmen 7-6 at halftime. Ohio State rallied to pullout the win and Meyer says, now that so many youngsters have a game under their belts, there are no more excuses.
Virginia Tech is no stranger to big games, but has struggled to show it belongs among the elite in recent years. The Hokies have lost six of their last seven games against ranked opponents, many of them in lopsided fashion.
Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Brewer says a victory before 105,000 fans at Ohio Stadium would be “huge” to show that the Hokies are still a powerhouse program. The Buckeyes have won 25 consecutive regular season games, the longest such streak in the nation, and 64 in a row at home against unranked non-conference foes.
Says Brewer: “This is what college football is all about.”