COLUMBUS – For OSU’s Dwayne Haskins, being named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week is becoming as routine as completing a short pass.
The sophomore continued to keep himself in the Heisman Trophy conversation by passing for 455 yards passing and a school-record tying six touchdowns in the third-ranked Buckeyes’ 49-26 Homecoming victory over Indiana Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
(3) OSU (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten East) vs. Minnesota (3-2, 0-2)
Ohio Stadium Sat. Oct. 13 (Noon/FS1)
Haskins has won the honor four time in six weeks this season, just one shy of Ohio State’s Troy Smith, who was named Big Ten POW five times on his way to a Heisman in 2006.
Haskins fell just three yards short Art Schlichter’s 1978 school record of 458 yards passing, he tied J.T. Barrett’s school record for completions with 33, and his 462 yards of total offense was also a school record, eclipsing Barrett’s 423 against Penn State last year.
Haskins threw two TD passes each to Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin and one apiece to Johnnie Dixon and Binjimen Victor to increase his total to 25 scoring passes on the season, tops in the nation.
It’s not the offense that’s bothering head coach Urban Meyer, though.
The state of the defense is what is causing him anxiety.
He said Ohio State needs to get the problems cleaned up if they hope to sustain a march to the College Football Playoff.
The Buckeyes’ D made some mistakes, allowing the Hoosiers to stay in the game until late as quarterback Peyton Ramsey threw for a career-high 322 yards and three touchdowns.
The Indiana offense averaged 5.8 yards per play on its way to amassing 406 total yards.
Even though Ohio State is 6-0, the defense has surrendered as average of 365.2 yards per game so far this season and has been gashed for some huge runs.
Minnesota, of the Big Ten West Division, comes to Ohio Stadium Saturday (Noon/FS1). It’s the first meeting between the Buckeyes and Gophers in three years