Guiton pads stats, Buckeyes roll

Published Sep. 21, 2013 2:09 p.m. ET

foxsports

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It was a beautiful day to pad the stats.

Urban Meyer and Kenny Guiton took full advantage.

Guiton threw six first-half touchdown passes as No. 3 Ohio State outscored Florida A&M 55-0 in Saturday's first half. Making his second career start with Braxton Miller still watching from the sideline with a sprained MCL, Guiton threw three touchdown passes in the first quarter and three more in the second to give him 13 for the season, more than any other quarterback in the country.

Guiton completed 24-of-34 passes for 215 yards in all, and the six touchdowns set a school record for a single game. He was intercepted once -- Florida A&M's Patrick Aiken then fumbled it back to Ohio State -- and had another interception negated by a defensive holding call.

Truthfully, Guiton wasn't as sharp as he'd been in the prior two weeks as Ohio State's super sub; he threw five touchdowns last week at Cal. But Ohio State kept calling pass plays, even after building a 34-0 first quarter lead, and Guiton kept finding open receivers. His six touchdown passes went to five different receivers. He was replaced at the start of the third quarter by Cardale Jones but then re-entered the game after Jones was injured.

Guiton's hold on the national lead for touchdown passes was short-lived as Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater threw his 13th touchdown pass late in the first half of Louisville's game. Oregon State's Sean Manion plays San Diego State later Saturday and Utah State's Chuckie Keeton plays at USC; both Manion and Keeton enter the day with 12.

When Guiton took over for Miller seven plays into Ohio State's win over San Diego State two weeks ago, he had thrown 25 total passes in his career. Now he's one of the nation's hottest quarterbacks and may or may not be in Meyer's plans as the Buckeyes open Big Ten play next week vs. Wisconsin.

Meyer last week said that Guiton has earned the right to play at least a little when Miller returns, and that if Guiton shows he's one of Ohio State's best 11 players he will play.

It's certainly a story worth following as the games get bigger.