EVANSTON, Illinois - Five observations and takeaways in the wake of Ohio State's 40-30 win over Northwestern Saturday night...
1. A big win for Ohio State. A crushing loss for Northwestern. Super hard-hitting analysis, right? Ohio State comes away thrilled and relieved not just because the 18-game win streak is intact and the bigger prizes remain in play, but because the Buckeyes did not play well in the first half -- Northwestern had something to do with that -- yet found a way to make timely plays in the second half on both sides and find a way. There's an art to winning close games and there's an art to winning big games. The team with more big-stage experience won Saturday night.
2. A weekend off comes at a good time for Ohio State. Those big prizes aren't coming unless Braxton Miller plays better. Miller lost two fumbles, missed a sure touchdown with a short-range misfire and past his first five throws, never seemed to play with full confidence. The strongest postgame statement was Urban Meyer saying that he came very close to inserting Kenny Guiton. Part of the reason he didn't seemed to be that by the third quarter it would have seemed like a benching, not a change. There's a chance the Buckeyes will need both. What they need most is Miller to play like he's capable of playing and lead.
3. The Buckeye offense got the job done because Carlos Hyde and a veteran offensive line just kept hammering away. But it's an uptempo, wide-open offense that brought Ohio State out of the Stone Ages and now has been pretty stagnant for the last six quarters. The power game working and working well is great. It just doesn't seem like Meyer trusts much else to work, and though the results have remained positive the Buckeyes need to be more dangerous and to be able to attack defenses in different ways. Where's Dontre Wilson, if even just to make defenses point him out? With Hyde going the way he is, why can't Ohio State get more out of the play action game?
4. Polls are just polls, but they do mean something in college football. And there's no way -- not right now -- that Ohio State is a top five team nationally. No way. No. Way. The votes on Monday might say different, but on neither side of the ball are the Buckeyes outstanding right now. They still have talent, room to grow and a favorable schedule with back to back home games off a bye week, two of their next three against freshman quarterbacks and a very tough Wisconsin-Northwestern double behind them, but this team in its current state isn't raising any more banners than last year's team, even if it's eligible to do so.
5. Luck plays a factor. Momentum plays a factor. Health plays a factor. The Buckeyes still have improving to do and are capable of doing it, but unless the offense can become more diversified and dangerous and the defense can start tackling better, those really big goals won't ultimately be fulfilled. It's tough to argue with 18-0 -- more importantly, with 6-0 -- because it's impossible to be any better than that in a bottom-line business. But with so many upperclassmen, so many winnable games ahead and with all this momentum all the winning has created, this Ohio State team has a tight window to make some significant improvements if it wants to be able to win three straight very big games starting on the final Saturday of November.
