Record-breaking day for Guiton leads Buckeyes in laugher

Well, that just happened. It took Ohio St all of four offensive plays over a span of 46 seconds to have a 21-0 lead. Kenny Guiton broke John Borton and Bobby Hoying’s OSU passing touchdown record – by halftime. When it was all said and done, the Buckeyes had a 76-0 victory and Florida A&M had a $900,000 payday.

Ohio St has been taking an unwarranted beating in the media this week for scheduling the FCS opponent, when if they would have done their homework they would know that OSU had Vanderbilt slated for this date until they backed out. NCAA teams have schedules lined up years in advance, so finding another school with an open date and a second bye week later in the year is no easy task. Not that Vandy is a juggernaut by any stretch of the imagination, but at least they’re an SEC team that makes a bowl game now and then.

So with the non-conference schedule in the books, it’s tough to look at this Buckeye team and get a great feel for their identity. They’ve played four teams that weren’t even close to Ohio St’s level and are 4-0 in dominating fashion. We’ve seen the super-emergence of Kenny G, but won’t see him much for the rest of the season. We can at least say that they’ve taken care of the obstacles that have been in their way, and have done so nearly flawlessly. So with B1G play about to begin and a showdown with Wisconsin looming, the Bucks must keep this momentum rolling and show that they can beat some stiffer competition.


Game Recap
I’m not going to go into much detail here, because while there were obviously several exciting plays to get to 76-0, the game was over before it started and was pretty boring for the most part. Guiton was picked off by Patrick Aiken in the endzone on the first Buckeye possession, and the Rattlers actually held some momentum for about three seconds. Then Jordan Hall stripped Aiken, who inexplicably tried to bring the ball out, and recovered the fumble. Hall followed up his defensive play with a 3-yard TD on the next snap.

A big punt return from Philly Brown set up the first of six Guiton first half touchdowns, this one going to TE Jeff Heuerman. The Buckeyes went for and failed the two-point conversion. Doran Grant’s blocked punt resulted in the second, to Evan Spencer. The third was a short shovel pass to Carlos Hyde, making his 2013 debut after a three-game suspension, and the fourth coming off a Bradly Roby pick to Devin Smith. This all happened in the first quarter.

The 2nd quarter was much of the same, with FAMU going three-and-out and Ohio St lighting up the scoreboard. Hall rushed in his second TD, Chris Fields caught #5 for Guiton, and Spencer’s second was the record-breaker for Kenny G. The Rattlers did manage to get a first down with about four minutes left in the half, so there’s that.

Up 55-0, Cardale Jones was playing football (not playing school) under center for the Buckeyes to begin the 3rd. Jones didn’t attempt a single pass in the half, but ran the ball eight times for 52 yards and a touchdown. Ezekiel Elliott received the bulk of the remaining carries, and the freshman made the most of his opportunity. Elliott ended up leading all rushers with 162 yards on 14 carries and finding the endzone twice. Fellow freshman Warren Ball got a few touches real late. After an excruciating 60 minutes for Earl Holmes’s Rattlers (yes, that Earl Holmes), the 76-0 beat down finally came to an end.

Game Ball
Since this may be his last chance to get one, and I guess because he threw a school-record six touchdown passes in two quarters, Kenny G will take home his third consecutive award. Assuming Braxton returns to action this Saturday and remains healthy for the rest of the season, Guiton has at the very least earned a few snaps per game, possibly some trickeration plays on PAT attempts after his blazing three week fill-in stint. It was awfully fun while it lasted.
Game balls to date: Guiton (3)

Big Ten
For the second straight week, michigan narrowly avoided a big-time upset, this time behind a 10-0 fourth quarter to top UConn 24-21. The game of the day saw Michigan St fall from the ranks of the unbeatens in a close loss to Notre Dame. Elsewhere, Wisconsin pounded Purdue in the first conference matchup of the season, Indiana was routed by Missouri, and the rest of the conference beat up on lower-level teams.


Heisman Watch
3. Kenny
2. motherfucking
1. G!!!!!!

Up Next: #23 Wisconsin (3-1, 1-0), 8:00, ABC
This is it – don’t get scared now. Early into a long season, we have a make-or-break game for the Buckeyes. The Badgers pose what will most likely be the biggest roadblock standing in Ohio St’s path to a B1G championship and ticket to Pasadena. The main focus for the Bucks will be stopping NCAA-leading rusher Melvin Gordon, who’s averaging a stupid 11.8 yards per carry. He’s not the only Badger that can run, as last year’s top back James White has 442 yards and three scores of his own this season. Joel Stave doesn’t pose a huge threat at quarterback, so the goal will definitely be to load the box and make him beat you.

Braxton is said to be ready and “probably” will start on Saturday. My main concern is him not being dressed for the Florida A&M game. If he was truly healthy, he would have gotten a few snaps last week. My guess is that he will start but I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Guiton get a series here and there, especially if Brax looks tentative or ineffective. Regardless of the QB, Ohio St will be relying heavily on the run game. Expect double-digit touches for Hall, Hyde, and Dontre Wilson. If they can collectively just match the Gordon/White duo, I’ll take our quarterbacks with the game on the line any day.
Prediction: Ohio St 33 Wisconsin 24


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