Cade Stover makes a big catch and run. (Photo by Ohio State Athletics)
The 2023 college football season is here. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday. The final score ended up being 23-3. It may not have been the best game for the Buckeyes, but they got the win. There were still struggles. Here is a look at the Buckeyes win.
Game 1 View from the Couch – at Indiana (9/2/23)
Starting in 2017, I began blogging about Ohio State football while I was an usher at Ohio Stadium (from 2016 through 2019), which is why I entitled home games “View from the Aisle” where I would usher and away games “View from the Couch” when watching the away games at home. Now they’re all the latter and starting in 2022 I’ve been able to write about my Buckeyes for some start-up sports websites. In my writing, I try to cover a current game and season while paying tribute to the history that has made Ohio State football so great.
Favorite Stat of the Game: 153 total yards for Indiana for only 2.8 yards per play. A great day for Jim Knowles and the Buckeyes defense. Some other great stats in this game are 24 straight season-opening wins for the Buckeyes and 28 straight wins against Indiana. 1999 was the last time Ohio State lost a season opener and 1987 was the last time they lost to Indiana.
The Brooklyn Dagger Award: This is for the moment a game is over, usually a dramatic moment or the moment a lead is taken and never relinquished. It’s a tribute to when Curtis Samuel scored the winning touchdown in double overtime against TTUN in 2016. For the Buckeyes today that would be Miyan “Chop” Williams’ first touchdown during the first quarter. This proved to be the deciding score of the game.
Dwayne Haskins Player of the Game Award: Cade Stover. Stover was the only player on offense who lived up to his preseason hype. He made plays, got yardage, and moved the sticks when everyone else was struggling to do so. He had five catches for 98 yards and was a bit of a security blanket for struggling Kyle McCord in this tough debut. This kind of play will be expected and needed from the team captain Stover for the rest of the season.
Chase Young Defensive Player of the Game: Steele Chambers. The running back turned linebacker was the best defender on the field for the Buckeyes. He led the team with six tackles, four of them solo. There were a couple of times that instead of going for the big hit, he wrapped up the ball carrier and kept the Hoosiers from moving the sticks, on his way to a good game.
Ryan Shazier–Devin Smith Award: In 2011, when they were both freshmen, Shazier and Smith impressed me and told me they were going to be legends one day. So, this is a nod to a young player who’s a relatively unknown who grabbed attention. Sonny Styles was that guy today.
The sophomore from Pickerington, Ohio was being raved about this offseason in Ohio and showed some flashes of why today. Styles had four tackles, 1.5 of them for a loss. I look for Styles to be a force as the year goes on for the Buckeyes.
Dane Sanzenbacher–K.J. Hill Award: Sanzenbacher and Hill were best known for just quietly doing their jobs. That for the Buckeyes against the Hoosiers was their defensive line, affectionately known as the Rushmen. They didn’t crush the stat sheet with sacks and tackles for a loss but they just held the trenches against Indiana. They were wrapping up well and never were out of position.
Taylor Decker Award: Decker started out his career roughly as a sophomore taking on Khalil Mack as a senior. He then went on to be an all-American, national champion, three-year starting, first-round draft pick for the Buckeyes. So, this is for guys who bounce back. That was missing a little today. Kyle McCord improved as the game went on and after a poor decision that led to an interception early. It’ll be interesting to see if he is better as the season and his career go on.
Fedora Award: Named for the trademark hat of Buckeye Coach Earle Bruce, this recognizes a player or staffer who is trying to fill big shoes, and doing a decent job of it. Carson Hinzman fit that description today. He took over for Luke Wypler who had a great season in 2022 capped off by playing very well against Georgia. There was worry coming into the game about Hinzman filling in for Wypler but he impressed. He didn’t have any bad snaps or exchanges with fellow first-time starter Kyle McCord and avoided major penalties in a solid debut.
Sweater Vest Award: A tribute to Jim Tressel’s attire he wore every game at Ohio State, this nods to Coach Tressel’s love of special teams. Against Indiana, it was both kicker Jayden Fielding and punter Jesse Mirco. Fielding was perfect on the day going three for three on field goals and two for two on extra points. Mirco had four punts for 183 yards and an average of 45.8 yards per punt. Importantly the kicking game stepped it up on a day that the offense struggled.
Archie Award: Named for the only two-time Heisman trophy winner in college football history, this is a tribute to Archie Griffin, who epitomizes class, and recognizes someone being classy. I got to go with Coach Day and how he’s handled things with the press, writers, and critics. It’d be easy and understandable for him to be dismissive and even rude when asked about his team and their struggles over the past two seasons. To his credit, he conducts himself like a true professional, with dignity and class. Criticize his record or work on the field all you want, but Coach Day is a good and honorable man.
Horned Rimmed Glasses Award: When one thinks of Woody Hayes and his life and football teams, you think of toughness and patriotism. Hayes loved tough football and loved America. The toughness the Ohio State defense displayed would have made Hayes proud. One indicator of that toughness was that the Buckeyes had 56 tackles of the Hoosiers’ offense and 34 of them were solo. They were hitting and wrapping up and being tough with the fundamentals.
Bad Coaching Moment of the Game: Devin Brown’s first series and the underutilization of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. It was a disservice to Brown to only have him to hand it off twice, run a draw, and punt. I know Coach Day said they would play them both but I figured they’d give them a fair shot. With that not being the case, I think this is Kyle McCord’s team Brown is the backup.
Next, Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr. are the best two wide receivers in America. It is practically a crime against football that together they only had five catches for 34 yards. This offense should be targeting them a dozen times a game each and Kyle McCord should be encouraged to throw them 50/50 balls all day. If they do that, this offense will be unstoppable.
Good Coaching Moment of the Game: Jim Knowles’ defense. I was a big critic of Coach Knowles and how his defense gave up too many big plays to TTUN and Georgia last year. They didn’t amass lots of big defensive stats like sacks, interceptions, fumbles, and tackles for a loss. They DID hold an FBS and conference foe to only three points and that ain’t nothing. I hope it’s a sign of things to come for Coach Knowles and the Ohio State defense, especially as it looks like the offense is going to have some growing pains.
Glass Half Empty: In this season, a close game against an opponent considered to be very inferior can cost a team when it comes to the final four teams in the college football playoff. Especially if you have any further blemishes on your record. A loss or more close games against teams you should crush can hurt you. You can’t struggle against teams you should beat by 30 because it could affect your rankings when they matter later in the season.
Glass Half Full: A win is a win and is infinitely better than a loss. Yes, the Buckeyes have a lot to do this month with Youngstown State next week. Followed by a tough and powerful offense in Western Kentucky before going into South Bend to take on Notre Dame. This is a tall order but it’s so much better to tackle at 1-0 than it would be at 0-1.
2014 Moment: A tribute to the 2014 national champion Buckeyes, who were known for their explosive offense. Cade Stover’s big catch that led to Williams’ second touchdown was that moment. It showed this team still has the ability to hit the big play that puts a defense on their heels.
2002 Moment: Acknowledging the 2002 national champion Buckeyes who were known for their brick wall of a defense. It was the overall effort from the defense against Indiana. This was the first time since 2019 against Northwestern that Ohio State has held an opponent to three points or less. Is it expected against Indiana? Yes, but as this contrasts with the offense, meeting expectations is a very good thing.
1968 Moment: Paying homage to Hayes’ best team, this is recognizing a part of the game that was old school or of championship quality. Getting a win in a game you struggle in is something a championship-caliber team does. And usually does a few times in a season (Georgia needed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat 6-7 Missouri last season). Winning in games you struggle with is the mark of great teams.
