COLUMBUS — Ohio State’s looming fall from the national rankings, after Saturday night’s 31-16 loss to Oklahoma, looks eerily familiar.
The Buckeyes played a similar game in 2014, falling 35-21 to Virginia Tech in an exasperating offensive meltdown. Somehow, someway, coach Urban Meyer’s team recovered and went on to win an improbable national championship.
Those memories seem like a distant dream in the wake of such a thorough romp by the Sooners at Ohio Stadium.
Yet again second-ranked Ohio State struggled mightily in an offensive mess that has become a troubling characteristic over the past two-plus years. Fifth-year senior J.T. Barrett had just 25 yards passing at halftime, and was the team’s leading offensive threat with 33 yards rushing to that point, too.
Oklahoma did not punt in the first half, yet the two teams were deadlocked in a boring, 3-3 duel at intermission.
The Sooners stopped turning it over in the second half, and launched quarterback Baker Mayfield’s Heisman campaign with a sterling offensive show in the final two periods. Mayfield feasted on the Buckeyes’ secondary, hitting 27 of 35 passes for 386 yards as Oklahoma overcame a 10-3 third-quarter deficit by ripping off four second-half touchdowns.
When the Sooners found their stride, they showed why they have the nation’s longest winning streak at 12 straight victories.
No doubt there will be a flurry of overreaction to the Buckeyes’ second disappointing showing in the past three games, following a 31-0 humbling at the hands of Clemson in last season’s playoff.
Without question the passing game is a consistent source of stress. The youthful secondary has allowed 800 yards passing in its first two games. Ohio State has started poorly on both sides of the ball two weeks in a row.
However, Meyer has won three national championships in his career, and not one of those teams went unblemished through the regular season. Few rebound better than him.
In his sixth year, he has an incredible 62-7 record at Ohio State, and has proven himself over and over again as one of the most elite and resilient coaches in college football.
So while the overreaction runs rampant in the wake of defeat, remember it’s better to hit bottom in Week Two than Week 10.
