The Ohio State Football team started it’s season with a sluggish win over Indiana, 23-3.
Yes, a win is a win, but in this era of college football, if you aren’t winning big, you aren’t making enough headlines. This lackluster win most likely will make the news, but that’s due to being the first game in almost nine months.
We were expecting and offense to put up a lot of points and a defense to not allow many, and only one of those two showed up. Find out which Ohio State players earned Buckeye Leaves in my eyes after today’s season opening victory against the Hoosiers.
Why he shined
Yeah, this secondary wasn’t really challenged, but when it was, it stood up to the challenge. Burke struggled big time last year and vowed to change that. If this was a glimpse of his junior year, the chatter of him being a three-year early entry stater will start up again.
Specialists
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Why they shined
Kicker Jayden Fielding was perfect in his first collegiate action on extra points and field goals while some of his kickoffs went into the end zone with others not resulting in significant returns. Punter Jesse Mirco averaged 45.8 yards per punt. Long snapper John Ferlmann made a few tackles. This group had a great game, even if their teammates might not have while they were on the field.
Cornerback Davison Igbinosun
Why he shined
The transfer played exceptionally well, even when he wasn’t making plays. Igbinosun understands the defense, pointing to his teammates where they need to be or who they are covering. A huge tackle on third down in the third quarter was the icing on the cake for me. If the ball didn’t hit the ground, he was in position for a pick in the middle of the third also. Yes, he had a pass interference in the fourth, but I like the aggressive play. The hype for Igbinosun was real.
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Why
As our Evan Bachman pointed out pregame, Proctor got the start over other very worth candidates. He turned out to be the right choice….
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