The Wake-Up Call: Ohio State offense back to normal, havoc has been created and more

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Colin Gay
Colin Gay

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Today is Monday, Nov. 14, and this is your Ohio State Wake-Up Call.

That Dallas Cowboys running back is good 

Ohio State beat Maryland 62-3 on Saturday. The Buckeyes, if they keep up their winning ways, have a path to the College Football Playoff. However, a lot of the country is talking more about one of their draft picks than the actual team. For good reason, too.

Ezekiel Elliott has been incredible in the backfield for the Dallas Cowboys this season. Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers proved nothing less. Elliott rushed for 114 yards and had a career-high 95 receiving yards. He was also responsible for four touchdowns in the contest, including the game-winner.

The former Ohio State back is off to a historic start in a Cowboy uniform. He is only one of three players in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in their first nine career games. Those other two? Adrian Peterson and Eric Dickerson. That’s good company.

Elliott has been stellar in his rookie year. Buckeye fans will anxiously wait to see if he can help Dallas do the same thing he helped Ohio State do in 2014, lead his team to a title. 

 Why is Ohio State unstoppable?

After putting up 124 points in its last two games, Ohio State’s offense is seemingly unstoppable. According to an article from Fox Sports, in the first five games of the year, the J.T. Barrett-led offense averaged 53.2 points before hitting the rod for a treacherous three-week stretch mid-season. However, as the Buckeyes have shown in their last two games, the offense has really never left.

“The offensive line is keeping our quarterback protected, and we’re throwing the ball much better,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said. “The receivers had their two best games, they’re blocking each for other, and, of course, J.T. is playing better.”

You could say they have been leaping over their competition.

With an unstoppable offense, the Buckeyes could be on a direct path to the College Football Playoff, especially after all the chaos that hit college football on Saturday. However, Meyer and the Ohio State coaching staff are sticking with the same strategy that they have been using since the Penn State loss. Let’s just play them one game at a time.

“We won’t even talk about that,” Meyer said. “All our laser lights are on Michigan State.”

About that Victor kid

Ohio State wide receivers coach Zach Smith talked about freshman receiver Binjimen Victor’s increased use in the passing game, which we highlighted in Friday’s Wake-Up Call. Smith was definitely on to something.

In the win over Maryland on Saturday, Victor had two catches for 36 yards and scored his first career touchdown on a pass from backup quarterback Joe Burrow.

Burrow to Victor. That has a ring to it. Buckeye fans may be hearing that a lot in the future.

Columbus was paying attention

Columbus, Ohio cares about Ohio State football.  That much we know, and have always known. That explains why the city of Columbus was glued to their television sets … during Saturday night’s Michigan-Iowa game?

OK, it makes sense. Buckeye fans want to watch That Team Up North lose. Also, if the Wolverines lost, that would create havoc in regards to the latest playoff poll with Clemson and Washington both losing their respective games.

With Iowa winning on a last second field goal, havoc has been created.

B1G happenings

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