Columbus: It turns out all Ohio State had to do in order to improve was send 12 players to the NFL.
With only six total returning starters, the most inexperienced football team in the NCAA sits 4-0 heading into its Big Ten game against Indiana and is rolling opponents.
The Buckeyes’ defense still hasn’t given up a rushing touchdown and leads the FBS in points allowed per game (9.3).
The offense’s 332.0 yards rushing per game ranks behind only Army (374.8) and New Mexico (347.0) and Ohio State is outscoring opponents 228-37.
Surprised? Not in the least bit if you’re coach Urban Meyer.
“I don’t like the word surprise,” Meyer said. “That’s disrespectful realizing that we have talented guys. I think it’s great. I’m excited to get out for another day of practice.
“That’s one thing about young players. There is such a ceiling that they have so much room for improvement. Bin Victor played in that game [against Rutgers last week]. If you said three weeks ago he was going to play, he had a hard time lining up, didn’t go hard, and kind of quit in the middle of plays. Now, all of a sudden, he’s a guy now. He’s going to be a helluva player here.”
Running back Mike Weber, who leads the conference in rushing with 495 yards, has emerged as has H-back Curtis Samuel (673 yards from scrimmage) and Dontre Wilson (376 all-purpose yards).
Defensively, newcomers Chris Worley (21 tackles, 3 pass breakups), Malik Hooker (3 interceptions) and Jerome Baker (15 tackles, 1½ sacks, interceptions) have stepped in and starred.
Meyer might not find it surprising, but quarterback J.T. Barrett hinted at being a bit in awe of how fast the Buckeyes have come out of the gate.
“It’s a totally different team because last year we had a lot of experience,” he said. “This year, it’s just a bunch of young guys fighting for playing time. It’s a different feel overall.
“To say we’re at a better place than last year, I think we are just because we’re not expected to beat everybody by 70 points. I think last year it was kind of hard because on paper we were better than everybody and I think a lot of times we got caught up by you guys saying we should beat this team by 50. We’d beat them by 14 and it was, ‘What’s wrong?’ ”
Not much is wrong at Ohio State. Through the first four games the team is well ahead of its numbers from a season ago.
Facing the sixth-toughest schedule in the nation, the Buckeyes’ total offense (576.3 average) is 140.3 yards ahead of last season, the defense is giving up 15.2 fewer yards per game and three fewer points per game.
“The coaching of the team doesn’t change when the players go,” Worley said. “The players that come in still have to maintain the same coaching that they emphasize. They still have to go as hard as they can and the team that goes the hardest will win.”
That said, success breeds success with Meyer, much like it has in years past, as his focus on recruiting is a 365-day job.
“That’s part of it,” Meyer said. “There are two phases. One is recruiting, and then a group of nine coaches and a strength coach that’s second to none that just grinds and develops and pushes them. The culture within the units is something — a big thing that happens around here.”