Virginia Tech keeps Ohio State offense in check and upsets Buckeyes 35-21
Let the "What if Braxton Miller was healthy?" questions begin.
With Miller's replacement, J.T. Barrett, making his second career start, Virginia Tech trusted in its experienced secondary and blitzed Barrett often, keeping him and the Ohio State offense in check en route to a 35-21 upset win at No. 8 Ohio State.
Barrett finished 9-of-29 passing for 219 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. Knowing Barrett's inexperience, Tech brought pressure from all over and it paid off.
After a missed Tech field goal that would have stretched a 28-21 lead to 10 points, Barrett and Ohio State had one final shot to win the game with just over three minutes left. As the Buckeyes tried to move down the field, Barrett was sacked three times, the final one inducing a third-and-16 with 59 seconds left.
On the very next play, Barrett's third interception of the night happened as Donovan Riley picked him off and ran 63 yards for a touchdown. There was no receiver in the frame where Barrett was throwing the ball. It had to have been a miscommunication.
Yet the pass summed up the Ohio State offense's night. Passing was a chore and running the ball wasn't much easier. Sacks included, Ohio State had 40 carries for 108 yards against Virginia Tech's stout defense.
There's no guaranteeing if Ohio State would have won with Miller, its star QB and preseason Heisman candidate in the game. (He's out for the season with a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.)
Though given that the Buckeyes missed two field goals, forced three turnovers and had three turnovers themselves, there are many OSU fans thinking that it's a much different outcome with Miller on the field.
Last week against Navy, Ohio State's superiority showed in the fourth quarter as the Buckeyes pulled away. While it was easy to anticipate that happening again Saturday night, it simply didn't happen against a VT team now poised to be the favorite in the Coastal Division. And even with the Big Ten's bad week, playing poorly and escaping isn't going to be a good philosophy in conference play.
But the bad night for the conference is also a bright side. Barrett will get better as the season goes on and as he does, Ohio State is still going to be one of the Big Ten's favorites. We just now have a pretty good idea in week two that barring some outright craziness, the Buckeyes won't be in one of the two semifinals.
For more Virginia Tech news, visit HokieHaven.com
For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
