The Cincinnati Bearcats gave No. 22 Ohio State an early scare Saturday night, but the Buckeyes stepped up in the second half, scoring the game's final 17 points to secure a 50-28 victory.
Ohio State (3-1) was dominant early, building a 30-7 lead midway through the second quarter. A fumble from freshman running back Curtis Samuel sparked a 21-3 run for Cincinnati (2-1), though, and it looked like Tommy Tuberville's team was set to give Urban Meyer a 60-minute fight.
That's when the Buckeyes flexed their muscle on both sides of the ball.
How did Ohio State grade out from its 22-point victory?
Ohio State Buckeyes Grade Analysis
Pass Offense: The Buckeyes pass offense continues to surge with quarterback J.T. Barrett behind center. The redshirt freshman eclipsed 300 passing yards for the second consecutive game, as he completed 26 of 36 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns (no interceptions) Saturday night.
His receivers were up and down again—four of Barrett's five first-half incompletions were the result of dropped passes—but it was an overall fantastic performance for Ohio State through the air.
Run Offense: The Buckeyes were even better on the ground. Led by sophomore running back Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State pounded Cincinnati, piling up 400 rushing yards on 65 carries—6.2 yards per rush.
Elliott was sensational, running for a career-high 182 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries. Barrett was also a threat on designed runs and scrambles, rushing for 79 yards on 14 carries.
The Buckeyes showcased their depth, too, as seven different ball-carriers registered runs of longer than 10 yards.
Pass Defense: After opening the season against run-heavy Navy, uneven Virginia Tech and overmatched Kent State, Meyer knew that Cincinnati was going to be the first true test for his new-look pass defense.
The Buckeyes failed that test, allowing Gunner Kiel to throw for 352 yards and four touchdown passes. Ohio State had no answer for receiver Chris Moore, who hauled in three passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns.
The secondary tightened things up in the game’s final 20 minutes, but a disastrous first half has to worry Meyer quite a bit. Joey Bosa's sack and forced fumble that resulted in a safety, however, was the best play of the game for the Buckeyes defense.
Run Defense: Ohio State kept Cincinnati from establishing any momentum on the ground. The Bearcats rushed for 71 yards in the first half, highlighted by a 19-yard run from Kiel.
Those rushing lanes closed entirely in the game's final 30 minutes, though, as the Bearcats finished the game with 70 rushing yards. Much of that was the result of Cincinnati trying to pass its way back into contention, but holding any team to minus-one yards rushing for an entire half is incredible.
Special Teams: The Buckeyes haven't had an impact in the return game all year, and that was certainly the case against Cincinnati. Dontre Wilson returned just one kickoff for 18 yards and one punt for two yards.
But there weren't any negative special teams plays for Ohio State, and freshman kicker Sean Nuernberger turned in a solid performance, connecting on his two field-goal attempts from 25 and 42 yards.
Coaching: The Buckeyes coaching staff struggled to find a way to stop Kiel and Cincinnati's passing attack early.
Co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash was pulling his safeties from their deep coverage to guard the Bearcats perimeter game, which resulted in the Buckeyes getting beat deep multiple times.
Ohio State adjusted midway through the third quarter, allowing Cincinnati to gain just 27 yards on its final four drives.
On the other side of the ball, the offensive coaches realized that Cincinnati had no answer for Elliott and the ground game, allowing the Buckeyes to pound their way to a victory.
There were some great adjustments on both sides of the ball, which was the difference in what turned out to be a comfortable Ohio State win.
All stats via NCAA.com.
David Regimbal covers Ohio State football for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.
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