Dwayne Haskins gave Ohio State fans a glimpse of an offense without J.T. Barrett

“I had the O-line, I had the receivers. Everybody else was behind me the whole entire way.”

-Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins via Mitch Stacy, Associated Press

Taking snaps late in blowout wins over the likes of UNLV and Illinois is one thing. Getting thrust into action in the third quarter of a tied football game against Michigan, in Ann Arbor, is a whole different animal. Redshirt freshman Dwayne Haskins passed his first true test as an Ohio State quarterback with flying colors on Saturday, as he was pressed into action after J.T. Barrett wasn’t able to continue after suffering a knee injury.

It is still unknown if Barrett or Haskins will take the snaps on Saturday in the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin, but the performance from Haskins on Saturday was a glimpse for Ohio State fans at what life will could be like next year without Barrett. Even if Barrett starts on Saturday, his leash might be a little shorter than normal after what Haskins showed last week in a high pressure situation.

Wisconsin is preparing for both quarterbacks, which could work to Ohio State’s advantage. Instead of being able to prep solely for Barrett or Haskins, the Badgers will have to be ready for what both quarterbacks can bring to the table. Barrett brings a little more of a running attack to defenses, while Haskins has a stronger arm. No matter which quarterback ends up starting for Ohio State, the Buckeye offense will present Wisconsin with their toughest test of the season.

As he is in the midst of his senior season at Ohio State, Kyle Snyder has another award to add to his trophy case. Earlier today, Snyder was named 2017 U.S. Male Olympic Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Olympic Committee. Snyder is just the fourth wrestler to win the award, joining John Smith, who won the award in 1990, 2000 award recipient Rulon Gardner, and 2015 winner Jordan Burroughs.

Snyder won the award in large part because of his victory in the “Match of the Century” over Olympic champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev in the 97 kg final of the 2017 World Wrestling Championships, which helped the United States win the 2017 Freestyle World Team Title — which was the first for the United States since 1995.

Snyder might have some trouble finding space for this award, as he already has earned an Olympic gold medal, two world championships, two NCAA titles, and many other accolades. Even though he still has time to add a few more collegiate accomplishments to his record this year before graduating, Snyder is already one of the most decorated athletes to ever come from Ohio State, and he just turned 22 years old.

“It’s hard for sure. I’ve gotta probably ... I’m not very good at that. I’m not very good at being patient, certainly not good at handling this kind of stuff. I think our players probably need to see me handle that better.”

-Ohio State men’s basketball coach Chris Holtmann via Bill Landis, Northeast Ohio Media Group

Everybody knew there was going to be some growing pains for Ohio State’s men’s basketball team this year, but Chris Holtmann probably didn’t expect to see them this early on. After losing to Butler on Sunday in overtime at the PK80 Invitational, Ohio State squandered a double-digit first half lead last night to Clemson.

Losses like the last two aren’t foreign to the Buckeyes over the past few years. Early on in the 2015-16 season, the Buckeyes dropped three straight games to UT-Arlington, Louisiana Tech, and Memphis, all of which were winnable games. While the losses aren’t exactly the same, it could give Ohio State a glimpse into how the rest of the season might play out. The Buckeyes finished the 2015-16 season at 21-14, missing the NCAA Tournament.

What Ohio State is going to need if they are going to find success, not only this year but over the next few years, is more mental toughness. Wins like Friday night’s victory over Stanford give the team something to build on, but losses like Sunday afternoon’s (and last night’s) set the Buckeyes back.

While Holtmann is frustrated with losses like the one Ohio State suffered to Clemson, there still is no question he made the right move in coming to Columbus. There is going to be plenty of frustrating moments during the first year for Holtmann and his team, but there is no question he is building something big at Ohio State.

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