Ohio State Buckeyes complete wild, uneven first half vs Northwestern

The Ohio State Buckeyes entered Saturday’s action against the Northwestern Wildcats surely expecting an easy win, and while it certainly may turn out that way, it wasn’t easy early on.

Yes, Ohio State went into halftime with a 21-7 lead over Northwestern that included some wild plays toward the end of the second quarter.

However, the Buckeyes also went scoreless in the first quarter and fell behind 7-0 early in the second period for a small wave of deja vu.

Ohio State has gotten off to slow starts against inferior opponents far too many times this season, and that has to be a concern for the Buckeyes as we get closer to the College Football Playoff.

That said, Ohio State showcased its immense talent at various points in the first 30 minutes.

Jeremiah Smith made what appeared to be a great one-handed touchdown catch just barely overturned, Carnell Tate made a couple of great grabs (including a touchdown near the end of the half), and the Buckeyes’ special teams capitalized on a massive miscue on a failed punt by Northwestern to set up their second touchdown of the afternoon.

Quinshon Judkins also chipped in a pair of scores for Ohio State, and quarterback Will Howard made some great throws to keep Northwestern’s defense on its heels.

The thing is, the Buckeyes should win this game pretty handily, so they don’t really deserve any flowers for taking care of business.

Perhaps the more pressing question is whether Ohio State’s frequent slow starts will end up dooming the team against tougher competition. Like next week against Indiana.