On The Mark 11.17.14: #Buckeyes & #Browns Recap

Buckeyes Win In Brutal Minnesota, Browns Just Brutal In Loss To Texans
By @MarkW2112

It was a split weekend for fans of the Buckeyes and Browns.  Here's my recap of both.

Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes, ranked 8th before the game, defeated 25th ranked Minnesota 31-21 in brutally cold and snowy weather conditions. J.T. Barrett was once again the player of the game, breaking several of Braxton Miller's records along with an incredible 86 yard touchdown run that added to his record setting 189 yards rushing..  While he did give up an interception and wasn't able to pass at will like he did against Michigan State, he was still able to throw for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns.  It did appear, however, that Jalin Marshall really wanted to give the game away with 2 fumbles, including one at the goal line as he was about to get a touchdown.

The Golden Gophers put up a very tough fight, with running back David Cobb the leading with 145 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. He was extremely hard for the Buckeyes defense to handle.  But they were able to just enough to hold quarterback Mitch Leidner to 85 passing yards and 2 interceptions.

My Take: J.T. Barrett should be invited to New York for the Heisman award with another MVP performance.  The defense wasn't great but again did enough to win with Joey Bosa having a better game against the Gophers than he did against the Spartans.  They beat a very tough Gophers team in extreme weather conditions and with Virginia Tech beating 21 ranked Duke, it should help their cause. The Buckeyes need to win out the rest of the season for a chance at the last playoff spot.

Next up: Back at the Horseshoe against Indiana at noon next Saturday.

Browns

Sadly, the Browns were not able to find any groove both offensively or defensively yesterday in Cleveland, losing to the Houston Texans 23-7.  It could have been called the J.J. Watt show, as he was everywhere on defense and also caught the first touchdown of Ryan Mallett's career.  He forced a fumble on Brian Hoyer in the red zone and was a general nuisance to the offense and Cleveland fans in general.

Hoyer had a miserable game for the most part, going 20-of-50 for 330 yards, a touchdown and crucial interception.  Isaiah Crowell, starting his first professional game, had some good looks, rushing for 61 yards but also had a crucial turnover in the redzone which then led the Texans to go down the field and score a touchdown, making it 14-7 before halftime.  Dropped passes also didn't help the cause, with Miles Austin dropping an easy pass on fourth down which would have moved the chains.

Mallett was calm, cool and collected all day, going 20-30 for 211 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. He performed well above expectations in his first start as a pro. It also helped that rookie running back Alfred Blue ran for 156 yards through a porous Browns defense that wasn't able to make the stops against the run or get pressure on Mallett.

My Take:  The injuries continue to pile up for the Browns.  Karlos Dansby has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL but will have tests today.  Brian Hoyer looked lost once again, as in the Jacksonville game, due to lack of a running of a game.  It also didn't help that he was playing against the most talented defensive linemen, if not player, in the NFL.  J.J. Watt is a freak of nature and his presence was felt, even giving the CBS announcers woody's with his play.  The good news is that Josh Gordon comes back to practice today and hopefully will help become a bigger target for Hoyer.  At this point, it's better to let Hoyer, no matter how mediocre he really is, play out the season while Johnny waits in the wings for his turn to shine.

Up Next: in Atlanta against the Falcons at 1 PM