Snap Judgments as unconvincing Buckeyes slog to win over Tulsa

COLUMBUS — So much for building confidence at Ohio State.

It was all the Buckeyes could do to lay down the foundation for a winning streak.

If Ohio State was uncomfortable after all the scrutiny and tough conversations following its upset loss the week before, it better buckle up for even more hard questions after slogging its way to an ugly, tighter-than-it-looks 41-20 win over Tulsa on Saturday in the Horseshoe.

The passing attack mysteriously vanished. The defensive breakdowns continued. There were plenty of head-scratching moments for the coaching staff along the way in an outing that once again didn’t come close to living up to the program standards.

Yes, this time it was a victory for Ohio State and that beats the alternative. But there were no style points — since most of the game was spent just trying to squeeze out a few more than Tulsa.

Bottom line: Ohio State still doesn’t look like itself, and the problems are still lingering for the four-time defending Big Ten champions.

That’s where the Snap Judgments begin as Lettermen Row starts analyzing the Ohio State win over Tulsa with plenty more coverage to come.

TreVeyon Henderson is ready for Ohio State stardom

There was always a sense of inevitability with TreVeyon Henderson. At some point the five-star running back was going to emerge as the guy for the Buckeyes — but it has happened far quicker than was even anticipated by the program. Make no mistake: Henderson is special, and now he has the single-game rushing record for an Ohio State freshman in just the third game of his career. With a banged-up quarterback and an uncharacteristically out-of-whack passing attack, the Buckeyes would have been completely lost without Henderson routinely gashing Tulsa on the ground. There is no need to even think about a running-back rotation again as long as Henderson is around and healthy.

Cameron Martinez gives Buckeyes lift in secondary

Even after all the mass substitutions in the opening weeks, there were actually still a couple Buckeyes who hadn’t had a chance to prove they could help fix the defense. Cameron Martinez got his opportunity on Saturday, and he didn’t disappoint with an energetic, aggressive performance in the secondary. The second-year defensive back got his hands on a couple passes in the first half, breaking up a third-down throw for a key stop and then deflecting a pass before intermission that was intercepted by Ronnie Hickman. The instant impact from Martinez also made the personnel decisions through two games even more puzzling — especially as he capped the win with an interception return for a touchdown.

Ohio State may need to rest shoulder of C.J. Stroud

The Buckeyes picked their leader on offense, and C.J. Stroud has promptly proven that he has the mental and physical toughness for the job. But there is clearly an issue with his right shoulder, and it’s hard to believe it’s in the best interest of anybody involved for Ohio State to keep him on the field right now. The issue isn’t exactly a closely-protected secret at this point since Stroud was given load-management practices in training camp and has been in visible discomfort in all three games so far. Whether or not that is forcing him to throw high or making him occasionally indecisive with the football is something only Stroud can answer. But Stroud is quite clearly not at full strength, and the Buckeyes may need to give him a chance to rest and recover.

Buckeyes still looking lost defensively

The Buckeyes kept sending in different personnel groupings and drew another flag for having too many players on the field. The same simple rushing scheme befuddled it from the start of the game to the end. For long stretches of the afternoon, the once-vaunted Ohio State pass rush was nonexistent. Ryan Day cautioned that the changes weren’t going to happen overnight, and sending Kerry Coombs upstairs to the press box clearly wasn’t a finger-snapping fix for the Buckeyes. But it’s going to be hard for Ohio State to find all that much to feel truly encouraged about defensively.