Here are my takes on this game:
(1) despite the final score, I do feel that this team has improved tremendously since last year
(2) we continue to commit way too many fouls that are really costly. In three occasions, the penalties killed promising drives and in many other occasions they resulted in free yards for Ohio st. We have been one of the most heavily penalized teams in the Big Ten
(3) the zebras were unfair pieces of s#$t. When the main referee gets caught on camera saying “wow” repeatedly on a perfectly legal hit, you know he has already made up his mind that he is an Ohio st fan. However, this is not new, the referees in the BIG have not been fair to us since joining so by now we need to learn to play smart and not give them reasons to hurt us.
(4) our defense had moments of brilliance sacking the QB and causing second and very long but only to let Ohio st get a first down after that. They need to take advantage of their success.
(5) Martinez is looking much better and does seem that the competition has helped him get better. I do like the idea of playing both QBs and keeping them involved. This will give us the edge in many games
(6) the team attitude seems right and they look like they are closer as a team than last year
(7) based on what I saw, I strongly believe that we have a very good chance to finish 5-3 and a decent shot at 6-2, which will be a great improvement from last year given our tough schedule.
(8) for the first time in a very long time, I feel we are on the right track
(9) the targeting fouls against us were complete and utter BS.