If you were at all like me, you were very scared going into yesterday's rumble in Seattle.  And if you were at all like me, you were ready to announce the game over at halftime when Washington took the lead on a late scoring drive that the OSU defense clearly forgot to show up to.  Even still, yesterday's game proved a lot of things about this team that were previously unknown.

This team may be young and inexperienced, but they're resilient.
Hats off to Jim Tressel for producing another crop of of young men that have will beyond their years.  In the first half, the road crowd was intimidating, Washington seemed to have all the momentum, the offense couldn't execute in key situations, and yet somehow the team didn't let Anthony Russo's TD catch with 3 seconds left put a dagger in their hearts.  Tressel said in his postgame interview that, at halftime, the coaches weren't the ones doing all of the berating, but rather the players were getting on each other to step it up.  If that truly is the case, then I would have to say that the time from the start of halftime until the end of the game was the defining moment in the Buckeyes' season.  To be able to turn it around that quickly -- in the face of adversity nonetheless -- is something that they can really hang their hats on.  I expect the rest of the season to look much more like the second half of this game than the first 2 and a half games of the season.

Tresselball wins again
As most Buckeye enthusiasts should know, "Tresselball" is based around three things: Excellent special teams, insatiable defense, and a solid running game.  In the first half of play, those three aspects were rather inconsistent.  Two missed field goals (one blocked), and average defensive play on the last drive dug Ohio State into a deep hole.  The second half, however, led to bigger and better things from all three components of Tresselball.  The Buckeye special units, defense, and running game not only out performed Washington's in the second half, but made them look trivial, as well.  The blocked field goal completely changed the tide of the entire game, and the defense was not only plain out nasty, but finally forced some turnovers, too.  Two second half interceptions (not to mention the huge strip on Washington's kickoff return after the Robo touchdown) gave the Huskies absolutely no chance at coming back to win the game.  The Buckeyes had five (5!) drives start in Washington territory in the second half alone.

Luck was on our side
There is no denying it, in the first half, luck was on the Buckeyes' -- and Boeckman's -- side.  Two dropped interceptions, and an uncalled Boeckman fumble that would have given the Huskies a commanding lead at the half.  The first half was definitely not Todd's best performance under center, and maybe some of that had to do with the predictable play calling, but I would be a fool to say that the Buckeyes did not luck out at times during the game.

Hartline is the new Gonzo
How many clutch catches did Brian Hartline come up with yesterday?  It seemed like every time there was a critical situation that called for someone to step up, Hartline would always find a way to get the ball over the middle.  If he can perform like that all season, there are going to be a lot of frustrated defenses around the Big Ten this year.  On the day, Hartline had six catches for just 88 yards, but he kept numerous drives alive with his ability to find the first down marker.

Both lines played their best games of the season
From the start of the game, the offensive line was a force to be reckoned with.  Beanie Wells had holes he could drive a car through, and Boeckman was rarely throwing on the run.  In fact, Chris Wells only had four carries all day that resulted in either negative or no yardage.  There were a few more negative carries later in the game, but that was with backup tailbacks, backup linemen, and predictable playcalling.  On the defensive side of the ball, the line stepped up to one of the biggest challenges that they will face all season.  Stopping a spread offense with a mobile quarterback is no easy task, and Jake Locker was consistently running into defenders and throwing under pressure.  In fact, some of his biggest runs were off of broken plays because of defensive penetration, which simply means that the team's overall tackling ability was sub par yesterday, and the entire defensive line should not have to take the blame.  Special props to Cameron Heyward and the interior linemen, who were fantastic.

Ray Small still not much of a factor
Ray Small caught one pass for four yards and had one punt return for 10 yards.  Maybe the injury is more serious than I originally speculated, or maybe the coaches are just being overly cautious that he doesn't hurt his ankle any more, but he needs to get involved in this offense as quickly as possible.  On his one punt return, he showed the moves that he is capable of, it's just a matter of him getting the chance.

Brandon Saine is the second best running back on this team
More and more this kid is looking like the complete package, and more and more Maurice Wells is getting lost in the shuffle.  It's a shame for a guy that's been playing since he was a true freshman to constantly get pushed down on the depth chart because of stud freshmen, but until Wells can learn to run between the tackles (something I doubt he will ever be able to do), he is best suited for a change of pace/gimmick role.

Boeckman's decision making still in question
Even when Boeckman had solid protection yesterday, he still struggled to check down to his third and fourth receivers.  Too often, Boeckman would stare one man down, and if he was covered, either force it to someone else or throw the ball away.  Other than Hartline and Robiskie, nobody else had more than one catch all day long.  His tendencies to stare down receivers and under throw balls are what nearly led to those two picks, and that fumble on the screen pass?  I'll just pretend I didn't see that.