Ohio State's offensive skill was on full display as Scarlet raced to a high-scoring, light-hitting 38-31victory over Gray in the Buckeyes' 2017 spring game Saturday afternoon inside a packed Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.OSU head coach Urban Meyer explained Friday he was looking forward to seeing how players with less experience on the big stage would perform in front of a capacity crowd at the Horseshoe, per David Jablonski of the Dayton Daily News."We're very fortunate to watch guys perform in front of a lot of people in the seats," he said. "It is different. It's the ability to focus and not tighten up in front of a big crowd. For some guys, it doesn't matter. For others, it does. I always like to see it with the new players."Sophomore quarterback Joe Burrow, freshman running back Demario McCall and junior wide receiver Johnnie Dixon were among the players to seize the opportunity.Here's a look at some of the top performers from Saturday's Ohio State spring showcase:Top TakeawaysJ.T. Barrett Looks Primed for Big SeasonBarrett looked calm, cool and in complete command of the offense during a brief cameo in the early stages of the spring game. He drove the Gray squad right down the field on the opening drive and capped it with an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end A.J. Alexander.Ohio State highlighted the game's opening score:Barrett did throw an interception, but Bill Landis of Cleveland.com noted some rare spring game contact in the pocket caused the mistake:The senior quarterback will be leaned on heavily for the second straight year. He'll be challenged to improve on a junior campaign where he posted 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a 61.5 completion rate. He looked ready to take on the task Saturday.Wide Receivers Yield Growing ConfidenceThe Buckeyes' playmakers on the outside are one of the biggest question marks heading into the 2017 campaign. It's almost a completely new group of impact players following the departure of Curtis Samuel, Noah Brown, Corey Smith and Dontre Wilson.Although it's impossible to draw any definitive conclusions based on a glorified scrimmage, Meyer has to walk away happy with the group's output. They won a lot of one-on-one battles and showed the ability to stretch the field consistently.Ohio State on BTN showcased a nice over-the-shoulder touchdown grab by Dixon:The Buckeyes spotlighted Terry McLaurin getting behind the secondary for a score:All told, it might take some time once the regular season gets underway for Barrett and his top targets to develop the chemistry he showed with the prior group last year. But the talent should be there for the OSU aerial attack to keep opposing defenses honest.Secondary Struggles Against Deep BallThis year's Ohio State spring game seemed built to give the wide receivers a chance to shine, while providing a serious test to the secondary. There was a lot of single coverage on the outside, and without the benefit of a serious pass rush, it put a lot of pressure on the cornerbacks.The 38-31 final score and the big numbers through the air show there's still work to do when the team returns to practice in a few months.Most notably, the Buckeyes corners struggled to get their head around and make a play on the ball, particularly on throws down the field. It's something sure to get mentioned by the staff when watching the game back on film.The lack of real tackling could have played at least some role in those issues, though. Ben Axelrod from Land of 10 joked about the minimal amount of contact:Ohio State's defensive line should wreak far more havoc once the season gets underway, which will take a lot of heat off the secondary. But spring football is about identifying flaws to clean up before the games start to count, and now the defensive coaches know where work is needed.
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