Identifying concern level for Ohio State’s mindset following Penn State win

Ohio State is riding high following its Week 8 victory over Penn State — but have the Buckeyes peaked? Not necessarily, according to Letterman Row’s Spencer Holbrook.

While the Buckeyes are notorious for their bad performances after massive victories, it’s going to come down to whether or not Ohio State can maintain its focus and motivation toward its ultimate goal.

“This is a program that has had its struggles on the road in the Big Ten West after big games,” Holbrook told On3’s Andy Staples. “It’s a very niche market, but it’s one that Ohio State had covered there for a few years under Urban Meyer. [Day] said that you can see the look in their eye. The way they’ve practiced — that they’ve had a great week of practice and he doesn’t feel like the let-down is coming.

“Some weeks he could feel that — even after Notre Dame, they had the off week — but you could still sense it during that Maryland game. They were still kind of resting on that Notre Dame game a little bit. But they know that the calendar is about to hit November and the last thing you can do is be complacent. You have to be full-go at all times because … after Saturday, we’re four weeks away from Ann Arbor. That’s what their building toward.”

Whether Ohio State can make it past Ann Arbor resides in the hands of superstar pass-catcher Marvin Harrison Jr.

Last weekend, Harrison Jr. was the difference-maker against the Nittany Lions. He went for a career-high 162 receiving yards and a touchdown during the contest, bringing his total to one scoring reception in each of the last three games.

While Harrison has the passing game covered — the same cannot be said of Ryan Day’s rushing attack. TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams have been in and out of the lineup over the last few weeks as Ohio State hasn’t been able to find any consistency out of its backfield.

Despite this, the Buckeyes are 7-0 heading into Saturday’s road trip against Wisconsin. Holbrook said that Ohio State isn’t looking past the Badgers, but they’re certainly working toward the ultimate goal of beating Michigan and winning a national championship.

The opening kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET live on NBC. According to Vegas Insider, the Buckeyes are expected to enter game week as a 14.5-point betting favorite over the Badgers. The over/under total is set at 45.5 points.