Breakdown: Ohio State rolls in second half, blasts Virginia Tech 42-24

The unanimous preseason No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes entered halftime in the same position they finished their last meeting with Virginia Tech: trailing. But a quick response after halftime by new offensive toy Braxton Miller helped jumpstart a 28-0 run that put the Buckeyes ahead for good.

Cardale Jones was named the Buckeyes' starter (finally) and performed well, especially early. The performance wasn't perfect but it was good enough to leave Blacksburg with an unblemished record. Ohio State remains No. 1, and now Virginia Tech has do deal with the fallout from losing starting quarterback Michael Brewer to a shoulder injury.

Four takeaways from the Buckeyes' 42-24 win:

1. Cardale Jones and Braxton Miller have settled in nicely to their new roles. Jones was absolutely fantastic in his debut, showing off the wheels that made him Urban Meyer's choice to start and the arm strength that had NFL scouts drooling after the national title. Jones finished with decent passing numbers (9 of 18 for 186 yards, two touchdowns and one interception) and 99 rushing yards and a score on 13 attempts. But we knew what Jones could do under center. We had no idea how dangerous Braxton Miller would be at H-back.

Miller pulled in a 24-yard pass on his first target, diving to the ground to pluck the ball away from the turf. From there he put on a show, taking another pass 54 yards for a score and adding a 53-yard touchdown run.

2. Ohio State's second quarter slide is worth reviewing. The way the game started and ended, it became easy to forget that Virginia Tech led this game 17-14 at halftime. Some of the 17-point Virginia Tech run in the second quarter can be attributed to two turnovers. Some of it can be attributed to ill-timed holding penalties. Virginia Tech's defensive adjustments were impactful, but it is worth considering that Ohio State's errors -- the turnovers and penalties, in particular -- came during a brief moment of coasting after that dominant start.

The really great teams respond, just like Ohio State did with four unanswered touchdowns after halftime to put the game away. But the 17-0 second quarter review also requires some credit for the Hokies. More on that below.

3. Virginia Tech's defensive line will be the class of the ACC. Ken Ekanem, Corey Marshall, Luther Maddy and Dadi Nicolas make up the fiercest defensive line in the ACC and arguably one of the best groups in the country. They did a great job of disrupting the backfield and making life hard on Cardale Jones in the second quarter. They will cause similar issues for the rest of the ACC.

4. No one in the country is more dangerous from snap-to-snap than Ohio State. The first week of college football is often clunky, making it hard to formulate big-picture takeaways about an offense's ability to execute. The Hokies' did a good job of disrupting the action in the backfield and the Buckeyes did sputter at times, but no team in college football is more dangerous than Ohio State. Anytime Jones is under center with Elliott and Miller on the field, the Buckeyes are one cut or one missed tackle from a touchdown.

The talent advantage was known heading into this year, but a new offensive coordinator and this quarterback quandary made continuity seem less guaranteed. The explosion plays are going to mean that as long as Ohio State's within one score of the lead, the Buckeyes will always be one play away from continuing this undefeated run that date's back to the last meeting with Virginia Tech.