COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State was ahead 23-0 and Urban Meyer was feeling pretty good. So he tested the Buckeyes. And they failed.

After scoring on their first three drives against Buffalo on Saturday, the Buckeyes were stopped on a fourth-and-1 at their own 48. Meyer spiked his headset and then walked back to the bench and talked to right guard Marcus Hall. Offensive line coach Ed Warinner had to put his hand up to indicate that he had his linemen covered.

The Buckeyes had already made one mistake, when Evan Spencer got a roughing-the-punter call as Buffalo was pinned back on its own 11-yardline on fourth-and-14. Then came the failed fourth down. Then a fumble by Dontre Wilson. Then a Braxton Miller screen pass that was picked off and run back for a touchdown. Even in a 40-20 win, that was a lot for a coach to take. The Buckeyes were, after all, 35-point favorites.

“In a tight game, you're going to lose that game,” Meyer said. “So we've gotta learn to fight through those momentum shifts.”

That was a lot of mistakes to string together and overcome. Meyer said he liked that his team was a bunch of “fighters,” especially when the Buckeyes had 70 healthy scholarship players for the game, with four suspended and defensive lineman Tommy Schutt breaking his foot this week and starting safety C.J. Barnett held out because of a sprained ankle. Meyer said that was a gametime decision and the Barnett could have played, so expect him back next week.

Expect the Buckeyes to work on their mistakes this week. Next Saturday's opponent in Ohio Stadium, San Diego State, will be more capable than Buffalo of making the Buckeyes pay.

Meyer said he wanted a clean game, and after trailing 3-0 after the first quarter in last year's opener to Miami, holding a 23-0 lead after the first quarter was a big step up. But losing the last three quarters 20-17 was a step back.

“I like the fact that they fought,” Meyer said. “I like the fact they jumped out early and they like to play. That's the positive.

“The negative is that you need to sustain consistent effort and intensity.”