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LGHL The Ohio State offense can still be great, even with quarterback undecided
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The Ohio State offense can still be great, even with quarterback undecided
Megan.Husslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
Yes, the Bucks only scored two touchdowns versus Indiana, but there’s still a lot to be excited about from these guys.
I think we have established by now that Game 1 did not go as planned. It was a lot closer than expected, the quarterback situation was not resolved and overall there weren’t a ton of bright and shiny plays. However, with the talent this team has and what they did show against the Hoosiers, I think this offense is still going to be electric.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24896056/1453919839.jpg "Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl - Ohio State v Georgia")
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
Cade Stover and Julian Fleming were the leading receivers this past Saturday—kudos to you if you picked that before the game. If you want to be really optimistic, this is actually a good thing. Clearly, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka didn’t play their best games. The two of them combined had just five receptions for 34 yards. This shows that even when WR1 and WR2 have an off game, the Bucks can still produce an (almost) 100-yard game from one of their receivers.
It’s going to take a couple of games for whoever the starting quarterback is to find a rhythm within the game and with his receivers. Youngstown State should, hopefully, be great practice for that. It was nice to see Fleming have a solid game after his season last year, as he picked up six receptions for 58 yards.
This was certainly the Farmer Gronk game. Cade Stover’s 98(!) yards were extremely encouraging, as it was his most yards in a game in his career. He was an absolute beast out there, shoving down any defenders who tried to stop him and pushing for those yards after contact. He had a great year last year, and with this start against Indiana, I’m excited to see what the rest of this season holds for him.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24896072/1643576289.jpg "Ohio State v Indiana")
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
This was the position group I was most excited to see last Saturday. While my prediction of two 100-yard rushers didn’t come true, or even one, I still liked what I saw for the most part. Chip Trayanum was perhaps the biggest surprise and player that I was the most hyped about. Ryan Day has been praising him all offseason long, and now we finally got to see him for ourselves— and he was the leading rusher!
As for TreVeyon Henderson, I think he had a solid first game back from injury, but I want to see more. His 12 carries for 47 yards were pretty good for the number of snaps he had, and I liked his 19-yard breakaway run (his signature), but he got stuffed at the line quite often. The RBs were stopped three times on third-and-2 or less, which obviously isn’t all on them, but just something that I noticed.
One other note was how little Dallan Hayden got in. In fact, he had one reception for -2 yards and that was it. Yes, there are 5 running backs on this team, but I still would’ve liked to see him get in a little more— I’m sure he will against YSU, and hopefully Evan Pryor, too.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24896090/1243174585.jpg "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 10 Arkansas State at Ohio State")
Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
So this group is a work in progress. The stat I mentioned above about struggling to convert on third downs? That falls on the offensive line. The run game couldn’t truly get going because they kept getting stopped at the line, which made it hard for the passing game to get going.
They pass-protected pretty well, as McCord didn’t get sacked at all, and he usually had a decent amount of time to throw. It would’ve been surprising if they could have run and pass-protected well, as three of them are new starters, so at least they did one thing well, I guess.
YSU and Western Kentucky should be great games for them to get game reps in and work on run protection.
Overall, was it a great offensive performance from the Buckeyes? Of course not. But they did get the job done. These next two weeks will be good practice to get everything sorted out just in time for Notre Dame.
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Megan.Husslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
Yes, the Bucks only scored two touchdowns versus Indiana, but there’s still a lot to be excited about from these guys.
I think we have established by now that Game 1 did not go as planned. It was a lot closer than expected, the quarterback situation was not resolved and overall there weren’t a ton of bright and shiny plays. However, with the talent this team has and what they did show against the Hoosiers, I think this offense is still going to be electric.
Wide receivers
Cade Stover and Julian Fleming were the leading receivers this past Saturday—kudos to you if you picked that before the game. If you want to be really optimistic, this is actually a good thing. Clearly, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka didn’t play their best games. The two of them combined had just five receptions for 34 yards. This shows that even when WR1 and WR2 have an off game, the Bucks can still produce an (almost) 100-yard game from one of their receivers.
It’s going to take a couple of games for whoever the starting quarterback is to find a rhythm within the game and with his receivers. Youngstown State should, hopefully, be great practice for that. It was nice to see Fleming have a solid game after his season last year, as he picked up six receptions for 58 yards.
This was certainly the Farmer Gronk game. Cade Stover’s 98(!) yards were extremely encouraging, as it was his most yards in a game in his career. He was an absolute beast out there, shoving down any defenders who tried to stop him and pushing for those yards after contact. He had a great year last year, and with this start against Indiana, I’m excited to see what the rest of this season holds for him.
Running backs
This was the position group I was most excited to see last Saturday. While my prediction of two 100-yard rushers didn’t come true, or even one, I still liked what I saw for the most part. Chip Trayanum was perhaps the biggest surprise and player that I was the most hyped about. Ryan Day has been praising him all offseason long, and now we finally got to see him for ourselves— and he was the leading rusher!
As for TreVeyon Henderson, I think he had a solid first game back from injury, but I want to see more. His 12 carries for 47 yards were pretty good for the number of snaps he had, and I liked his 19-yard breakaway run (his signature), but he got stuffed at the line quite often. The RBs were stopped three times on third-and-2 or less, which obviously isn’t all on them, but just something that I noticed.
One other note was how little Dallan Hayden got in. In fact, he had one reception for -2 yards and that was it. Yes, there are 5 running backs on this team, but I still would’ve liked to see him get in a little more— I’m sure he will against YSU, and hopefully Evan Pryor, too.
Offensive line
So this group is a work in progress. The stat I mentioned above about struggling to convert on third downs? That falls on the offensive line. The run game couldn’t truly get going because they kept getting stopped at the line, which made it hard for the passing game to get going.
They pass-protected pretty well, as McCord didn’t get sacked at all, and he usually had a decent amount of time to throw. It would’ve been surprising if they could have run and pass-protected well, as three of them are new starters, so at least they did one thing well, I guess.
YSU and Western Kentucky should be great games for them to get game reps in and work on run protection.
Overall, was it a great offensive performance from the Buckeyes? Of course not. But they did get the job done. These next two weeks will be good practice to get everything sorted out just in time for Notre Dame.
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LGHL You’re Nuts: Biggest reason for optimism after Ohio State’s Week 1 performance
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You’re Nuts: Biggest reason for optimism after Ohio State’s Week 1 performance
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes are 1-0, contrary to how fans are feeling.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
This week’s topic: Biggest reason for optimism after Ohio State’s Week 1 performance
Ohio State kicked off its 2023 football season with a 20-point victory over a Big Ten opponent, but it was, uh, far from a masterpiece. The Buckeyes’ offense looked clumsy and disjointed with junior quarterback Kyle McCord at the helm, although he had his moments and may have even been hindered by his own coaches.
And the defense, while stingy in terms of yards and points, was not the most disruptive group in the world. The new ‘Silver Bullets’ limited explosive plays to virtually zero, but also failed to put any pressure on Indiana’s two quarterbacks — ya know, when the Hoosiers actually made an effort to advance the ball downfield.
But a dub is a dub, and this Week 1 contest always had the potential to be sort of odd and fluky, in my opinion. Because not only was OSU rolling out a new QB and a new offensive line, but they were (also) doing so on the road, at 3:30, in a sleepy venue, against an opponent whose coach is fighting for his professional life. Tom Allen and IU had very little interest inactually winning! opening this game up, which reduced the number of overall possessions and nearly brought the action to a dead stop on several occasions... Those fans in Bloomington sure have some fun times ahead!
I don’t want to sound salty here. Or give the impression that I am using sarcasm to mask my concern. Because frankly, I am not overly concerned... Yet. I did not expect a perfect game from the Buckeyes, nor did they deliver one. No harm, no foul. Now Ryan Day and company have a few weeks to work out the kinks. And if they do, the team’s performance in Bloomington will become a distant memory.
With that in mind, Gene and I decided to take the optimistic route for this edition of You’re Nuts. We wanted to share what gave us the warm and fuzzies on Saturday — AKA our biggest reason(s) for optimism after what some would consider a lackluster Ohio State victory.
So I am going to go with the Buckeyes’ defensive secondary. Tim Walton and Perry Eliano’s group was inarguably the most impressive unit on the field, even if they were not pressed into a ton of action. And maybe that is because Tom Allen believed all the preseason hype and decided not to throw in Denzel Burke and/or his peers’ direction? Or maybe he (Allen) has negative trust in his QBs, which is really none of my concern.
What is or definitely was concerning to me was OSU’s pass defense during the latter part of the 2022 season. TTUN and UGA threw the ball all over the yard against the Buckeyes, and let’s be honest, it pretty much cost the Scarlet and Gray a national championship. I will always believe that. But on Saturday, Burke and the boys looked fantastic. Like a potential strength of this Ohio State team, which has not been the case for at least a few years.
There were few if any misses or busts by the DBs, and that alone is progress! There were also no interceptions or highlight plays to speak of, but the secondary play was very solid. And I can live with that. In fact, I will gladly take it. Burke was credited with two PBU, Davison Igbinosun was in on a handful of plays and tackles, and Jordan Hancock flashed upside on more than a few occasions. And those were just the cornerbacks.
At safety, Sonny Styles was perhaps the defensive player of the game for OSU. He made plays all over the field and showcased the unicorn potential fans have been hearing about. Fellow safety Josh Proctor was a heat seeking missile, doing so without making the egregious errors we have seen from him in the past. And Lathan Ransom was Lathan Ransom: Steady, in the right spots, ready to make a play if and when called upon. True freshman Malik Hartford also looked good as... a true freshman! Gotta love that.
Ohio State held Indiana to just 82 yards through the air, although again, Tom Allen had very little interest in actually trying to pull off an upset. But Buckeye DBs still deserve plenty of credit. When the ball was put in the air, they were knocking it down and playing a disruptive brand of football. And we as fans went most of an entire season (2022) without seeing much of that. So I will hang my hat on the secondary play and choose to remain optimistic about everything else as well.
Because you know what they say, Gene: Rome wasn’t built in a day. It took at least three weeks and a few get-right games against ancient Penguins and Hilltoppers.
Pretty funny after all the flaws Ohio State has had defensively over the past several years that Josh and I both came out of Week 1 more optimistic about the defense than the offense. While this Buckeye team is far too talented at the skill positions to not get the shortcomings on offense figured out, and I know at some point things are more likely to get rolling than not, I still need to see something from that group — and moreso the man holding the call sheet — before I come out with blind optimism.
That’s why my most optimistic take of the game is that this Ohio State defense has tremendous depth and talent across the board.
Up front, we saw a handful of guys rotate in along the defensive line. Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau are your definite starters at the end spots, but Caden Curry has shown flashes and Kenyatta Jackson is another guy that impressed in camp and could be thrust into action if needed. Up the middle may be Ohio State’s deepest group as a team, with Mike Hall Jr. and Tyleik Williams receiving the bulk of the playing time but Ty Hamilton, Jaden McKenzie and Hero Kanu all rotating in and making an impact one way or another. Kanu even registered the team’s lone sack!
In the secondary, the Buckeyes have a trio of talented players they rotated in at cornerback in Denzel Burke, Davison Igbinosun and Jordan Hancock. All three saw the field on Saturday, and all three showcased solid cover skills and great open-field tackling. Behind them at safety was perhaps Ohio State’s best defensive player overall in Sonny Styles at the nickel, and alongside him Josh Proctor and Lathan Ransom manned the other two safety spots. We also got to see a good amount of true freshman Malik Hartford, who seems to be pushing for a starting job.
The only position where we didn't see much — if any — rotation was at linebacker, where Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers played virtually every snap. The Buckeyes do have talent at the position behind them with C.J. Hicks and Cody Simon, and we saw a little of Simon, but for whatever reason Hicks didn’t get any playing time at all and Jim Knowles elected to play his two starters for basically the entire game. You can’t afford to burn out Eichenberg and Chambers early in the season, so while the depth is here, I would like to see it used more — especially the former five-star Hicks.
Unlike last season, where it seemed like there was a significant drop-off from the ones to the twos when Ohio State made subs on defense, that is now not the case. At least through one game, this year’s Silver Bullets were playing confident and fast out there, and also limited the big play that plagued them late last year. There is a lot of football left to be played, but of all the things I saw against Indiana, the depth across the field on defense made me confident in this team going forward.
Continue reading...
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes are 1-0, contrary to how fans are feeling.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
This week’s topic: Biggest reason for optimism after Ohio State’s Week 1 performance
Josh’s Take
Ohio State kicked off its 2023 football season with a 20-point victory over a Big Ten opponent, but it was, uh, far from a masterpiece. The Buckeyes’ offense looked clumsy and disjointed with junior quarterback Kyle McCord at the helm, although he had his moments and may have even been hindered by his own coaches.
And the defense, while stingy in terms of yards and points, was not the most disruptive group in the world. The new ‘Silver Bullets’ limited explosive plays to virtually zero, but also failed to put any pressure on Indiana’s two quarterbacks — ya know, when the Hoosiers actually made an effort to advance the ball downfield.
But a dub is a dub, and this Week 1 contest always had the potential to be sort of odd and fluky, in my opinion. Because not only was OSU rolling out a new QB and a new offensive line, but they were (also) doing so on the road, at 3:30, in a sleepy venue, against an opponent whose coach is fighting for his professional life. Tom Allen and IU had very little interest in
I don’t want to sound salty here. Or give the impression that I am using sarcasm to mask my concern. Because frankly, I am not overly concerned... Yet. I did not expect a perfect game from the Buckeyes, nor did they deliver one. No harm, no foul. Now Ryan Day and company have a few weeks to work out the kinks. And if they do, the team’s performance in Bloomington will become a distant memory.
With that in mind, Gene and I decided to take the optimistic route for this edition of You’re Nuts. We wanted to share what gave us the warm and fuzzies on Saturday — AKA our biggest reason(s) for optimism after what some would consider a lackluster Ohio State victory.
So I am going to go with the Buckeyes’ defensive secondary. Tim Walton and Perry Eliano’s group was inarguably the most impressive unit on the field, even if they were not pressed into a ton of action. And maybe that is because Tom Allen believed all the preseason hype and decided not to throw in Denzel Burke and/or his peers’ direction? Or maybe he (Allen) has negative trust in his QBs, which is really none of my concern.
What is or definitely was concerning to me was OSU’s pass defense during the latter part of the 2022 season. TTUN and UGA threw the ball all over the yard against the Buckeyes, and let’s be honest, it pretty much cost the Scarlet and Gray a national championship. I will always believe that. But on Saturday, Burke and the boys looked fantastic. Like a potential strength of this Ohio State team, which has not been the case for at least a few years.
There were few if any misses or busts by the DBs, and that alone is progress! There were also no interceptions or highlight plays to speak of, but the secondary play was very solid. And I can live with that. In fact, I will gladly take it. Burke was credited with two PBU, Davison Igbinosun was in on a handful of plays and tackles, and Jordan Hancock flashed upside on more than a few occasions. And those were just the cornerbacks.
At safety, Sonny Styles was perhaps the defensive player of the game for OSU. He made plays all over the field and showcased the unicorn potential fans have been hearing about. Fellow safety Josh Proctor was a heat seeking missile, doing so without making the egregious errors we have seen from him in the past. And Lathan Ransom was Lathan Ransom: Steady, in the right spots, ready to make a play if and when called upon. True freshman Malik Hartford also looked good as... a true freshman! Gotta love that.
Ohio State held Indiana to just 82 yards through the air, although again, Tom Allen had very little interest in actually trying to pull off an upset. But Buckeye DBs still deserve plenty of credit. When the ball was put in the air, they were knocking it down and playing a disruptive brand of football. And we as fans went most of an entire season (2022) without seeing much of that. So I will hang my hat on the secondary play and choose to remain optimistic about everything else as well.
Because you know what they say, Gene: Rome wasn’t built in a day. It took at least three weeks and a few get-right games against ancient Penguins and Hilltoppers.
Gene’s Take
Pretty funny after all the flaws Ohio State has had defensively over the past several years that Josh and I both came out of Week 1 more optimistic about the defense than the offense. While this Buckeye team is far too talented at the skill positions to not get the shortcomings on offense figured out, and I know at some point things are more likely to get rolling than not, I still need to see something from that group — and moreso the man holding the call sheet — before I come out with blind optimism.
That’s why my most optimistic take of the game is that this Ohio State defense has tremendous depth and talent across the board.
Up front, we saw a handful of guys rotate in along the defensive line. Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau are your definite starters at the end spots, but Caden Curry has shown flashes and Kenyatta Jackson is another guy that impressed in camp and could be thrust into action if needed. Up the middle may be Ohio State’s deepest group as a team, with Mike Hall Jr. and Tyleik Williams receiving the bulk of the playing time but Ty Hamilton, Jaden McKenzie and Hero Kanu all rotating in and making an impact one way or another. Kanu even registered the team’s lone sack!
In the secondary, the Buckeyes have a trio of talented players they rotated in at cornerback in Denzel Burke, Davison Igbinosun and Jordan Hancock. All three saw the field on Saturday, and all three showcased solid cover skills and great open-field tackling. Behind them at safety was perhaps Ohio State’s best defensive player overall in Sonny Styles at the nickel, and alongside him Josh Proctor and Lathan Ransom manned the other two safety spots. We also got to see a good amount of true freshman Malik Hartford, who seems to be pushing for a starting job.
The only position where we didn't see much — if any — rotation was at linebacker, where Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers played virtually every snap. The Buckeyes do have talent at the position behind them with C.J. Hicks and Cody Simon, and we saw a little of Simon, but for whatever reason Hicks didn’t get any playing time at all and Jim Knowles elected to play his two starters for basically the entire game. You can’t afford to burn out Eichenberg and Chambers early in the season, so while the depth is here, I would like to see it used more — especially the former five-star Hicks.
Unlike last season, where it seemed like there was a significant drop-off from the ones to the twos when Ohio State made subs on defense, that is now not the case. At least through one game, this year’s Silver Bullets were playing confident and fast out there, and also limited the big play that plagued them late last year. There is a lot of football left to be played, but of all the things I saw against Indiana, the depth across the field on defense made me confident in this team going forward.
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Rice Owls (official thread)
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JT Daniels leaves West Virginia to enter transfer portal for a third time
For the second time in two years and the third time in four, West Virginia quarterback JT Daniels will be entering the transfer portal once again.
fansided.com
JT Daniels leaves West Virginia to enter transfer portal for a third time
JT Daniels is the Johnny Cash of college football, as he’s been everywhere, man.Daniels was the national high school player of the year before he joined USC his freshman year in 2018. He played in 11 games and had 2,672 passing yards and 14 touchdown passes. He would tear his ACL at the start of the 2019 season and would be replaced as the starter by Kedon Slovis. He then entered the transfer portal.
After transferring to Georgia in spring of 2020, Daniels headed to West Virginia last offseason after losing his starting job due to injury in Athens. Stetson Bennett IV took over a third of the way through last season and never relinquished the starting job at Georgia. Daniels reunited with former USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell at WVU. After a down year, Daniels is moving on.
By entering the transfer portal for a third time, Daniels has at least one year of eligibility left, and possibly two if he is granted a medical redshirt retroactively for the 2019 campaign (he should).
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'It's just a great opportunity': Rice QB to make history for Owls' season opener vs. Texas
History in the making! Rice University transfer quarterback JT Daniels will be the first college player to start three games vs. the University of Texas for three different teams when the Owls play their season opener this Saturday.
abc13.com
'It's just a great opportunity': Rice QB to make history for Owls' season opener vs. Texas
Opening week in college football is always special, no matter how many times you've been a part of it. On Saturday, when Rice plays at Texas, one Owls player is set to be part of his sixth season opener.Rice transfer quarterback JT Daniels started his career at the University of Southern California where he spent two seasons after becoming just the second true freshman in USC history to start at QB in a season opener. He then transferred to Georgia for two years where he was part of the Bulldogs' 2021 national championship team. Last season, JT was West Virginia's starting quarterback.
He now takes over at Rice, where he has been voted a team captain for the 2023 season. Due to an injury in 2019 and the COVID season of 2020, 2023 will be JT's sixth year of college eligibility.
When he opens his Rice tenure at Texas, Daniels is believed to be the first college player to ever start three games at Texas for three different teams. He also played in Austin for USC in '18 and West Virginia in '22.
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Daniels' team lost both of his prior starts at Darrel K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, with USC falling to Texas 37-14 and West Virginia being defeated 38-20.
Just sayin': He lost at Texas Saturday too (37-10).
LGHL Grumpy Old Buckeye: Ohio State at Indiana
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Grumpy Old Buckeye: Ohio State at Indiana
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The most annoying things about one of the most annoying OSU season openers in recent years.
Ohio State kicked off its 2023 season and immediately freaked out the vast majority of its fan base by struggling offensively against an Indiana team that most predict will struggle all season. The Buckeyes won, 23-3, but it was far from the sharpest performance.
While it’s silly to expect a sharp performance in an opening conference game on the road with a new quarterback and a mostly new offensive line, most of us expected it to look…well, a lot better than it did. The following is what stuck out to me from the season-opening win.
As a reminder, if you’re new here, in this column it’s my job to find the dark cloud around the silver lining. It’s often in jest, but… ok, maybe not this week.
The flag flew on just the second play of the game, as targeting was called on Davison Igbinosun. It was overturned after video review, as it should have been. However, later in the game, freshman Carnell Tate took forcible contact in the head from the crown of a defender’s helmet as a defenseless receiver.
No flag flew in the second quarter for that more obvious call, and the replay booth never buzzed down for the referee to take a look. While it’s admirable to try to legislate bad hits out of the game, it has never worked properly and continues to be infuriating.
The Buckeyes will have much more difficult opponents on the schedule than Indiana, who will require them to pick up one or two yards on third down. The Buckeyes were hardly up to the task against the Hoosiers on Saturday. On obvious running downs, the Buckeyes went with heavy packages, allowing Indiana to pack the box. Ohio State then continually failed to pick up run-blitzing linebackers. The Buckeyes converted once on seven third-and-short situations in the game, which is objectively terrible regardless of the opponent.
Aside from placekicking, the Buckeyes struggled on special teams at Indiana Saturday. Jayden Fielding did a good job, hitting all three field goal attempts and both of his extra points in replacing Noah Ruggles. However, the rest of the special teams units left a lot to be desired.
The punt team did Ohio State’s defense no favors. Jesse Mirco’s first punt traveled only 31 yards, and none of his four punts pinned Indiana inside its own 20. Mirco then bombed his punts well beyond his coverage, which helped Indiana’s Jaylin Lucas set up returns of 29 and 22 yards. Mirco was forced to make a touchdown-saving tackle on the first of those. He finally forced a fair catch in the fourth quarter on a mundane 41-yard effort.
Additionally, the kickoff coverage team allowed a 34-yard return by Lucas after the first Ohio State touchdown. It was not the best day for the OSU special teams.
While it wasn’t the worst outing, Kyle McCord didn’t instill confidence in the quarterback play in his first start of the season. He rarely went deep and was inaccurate on his one attempt to hit a play over the top (to Julian Fleming). He did manage a nice touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison Jr., however, the talented wideout had stepped on the sideline prior to making the catch, so it was called back.
McCord had two major errors in the game. The first was on a fourth down play. While many fans online bemoaned the play call — and it is rather odd to try to pick up a first down without any of Brian Hartline’s five-star receivers on the field — the truth is that the play would have worked if Chip Trayanum hadn’t been knocked down. And it still could have worked, but McCord opted to throw back across his body into the middle of the field.
Indiana picked off the pass, as is usually the case in those situations. Had McCord checked down to Miyan Williams, the Buckeyes likely would have picked up the needed yardage.
The second big mistake was completely misreading his block on a quarterback draw in the red zone. Trayanum had sealed his man to the left, leaving a gaping hole on the right for McCord to run through. Instead, McCord went on the same side of the block where his defender already was standing, making for an easy tackle.
There are always growing pains with every new quarterback, but McCord has been in the program long enough that those errors were unexpected and must immediately be corrected.
There were plenty of other annoying things in such an underwhelming performance, plus Indiana’s decision to slow the game down to a crawl, while celebrating merely being in the game with Ohio State for a while, was maddening to watch.
However, there were also plenty of positives. The defense played well overall, Denzel Burke looks like he’s regained his form, and Trayanum played well both as a tailback and a blocking back.
The Buckeyes have a lot to fix and Saturday’s opponent, Youngstown State, may not reveal whether reparations have been made. We go again in six days.
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Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The most annoying things about one of the most annoying OSU season openers in recent years.
Ohio State kicked off its 2023 season and immediately freaked out the vast majority of its fan base by struggling offensively against an Indiana team that most predict will struggle all season. The Buckeyes won, 23-3, but it was far from the sharpest performance.
While it’s silly to expect a sharp performance in an opening conference game on the road with a new quarterback and a mostly new offensive line, most of us expected it to look…well, a lot better than it did. The following is what stuck out to me from the season-opening win.
As a reminder, if you’re new here, in this column it’s my job to find the dark cloud around the silver lining. It’s often in jest, but… ok, maybe not this week.
Targeting Still One of Life’s Great Mysteries
The flag flew on just the second play of the game, as targeting was called on Davison Igbinosun. It was overturned after video review, as it should have been. However, later in the game, freshman Carnell Tate took forcible contact in the head from the crown of a defender’s helmet as a defenseless receiver.
No flag flew in the second quarter for that more obvious call, and the replay booth never buzzed down for the referee to take a look. While it’s admirable to try to legislate bad hits out of the game, it has never worked properly and continues to be infuriating.
Short-Yardage Offense Still Out of Order
The Buckeyes will have much more difficult opponents on the schedule than Indiana, who will require them to pick up one or two yards on third down. The Buckeyes were hardly up to the task against the Hoosiers on Saturday. On obvious running downs, the Buckeyes went with heavy packages, allowing Indiana to pack the box. Ohio State then continually failed to pick up run-blitzing linebackers. The Buckeyes converted once on seven third-and-short situations in the game, which is objectively terrible regardless of the opponent.
Not-So-Special Teams
Aside from placekicking, the Buckeyes struggled on special teams at Indiana Saturday. Jayden Fielding did a good job, hitting all three field goal attempts and both of his extra points in replacing Noah Ruggles. However, the rest of the special teams units left a lot to be desired.
The punt team did Ohio State’s defense no favors. Jesse Mirco’s first punt traveled only 31 yards, and none of his four punts pinned Indiana inside its own 20. Mirco then bombed his punts well beyond his coverage, which helped Indiana’s Jaylin Lucas set up returns of 29 and 22 yards. Mirco was forced to make a touchdown-saving tackle on the first of those. He finally forced a fair catch in the fourth quarter on a mundane 41-yard effort.
Additionally, the kickoff coverage team allowed a 34-yard return by Lucas after the first Ohio State touchdown. It was not the best day for the OSU special teams.
McCord Mistakes
While it wasn’t the worst outing, Kyle McCord didn’t instill confidence in the quarterback play in his first start of the season. He rarely went deep and was inaccurate on his one attempt to hit a play over the top (to Julian Fleming). He did manage a nice touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison Jr., however, the talented wideout had stepped on the sideline prior to making the catch, so it was called back.
McCord had two major errors in the game. The first was on a fourth down play. While many fans online bemoaned the play call — and it is rather odd to try to pick up a first down without any of Brian Hartline’s five-star receivers on the field — the truth is that the play would have worked if Chip Trayanum hadn’t been knocked down. And it still could have worked, but McCord opted to throw back across his body into the middle of the field.
Indiana picked off the pass, as is usually the case in those situations. Had McCord checked down to Miyan Williams, the Buckeyes likely would have picked up the needed yardage.
The second big mistake was completely misreading his block on a quarterback draw in the red zone. Trayanum had sealed his man to the left, leaving a gaping hole on the right for McCord to run through. Instead, McCord went on the same side of the block where his defender already was standing, making for an easy tackle.
There are always growing pains with every new quarterback, but McCord has been in the program long enough that those errors were unexpected and must immediately be corrected.
There were plenty of other annoying things in such an underwhelming performance, plus Indiana’s decision to slow the game down to a crawl, while celebrating merely being in the game with Ohio State for a while, was maddening to watch.
However, there were also plenty of positives. The defense played well overall, Denzel Burke looks like he’s regained his form, and Trayanum played well both as a tailback and a blocking back.
The Buckeyes have a lot to fix and Saturday’s opponent, Youngstown State, may not reveal whether reparations have been made. We go again in six days.
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LGHL Uncut Podcast: Day thinks win was ‘mixed bag,’ wishes he had gotten Brown in more
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Uncut Podcast: Day thinks win was ‘mixed bag,’ wishes he had gotten Brown in more
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
The Ohio State head coach answers questions following his team’s season-opening win.
Throughout the year, the Land-Grant Podcast Network will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On today’s episode of “Land-Grant Uncut,” we are bringing you unedited audio from Ohio State football coach Ryan Day from the press conference following the Buckeyes’ 23-3 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, Sept. 2. The head coach admitted that the uneven performance by his offense prevented him from getting Devin Brown in the game as much as he had hoped going in. Day thought that the offensive performance was a mixed bag with some highlights, but plenty to work on, including red zone, short yardage, and third downs.
On the other side of the ball, Day said that he was “excited about great defense.” He complimented the defensive line for disrupting plays in both IU’s run and passing game.
Contact Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt
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Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
The Ohio State head coach answers questions following his team’s season-opening win.
Throughout the year, the Land-Grant Podcast Network will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On today’s episode of “Land-Grant Uncut,” we are bringing you unedited audio from Ohio State football coach Ryan Day from the press conference following the Buckeyes’ 23-3 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, Sept. 2. The head coach admitted that the uneven performance by his offense prevented him from getting Devin Brown in the game as much as he had hoped going in. Day thought that the offensive performance was a mixed bag with some highlights, but plenty to work on, including red zone, short yardage, and third downs.
On the other side of the ball, Day said that he was “excited about great defense.” He complimented the defensive line for disrupting plays in both IU’s run and passing game.
Contact Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt
Music by: www.bensound.com
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State sets its sights on Youngstown State in Week 2
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Ohio State sets its sights on Youngstown State in Week 2
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The in-state Penguins come to Columbus for the Buckeyes’ first home game of the year.
Ohio State began the season 1-0 after defeating Indiana on Saturday, albeit not quite in the fashion that many imagined. The Buckeyes really struggled to move the ball on offense thanks largely in part to poor play-calling and shaky offensive line play, but the defense shined as they kept Indiana out of the end zone in a 23-3 victory. Now, Ryan Day’s group returns home, where they will play their first non-conference matchup of the season against Youngstown State. The Penguins also began the new campaign 1-0, defeating Valparaiso 52-10 in their opener.
The Youngstown State rushing attack looked strong in the opener against Valparaiso. Tyshon King led the way with 11 touches for 111 yards and two touchdowns as seven different players recorded carries in the game for the Penguins, totaling 303 rushing yards and four TDs as a unit. The passing attack was not as potent, but still efficient. Quarterback Mitch Davidson threw for 130 yards and a TD while completing 11 of his 19 pass attempts. C.J. Charleston hauled in the long score through the air, as he and Bryce Oliver combined for nine receptions for 112 yards. YSU was clean with the football, avoiding any turnovers.
Defensively, Youngstown State was led by linebacker Alex Howard, who tallied nine total tackles to go along with three tackles for loss and two sacks. The Penguins recorded five sacks as a whole, and forced a pair of fumbles. Elsewhere, YSU returns defensive back Jordan Trowers, who tied for the team lead in tackles a year ago while finishing second in pass breakups. Up front, senior defensive lineman Dylan Wudke anchors the group after leading the Penguins last season with 12 TFLs and five sacks. Youngstown State also blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown, and they will look to have more special teams success against Ohio State’s terrible special teams coordinator, Parker Fleming.
Ohio State, meanwhile, returns home after a lackluster offensive performance in the 23-3 win over Indiana in the season opener. Ryan Day’s offensive play-calling is once again being called into question, as the Buckeyes looked stiff and predictable on that side of the ball despite all of the skill talent at their disposal. Day’s commitment to calling stretch runs to the boundary left Ohio State just 2-of-12 on third down, and the reluctance to use the team’s best players saw Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka combine for just five catches for 34 yards. It was an inexcusable game plan from the head coach, and one that cannot be repeated if the Buckeyes are to defeat the better teams on their schedule.
Defensively, Jim Knowles’ unit looked very strong. The Hoosiers attempted to confuse the Ohio State defense by coming out in a triple-option offense, but the Silver Bullets were up to the task as they held Indiana to just 71 yards rushing on 33 attempts (2.2 yards per carry). Tom Allen’s group did not attack much through the air, but when they did guys like Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun made some nice plays. Sonny Styles was another huge bright spot for this defense, as he was flying all over the field. The only downside of this group was getting to the quarterback, as Larry Johnson’s unit managed just one sack in the game, which came in garbage time.
We likely won’t learn a whole lot more about Ohio State against an FCS opponent, but if nothing else it will provide an opportunity for improved play-calling and should open the door for both quarterbacks to play — if that is what Day wants or chooses. Maybe Marvin Harrison Jr. will actually get the ball thrown his way this time, too! The defense will get a chance to flex its muscles yet again, and we should see more personnel rotation at all three levels if the game gets out of hand relatively early.
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Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The in-state Penguins come to Columbus for the Buckeyes’ first home game of the year.
Ohio State began the season 1-0 after defeating Indiana on Saturday, albeit not quite in the fashion that many imagined. The Buckeyes really struggled to move the ball on offense thanks largely in part to poor play-calling and shaky offensive line play, but the defense shined as they kept Indiana out of the end zone in a 23-3 victory. Now, Ryan Day’s group returns home, where they will play their first non-conference matchup of the season against Youngstown State. The Penguins also began the new campaign 1-0, defeating Valparaiso 52-10 in their opener.
The Youngstown State rushing attack looked strong in the opener against Valparaiso. Tyshon King led the way with 11 touches for 111 yards and two touchdowns as seven different players recorded carries in the game for the Penguins, totaling 303 rushing yards and four TDs as a unit. The passing attack was not as potent, but still efficient. Quarterback Mitch Davidson threw for 130 yards and a TD while completing 11 of his 19 pass attempts. C.J. Charleston hauled in the long score through the air, as he and Bryce Oliver combined for nine receptions for 112 yards. YSU was clean with the football, avoiding any turnovers.
Defensively, Youngstown State was led by linebacker Alex Howard, who tallied nine total tackles to go along with three tackles for loss and two sacks. The Penguins recorded five sacks as a whole, and forced a pair of fumbles. Elsewhere, YSU returns defensive back Jordan Trowers, who tied for the team lead in tackles a year ago while finishing second in pass breakups. Up front, senior defensive lineman Dylan Wudke anchors the group after leading the Penguins last season with 12 TFLs and five sacks. Youngstown State also blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown, and they will look to have more special teams success against Ohio State’s terrible special teams coordinator, Parker Fleming.
Ohio State, meanwhile, returns home after a lackluster offensive performance in the 23-3 win over Indiana in the season opener. Ryan Day’s offensive play-calling is once again being called into question, as the Buckeyes looked stiff and predictable on that side of the ball despite all of the skill talent at their disposal. Day’s commitment to calling stretch runs to the boundary left Ohio State just 2-of-12 on third down, and the reluctance to use the team’s best players saw Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka combine for just five catches for 34 yards. It was an inexcusable game plan from the head coach, and one that cannot be repeated if the Buckeyes are to defeat the better teams on their schedule.
Defensively, Jim Knowles’ unit looked very strong. The Hoosiers attempted to confuse the Ohio State defense by coming out in a triple-option offense, but the Silver Bullets were up to the task as they held Indiana to just 71 yards rushing on 33 attempts (2.2 yards per carry). Tom Allen’s group did not attack much through the air, but when they did guys like Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun made some nice plays. Sonny Styles was another huge bright spot for this defense, as he was flying all over the field. The only downside of this group was getting to the quarterback, as Larry Johnson’s unit managed just one sack in the game, which came in garbage time.
We likely won’t learn a whole lot more about Ohio State against an FCS opponent, but if nothing else it will provide an opportunity for improved play-calling and should open the door for both quarterbacks to play — if that is what Day wants or chooses. Maybe Marvin Harrison Jr. will actually get the ball thrown his way this time, too! The defense will get a chance to flex its muscles yet again, and we should see more personnel rotation at all three levels if the game gets out of hand relatively early.
Continue reading...
