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LGHL Grumpy Old Buckeye: Scrutinizing Ohio State’s 32-31 road loss at Oregon
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Grumpy Old Buckeye: Scrutinizing Ohio State’s 32-31 road loss at Oregon
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 via Imagn Images
It was a night filled with stepping on rakes by the Buckeyes, and yet they still almost figured out a way to beat the Ducks in Eugene.
OK, so it isn’t going to be a perfect season for the 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes. The matchup with Oregon lived up to its billing and despite a ton of adversity, the Buckeyes lost by a single point against a great team in a true road contest.
Had Ohio State not stepped on quite so many rakes (a la Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons) over the course of the evening, the game was there for the taking — not only for the Buckeyes to win, but to win convincingly. However, mistakes happen and, as usual, the team that made the most came out on the short end.
Here are the things that had me quackin’ mad when the Buckeyes visited the Ducks.
Will Howard delivered a good pass to his tight end, and while it wasn’t the easiest catch, Will Kacmarek made a complete mess of it. I’m not sure anyone actually “caught” it, but the ball was taken away after he and the defender were on the ground. It appeared the officials ruled simultaneous control on the ground, which goes to the offensive player.
I’m not sure I saw a replay angle that would have overturned it, but it wasn’t reviewed anyway. Kudos to Ohio State for lining up quickly and running a play, but as I said, I didn’t see a definitive replay that indicated either player having complete control while in contact on the ground, so to me, it was likely going to stand as called.
Ohio State’s second series did end in a turnover that may have kept things from snowballing early on the Ducks. On a simple run up the middle, the OSU offensive line got blown up and Quinshon Judkins was hit in the backfield. To make matters worse, he had the ball ripped out of his hands before he could get to the ground.
The play set the Ducks up in scoring position. Oregon scored two plays later, due in large part by a bad missed tackle by Cody Simon on the first snap of the ensuing drive.
After Oregon scored its first touchdown, Ohio State missed a golden opportunity to add two free points that would have mattered a great deal later in the game. The Ducks muffed the snap on the try for the point after, and Lathan Ransom intercepted a blind, desperate heave into the end zone.
Ransom took off down the left sideline and appeared in great shape to make it 9-6 Buckeyes. Most teams don’t have much speed on the placekicking team. However, the Ducks were able to get the angle on him, forcing him to slow down and eventually tackled him, preventing an Ohio State defensive conversion.
The play nearly handed Ohio State a gift two points, and perhaps changed the end of the game.
Among the many gunshots the Buckeyes fired into their own feet on Saturday night were the mistakes that drew flags. There were false starts that killed a first-half drive, more false starts in the second half, failing to execute a basic punt before the play clock ran out, and a facemask on a touchdown that ultimately set Oregon up with back-to-back possessions.
I’m not going to get on Jeremiah Smith for the late pass interference, because with the stuff the officials were allowing to go on all night long from both teams — “letting them play” in fanspeak — it shouldn’t have been called. In fact, there was a more egregious defensive foul on the play prior that wasn’t called.
However, that one hurt, because it pushed the Buckeyes out of field goal range and changed the complexion of the endgame.
It is inexplicable to see the performance Denzel Burke turned in on Saturday. We haven’t seen performances that poor from him since his sophomore season, and even then I’m not sure there were any that bad. Burke simply couldn’t stay with receivers all night long, and that was exacerbated by horrendous tackling.
Every player has rough games, but this one came out of nowhere. He gave up a 48-yard touchdown just before halftime and got beat on Oregon’s longest play from scrimmage all season, getting dragged down the field for the final 15 yards of that play. When Jayden Fielding couldn’t keep three straight kickoffs from going out of bounds, he was replaced.
Burke made a lot more mistakes and yet he stayed out there to make more. That’s on the coaching staff.
It’s aggravating to know that Oregon receiver Traeshon Holden got to celebrate a win after spitting on Davison Igbinosun during Saturday’s game. That got him ejected, and rightfully so, but there’s simply no place for that. It didn’t ultimately cost his team, and he was let off the hook for something classless and stupid.
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Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons has been a rock on the left side of the Buckeye offensive line, but it appears his season may have ended on the artificial turf at Autzen Stadium. His knee appeared to lock up as he was back pedaling in pass protection and the big man had to be carted off. That’s the kind of injury that can derail a season.
Ohio State has a next-man-up mentality, which all good teams do, but some men are hard to replace.
Facing a third-and-1 situation in the second half, TreVeyon Henderson broke through the defensive penetration and got back to the line of scrimmage. Needing just one yard, Henderson tried to make an extra jump cut to bounce outside of a defender. Had he pulled off the fake, he might have made a big play.
However, he didn’t beat the defender and was dropped for no gain. Had he just powered forward rather than making the extra juke, the Buckeyes would have sustained a drive in a tight game. Instead, Ohio State punted. Sometimes it’s better to make a safe, smart play than trying to make a big one.
I want to preface this section by saying I thought Will Howard played magnificently on Saturday night. He made a ton of plays that I don’t think Kyle McCord would have made, and in general, he’s been a fantastic transfer portal acquisition.
However, there were a couple of key mistakes in the second half that were costly. On a third-and-3, he took his eyes off the snap trying to read the coverage and dropped the ball. Although he dove on it to prevent a turnover, Ohio State had to punt the ball away.
The second was one that you already knew I’d bring up — the slide. Howard tried to put his team in the best position for a game-winning kick on the final play, but in doing so, he took one yard too many. I will cop to not knowing if Howard could see the play clock during the play, but he broke into space, slid, and tried to call timeout.
I will forever believe that the Buckeyes should have had one second and one final play to try a long field goal. I don’t know if Fielding would have made the kick, and that’s the frustrating part. We’ll never know. It looked from all the freeze frames that there was a second left, and it was reviewable, but there didn’t seem to be a review. However, pulling up one single yard earlier would have made an attempt possible.
Of course, Howard shouldn’t have been in that position, because A) offensive pass interference shouldn’t have been called on Smith based on how the game had been called all night, and B) once the ball was ready for play, Day should have saved the time and called timeout.
Sure, that would have changed the play-calling for the final couple of snaps, but you work with the situation you have, and those seven wasted seconds were ultimately critical. There are ways to stop a clock on offense, and you bake that into what you do, but wasting those seconds was fatal.
Calling the timeout doesn’t guarantee a win, obviously, but it may have improved Ohio State’s odds and given the team a chance to regroup in a pressure situation.
Well, this is a long column (my apologies), but close losses in games full of “what-ifs” are the most aggravating games of all. Considering I didn’t think Ohio State was capable of that much self-harm, a one-point loss in a true road game against an opponent of that caliber is encouraging, in a way.
The Buckeyes have to clean things up, but it’s a 12-team playoff and Ohio State is still in good position. The margin of error is simply smaller now.
Next up for the Buckeyes is a week off before the Nebraska Cornhuskers visit Ohio Stadium on Oct. 26.
Continue reading...
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 via Imagn Images
It was a night filled with stepping on rakes by the Buckeyes, and yet they still almost figured out a way to beat the Ducks in Eugene.
OK, so it isn’t going to be a perfect season for the 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes. The matchup with Oregon lived up to its billing and despite a ton of adversity, the Buckeyes lost by a single point against a great team in a true road contest.
Had Ohio State not stepped on quite so many rakes (a la Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons) over the course of the evening, the game was there for the taking — not only for the Buckeyes to win, but to win convincingly. However, mistakes happen and, as usual, the team that made the most came out on the short end.
Here are the things that had me quackin’ mad when the Buckeyes visited the Ducks.
Kacmarek’s Katch
Will Howard delivered a good pass to his tight end, and while it wasn’t the easiest catch, Will Kacmarek made a complete mess of it. I’m not sure anyone actually “caught” it, but the ball was taken away after he and the defender were on the ground. It appeared the officials ruled simultaneous control on the ground, which goes to the offensive player.
I’m not sure I saw a replay angle that would have overturned it, but it wasn’t reviewed anyway. Kudos to Ohio State for lining up quickly and running a play, but as I said, I didn’t see a definitive replay that indicated either player having complete control while in contact on the ground, so to me, it was likely going to stand as called.
Judkins Gives It Away
Ohio State’s second series did end in a turnover that may have kept things from snowballing early on the Ducks. On a simple run up the middle, the OSU offensive line got blown up and Quinshon Judkins was hit in the backfield. To make matters worse, he had the ball ripped out of his hands before he could get to the ground.
The play set the Ducks up in scoring position. Oregon scored two plays later, due in large part by a bad missed tackle by Cody Simon on the first snap of the ensuing drive.
Ransom Can’t Outrun ‘Em
After Oregon scored its first touchdown, Ohio State missed a golden opportunity to add two free points that would have mattered a great deal later in the game. The Ducks muffed the snap on the try for the point after, and Lathan Ransom intercepted a blind, desperate heave into the end zone.
Ransom took off down the left sideline and appeared in great shape to make it 9-6 Buckeyes. Most teams don’t have much speed on the placekicking team. However, the Ducks were able to get the angle on him, forcing him to slow down and eventually tackled him, preventing an Ohio State defensive conversion.
The play nearly handed Ohio State a gift two points, and perhaps changed the end of the game.
Penalties, Penalties, Penalties!
Among the many gunshots the Buckeyes fired into their own feet on Saturday night were the mistakes that drew flags. There were false starts that killed a first-half drive, more false starts in the second half, failing to execute a basic punt before the play clock ran out, and a facemask on a touchdown that ultimately set Oregon up with back-to-back possessions.
I’m not going to get on Jeremiah Smith for the late pass interference, because with the stuff the officials were allowing to go on all night long from both teams — “letting them play” in fanspeak — it shouldn’t have been called. In fact, there was a more egregious defensive foul on the play prior that wasn’t called.
However, that one hurt, because it pushed the Buckeyes out of field goal range and changed the complexion of the endgame.
Burke Burnt Repeatedly
It is inexplicable to see the performance Denzel Burke turned in on Saturday. We haven’t seen performances that poor from him since his sophomore season, and even then I’m not sure there were any that bad. Burke simply couldn’t stay with receivers all night long, and that was exacerbated by horrendous tackling.
Every player has rough games, but this one came out of nowhere. He gave up a 48-yard touchdown just before halftime and got beat on Oregon’s longest play from scrimmage all season, getting dragged down the field for the final 15 yards of that play. When Jayden Fielding couldn’t keep three straight kickoffs from going out of bounds, he was replaced.
Burke made a lot more mistakes and yet he stayed out there to make more. That’s on the coaching staff.
Spitting? Really?
It’s aggravating to know that Oregon receiver Traeshon Holden got to celebrate a win after spitting on Davison Igbinosun during Saturday’s game. That got him ejected, and rightfully so, but there’s simply no place for that. It didn’t ultimately cost his team, and he was let off the hook for something classless and stupid.
No, Not Josh!
Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons has been a rock on the left side of the Buckeye offensive line, but it appears his season may have ended on the artificial turf at Autzen Stadium. His knee appeared to lock up as he was back pedaling in pass protection and the big man had to be carted off. That’s the kind of injury that can derail a season.
Ohio State has a next-man-up mentality, which all good teams do, but some men are hard to replace.
Henderson’s Extra Juke
Facing a third-and-1 situation in the second half, TreVeyon Henderson broke through the defensive penetration and got back to the line of scrimmage. Needing just one yard, Henderson tried to make an extra jump cut to bounce outside of a defender. Had he pulled off the fake, he might have made a big play.
However, he didn’t beat the defender and was dropped for no gain. Had he just powered forward rather than making the extra juke, the Buckeyes would have sustained a drive in a tight game. Instead, Ohio State punted. Sometimes it’s better to make a safe, smart play than trying to make a big one.
Howard’s Howlers
I want to preface this section by saying I thought Will Howard played magnificently on Saturday night. He made a ton of plays that I don’t think Kyle McCord would have made, and in general, he’s been a fantastic transfer portal acquisition.
However, there were a couple of key mistakes in the second half that were costly. On a third-and-3, he took his eyes off the snap trying to read the coverage and dropped the ball. Although he dove on it to prevent a turnover, Ohio State had to punt the ball away.
The second was one that you already knew I’d bring up — the slide. Howard tried to put his team in the best position for a game-winning kick on the final play, but in doing so, he took one yard too many. I will cop to not knowing if Howard could see the play clock during the play, but he broke into space, slid, and tried to call timeout.
I will forever believe that the Buckeyes should have had one second and one final play to try a long field goal. I don’t know if Fielding would have made the kick, and that’s the frustrating part. We’ll never know. It looked from all the freeze frames that there was a second left, and it was reviewable, but there didn’t seem to be a review. However, pulling up one single yard earlier would have made an attempt possible.
Of course, Howard shouldn’t have been in that position, because A) offensive pass interference shouldn’t have been called on Smith based on how the game had been called all night, and B) once the ball was ready for play, Day should have saved the time and called timeout.
Sure, that would have changed the play-calling for the final couple of snaps, but you work with the situation you have, and those seven wasted seconds were ultimately critical. There are ways to stop a clock on offense, and you bake that into what you do, but wasting those seconds was fatal.
Calling the timeout doesn’t guarantee a win, obviously, but it may have improved Ohio State’s odds and given the team a chance to regroup in a pressure situation.
Well, this is a long column (my apologies), but close losses in games full of “what-ifs” are the most aggravating games of all. Considering I didn’t think Ohio State was capable of that much self-harm, a one-point loss in a true road game against an opponent of that caliber is encouraging, in a way.
The Buckeyes have to clean things up, but it’s a 12-team playoff and Ohio State is still in good position. The margin of error is simply smaller now.
Next up for the Buckeyes is a week off before the Nebraska Cornhuskers visit Ohio Stadium on Oct. 26.
Continue reading...
