My biggest takeaway from last night, beyond someone forcing Ryan Day to take a clock management course this offseason, was how our pace of play came back to bite us in the ass.
We’ve debated all year going uptempo versus playing slow so the offense could be more efficient and eliminate mistakes.
Last night was proof, against very good defenses, increasing pace of play to put Miami on its back foot would’ve been the more prudent decision. It’s not apples to apples, as Miami had a 14-0 lead in second half, meaning they’d be more vanilla anyway, but we did finally play uptempo second half, and we had way more success. Playing uptempo forced the defense into a base call which 95% of the time means no stunts, no exotic pressure, and basic coverage in back end (man or zone but you’re not going to get a play like the pick 6 where Miami could sit back, diagnose the motion, and break on ball).
I’d love to see OSU bring in an experienced OC that can unleash the full potential of this offense. Day went from ultra aggressive in years 1 & 2, too transforming into an ultra conservative system that is playing to the detriment of the team against opponents with comparable talent.
