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2013 tOSU Defense Discussion

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bukIpower said:
I just wanted to get one thing off my chest that I feel our defense is unfairly being accused of after one game. I keep seeing people harp on our defensive line for the lack of pressure but while the sack numbers weren't there I feel differently. I thought Bosa and Spence were there putting heat on most of the game and Shazier/Grant also had some pressures as well.

I feel Washington needs to step up but other than that I felt the line got good pressure but smart play by their qb took a potential 4-6 sacks away from our defense.

Infact I was happy with our performance overall as well. They gave up one true td drive and held them to 250 yards of offense with no big plays while missing 3 of our starters (counting shazier) on a already young defense.

Offense just needs to play smart with no turnovers this year and I feel this defense will be something very special by years end, maybe sooner.
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I agree. Also, Reeves got picked on but he was in good position on a lot of those completions. He wasn't out their busting coverages and whiffing tackles.
 
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Tlangs said:
I agree. Also, Reeves got picked on but he was in good position on a lot of those completions. He wasn't out their busting coverages and whiffing tackles.
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I saw several whiffed tackles by Armani. Not an atrocious game by any means, but certainly not better than mediocre. The kid has enough talent that we can expect better in future, and I'm sure he'll learn from the experience.
 
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MaxBuck said:
I saw several whiffed tackles by Armani. Not an atrocious game by any means, but certainly not better than mediocre. The kid has enough talent that we can expect better in future, and I'm sure he'll learn from the experience.
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Agreed. Armani's problem was with tackling, not so much blown coverage or being out of position. Poor tackling has been a hallmark of the entire D thus far in the Urban era so it's no surprise. Armani will get better. I certainly like his attitude.
 
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ShowMeBuck said:
Agreed. Armani's problem was with tackling, not so much blown coverage or being out of position. Poor tackling has been a hallmark of the entire D thus far in the Urban era so it's no surprise. Armani will get better. I certainly like his attitude.
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One of the hardest things to do on defense is to sprint forward break down and stop a defender for little to no gain. I feel if we played a little tighter there wouldn't be as many missed tackles because generally they're already right next to the wide out as the ball is getting there. Many of reeves misses came on quick screens in which he had to run forward and break down.
 
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The defense gave up 14 to Buffalo, but when you dig deeper it wasn't too shabby.

First TD drive started on our 44 and that includes the 15 yard penalty. Second TD was a longer drive, starting on their 38 for a 62 yard TD drive.

To me, the target they exposed as mentioned was Neutz who was working on Reeves a bit. Overall I thought Buffalo did a good job at exposing what few mismatches they had. Oliver is a talented back but overall was held in check.

SDSU really struggled in their opener but they like to air it out so this should give our secondary adequate time to gel before we play Cal. So long as Roby is healthy I think this defense will be superior to last years.
 
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For better or worse I think we need to give this unit more time before judging it, and that we need to give the coaches for this unit more time before deciding if what they are doing or what they believe is helping or hurting.

While the current staff has brought in plenty of promising players, it's not a simple plug & play proposition. Many of those players need to build experience and grow up into leaders. The defense is still paying for a rash of recruiting misses at the tail end of the previous regime. Fault of the coaches for targeting the wrong prospects, fault of the players for not fulfilling their potential - blame it on who you will. The fact of the matter is that this unit should be able to lean on its juniors and seniors and there are very few of the defensive players from those classes that are still with the team.
 
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Buffalo is Buffalo. I understand that, but some credit needs to be given to their coaches for bringing in a solid game plan. They were getting the ball out really quick and knew OSU would be playing soft coverage due to the depleted secondary. With Roby presumably back starting and maybe Barnett too, I expect to see a marked improvement. There are two caveats to that, however: 1) I thought the D was solid against Buffalo anyway and 2) I expect a pretty vanilla gameplan on both sides of the ball until the Cal game.
 
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sflbuck said:
I most likely need to go back and rewatch the entire game, but I thought that except for several WR screens that Reeves had trouble limiting the YAC, that as a whole the tackling was pretty good against Buffalo.
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He did but that will happen when you are giving world class athletes time and space to make plays. One of the most underrated parts of football IMO is how difficult it is to react to someone one on one. Its a very difficult task and when you aren't the biggest guy in the world it becomes that much harder.
 
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Taosman said:
Way ahead of where the were last year. LBer doesn't look like a big problem.
13 points! I'll take that every week!
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I agree very much so with this. I thought all the backers looked great to be honest especially grant outside of missing that tight end for that touchdown. Btw I am absolutely pumped about bosa and what he brings to the table. I believe as much as we were excited for spence I think bosa will have a better year than spence did last year.

I saw a defensive line of Washington, Bennet, bosa and spence. That's some serious rushing ability for third down. I'm kind of glad we don't see Tackles at end like we did last year because I never understood that from a athletic stand point
 
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Here's my 2 cents:

Bosa: beast. Pressure led to one INT, but actually should've been two had Armani held on. For all the talk about ceiling with this kid, I have a feeling we are nowhere near his ceiling yet.

C. Grant: solid. Left a couple of tackles on the field and got confused on that TE crossing route, but like the fact that he played with confidence and passion on the field. Got to be more decisive in meeting the ball carrier in the hole and can't let the backs slip past him. Confident that will be fixed.

D. Grant: excellent performance.

Washington: don't know if it's because he played mostly interior DL, but he wasn't able to generate a lot of pressure. Still feel that he's better suited outside, but I guess they have Bosa pegged as the fifth DL and like him on the edge. Expect to see more from Washington.

I think we did well overall. Liked what I saw from the MLB so far, and I guess the next two weeks should give us a good idea on the Star position.
 
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Finally rewatched the game. There was a lot to like overall. I apologize in advance for the novel that is about to go down:

Curtis Grant: Was more excited about his performance than anyone's. Made a ton of plays and had his nose in on alot of plays. That was instincts meeting potential. Really hoping we see more of that this season.

Doran Grant: Loved, loved, loved his play. Right in the hip pocket all day and willing to play physical. He is going to make a great tandem with Roby this season and I think he looked light years ahead of the rest of our CB's.

Bennett: Looked absolutely fantastic out there. He got a consistent push and really moved that pocket around. The stats may not show it, but he played a great game.

Bosa: Dude is a flat out animal. He was always right in the quarterbacks face and had his way with the opposing OL. In my eyes, he was the most impressive freshmen out there and I am not surprised a bit. Joey is going to be a very, very special player here.

T. Johnson: Did fairly well coming in for Shazier. Nothing jaw dropping but he was around the ball alot.

Hale: Really sturdy in the middle...plenty of push and will be a steady guy that is a great replacement for Goebel.

Shazier: Please stay healthy...soul of this defense.

Powell: Plenty of plays around the ball, I like his potential alot. Some game experience and he is going to rock it.

Bell: Looked phenomenal on special teams...hoping to see more of him.

Reeves: Really had some major issues. I see alot of talk about him being in the right spot and not making the play, but he was getting his hips turned properly to finish the play...a very important skill for a corner. I remember Chekwa struggling greatly with the same thing. That being said, I know Armani has talent and that he can be a quality player for us. However, so does Apple, Burrows, Conley, etc. I'm not going to make any final assessments off one game, but he is going to have to do better against receivers of Neuntz's caliber in the future.

Hill: Only got in a little but he got some great push when he was in. Looks like he can contribute right away.

Washington: Didn't make much noise but I don't expect that to be systemic. He will be fine.
 
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