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2nd Thoughts: OSU vs Illinois
Ken via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
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It turned out to be a steady-as-she goes win for Ohio State on Saturday, as they beat Illinois 28-3. J.T. Barrett was again took the snaps, but make no mistake, this is Ezekiel Elliott’s offense.
So, here we go…
Special Teams
It was a bit of a “yawner” day for the special teams. The return game was non-existent, literally. Jalin Marshall had one punt return for 1 yard and there were no kick-off returns. When the defense gives up 1 field goal, there aren’t many kick return opportunities.
Cam Johnston was his usual top-notch self; averaging 44 yards on 5 punts, with 4 of them inside the 20 yard line. I did get annoyed with him in the 2nd quarter when OSU had a 4th &1, Cam dribbled the snap, had clear sailing to his right for 1st down-and-then-some yardage if he would have run, but he decided to punt it. The manliness of Australian males dropped a couple of notches, in my estimation, on that play.
On to kicking. Jack Willoughby was fine on his kick-offs, averaging 8 yards per pop. He had 5 ‘pops’. Sean Nuernberger clanked a 24 yard FG attempt off the left upright to Urban’s chagrin. And probably later to Sean’s chagrin.
Defense
The defensive effort was overall pretty spectacular. They shut out the Fighting Illini for three quarters, allowing only a 2nd quarter field goal. They held the Illinois running game to 20 net yards, .8 per carry. That’s not a typo, that’s fine defense, folks. The Silver Bullets did allow Illinois to make some plays on the edge, but with the interior defense stout against the run, a few plays to the outside are OK; the sideline never misses a tackle.
Ohio State recorded 3 sacks and 4 “hurries”, but that doesn’t begin to tell the entire story. The Illinois offense was under siege all afternoon by the Silver Bullets.
I think this defense is playing subconsciously right now. Everything on the field looks like what was drawn up in the film session. Everything (to the fan) seems effortless. The linebackers are scraping off/avoiding blocks and making tackles, Bosa is unblockable (at least by a single person) and the secondary (for the most part) are sure tacklers.
However there is an area that needs addressed. Illinois had some success throwing to their slot receivers on Saturday. This took the form of ‘out’ patterns (not a real big deal) or ‘seam’ patterns (potentially huge deal). The Illinois alignment put OSU linebackers (Perry, Lee, McMillan) in coverage on slot receivers. A good match-up for the offense, not so much for the defense. I expect that Cook/Rudock will be far more accurate than Lunt. I expect Dantonio/Harbaugh to add this to their offense. I hope that Ash/Fickell plan a counter move.
Offense
The offense was grind it out persistent against Illinois; nothing spectacular, just a low-keyed effort for the most part. The Illini have a pretty decent defense and their defensive line is top-notch. Ohio State’s successes did not come easy against Illinois. It was a quiet 28 point effort on Saturday.
The Ohio State passing attack was pretty ‘meh’. Their longest completions were to Thomas (24) and Marshall (23). The Buckeyes didn’t try to go downfield too often, which made Elliott’s performance (below) even more amazing. Ohio State averaged 9.2 yards per completion and 6.3 per attempt. That’s not much of a spread, which indicates there were not a lot of downfield completions. Those numbers are similar to what Illinois put up for the game (10.5, 5.1) so either the Illinois secondary is comparable to Ohio State’s or the play calling was comparable.
In 50 rushing attempts, Ohio State netted 283 yards. Ezekiel had 27 carries for a net of 181 yards; his gross was 186 but he had only 5 yards in “losses”. He had a single carry in the 2nd quarter where he was tackled for a loss of 5 yards. That is good blocking and determined running. Yes, this was another “100 yard game” for Ezekiel, and he and the offensive line should be recognized for their efforts and accomplishments against a very good Illinois front line. As we’ve come to expect, Zeke, and the offensive line continue to be 2nd half performers. Ezekiel had 47 yards in the 1st half, 137 in the 2nd half.
The Red Zone offense started horribly in it’s first “trip”. It then hit stride in subsequent “trips”, see below. In 4 trips to the Promised Land, OSU scored 3 TD’s.
Playcalling
I have two beefs with the play-calling on Saturday. Well, actually, three. The first was the lack of a vertical passing game. I think that OSU has the receivers (Thomas, Marshall and Miller) to stretch the field. No Devin Smith’s here, but at least they can open the “under” routes and discourage the safeties from cheating to defend the run.
My next beef was the use of Braxton Miller. This relates somewhat to my previous point. He had two receptions for minus four (-4) yards. If he had only two touches, possibly due to getting dinged the previous week, don’t run him on hitch patterns where defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs have a free shot at him. Get Braxton into open space.
Finally, the early red-zone play calling was atrocious. On their 1st drive, Elliott ran 5 times for 28 yards to get Ohio State into a 1st & Goal at the 3 yard line. Rather than go to their “money” back, OSU runs Barrett 3 times for 1 yard, then Nuernberger clanks a short FG attempt. This sequence was a little bit too Herman-esque by being a bit too cute with the play calling. Tim/Ed, you’re in the 10th game of the season; you’d better damn well know who your goal line back is at this point. Fortunately, the play calling got straightened out in the 2nd half, but OSU left 7 points on the field in the 1st quarter.
The Buckeyes sit at 10-0, 6-0 and host the Michigan State Spartans (9-1, 5-1) for a 3:30 PM ET kickoff. The game can be viewed on ABC, check local listings. We’ll be here (tBBC) for LiveChat, no need to check local listings.
The post 2nd Thoughts: OSU vs Illinois appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
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Ken via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
It turned out to be a steady-as-she goes win for Ohio State on Saturday, as they beat Illinois 28-3. J.T. Barrett was again took the snaps, but make no mistake, this is Ezekiel Elliott’s offense.
So, here we go…
Special Teams
It was a bit of a “yawner” day for the special teams. The return game was non-existent, literally. Jalin Marshall had one punt return for 1 yard and there were no kick-off returns. When the defense gives up 1 field goal, there aren’t many kick return opportunities.
Cam Johnston was his usual top-notch self; averaging 44 yards on 5 punts, with 4 of them inside the 20 yard line. I did get annoyed with him in the 2nd quarter when OSU had a 4th &1, Cam dribbled the snap, had clear sailing to his right for 1st down-and-then-some yardage if he would have run, but he decided to punt it. The manliness of Australian males dropped a couple of notches, in my estimation, on that play.
On to kicking. Jack Willoughby was fine on his kick-offs, averaging 8 yards per pop. He had 5 ‘pops’. Sean Nuernberger clanked a 24 yard FG attempt off the left upright to Urban’s chagrin. And probably later to Sean’s chagrin.
Defense
The defensive effort was overall pretty spectacular. They shut out the Fighting Illini for three quarters, allowing only a 2nd quarter field goal. They held the Illinois running game to 20 net yards, .8 per carry. That’s not a typo, that’s fine defense, folks. The Silver Bullets did allow Illinois to make some plays on the edge, but with the interior defense stout against the run, a few plays to the outside are OK; the sideline never misses a tackle.
Ohio State recorded 3 sacks and 4 “hurries”, but that doesn’t begin to tell the entire story. The Illinois offense was under siege all afternoon by the Silver Bullets.
I think this defense is playing subconsciously right now. Everything on the field looks like what was drawn up in the film session. Everything (to the fan) seems effortless. The linebackers are scraping off/avoiding blocks and making tackles, Bosa is unblockable (at least by a single person) and the secondary (for the most part) are sure tacklers.
However there is an area that needs addressed. Illinois had some success throwing to their slot receivers on Saturday. This took the form of ‘out’ patterns (not a real big deal) or ‘seam’ patterns (potentially huge deal). The Illinois alignment put OSU linebackers (Perry, Lee, McMillan) in coverage on slot receivers. A good match-up for the offense, not so much for the defense. I expect that Cook/Rudock will be far more accurate than Lunt. I expect Dantonio/Harbaugh to add this to their offense. I hope that Ash/Fickell plan a counter move.
Offense
The offense was grind it out persistent against Illinois; nothing spectacular, just a low-keyed effort for the most part. The Illini have a pretty decent defense and their defensive line is top-notch. Ohio State’s successes did not come easy against Illinois. It was a quiet 28 point effort on Saturday.
The Ohio State passing attack was pretty ‘meh’. Their longest completions were to Thomas (24) and Marshall (23). The Buckeyes didn’t try to go downfield too often, which made Elliott’s performance (below) even more amazing. Ohio State averaged 9.2 yards per completion and 6.3 per attempt. That’s not much of a spread, which indicates there were not a lot of downfield completions. Those numbers are similar to what Illinois put up for the game (10.5, 5.1) so either the Illinois secondary is comparable to Ohio State’s or the play calling was comparable.
In 50 rushing attempts, Ohio State netted 283 yards. Ezekiel had 27 carries for a net of 181 yards; his gross was 186 but he had only 5 yards in “losses”. He had a single carry in the 2nd quarter where he was tackled for a loss of 5 yards. That is good blocking and determined running. Yes, this was another “100 yard game” for Ezekiel, and he and the offensive line should be recognized for their efforts and accomplishments against a very good Illinois front line. As we’ve come to expect, Zeke, and the offensive line continue to be 2nd half performers. Ezekiel had 47 yards in the 1st half, 137 in the 2nd half.
The Red Zone offense started horribly in it’s first “trip”. It then hit stride in subsequent “trips”, see below. In 4 trips to the Promised Land, OSU scored 3 TD’s.
Playcalling
I have two beefs with the play-calling on Saturday. Well, actually, three. The first was the lack of a vertical passing game. I think that OSU has the receivers (Thomas, Marshall and Miller) to stretch the field. No Devin Smith’s here, but at least they can open the “under” routes and discourage the safeties from cheating to defend the run.
My next beef was the use of Braxton Miller. This relates somewhat to my previous point. He had two receptions for minus four (-4) yards. If he had only two touches, possibly due to getting dinged the previous week, don’t run him on hitch patterns where defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs have a free shot at him. Get Braxton into open space.
Finally, the early red-zone play calling was atrocious. On their 1st drive, Elliott ran 5 times for 28 yards to get Ohio State into a 1st & Goal at the 3 yard line. Rather than go to their “money” back, OSU runs Barrett 3 times for 1 yard, then Nuernberger clanks a short FG attempt. This sequence was a little bit too Herman-esque by being a bit too cute with the play calling. Tim/Ed, you’re in the 10th game of the season; you’d better damn well know who your goal line back is at this point. Fortunately, the play calling got straightened out in the 2nd half, but OSU left 7 points on the field in the 1st quarter.
The Buckeyes sit at 10-0, 6-0 and host the Michigan State Spartans (9-1, 5-1) for a 3:30 PM ET kickoff. The game can be viewed on ABC, check local listings. We’ll be here (tBBC) for LiveChat, no need to check local listings.
The post 2nd Thoughts: OSU vs Illinois appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
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