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cincibuck
You kids stay off my lawn!
High Lonesome;1350453; said:
Injuries, yeah, but they couldn't open up holes against the likes of Ohio U and Youngstown State (!!). Some (including former coach, Earl Bruce) say it's the blocking technique used by Jim Bollman. Some say it was the defenses loading the box, in which case you have to wonder why there was no 3 step passing game. Some say it was the lack of at least one true speed receiver. Some blamed attitude, especially after the fiasco on the West Coast.
The loss of Beanie for 3 games didn't help matters. At the time there was no other back available who could consistently gain yardage behind this line. We went through three weeks of back-of-the-week club, but it wasn't till the last half of the season when Boom Herron emerged as the #2.
Whatever it was, the inability of this line to protect a classic drop back passer forced the switch to Pryor. It was take the risk of starting a freshman or watch your starter get hammered week after week.
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EngineerHorn
No todo alli
generaladm;1350100; said:
I haven't seen a response to this yet, so here's one. Pardon for being long-winded, but I need a break from work.
The only times UT isn't in the shotgun are in short yardage situations. To hazard a guess, it's 5% 2WR-2TE-1RB, 35% 3-1-1, 40% 4-0-1, and 20% 4-0-1 with the RB in the slot (usually Ogbannaya). There's very little pre-snap motion so there's none of that Percy Harvin business.
The running game primarily consists of zone plays (about 30% of the time it's a zone read). When we go with a TE, we tend to run quite a few traps, counters, and C-T lead plays. There are usually 2-3 speed option plays per game usually run out of the 4wr formations.
Despite running the ball 55% of the time (Colt only averages 32 attempts per game, so this isn't necessarily just a passing team), the running game is used primarily to set up the pass. It's really irritating at times seeing so many of the zone plays get busted up for little to no gain, but that's part of the game plan. I don't mind seeing 3rd and 6's because I'm confident Colt will run or throw for a first down.
And when I say Colt averages 32 attempts per game, that means there are usually about 38-40 called passes per game. Colt's scrambles are a huge part of the offense, and they account for most of his rushing yards.
Essentially, this is a ball control offense with a very accurate quarterback. The short passes are used at times in place of running the ball. In the 4wr trips formations, Shipley will line up just a couple yards outside the strong side tackle, and will run a crossing route or a curl most of the time depending on the defense. Expect him to have a bunch of 5 yard catches. If he's covered by a LB (don't laugh, every team does this occasionally), he'll run a skinny post or a deep in.
At flanker, Cosby won't beat anybody deep but he'll catch anything and everything thrown around him. We'll run a few tunnel screens to Brandon Collins and occasionally throw deep to Malcolm Williams on the wide side of the field. Also expect lots of play action and a couple pretty useless screens to the backs.
In my mind, the O-line, for a bunch of veterans, is a bit of a disappointment this year (in relative terms). McCoy's been beat up a bit and they've given up 22 sacks on the year. They're solid, but not great. One position to watch is center. Chris Hall (the starter) got injured a few weeks ago, and the backup center got kicked off the team after making an inappropriate remark. That has left the 3rd string center, true freshman David Snow, as the starter against Kansas and A&M. Snow's done well given the circumstances but the o-line performance has suffered a bit. I'm not sure if Hall will be back for the bowl game. I hope so because the line is better when he's in there.
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Kirk Barton was a steady presence on the line that OSU lacks this season. They routinely run left, out of ability not preference.High Lonesome;1350453; said:
LT Alex Boone has excellent talent but has been inconsistent. Still the best OL out of the bunch on avg.
LG Jim Cordle was a multi-year starter at center but was replaced by true frosh Brewster. He has been more effective at LG than C, but still not great.
C Mike Brewster has been a breath of fresh air up front, providing tenacity, talent and toughness that this line has been lacking. He has a bright future, but still shows his age often enough.
RG Steve Rehring is a strong, oversized guard who often does not play up to his potential. He did lose his LG spot due to injury but a change needed to be made. He has raised his game since moving to RG, replacing Ben Person, who has had his struggles and injuries most of his career.
RT Bryant Browning is a guard playing tackle by default and it shows. True frosh JB Shugarts was pushing for time but suffered a major injury inseason. It should have sidelined him all year, but he rehabbed hard to play in garbage time. He probably will not be ready to start until next year, however.
OSU's lack of depth at tackle really came back to haunt them this year. They will rely on more true frosh (like Jack Mewhort) next season, and likely soph Mike Adams as well (who was injured most of the spring and fall).
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smithlabs
Heisman
BuckeyeTillIDie;1350266; said:
You got it all wrong. They can't score in the first minute of the game. Don't know why but I know I am hoping that we kick-off to avoid that monkey. Of course, if we win the toss we take the ball and if Texas wins they will give us the ball but still, I can hope.
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66 on Coastal Carolina
45 on Oregon St
55 on Syracuse
45 on Temple
211 points in 4 games against teams we would be strung up for playing. That's 47% of their points. Another 19% came from Wisconsin and Michigan.
Explosive against crap maybe.
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generaladm
Legend
BuckeyeNation27;1350624; said:
If you use the same standard with USC, they scored 222 points in their four highest scoring games against UVA, WSU, UW, and Stanford. That accounts for %49 of their total output. The Washington teams are just as bad as any team on PSU's sched, and OrST beat USC. I would argue that PSU had the tougher conference sched this year. The Pac-10 was extremely weak this year. PSU did have some explosiveness on offense, moreso against inferior opponents. The same can be said for USC.
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BuckeyeMafia
A Leaf on the Wind
Well, not quite the most winnable matchup we could've drawn, but we'll make due. I hope for us to come out strong, don't be intimidated.
This could go down as another win for Tress in Arz.
This could go down as another win for Tress in Arz.
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Last visit: 09-13-2006ant80;1350647; said:
HornFans(.com), anyone know what his username was again? RayDog1 something or other?
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EngineerHorn
No todo alli
Would someone mind posting a little synopsis of the Buckeye offense this year? I didn't watch any of your games this year other than the one against USC and a tiny bit against MSU, so I have no idea what the Pryor offense looks like.
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Pryor still operates out of many power formations, with shotgun looks sprinkled in (about 66%/33% for power/spread looks). For a detailed breakdown, go here (and find each By the Numbers, weekly after games)
Earlier in the year, like at Wisconsin, OSU used the pistol formation often, generally with Beanie inside and Pryor-Herron outside. Then Wisky decided to decapitate Herron while running a route looking backwards, he suffered a concussion, and that look has rarely been seen since. I would not be surprised to see it return.
OSU runs left, a lot, and are often predictable in when they run and pass, both by situation (down/distance) and formation. This has made life even harder on a mediocre offensive line, and has had most crying for changes. Problem is, Tressel is the offensive coordinator (or at least the ultimate decision maker) and his co-OC is Jim Bollman, his carryover from YSU. There are many assistants which get courted away from cbus, but he is not one of them. He is also the offensive line coach and has been under fire for some time.
Both Pryor and Beanie provide a huge lift to this offense in their ability to create and escape trouble. Beanie routinely encounters tacklers near the LOS if not behind, and often in packs. His ability to produce in these situations has been pretty remarkable, especially given his health. This type of thing has happened against the Ohio's, not just the Penn State's. Some of that has improved since juggling the lineman (Brewster for Cordle, Cordle for Rehring, Rehring for Person), but there's still much left to be desired.
Pryor, despite his freakish athleticism, is determined to be a passer and came to OSU for that reason. He will scramble and does well enough on designed runs (though he is not Vince), but when asked to pass he will often use his feet to set up the pass. He's hungry to be perfect, and early on that led to hesitation and sacks rather than throwing it away or taking the short scrambles.
He has improved at finding his secondary reads, but still has room to improve here. This was a big liability against Penn State who dared him to throw, and while he did, he missed many open options beyond his primary.
After that ensuing bye week, he showed a lot of improvement. Not only did he show better awareness out there, but his fundamentals were markedly improved. He has a good arm but often fails to use the rest of his body and floats the football. He was hardly perfect but his training was starting to pay off.
RB Boom Herron is a blue-collar strong backup RB who has good vision & instincts but limited measurables, including size. He is often good for 4-5 yards even into traffic, but will not bust a 60 yarder on you without the opposition mimicking a Michigan safety. Comparisons have been made to Pittman with less speed.
RB Mo Wells is a tough program kid who gives everything he has, but is not effective in OSU's power running game. He can hurt you on screen plays.
WR Brian Robiskie struggled with injury early this year, but is getting better and is a very solid possession WR. He could be more aggressive on deep balls but is a steady but not great outlet.
WR Brian Hartline emerged in 06 as a tough, long WR with good speed and hands, willing to take hits (and deliver devastating blows on ST). His focus and aggression has tailed off this season, and operated better with Boeckman, but is still a decent #2 WR.
WR Ray Small is a streaky WR who is very slippery but not a burner. He's had some off-field commitment issues that have affected his gameplay and playing time, but seems to be getting back on track.
WR Dane Sanzenbacher is a fearless technician who runs great routes, has excellent hands and is not afraid to take wicked shots, of which he's taken a half dozen already. He has become a nice safety valve for Terrelle in recent weeks.
After that, Devier Posey draws rave reviews from our coaches, but has had limited PT thus far.
The two TEs are solid receiving threats but not burners. FB Brandon Smith is a converted TE and offers some athleticism out of the backfield, which Pryor utilizes. Pryor really has brought the TE back into semi-relevance for the first time since 2003 (Ben Hartsock).
Earlier in the year, like at Wisconsin, OSU used the pistol formation often, generally with Beanie inside and Pryor-Herron outside. Then Wisky decided to decapitate Herron while running a route looking backwards, he suffered a concussion, and that look has rarely been seen since. I would not be surprised to see it return.
OSU runs left, a lot, and are often predictable in when they run and pass, both by situation (down/distance) and formation. This has made life even harder on a mediocre offensive line, and has had most crying for changes. Problem is, Tressel is the offensive coordinator (or at least the ultimate decision maker) and his co-OC is Jim Bollman, his carryover from YSU. There are many assistants which get courted away from cbus, but he is not one of them. He is also the offensive line coach and has been under fire for some time.
Both Pryor and Beanie provide a huge lift to this offense in their ability to create and escape trouble. Beanie routinely encounters tacklers near the LOS if not behind, and often in packs. His ability to produce in these situations has been pretty remarkable, especially given his health. This type of thing has happened against the Ohio's, not just the Penn State's. Some of that has improved since juggling the lineman (Brewster for Cordle, Cordle for Rehring, Rehring for Person), but there's still much left to be desired.
Pryor, despite his freakish athleticism, is determined to be a passer and came to OSU for that reason. He will scramble and does well enough on designed runs (though he is not Vince), but when asked to pass he will often use his feet to set up the pass. He's hungry to be perfect, and early on that led to hesitation and sacks rather than throwing it away or taking the short scrambles.
He has improved at finding his secondary reads, but still has room to improve here. This was a big liability against Penn State who dared him to throw, and while he did, he missed many open options beyond his primary.
After that ensuing bye week, he showed a lot of improvement. Not only did he show better awareness out there, but his fundamentals were markedly improved. He has a good arm but often fails to use the rest of his body and floats the football. He was hardly perfect but his training was starting to pay off.
RB Boom Herron is a blue-collar strong backup RB who has good vision & instincts but limited measurables, including size. He is often good for 4-5 yards even into traffic, but will not bust a 60 yarder on you without the opposition mimicking a Michigan safety. Comparisons have been made to Pittman with less speed.
RB Mo Wells is a tough program kid who gives everything he has, but is not effective in OSU's power running game. He can hurt you on screen plays.
WR Brian Robiskie struggled with injury early this year, but is getting better and is a very solid possession WR. He could be more aggressive on deep balls but is a steady but not great outlet.
WR Brian Hartline emerged in 06 as a tough, long WR with good speed and hands, willing to take hits (and deliver devastating blows on ST). His focus and aggression has tailed off this season, and operated better with Boeckman, but is still a decent #2 WR.
WR Ray Small is a streaky WR who is very slippery but not a burner. He's had some off-field commitment issues that have affected his gameplay and playing time, but seems to be getting back on track.
WR Dane Sanzenbacher is a fearless technician who runs great routes, has excellent hands and is not afraid to take wicked shots, of which he's taken a half dozen already. He has become a nice safety valve for Terrelle in recent weeks.
After that, Devier Posey draws rave reviews from our coaches, but has had limited PT thus far.
The two TEs are solid receiving threats but not burners. FB Brandon Smith is a converted TE and offers some athleticism out of the backfield, which Pryor utilizes. Pryor really has brought the TE back into semi-relevance for the first time since 2003 (Ben Hartsock).
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