Game Thread FIESTA BOWL: tOSU 21, Texas 24 (01-05-09)

[BUCKYLE]

Funny story from outside the stadium yesterday...a dialogue between a father and his approx. 3 year old daughter:

Daughter: Daddy, it's better than Ohio Stadium.
Father: No its not honey.
Daughter: Yes Daddy, I like it better than Ohio Stadium.
Father: It's not better and it's called the Horseshoe.
Daughter: They call this the Horseshoe too? This one is nicer.
Father: It just looks nicer because it's newer, but the Horseshoe it better.
Daughter: I don't know Daddy.

The only way that's funny is if he dots her eye.

 

[generaladm]

Scout.com: 2009 Fiesta Bowl Preview - Ohio St vs. Texas

This is one of the more odd previews for this game I have seen. What shocked me the most is I think he has our WR's way too low and our lb's a bit too high. I don't agree with many of these at all. I had thought that Texas certainly had the advantage at WR. While I think our lb's have the potential to be where he has them at and beyond, i'm not sure if they are quite there yet. Also it's interesting to note that he gives tosu the advantage in every category except Texas and the Lines. This should be interesting.

I normally consider Fiutak one of the best analysts on the web, but this is definitely not his best work. Too much sensationalism, not enough meat and potatoes. I wouldn't pretend to know enough about UT's squad to give each unit a rating, but his numbers for OSU are pretty close. I'd definitely give OSU's secondary at least a 4.5, if not 5. OSU's safeties are not quite all-american caliber, but show me another team that can match Jenkins, Chekwa, and Washington at CB. Just having MJ should put us at 4.5, he is a pro-bowler playing in college. I think both our lines are a bit better than 3s, our WRs perhaps not a solid 4, and our ST not nearly a 5, but whether those rankings represent the state of the team now, or a synopsis of the season would affect the numbers.

The thing that makes me optomistic for this game is that OSU has shown a great deal of improvement from the first part of the season. The D-line has shown the most, with DTs Abdallah and Heywood both becoming impact players after a slow start, and ends like Gibson and Williams showing flashes of athletic potential. The offensive side definitely hit a few bumps in the road this season with Beanie's injury and the QB change, but with Beanie back and TP's gifts, the O looked good in most games, and I'd expect the WR production will benefit from the extra practices with TP. My main concern is OSU's O-line vs. UT's D-line. I would like to see a lot of B. Smith at FB, whether on running or passing plays. I'd rather see Orakopo get double teamed, and take our chances with a WR getting a spot inbetween the CBs and Safeties, than take our chances with a spread formation, against an aggressive pass rush. The OSU O-line has been a mystery wrapped in an enigma for most of the season, but if they can open holes for Beanie (which they are capable of, when playing well), that may be all OSU needs.

On the defensive side for OSU, I will be very focused on how McCoy deals with our DBs. I'm thinking this will be the best unit he's faced all season (if not in his career), but an OSU pass rush is not a given, so if Colt is patient, he could make some big throws. One thing I think the OSU could manage very well is McCoy's running game. Even though the Longhorns like to spread out the D, I don't think McCoy will have the wide open running lanes that he's enjoyed in the games I've seen. The OSU back 7 is full of sure tacklers, and I hope that on 3rd downs, the D will be aware of Colt's scrambling abilities. OSU's LBs and NBs can cover a lot of ground, and keeping a man in a short zone could prevent McC from turning a small opening into a big gain.

The main thing that scares me about UT is that they seem to be a team that is solid all around, without key star players (other than McC), very similar to LSU last year. That fear is assuaged somewhat by the fact that our team is more experienced than last year's (please God, no stupid penalties!), and the addition of a game breaker in TP. Emerging players like Hines, Moeller, Williams, Gibson, and Abdallah also add to OSU's strengths. It's a game that could go either way, big or small. I expect this to be maybe the best game of this bowl season, based on the recent stability of the two programs, and the quality of the previous meetings. Regardless of the outcome, I will be looking forward to when this matchup goes from best-of-3 to best-of-5. Unfortunately, that will be at least 12 years for regular season, but, at the trajectory these teams are on, it wouldn't surprise me much to see them play in more than one bowl over the next five years.

 

[EngineerHorn]

I'm not sure why everyone changed their opinion of the B12 this season. Keep in mind that this is a conference that from top to bottom has had extraordinary continuity among its top programs. Leach, Stoops and Brown have all been running on the same style at their respective programs for a decade now. Because the coaches have all been there so long, you can get a sense of the identity or stereotype for the teams. For example, Okie State is the team that normally has athletes that can stretch the field on playaction passes and always gives OU plenty of trouble on defense. Missouri is the team that does well in conference play but fails to impress in bowl games. OU is the team that looks great in regular season but persistently lacks defensive discipline and overpursues, thus is susceptible to big plays. These are things that I've been saying about the conference since early this decade.

I have pointed out numerous times that OU's offensive output this year is less staggering than what they had in '04, and yet everyone turned a blind eye on history and ignored how OU's contest vs. SC turned out that year. IMO, Texas is the best team in the B12 because it has the best combination of defense and offense, and because it defeated the 2nd best team on a neutral field. Even though I hold little regard for the rest of your conference, I do realize that your team will make a formidable opponent. I'm guessing the final score will be 27-24.

Some good observations, especially with the continuity of the top programs (Tech had remained pretty constant under Leach) and the description of Okie State is spot on. I also think your assessment of UT this year is accurate.

But I wouldn't do my anal-retentive side justice if I didn't put in my 2 cents. A couple things-
-The head coach and offensive coordinator at UT have remained the same for 11 straight seasons. Amazing continuity, I agree. But the offense at Texas has evolved considerably. Despite all the shit Greg Davis has received in the past from Texas fans, his strength is adapting the offense to the personnel. In '98 with Ricky Williams, we ran the ball out of the I most of the time and did a lot of play action. Between '99-'02, Davis went strictly West Coast (he was not shy about saying he modeled his offense after the Broncos) with the QB strictly under center. Starting in '03 with Vince, we started seeing the read option out of the shotgun. In '04-'05 it was mostly shotgun with some I-formation and ace sets. That was still in place in '06 when Colt took over but has evolved to working out of the shotgun 95% of the time. And as far as defense goes, we're on our 5th coordinator in 5 years and the defenses have changed accordingly. Further, I think the personalities of the teams have changed quite a bit depending on who the star(s) is/are.

-Stoops isn't beholden to a certain type of offense either, as his have changed depending on who his coordinator was. Under Mike Leach it was more or less what you see at Tech. Under Mangino it was more traditional spread stuff out of the gun. With Chuck Long as OC, they moved to a more balanced offense with some power running stuff, particularly with Adrian Peterson. When Kevin Wilson (Randy Walker disciple) took over in '06, they maintained the balanced aspect but moved away from the power running stuff into more of a finesse offense with lots of shotgun. But you're right in that Stoops' defenses have remained pretty constant- usually good but overly aggressive and susceptible to play action and double moves.

-Mizzou has only been decent for only the last 3 seasons, and as mentioned they did blow out Arkansas last year in the Cotton Bowl. They are 3-2 in bowl games under Pinkel.

 

[Wells4Heisman]

I'm leaving for the Airport now.... Let's Bring it Home Bucks!!!

 

[EngineerHorn]

Um, guys? You know the game is tomorrow, right? Let's get some discussion going. I don't want to actually have to do work tomorrow. That would suck.

 

[Best Buckeye]

Um, guys? You know the game is tomorrow, right? Let's get some discussion going. I don't want to actually have to do work tomorrow. That would suck.

OK for starters let's discuss about how tOSU Buckeyes are going to shut down McCoy (that's ofer 1 McCoy )
and whup some Longhorn butt.

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

Missouri whipped a pretty good Arkansas team in the Cotton Bowl last year

True. What I was referring to was the lack of performance by Daniels, who completed 12 out of 29 passes for 136 yards and an INT. That's not the type of performance you would expect from a Heisman finalist against Arkansas.

Some good observations, especially with the continuity of the top programs (Tech had remained pretty constant under Leach) and the description of Okie State is spot on. I also think your assessment of UT this year is accurate.

But I wouldn't do my anal-retentive side justice if I didn't put in my 2 cents. A couple things-
-The head coach and offensive coordinator at UT have remained the same for 11 straight seasons. Amazing continuity, I agree. But the offense at Texas has evolved considerably. Despite all the [censored] Greg Davis has received in the past from Texas fans, his strength is adapting the offense to the personnel. In '98 with Ricky Williams, we ran the ball out of the I most of the time and did a lot of play action. Between '99-'02, Davis went strictly West Coast (he was not shy about saying he modeled his offense after the Broncos) with the QB strictly under center. Starting in '03 with Vince, we started seeing the read option out of the shotgun. In '04-'05 it was mostly shotgun with some I-formation and ace sets. That was still in place in '06 when Colt took over but has evolved to working out of the shotgun 95% of the time. And as far as defense goes, we're on our 5th coordinator in 5 years and the defenses have changed accordingly. Further, I think the personalities of the teams have changed quite a bit depending on who the star(s) is/are.

-Stoops isn't beholden to a certain type of offense either, as his have changed depending on who his coordinator was. Under Mike Leach it was more or less what you see at Tech. Under Mangino it was more traditional spread stuff out of the gun. With Chuck Long as OC, they moved to a more balanced offense with some power running stuff, particularly with Adrian Peterson. When Kevin Wilson (Randy Walker disciple) took over in '06, they maintained the balanced aspect but moved away from the power running stuff into more of a finesse offense with lots of shotgun. But you're right in that Stoops' defenses have remained pretty constant- usually good but overly aggressive and susceptible to play action and double moves.

-Mizzou has only been decent for only the last 3 seasons, and as mentioned they did blow out Arkansas last year in the Cotton Bowl. They are 3-2 in bowl games under Pinkel.

Excellent post. The thing that I would advise Mack Brown to be careful is not to texas-techize his offense too much. I realize that you guys are running out of the shotgun a lot more, the formation works very against really good defenses only if you have burners at RB like Florida does and hold the LBers and safeties in check. I don't think it's the best idea to implement such an offense without these types of players, or you run the risk of getting completely shut down by a defense that excels against the spread passing game. However, you guys have more than enough athletes at QB, WR and OT to make up for that, so I expect a very good game.

 

[DaytonBuck]

Anyone have a read on Texas special teams?

 

[JXC]

The thing that actually scares me about Texas' offense is that they may be able to run the ball on us well. Teams that run out of the shotgun a lot, and base their offense around it seem to give OSU troubles. Especially when they can do it well. I think we are going to see Texas getting a lot of 5 and 6 yard plays, and if they stay patient, they may be able to just march down the field. As long as they don't give us opprotunities to make tackles for losses, or turn the ball over, I think they will be very hard to stop.

I think we will have quite a few more BIG plays...so the different to me will be if we are averaging 4 yard per play when you take away are BIG plays, or are we averaging 2 yards per play. If Hartline can run some decent routes underneith, and we can involve our recievers in the game more than we usually have this year, I think we are tough for Texas to stop. I do think Pryor and Beanie are going to be able to run the ball outside the tackles. Especially if they are all still in game shape. That's got to be the toughest thing, for both teams. Neither team has played a football game in about 6 weeks (a couple days over 6 for OSU and a couple under 6 for Texas). When neither team has played in so long, it makes me wonder if this could turn into a turnover fest. So I hope Tressel has the Buckeyes thinking "protect the football" because I think that will be even more important tomorrow. JL is going to have to have the game of his life if we want to slow down Texas.

 

[sepia5]

It also didn't help matters for TT that the officials actually called them on their systemic holding, which for some reason was not called much during Big 12 play, and NONE against UT despite doing shit like this all game:

And if you want some video evidence, check out the left tackle after he got beat grabbing Kindle's facemask to keep him away from Harrell.
YouTube - no call2

If I'm coming across as a sore loser, it's because I am one with this one game. It's one of those losses that just sticks with you and eats at you. And I'm not trying to take EVERYTHING away from Tech in their win. Harrell played a really good game and didn't miss, and the Tech receivers had some great catches. But you want to know how to beat Tech? Make the first tackle, limit YAC, punish the receivers after they catch short passes, but most of all, GET TO HARRELL. Kinda hard to do though when they're getting away with this shit. They didn't get away with it against Ole Miss as I counted 3 holding penalties.

If you're a sore loser b/c of those no-calls during the TT game, then I'm still a sore winner about these no-calls during the '02 National Championship game:

I'm so sick, to this day, of fans of opposing teams delegitimizing our National Championship on the basis of the pass interference call, when shit like this was going on, uncalled, all game.

 

[scarletngray]

A few keys to victory is:

On Defense:

1) Our D is going to have to be patient and not get frustrated with Texas
moving the ball. Keep to their assignment and no mental errors. Otherwise Colt will have a field day.

2) Our D is going to need to be VERY physical. We have to pressure McCoy and make him pay when he throws the ball; as well as bringing the lumber when he runs and after the receivers catch the ball.

3) Our D needs to create turnovers. I don't think we win a shootout. Our D needs to be opportunistic and create turnovers if we are going to win this.

4) No quick scores. Make Texas earn everything they get. No gimmes.

On Offense:

1) NO TURNOVERS or STUPID penalties. We need to play a mistake free game. Penalties killed us against LSU.

2) Be very physical. Our Offense needs to wear down the Texas D with a strong running game via BEANIE and TP. TP really needs to take the ball up field when he has an open field. This will not only move the chains and wear the Texas D down, but it will also keep Colt off the field.

3) Keep the Texas D guessing. We can't be predictable. A balanced attack, but a unpredictable attack, is neccessary.

4) Score TD's not FG's. We have to convert in the red zone. We won't win this game by kicking fg's.

GO BUCKS!! Beat Texas!

:osu:

 

[EngineerHorn]

If you're a sore loser b/c of those no-calls during the TT game, then I'm still a sore winner about these no-calls during the '02 National Championship game:

I'm so sick, to this day, of fans of opposing teams delegitimizing our National Championship on the basis of the pass interference call, when shit like this was going on, uncalled, all game.

Colt "Las Pistolas" McCoy: You ready to be fucked, man? I see you made your way to the Fiesta Bowl. Dios mio, man. Orakpo and me, we're gonna fuck you up.
Pryor: Yeah, well, you know, that's like, your opinion, man.
Colt: Let me tell you something pendejo, you pull any of that crazy shit with us, you try that play action shit to Beanie, I'll sick Orakpo on you to knock you down to the ground till your ribcage goes "click"
Pryor: Bullshit
Colt: You said it, man. Nobody fucks with the bulls.....uh....steers.......uh....Longhorns.
Beanie: Texas Tech, dude.


But it's good to know I'm not the only sore loser here.

 

[rocketman]

Um, guys? You know the game is tomorrow, right? Let's get some discussion going. I don't want to actually have to do work tomorrow. That would suck.

We need to score more points than you guys to win. Conversely, if you prevent us from scoring more points, you'll win.

Also, Harrell to Crabtree is why you're not in the big one, Colt McCoy saved some guys life a few years back, Ohio State has never lost a home night game, AJ Hawk is dating Brady Quinn's sister, 2005 USC is the greatest team of all time (Texas doesn't stand a chance), and Craig Krenzel is majoring in molecular genetics.

 

[daddyphatsacs]

A huge factor in tomorrow's game will be our ability to tackle in space. Texas likes to dink and dunk the ball quite a bit, allowing their athletes to get in space. We need to hit McCoy early and often, along with the receivers. If the Buckeye defense isn't on tomorrow night, I have a bad feeling about it. They have to be razor sharp for us to win IMHO.

 

[fanaticbuckeye]

We need to score more points than you guys to win. Conversely, if you prevent us from scoring more points, you'll win.

Also, Harrell to Crabtree is why you're not in the big one, Colt McCoy saved some guys life a few years back, Ohio State has never lost a home night game, AJ Hawk is dating Brady Quinn's sister, 2005 USC is the greatest team of all time (Texas doesn't stand a chance), and Craig Krenzel is majoring in molecular genetics.

I'm pretty sure you missed the QB controversy, the MoC fiasco and a QB taking money from a booster. Just trying to help out.