Bucktastic
Troy Smith for HEISMAN
Keys to the Big Games
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]Week Six, Oct. 8
Ohio State vs. Penn State[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial,
sans serif][SIZE=-1]
[/SIZE][/FONT]By John Harris
a. The Rookie – Flash back one year ago, if you will. Penn State ran a little option with Zack Mills, but the offense couldn’t score it’s way out of a paper bag. Hmm, interesting. This year, the option is a valuable weapon in this offense. Sure, QB Michael Robinson is better than Mills at running the option, but what has made this option that much more dangerous is the use of Derrick Williams as the pitch man. Okay, so you don’t like the option? Perhaps, you don’t want to see Penn State run the option. That’s fine, but you better find a way to put the ball in #2’s hands. The option is a perfect way to do that. When you see a kid that has ‘it’, you find a way to get him the ball. When they ran the option against Minnesota, he displayed the most impressive aspect of his game - the burst he had when he got the ball in his hands. On his first rushing TD of the Gopher game, he took the pitch and went from 0 to 60 in about 2.5 seconds. Most runners, especially guys that don’t get 25 carries a game, will have trouble finding a hole in a defense. But, Williams is so quick that he saw a glimmer of light, and burst through it like a man with his hair on fire (or with his wife chasing him). And, on the reverse in the second quarter, it was the same thing. Williams explodes past defenders, all the while making cuts at full speed. Ohio State is the one defense that can match the Nittany Lions’ Young Guns step for step, but Williams is another level of fast. Combined with Justin King and Deon Butler, PSU has some play makers on the perimeter for the first time in a long time, but it’s Williams that gives them a different dimension, (and takes heat off of both Robinson and Tony Hunt/Austin Scott in the running game) with his ability to carry the ball on option pitches and perimeter runs. The Buckeyes must find a way limit his touches, especially on the option, forcing Robinson to run into linebacker and/or safety support. That isn’t a great ‘option’ for the Buckeyes, either, but if they let the deuce loose, it’s trouble.
b. The Sophomore – It’s time. Quit playing around. Get him the ball. No questions asked. No matter what you have to do. Shoot, look across the field to see how PSU gets the ball to their ‘athletes’. That’s right. Ted Ginn? Meet football. 15 times. At least. It was this month last year when Ted Ginn announced his presence into college football with authority against Michigan State. But, the Buckeyes either won’t find a way to get him the ball, won’t give him the ball or he’s not 100% healthy. He doesn’t seem to be hurt, and in some respect, he’s fallen victim to opponents’ defensive focus, each and every week. Texas rolled coverage to his side all game long. Teams know that they can’t let #7 get rolling, and because of that, Santonio Holmes gets man coverage. Anthony Gonzales gets linebackers in man coverage. His presence alone gives others the chance to make plays, but it’s now time to force the issue. Okay, so ‘force’ is a harsh word, but somehow, Jim Tressel and Jim Bollman have got to put maximum pressure on defenses with Ginn. What’s a little frustrating is that in the opener against Miami University, Ginn moved around, came in motion, caught quick screens – that was the originality and innovation that we all craved. But, it hasn’t been quite that way since. So, change it. Come up with as many ways to get him the ball this weekend. It doesn’t have to be a bunch of trickeration, just hand him the ball. Shoot, at that rate, let him be the one on the backside of the formation all alone. Put the fear of #7 in the PSU defense all game long. No decoys. Just give him the darn ball.
c. The Veteran – With all of the newbies in blue and white running around with the football in their hands, it might just take a veteran like Buckeye AJ Hawk to put them in their place. Hawk has his hands full, unlike the test he had against Texas and Vince Young, and that should make you, the college football fan smile. Hawk seems to relish opportunities to take down the flashy offensive stars on the field. With the mix of spread option and I formation, the Nittany Lions will find a way to run the football with as many different ball carriers as they can. Hawk doesn’t really have a power back to worry too much about (Austin Scott is the closest thing), but he’ll have a number of opportunities to make tackles in the open field on Williams, Robinson and Hunt. But, if there’s a guy who can play in space, just as well as he can make plays between the tackles, it’s Hawk. The Ohio State defensive staff mixed in some blitz packages against Texas and Iowa, so it’ll be interesting to see how they do and what they do against Penn State’s varied running game. In particular, the key will be how they use Hawk – as a blitz disrupter or as a scraping LB behind blitzers Bobby Carpenter, Anthony Schelgel or Donte Whitner. The Buckeyes can play it straight up as well, because Hawk is so difficult to block at the second level. All in all, Hawk’s versatility gives the Buckeye defense some options, even if he’ll play the part of the old man chasing the young bucks.
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]Conclusion – The Penn State bandwagon is filling up quite rapidly, but the additions of the Young Guns on offense have transformed this entire team. The defense has been solid for most of the last two years, but they’ve not really faced an offense as talented as the one they’re going to see on Saturday. No matter whether you’re a Buckeye or a Nittany Lion, you’ll be holding your breath every time #2, #3, #4, #7, #10, #11 or #12 has the ball in his hands. These teams are almost mirror images of one another, but Ohio State has a little edge in their offensive line. That’s enough to make a touchdown’s difference. In what should be a great game, the Buckeyes stay unbeaten in the Big Ten.[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif] Ohio State – 27 vs. Penn State – 20[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2005/Columnists/JH/Keys6/BigGameKeys_OSU_PSU.htm[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]Week Six, Oct. 8
Ohio State vs. Penn State[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial,
sans serif][SIZE=-1]
[/SIZE][/FONT]By John Harris
a. The Rookie – Flash back one year ago, if you will. Penn State ran a little option with Zack Mills, but the offense couldn’t score it’s way out of a paper bag. Hmm, interesting. This year, the option is a valuable weapon in this offense. Sure, QB Michael Robinson is better than Mills at running the option, but what has made this option that much more dangerous is the use of Derrick Williams as the pitch man. Okay, so you don’t like the option? Perhaps, you don’t want to see Penn State run the option. That’s fine, but you better find a way to put the ball in #2’s hands. The option is a perfect way to do that. When you see a kid that has ‘it’, you find a way to get him the ball. When they ran the option against Minnesota, he displayed the most impressive aspect of his game - the burst he had when he got the ball in his hands. On his first rushing TD of the Gopher game, he took the pitch and went from 0 to 60 in about 2.5 seconds. Most runners, especially guys that don’t get 25 carries a game, will have trouble finding a hole in a defense. But, Williams is so quick that he saw a glimmer of light, and burst through it like a man with his hair on fire (or with his wife chasing him). And, on the reverse in the second quarter, it was the same thing. Williams explodes past defenders, all the while making cuts at full speed. Ohio State is the one defense that can match the Nittany Lions’ Young Guns step for step, but Williams is another level of fast. Combined with Justin King and Deon Butler, PSU has some play makers on the perimeter for the first time in a long time, but it’s Williams that gives them a different dimension, (and takes heat off of both Robinson and Tony Hunt/Austin Scott in the running game) with his ability to carry the ball on option pitches and perimeter runs. The Buckeyes must find a way limit his touches, especially on the option, forcing Robinson to run into linebacker and/or safety support. That isn’t a great ‘option’ for the Buckeyes, either, but if they let the deuce loose, it’s trouble.
b. The Sophomore – It’s time. Quit playing around. Get him the ball. No questions asked. No matter what you have to do. Shoot, look across the field to see how PSU gets the ball to their ‘athletes’. That’s right. Ted Ginn? Meet football. 15 times. At least. It was this month last year when Ted Ginn announced his presence into college football with authority against Michigan State. But, the Buckeyes either won’t find a way to get him the ball, won’t give him the ball or he’s not 100% healthy. He doesn’t seem to be hurt, and in some respect, he’s fallen victim to opponents’ defensive focus, each and every week. Texas rolled coverage to his side all game long. Teams know that they can’t let #7 get rolling, and because of that, Santonio Holmes gets man coverage. Anthony Gonzales gets linebackers in man coverage. His presence alone gives others the chance to make plays, but it’s now time to force the issue. Okay, so ‘force’ is a harsh word, but somehow, Jim Tressel and Jim Bollman have got to put maximum pressure on defenses with Ginn. What’s a little frustrating is that in the opener against Miami University, Ginn moved around, came in motion, caught quick screens – that was the originality and innovation that we all craved. But, it hasn’t been quite that way since. So, change it. Come up with as many ways to get him the ball this weekend. It doesn’t have to be a bunch of trickeration, just hand him the ball. Shoot, at that rate, let him be the one on the backside of the formation all alone. Put the fear of #7 in the PSU defense all game long. No decoys. Just give him the darn ball.
c. The Veteran – With all of the newbies in blue and white running around with the football in their hands, it might just take a veteran like Buckeye AJ Hawk to put them in their place. Hawk has his hands full, unlike the test he had against Texas and Vince Young, and that should make you, the college football fan smile. Hawk seems to relish opportunities to take down the flashy offensive stars on the field. With the mix of spread option and I formation, the Nittany Lions will find a way to run the football with as many different ball carriers as they can. Hawk doesn’t really have a power back to worry too much about (Austin Scott is the closest thing), but he’ll have a number of opportunities to make tackles in the open field on Williams, Robinson and Hunt. But, if there’s a guy who can play in space, just as well as he can make plays between the tackles, it’s Hawk. The Ohio State defensive staff mixed in some blitz packages against Texas and Iowa, so it’ll be interesting to see how they do and what they do against Penn State’s varied running game. In particular, the key will be how they use Hawk – as a blitz disrupter or as a scraping LB behind blitzers Bobby Carpenter, Anthony Schelgel or Donte Whitner. The Buckeyes can play it straight up as well, because Hawk is so difficult to block at the second level. All in all, Hawk’s versatility gives the Buckeye defense some options, even if he’ll play the part of the old man chasing the young bucks.
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]Conclusion – The Penn State bandwagon is filling up quite rapidly, but the additions of the Young Guns on offense have transformed this entire team. The defense has been solid for most of the last two years, but they’ve not really faced an offense as talented as the one they’re going to see on Saturday. No matter whether you’re a Buckeye or a Nittany Lion, you’ll be holding your breath every time #2, #3, #4, #7, #10, #11 or #12 has the ball in his hands. These teams are almost mirror images of one another, but Ohio State has a little edge in their offensive line. That’s enough to make a touchdown’s difference. In what should be a great game, the Buckeyes stay unbeaten in the Big Ten.[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif] Ohio State – 27 vs. Penn State – 20[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif][SIZE=-2]http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2005/Columnists/JH/Keys6/BigGameKeys_OSU_PSU.htm[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
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