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Game Thread Game One: #1 Ohio State 35, Northern Illinois 12 (9/2/06)

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ok all I am saying is that when a player is putting a heisman performance on your D it's better to start clamping down on him. People dbl team Ginn. People Kick away from ginn.
So I would tell My D that , depending on the Defense called,
If Wolfe leaves the backfield I want some one to follow him. In other words I want the pass or run to go to someone other than Wolfe. Kinda Like fronting Jordan so he got the ball less in BB. He gets his points just less of them.

I have enjoyed this conversation Grad thanks! Now i have to go visiting in a few minutes
 
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Best Buckeye said:
ok all I am saying is that when a player is putting a heisman performance on your D it's better to start clamping down on him. People dbl team Ginn. People Kick away from ginn.
So I would tell My D that , depending on the Defense called,
If Wolfe leaves the backfield I want some one to follow him. In other words I want the pass or run to go to someone other than Wolfe.
Click to expand...

...and all I am saying is that it is different with a RB. You can commit a CB and a safety over the top for Ginn...you can choke him at the line. LBs must respect their reads and cover gaps on playaction. It is not easy nor feasible to tell a player, "follow Wolfe" everywhere.

Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. If it did, no RB would EVER excel.
 
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osugrad21 said:
... It is not easy nor feasible to tell a player, "follow Wolfe" everywhere.

Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. If it did, no RB would EVER excel.
Click to expand...

I didnt say that, I said that I would have the D be aware when he leaves the backfield and for someone , like whoever is closest, to follow him
So when AJ smothered Walker last year or Hart he didnt start out being aware of them. I know he wasnt told to follow them but he sure was aware enough to make a play becuase he saw them leave the back field and he followed and made a play.
sorry we will have to finish this later if you want to> Bye
 
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Best Buckeye said:
So when AJ smothered Walker last year or Hart he didnt start out being aware of them. I know he wasnt told to follow them but he sure was aware enough to make a play becuase he saw them leave the back field and he followed and made a play.
sorry we will have to finish this later if you want to> Bye
Click to expand...
So wouldn't that be execution? Did I mention execution before? presence? Experience? Hmmmm....

You are changing your statements to fit your needs here...
 
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grad let it go, youve explained yourself very well to anyone/everyone who wants to see your perspective (one which is very valuable) the point is not being taken. while im on it 21 give us what you saw as a handful of pluses and minuses on d from yesterday. ive yet to rewatch it.
 
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jimotis4heisman said:
grad let it go, youve explained yourself very well to anyone/everyone who wants to see your perspective (one which is very valuable) the point is not being taken. while im on it 21 give us what you saw as a handful of pluses and minuses on d from yesterday. ive yet to rewatch it.
Click to expand...
JO, I posted this a few pages back...I haven't re-watched the game and I'm not sure if I will. Its Texas time in my mind...

Anyway:

My notes during the game...this is all based off of an initial viewing and some frantic notes.

There were 3 Heisman hopefuls on the field...not a one of them disappointed.

#1...Wolfe is a special player. I was very impressed with him...although I do think a portion of his success was due to inexcusable defensive mistakes. However, the kid made the plays, followed his blocks, and accelerated like nobody I've seen in years. G-String drove us all crazy with his infatuation...but I wil swallow that pill today. GWolfe was the best RB on the field today.

Offense

--What more needs to be said about the growth of Troy Smith? He checked down multiple times, NEVER flushed early, forced (by my count) one throw, and was unbelievable in a pretty conservatibe plan all day. Great things to come from Troy...

--The OL is all it is cracked up to be. Even though it was an overmatched opponent, the OL seem cohesive and on the same page...how many times can you say that over that last few years? Depth...I love it.

--The stable of RBs...Pitt was his usual steady self. He is not as impressive as Beanie...but he is a guarantee during CDub's grooming. MoW showed signs of brilliance and I look for a more expanded role from him for next week...

--WRs...Teddy is a stud, but we all knew that. I was impressed with Robo and Hartline...both had some impressive catches and seemed to get after it blocking. Ray Small is special...you can just tell there was a chance when he had the ball.

--TEs--Nicol was not great...but he was not bad. Adequate is about all that came to mind during the game.

Defense

9 new starters...high expectations...some disappointment...but reality is that this was a pretty good performance against a special player.

Wolfe gouged the D on a few plays...the 2nd screen for 60some yards was the perfect call against the called defense. Props to the NIU tendency report...

DL--Ghoston was hell off the edge...I liked that. As a whole the DL was good...but not as great as hyped. However, the rotation was VERY free today so there is not to be taken from today imo.

--The LBs were inconsistent. I like Laurinaitis...I thought he met his fits well and made some plays that wer not his. Larry Grant is not used to this speed or the way the D-1 OL get to the second level. When scouting his film, I mentioned his shedding...today, he was eaten up at times. With polish, he will contribute, but JL is my choice for now. Kerr had his chances...I liked Homan though. Kerr will be in position...but is not a gamechanger imo. Freeman was steady all day. However, he was not as aggressive as he can be...nerves, playing the scheme, whatever...Marcus can bring more and will.

--Secondary--Where to begin? Positives...Malcolm Jenkins is a stud. Period. ASmith was adequate at the other corner. However, the safeties and their alley fills were what scared me...Brandon Mitchell is a great Buckeye, but he missed WAY too many tackles today. I counted at least 6 crucial misses. JamO played poor technique and was out of position just as much. Nick Patterson was where he needed to be but he is not a gamechanger. Anderson Russell made some great plays in support also.

Overall, the D changed philosophy after the 1st quarter...I don't want to say the dogs were called off, but they were not attacking all-out as they did early. However, the perimeter play must improve and the safeties must fill alleys. That lacking play is a sign of confidence...guys afraid to make mistakes. They cannot play that way next week against a Texas team that does not rely on one player.
Click to expand...

I seriously saw 2004 yesterday...talent out the wazoo, but very undisciplined angles and lanes. Wolfe is part of that, but some things that happened yesterday are inexcusable. Safety play was horrible and the LBs were a step behind on most plays. However, a young, inexperienced D can be helped by putting them in motion. Notice how much blitzing/stunting we did in the 1st 15 minutes and how well they played...when they were asked to sit and read, well we gave up some big plays.

It was a learning experience for all of them yesterday...coaches included.
 
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My view from the Horseshoe (even though most of these points have already been rehashed):

First NIU:
  • Garrett Wolfe is the real deal. He'll have multiple 200+ yard rushing games this year carry NIU to at least the MAC Championship game and a Bowl game. If he stays healthy he has a chance to go over 2000 yards for the season. It'll be interesting to see how he performs against Iowa.
  • NIU's offensive line was good on the stretch runs to free Wolfe to the outside.
Offense:
  • Troy Smith - Looked great for the most part. Saw his passer rating was over 400 in the first quarter and ended up with a rating of 211 for the game. Once OSU was up by 28 Tressel pulled back the reigns. Only rushed the ball once, which was a good thing. Why run when he didn't have to? Only "complaint" I had today was not leading Ginn enough in the deep throws (but Ginn is so fast I'd imagine it is hard to do this).
  • Ted Ginn - Looked very good route running and punt returning. Needs to work on his downfield blocking a bit.
  • Antonio Pittman - Still the #1 back IMO. Had very good vision at times and broke off some nice 10-15 yard runs. If he can do that against Texas our offense will be very successful. Good to see him get a TD early this year.
  • Chris Wells - Sometime in the second quarter I told the guy sitting next to me "The way he runs reminds me of Eddie George". Sure enough, he pulled an "Eddie" and fumbled in the 3rd quarter. :wink2: He'll be a great one and will be a great complement to Pittman this year.
  • Anthony Gonzalez - He ran some great routes today and will be a great first/second option for Troy all year. Always looks great on his post patterns.
  • Offensive line - Looked solid but hard to get a gague agains NIU's defensive line. If they hold their own next week against Texas, look out for the rest of the year.
  • Overall - Very, very solid offense. Great to see them open it up a bit, even though the plays were base plays and didn't give anything away for Texas or Big10 teams. If they improve on this performance look out Texas.
Defense:
  • Vernon Gholsten - Simply amazing. 'Nuf said. If he plays this type of game next week he'll give Colt some fits.
  • LB's - Order in performance, best to worst (factoring in experience): Homan, Freeman, Grant, Lauranitis, Kerr. I thought they played very good at times but need to work on their outside pursuit. The first three will be the starters against Texas though all will see meaningful playing time.
  • Secondary - I don't think they were tested that much with their downfield coverage. As most everyone has pointed out this unit needs to improve the most but most figured this was the weak point going into the season. I expect a better performance next week, especially tackling.
  • Overall - Very good at times, servicable at others. They'll give up some points to Texas (24-30) but will also cause some big plays.
Special Teams:
  • Place kickers - Good job on kickoffs, need some confidence with the field goals.
  • Ted returning - Looked great on punt returns. Kick returns he was neutralized a bit by the pooch kicks.
  • Gonzalez returning - Will be a very good complement to Ginn this year.
  • Kick coverage - Only one punt and that was a fair catch, good enough for me. Kick return coverage was spotty at times.
  • Overall - Take the good with the bad, not the normal Tressel special teams. A good game to build on though.
Overall performance - This was a good game to indoctrinate the youngsters into big time college football. Now that their nerves are gone I'll expect more against Texas. The defense looks like it could evolve into a bend but not break defense, a la 2002 but not as dominant. The offense looks like they can turn on their game at will and has many weapons... easily the best offense since 1998 and could be better than that one (we'll see as the year progresses). Overall, I feel good against Texas and I think that game will be a shoot-out (possibly both teams scoring more than 30 points).

:gobucks3::gobucks4:


Edit to add: This was the first time I have been in the 'Shoe since 2004 and the atmosphere, as always, didn't disappoint! To go along with watching the best team in the land, we got to see the alumni band play and quad-script OHIO performed... very awesome sight! After the game on our way back to our car we saw the "Huskie Bus" (or whatever it was called)... no one was around or I would have stopped by to say hi. Good luck NIU the rest of the season!
 
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Mahoning Valley moves into Columbus
By ED PUSKAS Tribune Chronicle Sports Editor


COLUMBUS — There was a distinct Mahoning Valley feel Saturday at Ohio Stadium, where Ohio State opened its season with a 35-12 victory over Northern Illinois.

It started with the head coaches. Ohio State coach Jim Tressel spent 15 years at Youngstown State and won four national championships with the Penguins during the 1990s.

Like Tressel, NIU’s Joe Novak is a native of greater Cleveland who got his coaching start in the Valley. Novak spent several years — including two as the head coach — at Warren Western Reserve High School.

Tressel continues to mine the Valley for talent. Howland’s Doug Datish is the Buckeyes’ starting center. Datish is a fifth-year senior who has already graduated with a degree in history. He now makes the calls on the offensive line.

Shaun Lane, a star tailback at Hubbard, is a sophomore defensive back for Ohio State. Lane is the son of former Buckeyes defensive back — and Youngstown native — Garcia Lane.

Shaun Lane saw action on special teams against the Huskies.

Warren G. Harding’s Dimitrios Makridis, a junior, is Ohio State’s second-team long snapper. Zach Willis, a former teammate of Shaun Lane at Hubbard, is a sophomore defensive back for the Buckeyes.

Boardman native Michael Dougherty also is a sophomore defensive back for Ohio State.

* OFFICIALLY HURT: Official Dave Witvoet suffered a dislocated left shoulder after an inadvertent collision with Northern Illinois tailback Garrett Wolfe late in the first quarter.

Ohio State linebacker Larry Grant intercepted a Phil Horvath passed and returned it 49 yards. During the return, Wolfe and Witvoet got tangled up near midfield and the official fell awkwardly.

Witvoet had to be helped from the field.

* KICKING AWAY: Northern Illinois wanted no part of Ted Ginn Jr. on kickoff returns. The Huskies consistently kicked away from Ginn when they punted, and kicked short of the former Cleveland Glenville star on kickoffs.

But another former Tarblooder made them pay on a 31-yard kickoff return in the third quarter.

* GO FOR IT: Tressel delighted Ohio State fans when he elected to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Northern Illinois 35. Chris Wells ran for 9 yards off right tackle to get the first down.

It could be that Tressel wasn’t thrilled about the possibility of a field-goal attempt, considering Aaron Pettrey and Ryan Pretorius each missed one in the first half.

Pretorius was short from 51 yards. Pettrey, the Buckeyes’ No. 1 placekicker, missed wide right from 44 yards.

* GET OFFENSIVE: It’s hard to believe some people used to criticize Ohio State for being too conservative on offense. Saturday’s 35-point effort against the Huskies means the Buckeyes have now at least 35 points in seven of their last eight games, dating back to a 35-24 victory over Michigan State on Oct. 15, 2005.

Ohio State scored touchdowns on each of its first four possessions Saturday. That had not happened since Sept. 7, 2002, when the Buckeyes accomplished the feat against Kent State.

* OLD SCHOOL: Former Ohio State coaches Earle Bruce (1979-87) and John Cooper (1988-2000) watched the game from the press box.

Saturday’s victory gave Tressel a 51-13 record as the Buckeyes’ coach. His winning percentage of .797 is second only to Carroll C. Widdoes (16-2, .889), who coached just two seasons (1944-45) in Columbus.

Five of Tressel’s 13 defeats came in 2001, his first season with the Buckeyes, when Ohio State finished 7-5.

Woody Hayes (1951-78) was 205-61-10 for a winning percentage of .761. Bruce (81-26-1, .755) and Cooper (111-43-4, .715) put up similar numbers with Ohio State.

* LOOKING AHEAD: Saturday night’s showdown against Texas will be televised locally by ABC (Cleveland’s WEWS-Channel 5 and Youngstown’s WYTV-Channel 33). Kickoff is set for 8:13.

The Longhorns beat the Buckeyes, 25-22, on Sept. 10, 2005 at Ohio Stadium.

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Cakewalk: OSU wins
JASON LLOYD, Morning Journal Writer
09/03/2006

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COLUMBUS -- Ted Ginn walked to the line of scrimmage and saw cornerback Alvah Hansbro directly in front of him and nobody else.

Ginn looked at Troy Smith, Troy looked at Ted. And that was it.

http://bannerads.zwire.com/bannerad...CT=50&AREA=409&VERT=1897&NAREA=409&barnd=9383 Thirteen seconds later, touchdown.

Ohio State looked every bit like the No. 1 team in the country -- at least for the first quarter -- and that was plenty in yesterday's 35-12 win over Northern Illinois. Each of the first four drives resulted in touchdowns, and by the end of the first quarter, Smith was 6-of-7 passing for 149 yards and three touchdowns.

''I voted for them as No. 1 in the preseason,'' Northern Illinois coach Joe Novak said. ''And I'll vote for them as No. 1 again.''

Two of Smith's first-quarter passes went to Ginn -- both for touchdowns -- including a 51-yard completion when the Huskies tried to handle him with single coverage. For the day, Smith finished 18-of-25 for 297 yards and three touchdowns. Ginn finished with four catches for 123 yards and two scores, while Antonio Pittman had 111 yards rushing and one touchdown.

''It's hard to adjust to speed until you've had to try to cover it,'' OSU coach Jim Tressel said. ''We knew that perhaps we could show them some speed that maybe they hadn't seen before.''

On the 51-yard strike in the first quarter, Hansbro had help in safety Mark Reiter, but he didn't get there nearly in time, since he was trying to cover both Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez. At the snap, Hansbro moved up to jam Ginn, who simply ran right by him for the first of what is expected to be many big plays between the Glenville duo.

''Last year I played a role,'' Ginn said. ''This year I am the role.''

Anthony Gonzalez also caught a touchdown, one of nine receivers Smith found in the game. Smith remained in the pocket all afternoon, leaving only once on a called option when he kept the ball near the goal line. He lost a yard on the play.

''He looked like me running out there,'' Tressel cracked. ''Our design was based on what Northern Illinois brings ... The way they deployed, we didn't think some of our designed quarterback runs were the best things. But they'll always be part of our plan.''

Even with all that went right early, yesterday's opener was hardly perfect. After the first four drives, the Buckeyes turned the ball over twice inside Northern Illinois' 10-yard line and the rebuilt defense surrendered 285 yards on a slick field to tailback Garrett Wolfe -- 171 rushing and 114 on screen passes.

The 171 rushing yards are the most against an Ohio State defense since Eric McCoo ran for 211 at Penn State in 1999. It's only the third time an opposing back has gone over 100 yards in Ohio Stadium since the 2001 season.

''Wolfe was good, even better than the hype,'' safety Brandon Mitchell said. ''His athleticism on that field was unbelievable. We were slipping and falling down at times, but he was making great cuts and not slipping at all. He's for real.''

Wolfe averaged 6.6 yards on 26 carries, including 11 carries of at least 8 yards.

Fortunately for the Buckeyes, their lead was big enough that it didn't matter. By the time Wolfe shook loose, the score was 28-0.

Northern Illinois had one chance to climb back in the game in the first quarter, down 21-0, but on second-and-9 from the Ohio State 11, Huskies quarterback Phil Horvath threw an interception right into the hands of linebacker Larry Grant, who returned it to near midfield.

The final score could've been more lopsided, but Chris Wells ran into fullback Stan White and fumbled at the 2 late in the third quarter. In the fourth, Justin Zwick replaced Troy Smith in the middle of a series. On his first snap, Zwick tripped and fumbled while trying to hand off. Northern Illinois recovered on its own 7.

''Sometimes you get in these types of games and you get an early lead, you get a little sloppy,'' Tressel said. ''We can't have turnovers that keep us from scoring points.''

Now with the Huskies out of the way, all the attention turns to next Saturday night and the rematch at Texas. The Buckeyes and Longhorns are ranked one and two in the coaches poll this week, first and third in the Associated Press poll. Much like last year, it will have major national championship implications.

''It's going to tell like it did last year,'' Ginn said. ''Who's going to go and who's not.''

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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ginn burns Huskies[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BY JIM NAVEAU - Sep. 3, 2006[/FONT]


[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]COLUMBUS — Apparently, everyone from Northern Illinois must have been otherwise occupied and not watching television in January when Ted Ginn Jr. got 15 yards behind Notre Dame’s defense and sped away for a 56-yard touchdown catch early in the Fiesta Bowl.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The tape of that game must be lying in the bottom of a Fed Ex truck somewhere in Indiana and was never delivered to the Huskies’ football office.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]How else do you explain Northern Illinois giving Ginn single coverage early in Ohio State’s 35-12 season-opening win on Saturday?[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It was a decision that ignited Ohio State’s offense and haunted the Huskies.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]After scoring on a 5-yard touchdown reception from Troy Smith on OSU’s first possession of the game, Ginn responded to single coverage with a home run, a 58-yard touchdown catch, the second time the Buckeyes had the ball.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]No. 1-ranked Ohio State went on to score on its first four offensive series and was up 28-0 by the first minute of the second quarter.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Smith completed 9 of his first 10 passes and finished 18 of 25 for 297 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions and no sacks. Ginn caught four passes for 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Antonio Pittman rushed for 111 yards on 19 carries. Freshman Chris Wells had 50 yards on 10 carries and scored his first college touchdown.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Northern Illinois tailback Garrett Wolfe was as good as advertised, rushing for 171 yards and catching five passes for 114 yards. But OSU’s defense – with nine new starters – shut down the rest of the Huskies.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ohio State coach Jim Tressel offered up the obligatory niceties, saying Northern Illinois was “a tough football team who happened to have a great back” and that they were “a team that was going to fight you all the way to the end.”[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]But then he cut to the chase, or rather to Northern Illinois cornerback Alvah Hansbro futilely chasing Ginn to the end zone on his long TD catch.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“We did come out and strike with some big plays,” Tressel said. “We knew that perhaps we could show them some speed that maybe they hadn’t seen before and that’s tough duty.”[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ginn wasn’t alone in delivering big plays during Ohio State’s early offensive outburst. OSU had 12 plays that went for 10 yards or more in the first two quarters.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]After Ginn’s second TD made it 14-0, Smith hit Anthony Gonzalez with a 15-yard scoring pass and Chris Wells ran eight yards to make it 28-0. Pittman added the final touchdown on a 1-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Defensively, end Vernon Gholston got 1.5 sacks in his first Ohio State start. But the play of the day might have been an interception by junior college transfer Larry Grant in the second quarter.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ohio State was comfortably in front, 21-0, when Grant picked off quarterback Phil Horvath after the Huskies had marched from their own 20-yard line to OSU’s 10. He returned it 46 yards and Northern Illinois didn’t get close to the end zone again until late in the game.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“I was hoping to give Ohio State a better test than we did today,” Northern Illinois coach Joe Novak said. “We got in a hole quickly and it was hard to come back. I was proud of the second half because we competed. We settled down and played better.”[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ohio State faces a tougher test when it plays at defending national champion Texas on Saturday night. The Longhorns came from behind to beat OSU 25-22 in a memorable game at Ohio Stadium. They opened with a 56-7 win over North Texas on Saturday.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“We took a step today. The next step is higher, we understand that. But I thought we took a step,” Tressel said. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [/FONT]
 
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Defensive stats

Can anyone tell me where to find these? All I've found is the offensive stats.
If someone has them handy as is willing to post them that would be great.

Did anyone else think Wells look winded at the end of the series in which fumbled? The way he just plowed into the back of the O lineman and then lost the ball even reminded me of a back that was just whipped.
From what I have seen of him, he seems to always run with his head up and will usually jump to the outside in a situations like that which developed when he fumbled. I think the kid was spent from running the ball on almost every play of that series. Even though his job is going to be to get the ball inside the five yard line I was hoping at that time they'd they'd give him a breather and allow Pittman to get the ball in the end zone.
Boy, the kid did look special. I hear a lot of comparisons to Eddie George but I just don't see that. He is so much bigger and stronger than George. especially at age 18!

Could the Bucks end up with two 1K rushers this year? Probably not, but it could be close.
 
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