Game Thread Game One: Ohio State 38, Youngstown St. 6 (final)

[MililaniBuckeye]

I think the Buckeyes should keep their eyes open for Louis over the middle.

Somehow I don't think they'll overlook Izzy...

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

They might want to split Izzy out rather than line him up tight. The farther away they can get from safety help, the better.

I don't care what they do in practice, the best way to deal with the speed of OSU's safeties is to avoid them as much as possible. Getting Izzy manned up with someone would be a good strategy, but how?

Someone reported that in nickel coverage we have Malcolm Jenkins dropping into a safety position. With his speed and instincts for the ball, this could spell i-n-t for teams better than YSU. Hard to man-up on anything but short routes when the safeties have that much range.

 

[Jaxbuck]

In just a few hours, we will begin game-week

Now it's time to put in the game-plan.

What would you do, if you were Coach Heacock? What would you do if you coached YSU?

Please: spare me the debate about whether you give the boys a spirited "let's win" speech or you try not to get their hopes too high. That's not remotely interesting.

I want to hear football strategy. How would you attack Ohio State's defense? How would you deal with a bigger, stronger, faster d-line than your boys have seen since Penn State last year? How would you deal with the fastest group of linebackers they will ever see?

How will you try to slow down a mammoth o-line when your defensive ends both weigh about 240? How on earth do you defend all our speed on the outside? Do you count on Coach T. to not use the speed on the outside and just focus on stopping the power game?

Pop quiz: What do you do?

If your X's cant block their O's....you know the rest.

If I'm YSU I use this game just like we are, its a glorafied scrimmage.

1) Let your starters have fun, set realistic goals for what is success and start substituting liberally once they taste some success. See Lee Corso taking a TO, running out on the field to take a picture of the scoreboard when it read IU 7 OSU 0. That kind of thing.

2) I would want to come away with as many reps as possible for as many players as possible without showing anything to my conference opponents. Obviously you want to be as healthy as possible but thats not something you can control so you can't make it a goal.

3) OR I might throw all the fun stuff at OSU to put crazy shit on film to give future opponents a lot to worry about that you'll probably never run again. Every crazy blitz, coverage, line stunt and defense I could come up with and the same concept on offense.

I know you said specific X's and O's but what can you really discuss there. Spread em out? Ok fine we have the athletes to play in space. Over and under defenses with run blitzes to stop OSU running it right down their throat? Fine but you know the TE's and deep pass are going to get worked on and hit some big ones then. JT is never going to let his team be one dimensional.

I look at games like this and wonder more at the strategy than the tactics. Maybe a coach from YSU says screw the fancy stuff, plays the game just like any other and sees the value of getting the reps in against an opponent they won't see the likes of again this year? Lots of different schools of thought on what you do in YSU's case imo. All have some merit, it would just depend on what you knew/thought the mentality of your team to be.

Danger to me would be building it up too much(if I'm YSU), spending the summer planning for this game and over playing the underdog card. What happens to your team when they get a cold dose of reality and see that usually Goliath beats David like a drum? Or maybe you've got the kind of team that can get over it quickly? I think my teams psyche and my experience as a HC would dictate to me what route to go.

 

[GoodLifeSean]

If I'm YSU, I think here is the strategy I go with
Offensively, its going to be tough moving the football, however you do have an experienced QB in Zetts. I air it out, While I realize that OSU is deep at most spots on the Defense, there are a lot more unknowns in the secondary beyond the first 4. Split em out, let it fly. Now the reality of doing this is you have a chance to score a lot or have the defense take a couple back on you, but its a good chance to give a Sr. some reps in the Shoe.

Defensively, Bring the heat. I really doubt YSU has the speed to deal with wideouts, though they may, so I send em from all over. After all Beanie is almost as big as those previously mentioned DEs, get some help in the front. Hope for some big plays by pressuring an experienced but not yet seasoned QB.

But I think I would try to approach it like any underdog should. Don't build your hopes. But refuse to give up. All any coach can ask for in this situation is to play their hearts out and get ready for the part of the season that fellow FCS schools are on.

 

[Zurp]

If I'm YSU, I do a lot of those dink-and-dunk passes against the grain. Short quick passes to negate any pressure on the quarterback by Ohio State's defense. I'd also run a lot of that annoying crap where the quarterback can either hand off to the running back or keep it and run outside. Man, I find that play annoying. But it would keep the opposing defense honest. Mix in a deep pass now and then, and hope for 5 or 6 miracles, and YSU might score a couple of touchdowns against Ohio State.

Defensively, like someone else said, bring the heat. You can't match up with Ohio State's talent, so throw all kinds of crap at them to confuse them. Hell, maybe even try a play where 11 guys blitz. Rough the quarterback up, a bit. Try to force Beanie to fumble. Stuff like that.

Accept no field goals. Go for it on every fourth down, when in field goal range. Try all kinds of weird reverses and crap when receiving kicks and punts.

Conservative play-calling won't beat Ohio State in this game.

 

[Taosman]

I think it will be interesting to see how many of our first 4-5 opponents will try to Gator us(dink and dunk, QB draw) our defense on the theory that we have a basic weakness in that regard.
In theory, anyway.......... :tongue2:

 

[jwinslow]

I think it will be interesting to see how many of our first 4-5 opponents will try to Gator us(dink and dunk, QB draw) our defense on the theory that we have a basic weakness in that regard.
In theory, anyway.......... :tongue2:

'Attack' has been the catch phrase (word) for the defensive changes this offseason. Also, the defense may have protected Smith & O'Neal at times last year, which should change with Russell & Washington.

 

[Jaxbuck]

'Attack' has been the catch phrase (word) for the defensive changes this offseason. Also, the defense may have protected Smith & O'Neal at times last year.

If so its one very big game too late.

Not to rehash an old wound but everyone I know down here(sensible Gator fans) were just stunned we didn't try to pressure Leak in the NC game. That soft zone stuff was perfect for him, his whole career he made horrid mistakes at critical times under pressure and we come out and let him get rythym and confidence. I still get sick thinking about it

 

[jwinslow]

I think even a grade school fan has the same nauseating regret. There were also reports that O'Neal was not healthy (which only made things worse). However, I still would take my chances with pressure. They'd still have to win with their defense, considering how that other battle was going.

Either way, things should be better against the pass this year, if the reports are accurate. I'm curious to see how a physical running team does running right at us, with our athletic but somewhat undersized DTs.

 

[Jaxbuck]

. I'm curious to see how a physical running team does running right at us, with our athletic but somewhat undersized DTs.

Yep. Thats the whole ball of wax for the year if you get right down to it. Thats #1, a healthy non-fumbling Wells is #2 and decent QB play is #3.

Gimmie all 3 and we can run the table. If we're missing #1 we'll probably lose at least 2. If we are solid with #1 we can still win big games without #2 and #3 although it would obviously be a lot more difficult.

 

[Bleed S & G]

If i'm YSU..

On offense I screen the hell out of the buckeyes. I run outside, occasionally a draw up the gut if the o-line is having some success.. alot of play action, and alot of underneath and swing passes, force the buckeyes to tackle in space.

On defense, i'm playing a man zone and keeping my fingers crossed that my d-line and linebackers can hold their own. All signs point to the buckeyes relying on the running game this year, so i would be running a 4-3 with a saftey up in the box dropping back into a zone over the middle. Maybe even a man-zone 5-2 defense.

On special teams, stay in the lanes and do the simple things and keep your fingers crossed.. i think this is where the buckeyes heavily out match all opponets and this is where the biggest diffrence in talent should emerge in this game.

 

[Bleed S & G]

isn't this like helping the terrorists?

 

[penguinpower]

YSU is not going to get fancy. YSU is a run first team and they will run the ball and throw short passes (at least try to).

If this doesn't wrok, then they will punt and go on Defense. No fancy stuff from YSU.

Understand that YSU has high expectations every year and this game will have absolutely no impact on their season except that the will drop from 5th in the polls to probably 12th after they lose the game.

YSU doesn't want to get anyone injured, because the season is long and they will need everyone to make a championship run.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Understand that YSU has high expectations every year and this game will have absolutely no impact on their season except that the will drop from 5th in the polls to probably 12th after they lose the game.

Someone else (or maybe you) has already mentioned this. You really think a I-AA team, no matter how good they are within I-AA, is going to drop in the polls after losing at the I-A national runner-up from the previous season?

 

[OSUBuckeye4Life]

Someone else (or maybe you) has already mentioned this. You really think a I-AA team, no matter how good they are within I-AA, is going to drop in the polls after losing at the I-A national runner-up from the previous season?

Yes. How far is up for grabs but there mgiht be a few teams hovering around YSU and them having one less loss (no matter to who it is) could very well have an affect on that.

Now I'm not saying I think they SHOULD, especially depending on how well they show up, but I do think it WILL happen. So much so I'd be willing to bet on it.