Game Thread Game Two: Texas 25, Ohio State 22 (final)

[gregorylee]

not even MSU's backup QB.

That would be Dowdel

Hookem,

Why do you think that Mack choking in a big game in Oct is any different then choking in a big game in Sept?

Our defenses are very similar and we both wear red.

 

[hookemhorns2004]

I have read through a lot of the posts in this thread, and as you might have noticed from my post above, I have been getting a little annoyed. Maybe its just me, but on hornfans.com, the longhorns there give you guys all sorts of credit for having a legitimate shot at winning the game. I am getting ready to passionately defend my team and proclaim why I think we will win. I hope you don't flame me or call me a sarcastic doo doo (was that what it was a few pages back), but shoot back with stats, angels, points, knowledge, arguments, whatever.


Young completed 63% of his passes after the Missouri game, which is really where he turned the corner last season (passing). Most of his INT's occured before that game. Anyway, about that time, the coaching staff showed him a highlight reel of his own plays to get his confidence back up (b/c everyone berrades him about his mechanics). I mean I guess you didn't watch the Oklahoma State (18 for 21) or Texas Tech games, but go back and look at the re-caps! Its a few clicks in ESPN website. On the year, as a SOPHMORE he threw 59% (including the early and bumpy passing games), which is better than any UT starter as a SOPHMORE from recent years (Simms, Applewhite, etc.) and a just a tad worse than beloved Chad Henne (61%). And that was with a subpar receiving corps. This year the team will be much stronger in that area, which will be very beneficial. There will be a bigger deep threat which will open up his running game even more.

Lets look at an example. The reason I return to Henne is because he is a Big 10 QB that you guys probably know very well. Vince Young vs. Chad Henne in the Rose Bowl. Just trying to bring up a high pressure game.

Henne -
Passing 18/34 Attempts for 227 Yards and 4 TD's (53% Completion)
Rushing 2 Carries with -8 yards and 0 TD's (-4 YPC)

Young -
Passing 16/28 Attepmts for 180 Yards and 1 TD and 1 INT (57% Completion)
Rushing 21 Carries with 192 yards and 4 TD's (9.14 YPC)

Furthermore, I here all this talk about Stop Vince Young, we will do this to stop him, we will spy this, or whatever. Ok, Focusing the entire defensive effort on Vince Young will allow someone else on the unit to have a solid day. Donovan Woods is not in the same talent galaxy as Vince Young and he still put up respectable numbers in the Alamo Bowl. However, he made some poor decisions in the face of pressure and gave the game away early. I don't see Young doing that. I see him stretching the defense with his legs on rollouts, draws, and broken plays while opening up misdirection, allowing the possibility for broken coverage by scrambling out of the pocket, and making at least one big play a quarter. I hear talk of VYoung poor TD/INT ratio. Have you ever considered Many of VY's interceptions last year were as a result of receivers running bad or flat out wrong routs? The receiving corps, which be more polished, shouldn't make as many of those types of errors this season. Not to mention, 8 of them came in the first 4 games of the season!


Ohio State returns 18 starters. Big Woop....Texas returns 17. Its not like this Texas Team isn't experienced in come from behind high pressure games either. Did Ohio State even have a come-back victory last year? Its not like Ohio State got to the mid-century mark in points last year like Texas did several times. Ohio State hasn't seen an offense this good since Miami in the 02 MNC game.

It also seems like the DE's of OSU are sluggishly slow, how do they expect to contain VYoung? There is also a weakness at the 2nd corner position, Underwood is out, someone w/ nill experience will have to step up. Some other questions with the OSU D-Line: Can they improve on last year's lousy 24 sacks? Can they make enough of a push up front to allow the linebackers to roam free? And can someone help the line get back to the not-so-distant past when teams ran at their own peril? Opponents blew into Ohio State for 130.4 yards per game last year, which was a mid-pack Big Ten finish. Also, it seems to me that some of the Buckeye fans think Hawk, will put Vince Young in Check. I personally will have to see it to believe it. On every level I have seen Vince make people look, foolish, and the Michigan in the Rose Bowl cannot be debunked as a horrible defense who is unable to tackle. Vince seems always to run just fast enough to be a step ahead of the competition.

You say Texas's offense doesn't match up well against Ohio State's defense? I say Ohio States offense matches up WORSE to Texas's D. How about the fact that Ohio State needs to develop a consistent and productive offense? How about some of these numbers: 1st Downs: 105th out of 117; 11th out of 11 in the Big Ten; Points per Game: 113th out of 117; 11th out of 11 in the Big Ten; 3rd Down Conversion Rate: 74th out of 117; 10th out of 11 in the Big Ten. If this was November, you can say what we did last year doesn't matter. But a game this early, it certainly is a telltale sign. Its not like Tressel is known for putting up high explosive numbers. 21 Points is just not going to get it done in this game. The strongest part of the Longhorn defense is the Defensive Line. Tressel will probably play typical conservative ball, and I could see a lot of 3 and outs with that philosophy. Ohio State O-Line struggled through much of last season, but granted, did come together towards the end. And what’s to say this O-Line won't gel until the 9th game, just like last year? Which QB will be starting? Smith is out for the opener, but Tressel has a hard-on for Zwick. Will Smith start for his first game in like 10 months? Will they go into the game planning on using smith as a fallback plan or vice versa? Doesn't seem like a solid game plan.

If Vince Young comes out gunning (I very much believe we will pass on the 1st play of this game), a few 10 yard passes to the WR and TE's, then what, how will you contain Vince since which seems like the only strategy? Furthermore, I see Selvin Young being just as productive as Cedric Benson was with 8 or 9 men in the box. I have even heard rumors about 4 WR set, but I won't believe it till I see it. I guess in the end, this is about which team can handle the other team's D-Line.

Ohio State lost a home game just last year, did they not (Wisconsin)? What about in 2001 (Illinois?) In my mind, Ohio State still has a lot to prove, namely that it can win more consistently. I think Texas is the more confident, polished team heading into the season.

The key for an OSU victory - outrush UT. UT is something like 65-0 under MB when out-rushing their opponents. And from the looks of things, I don't see how OSU will be able to do that. If Texas can establish the running game and grind out 4-5 yards a play, they will wear down this "vaunted" OSU defense. But if Ohio State collapses Texas’s line, it will be a long day for the Horns. I guess time will tell.

Lastly, There's always a lot of rhetoric coming from the players and coaches at this time of the year, but that Rose Bowl win did something for this team's confidence that needed to occur if they are going to take the next step as a program. There seems to be a greater sense of understanding that they might be on the verge of something great. As Vince Young progressed this spring and summer, you get the feeling that the players almost don't think they can lose as long as he's on the field. The comebacks against Oklahoma State and Kansas, along with the Michigan win, have made them total believers. The coaches sense this newfound confidence and are letting it grow. They really don't even need to say anything at this point. Maybe it wasn't an OU victory that would pole-vault UT to the next level, but rather a Rose Bowl victory that can hopefully carry them to a Big 12 Championship and a MNC.

That would be Dowdel

Hookem,

Why do you think that Mack choking in a big game in Oct is any different then choking in a big game in Sept?

Our defenses are very similar and we both wear red.

Because your coach isn't named Stoops. The fact that these two teams have never met is a great thing for MBrown and crew. Stoops has a mindfuck on Mack Brown, but he's the only one. For all you Mack Brown haters, heres a tidbit. Tom Osborne was 1-8 and 4-12 in his first 16 vs Oklahoma and 1-7 in his first 8 bowls but turned it around to finish 12-13. For the first time in school history, UT has acieved 10+ wins for 4 straight years and have finished in the Top 12 five straight years. Brown is 46-12 in Big 12 play. Before Mack Brown got to Texas, the Longhorns had not finished Top 10 since 1983. In the last 9 years, Mack Brown is the D-1's 2nd most winningest coach (90-22, .804%) second only to Bobby Bowden (91-21 .822%). This program is only going in one direction. Up, and it will be via a win @ the Shoe in September.

Another advantage Horns have? You guys play a decent team to open the season. You will be forced to unveil some of your offensive and defensive packages. UT on the other hand can hide everything. We could look totally past LA LA and still win. MBrown doesn't give 2 shits about the spread, so we'll get a few easy scores and pull the starters.

 

[jwinslow]

Don't mind the doo doo thing, that was an isolated incident. We are going to sharply disagree with you on your "yardage = everything" take on things.

You seem to be ready to make all kinds of allowances for changes with your team, but none of the same leniency for ours. Glad to hear VY turned it around, we feel Troy/Ginn/Gonzo turned around a morbid offense into an inconsistent big play offense.

Sorry your QBs have been so shoddy. Krenzel had a 60% completion rate, and he was far from a great passer. He got the job done, but JT needed a stout defense & special teams to compensate.

Ok State & Texas Tech don't exactly spell tough defense to us. Both have good offenses, but their defenses leave a lot to be desired. And I highly doubt you watched us play Purdue last year, which would be a comparable game (you seemed to be sarcastically saying, "What? Are you forgetting about these performances against average opponents?")

Most on here have not suggested they can stop VY. I doubt you've read very much on this thread about spying, maybe some, but I have a feeling you're remembering what you've read on BN and elsewhere.

The point is that your RBs and WRs ARE UNPROVEN, therefore they will have to step up, stop running bad routes, stop dropping passes, and avoid injuries (Selvin). All of this will probably happen, but until it does they are a very green bunch.

Donovan Woods put up respectable numbers? Are you kidding?

Oklahoma State quarterback Donovan Woods completed 15 of 34 passes for 137 yards and rushed for another 80 yards. Vernand Morency, one of the nation's top rushers this season, was limited to 24 yards on eight carries.

Again, if your WRs ran that many bad routes last year, whose to say they won't struggle with that at all this year? They probably won't, but you have a lot to prove that you are writing off. This is yet another example of you making allowances for what should happen... yet you will not allow us OSU fans to have the same optimism.

Texas returns starters minus Benson (the top-5 NFL pick RB that could run thru 8-9 men in the box) and DJ (the other top LB ). We lose almost no one that can't be replaced (even Nuge's replacement is pretty solid). There's clearly a big difference in who we lose and who you lose.

Ohio State hasn't seen an offense this good since Miami in the 02 MNC game.
It's pretty clear you don't understand college football very well. USC has one of the best offenses since Miami... who by the way we had no chance against and Tressel beat... you can argue the personnel was different but the coaching resume of the two is unbelievably different.

Texas has VY, and then mostly unproven potential at WR and RB, with a top TE. That is not even close to being the best offense we've seen. Michigan's offense was better... they just happen to not believe in defense in AA.

Our DE's are sluggishly slow? Based on what, that they won't be in the draft?

Nobody is debunking VY based on the Rose Bowl. But we will debunk the Rose Bowl based on watching Michigan play. You clearly did not see them play us, or Michigan State, or any mobile QB in recent memory. They have no concept of how to contain them, and their DC should have been fired years ago but is a close friend of the HC (sound familiar?).

Um, Tyler Everett has plenty of experience at CB and SS, and will be manning the other corner spot. So that argument is out as well. You probably don't know this yet, but OSU doesn't use two normal corners in their scheme. One guy is a boundary corner who has to be a better tackler and reactionist than coverage man.

So the fact that Michigan passed left right and around you does not mean you could struggle stopping arguably the top WR corps this year? Keep in mind that Michigan attack was missing their #2 WR Avant. So yes, there are plenty of reasons to think that you will struggle more stopping our passing game than us stopping your running game. Your DL is a true force, if they can disrupt the play you guys have a great shot. But if they can be held at bay at times (we are a big play offense, never claimed to be a consistent one), there is no way you can cover Holmes, Ginn, Gonzo and Dukes for very long.

If I were you, I'd check the early part of 2002 and see how the numbers were, especially against your Big 12 boys. Or later in 03 against the big 12. Or in 04.

You clearly have learned a lot of stereotypes and didn't watch much of last season. Did you even watch the game against michigan? That was clearly not a conservative only gameplan.

And what’s to say this O-Line won't gel until the 9th game, just like last year? Which QB will be starting? Smith is out for the opener, but Tressel has a hard-on for Zwick.
Again, I'm clueless as to where you get this stuff. An OL learns to play together over time, so its not like they are going to go back to being inexperienced together this year.
There is absolutely no question who the starter is if you ask anyone who watches practice or is close to the team. The media likes to hype up teh controversy to make you read their articles, but there is no question. Now with the latest incident, there could be, but that is the only reason.

Furthermore, I see Selvin Young being just as productive as Cedric Benson was with 8 or 9 men in the box.
That might be the most absurd statement I've ever read from a hornfan. There's no way the kid is going to be able to plow thru run-stopping defenses like Cedric. Most of the hornfans who are super high on Selvin would agree.

Ohio State lost a home game just last year, did they not (Wisconsin)? What about in 2001 (Illinois?)
You're bringing up 2001, where we lost 5 games? Thanks, because the year after it we were undefeated. (02 LSU horrible, 03 champs, 03 auburn horrible, 04 undefeated).

We're happy that you took a big step as a program... but it goes to show there are confidence issues that had to be overcome. Many of the players that are on this team were there when OSU won the NC. All have been around as Tressel has handled our rival well, and handled many top matchups.

Nobody's questioning that last year was rough. But so was 2001... and in 02 we didn't return nearly as many weapons on offense as we do in 05.

 

[SanClementeBuck]

Hookem, we Bucks hope your Horns team takes in and believes all you have said. Chances are, you could be right. My Buckeye helmet tells me life is what comes next, and what comes next for your talented team is a resounding challenge.

We hope Texas comes into Ohio Stadium believing they will prevail. We also wish that Vegas projects the Horns as 7 to 20 point favorites.

Woop em.

 

[hookemhorns2004]

Now that is what I am talking about. A solid response.

Ok, so you say your offensive line has improved over the course of last year. So has ours. Your defensive line has improved over last year? So has ours. My point about Tech is that they are a pain in the ass to play, especially on the road, I guess like Penn State is for you. And my point is about Oklahoma State, that yes, they are a middle of the pack Big 12 team, but that we have a very explosive offense, one that you guys just aren't used to. Yes, I said Donovan Woods had a decent game, 207 yards for one player isn't too bad. Now look at the talent difference and you can see what kind of game I can expect from Vince Young.

I read about your DE's being slugglishly slow from a few of your own posters about 80 pages back, before I stopped reading and jumped to the end. I will try and dig up some more info here and get back to you. Figured you guys knew your own team, but maybe they were wrong and you are right?.

The reason I said that about Selvin? I guess you hadn't ever seen him play. He averaged 5.0 yards per carry. He runs a 4.36 40. I actually remember seeing him play, I guess we have to wait and see on this one. He is as healthy as he can be as well.

I assume Smith will be starting then (barring this current incident?) Do you think thats smart considering he hasn't played in almost a year?

BTW, I am very happy that you responded with legitimate points. I like to wear my orange glasses, as you can tell, and I know you guys do as well.

Hookem, we Bucks hope your Horns team takes in and believes all you have said. Chances are, you could be right. My Buckeye helmet tells me life is what comes next, and what comes next for your talented team is a resounding challenge.

We hope Texas comes into Ohio Stadium believing they will prevail. We also wish that Vegas projects the Horns as 7 to 20 point favorites.

Woop em.

I actually believe the game will be a PK or Ohio State -1. The public will be all over you guys (with good reason) and homefield advantage is HUGE in this matchup. I expect tOSU to be a home fav. Just MHO.

 

[jwinslow]

For starters, we don't like wearing your ugly creamsicle colored glasses

Our DE's aren't fast, but I wouldn't call them sluggish. Nothing to worry about in pass rush, but they can contain VY enough. They won't be chasing him down tho. Our impressive speed on the DL is Pitcock, who can really motor.

Smith played in the final season game. Vince had a rose bowl victory and will have a worthless W against ULL. I hardly see Smith as being super rusty as you suggest. Most of the players haven't played in almost a year.

 

[hookemhorns2004]

Oh we have stopped great passing attacks before. We shut down OU's passing game, but I didn't pay enough attention to the running game. Peterson was a bit too much to handle though and he ran up and down the field.

<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1" width="368"> <tbody><tr class="x" align="right" bgcolor="#cccccc"><td>
</td> <td width="35">REC</td> <td width="35">YDS</td> <td width="35">TD</td></tr></tbody> </table> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="1" width="368"> <tbody><tr class="x" align="right" bgcolor="#ececec"><td align="left">Travis Wilson</td><td>3</td><td>34</td><td>0</td></tr> <!-- 62270 --> <tr class="x" align="right" bgcolor="#ececec"><td align="left">Mark Clayton</td><td>3</td><td>19</td><td>0</td></tr> <!-- 62281 --> <tr class="x" align="right" bgcolor="#ececec"><td align="left">Will Peoples</td><td>2</td><td>24</td><td>0</td></tr> <!-- 92795 --> <tr class="x" align="right" bgcolor="#ececec"><td align="left">J.D. Runnels</td><td>2</td><td>18</td><td>0</td></tr> <!-- 78873 --> <tr class="x" align="right" bgcolor="#ececec"><td align="left">Kejuan Jones</td><td>2</td><td>4</td><td>0</td></tr> <!-- 78872 --> <tr class="x" align="right" bgcolor="#ececec"><td align="left">Brandon Jones</td><td>1</td><td>12</td><td>0</td></tr> <!-- 78875 --> <tr class="x" align="right" bgcolor="#ececec"><td align="left">James Moses</td><td>1</td><td>2</td><td>0</td></tr></tbody> </table>
Chizik, last year's Broyles Award winner, will perfect our D even more.
<!-- begin middle column of width 5. -->

For starters, we don't like wearing your ugly creamsicle colored glasses

Our DE's aren't fast, but I wouldn't call them sluggish. Nothing to worry about in pass rush, but they can contain VY enough. They won't be chasing him down tho. Our impressive speed on the DL is Pitcock, who can really motor.

Smith played in the final season game. Vince had a rose bowl victory and will have a worthless W against ULL. I hardly see Smith as being super rusty as you suggest. Most of the players haven't played in almost a year.

But he hasn't played in almost a year coming into the BIGGEST GAME OF HIS LIFE! The rest of the team on both sides of the ball will at least will have had one team to practice on, fans in the stands, TV crews broadcasting the game, etc..

 

[jwinslow]

switching teams is a big deal, there are tons of great DCs that didn't have great success after switching... especially during their first few games. I doubt he'll be any less than average, but there are always growing pains as a DC.

 

[EngineerHorn]

You can really tell this game is getting closer. The banter is becoming a bit more heated.

Over 100 pages and 1500 posts. Wow. Let's get this sucker to 3000 before the game starts.

 

[gregorylee]

G, it only took my 1 hr and 8 mins to put all this shit together... :(

I have read through a lot of the posts in this thread, and as you might have noticed from my post above, I have been getting a little annoyed. Maybe its just me, but on hornfans.com, the longhorns there give you guys all sorts of credit for having a legitimate shot at winning the game. I am getting ready to passionately defend my team and proclaim why I think we will win. I hope you don't flame me or call me a sarcastic doo doo (was that what it was a few pages back), but shoot back with stats, angels, points, knowledge, arguments, whatever.

That is what we are looking for, not "were gonna win/kick your ass or whatever.

Young completed 63% of his passes after the Missouri game, which is really where he turned the corner last season (passing). Most of his INT's occured before that game. Anyway, about that time, the coaching staff showed him a highlight reel of his own plays to get his confidence back up (b/c everyone berrades him about his mechanics). I mean I guess you didn't watch the Oklahoma State (18 for 21) or Texas Tech games, but go back and look at the re-caps! Its a few clicks in ESPN website. On the year, as a SOPHMORE he threw 59% (including the early and bumpy passing games), which is better than any UT starter as a SOPHMORE from recent years (Simms, Applewhite, etc.) and a just a tad worse than beloved Chad Henne (61%). And that was with a subpar receiving corps. This year the team will be much stronger in that area, which will be very beneficial. There will be a bigger deep threat which will open up his running game even more.

First off, Henne (being a scUM qb) is hardly beloved. Your point is taken, but you also need to realize the the tOSU offence also hit its stride late in the season. More later in the post.

Lets look at an example. The reason I return to Henne is because he is a Big 10 QB that you guys probably know very well. Vince Young vs. Chad Henne in the Rose Bowl. Just trying to bring up a high pressure game.

Henne -
Passing 18/34 Attempts for 227 Yards and 4 TD's (53% Completion)
Rushing 2 Carries with -8 yards and 0 TD's (-4 YPC)

Young -
Passing 16/28 Attepmts for 180 Yards and 1 TD and 1 INT (57% Completion)
Rushing 21 Carries with 192 yards and 4 TD's (9.14 YPC)

Furthermore, I here all this talk about Stop Vince Young, we will do this to stop him, we will spy this, or whatever. Ok, Focusing the entire defensive effort on Vince Young will allow someone else on the unit to have a solid day. Donovan Woods is not in the same talent galaxy as Vince Young and he still put up respectable numbers in the Alamo Bowl. However, he made some poor decisions in the face of pressure and gave the game away early. I don't see Young doing that. I see him stretching the defense with his legs on rollouts, draws, and broken plays while opening up misdirection, allowing the possibility for broken coverage by scrambling out of the pocket, and making at least one big play a quarter. I hear talk of VYoung poor TD/INT ratio. Have you ever considered Many of VY's interceptions last year were as a result of receivers running bad or flat out wrong routs? The receiving corps, which be more polished, shouldn't make as many of those types of errors this season. Not to mention, 8 of them came in the first 4 games of the season!

I could very well be wrong here, but I don't remember a single person talking about spying VY, that would be suicide. VY cannot be stopped one on one. How to stop VY is by playing smart, fundamental mistake free defense. JFYI, Henne was a Frosh last year so we werent that freaking familiar with him.

Ohio State returns 18 starters. Big Woop....Texas returns 17. Its not like this Texas Team isn't experienced in come from behind high pressure games either. Did Ohio State even have a come-back victory last year? Its not like Ohio State got to the mid-century mark in points last year like Texas did several times. Ohio State hasn't seen an offense this good since Miami in the 02 MNC game.

Need I remind you that tOSU won that game, not that it matters today, but...

It also seems like the DE's of OSU are sluggishly slow, how do they expect to contain VYoung? There is also a weakness at the 2nd corner position, Underwood is out, someone w/ nill experience will have to step up. Some other questions with the OSU D-Line: Can they improve on last year's lousy 24 sacks? Can they make enough of a push up front to allow the linebackers to roam free? And can someone help the line get back to the not-so-distant past when teams ran at their own peril? Opponents blew into Ohio State for 130.4 yards per game last year, which was a mid-pack Big Ten finish. Also, it seems to me that some of the Buckeye fans think Hawk, will put Vince Young in Check. I personally will have to see it to believe it. On every level I have seen Vince make people look, foolish, and the Michigan in the Rose Bowl cannot be debunked as a horrible defense who is unable to tackle. Vince seems always to run just fast enough to be a step ahead of the competition.

You make a very valid point about our DE's looking slow, they aren't geriatric, but it would seem that they aren't going to blow anyones doors off either. As has been state REPEATEDLY in this thread, scUM had mucho trouble all year with mobile QB's, this cannot be debated.

You say Texas's offense doesn't match up well against Ohio State's defense? I say Ohio States offense matches up WORSE to Texas's D. How about the fact that Ohio State needs to develop a consistent and productive offense? How about some of these numbers: 1st Downs: 105th out of 117; 11th out of 11 in the Big Ten; Points per Game: 113th out of 117; 11th out of 11 in the Big Ten; 3rd Down Conversion Rate: 74th out of 117; 10th out of 11 in the Big Ten. If this was November, you can say what we did last year doesn't matter. But a game this early, it certainly is a telltale sign. Its not like Tressel is known for putting up high explosive numbers. 21 Points is just not going to get it done in this game. The strongest part of the Longhorn defense is the Defensive Line. Tressel will probably play typical conservative ball, and I could see a lot of 3 and outs with that philosophy. Ohio State O-Line struggled through much of last season, but granted, did come together towards the end. And what’s to say this O-Line won't gel until the 9th game, just like last year? Which QB will be starting? Smith is out for the opener, but Tressel has a hard-on for Zwick. Will Smith start for his first game in like 10 months? Will they go into the game planning on using smith as a fallback plan or vice versa? Doesn't seem like a solid game plan.

Damn dude, you got a little happy on this paragraph didn't ya! OK, TX "O" vs tOSU "D". I didn't say that but... tOSU's D strenght is it's LB's, that is not debatable, it will be breaking in 1 new CB which you say will be inexperienced. Chances are high that it will be a converted safety, you say advantage UT WR, but not so much in the schemes that we run. I would guess that it will be, at least on that side that early in the season alot of "don't get beat deep", and "sure tackling". Giving up the 8-15 yd completion and waiting as you say "for the "O" to make a mistake. tOSU might not have invented that theory, but we perfected it. (jesus this post is going to be long).
Conservative "Tressleball" "O" that you are planning on (unless tOSU gets up by 14 in the 3rd), that pretty much left the bulding after the MSU game last season (more later).

"O" line gelling, I don't really feel like looking it up, but IIRC, there will be only one new lineman this year (OK, dammit I had to look it up, wouldn't want to be wrong!). I was right, the only one gone it Mike Kne.

If Vince Young comes out gunning (I very much believe we will pass on the 1st play of this game), a few 10 yard passes to the WR and TE's, then what, how will you contain Vince since which seems like the only strategy? Furthermore, I see Selvin Young being just as productive as Cedric Benson was with 8 or 9 men in the box. I have even heard rumors about 4 WR set, but I won't believe it till I see it. I guess in the end, this is about which team can handle the other team's D-Line.

He has to complete them, and we all won't know the answer until that happens. You would be correct though in that it is much harder to defense a balanced offence. I cannot put any more stock int Selvin Young than you can in Eric Haw (sorry, neither one is proven). Yes, I will agree on the matter of the lines dictating the flow of the game. Isn't that true of pretty much any football game?

Ohio State lost a home game just last year, did they not (Wisconsin)? What about in 2001 (Illinois?) In my mind, Ohio State still has a lot to prove, namely that it can win more consistently. I think Texas is the more confident, polished team heading into the season.

You seemed to have skipped a year in there somewhere

Yep, you're right, tOSU lost the Wisky game last yr (that hurt too, thanks for reminding me. I hate those fuckers!). PS, 33-6 aint bad

The key for an OSU victory - outrush UT. UT is something like 65-0 under MB when out-rushing their opponents. And from the looks of things, I don't see how OSU will be able to do that. If Texas can establish the running game and grind out 4-5 yards a play, they will wear down this "vaunted" OSU defense. But if Ohio State collapses Texas’s line, it will be a long day for the Horns. I guess time will tell.

This is where we disagree a little bit, rushing is a key factor, but not the most important one. Turnovers will be the key to this game. Yes though, if UT doesn't turnover the ball and gets 4-5 yds a rush = game over. Time will tell.

Lastly, There's always a lot of rhetoric coming from the players and coaches at this time of the year, but that Rose Bowl win did something for this team's confidence that needed to occur if they are going to take the next step as a program. There seems to be a greater sense of understanding that they might be on the verge of something great. As Vince Young progressed this spring and summer, you get the feeling that the players almost don't think they can lose as long as he's on the field. The comebacks against Oklahoma State and Kansas, along with the Michigan win, have made them total believers. The coaches sense this newfound confidence and are letting it grow. They really don't even need to say anything at this point. Maybe it wasn't an OU victory that would pole-vault UT to the next level, but rather a Rose Bowl victory that can hopefully carry them to a Big 12 Championship and a MNC.

Well, the Rose bowl matters for the NC this yr, not last. Did I mention that tOSU wears red too? On to better things

last yrs season stats...

I told ya'll this was going to be long...

2004 Ohio State Football
Ohio State Overall Team Statistics (as of Dec 30, 2004)
All games

TEAM STATISTICS OSU OPP
--------------------------------------------------------
SCORING....................... 290 219
Points Per Game............. 24.2 18.2
FIRST DOWNS................... 186 226
Rushing..................... 79 94
Passing..................... 94 118
Penalty..................... 13 14
RUSHING YARDAGE............... 1745 1565
Yards gained rushing........ 1989 1837
Yards lost rushing.......... 244 272
Rushing Attempts............ 441 444
Average Per Rush............ 4.0 3.5
Average Per Game............ 145.4 130.4
TDs Rushing................. 11 10
PASSING YARDAGE............... 2105 2419
Att-Comp-Int................ 310-166-9 430-240-15
Average Per Pass............ 6.8 5.6
Average Per Catch........... 12.7 10.1
Average Per Game............ 175.4 201.6
TDs Passing................. 14 15
TOTAL OFFENSE................. 3850 3984
Total Plays................. 751 874
Average Per Play............ 5.1 4.6
Average Per Game............ 320.8 332.0
KICK RETURNS: #-YARDS......... 31-735 22-450
PUNT RETURNS: #-YARDS......... 37-602 28-207
INT RETURNS: #-YARDS.......... 15-164 9-42
KICK RETURN AVERAGE........... 23.7 20.5
PUNT RETURN AVERAGE........... 16.3 7.4
INT RETURN AVERAGE............ 10.9 4.7
FUMBLES-LOST.................. 22-14 13-4
PENALTIES-YARDS............... 71-537 72-548
Average Per Game............ 44.8 45.7
PUNTS-YARDS................... 67-2836 80-3455
Average Per Punt............ 42.3 43.2
Net punt average............ 39.2 35.7
TIME OF POSSESSION/GAME....... 29:34 30:26
3RD-DOWN CONVERSIONS.......... 63/171 76/198
3rd-Down Pct................ 37% 38%
4TH-DOWN CONVERSIONS.......... 2/5 6/17
4th-Down Pct................ 40% 35%
SACKS BY-YARDS................ 24-153 23-135
MISC YARDS.................... 5 47
TOUCHDOWNS SCORED............. 31 26
FIELD GOALS-ATTEMPTS.......... 24-27 13-17
PAT-ATTEMPTS.................. 30-30 24-25
ATTENDANCE.................... 629257 311188
Games/Avg Per Game.......... 6/104876 5/62238
Neutral Site Games.......... 1/65265

SCORE BY QUARTERS 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT Total
-------------------- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Ohio State.......... 95 76 51 68 0 - 290
Opponents........... 41 71 37 64 6 - 219

Overall Individual Statistics


2004 Ohio State Football
Ohio State Overall Individual Statistics (as of Dec 30, 2004)
All games


RUSHING GP Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G
----------------------------------------------------------------
Ross,Lydell 9 117 507 32 475 4.1 4 68 52.8
Antonio Pittman 11 72 403 22 381 5.3 1 43 34.6
Smith,Troy 8 82 401 62 339 4.1 2 46 42.4
Hall,Maurice 12 52 223 7 216 4.2 1 51 18.0
Joe,Branden 10 50 168 6 162 3.2 1 12 16.2
Ginn Jr.,Ted 12 13 124 11 113 8.7 2 28 9.4
Zwick,Justin 7 39 125 93 32 0.8 0 22 4.6
Santonio Holmes 12 2 19 0 19 9.5 0 19 1.6
Johnson,Dionte 5 4 10 0 10 2.5 0 5 2.0
Parker,Roshawn 2 2 5 0 5 2.5 0 3 2.5
Michael DeMaria 9 2 4 0 4 2.0 0 2 0.4
TEAM 9 6 0 11 -11 -1.8 0 0 -1.2
Total.......... 12 441 1989 244 1745 4.0 11 68 145.4
Opponents...... 12 444 1837 272 1565 3.5 10 41 130.4

PASSING GP Effic Att-Cmp-Int Pct Yds TD Lng Avg/G
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Zwick,Justin 7 110.89 187-98-6 52.4 1209 6 80 172.7
Smith,Troy 8 134.15 122-68-3 55.7 896 8 68 112.0
TEAM 9 0.00 1-0-0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0
Total.......... 12 119.68 310-166-9 53.5 2105 14 80 175.4
Opponents...... 12 107.60 430-240-15 55.8 2419 15 46 201.6

RECEIVING GP No. Yds Avg TD Long Avg/G
------------------------------------------------------
Santonio Holmes 12 55 769 14.0 7 80 64.1
Ginn Jr.,Ted 12 25 359 14.4 2 59 29.9
Hall,Roy 11 17 230 13.5 1 50 20.9
Childress,Bam 12 17 205 12.1 0 28 17.1
Hamby,Ryan 12 16 178 11.1 1 29 14.8
Anthony Gonzalez 8 8 179 22.4 2 68 22.4
Ross,Lydell 9 6 49 8.2 0 23 5.4
Antonio Pittman 11 6 26 4.3 0 16 2.4
Hall,Maurice 12 4 10 2.5 0 12 0.8
Nicol,Rory 10 3 34 11.3 1 23 3.4
Joe,Branden 10 3 27 9.0 0 15 2.7
Brandon Schnittker 10 2 19 9.5 0 14 1.9
Lyons,Devon 11 2 15 7.5 0 15 1.4
Johnson,Dionte 5 2 5 2.5 0 5 1.0
Total.......... 12 166 2105 12.7 14 80 175.4
Opponents...... 12 240 2419 10.1 15 46 201.6

PUNT RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD Long
--------------------------------------------
Santonio Holmes 20 214 10.7 1 63
Ginn Jr.,Ted 15 384 25.6 4 82
Youboty,Ashton 1 2 2.0 0 2
Childress,Bam 1 2 2.0 0 2
Total.......... 37 602 16.3 5 82
Opponents...... 28 207 7.4 0 32

INTERCEPTIONS No. Yds Avg TD Long
--------------------------------------------
Youboty,Ashton 4 83 20.8 0 35
Bobby Carpenter 3 13 4.3 0 9
Salley,Nate 2 0 0.0 0 0
Hawk,AJ 2 0 0.0 0 0
Brandon Mitchell 1 0 0.0 0 0
Pitcock,Quinn 1 14 14.0 0 14
Whitner,Donte 1 24 24.0 0 24
Everett,Tyler 1 24 24.0 1 24
Total.......... 15 164 10.9 1 35
Opponents...... 9 42 4.7 0 16

KICK RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD Long
--------------------------------------------
Hall,Maurice 19 487 25.6 0 62
Santonio Holmes 8 186 23.2 0 32
Ginn Jr.,Ted 2 40 20.0 0 23
Joe,Branden 1 13 13.0 0 13
Brandon Schnittker 1 9 9.0 0 9
Total.......... 31 735 23.7 0 62
Opponents...... 22 450 20.5 0 49

FUMBLE RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD Long
--------------------------------------------
Hawk,AJ 1 5 5.0 0 5
Total.......... 1 5 5.0 0 5
Opponents...... 3 47 15.7 1 27


2004 Ohio State Football
Ohio State Overall Individual Statistics (as of Dec 30, 2004)
All games


|------ PATs ------|
SCORING TD FGs Kick Rush Rcv Pass DXP Saf Points
------------------------------------------------------------------
Nugent,Mike 0 24-27 30-30 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 102
Ginn Jr.,Ted 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 48
Santonio Holmes 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 48
Ross,Lydell 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 24
Smith,Troy 2 0-0 0-0 1-1 0 0-0 0 0 14
Anthony Gonzalez 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 12
Hall,Maurice 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Joe,Branden 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Antonio Pittman 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Nicol,Rory 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Everett,Tyler 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Hall,Roy 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Hamby,Ryan 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Total.......... 31 24-27 30-30 1-1 0 0-0 0 0 290
Opponents...... 26 13-17 24-25 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 219


TOTAL OFFENSE G Plays Rush Pass Total Avg/G
---------------------------------------------------
Zwick,Justin 7 226 32 1209 1241 177.3
Smith,Troy 8 204 339 896 1235 154.4
Ross,Lydell 9 117 475 0 475 52.8
Antonio Pittman 11 72 381 0 381 34.6
Hall,Maurice 12 52 216 0 216 18.0
Joe,Branden 10 50 162 0 162 16.2
Ginn Jr.,Ted 12 13 113 0 113 9.4
Santonio Holmes 12 2 19 0 19 1.6
Johnson,Dionte 5 4 10 0 10 2.0
Parker,Roshawn 2 2 5 0 5 2.5
Michael DeMaria 9 2 4 0 4 0.4
TEAM 9 7 -11 0 -11 -1.2
Total.......... 12 751 1745 2105 3850 320.8
Opponents...... 12 874 1565 2419 3984 332.0


FIELD GOALS FGM-FGA Pct 01-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-99 Lg Blk
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Nugent,Mike 24-27 88.9 0-0 5-5 7-7 7-9 5-6 55 0

FG SEQUENCE Ohio State OPPONENTS
--------------------------------------------------------
Cincinnati (27),53,(23) (27),(25)
Marshall (55) 35
North Carolina State (50),(30),(33),(46),(47) -
Northwestern (34),(29),40 (41),(40)
Wisconsin (42),(55) (26)
Iowa - (45),(41)
Indiana (29),(52),(35) 40
Penn State 49 (21)
Michigan State (53) (27),(44),54,(53),(29)
Purdue (44) (33)
Michigan (21),(42),(48) -
Oklahoma State (37),(35),(41),(36) 42

Numbers in (parentheses) indicate field goal was made.

PUNTING No. Yds Avg Long TB FC I20 Blkd
----------------------------------------------------------
Turano,Kyle 65 2780 42.8 71 4 16 22 0
Zwick,Justin 2 56 28.0 32 0 0 1 0
Total.......... 67 2836 42.3 71 4 16 23 0
Opponents...... 80 3455 43.2 78 8 10 18 0

KICKOFFS No. Yds Avg TB OB Retn Net YdLn
-------------------------------------------------------------
Nugent,Mike 62 3908 63.0 40 0
Huston,Josh 2 126 63.0 1 0
Total.......... 64 4034 63.0 41 0 1270 43.2 21
Opponents...... 48 2901 60.4 13 2 995 39.7 25



2004 Ohio State Football
Ohio State Overall Individual Statistics (as of Dec 30, 2004)
All games


ALL PURPOSE G Rush Rec PR KOR IR Tot Avg/G
-----------------------------------------------------------
Santonio Holmes 12 19 769 214 186 0 1188 99.0
Ginn Jr.,Ted 12 113 359 384 40 0 896 74.7
Hall,Maurice 12 216 10 0 487 6 719 59.9
Ross,Lydell 9 475 49 0 0 0 524 58.2
Antonio Pittman 11 381 26 0 0 0 407 37.0
Smith,Troy 8 339 0 0 0 0 339 42.4
Hall,Roy 11 0 230 0 0 0 230 20.9
Childress,Bam 12 0 205 2 0 0 207 17.2
Joe,Branden 10 162 27 0 13 0 202 20.2
Anthony Gonzalez 8 0 179 0 0 0 179 22.4
Hamby,Ryan 12 0 178 0 0 0 178 14.8
Youboty,Ashton 12 0 0 2 0 83 85 7.1
Nicol,Rory 10 0 34 0 0 0 34 3.4
Zwick,Justin 7 32 0 0 0 0 32 4.6
Brandon Schnittker 10 0 19 0 9 0 28 2.8
Everett,Tyler 12 0 0 0 0 24 24 2.0
Whitner,Donte 10 0 0 0 0 24 24 2.4
Lyons,Devon 11 0 15 0 0 0 15 1.4
Johnson,Dionte 5 10 5 0 0 0 15 3.0
Pitcock,Quinn 12 0 0 0 0 14 14 1.2
Bobby Carpenter 12 0 0 0 0 13 13 1.1
Parker,Roshawn 2 5 0 0 0 0 5 2.5
Michael DeMaria 9 4 0 0 0 0 4 0.4
TEAM 9 -11 0 0 0 0 -11 -1.2
Total.......... 12 1745 2105 602 735 164 5351 445.9
Opponents...... 12 1565 2419 207 450 42 4683 390.2

Overall Defensive Statistics


2004 Ohio State Football
Ohio State Overall Defensive Statistics (as of Dec 30, 2004)
All games




|--------Tackles--------| |-Sacks-| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE LEADERS GP Solo Ast Total TFL/Yds No-Yds Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
47 Hawk,AJ 12 62 79 141 8.0-14 1.0-3 2-0 5 . 1-5 1 . .
42 Bobby Carpenter 12 46 47 93 6.5-25 2.0-16 3-13 3 1 . . . .
51 Anthony Schlegel 12 46 38 84 10.5-47 3.5-21 . 2 . . . . .
9 Whitner,Donte 10 47 22 69 4.0-25 1.0-11 1-24 1 . . . . .
26 Youboty,Ashton 12 47 14 61 3.0-9 1.0-7 4-83 14 . . . . .
21 Salley,Nate 10 26 29 55 . . 2-0 4 . . . . .
90 Pitcock,Quinn 12 20 29 49 7.5-25 2.0-13 1-14 1 . . . . .
6 Everett,Tyler 12 25 14 39 1.5-1 . 1-24 6 . 1-0 . 1 .
94 Green,Marcus 11 17 15 32 3.0-11 2.0-10 . . . 1-0 1 . .
29 Underwood,EJ 11 17 12 29 . . . 1 . . . . .
57 Kudla,Mike 11 18 10 28 6.5-31 4.0-22 . 2 1 . 1 . .
75 Fraser,Simon 12 12 16 28 5.0-20 2.5-15 . 6 2 . . . .
37 Fox,Dustin 9 22 6 28 . . . 3 . . 1 . .
97 David Patterson 11 10 9 19 4.5-14 2.0-10 . . . . . . .
99 Richardson,Jay 9 8 7 15 2.0-16 1.0-12 . . 1 . . . .
3A Welch,Sirjo 11 10 5 15 . . . . . . 1 . .
32 Brandon Mitchell 12 8 7 15 . . 1-0 2 . . . . .
5 D'Andrea,Mike 4 7 6 13 3.5-4 1.0-1 . . . . . . .
98 Penton,Joel 12 5 8 13 2.5-4 . . . . 1-0 . . .
13 Jacobs,Harlen 11 6 3 9 . . . . . . . . .
14 Smith,Antonio 12 4 4 8 . . . . . . . . .
89 White Jr.,Stan 9 5 1 6 . . . . . . . . .
1A Freeman,Marcus 11 1 3 4 . . . . . . . . .
95 Cotton,Sian 4 3 1 4 1.0-12 1.0-12 . . . . . . .
TM TEAM 9 4 . 4 . . . . . . . . .
38 Joe,Branden 10 1 2 3 . . . . . . . . .
60 Andrews,Kyle 11 2 1 3 . . . . . . . . .
46 Hoobler,Chad 5 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
86 Turano,Kyle 12 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
80 Hamby,Ryan 12 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
30 Ross,Lydell 9 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
85 Nugent,Mike 12 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
7 Ginn Jr.,Ted 12 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
4 Santonio Holmes 12 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .
70 Maupin,Brandon 5 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
44 Matthew Johnson 1 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .
25 Antonio Pittman 11 1 . 1 1.0-2 . . . . . . . .
1 Thomas Matthews 11 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
74 Barton,Kirk 11 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
8 Hall,Roy 11 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .
28 Hall,Maurice 12 . . . . . 0-6 . . . . . .
Total.......... 12 495 392 887 70-260 24-153 15-164 50 5 4-5 5 1 .
Opponents...... 12 441 382 823 69-242 23-135 9-42 41 10 14-47 15 . .



Combined Team Statistics


2004 Ohio State Football
Ohio State Combined Team Statistics (as of Dec 30, 2004)
All games


RECORD: OVERALL HOME AWAY NEUTRAL
ALL GAMES........... (8-4-0) (5-1-0) (2-3-0) (1-0-0)
CONFERENCE.......... (4-4-0) (3-1-0) (1-3-0) (0-0-0)
NON-CONFERENCE...... (4-0-0) (2-0-0) (1-0-0) (1-0-0)



DATE OPPONENT W/L SCORE ATTEND
------------ ------------------------ --- ----- ------
Sep 4, 2004 CINCINNATI W 27-6 104604
Sep 11, 2004 MARSHALL W 24-21 104622
Sep 18, 2004 at North Carolina State W 22-14 56800
*Oct 2, 2004 at Northwestern LOT 27-33 47130
*Oct 9, 2004 #15 WISCONSIN L 13-24 105090
*Oct 16, 2004 at Iowa L 7-33 70397
*Oct 23, 2004 INDIANA W 30-7 104538
*Oct 30, 2004 PENN STATE W 21-10 104947
*Nov 06, 2004 at Michigan State W 32-19 72222
*Nov 13, 2004 at Purdue L 17-24 64639
*Nov 20, 2004 #7 MICHIGAN W 37-21 105456
Dec 29, 2004 vs Oklahoma State W 33-7 65265
* denotes conference game

TEAM STATISTICS OSU OPP
---------------------------------------------------
FIRST DOWNS.............. 186 226
Rushing................ 79 94
Passing................ 94 118
Penalty................ 13 14
RUSHING YARDAGE.......... 1745 1565
Yards gained rushing... 1989 1837
Yards lost rushing..... 244 272
Rushing Attempts....... 441 444
Average Per Rush....... 4.0 3.5
Average Per Game....... 145.4 130.4
TDs Rushing............ 11 10
PASSING YARDAGE.......... 2105 2419
Att-Comp-Int........... 310-166-9 430-240-15
Average Per Pass....... 6.8 5.6
Average Per Catch...... 12.7 10.1
Average Per Game....... 175.4 201.6
TDs Passing............ 14 15
TOTAL OFFENSE............ 3850 3984
Total Plays............ 751 874
Average Per Play....... 5.1 4.6
Average Per Game....... 320.8 332.0
KICK RETURNS: #-YARDS.... 31-735 22-450
PUNT RETURNS: #-YARDS.... 37-602 28-207
INT RETURNS: #-YARDS..... 15-164 9-42
FUMBLES-LOST............. 22-14 13-4
PENALTIES-YARDS.......... 71-537 72-548
PUNTS-AVG................ 67-42.3 80-43.2
TIME OF POSSESSION/GAME.. 29:34 30:26
3RD-DOWN CONVERSIONS..... 63/171 76/198
4TH-DOWN CONVERSIONS..... 2/5 6/17

RUSHING GP Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G
----------------------------------------------------------------
Ross,Lydell 9 117 507 32 475 4.1 4 68 52.8
Antonio Pittman 11 72 403 22 381 5.3 1 43 34.6
Smith,Troy 8 82 401 62 339 4.1 2 46 42.4
Hall,Maurice 12 52 223 7 216 4.2 1 51 18.0
Joe,Branden 10 50 168 6 162 3.2 1 12 16.2
Ginn Jr.,Ted 12 13 124 11 113 8.7 2 28 9.4
Zwick,Justin 7 39 125 93 32 0.8 0 22 4.6
Santonio Holmes 12 2 19 0 19 9.5 0 19 1.6
Johnson,Dionte 5 4 10 0 10 2.5 0 5 2.0
Parker,Roshawn 2 2 5 0 5 2.5 0 3 2.5
Michael DeMaria 9 2 4 0 4 2.0 0 2 0.4
TEAM 9 6 0 11 -11 -1.8 0 0 -1.2
Total.......... 12 441 1989 244 1745 4.0 11 68 145.4
Opponents...... 12 444 1837 272 1565 3.5 10 41 130.4

PASSING GP Effic Att-Cmp-Int Pct Yds TD Lng Avg/G
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Zwick,Justin 7 110.89 187-98-6 52.4 1209 6 80 172.7
Smith,Troy 8 134.15 122-68-3 55.7 896 8 68 112.0
TEAM 9 0.00 1-0-0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0
Total.......... 12 119.68 310-166-9 53.5 2105 14 80 175.4
Opponents...... 12 107.60 430-240-15 55.8 2419 15 46 201.6

RECEIVING GP No. Yds Avg TD Long Avg/G
------------------------------------------------------
Santonio Holmes 12 55 769 14.0 7 80 64.1
Ginn Jr.,Ted 12 25 359 14.4 2 59 29.9
Hall,Roy 11 17 230 13.5 1 50 20.9
Childress,Bam 12 17 205 12.1 0 28 17.1
Hamby,Ryan 12 16 178 11.1 1 29 14.8
Anthony Gonzalez 8 8 179 22.4 2 68 22.4
Ross,Lydell 9 6 49 8.2 0 23 5.4
Antonio Pittman 11 6 26 4.3 0 16 2.4
Hall,Maurice 12 4 10 2.5 0 12 0.8
Nicol,Rory 10 3 34 11.3 1 23 3.4
Joe,Branden 10 3 27 9.0 0 15 2.7
Brandon Schnittker 10 2 19 9.5 0 14 1.9
Lyons,Devon 11 2 15 7.5 0 15 1.4
Johnson,Dionte 5 2 5 2.5 0 5 1.0
Total.......... 12 166 2105 12.7 14 80 175.4
Opponents...... 12 240 2419 10.1 15 46 201.6

FIELD GOALS FGM-FGA Pct 01-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-99 Lg Blk
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Nugent,Mike 24-27 88.9 0-0 5-5 7-7 7-9 5-6 55 0

|------ PATs ------|
SCORING TD FGs Kick Rush Rcv Pass DXP Saf Points
------------------------------------------------------------------
Nugent,Mike 0 24-27 30-30 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 102
Ginn Jr.,Ted 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 48
Santonio Holmes 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 48
Ross,Lydell 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 24
Smith,Troy 2 0-0 0-0 1-1 0 0-0 0 0 14
Anthony Gonzalez 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 12
Joe,Branden 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Nicol,Rory 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Everett,Tyler 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Hall,Maurice 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Antonio Pittman 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Hamby,Ryan 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Hall,Roy 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 6
Total.......... 31 24-27 30-30 1-1 0 0-0 0 0 290
Opponents...... 26 13-17 24-25 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 219

SCORE BY QUARTERS 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT Total
-------------------- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Ohio State.......... 95 76 51 68 0 - 290
Opponents........... 41 71 37 64 6 - 219

INTERCEPTIONS No. Yds Avg TD Long
--------------------------------------------
Youboty,Ashton 4 83 20.8 0 35
Bobby Carpenter 3 13 4.3 0 9
Salley,Nate 2 0 0.0 0 0
Hawk,AJ 2 0 0.0 0 0
Everett,Tyler 1 24 24.0 1 24
Brandon Mitchell 1 0 0.0 0 0
Pitcock,Quinn 1 14 14.0 0 14
Whitner,Donte 1 24 24.0 0 24
Total.......... 15 164 10.9 1 35
Opponents...... 9 42 4.7 0 16

PUNTING No. Yds Avg Long TB FC I20 Blkd
----------------------------------------------------------
Turano,Kyle 65 2780 42.8 71 4 16 22 0
Zwick,Justin 2 56 28.0 32 0 0 1 0
Total.......... 67 2836 42.3 71 4 16 23 0
Opponents...... 80 3455 43.2 78 8 10 18 0

PUNT RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD Long
--------------------------------------------
Santonio Holmes 20 214 10.7 1 63
Ginn Jr.,Ted 15 384 25.6 4 82
Childress,Bam 1 2 2.0 0 2
Youboty,Ashton 1 2 2.0 0 2
Total.......... 37 602 16.3 5 82
Opponents...... 28 207 7.4 0 32

KICK RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD Long
--------------------------------------------
Hall,Maurice 19 487 25.6 0 62
Santonio Holmes 8 186 23.2 0 32
Ginn Jr.,Ted 2 40 20.0 0 23
Brandon Schnittker 1 9 9.0 0 9
Joe,Branden 1 13 13.0 0 13
Total.......... 31 735 23.7 0 62
Opponents...... 22 450 20.5 0 49

ALL PURPOSE G Rush Rec PR KOR IR Tot Avg/G
-----------------------------------------------------------
Santonio Holmes 12 19 769 214 186 0 1188 99.0
Ginn Jr.,Ted 12 113 359 384 40 0 896 74.7
Hall,Maurice 12 216 10 0 487 6 719 59.9
Ross,Lydell 9 475 49 0 0 0 524 58.2
Antonio Pittman 11 381 26 0 0 0 407 37.0
Total.......... 12 1745 2105 602 735 164 5351 445.9
Opponents...... 12 1565 2419 207 450 42 4683 390.2

TOTAL OFFENSE G Plays Rush Pass Total Avg/G
---------------------------------------------------
Zwick,Justin 7 226 32 1209 1241 177.3
Smith,Troy 8 204 339 896 1235 154.4
Ross,Lydell 9 117 475 0 475 52.8
Antonio Pittman 11 72 381 0 381 34.6
Hall,Maurice 12 52 216 0 216 18.0
Total.......... 12 751 1745 2105 3850 320.8
Opponents...... 12 874 1565 2419 3984 332.0


|--------Tackles--------| |-Sacks-| |---Pass Def---| |-Fumbles-| Blkd
DEFENSIVE LEADERS GP Solo Ast Total TFL/Yds No-Yds Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
47 Hawk,AJ 12 62 79 141 8.0-14 1.0-3 2-0 5 . 1-5 1 . .
42 Bobby Carpenter 12 46 47 93 6.5-25 2.0-16 3-13 3 1 . . . .
51 Anthony Schlegel 12 46 38 84 10.5-47 3.5-21 . 2 . . . . .
9 Whitner,Donte 10 47 22 69 4.0-25 1.0-11 1-24 1 . . . . .
26 Youboty,Ashton 12 47 14 61 3.0-9 1.0-7 4-83 14 . . . . .
Total.......... 12 495 392 887 70-260 24-153 15-164 50 5 4-5 5 1 .
Opponents...... 12 441 382 823 69-242 23-135 9-42 41 10 14-47 15 . .




OK, just like your Missouri game being your turning point, tOSU had one as well (only we lost :( ).

Purdue.

Pre PU ( that has to be a sign from GOD or something).


Total 2004 game stats

Date Opponent No. Yds TD Lg No. Yds TD Lg Att-Cmp-Int Yds TD Lg No Yds TD Lg No Yds TD Lg Purp
Sep 4, 2004 CINCINNATI............. 43 220 1 68 16 242 2 53 29- 16- 2 242 2 53 2 84 0 43 0 0 0 0 546
Sep 11, 2004 MARSHALL............... 26 79 0 14 18 324 3 80 33- 18- 2 324 3 80 1 18 0 18 3 21 0 10 442
Sep 18, 2004 at North Carolina State 40 64 1 16 10 73 0 13 21- 10- 0 73 0 13 2 49 0 26 4 30 0 10 242
Oct 2, 2004 at Northwestern........ 37 97 1 18 18 211 1 50 38- 18- 1 211 1 50 2 49 0 40 5 84 1 63 447
Oct 9, 2004 WISCONSIN.............. 25 99 0 43 15 125 0 16 31- 15- 0 125 0 16 4 101 0 32 4 76 1 65 401
Oct 16, 2004 at Iowa................ 29 27 0 13 14 150 1 23 26- 14- 1 150 1 23 7 128 0 30 1 8 0 8 313
Oct 23, 2004 INDIANA................ 43 282 1 28 12 161 2 59 24- 12- 0 161 2 59 1 25 0 25 3 25 0 22 497
Oct 30, 2004 PENN STATE............. 44 143 1 13 6 59 0 18 8- 6- 0 59 0 18 3 96 0 62 3 96 1 67 453
Nov 06, 2004 at Michigan State...... 35 169 2 51 13 138 1 58 21- 13- 0 138 1 58 1 19 0 19 4 93 1 60 445
Nov 13, 2004 at Purdue.............. 30 146 1 28 14 192 1 41 29- 14- 3 192 1 41 5 102 0 25 3 29 0 14 483
Nov 20, 2004 MICHIGAN............... 47 205 1 46 13 241 2 68 23- 13- 0 241 2 68 2 38 0 24 4 123 1 82 627
Dec 29, 2004 vs Oklahoma State...... 42 214 2 28 17 189 1 42 27- 17- 0 189 1 42 1 26 0 26 3 17 0 8 455

Totals..............................441 1745 11 68 166 2105 14 80 310-166- 9 2105 14 80 31 735 0 62 37 602 5 82 5351
Opponent............................444 1565 10 41 240 2419 15 46 430-240- 15 2419 15 46 22 450 0 49 28 207 0 32 4683


(apologizing if the formatting gets screwed...)


Again, Pre-PU

rush yds=td pass yds=td
1. 220-1 242-2
2. 79-0 324-3
3. 64-1 73-0
4. 97-1 211-1
5. 99-0 125-0
6. 27-0 150-1 (ouch that hurts)
7. 282-1 161-2
8. 143-1 59-0
9. 169-2 138-1

Rush avg 131.11 td .66
pass avg 164.77 td 1

total 295.88 td 1.66

Not very impressive I know.

BUT...

PU and after

10. 146-1 192-1
11. 205-1 241-2
12. 214-2 189-1

Rush avg 188.33 td 1.33
pass avg 207.33 td 1.33

total avg 395.66 td 2.66


difference of a touch less than a hundred yds, and 1 td. I think you can see that just as TU fans we are confident because of how we ended our season as well.


I think that the teams are a bit more similar than they are different! Both sides like to talk smack, but sept 10 seals the deal.

 

[hookemhorns2004]

That's harder to read than Phil Steele's. I would put a laugh or wink in right here, after the Phil Steele's, but I have no access to emoticons? Lots of great information though. I am very excited about this game and will be there!


Going to bed, I'll reply tomorrow.

Ohio State was -1 TO last year while Texas was +4. Looks like you guys need to worry about TO's more than we do.

 

[jwinslow]

Look at the smiley face when you're posting... and click on it.

 

[gregorylee]

That's harder to read than Phil Steele's. I would put a laugh or wink in right here, after the Phil Steele's, but I have no access to emoticons? Lots of great information though. I am very excited about this game and will be there!


Going to bed, I'll reply tomorrow.

You asked for it dude,

I would've been just as happy to say "Fuck you guys, tOSU is gonna kick your ass!". But you had to go and ask for stats and substance...

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Ohio State's last last 4 games: Michigan State threw for 262 passing yards and rushed for 145 yards, but only scored 12 points.

Ever hear of bend-but-don't-break? Yardage means squat if the defense keeps you out of the end zone. Actually, MSU scored 19 points, not 12. They had one good TD drive (15 plays, 86 yards) in the second quarter after we were up 17-0 and our DC backed off a bit...their first four drives of the game netted them a whole 14 yards on 13 plays. Their other two decent drives (56 and 67 yards) were held to FGs, and their other two FGs were the result of getting the ball near midfield on one possession and in our territory the other. This also was a road game.

Purdue racked up 264 passing yards, 120 rushing yards, and 24 points.

Purdue got most of its yardage and 17 points in the first half. Our defense had totally shut them down in the second half (77 yards on six drives, no points) until our DC for some reason thought it would be a good idea to go into a prevent when Purdue got the ball at their own 20 with 3:50 left. And, another road game.

Michigan, got 328 passing yards and 71 rushing yards and 21 points.

Michigan scored on their first two drives (87 yards and 43 yards after a shanked punt). After that, our DC brought the corners tight and opened up the blitz and held Michigan to seven straight punts and only 75 yards, until our corner got turned around on a fly pattern (that corner is no longer here). And that bomb TD happened when we were up 34-14 and started to play back on defense (why DCs do that shit, I'll never understand). Keep in mind that Michigan had arguably the best WR corps in the country last year.

Oklahoma State, a mid-pack Big 12 team, got 137 passing yards and 139 rushing yards and 6 points.

Uh, isn't that the same mid-pack team that put up 35 first-half points on you in your house?

I just don't see this snowballing into being able to stuff the longhorn rushing game. And yall are all banking (hoping?) that Texas won't be able to establish the passing game. If VYoung burns you on a couple of passess, tOSU's whole defensive game-plan goes to shit.

No one is saying we'll stuff your running game, but aside from Vince Young we don't see much of a rushing threat now that Cedric Benson is gone.

I just don't see how giving up an average of 369 yards per game over their last 4 games forshadows a total shutdown the the UT offense come early this next football season.

Again, yardage means squat if you don't put points on the board. That's why I used our scoring defense stats instead of total defense stats.

 

[thackattack]

Thank you Mili for posting all the things on here that I wanted to say but didn't have time to.

My gosh this debating is heating up, I was getting a little pissed when I started reading a few of these posts. Both teams are great, that's why it's such a great game to look forward to (at least that's what I tell myself when I get mad because someone is bashing my freaking team!).

Still think home field advantage prevails in this one, but I've been wrong before...