Michael Citro
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Grumpy Old Buckeye: Nitpicking Ohio State’s 35-7 win over Iowa
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Beating the Hawkeyes by four touchdowns is great, but should it have been greater?
Ohio State started quickly, then slowed down (mostly by doing dumb things rather than as a result of anything the Iowa Hawkeyes were doing), and limped into halftime with just a seven-point lead at home. The Buckeyes then came out with a bit more purpose and more commitment to the run after halftime, building an insurmountable lead against an offensively challenged Iowa team, finishing on the right side of a 35-7 score and remaining unbeaten.
Here are the items that created bad vibes for me when the Buckeyes hosted the Hawkeyes.
The CBS broadcast crew went to great lengths to try to talk the audience into thinking a penalty should have been called on Jack Sawyer for a hit on Cade McNamara on the game’s first drive.
The OSU defensive end was a bit out of control after stumbling prior to hitting McNamara as he threw. However, even if he had kept his footing, what is the defender supposed to do? Should he arrive at the quarterback and then make a cut one yard before reaching McNamara try to make the tackle from the side?
As the play unfolded, once contact was made, there was nowhere Sawyer’s body could land other than on top of McNamara’s. Sawyer never drove the quarterback into the ground by continuing to drive his legs, nor put the defensive end put him in a pile-driver. In fact, he released McNamara as they fell and rolled to his left on contact with the turf.
It was an annoying and unnecessary discussion, but it was by no means the only one.
Will Howard opted not to slide at the end of a run early in the game, and he took a big shot from a defender as a result. Considering Devin Brown and a freshman are the backups, it’s probably wise to have your veteran quarterback avoiding unnecessary hits, especially after he took a shot that put him out of the game for a spell last week.
Ohio State’s running backs were enjoying success in the first half against Iowa, so when faced with a fourth-and-2 near midfield, it was maddening to see Howard keep the ball on a slow-developing play with two full yards to gain against a good, physical defense that was amped up to stop the run.
Howard needs a bigger crease to gain two yards than Quinshon Judkins or TreVeyon Henderson do. It was poor play-calling.
Jeremiah Smith had a quiet first half, but he had a chance to make a big play in the second quarter. He did so, picking up 23 yards, but then he made a major mistake at the end of it. Smith’s catch and run would have given Ohio State a first down in field-goal range, but he didn’t take care of the ball and it was punched out of his hand by Jay Higgins.
The ball refused to skip out of bounds, but it did end up falling for an easy recovery by Donovan Jackson. The problem was that Jackson couldn’t manage to gather it in, and he didn’t think to sweep at it so that if he didn’t bring it under control it would likely have gone out of play.
Late in the second quarter, Ohio State got pass happy for some reason with nearly two full minutes to play and the ball near midfield. Howard could have thrown a touchdown pass to Smith on a second-down play, but led him too far down the field and toward the defensive back in coverage. A throw toward the post would have allowed Smith to separate from the coverage and given him an opportunity to make the scoring catch.
But things got worse for Howard after an exchange of punts. He appeared to have Smith behind the defense, but he felt the pressure coming. Rather than let it rip for his best receiver who was breaking free, he chose to force the ball to Emeka Egbuka, who was well covered. The pass was intercepted, and the Buckeyes found themselves held to a single touchdown in the first half.
While Howard had a mostly spotless performance (again), there have been a few concerning decisions and throws in each of the last three weeks that have gone unpunished, mainly because of the competition level. With goals like Ohio State’s, that stuff needs to be addressed sooner rather than later, so that it is no longer an issue against stronger teams.
Leading 21-0, the Buckeyes drove to the Iowa 11-yard line in the third quarter and were looking to put the game out of reach. On first down, Ohio State ran an option play and there was a mix-up between Howard and Judkins on whether the ball was being given or kept by the quarterback. The ball ended up on the ground.
Luckily for Ohio State, Howard was able to gather it up, but it could have been a third costly turnover on the day, and in a closer game, it may have been the difference between a win and a loss.
It didn’t take a defense built of mainly backups long to allow Iowa to slice right down the field and ruin the shutout midway through the fourth quarter. Part of that was a lack of tackling Kaleb Johnson, who had been held in check throughout the game, with the exception of one 28-yard run in the third quarter. That earlier long run was itself caused by a missed tackle on what would either have been a tackle for loss or a minimal gain.
The Hawkeyes didn’t do much of anything all day, other than drive into field goal range once (missing the attempt) until the fourth quarter, when they went 75 yards in only five plays. Even a false start on Iowa didn’t derail the scoring drive.
Ohio State allowed two runs of 28 or more yards on the possession, meaning the Hawkeyes didn’t even have to throw the ball much or do anything fancy to slice open the backups. Johnson, who entered the game averaging 171 yards per game, managed only 86 against the Buckeyes, and 38 of those yards came on this one fourth-quarter drive.
Obviously a four-touchdown win over Iowa is a great result for the team, and there were plenty of silver linings to go with the dark clouds listed above.
Howard was mostly great on the day and Egbuka and Smith both had big days. Both of Ohio State’s primary running backs averaged at least 5.5 yards per carry against a solid Hawkeye defense. The offensive line held up well. Aside from some issues stopping third downs at times, the defense played well all day and forced multiple turnovers against a good opponent.
Next up for the Buckeyes is an important conference road matchup on the road at Oregon on Saturday.
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Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Beating the Hawkeyes by four touchdowns is great, but should it have been greater?
Ohio State started quickly, then slowed down (mostly by doing dumb things rather than as a result of anything the Iowa Hawkeyes were doing), and limped into halftime with just a seven-point lead at home. The Buckeyes then came out with a bit more purpose and more commitment to the run after halftime, building an insurmountable lead against an offensively challenged Iowa team, finishing on the right side of a 35-7 score and remaining unbeaten.
Here are the items that created bad vibes for me when the Buckeyes hosted the Hawkeyes.
Where Else Can Sawyer Land?
The CBS broadcast crew went to great lengths to try to talk the audience into thinking a penalty should have been called on Jack Sawyer for a hit on Cade McNamara on the game’s first drive.
The OSU defensive end was a bit out of control after stumbling prior to hitting McNamara as he threw. However, even if he had kept his footing, what is the defender supposed to do? Should he arrive at the quarterback and then make a cut one yard before reaching McNamara try to make the tackle from the side?
As the play unfolded, once contact was made, there was nowhere Sawyer’s body could land other than on top of McNamara’s. Sawyer never drove the quarterback into the ground by continuing to drive his legs, nor put the defensive end put him in a pile-driver. In fact, he released McNamara as they fell and rolled to his left on contact with the turf.
It was an annoying and unnecessary discussion, but it was by no means the only one.
Slide, Will, Slide
Will Howard opted not to slide at the end of a run early in the game, and he took a big shot from a defender as a result. Considering Devin Brown and a freshman are the backups, it’s probably wise to have your veteran quarterback avoiding unnecessary hits, especially after he took a shot that put him out of the game for a spell last week.
The Fourth-and-2 Call
Ohio State’s running backs were enjoying success in the first half against Iowa, so when faced with a fourth-and-2 near midfield, it was maddening to see Howard keep the ball on a slow-developing play with two full yards to gain against a good, physical defense that was amped up to stop the run.
Howard needs a bigger crease to gain two yards than Quinshon Judkins or TreVeyon Henderson do. It was poor play-calling.
Freshman Fumble
Jeremiah Smith had a quiet first half, but he had a chance to make a big play in the second quarter. He did so, picking up 23 yards, but then he made a major mistake at the end of it. Smith’s catch and run would have given Ohio State a first down in field-goal range, but he didn’t take care of the ball and it was punched out of his hand by Jay Higgins.
The ball refused to skip out of bounds, but it did end up falling for an easy recovery by Donovan Jackson. The problem was that Jackson couldn’t manage to gather it in, and he didn’t think to sweep at it so that if he didn’t bring it under control it would likely have gone out of play.
A Couple of Howard Howlers
Late in the second quarter, Ohio State got pass happy for some reason with nearly two full minutes to play and the ball near midfield. Howard could have thrown a touchdown pass to Smith on a second-down play, but led him too far down the field and toward the defensive back in coverage. A throw toward the post would have allowed Smith to separate from the coverage and given him an opportunity to make the scoring catch.
But things got worse for Howard after an exchange of punts. He appeared to have Smith behind the defense, but he felt the pressure coming. Rather than let it rip for his best receiver who was breaking free, he chose to force the ball to Emeka Egbuka, who was well covered. The pass was intercepted, and the Buckeyes found themselves held to a single touchdown in the first half.
While Howard had a mostly spotless performance (again), there have been a few concerning decisions and throws in each of the last three weeks that have gone unpunished, mainly because of the competition level. With goals like Ohio State’s, that stuff needs to be addressed sooner rather than later, so that it is no longer an issue against stronger teams.
Another Ball Security Issue
Leading 21-0, the Buckeyes drove to the Iowa 11-yard line in the third quarter and were looking to put the game out of reach. On first down, Ohio State ran an option play and there was a mix-up between Howard and Judkins on whether the ball was being given or kept by the quarterback. The ball ended up on the ground.
Luckily for Ohio State, Howard was able to gather it up, but it could have been a third costly turnover on the day, and in a closer game, it may have been the difference between a win and a loss.
Shutout Gone
It didn’t take a defense built of mainly backups long to allow Iowa to slice right down the field and ruin the shutout midway through the fourth quarter. Part of that was a lack of tackling Kaleb Johnson, who had been held in check throughout the game, with the exception of one 28-yard run in the third quarter. That earlier long run was itself caused by a missed tackle on what would either have been a tackle for loss or a minimal gain.
The Hawkeyes didn’t do much of anything all day, other than drive into field goal range once (missing the attempt) until the fourth quarter, when they went 75 yards in only five plays. Even a false start on Iowa didn’t derail the scoring drive.
Ohio State allowed two runs of 28 or more yards on the possession, meaning the Hawkeyes didn’t even have to throw the ball much or do anything fancy to slice open the backups. Johnson, who entered the game averaging 171 yards per game, managed only 86 against the Buckeyes, and 38 of those yards came on this one fourth-quarter drive.
Obviously a four-touchdown win over Iowa is a great result for the team, and there were plenty of silver linings to go with the dark clouds listed above.
Howard was mostly great on the day and Egbuka and Smith both had big days. Both of Ohio State’s primary running backs averaged at least 5.5 yards per carry against a solid Hawkeye defense. The offensive line held up well. Aside from some issues stopping third downs at times, the defense played well all day and forced multiple turnovers against a good opponent.
Next up for the Buckeyes is an important conference road matchup on the road at Oregon on Saturday.
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