Iowa Post Game Thoughts

[Meyer]

All we can do is win rocketman and the rest will take care of itself

 

[strohs]

Two, I think the lack of film on the guy made Heacock revert to form, which is, a basic cover-2 defense until he saw what was going on. The problem with that was it left Chimdi on an island that he'd rather forget I'm sure.

Well, I for one am not a major college football coach but even I had Iowa figured out by the 2nd series, yet the adjustments were very slow to come...

 

[3074326]

Call me a stick in the mud if you must, but the playcalling (on both sides of the ball) yesterday really shook me. Yeah, I know, in the end it worked, but all the positive will that had been built up the previous couple weeks was flushed in my mind when we saw the absolute worst of Tresselball in the 4th quarter. Check my post history, I've been at the forefront standing up for this staff but there's no defending the indefensible. There were about 5-6 of us in the game thread who never lose our cool that came this close to losing it. Big Ten title and Rose Bowl berth on the line and that was the gameplan? Run, run 4 yard pass 5 yards behind the chains? Disheartening to me. I was really hoping going forward that we were seeing the offense and playcalling evolve. Nope.

Sorry, had to vent.

/raises hand

Glad we won, but JT is going to get deservedly criticized for the fourth quarter.

Fuck Michigan.

 

[billmac91]

Call me a stick in the mud if you must, but the playcalling (on both sides of the ball) yesterday really shook me. Yeah, I know, in the end it worked, but all the positive will that had been built up the previous couple weeks was flushed in my mind when we saw the absolute worst of Tresselball in the 4th quarter. Check my post history, I've been at the forefront standing up for this staff but there's no defending the indefensible. There were about 5-6 of us in the game thread who never lose our cool that came this close to losing it. Big Ten title and Rose Bowl berth on the line and that was the gameplan? Run, run 4 yard pass 5 yards behind the chains? Disheartening to me. I was really hoping going forward that we were seeing the offense and playcalling evolve. Nope.

Sorry, had to vent.

Anyone else just shake their head when Holly Rowe summarized her half-time interview with Coach T? Essentialy, he said "this game will come down tot he last play". I instantly said "why?". There was no reason not to punish Iowa yesterday. Pryor played IMO, one of the best games of his career, was checking down, and just making overall great decesions. But in the second half, Tressel decided to single-handedly keep Iowa in the game with overly conservative play-calling. It was brutal.....

You can't argue with the results, but damn.....it's football, step on the jugular once in a while.

Unfortunately, I knew the second half would be way too close once I heard the sideline report from Tress that it'd come down to the last play. He just wasn't going to put the game in the offense's hands even though they were executing at an amazingly high level in the passing game.

 

[muffler dragon]

Call me a stick in the mud if you must, but the playcalling (on both sides of the ball) yesterday really shook me. Yeah, I know, in the end it worked, but all the positive will that had been built up the previous couple weeks was flushed in my mind when we saw the absolute worst of Tresselball in the 4th quarter. Check my post history, I've been at the forefront standing up for this staff but there's no defending the indefensible. There were about 5-6 of us in the game thread who never lose our cool that came this close to losing it. Big Ten title and Rose Bowl berth on the line and that was the gameplan? Run, run 4 yard pass 5 yards behind the chains? Disheartening to me. I was really hoping going forward that we were seeing the offense and playcalling evolve. Nope.

Sorry, had to vent.

I'm glad I didn't see the game. (Celebrated my birthday on a date with the wife for the first time in two years.)

This thread has given me pause (as do most posts by LJB and a host of others who put thoughts into their words), and this post in particular has done it for me again (along with the OP).

I understand and appreciate concern, and I just want to tell you NF and LJB that I appreciate you writing out your thoughts in the manner in which you have. I really dig criticism when it's voiced the right way. I've been reading way too much hate from within and without the Buckeye circle.

I look to next weekend as an epic. I really do. Even with a gimped-up super athletic QB, I believe that we are going to find the next Wolverine killer (now that Beanie is gone). I look forward to finding out who that person is. I get the feeling its going to be a defender, and one that we'll see more than just this one time. That's what I'm clinging to instead of all the hating negativity.

I just wanted to share those thoughts. May TSUN burn!

 

[osugrad21]

DuaneLongReport

Duane is spot on in his analysis. For the above stat lover that saw a different game than I where OSU was 'pounding' for over 200 yards and 4.5 ypc....you take out 4 runs and OSU rushed 47 times for a 2.7 ypc. You take out six plays and OSU rushed 45 times for 2.4 ypc and passed for less than 100 yards and only 6 yards per completion. That is what Duane is talking about

 

[Mike80]

Well, I for one am not a major college football coach but even I had Iowa figured out by the 2nd series, yet the adjustments were very slow to come...

I'm not saying I agreed with it, but I do think that's what happened.

The kid can throw. He showed that immediately in the 1st quarter.

 

[NFBuck]

Anyone else just shake their head when Holly Rowe summarized her half-time interview with Coach T? Essentialy, he said "this game will come down tot he last play". I instantly said "why?". There was no reason not to punish Iowa yesterday. Pryor played IMO, one of the best games of his career, was checking down, and just making overall great decesions. But in the second half, Tressel decided to single-handedly keep Iowa in the game with overly conservative play-calling. It was brutal.....

You can't argue with the results, but damn.....it's football, step on the jugular once in a while.

Unfortunately, I knew the second half would be way too close once I heard the sideline report from Tress that it'd come down to the last play. He just wasn't going to put the game in the offense's hands even though they were executing at an amazingly high level in the passing game.

That comment had me scratching my head as well. It really did. We outclassed and out athleted them all over the field. They had a QB making his first start in an extremely hostile environment with everything on the line. Were they afraid to let him chuck it? Nope. I can't recall off the top of my head, but how many of TPs attempts were past the 1st down marker? I know many of the important ones were 5-6 yards behind. I don't think I've ever been so dumfounded watching a game. I was literally at a loss for words on those last couple drives. Winning cures all, as they say, but that hardly left me with a warm fuzzy. Maybe it's like LJB said and we're kinda numb to that level of success, but man, I felt kind of empty after that. Like I we narrowly escaped a major catastrophe. You're glad you're alive, but you just don't feel like celebrating...

 

[Merih]

That is a ridiculous sentiment quoted...running the ball consistently springs big runs every once in a while. You take out the big runs and you are only looking at half the picture. I know what they are saying...that they want to see 4-6 yards continually. Our backs aren't those types of backs. They take what's given over and over and then pop one every once in a while.

I thought a healthy Boom Herron made a huge difference in the run game. Not in YPC, per se, but in consistency.

 

[jlb1705]

I feel sorry for you if you can't get excited about going to the Rose Bowl.

Call me a stick in the mud if you must, but the playcalling (on both sides of the ball) yesterday really shook me. Yeah, I know, in the end it worked, but all the positive will that had been built up the previous couple weeks was flushed in my mind when we saw the absolute worst of Tresselball in the 4th quarter. Check my post history, I've been at the forefront standing up for this staff but there's no defending the indefensible. There were about 5-6 of us in the game thread who never lose our cool that came this close to losing it. Big Ten title and Rose Bowl berth on the line and that was the gameplan? Run, run 4 yard pass 5 yards behind the chains? Disheartening to me. I was really hoping going forward that we were seeing the offense and playcalling evolve. Nope.

Sorry, had to vent.

Indefensible? Certainly not. It's easy to blame the playcalling. That's why neanderthals like Gregg Doyel & Pat Forde do it. When they're agreeing with you, it's time to reassess your position.

Iowa is 6th in FBS in pass efficiency defense. They are 43rd in rushing defense. The Buckeyes were able to run for 100 yards more than Iowa's season average, and damn near had two 100-yd. rushers. Pryor was gimpy and had a cut on his throwing hand. Most of the pass plays that were run that night resulted in scrambles or checkdowns. With all that in mind, what kind of plays should Jim Tressel have been calling, and why would they have been successful?

This isn't one of those "it was right because they won" arguments. The Buckeyes have certainly won in spite of their offense before, but this was not one of those times. Nevermind the fact that Jim Tressel's offensive playcalling didn't give up those 14 Iowa points in the 4th quarter. Jim Tressel's offensive playcalling actually expanded the Buckeyes' lead in the 4th. He called the play that led to Brandon Saine going 49 yards for a TD. How were any of the play calls that Tressel made after that one any worse? Ohio State was abusing the Hawkeyes on the ground. They had the lead and were playing to run out the clock. If Jim Tressel's playcalling were any different, how might this game have ended. Sure, they could've scored again. What if they didn't? What if they didn't score again AND the clock stops a couple extra times? How much time does Iowa have on their final possession when the score is tied? How much more time would've been enough to get Kirk Ferentz to go for the win in regulation when all they needed was a FG? With the Ohio State defense on their heels, another 30-50 seconds for the Hawkeyes could've sent the Buckeyes to Orlando or Tampa in January. How unexciting would that be? Certainly not as exciting as a 5th straight conference championship and a trip to Pasadena.

 

[jlb1705]

Duane is spot on in his analysis. For the above stat lover that saw a different game than I where OSU was 'pounding' for over 200 yards and 4.5 ypc....you take out 4 runs and OSU rushed 47 times for a 2.7 ypc. You take out six plays and OSU rushed 45 times for 2.4 ypc and passed for less than 100 yards and only 6 yards per completion. That is what Duane is talking about

You take out four different runs and OSU rushed 47 times for 5.34 YPC. Take out six plays and they would have rushed 45 times for 5.67 YPC.

 

[3074326]

I'm not sure why Ferentz didn't go for the win in regulation. They had time to do much more than a few endzone bombs.

The problem I had with the playcalling was that we kept giving them momentum and putting our defense back on the field. We had two first downs in the final 10 minutes of the game, and we threw the ball twice for 0 yards. We gained 43 yards in the final 10 minutes of the game, and the closest we could get to a FG was 47 yards and it was missed. Our punting was terrible all game, and was in the fourth quarter as well.

I'm not going to blame the players' execution, because everyone knew what we were going to do. And we did it. A defense as good as Iowa's is going to stop it if they know it's coming.

I haven't read Doyel and Forde, and never will. But if they're critical of playcalling in last night's game, I'm not sure I disagree with them. I didn't like it at the time and don't like it now. From what I'm hearing it sounds like they might have went a little too far, but the idea behind what they're saying doesn't sound like it's too far off. Could be wrong - I didn't read their stuff, like I said.

 

[utgrad73]

I just want to win games the old-fashioned way, by pounding the living snot out of the opponent for sixty minutes, by running up the score, by going for two in the fourth quarter....

Woody would want to kick the living crap out of Scum, "the old fashioned way".

 

[billmac91]

I feel sorry for you if you can't get excited about going to the Rose Bowl.


Indefensible? Certainly not. It's easy to blame the playcalling. That's why neanderthals like Gregg Doyel & Pat Forde do it. When they're agreeing with you, it's time to reassess your position.

Iowa is 6th in FBS in pass efficiency defense. They are 43rd in rushing defense. The Buckeyes were able to run for 100 yards more than Iowa's season average, and damn near had two 100-yd. rushers. Pryor was gimpy and had a cut on his throwing hand. Most of the pass plays that were run that night resulted in scrambles or checkdowns. With all that in mind, what kind of plays should Jim Tressel have been calling, and why would they have been successful?

This isn't one of those "it was right because they won" arguments. The Buckeyes have certainly won in spite of their offense before, but this was not one of those times. Nevermind the fact that Jim Tressel's offensive playcalling didn't give up those 14 Iowa points in the 4th quarter. Jim Tressel's offensive playcalling actually expanded the Buckeyes' lead in the 4th. He called the play that led to Brandon Saine going 49 yards for a TD. How were any of the play calls that Tressel made after that one any worse? Ohio State was abusing the Hawkeyes on the ground. They had the lead and were playing to run out the clock. If Jim Tressel's playcalling were any different, how might this game have ended. Sure, they could've scored again. What if they didn't? What if they didn't score again AND the clock stops a couple extra times? How much time does Iowa have on their final possession when the score is tied? How much more time would've been enough to get Kirk Ferentz to go for the win in regulation when all they needed was a FG? With the Ohio State defense on their heels, another 30-50 seconds for the Hawkeyes could've sent the Buckeyes to Orlando or Tampa in January. How unexciting would that be? Certainly not as exciting as a 5th straight conference championship and a trip to Pasadena.

The check-downs were working though. The underneath throws were working. Outside of a long Saine run, it didn't feel like the run game was really torching them. Boom was mixing in several 5-6 yarders with lots of no gains and 1 yard runs.

In the first 3 or 4 possesions of the 3rd quarter, did Pryor even throw a pass? I think Pryor's first pass attempt in the 3rd quarter came with about 2 minutes. I don't care if Iowa was taking the deep ball away...I agree those throws weren't there. But what's wrong with 7 yard dump offs and open running lanes for the QB? The 3rd quarter was pretty brutal, IMO. Iowa shouldn't have even been in the game. But kudos to them.....Vandenburg played very well, they had good special teams play on kick-offs, and they fought through plenty of Trey Stross momentum deflators. I still think its a 3 possesion lead at the end of the third, if Tressel does anything other than 3 straight runs on 4 straight possesions.

Overtime too.... I mean, it worked...but other than going Iowa on ourselves, could we have made it any harder on Barclay?

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

That is a ridiculous sentiment quoted...running the ball consistently springs big runs every once in a while. You take out the big runs and you are only looking at half the picture. I know what they are saying...that they want to see 4-6 yards continually. Our backs aren't those types of backs. They take what's given over and over and then pop one every once in a while.

Take away Klein's missed tackle on Iowa's KO TD, and if Williams gets back on-side before the snap on our TD pick-6, we win 31-17 at worst. We still put up almost double the rushing yardage on Iowa that they were giving up per game, and that was with everyone in the stadium and the viewing audience knowing we were going run it.

I think JT has saved a whole bunch of shit for The Game...