Iowa Post Game Thoughts

[jlb1705]

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.

OK, so all the run plays that everybody's up in arms about got the Buckeyes 43 yards and two first downs in the final ten minutes. The two pass plays the called got... nothing. And you wanted more pass plays - or what? You don't really say what you would've liked to see.

I'm all for getting more yards, more points and more first downs. Somebody tell me how they should have done that, and why it would've worked better. I've seen this argument in a multitude of threads now and have seen little that goes beyond "pass" or "call plays that get more yards".

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

Bad game for the special teams, mediocre performance for D, but a masterful performance for the O considering what they were asked to do. Seriously, have we forgotten that quickly the days when we couldn't move an inch against YTS's or Miami(OH)'s DLs? Sheesh.

 

[BuckNut65]

I think there is so much sensitivity out there concerning what the national media says that we take for granted what we have here. It wasn't pretty towards the end but who gives a damn about the Forde's and May's of the world who are going to criticize the program if we win by a fg or 3 TD's. IMO, Iowa was the best team we played all year and we won...that's all that matters. At the end of the day, we won another Big 10 title, this Saturday we get to eat a Tater Tot for lunch and afterwards take a nice trip to Pasadena.

All in all it doesn't suck to be a Buckeye fan!

 

[jlb1705]

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?

I agree that the checkdowns were working. I think Pryor has shown a lot of progress in that regard. Even with that in mind, in the fourth quarter when you're trying to put the game away, do you trust Pryor to stay perfect? I'm not sure I do yet. I'm not sure that Coach Tressel does either. I think that'll come, but I don't think last night was the time or place. With all the stuff that was going wrong in the other two phases of the game at that point, what happens if Pryor doesn't stay perfect on those checkdowns?

I'd love to see this offense open it up more. I think Pryor is getting closer to allowing that to happen with each game. In the fourth quarter against a top ten team with the conference title on the line was not the time to take that next step in my opinion though.

As for overtime, the plays that were called were designed to keep them from pulling an Iowa. They were lucky that winning the toss allowed them to do that after getting the stop

 

[NateG]

You're glad you're alive, but you just don't feel like celebrating...

I would be thoroughly shocked if you were just sitting there saying "Phew" and not jumping all over the place when the kick went thru.

In the stands I looked at the guy sitting next to me and said "this is a first...our offense has picked up our defense"... If one of 3-4 things happen we aren't saying things like this we are talking about a 10-17 point win. 1. made FG 2. Tackle on a KO return 3. no offsides 4. avoid running into team members (unlucky when being aggressive). How many of those 4 things are bad play calling or knowing what is going on with your team on the sideline to put your team in the best spot to win. 0. All 4 were execution that didn't happen.

I for one and more than happy the Bucks showed some heart and didn't get down that it went to overtime. It is a great building block for the guys that will finish this year and move on with the Bucks next year. A 14-17 point win wouldn't have constitued a rush of the field the way it happened ( which could bring back guys like Heyward/Gibson/etc.) That place was electric and that ending was perfect for the seniors. You couldn't write a better ending to their home season and to be honest it felt like the bookend to the entire home season (pick 2 for the win vs Navy and Last second FG). I saw the players faces up close and you could just see how happy they were and how much fun they were having with all of the fans on the field. I saw Justin Boren with a smile on his face. I saw Anderson Russell with a bigger smile on his face. I saw Rob Rose and Doug Worthington jumping around and dancing with roses. Screw the media. Screw the haters. Screw all of the people that want to piss and moan about how it went down. Get over yourselves. We should be and I was there for those kids and that is how that game ended. Look at how Cordle was in the post game. Sorry if this smacks you guys wrong but I was there for them not the other way around. And I thoroughly enjoyed myself. If you didn't get to see it from your house or you didn't make it on the field with the players to see them up close, you missed the point(I'm sure there will be tons of pics for you to view how it really was). Not one of them gave 2 craps about the play calling. They were more than happy with how it ended. I am sure we will find out but I bet Tress made the best decisions that he could in the moment for the kids not for his rep. If TP went down or threw a pic on a bad hand or whatever then you'd all be saying... "I wish he would have ran it instead of doing _______".

Maybe this is how most people live their life. It should have been this way or that way or it isn't good. I look at the bright side of life. We won the Big 10 last night. We locked down the Rose Bowl. We did it with alot of grit and determination. We have 2 huge games left. I'm tired of things not being good enough. You miss out on so much of life living that way. I am happy. It is GREAT to be a Buckeye. A hell of a lot better than being a Hawkeye or "scummarine". Got get em Tress... Go get em Seniors... Go get em Bucks!

Buckeye Pride.

 

[RB07OSU]

I honestly was off my face with excitement...then again, I was storming the field amidst roses being thrown in the air. I remember how young I was in '98 when Jake the Snake got his heart broke in Pasadena and how exciting it was. I don't know how many of us gave a crap about ASU's tradition (or lack thereof) but it was still one of my most memorable moments as a Buckeye fan. Whether it is Arizona, Stanford or whoever, it will still be exciting for me. Sure, I wanted to beat the piss out of USC in a rematch (because I truly think we would now) but oh well.

As for the actual game...the playcalling at times was simply stupid. I hate to be so elementary about this, but running on 3rd and 6 in a situation where you need points is an elementary mistake, as is the "run,run, 5 yard pass on 3rd and 9." We lost yards on a run play and set up a tougher field goal situation. Sometimes it is more dangerous to be conservative. Overall I liked the playcalling though up until the fourth quarter. The line is simply blowing holes open in the run game, so I said keep doing it. Herron, Saine, it didn't matter, the holes were there.

On the other end of the ball, their line played very well. I said before the game that Iowa has the best line in the Big Ten. They were running fairly successfully with a 3rd and 4th string tailback on our vaunted run defense. RS fresh. Vandenberg wasn't hardly getting touched. I'm not sure if the defense gave their best effort as a whole, but it didn't play it's best game. Chim was in bad position when the ball was in air, the tackles were hell bent for election and getting washed down, and the line wasn't collapsing the pocket. Overall, we never really seemed like we were playing to win, but playing not to lose. We just looked timid for the most part. To their credit, they came through in the crunch but they really didn't play their best game overall. I'm with you on wanting to put away opponents late, however, there were some extenuating circumstances in this contest. Nate Williams jumping offsides on what would have been a pick 6 was a single player's mistake and losing contain on a kickoff return in the worst possible moment for it is a coaching mistake (you make it darn clear that nobody scores in that situation). Being conservative on offense doesn't help but there were just serious mental lapses. Plus balls were bouncing their way...they had a 15 catch on a deflection that should have been picked. 9 times out of 10 the whole strategy drives me nuts and is likely to blame for not putting opponents away, just not on Saturday. Bad bounces and mental lapses were the main problem imo.

 

[3074326]

OK, so all the run plays that everybody's up in arms about got the Buckeyes 43 yards and two first downs in the final ten minutes. The two pass plays the called got... nothing. And you wanted more pass plays - or what? You don't really say what you would've liked to see.

I'm all for getting more yards, more points and more first downs. Somebody tell me how they should have done that, and why it would've worked better. I've seen this argument in a multitude of threads now and have seen little that goes beyond "pass" or "call plays that get more yards".

Quick slant over the middle, clear out a corner and have the TE slant toward the sideline. Do a screen to a WR on the edge. Do a PA bootleg and have Pryor take off if nobody is open. Tell him to drop back and take off after acting like he is going to pass, even.

The one pass play was essentially a run. It was a three yard loss to Boom. The other was a three yard gain to Small, and I had no problems with that call.

I'm not a playcaller and don't claim to be, but I saw what was going on and it wasn't working. Apparently many others did too. Many others who bleed scarlet and are known to be rather unbiased and calm posters.

 

[scarletngray]

My post game thoughts:

ROSES

:osu:

 

[billmac91]

I agree that the checkdowns were working. I think Pryor has shown a lot of progress in that regard. Even with that in mind, in the fourth quarter when you're trying to put the game away, do you trust Pryor to stay perfect? I'm not sure I do yet. I'm not sure that Coach Tressel does either. I think that'll come, but I don't think last night was the time or place. With all the stuff that was going wrong in the other two phases of the game at that point, what happens if Pryor doesn't stay perfect on those checkdowns?

I'd love to see this offense open it up more. I think Pryor is getting closer to allowing that to happen with each game. In the fourth quarter against a top ten team with the conference title on the line was not the time to take that next step in my opinion though.

As for overtime, the plays that were called were designed to keep them from pulling an Iowa. They were lucky that winning the toss allowed them to do that after getting the stop

I trust TP enough to go for the win with 2 minutes on the clock in the 4th, at the 30, and in a tied 24-24 game. The fact that we tried to kill the clock and get it to OT, and give the ball back to Iowa with 50 seconds had to be dishearteneing for Terrelle. That just wreeks of a lack of confidence.

As did overtime, when we didn't push to get Devin, a 5th year walk-on kicker, better field position for his kick.

As did all of the third down runs in the second half. It was just a coaching staff calling plays not to lose. I'd expect that type of play-calling from an unranked team with #1 down in the second half. Just control the clock, try and pull the upset. But tOSU was executing well, and Pryor was showing that the light has come on. I think I let Terrelle try and win that game in the closing minutes, and I certainly mix in a few pass plays in the third quarter versus all running plays in the first 3 or 4 possesions in the second half.

 

[jlb1705]

Quick slant over the middle, clear out a corner and have the TE slant toward the sideline. Do a screen to a WR on the edge. Do a PA bootleg and have Pryor take off if nobody is open. Tell him to drop back and take off after acting like he is going to pass, even.

The one pass play was essentially a run. It was a three yard loss to Boom. The other was a three yard gain to Small, and I had no problems with that call.

I'm not a playcaller and don't claim to be, but I saw what was going on and it wasn't working. Apparently many others did too. Many others who bleed scarlet and are known to be rather unbiased and calm posters.

Thanks for answering my question.

The first play: How many times has Pryor completed a quick slant over the middle, and how many times has a play like that been picked? If the TE is open and it's completed I like that play, but at a certain point late in the game that play could go out of bounds and stop the clock.

The second play: Without knowing or assuming anything about what kind of defense Iowa was playing at the time, I think this play could've been a good "run substitute"

The third play: I have no problem with it if Pryor is fully healthy. Since he's not that's a little iffy I think. I trust that Tressel was calling plays where he felt that his health was not going to negatively impact the outcome of the play, or vice versa.

I'm not questioning anybody's credentials or love of the Buckeyes. I just think you're wrong in this instance, and apparently that thought is mutual. No harm there.

 

[Woody1968]

I wasn't at the game and only saw it on tv. From what I was seeing, the passes down field were not open. Iowa's secondary is pretty good, and if anything, it is their defensive line that was the weakest link. Did anyone who is complaining about the lack of the long ball ever consider that those plays were not open? I mean, do you think that Iowa did not look at the Penn State film? If the defensive line is weaker than the linebackers and secondary, why not run more than pass into good coverage?

Some people will never be happy.

 

[3074326]

Thanks for answering my question.

The first play: How many times has Pryor completed a quick slant over the middle, and how many times has a play like that been picked? If the TE is open and it's completed I like that play, but at a certain point late in the game that play could go out of bounds and stop the clock.

The second play: Without knowing or assuming anything about what kind of defense Iowa was playing at the time, I think this play could've been a good "run substitute"

The third play: I have no problem with it if Pryor is fully healthy. Since he's not that's a little iffy I think. I trust that Tressel was calling plays where he felt that his health was not going to negatively impact the outcome of the play, or vice versa.

I'm not questioning anybody's credentials or love of the Buckeyes. I just think you're wrong in this instance, and apparently that thought is mutual. No harm there.

Good point on the TE play.

The main point I had was that we were way too predictable in a time that I thought a couple more first downs would've been huge. I know everyone agrees with that.

Did we even run anything different? Was it all right up the middle from an I formation? I don't remember anything other than that. (in the fourth quarter)

 

[Taosman]

Williams offside was the cause of the interception. We don't get it without the chaos caused by Williams jump.

I think the coaches looked at all the Iowa turn overs in the past weeks and thought; "These guys will give us the game, all we have to do is not give them the game with turn overs!" The offense was doing it's part, the defense had a sub-par game. Who could have predicted their QB playing so well and their O line getting a stand off with Cam and the boys?
As the saying goes; "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth!" We took their best punch and won!

I want to watch the game again to see how many blitzes we actually ran.
Anyone have a guess? It didn't look like many. And when we showed something different on defense in OT, it worked great.
Probably won the game.

This team and TP have progressed to the point that the offense isn't the liability it once was. That makes us 1000X tougher.

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

Williams offside was the cause of the interception. We don't get it without the chaos caused by Williams jump.

I think the coaches looked at all the Iowa turn overs in the past weeks and thought; "These guys will give us the game, all we have to do is not give them the game with turn overs!" The offense was doing it's part, the defense had a sub-par game. Who could have predicted their QB playing so well and their O line getting a stand off with Cam and the boys?
As the saying goes; "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth!" We took their best punch and won!

I want to watch the game again to see how many blitzes we actually ran.
Anyone have a guess? It didn't look like many. And when we showed something different on defense in OT, it worked great.
Probably won the game.

This team and TP have progressed to the point that the offense isn't the liability it once was. That makes us 1000X tougher.

Taos, voice of reason.

This offense has gotten about 1000x better since Purdue, that anyone can see.

 

[LordJeffBuck]

Sometimes it is more dangerous to be conservative.

I said the exact same thing in a PM during the game. Great minds think alike....

Lots of good posts in this thread ... a credit to BP.