Game Thread Miami (FL) at tOSU, Sat Sep 11, 3:40 ET, ESPN

[UpNorthBuckeye]

you know, we posters are so much help for the OSU coaching staff... all they have to do is come here and read and they can find out what they need to do to fix everything!

But seriously folks, what a great win and yes, a few things to work on.

I am NOT worried about Saine's running - I'm going to guess that his coaches have told him to not run blindly into the line, but to have the "maturity" to wait for the hole to develop --- well, sometimes you look like a genius, and sometimes it just doesn't work. When playing a decent, fast defense like Miami, maybe the answer is to put him in the 'shot Ginn' position, a wing, like Zelina.

(young guys are going, "Zelina? who the hell is that?")

Also, running a dive on first down is tough when even Lee Corso knows what play is coming...

I think Pryor will get better. Too many worries this week, too many LeBron's and other distractions (is he a big Rascall Flatts fan?). His slants and other short stuff were very good in the Rose Bowl. Maybe he'll go back and look at the 5 or 6 first downs he and Sanzenbacher combined for in that game. I don't think they've lost the ability to do that.

I hope Miami wins out the rest of the year and beats Oklahoma in a CBS bowl.

Go bucks! 2 and 0! Love it!

 

[3074326]

3. Pryor has been overly criticized in the media IMO for his performance and his decision-making in this game. No INTs, 100+ yards rushing, excellent throws on the 2-play drive - granted, his completion % wasn't great, but he was under pretty strong pressure and the Miami coverage was extremely good from what I saw.

I haven't watched ESPN or anything since the game, but I honestly think he deserves some criticism. At least two EASY picks were dropped, and I'm pretty sure a third probably should've been picked too. He had the two-play drive that was awesome, but aside from that, average at best. I'm only referring to his passing here. He missed some important (and easy) throws. Criticism should only motivate him at this point, he knows he can play better and he will.

His running was ridiculously good.

 

[Gatorubet]

TP performed well for most of the game. He threw some bad passes, and got lucky on a couple INTs. You never know how that could have affected the momentum.

Plus, he runs with the physicality of Chris Leak.* That said, he is deceptively fast and hard to bring down. I wish he would not try to block his inner Fran Tarkington and run more...it's not like he has happy feet. I respect his respecting going through his progressions, but the goal is to move the chains and score, not improve his QB rating numbers.


* This is not a compliment

 

[Coqui]

Instead of the criticsms, I want to focus on one huge positive.

Coming in to the year, there were questions about our D-line and their ability since the depth wasn't there as much as last year.

While we didn't get as many sacks as I would have liked, our D-line controlled the line. I have to watch the replays again, but I thought every interception thrown by Harris was due to being bumped by his own lineman, or by getting hit (or about to be drilled) by one of ours.

There were a lot of times where Heyward was tackled down that didn't get called. I think this also severely lessened our sacks. (he wasn't the only one that got tackled down - and no I don't mean pancake blocks either)

 

[stxbuck]

Repost from different thread, but thouight I'd post here as well...

Just a few thoughts on today....

C.J. Barnett...wow. Guy was great during the time he played. Some great break-ups, and any completions on him, he made sure the receiver paid for it. Really thought he played well, especially against a very good receiving core in Miami. Any concerns I had about his size/physicality were answered today, IMO. Hope his injury isn't serious... Agree 100%

John Simon...can't say enough about this guy. He collapsed running lanes all day, and made Harris step away from the pocket all day. The guy so rarely gets swallowed up, and Miami was double teaming him on a regular basis. When you have a player that commands double teams like this guy does, it just opens up pressure from guys like Nathan Williams and Cam. His stats don't say it, but what a great day... Agreed.....

TP got away with a lot today. This was a game where we could have just as easily commented on the bad decisions and the things that went wrong, but the INT's were dropped. I really liked when he stepped up and made big plays with his feet. Still wish he ran more physically, but I'm not going to complain. The kid played hard today, and brings a lot of confidence to the offense. I think the team really looks to him for confidence, and he stayed pretty poised today. I think part of the knock on Pryor not running "physically" is the simple fact that he is 6'6 and can't lower his head and hips like a guy whois 6'0. He will jack LBs w/ his shoulders when they come after him, and they are the ones who go bouncing.

Our special teams are/were very poor. Outside of a solid outings by Ben Buchanaon and Devin Barclay, our special teams are beyond concerning. I don't know if it means burning redshirts or just taking walk-ons off of the units, we need more athleticism on kick coverage. It's risky to put starters on kick coverage, but you just can't have coverage teams costing you games by not being able to cover punts and kick-offs. I wonder if JT ever thought about burning Sabino's shirt today??
2 part solution
A-Bataan Death March 2.0 for kick coverage squads at practice for the next 2 weeks-we have Ohio and CMU coming up so the coaches can focus a bit more on fundamentals.

B-Put Moeller, Rolle, and Hines on the kickoff/punt teams for a coupleof games to A-get someheadhunters in there, and,more importantly, emphasize the importance of special teams to the special teamers.

How nice is it to have real weapons at returner? Jamaal Berry did a nice job answering with some solid kick returns of his own. Jordan Hall had some nice punt returns as well. I give JT credit for putting trust in some young guys. Knock on wood, but it's a testament to these guys not putting the rock on the ground. JT rarely lets underclassmen have this kind of responsibility.... Berry is special.....

Good to see Mike Adams hold up today. I was really concerned about Allen Bailey collapsing the pocket today, but that never happened. Mike Adams did a nice job in pass protection. The lack of hearing Bailey's name is a testament to that. O-line did a nice job, and you are right about not hearing Bailey's name-the other DE got more pressure.

Can we please scrap the 5 wideout sets? I hate them. Terrelle still doesn't look comfortable in making the quick decision, and our protection collapses quickly. It just seems like a recipe for disaster.

Boom Herron ran hard today and I liked it. The guy gets very little credit from our fanbase, but he showed his metal today. While Saine tip-toed behind our offensive line, Boom find his lane and hit them hard. As soon as he came into the game, he showed he was the better back against the opponent today. I give Saine credit for having amazing hands and he has a place in the offense, but unless the offensive line opens a hole the size of a semi-truck he has some deficiencies. And tip-toeing behind the line waiting for holes to develop is one, especially against an aggressive defense like Miami. Boom was our offensive MVP, IMO. Agreed-this was his best game as a Buckeye

Nathan Williams is a beast...Holy God. You're a special player when you can put your hand in the dirt and get pressure on every passing down, but you can also drop into coverage 25 yards down-field. Are you kidding me? On his pick, the guy was in a 20 yard drop. I know we're used to seeing our DE's drop into coverage, and even Cam made a pick today, but the depth of that particular play has me shaking my head. Nathan Williams showed his value today. I'm extremely happy to have him back. We haven't gotten the production I expected from Solomon Thomas in Nathans absence unfortunately. Williams is a freak-he didn'tget the publicity he deserved in HS b/c ESPNand Co. are too stupid to find Washington Court House on a map, let alone check out a player from there. If he keepsgoing the way he is, he will leave after this year as a mid-first/early 2nd rounder.

Cameron Heyward...enough said. He can't be blocked. All-American, first round pick.

JerMale Hines. Any questions about him at safety were answered after today. What an amazing tone he set right off the bat. Laid out Miami's TE on the first passing play, and then came back and blew up a screen on the second play. He honestly reminds me of a Taylor Mays that doesn't get abused in coverage. He plays very disciplined, but very fast. And he hits like a linebacker. This guy is under-appreciated...I think he is our third best defensive player.

DeVier Posey just continues to impress. In an offense where the QB is so athletic and often makes plays with his feet, it can be easy to get discouraged and take plays off. DeVier just gets open whenever his number is called and makes the play. If he played with a pocket passer, he might be a household name like A.J. Green or Julio Jones, but DeVier is a beast.

Tyler Moeller plays FAST. That's all. His numbers weren't crazy today like against Marshall, but he blew plays up, and stuck his neck in plays that other players cleaned up. He's incredibly valuable to this defense. I'm not sure we'll see a STAR of his caliber any time soon. He's that good at his position.

That's all I can think of for now. Really proud of the teams effort today. We were kick coverage away from dominating this game. Our defense is truly special, and the offense will continue to improve, IMO. I like our chances this season...

..

 

[Coqui]

TP performed well for most of the game. He threw some bad passes, and got lucky on a couple INTs. You never know how that could have affected the momentum.

Plus, he runs with the physicality of Chris Leak.* That said, he is deceptively fast and hard to bring down. I wish he would not try to block his inner Fran Tarkington and run more...it's not like he has happy feet. I respect his respecting going through his progressions, but the goal is to move the chains and score, not improve his QB rating numbers.


* This is not a compliment

I loved that it was near impossible for a Miami defender to bring Pryor down.....that pleased me immensely.

Regarding his phisicality, part of that is on the coaches.....he got some flack for taking down defenders early in his career (they were trying to prevent injuries)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ynPh4tF5Bc"]YouTube - Terrelle Pryor vs Minnesota Defender(Huge Hit)[/ame]

 

[Rookie]

I keep hoping the weather was more of a factor than we originally thought, but there were some questionable throws from TP regardless. However, after three years I've learned to take the good with the bad and know that with him we will lose games because of him and win them solely because of him. Unfortunately yesterday he looked to be tentative on throws and reverting to old Terelle and not trying to make a mistake rather than just playing. Seeing a few short range throws being shot-putted was a bit disconcerting, but once he relaxes and steps into his throws we'll see a different Pryor. He'll continue to get better as the season lingers on.

Also, I love the effort from Posey on the pass break up. He's a good one!

 

[Zander42]

Re: Saine and Boom

When you have a two back system, sometimes one back gets the good holes, sometimes the other back gets them. When you play good teams, the good holes are fewer and farther in between.

When you have a feature back, sometimes he gets those series when the D is just dialed in to what we're trying to do, sometimes the D gets gashed. It isn't like we never went three and out with Beanie.

Yesterday was Boom's day, last week and last years Iowa game were Saine's days. To me they seem pretty much equal, but with different skills.

As has been said before, it's a good problem to have.

-z

 

[Gatorubet]

Nice. I agree that nobody needs a Tebow mindset qb, but in a tough, tight game with a badly needed first down a yard away, I'd always like to see a lowered shoulder and go for it.

Don't get me wrong, the boy has no wimp in him at all - just that my impression watching was that once or twice he could have picked up a first down with a little more lower your head and get the yard. He is a big, fast dude, and he should be an advantage for you in the red zone. Instead, you guys had an abysmal red zone day in that you left a bucket of points with all of those FGs. I know, Tressel ball.

Great win. You should be happy as hell for an impressive win over a respected team, and I am nit picking. But.....you had some nits.

 

[Coqui]

Great win. You should be happy as hell for an impressive win over a respected team, and I am nit picking. But.....you had some nits.

Give it another day. Come Monday, they will begin talking about how Miami isn't a good team anymore. It's ok. We're used to it.

 

[billmac91]

Nice. I agree that nobody needs a Tebow mindset qb, but in a tough, tight game with a badly needed first down a yard away, I'd always like to see a lowered shoulder and go for it.

Don't get me wrong, the boy has no wimp in him at all - just that my impression watching was that once or twice he could have picked up a first down with a little more lower your head and get the yard. He is a big, fast dude, and he should be an advantage for you in the red zone. Instead, you guys had an abysmal red zone day in that you left a bucket of points with all of those FGs. I know, Tressel ball.

Great win. You should be happy as hell for an impressive win over a respected team, and I am nit picking. But.....you had some nits.

I love the way Terrelle slides in the pocket avoids pressure, and even sometimes steps into pressure knowing he can shake it. He is amazing to watch in terms of breaking the pocket and finding running lanes.

But there is a definte lack of physicality outside the pocket. Best example of yesterday was when he broke the pocket, picked up 11 yards, and was then tackled in the open field by Brandon Harris. It was the type of tackle you'd never have seen on Vince Young. Vince would have cut it inside or at least trucked him....but Terrelle protects his legs in those situations. I can't say I fault him, but he does give up a lot of "after-contact" yardage by conceding tackles. And beofre anyone talks about his stiff-arm and trucking guys, I know he's capable of it. But in general, Terrelle protects his body and avoids a lot of hits.

It's hard to say it's a bad thing though...it just differentiates him from guys like Tebow and Young who welcomed contact and fought for every yard.

 

[Sportsbuck28]

I love the way Terrelle slides in the pocket avoids pressure, and even sometimes steps into pressure knowing he can shake it. He is amazing to watch in terms of breaking the pocket and finding running lanes.

But there is a definte lack of physicality outside the pocket. Best example of yesterday was when he broke the pocket, picked up 11 yards, and was then tackled in the open field by Brandon Harris. It was the type of tackle you'd never have seen on Vince Young. Vince would have cut it inside or at least trucked him....but Terrelle protects his legs in those situations. I can't say I fault him, but he does give up a lot of "after-contact" yardage by conceding tackles. And beofre anyone talks about his stiff-arm and trucking guys, I know he's capable of it. But in general, Terrelle protects his body and avoids a lot of hits.

It's hard to say it's a bad thing though...it just differentiates him from guys like Tebow and Young who welcomed contact and fought for every yard.

Agreed x1000.

There have been multiple times where TP could've picked up 5-10 more yards minimum but got brought down by an easy tackle in the open field.

And another thing, this past off-season I went back and rewatched a lot of the VY tapes from when he was tearing it up at Texas. The biggest difference in the running game for him and TP was the receivers blocking downfield. Texas WR's were holding their blocks and straight drive blocking their man right down the field, leaving huge lanes for VY to run through for the big runs he was famous for, whereas I haven't seen that from our guys out wide.

 

[mercurial1]

What a glorious day! It's great to be a Buckeyes fan.

We obviously need to work on special teams. This should be the primary focus for now but other than that I think we're lookin' pretty damn good.

Our pass coverage was outstanding. That was one of my bigger concerns before the game. I'm proud of the way we played and our defense looks excellent.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

2. Unimpressive display in pressuring Harris; he had way too much time to throw IMO. Simon and Larimore having the only two sacks was odd - showed the weakness of the Miami interior O-line relative to their tackles, who were terrific in pass-protect.

Miami's OL got away with a shit-ton of holding. Rewatch the game, and on virtually every designed pass play you see at least one instance of holding. They might as well as put a fucking lasso around Cam...

 

[sharkonwheels]

You gotta come to Columbus then for a game (even if Miami isn't playng)

Skull Session, the walk, TBDBITL (The Best Damn Band In The Land) ramp entrance, the back bend, Script Ohio, O-H-I-O cheer. Definitely a thing to experience.

All the tradition, pomp, and circumstance might be enough to make you a closet Buckeye fan

Um, yeah...

Something tells me that the game to travel to OSU to watch, is UMich @ Buckeyes. Lotsa' love in the air

I don't get to see it much any more, but the best commercial I ever saw, was that ESPN bit where the girl picks up the hitchhiker, and she's a Mich fan, and he's an OSU fan, and he jumps back out of her moving car?

Fugging Classic !

How'd you guys like that other commercial, where the guy and the girl are making out, and one has an OSU shirt, and the other had a Mich shirt?