Joe Dexter
Guest
Monday Bucknotes: Taking the Positive from a 20-13 Ohio State Win
Joe Dexter via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Thank goodness for Mondays.
Nobody with a full-time job has ever muttered those words with any meaning. Any college football fan would look at you sideways if you tried to convince them that getting to Monday is the best them for them.
For Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes, it’s okay to throw up a couple hallelujahs and praise the football gods that five turnovers doesn’t always mean you’re going to lose.
Just 99.8% of the time.
Underneath the charred and seared Ohio State offense is a prime cut of championship level defense that helped them escape Ohio Stadium before being declared “well done” by all the college football pundits.
I would be lying to you If I told you that I didn’t think the world was going to end at around 6:30 PM ET on Saturday evening. The truth is, I threw more tantrums than my 16 month old daughter who is pushing through the teething process like Brady Hoke at a Sunday evening buffet line.
I try to see the positive though in everything.
Even when the Ohio State offense lacks personality and impresses viewers like Mike Hart dazzles friends with his trophy case.
Under the Microscope
There are plenty of things on the offensive side of the ball that could use some good diagnosing after another sluggish performance this week. The problem seems to be though that the only cure for these issues is more time.
Don’t get me wrong, after the final bell tolled on Saturday, I thought I had some of the magical answers to help this downtrodden unit. Putting Ed Warinner in the pressbox, handing the play calling off to Tim Beck, forcing Warinner to focus only on his offensive line and helping them make adjustments in game.
Now, it’s Monday and I’m looking back at Saturday’s rise in blood pressure as an excuse for my in-brain tirade.
The Buckeyes need to vastly improve in many areas, but they were able to escape in a game that most favored teams wouldn’t be able to will themselves to victory in. The fact of the matter is that it’s the beginning of the season and adjustments will continue.
Last year, it was the Silver Bullets that needed to make major changes at the beginning of the year. It took until damn near the end of November for that unit to put things together at an elite enough level to balance out their high power offense.
Now, that unit has given up 224 less rushing yards than at this point a year ago. Through three games in 2014, the Buckeye defense gave up more than four yards per carry. So far this year they have held rushers to 2.6 per touch.
Remember last season, when the Buckeyes couldn’t find a consistent rushing game to save their lives? After three games, it looked like Curtis Samuel was going to run away with the starting running back job. We had no idea the impact that Ezekiel Elliott would have, because his talent hadn’t seen the light of day.
With a lousy Kent State defense on the schedule in the first three games, the Buckeyes had 550 rushing yards in the first three games. This year they have already bolstered 703 yards on the ground on three defenses that you could argue are all better than the ones they faced to open up the season a year ago.
Issues have to be addressed without a doubt. Like every fan out there, I want to see the quarterback get the ball to Michael Thomas more. I want a quarterback to stand out and the coaching staff to ride behind one signal caller.
I want offensive play calling to make sense.
The first five or six games, no matter how much talent you have on the roster, will always be about making the adjustments needed to mold yourself into a contender. The only thing that isn’t excusable is complacency and turning the ball over five times.
We will have plenty of great analysis throughout the week with really good solutions to fixing the issues that continue to haunt the Buckeyes on offense. Clair and I will talk about it more in depth throughout the week on Script Ohio.
I’ll use this space though to remind you that it took a lot of time last year for this team to come together. It’s going to take a minute for this year’s group to figure out their roles on offense. I still trust that this coaching staff will find ways to get the offensive play back up to par.
In the words of one wise football mind that everyone calls “Big Bear”
Hey everyone we were 2-1 this time last year…. Relax.. This trains about to get rolling
— Joey Bosa (@jbbigbear) September 19, 2015
NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 01: Darron Lee #43 celebrates teammate Steve Miller #88 of the Ohio State Buckeyes after scoring a 41 yard interception return from Blake Sims #6 of the Alabama Crimson Tide in the third quarter during the All State Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
The Victory Bell
The improvement that this defense has made over the last 8 games is unbelievable. Fans were calling for Luke Fickell’s job early in 2014. Everyone wondered how this same secondary would be able to stop the major playmakers that they would face in Big Ten play and in potential playoff matchups.
Now, the secondary is the best unit in the country. They are so diverse in the ways that they affect ballgames.
The defensive line has sacked the quarterback four times in each game of 2015. The linebackers are coming into their own as coverage backs, while maintaining their ability to be some of the best form tackling linebackers in college football.
Without this defense, Ohio State would be in deep trouble heading into week four against Western Michigan.
Instead, you get this feeling as a fan that this group of special players could put the offense on their back and win a ton of games for their coaches this season.
On the polar opposite of the Buckeye offense is a unit that is not phased when coaches draw up game plans that look nothing like what’s on tape. They eat up every single mistake the opposing units take.
And throughout the game, they build momentum until it peaks as the final whistle blows to signal the end of the fourth quarter.
This week’s Victory Bell goes to Darron Lee, who made the defensive play that was the difference. His interception of Drew Hare was a thing of beauty because you could tell throughout the whole game that he was eventually going to get to the passing lane and steal a quick pass.
Lee took a page out of Aaron Craft’s book on how to successfully close the passing lane, get on a fast break, and turn it into easy points. One thing I said all week on Script Ohio was that I didn’t believe the passing offense of NIU wouldn’t have success because the Ohio State defense would not give them enough space to run their dip and dunk spread attack in short yardage plays.
This game just further shows that there isn’t anything at linebacker that Darron Lee doesn’t do well. He can hang in coverage. He is great at pressuring the quarterback in blitz packages. The former quarterback is one hell of a run stuffer.
By the way, he might be the best form tackler at the position. I’m sure most pro coaches will agree when the 2016 NFL Draft takes place in late April.
A Look at the Numbers
Let’s continue talking about this vaunted defense shall we?
Northern Illinois entered Ohio Stadium averaging over 500 yards per game of total offense. On Saturday, they were only able to muster 190 yards of total offense.
A team that throws 44 times a game knew that their only chance was to focus on the run. NIU quarterback Drew Hare threw for over 300 yards in back-to-back games to start the season. Against the Ohio State secondary and pressure, he threw his first two interceptions, was sacked four times and only threw the ball a total of 80 yards.
The last time NIU’s potent offense was held to less than 200 yards of total offense was in October of 2008.
The mantra that is sweeping Buckeye Nation is, “The Silver Bullets are Back.”
I think what’s more fitting to say after three week’s of dominance is that the Silver Bullets are here to stay.
Offensively, the number fraction that sticks out to me is 2/12. Championship offenses find ways to make things happen on third down or at least put themselves in position on the first two downs to have a decent chance moving the chains on third and short.
There is no excuse for going 2/12 on third downs against Northern Illinois’ defense. It just cant happen at this rate against better defenses. So far on the year, Ohio State has converted just 33% of their third down plays.
And as Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman points out, it’s playing a major role in why the quarterback play has struggled so much.
#OhioState QBs rank No. 99 in the nation in QB rating (ranked #2 last year) & are completing just 38% on 3rd downs: http://t.co/5HtRVssqe8
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) September 21, 2015
5 Quick Takeaways
Get Mike Thomas the Ball
It’s hard to imagine that the coaching staff envisioned getting Michael Thomas the ball just three times on Saturday, but it was evident at times that they are more concerned with making him a big play receiver than they are in using him as a possession receiver. If you look back at the tape though, there were plenty of times that he ripped through the middle of the field unscathed and could of helped Ohio State move the football in chunks if the ball went to him more often.
Thomas did show though that at a certain level, he can be the big play guy that is missing from this offense. There is no denying either that he has so much more chemistry with J.T. Barrett. Those two know how to find each other, and the read option look seems to give both enough time to set up big plays.
This reason alone should have this coaching staff believing that Barrett has to be the guy from this point forward.
The Quarterback Debate is Over, Right?
Cardale Jones had a rough showing in his second start at Ohio Stadium. You could feel all of the air being released from the Cardale Jones is our starting quarterback debate. He really looked uncomfortable, made some terrible decisions with the football, and ultimately gave up on his teammates after being pulled by isolating himself from his teammates and checking out of the game.
Even with those current circumstances, I’m not quite sold on the fact that Cardale has lost every single opportunity to become the starter again. Is Barrett in the driver’s seat against Western Michigan? Yes. Does the personnel fit his talents better? Yes.
I’m not willing to bet though that Jones will not have another chance to prove himself all season.
This staff said publicly last year that they know they need to pick one quarterback and stick with him. Here’s their chance to do just that.
The question is — will they stick with the guy they believed could be their stud quarterback at the beginning of the season or will they realize that it’s time to move on and give Barrett his due opportunity to take over as this team’s leader.
Larry Johnson has things Figured Out
I love what Larry Johnson has done with his defensive line to start the season. He is getting the most out of every single player and a lot of that has to do with the simple notion that Johnson believes in cutting back reps to get the most out of players.
Boy, has it worked this season. Sam Hubbard performed at another level on Saturday and that was in a backup role. Tyquan Lewis had his best tackling day as a Buckeye. Tommy Schutt had the best performance of his career in the interior alongside Adolphus Washington, who is proving to be a first round talent.
Along with all this great play is a number of backups that are seeing playing time and taking advantage of it. It’s a great luxury knowing that you have two full units that can do damage up front on any given Sunday.
Curtis Samuel deserves more touches
I don’t know how they do it, but the Ohio State coaching staff has to give Curtis Samuel more than three carries on the ground, even though they consider him a primary receiver and h-back. As imposing as Ezekiel Elliott is, Samuel adds a different dimension to the running game that keeps defenses honest. The Huskies looked lost on his three run attempts and as much as I think he can be a valuable receiver, we found out quickly during his freshman campaign that he can run the ball with the best of them.
The whole h-back position needs more touches, but like everyone in the Buckeye universe has sad, the hard part is trying to figure out which play makers at the position to give the ball too.
I feel like Samuel’s value is higher as a running back, even though he’s proved he can be a pretty good possession receiver and vertical play maker in Urban Meyer’s offense.
Bring back the counter play
Am I crazy for wondering where the counter has gone? What made the outside rush so dangerous a year ago was being able to set it up with counter plays and traps that demanded opposing defenses to focus solely upon it.
Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t think Ezekiel Elliott is getting too many chances to run those type of plays. It might be the one weapon that helps balances the big plays down field with Braxton Miller, Mike Thomas, Elliott on edge runs, and all of the stud runners with blazing speed on this team.
The post Monday Bucknotes: Taking the Positive from a 20-13 Ohio State Win appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
Joe Dexter via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Thank goodness for Mondays.
Nobody with a full-time job has ever muttered those words with any meaning. Any college football fan would look at you sideways if you tried to convince them that getting to Monday is the best them for them.
For Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes, it’s okay to throw up a couple hallelujahs and praise the football gods that five turnovers doesn’t always mean you’re going to lose.
Just 99.8% of the time.
Underneath the charred and seared Ohio State offense is a prime cut of championship level defense that helped them escape Ohio Stadium before being declared “well done” by all the college football pundits.
I would be lying to you If I told you that I didn’t think the world was going to end at around 6:30 PM ET on Saturday evening. The truth is, I threw more tantrums than my 16 month old daughter who is pushing through the teething process like Brady Hoke at a Sunday evening buffet line.
I try to see the positive though in everything.
Even when the Ohio State offense lacks personality and impresses viewers like Mike Hart dazzles friends with his trophy case.
Under the Microscope
There are plenty of things on the offensive side of the ball that could use some good diagnosing after another sluggish performance this week. The problem seems to be though that the only cure for these issues is more time.
Don’t get me wrong, after the final bell tolled on Saturday, I thought I had some of the magical answers to help this downtrodden unit. Putting Ed Warinner in the pressbox, handing the play calling off to Tim Beck, forcing Warinner to focus only on his offensive line and helping them make adjustments in game.
Now, it’s Monday and I’m looking back at Saturday’s rise in blood pressure as an excuse for my in-brain tirade.
The Buckeyes need to vastly improve in many areas, but they were able to escape in a game that most favored teams wouldn’t be able to will themselves to victory in. The fact of the matter is that it’s the beginning of the season and adjustments will continue.
Last year, it was the Silver Bullets that needed to make major changes at the beginning of the year. It took until damn near the end of November for that unit to put things together at an elite enough level to balance out their high power offense.
Now, that unit has given up 224 less rushing yards than at this point a year ago. Through three games in 2014, the Buckeye defense gave up more than four yards per carry. So far this year they have held rushers to 2.6 per touch.
Remember last season, when the Buckeyes couldn’t find a consistent rushing game to save their lives? After three games, it looked like Curtis Samuel was going to run away with the starting running back job. We had no idea the impact that Ezekiel Elliott would have, because his talent hadn’t seen the light of day.
With a lousy Kent State defense on the schedule in the first three games, the Buckeyes had 550 rushing yards in the first three games. This year they have already bolstered 703 yards on the ground on three defenses that you could argue are all better than the ones they faced to open up the season a year ago.
Issues have to be addressed without a doubt. Like every fan out there, I want to see the quarterback get the ball to Michael Thomas more. I want a quarterback to stand out and the coaching staff to ride behind one signal caller.
I want offensive play calling to make sense.
The first five or six games, no matter how much talent you have on the roster, will always be about making the adjustments needed to mold yourself into a contender. The only thing that isn’t excusable is complacency and turning the ball over five times.
We will have plenty of great analysis throughout the week with really good solutions to fixing the issues that continue to haunt the Buckeyes on offense. Clair and I will talk about it more in depth throughout the week on Script Ohio.
I’ll use this space though to remind you that it took a lot of time last year for this team to come together. It’s going to take a minute for this year’s group to figure out their roles on offense. I still trust that this coaching staff will find ways to get the offensive play back up to par.
In the words of one wise football mind that everyone calls “Big Bear”
Hey everyone we were 2-1 this time last year…. Relax.. This trains about to get rolling
— Joey Bosa (@jbbigbear) September 19, 2015
NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 01: Darron Lee #43 celebrates teammate Steve Miller #88 of the Ohio State Buckeyes after scoring a 41 yard interception return from Blake Sims #6 of the Alabama Crimson Tide in the third quarter during the All State Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
The Victory Bell
The improvement that this defense has made over the last 8 games is unbelievable. Fans were calling for Luke Fickell’s job early in 2014. Everyone wondered how this same secondary would be able to stop the major playmakers that they would face in Big Ten play and in potential playoff matchups.
Now, the secondary is the best unit in the country. They are so diverse in the ways that they affect ballgames.
The defensive line has sacked the quarterback four times in each game of 2015. The linebackers are coming into their own as coverage backs, while maintaining their ability to be some of the best form tackling linebackers in college football.
Without this defense, Ohio State would be in deep trouble heading into week four against Western Michigan.
Instead, you get this feeling as a fan that this group of special players could put the offense on their back and win a ton of games for their coaches this season.
On the polar opposite of the Buckeye offense is a unit that is not phased when coaches draw up game plans that look nothing like what’s on tape. They eat up every single mistake the opposing units take.
And throughout the game, they build momentum until it peaks as the final whistle blows to signal the end of the fourth quarter.
This week’s Victory Bell goes to Darron Lee, who made the defensive play that was the difference. His interception of Drew Hare was a thing of beauty because you could tell throughout the whole game that he was eventually going to get to the passing lane and steal a quick pass.
Lee took a page out of Aaron Craft’s book on how to successfully close the passing lane, get on a fast break, and turn it into easy points. One thing I said all week on Script Ohio was that I didn’t believe the passing offense of NIU wouldn’t have success because the Ohio State defense would not give them enough space to run their dip and dunk spread attack in short yardage plays.
This game just further shows that there isn’t anything at linebacker that Darron Lee doesn’t do well. He can hang in coverage. He is great at pressuring the quarterback in blitz packages. The former quarterback is one hell of a run stuffer.
By the way, he might be the best form tackler at the position. I’m sure most pro coaches will agree when the 2016 NFL Draft takes place in late April.
A Look at the Numbers
Let’s continue talking about this vaunted defense shall we?
Northern Illinois entered Ohio Stadium averaging over 500 yards per game of total offense. On Saturday, they were only able to muster 190 yards of total offense.
A team that throws 44 times a game knew that their only chance was to focus on the run. NIU quarterback Drew Hare threw for over 300 yards in back-to-back games to start the season. Against the Ohio State secondary and pressure, he threw his first two interceptions, was sacked four times and only threw the ball a total of 80 yards.
The last time NIU’s potent offense was held to less than 200 yards of total offense was in October of 2008.
The mantra that is sweeping Buckeye Nation is, “The Silver Bullets are Back.”
I think what’s more fitting to say after three week’s of dominance is that the Silver Bullets are here to stay.
Offensively, the number fraction that sticks out to me is 2/12. Championship offenses find ways to make things happen on third down or at least put themselves in position on the first two downs to have a decent chance moving the chains on third and short.
There is no excuse for going 2/12 on third downs against Northern Illinois’ defense. It just cant happen at this rate against better defenses. So far on the year, Ohio State has converted just 33% of their third down plays.
And as Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman points out, it’s playing a major role in why the quarterback play has struggled so much.
#OhioState QBs rank No. 99 in the nation in QB rating (ranked #2 last year) & are completing just 38% on 3rd downs: http://t.co/5HtRVssqe8
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) September 21, 2015
5 Quick Takeaways
Get Mike Thomas the Ball
It’s hard to imagine that the coaching staff envisioned getting Michael Thomas the ball just three times on Saturday, but it was evident at times that they are more concerned with making him a big play receiver than they are in using him as a possession receiver. If you look back at the tape though, there were plenty of times that he ripped through the middle of the field unscathed and could of helped Ohio State move the football in chunks if the ball went to him more often.
Thomas did show though that at a certain level, he can be the big play guy that is missing from this offense. There is no denying either that he has so much more chemistry with J.T. Barrett. Those two know how to find each other, and the read option look seems to give both enough time to set up big plays.
This reason alone should have this coaching staff believing that Barrett has to be the guy from this point forward.
The Quarterback Debate is Over, Right?
Cardale Jones had a rough showing in his second start at Ohio Stadium. You could feel all of the air being released from the Cardale Jones is our starting quarterback debate. He really looked uncomfortable, made some terrible decisions with the football, and ultimately gave up on his teammates after being pulled by isolating himself from his teammates and checking out of the game.
Even with those current circumstances, I’m not quite sold on the fact that Cardale has lost every single opportunity to become the starter again. Is Barrett in the driver’s seat against Western Michigan? Yes. Does the personnel fit his talents better? Yes.
I’m not willing to bet though that Jones will not have another chance to prove himself all season.
This staff said publicly last year that they know they need to pick one quarterback and stick with him. Here’s their chance to do just that.
The question is — will they stick with the guy they believed could be their stud quarterback at the beginning of the season or will they realize that it’s time to move on and give Barrett his due opportunity to take over as this team’s leader.
Larry Johnson has things Figured Out
I love what Larry Johnson has done with his defensive line to start the season. He is getting the most out of every single player and a lot of that has to do with the simple notion that Johnson believes in cutting back reps to get the most out of players.
Boy, has it worked this season. Sam Hubbard performed at another level on Saturday and that was in a backup role. Tyquan Lewis had his best tackling day as a Buckeye. Tommy Schutt had the best performance of his career in the interior alongside Adolphus Washington, who is proving to be a first round talent.
Along with all this great play is a number of backups that are seeing playing time and taking advantage of it. It’s a great luxury knowing that you have two full units that can do damage up front on any given Sunday.
Curtis Samuel deserves more touches
I don’t know how they do it, but the Ohio State coaching staff has to give Curtis Samuel more than three carries on the ground, even though they consider him a primary receiver and h-back. As imposing as Ezekiel Elliott is, Samuel adds a different dimension to the running game that keeps defenses honest. The Huskies looked lost on his three run attempts and as much as I think he can be a valuable receiver, we found out quickly during his freshman campaign that he can run the ball with the best of them.
The whole h-back position needs more touches, but like everyone in the Buckeye universe has sad, the hard part is trying to figure out which play makers at the position to give the ball too.
I feel like Samuel’s value is higher as a running back, even though he’s proved he can be a pretty good possession receiver and vertical play maker in Urban Meyer’s offense.
Bring back the counter play
Am I crazy for wondering where the counter has gone? What made the outside rush so dangerous a year ago was being able to set it up with counter plays and traps that demanded opposing defenses to focus solely upon it.
Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t think Ezekiel Elliott is getting too many chances to run those type of plays. It might be the one weapon that helps balances the big plays down field with Braxton Miller, Mike Thomas, Elliott on edge runs, and all of the stud runners with blazing speed on this team.
The post Monday Bucknotes: Taking the Positive from a 20-13 Ohio State Win appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...