1. TEN AND OH
West Virginia 34
Louisville 44
Wake Forest 17
Clemson 27
Wisconsin 13
Michigan 27
Texas 7
Ohio State 24
California 18
Tennessee 35
USC 31
Oregon St 33
Florida 17
Auburn 27
Arkansas 14
USC 50
Auburn 10
Arkansas 27
Notre Dame 21
Michigan 47
Does anybody REALLY have a problem with Ohio State 17 - Illinois 10?
2. WHAT HAPPENED
On their first six series OSU ran 49 plays and gained 215 yards.
On their last six series OSU ran 22 plays for 9 yards. On four of those series our net yardage was minus 6, minus 3, minus 5 and minus 10. And the only series where we moved the ball for more than 10 yards was the worst of the bunch because we were intercepted and did not get to punt.
On their first 9 series Illinois gained 99 yards (40 on their opening drive) and never moved the ball past their own 48.
On their last four series Illinois gained 134 yards and scored 10 points. They also made me appreciate the new clock management rules for the first time this season.
3. WHY IT HAPPENED
WAS IT THE DEFENSE?
No, it certainly wasn't because of the Defense. They were stellar all afternoon long. They gave up a field goal on a drive that started on the OSU side of the field and a TD on a drive where we were in something of a prevent.
WAS IT TRESSEL?
I have read comments that Tressel actually engineered a close game to give the team a challenge prior to the Michigan game. Not even going there.
I have also read that Tressel brought about a close game by his conservative play calling - playing Tressel-ball.
I almost bought into the second argument, but the evidence does not support it.
The play of the game for Illinois might well have been by Vontae Davis on OSU's first drive of the second half. Troy threw long to Ginn and laid it in his arms in the end zone - but Davis deflected it. That play makes it 24-0 and then maybe Illinois folds its tent and goes home according to script.
That was one of three times JT went long downfield in the second half. And even after Smith had been intercepted, with less than four minutes to go and a 17 point lead, Smith threw yet another pass - one that was tipped and could have led to disaster.
In the second half OSU ran 10 passing plays. The results were two sacks, four incompletions, one interception, two completions for negative yardage, and a 17 yard screen pass to Pittman. To paraphrase Woody, "When you pass the ball 10 things can happen and nine of them are bad."
Ginn had 5 catches in the game for 26 yards. But his longest was 15, meaning his other four catches netted 11 yards. Think about that one - Ted Ginn catching four passes for 11 yards.
The problem was not that we chose not to pass, but that Illinois would not let us pass.
And don't forget that our second string (this time you really did it Beanie) and third string running backs were not available in the second half. Pittman has been averaging 18 carries per game but ran the ball 32 times yesterday - with very mixed results. Not that Pitt shouldn't be able to shoulder the load, but rather that it was not our normal mix.
Granted, seven of our 10 second half passes were on third down, but I would not call that ultra-conservative. On the contrary, what we should be able to do - and until yesterday have been able to do - was move the ball on the ground in the fourth quarter. With ease. We shouldn't have to resort to passing. I would not call that being conservative. I would call it being unsuccessful.
JT didn't really button it up until the very last offensive series.
WAS IT THE OFFENSE?
Specifically, was it the offensive line? I won't argue this was their best game, and I would not want to be in the room when they grade the films. And when you watch that second half there was pressure on Smith like I have not seen all season. But I wont entirely accept that the our OL was the reason the second half turned out as it did. Here is why -
4. WHAT WE OFTEN FORGET
Myopia: 2 : a lack of foresight or discernment : a narrow view of something
Nearly all sports fans have the tendency to interpret everything that happens in terms of their own team as though the other team had no influence. They pitched a shut out because we can't hit - not because he pitched well. We moved the ball at will because we are an exceptional offense - not because their defense sucked.
Well, I would like to submit that the reason yesterday's second half went as it did is because for the first time this season, for one half of one game, our opponent's Defense was better than our Offense. Their players played harder and outplayed our players and their DC out-coached our OC. They were giving our entire line problems - not just #68. They put pressure on Smith and it showed in his play. It happens.
What is hard to accept today is not that it happened - but that it COULD happen.
We thought we were immune. We thought we were so much better than everyone else that nobody could touch us. We thought we were Miami in 2002 - our fans were even starting to sound like Miami fans.
Illinois strapped it on and brought it and we can all be happy to be 10-0.
And if you can take a step back you can see that this isn't bad thing. In fact, it is wonderful. It is what makes college football great.
I have to confess this at least once a year to cleanse my soul, but as I walked out of the stadium after the MSU loss in 1998 I had a bit of a smirk on my face. I tried to suppress it, but I couldn't. I knew what was at stake in that game and what was now gone, but I also knew that I had just seen college football at its very finest.
College football isn't just about the best players and best coaches or even the best game plans. It is also about who wants it more and who brings it on every play. To try to find blame for yesterday by looking at what OSU did instead of what Illinois did is a disservice and it ignores the very characteristic that makes College football what it is. It is what makes that NC mean so much when you finally get there. I wouldn't want it any other way.
5. Besides, it wasn't nearly as close as it looked
A 14 point lead with less than two minutes to play wasn't going anywhere. Anybody who lived through 2002 knows that. It was one half of one game of the 10 we have played.
Granted, it had us all peeking in our jeans to make sure we had on the lucky underwear. And I must admit that I didn't grab my nuts until Illinois scored the TD (they were still hanging in the den with my lucky hat). But it was a far cry from defending a pass into the end zone with no time on the clock and a 5 point lead. And wasn't it almost nice for a change to have that tension? To be pacing the floor talking to the TV and have your wife remind you that there were impressionable children in the house?
And we scored the winning point two minutes and 21 seconds into the second quarter.
6. MICHIGAN / BALL STATE
I was all set to really pound on the Wolverines - until we played a similar game. Or did we?
OSU played a young, talented and inspired Illinois team on the road. Michigan played a middle of the pack MAC school - at home. And not just at home, in their last home game of the year. Can you imagine OSU's seniors playing their last game in the Shoe and not showing up?
Still, I will wait to pound my Wolverine until the new Calendars come out. (What calendars you ask? Just a little foreshadowing.)
7. NEED FOR UN INTERVENTION
I am sensitive to the plight of children in Somalia. I appreciate the impending crisis in Iran. And the situation in South Korea is downright scary.
But for the second time this season I have had to watch the Bucks in standard format TV, and it is like the world just doesn't care.
So come one Kofi! If human dignity means anything it means that we are all entitled to HDTV!
Saddam has been sentenced so the problems in Iraq are essentially resolved. Let's get HDTV in front of the Security Council today!!!
8. THE NICOL TIP
It is always frustrating to see an interception off of a tip, but if you watch it again we were lucky on this play. Smith threw under pressure and the ball was going to be intercepted anyhow. But the player who would have caught it was in position to make a return.
That interception was Troy's as part of a game that did little to improve his Heisman campaign.
9. CUMBERLAND
Anytime you play a team that has two players OSU recruited heavily it is a mistake to dismiss them - especially when they have had a year to mature.
I expected what I saw from Williams, but Cumberland is also a keeper. Missing out on him hurts.
10. AN OBVIOUS ANALOGY
Imagine for a moment that OSU, Michigan and PSU all left the Big Ten (perhaps to join ND as independents).
Imagine also that Wisky, Iowa and Purdue were having strong seasons and the schedule was such that they did not meet until late in the year (say week 10 or later).
If all three played relatively weak non-conf schedules it is not unthinkable they might all be undefeated at 9-0. Would they deserve to be ranked in the top 10 in the country? Would Wisconsin deserve a shot at the BCS title for beating Iowa and Purdue? Would the absence of OSU, Michigan and PSU magically elevate the level of their programs? Or would the "experts" in the press see through this sham and rank them where they belonged?
Screw Louisville. (And besides, if they really loved football wouldn't they have renamed their school "Johnny U"?)
11. WOODY AND JOPA
Looks like the break could be career ending for JoPa - which would be a shame. But if that is the case I find it ironic that both he and Woody would have ended their careers by making contact with a player on the sidelines.
That should shut up the holier-than-thou PSU fans (although in their myopia they will probably argue that the two incidents are somehow different).
12. TIME FOR A CHANGE
Two years ago I didn't set out to write a lengthy post every week. But when I don't I get PMs asking where the "observations" thread is. And when I do make the post I often get positive feedback (thanks for that). This all leads me to believe that there is something here of at least some small value. And thinking about that makes me very ashamed.
I am an American. And yet here I am with something of value and I have not tried to exploit it for financial gain. Well no more!
This is the last week you will be able to read the "Observations" thread for free. I am starting my own Web site!
My new site will have the same look and feel as the Planet - exactly the same. In fact I was fortunate to find a discarded site already in place. Not that I don't appreciate everything that Clarity and everyone else has done here - but they are chumps and there is money to be made. So next week skip the tripe you read on the Planet and look for Observations (now retitled "Bucket of Bullshit") at "www.sng.com".
I am instituting an innovative price structure for the new site. I know the folks on this site pretty well from reading their posts. I know what they do for a living and how they spend their discretionary income. I can also identify those who are able to harvest a veiled gem of wisdom and those who are just a bit slow on the uptake (that means stupid BB73). So rather than set a fixed price you can simply send me your credit card information and I will charge you an amount I deem fair based on your ability to pay and the benefit you are likely to receive. (Of course, you can receive additional discounts just by letting me give you my testimony.)
Act now and receive your choice of two wonderful gifts. You may choose one of those ubiquitous (that means 'constantly encountered' BuckeyeNation27) bracelets with the letters "WWOHD". Or you may select a "Girls of the BuckeyePlanet" Calendar.
In this calendar you can see sushichic practicing Nyataimori ( http://sushi.cementhorizon.com/archives/nakedsushi-thumb.jpg ), Brutusbabe at the gym as you have never seen her before ( http://www.female-bodybuilders.org/members/public/videoclips/0060/copertina-thum.jpg ), Peaches in cream, and many more of your BP favorites. It will be like having your very own romper room hanging on your bathroom wall.
This eleven month calendar (there would have been 12 but Deety is afraid of snakes - she wouldn't come anywhere near me) is yours free with a year's subscription.
Not into the ladies? Our animal lover's calendar features Tibor the shepherd and Thump with his trained gerbils. You wont want to miss this one.
So join TG05, NDChief, LongwoodBuck and myself at the new site and get your Buckeye news like never before.
West Virginia 34
Louisville 44
Wake Forest 17
Clemson 27
Wisconsin 13
Michigan 27
Texas 7
Ohio State 24
California 18
Tennessee 35
USC 31
Oregon St 33
Florida 17
Auburn 27
Arkansas 14
USC 50
Auburn 10
Arkansas 27
Notre Dame 21
Michigan 47
Does anybody REALLY have a problem with Ohio State 17 - Illinois 10?
2. WHAT HAPPENED
On their first six series OSU ran 49 plays and gained 215 yards.
On their last six series OSU ran 22 plays for 9 yards. On four of those series our net yardage was minus 6, minus 3, minus 5 and minus 10. And the only series where we moved the ball for more than 10 yards was the worst of the bunch because we were intercepted and did not get to punt.
On their first 9 series Illinois gained 99 yards (40 on their opening drive) and never moved the ball past their own 48.
On their last four series Illinois gained 134 yards and scored 10 points. They also made me appreciate the new clock management rules for the first time this season.
3. WHY IT HAPPENED
WAS IT THE DEFENSE?
No, it certainly wasn't because of the Defense. They were stellar all afternoon long. They gave up a field goal on a drive that started on the OSU side of the field and a TD on a drive where we were in something of a prevent.
WAS IT TRESSEL?
I have read comments that Tressel actually engineered a close game to give the team a challenge prior to the Michigan game. Not even going there.
I have also read that Tressel brought about a close game by his conservative play calling - playing Tressel-ball.
I almost bought into the second argument, but the evidence does not support it.
The play of the game for Illinois might well have been by Vontae Davis on OSU's first drive of the second half. Troy threw long to Ginn and laid it in his arms in the end zone - but Davis deflected it. That play makes it 24-0 and then maybe Illinois folds its tent and goes home according to script.
That was one of three times JT went long downfield in the second half. And even after Smith had been intercepted, with less than four minutes to go and a 17 point lead, Smith threw yet another pass - one that was tipped and could have led to disaster.
In the second half OSU ran 10 passing plays. The results were two sacks, four incompletions, one interception, two completions for negative yardage, and a 17 yard screen pass to Pittman. To paraphrase Woody, "When you pass the ball 10 things can happen and nine of them are bad."
Ginn had 5 catches in the game for 26 yards. But his longest was 15, meaning his other four catches netted 11 yards. Think about that one - Ted Ginn catching four passes for 11 yards.
The problem was not that we chose not to pass, but that Illinois would not let us pass.
And don't forget that our second string (this time you really did it Beanie) and third string running backs were not available in the second half. Pittman has been averaging 18 carries per game but ran the ball 32 times yesterday - with very mixed results. Not that Pitt shouldn't be able to shoulder the load, but rather that it was not our normal mix.
Granted, seven of our 10 second half passes were on third down, but I would not call that ultra-conservative. On the contrary, what we should be able to do - and until yesterday have been able to do - was move the ball on the ground in the fourth quarter. With ease. We shouldn't have to resort to passing. I would not call that being conservative. I would call it being unsuccessful.
JT didn't really button it up until the very last offensive series.
WAS IT THE OFFENSE?
Specifically, was it the offensive line? I won't argue this was their best game, and I would not want to be in the room when they grade the films. And when you watch that second half there was pressure on Smith like I have not seen all season. But I wont entirely accept that the our OL was the reason the second half turned out as it did. Here is why -
4. WHAT WE OFTEN FORGET
Myopia: 2 : a lack of foresight or discernment : a narrow view of something
Nearly all sports fans have the tendency to interpret everything that happens in terms of their own team as though the other team had no influence. They pitched a shut out because we can't hit - not because he pitched well. We moved the ball at will because we are an exceptional offense - not because their defense sucked.
Well, I would like to submit that the reason yesterday's second half went as it did is because for the first time this season, for one half of one game, our opponent's Defense was better than our Offense. Their players played harder and outplayed our players and their DC out-coached our OC. They were giving our entire line problems - not just #68. They put pressure on Smith and it showed in his play. It happens.
What is hard to accept today is not that it happened - but that it COULD happen.
We thought we were immune. We thought we were so much better than everyone else that nobody could touch us. We thought we were Miami in 2002 - our fans were even starting to sound like Miami fans.
Illinois strapped it on and brought it and we can all be happy to be 10-0.
And if you can take a step back you can see that this isn't bad thing. In fact, it is wonderful. It is what makes college football great.
I have to confess this at least once a year to cleanse my soul, but as I walked out of the stadium after the MSU loss in 1998 I had a bit of a smirk on my face. I tried to suppress it, but I couldn't. I knew what was at stake in that game and what was now gone, but I also knew that I had just seen college football at its very finest.
College football isn't just about the best players and best coaches or even the best game plans. It is also about who wants it more and who brings it on every play. To try to find blame for yesterday by looking at what OSU did instead of what Illinois did is a disservice and it ignores the very characteristic that makes College football what it is. It is what makes that NC mean so much when you finally get there. I wouldn't want it any other way.
5. Besides, it wasn't nearly as close as it looked
A 14 point lead with less than two minutes to play wasn't going anywhere. Anybody who lived through 2002 knows that. It was one half of one game of the 10 we have played.
Granted, it had us all peeking in our jeans to make sure we had on the lucky underwear. And I must admit that I didn't grab my nuts until Illinois scored the TD (they were still hanging in the den with my lucky hat). But it was a far cry from defending a pass into the end zone with no time on the clock and a 5 point lead. And wasn't it almost nice for a change to have that tension? To be pacing the floor talking to the TV and have your wife remind you that there were impressionable children in the house?
And we scored the winning point two minutes and 21 seconds into the second quarter.
6. MICHIGAN / BALL STATE
I was all set to really pound on the Wolverines - until we played a similar game. Or did we?
OSU played a young, talented and inspired Illinois team on the road. Michigan played a middle of the pack MAC school - at home. And not just at home, in their last home game of the year. Can you imagine OSU's seniors playing their last game in the Shoe and not showing up?
Still, I will wait to pound my Wolverine until the new Calendars come out. (What calendars you ask? Just a little foreshadowing.)
7. NEED FOR UN INTERVENTION
I am sensitive to the plight of children in Somalia. I appreciate the impending crisis in Iran. And the situation in South Korea is downright scary.
But for the second time this season I have had to watch the Bucks in standard format TV, and it is like the world just doesn't care.
So come one Kofi! If human dignity means anything it means that we are all entitled to HDTV!
Saddam has been sentenced so the problems in Iraq are essentially resolved. Let's get HDTV in front of the Security Council today!!!
8. THE NICOL TIP
It is always frustrating to see an interception off of a tip, but if you watch it again we were lucky on this play. Smith threw under pressure and the ball was going to be intercepted anyhow. But the player who would have caught it was in position to make a return.
That interception was Troy's as part of a game that did little to improve his Heisman campaign.
9. CUMBERLAND
Anytime you play a team that has two players OSU recruited heavily it is a mistake to dismiss them - especially when they have had a year to mature.
I expected what I saw from Williams, but Cumberland is also a keeper. Missing out on him hurts.
10. AN OBVIOUS ANALOGY
Imagine for a moment that OSU, Michigan and PSU all left the Big Ten (perhaps to join ND as independents).
Imagine also that Wisky, Iowa and Purdue were having strong seasons and the schedule was such that they did not meet until late in the year (say week 10 or later).
If all three played relatively weak non-conf schedules it is not unthinkable they might all be undefeated at 9-0. Would they deserve to be ranked in the top 10 in the country? Would Wisconsin deserve a shot at the BCS title for beating Iowa and Purdue? Would the absence of OSU, Michigan and PSU magically elevate the level of their programs? Or would the "experts" in the press see through this sham and rank them where they belonged?
Screw Louisville. (And besides, if they really loved football wouldn't they have renamed their school "Johnny U"?)
11. WOODY AND JOPA
Looks like the break could be career ending for JoPa - which would be a shame. But if that is the case I find it ironic that both he and Woody would have ended their careers by making contact with a player on the sidelines.
That should shut up the holier-than-thou PSU fans (although in their myopia they will probably argue that the two incidents are somehow different).
12. TIME FOR A CHANGE
Two years ago I didn't set out to write a lengthy post every week. But when I don't I get PMs asking where the "observations" thread is. And when I do make the post I often get positive feedback (thanks for that). This all leads me to believe that there is something here of at least some small value. And thinking about that makes me very ashamed.
I am an American. And yet here I am with something of value and I have not tried to exploit it for financial gain. Well no more!
This is the last week you will be able to read the "Observations" thread for free. I am starting my own Web site!
My new site will have the same look and feel as the Planet - exactly the same. In fact I was fortunate to find a discarded site already in place. Not that I don't appreciate everything that Clarity and everyone else has done here - but they are chumps and there is money to be made. So next week skip the tripe you read on the Planet and look for Observations (now retitled "Bucket of Bullshit") at "www.sng.com".
I am instituting an innovative price structure for the new site. I know the folks on this site pretty well from reading their posts. I know what they do for a living and how they spend their discretionary income. I can also identify those who are able to harvest a veiled gem of wisdom and those who are just a bit slow on the uptake (that means stupid BB73). So rather than set a fixed price you can simply send me your credit card information and I will charge you an amount I deem fair based on your ability to pay and the benefit you are likely to receive. (Of course, you can receive additional discounts just by letting me give you my testimony.)
Act now and receive your choice of two wonderful gifts. You may choose one of those ubiquitous (that means 'constantly encountered' BuckeyeNation27) bracelets with the letters "WWOHD". Or you may select a "Girls of the BuckeyePlanet" Calendar.
In this calendar you can see sushichic practicing Nyataimori ( http://sushi.cementhorizon.com/archives/nakedsushi-thumb.jpg ), Brutusbabe at the gym as you have never seen her before ( http://www.female-bodybuilders.org/members/public/videoclips/0060/copertina-thum.jpg ), Peaches in cream, and many more of your BP favorites. It will be like having your very own romper room hanging on your bathroom wall.
This eleven month calendar (there would have been 12 but Deety is afraid of snakes - she wouldn't come anywhere near me) is yours free with a year's subscription.
Not into the ladies? Our animal lover's calendar features Tibor the shepherd and Thump with his trained gerbils. You wont want to miss this one.
So join TG05, NDChief, LongwoodBuck and myself at the new site and get your Buckeye news like never before.
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