<therapy>
1. THE GOOD NEWS
The title of this thread says it all. For games like this the barcalounger beats C-Deck all to hell. I not only saved 15% on my car insurance, I passed on a pair of $117 tickets to Saturdays game. If you want to pay good money for that kind of pain drop me a line and I will hook you up with the Nacho Bitch. For $20 she will marinate a 14 inch purple dildo in the juice of the Trinidad moruga pepper and ram it up your un-lubed ass. Just don't forget your safe word because she wont stop until you have had enough.
2. ITS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD
It is much worse than that.
When the world ends our suffering ends.
What did end is not only Urban's streak of consecutive regular season wins, but streaks in home openers and against unranked opponents that go back to when Woodrow Rutherford Hayes was still President.
This is as painful as the day my Mom told me Santa Claus was my father. (I just looked at her and thought - I'll bet your stocking was loaded that year Mom.)
3. IT COULD BE WORSE
Some teams are two games in and wishing Al Borges was still their offensive coordinator.
4. UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Did Corey Smith lock up the Biletnikoff?
If there are 12 men in the box why isn't anyone open?
Who was #5 on Defense? I'm glad they got him out of there after one play before he embarrassed himself.
5. DON'T YOU HATE IT WHEN ...
You get a birthday gift you can't use?
For my recent BD my wife gave me one of those homemade coupons for "A night of torrid sex." I can't tell you how excited I was and made it a point to let her know I would be redeeming it soon.
I have now presented it to three different women and none of them would honor it.
I don't see any restrictions on the coupon. Should I complain to my wife? I don't want her to think I'm not grateful.
6. BROKEN PROMISES?
If I am doing my math correctly, Urban originally planned to run Rod Smith minus 4 or 5 times. That way giving him 4 or 5 additional carries as a reward for the 11 second block works out to zero.
Of course it is tough to fulfill a promise like this when in three of the four quarters our running backs only had a total of two carries.
7. HOW LITTLE IS THE BIG?
The four B1G teams who were ranked coming into this weekend are now a combined 5-3. The only one who remains undefeated beat an FCS team in the last 20 seconds.
The 9 teams who went 7-2 against non-Power Conference teams had an average scoring differential of plus 7.4.
The three teams who played teams from the Big Five went 0-3 with a scoring differential of minus18.
Our remaining schedule includes games against six B1G cream puffs: Maryland, Rutgers, PSU, Illinois, Minnesota, and Indiana.
There are eight undefeated teams in the B1G. They include: Maryland, Rutgers, PSU, Illinois, Minnesota, and Indiana.
8. WHAT WENT WRONG?
a. BREAKS
I am not normally one to complain about the breaks, but I have never been more frustrated in the first half of a game.
Two missed field goals, two personal fouls, a disallowed fumble, a dropped TD pass, and five consecutive 3rd down conversions by VT.
Most frustrating were the 3rd down conversions. Five opportunities to get VT off the field. It's not like their O was running rough shod. Just one miss on a diving pass....
TOP can take a huge toll on a D. 23 plays to 9 in the first quarter may have set the stage for all that followed.
b. THE DEPTH CHART
Of all the QBs, RBs, and HBs on the roster not a single upper classman touched the ball. (Rod Smith is the only one left who is active.) Whether you have the ball in hand or a blocking assignment to fulfill, when the other team has its ears pinned back nothing helps like a little experience.
c. OLINE
I have rarely seen an OSU OL taken apart like that. Yeah, they are inexperienced. But I watched USC beat Stanford with an OL consisting of one Junior, two Sophs and two true Frosh. Not RS Frosh - TRUE Frosh.
I get it that we have the second most inexperienced OL in the country in terms of starts. But it only got worse as the game went on.
d. SCHEDULE
Navy, Akron, Va Tech makes sense.
Akron, Va Tech, Navy makes even more sense.
Navy, Va Tech, Akron - not so much.
Navy prepped for this game for 9 months. Va Tech did pretty much the same.
While we were preparing for Navy's unique approach Va Tech was prepping for us.
With 4 new OL starters and nine new defensive starters this might have been a good season to eat dessert first. Let them build some confidence. Let the OL learn to play as a unit. Take a note from Thad.
Of course, the schedule is laid out well in advance - and just weeks ago Braxton was part of our place setting. I just don't see that schedule ever being a good idea.
I genuinely believe that scheduling had as much to do with this loss as anything except....
e. COACHING
I get it when a team is doing something successfully that you didn't expect. I don't get it when they are doing pretty much that same thing throughout the game. We clearly had the superior athletes. Why were we constantly one step behind on the coaching? (See Schedule)
I don't want to see a red-faced Fickell in the face of a red-faced Ash on the sidelines. I want to see adjustments that allow superior athletes to get superior results.
0-3 in three straight marquee games. It is time to step it up.
9. WHAT'S NEXT?
For all my whining that game was completely winnable all the way to the final minute.
Problems with inexperience should be resolved in the next several weeks.
We are undefeated in the B1G and positioned to run the table as well as the next guy. Even without improving in many of the areas that gave us problems Saturday night we have a solid chance to go undefeated in the B1G. It's not like we are in the SEC ... or the MAC.
We are not as good as Wisconsin or MSU - not right now. But we can be. We just need some games under our belt.
Barrett will be fine. The backfield will be splendid.
OL and coaching are the question marks.
</therapy>
1. THE GOOD NEWS
The title of this thread says it all. For games like this the barcalounger beats C-Deck all to hell. I not only saved 15% on my car insurance, I passed on a pair of $117 tickets to Saturdays game. If you want to pay good money for that kind of pain drop me a line and I will hook you up with the Nacho Bitch. For $20 she will marinate a 14 inch purple dildo in the juice of the Trinidad moruga pepper and ram it up your un-lubed ass. Just don't forget your safe word because she wont stop until you have had enough.
2. ITS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD
It is much worse than that.
When the world ends our suffering ends.
What did end is not only Urban's streak of consecutive regular season wins, but streaks in home openers and against unranked opponents that go back to when Woodrow Rutherford Hayes was still President.
This is as painful as the day my Mom told me Santa Claus was my father. (I just looked at her and thought - I'll bet your stocking was loaded that year Mom.)
3. IT COULD BE WORSE
Some teams are two games in and wishing Al Borges was still their offensive coordinator.
4. UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Did Corey Smith lock up the Biletnikoff?
If there are 12 men in the box why isn't anyone open?
Who was #5 on Defense? I'm glad they got him out of there after one play before he embarrassed himself.
5. DON'T YOU HATE IT WHEN ...
You get a birthday gift you can't use?
For my recent BD my wife gave me one of those homemade coupons for "A night of torrid sex." I can't tell you how excited I was and made it a point to let her know I would be redeeming it soon.
I have now presented it to three different women and none of them would honor it.
I don't see any restrictions on the coupon. Should I complain to my wife? I don't want her to think I'm not grateful.
6. BROKEN PROMISES?
If I am doing my math correctly, Urban originally planned to run Rod Smith minus 4 or 5 times. That way giving him 4 or 5 additional carries as a reward for the 11 second block works out to zero.
Of course it is tough to fulfill a promise like this when in three of the four quarters our running backs only had a total of two carries.
7. HOW LITTLE IS THE BIG?
The four B1G teams who were ranked coming into this weekend are now a combined 5-3. The only one who remains undefeated beat an FCS team in the last 20 seconds.
The 9 teams who went 7-2 against non-Power Conference teams had an average scoring differential of plus 7.4.
The three teams who played teams from the Big Five went 0-3 with a scoring differential of minus18.
Our remaining schedule includes games against six B1G cream puffs: Maryland, Rutgers, PSU, Illinois, Minnesota, and Indiana.
There are eight undefeated teams in the B1G. They include: Maryland, Rutgers, PSU, Illinois, Minnesota, and Indiana.
8. WHAT WENT WRONG?
a. BREAKS
I am not normally one to complain about the breaks, but I have never been more frustrated in the first half of a game.
Two missed field goals, two personal fouls, a disallowed fumble, a dropped TD pass, and five consecutive 3rd down conversions by VT.
Most frustrating were the 3rd down conversions. Five opportunities to get VT off the field. It's not like their O was running rough shod. Just one miss on a diving pass....
TOP can take a huge toll on a D. 23 plays to 9 in the first quarter may have set the stage for all that followed.
b. THE DEPTH CHART
Of all the QBs, RBs, and HBs on the roster not a single upper classman touched the ball. (Rod Smith is the only one left who is active.) Whether you have the ball in hand or a blocking assignment to fulfill, when the other team has its ears pinned back nothing helps like a little experience.
c. OLINE
I have rarely seen an OSU OL taken apart like that. Yeah, they are inexperienced. But I watched USC beat Stanford with an OL consisting of one Junior, two Sophs and two true Frosh. Not RS Frosh - TRUE Frosh.
I get it that we have the second most inexperienced OL in the country in terms of starts. But it only got worse as the game went on.
d. SCHEDULE
Navy, Akron, Va Tech makes sense.
Akron, Va Tech, Navy makes even more sense.
Navy, Va Tech, Akron - not so much.
Navy prepped for this game for 9 months. Va Tech did pretty much the same.
While we were preparing for Navy's unique approach Va Tech was prepping for us.
With 4 new OL starters and nine new defensive starters this might have been a good season to eat dessert first. Let them build some confidence. Let the OL learn to play as a unit. Take a note from Thad.
Of course, the schedule is laid out well in advance - and just weeks ago Braxton was part of our place setting. I just don't see that schedule ever being a good idea.
I genuinely believe that scheduling had as much to do with this loss as anything except....
e. COACHING
I get it when a team is doing something successfully that you didn't expect. I don't get it when they are doing pretty much that same thing throughout the game. We clearly had the superior athletes. Why were we constantly one step behind on the coaching? (See Schedule)
I don't want to see a red-faced Fickell in the face of a red-faced Ash on the sidelines. I want to see adjustments that allow superior athletes to get superior results.
0-3 in three straight marquee games. It is time to step it up.
9. WHAT'S NEXT?
For all my whining that game was completely winnable all the way to the final minute.
Problems with inexperience should be resolved in the next several weeks.
We are undefeated in the B1G and positioned to run the table as well as the next guy. Even without improving in many of the areas that gave us problems Saturday night we have a solid chance to go undefeated in the B1G. It's not like we are in the SEC ... or the MAC.
We are not as good as Wisconsin or MSU - not right now. But we can be. We just need some games under our belt.
Barrett will be fine. The backfield will be splendid.
OL and coaching are the question marks.
</therapy>
