Game Thread Ohio State 16, Purdue 3 (Oct. 11th)

[LitlBuck]

I know Terelle needs the game experience to develope; but he just wasn't getting the ball into the endzone. Anyone else think that they should have put Todd into the game for the the 2nd or 3rd series in the 2nd half to see what he could do?

I also agree with what Best Buckeye has said but I would also like to say that USC showed other teams what to do when Boeckman is in the game because of his lack of mobility. While TP is extremely mobile, he does not by any stretch of the imagination, see the field as well, or right now, throw the ball as well as Todd.

 

[OHSportsFan]

Hm, a few people have complimented the crowd. I didn't see it at all. Terrible from what I heard/saw. Northwest side of the stadium appeared to be snoozing the entire first half and fourth quarter. Third quarter was good.

I wish it would have been a little more sustained, but when the big plays came up (not even just 3rd down), I felt like the crowd did a good job and got loud.

The players did seem to be asking for noise the whole game, so who knows? I was in C-deck so it's hard to tell what it was like down there.

 

[scarletngray]

As jo said, we had guys open all day, TP just missed the reads. That's not intended to be a bash. But it did happen.

I can recall one situation in which Hartline was wide open, probably for a TD. There were a few other situations that I could tell the crowd was frustrated because it seemed that TP was the only guy who didn't see the open receiver.

I hate saying that stuff about TP.

But I am starting to be a little less hesitant about questioning the playcalling. I've not really been a big fan of it, but it could be blamed on execution. Starting to think our play design/playcalling is a little off. Redzone calls are sometimes blowing my mind. Seems like we forget we have Beanie in the redzone sometimes.

All valid points. TP is still learning the game but it is a combination of things. Sometimes it is play calling but most of the time it is a penalty or missed assignment by a lineman , a dropped ball by a WR, or TP not seeing an open reciever or holding on to the ball and not taking it up field.

However, there have been numerous series where the Offense clicked and the chemistry was there. So the ability is present, it is just not as consistent as it needs to be. Especially in the Red Zone.

I think one of the biggest questions right now is how are the players going to respond? Are they going to let their frustrations get the better of them or are they going to unite and overcome whatever it is that is contributing to the inconsistency.

:osu:

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

I got a text from a good friend (and a BP member) during the game stating (he watched it in person), quote:

"There is no attitude, no nastiness, nothing. There is NO emotion on the field."

Posts earlier in this thread comment on how TP missed a lot of open WRs. To me, this shows that maybe the play calling isn't the major problem...you're not going have WRs running free in the secondary if the wrong plays are called. Add the fact that as inexperienced as Pryor is, if he gets the right amount of time, he'll usually find an open receiver.

It seems to me there is a major attitiude problem, and it needs to be addressed ASAP. You can't tell me that we don't have the horses to hang with any team in the country. We have senior OL who false start, hold, and have missed assignments more than younger lineman...perfect example yesterday was when Person runs in from the bench late to the huddle, and then promptly false starts. We also have starting receivers with several years of experience and exceptional talent who seem to not be putting forth their best effort and dropping catchable throws. Not fucking acceptable.

These players need a serious attention grabber, i.e., need to have their asses get some major pine time. I don't care if they're seniors, four-year starters, or whatever. If they can't, or don't want to, pull their wieght, then it's time to put in those who will. And if they get pissed off about it, they can start paying their own way the rest of their time at Ohio State.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

mili ive been on that attitude thing since game one...

 

[3074326]

Posts earlier in this thread comment on how TP missed a lot of open WRs. To me, this shows that maybe the play calling isn't the major problem...you're not going have WRs running free in the secondary if the wrong plays are called. Add the fact that as inexperienced as Pryor is, if he gets the right amount of time, he'll usually find an open receiver.

I agree with your post.

The problem is both a mixture of inexperience at the QB position and playcalling. Quotes after some games indicate that opposing teams know exactly what we're going to do. That needs to change on both sides of the ball.

My biggest concern is the lack of power running in the redzone. We get the redzone and like to spread it out or run outside. Hasn't been effective all year. We have a big, powerful, fast back who is great between the tackles.

But the attitude is a big problem. Agreed 100%. I saw frustration on the offensive side of the ball once yesterday.. TP scrambled in the redzone and got tackled a few yards shy of the goalline. He came off the field obviously frustrated. Aside from that, I didn't see the same intensity that I saw from the defense. There was an attitude on defense, and I loved that. Malcolm was a beast yesterday; he had the swagger and enthusiasm that the entire team needs to have.

 

[OregonBuckeye]

I got a text from a good friend (and a BP member) during the game stating (he watched it in person), quote:

"There is no attitude, no nastiness, nothing. There is NO emotion on the field."

Posts earlier in this thread comment on how TP missed a lot of open WRs. To me, this shows that maybe the play calling isn't the major problem...you're not going have WRs running free in the secondary if the wrong plays are called. Add the fact that as inexperienced as Pryor is, if he gets the right amount of time, he'll usually find an open receiver.

It seems to me there is a major attitiude problem, and it needs to be addressed ASAP. You can't tell me that we don't have the horses to hang with any team in the country. We have senior OL who false start, hold, and have missed assignments more than younger lineman...perfect example yesterday was when Person runs in from the bench late to the huddle, and then promptly false starts. We also have starting receivers with several years of experience and exceptional talent who seem to not be putting forth their best effort and dropping catchable throws. Not fucking acceptable.

These players need a serious attention grabber, i.e., need to have their asses get some major pine time. I don't care if they're seniors, four-year starters, or whatever. If they can't, or don't want to, pull their wieght, then it's time to put in those who will. And if they get pissed off about it, they can start paying their own way the rest of their time at Ohio State.

Spot on. Read some of the quotes from the PSU players after the UW game. That team is hungry and focused. Doesn't matter that they don't have very much NFL talent and have suffered a ton of setbacks(both on and off the field), they're just going to out execute and out work their opponent with every intention of making them beg for mercy towards the end of the game. That's why they're dominating and we're just getting by.

 

[akronbuck]

mili ive been on that attitude thing since game one...

same here.

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

Spot on. Read some of the quotes from the PSU players after the UW game. That team is hungry and focused. Doesn't matter that they don't have very much NFL talent and have suffered a ton of setbacks(both on and off the field), they're just going to out execute and out work their opponent with every intention of making them beg for mercy towards the end of the game. That's why they're dominating and we're just getting by.

Well those PSU players are doing what the vast majority of the teams are trying to do, which is just to be playing ball and act blessed doing it. I honestly don't know what we are trying to do. This isn't a freaking soap opera. Please play ball.

 

[Yertle]

1. I agree with most of what's being said here about attitude, but does anyone else notice that the younger guys are showing a lot of emotion? Could this be an issue with all of the senior "leaders" we got back this year? All of these guys had NC on their mind, I just wonder if their entire desire for playing college ball was left in LA. Other than Jenkins, I haven't seen a good year from any senior, including JL.
2. The play calling stinks. I don't care if Pryor is missing receivers, the play calling stinks. Call some short slants and screen passes that get his arm more active, and then get the longer passing plays into the mix. And the redzone calls are laughable.
3. D-line seems to slowly be improving. It's going to be a case of too little too late, I'm afraid.
4. All of this being said, and all of our focus on the negative, the Bucks are 6-1. Not bad. It's not Michigan. HA!

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

Anyone who's ever worked in an office environment, or even for a school project, probably can relate to this. There are times when you are trying to focus and get the work done while others are focused on office politics, spreading gossip or wasting time doing who knows what. But the more productive and focused you are, the more distanced the others become. And sometimes it even feels like some are trying to undercut your productive efforts. It is an emotional drain, and whether it is real or not, it should be stopped by higher management. Tressel is the HC. If things aren't going well, he's got to do what he's got to do.

 

[OCBucksFan]

This is my observation and I hope it's not taken as bashing.

Right now, it just feels like they don't trust TP enough with the pass. I figured after last week, we would see a lot more first down passes, but instead, we saw a constant flood of runs leaving is in third and long. I think the offense would be more effective if we did a few things differently.

1) Pryor can run, why isn't he? He seems to be scrambling more than running. The side to side runs are killing me, when he gets sacked it's for huge yards, where if he just ran forward he would pick up 3-4 yards.

2) Pass on first and second, the play calling yesterday was completely predictable. Run-Run-Pass, Beanie wasn't at his best yesterday, but so many times Purdue just committed to stopping the run.

3) Screen Passes, we don't see enough of these, but when everyone is just deciding to stop the run we need to counter with screens.

4) Our WR's didn't seem to really stick to their routes on first and second, easily letting Purdue know that this was going to be a run.

Overall, it was a win and I'll take it, but I think the coaches need to have a little more confidence in our young QB, he's a huge talent and showed last week he could play under pressure, so let the kid do his thing, let the reigns loose a little bit.

 

[NightmaresDad]

Good thing we will play better against MSU and PSU.
Was I dissapointed in certain aspects...[censored] yeah. Do I think those will carry over into the bigger games...I don't know...but I hope not.

Michigan lost to Toledo...[censored]ing Toledo. We are going to blow them the [censored] up.

Undefeated in the Big Ten.

What leads you to believe we will play better against MSU and PSU? Hope? Because it's a bigger game?

The level of scUM's suckage in no way makes us a better team than we are. We should not be satisfied with where we are just because of where they are. (BTW, I don't really think you meant it this way)

I hate that argument. "If we play like this next week, we will get killed."

If you've watched college football for the past 25 years, u realize how silly that statement is.

Man oh man...when we were 3-3 in 2004, how did Cbus not self destruct.

Dude, if our O plays like this against PSU, we most certainly will lose, because we won't be able to hold them to less than 17 points.

And those lines had all they could handle against Illinois, who [censored]ing sucked, Cincinnati, who [censored]ing sucked, and Purdue, who [censored]ing sucked, and a lot of people said the same things. "If we play like this agianst ______, we're gonna lose...well, we kept right on playing that way, and won every game. I don't want to keep comparing this team to the '02 team, because that isn't fair. I'm just saying that I have faith that we will do what is needed to win the big ten. I'll believe otherwise when it happens. I choose not to worry about wins. I completely understand the people who do. I've played in enough football games to know that the score doesn't matter as long as you have more points than the other team. How you got there doesn't matter at all as long as you get there.

Cooper's teams outscored the opposition a billion to forty for ten [censored]in' years. I'd rather the opposition outscore us a thousand to 950, as long as those losses don't come against those [censored]ing [censored]s.

Right on! - if it's a big game against an equal opponent. But when a game reveals as many problems as this one (and others) did, you have to take notice and try to fix it, not just "assume" the team will rise to the occassion next time.

Is this turning into a Michigan prediciton thread. Because I think if u just look at today's games...with Michigan losing 13-10 at home to Toledo, and us winning 16-3 at home to Purdue, then we probably beat Michigan 83-0 if my math is right. 83-0 Seriously, will they stop the game before we kill one of their players? Who knew we'd be playing D-1aa teams to start AND end the season.

I see no reason to denigrate D-1aa teams in this thread.
And, BTW, your math is wrong. You missed a couple of zeros there on our score.

Here's the thing I can't get out of my mind: Pryor is trying to play like Troy Smith 06. For OSU to have a chance to win out, he needs to play like Troy Smith 04/05. I'm all for TP to make the effort to be a polished passer, but he has two and a half years to accomplish that. I'm just to half time of my rewatch, and he's really looked quite good, except for a couple of unnecessary sacks. The bigger problem is with the OL and WRs. On the plays where he was protected and the WRs made the plays they were supposed to, he was fine. Posey could have had a TD if he had fought for the ball, although the defender made a nice play. Plays like that combined with the drops and O-line meltdowns made TP look shaky, but I don't think he played as poorly as I first thought. [Jenkins just made another play] People have been saying that TP will show his inexperience, and today was the day. What he needs to do to get thru games like this is take whatever yardage is available. On 8 out of 10 plays, he can gain 5+ yards just by running to open space. Those yards will add up, and positive yards beget positive yards. Every time he burns a defender by making a quick decision to tuck and run, he will gain an advantage by forcing the defense to play with fear. That's what Troy did before he became Mr. Heisman. Right now, TP is trying to make Heisman plays. What he needs to realize is that those plays are set up by making all the little plays. Pick up the easy yards, move the chains, and the big opportunities will present themselves.

Even though the Buckeyes dominated the entire game, this performance didn't do anything to calm my nerves about the rest of the sched. There are still far too many mental mistakes, considering the experience level, and the point of the season. The O-line and WRs are due for another visit from Tressel in practice. There's simply no excuse for the lack of effort/focus. At the risk of incurring JXC's wrath, we cannot play like this against MSU or PSU and expect to win. That being said, if we're going to make those mistakes, it's better we did them against Purdue. For next week: Defense, take what you did today, and build on it. Best performance of the season. RBs, get healthy. O-line, get your collective heads out of your collective asses. WRs, catch the damn ball. TP, take the easy five yards. Every time.

Agree totally. I fully expected to see our 2005 offense implemented once we switched to TP this year.

Take what the defense gives you. There is ALWAYS something there that they have to give you. Even with our playcalling.


Serious question for Grad21.......or any other coach on board, because this is what I think I'd do.............

Do you think it would be an appropriate message if JT came out with, on the first offensive series against MSU, a line of Adams, Mitchum, Brewster, Smith, Shugarts?

Obvioulsy not remotely implying they should play any more than even that first series, but is that over-the-top, or will it take something like this to get through to the "older guys" that staus quo is not acceptable?

 

[joefoshow]

I think if Pryor gets in any trouble or starts to hesitate like he did against Purdue, Ohio State needs to put Todd in.

 

[UpNorthBuckeye]

Nightmare's Dad, I think that might be a little over the top, (starting Shugarts, Mitchum, etc,) but they COULD get first team reps in practice this week, and JT/Bollman can tell the players, look, we gotta find guys who wanna play and get after it. Let Robiskie, Hartline, Rehring, Boone, Person, etc., run laps while some younger guys get to practice.

and after exchanging some angry emails with my brothers and reading everyone's PO'd analysis of the game, I gotta point out that Juice Williams put up 400 yards of offense yesterday.




....and LOST to MINN - NE - SOTA!!!

So is that what we want?

No.

But maybe we do wanna look like Florida looked beating LSU last night. Just without acting like such jacka$$e$ on the sidelines!!!

Everything will be okay.... patience, please.

Go Bucks!