Revitalizing the Run Game

[bkochmc]

Too quiet in red zone

Some OSU players say backs should get more carries near end zone

Friday, September 16, 2005
Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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</td></tr> <tr><td class="credit" width="200"> CHRIS RUSSELL | DISPATCH </td></tr> <tr><td class="cutline" width="200">Antonio Pittman was the only Ohio State running back to get a carry inside the Texas 20-yard line. </td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody></table>
Several players this week suggested a simple solution to Ohio State’s redzone problems: Give the ball to a running back.
The Buckeyes are last in the Big Ten in scoring touchdowns inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. In eight trips, they have just two touchdowns.
On Saturday against Texas, Ohio State ran 11 plays in the red zone. Of those, seven were pass plays, resulting in one completion, five incompletions and one sack.
Of the four runs, three were quarterback scrambles. Starting tailback Antonio Pittman had one carry for 5 yards.
On first-and-goal from the Texas 6 late in the second quarter, quarterback Troy Smith ran for minus-2, then threw two incomplete passes.
Asked what the team should do differently in the red zone, Smith said, "Utilize Pittman and (tailback Brandon) Schnittker more. . . . Getting (fullbacks) Dionte (Johnson) and Stan (White Jr.) in there and letting them bang heads down there so we can get six (points) every once in a while."
Offensive lineman Rob Sims said the coaches gave a high grade to his unit. He thought that was evidence that the team should have run more.
"I’m the type of guy, I wanted to run right at those guys a lot of times," Sims said. "I wasn’t calling the plays, but I knew we could block them up front, and I was excited about having the opportunity to block them up the middle."
Pittman is averaging 5.6 yards per carry on 31 attempts.
"I would like to run the ball more, but it’s not my call," Pittman said. "I don’t take anything away from the coaches’ decisions or anything, so I guess (coach Jim Tressel) does what he feels is best."
The struggle is not limited to 2005. Dating to the 2003 season, Ohio State is 10 th in the Big Ten in rushing touchdowns in the red zone with 21. Only Illinois has fewer, with 20.
In contrast, Minnesota had 39 in one season (2003), and Northwestern, a team not thought of for its power running, has 50 red-zone rushing touchdowns during that span.
Of Ohio State’s struggles, Tressel said, "The obvious is we have to execute better. . . . You (had) better, especially down in there, get real good at some things, and right now I would say that that’s not necessarily the case."
Dispatch reporter Tim May contributed to this story

Link

Here's the quote that sticks out most to me:

Offensive lineman Rob Sims said the coaches gave a high grade to his unit. He thought that was evidence that the team should have run more.
"I’m the type of guy, I wanted to run right at those guys a lot of times," Sims said. "I wasn’t calling the plays, but I knew we could block them up front, and I was excited about having the opportunity to block them up the middle."

This is good news because the offensive line appears to have a lot of confidence in their abilities to run block this year... plus it would be great to see the reimergance of a run attack. I also agree with Sims that they should have ran straight at Texas more. Obviously with the talent Texas has on their defensive line some plays are going to be blown up or have not gain, but the few times they did that I thought the line looked pretty good. I expect Tressel to really establish the run against San Diego St. to get ready for the Big10 Championship run.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

I haven't been very critical of the offense, believing that the staff would get the results, but after the Texas game I have some serious doubts about where this offense is headed....

I don't think the staff has a clue of what they want to do on offense, when the quarterbacks got more running plays than touches for Ginn and Holmes, I have to question the offensive scheme....

In my opinion, I could see in the Texas game that we were winning the line of scrimmage, what happened to running the ball on a consistant basis? Give the ball to Pittman more, he is averaging 5.6 YAC.

When Holmes only gets 6 touches, there is something wrong and don't get me started on Ginn....unbelievable.

We have two of the best football players in the nation at wide receiver, yet our longest pass completion or attempt was only around 36 yards???? What happened to passing the ball down the field to stretch the defense?

I will get off my soap box now....:(

 

[Buckin' A]

I haven't been very critical of the offense, believing that the staff would get the results, but after the Texas game I have some serious doubts about where this offense is headed....

I don't think the staff has a clue of what they want to do on offense, when the quarterbacks got more running plays than touches for Ginn and Holmes, I have to question the offensive scheme....

In my opinion, I could see in the Texas game that we were winning the line of scrimmage, what happened to running the ball on a consistant basis? Give the ball to Pittman more, he is averaging 5.6 YAC.

When Holmes only gets 6 touches, there is something wrong and don't get me started on Ginn....unbelievable.

We have two of the best football players in the nation at wide receiver, yet our longest pass completion or attempt was only around 36 yards???? What happened to passing the ball down the field to stretch the defense?

I will get off my soap box now....:(

Stay on your soap box, b/c you are absolutely right.

 

[coxew]

We have two of the best football players in the nation at wide receiver, yet our longest pass completion or attempt was only around 36 yards???? What happened to passing the ball down the field to stretch the defense?

That's my biggest problem with the offense this year besides redzone production. We're not even attempting to go vertical but one or twice a game. Boekman's pass to Ginn I think is the only one that he's had thrown at him past 5 yards. The passing game is to horizontal. Is it the play calling or is it the QB not wanting to make a mistake so he's keeping things short?

The other thing is why can't we hit a moving receiver? I'd like to see the percentage of our passes that our thrown to stationary receivers. These guys have to much speed. Let them run to the ball instead of having them catch it and being converged upon by 3-4 defenders.

 

[bkochmc]

I don't think the staff has a clue of what they want to do on offense, when the quarterbacks got more running plays than touches for Ginn and Holmes, I have to question the offensive scheme....

I agree and to expand upon that the QB's had more running plays than what Pittman, the only RB with touches, had (18-17). Granted some of those QB runs may have been busted plays but that stat should be a lot more lopsided on the side of the RB total. After seeing that stat my other question is why didn't they run Schnittker against Texas for a few carries? He's a good change of pace from Pittman. But, it is easy for me to say this in hindsight and I don't know what was going through the coaches minds at the time.

 

[ysubuck]

Coach Tressel saying that "we didn't execute" just doesn't hold water with me.

How can you not execute if you don't at least try? If they had tried to run the ball in the red zone with no success, then you can say that they didn't execute.

Pittman was averaging 5 yards a carry. If Ohio State is on the Texas 6 and our guy is getting 5 yards a pop, I like those odds.

 

[Buckin' A]

You all make good points. How is our run game going to thrive if we don't stretch the field a few plays and keep them honest?

 

[cincibuck]

Looking back, this lack of redzone production seems to have come with Tressel. With the exception of the year of MoC, the Tressel teams have been more dangerous, have more potential to score a TD on you, from outside the Redzone than in it.

It's becoming something of a "chicken-or-the-egg" question. Is it Tressel? Is it Bollman? Is it the lack of a good back? Why could we run with MoC and can't without?

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

That's my biggest problem with the offense this year besides redzone production. We're not even attempting to go vertical but one or twice a game. Boekman's pass to Ginn I think is the only one that he's had thrown at him past 5 yards. The passing game is to horizontal. Is it the play calling or is it the QB not wanting to make a mistake so he's keeping things short?

The other thing is why can't we hit a moving receiver? I'd like to see the percentage of our passes that our thrown to stationary receivers. These guys have to much speed. Let them run to the ball instead of having them catch it and being converged upon by 3-4 defenders.

I agree coxew..........we have to go vertical with our passing game, we have to attack on offense, not react to what they are doing, make them defend the whole field and then those QB draws will be more effective. I just think Coach T needs to trust his players more and put the ball in the air, play to our strengths.

Coach Tressel saying that "we didn't execute" just doesn't hold water with me.

Execution plays a part in having success on offense but putting the players in the right play and position plays a part also, for example....

OSU did not do a good job of getting the ball downfield to Ginn, the majority of his touches (and drops) were within five yards of the line of scrimmage, to me that is not utilizing your talent at wide receiver.

To not attempt to get the ball more to Holmes is a shame, most of the night he was in single coverage (due to Ginn), especially when they went trips to the right and Holmes all by himself at the top of the formation......if we get the ball to him 4-5 more times, we probably win the game by a touchdown at least, I really believe that.

Pittman was averaging 5 yards a carry. If Ohio State is on the Texas 6 and our guy is getting 5 yards a pop, I like those odds.

Giving the ball to our tailbacks only once inside the 20 yard line for the whole games does not make much sense to me......

With that said, if we catch a few more balls and don't miss a field goal by a foot, we are probably not having this discussion, but football is really a game of inches.

 

[NightmaresDad]

I can only think with '03 and '04, JT had lost alot of the confidence in the O-line to move people in short yardage situations - also in last year's scUM game.
that leads to games like last year's NW game where we have the ball first and goal at or inside the 5 twice and don't call any running plays! (well, maybe one)
this O-line, I think does have the ability to run it down most teams' throats in the red zone or in short yardage. Especially when they can replace Datish with Rehring and bring in Boone to play TE beside him - that gives you Mangold, Sims, Rehring, and Boone - I would run to the left and dare the D to over shift or over play it. And that's without pulling Downing around, too.

What the players are saying confirms what some of us posted on the OSU-TX game thread - many of us watching the game also felt that we could run on them from either two tight and 1 back, or even from the I, but the coaches never gave it a chance in the red zone.

 

[strohs]

I haven't been very critical of the offense, believing that the staff would get the results, but after the Texas game I have some serious doubts about where this offense is headed....

I don't think the staff has a clue of what they want to do on offense, when the quarterbacks got more running plays than touches for Ginn and Holmes, I have to question the offensive scheme....

In my opinion, I could see in the Texas game that we were winning the line of scrimmage, what happened to running the ball on a consistant basis? Give the ball to Pittman more, he is averaging 5.6 YAC.

When Holmes only gets 6 touches, there is something wrong and don't get me started on Ginn....unbelievable.

We have two of the best football players in the nation at wide receiver, yet our longest pass completion or attempt was only around 36 yards???? What happened to passing the ball down the field to stretch the defense?

I will get off my soap box now....:(

Amen!

 

[ZachDumas]

Past Performance IS an Indicator of Future Performance

I haven't been very critical of the offense, believing that the staff would get the results, but after the Texas game I have some serious doubts about where this offense is headed....

The Bucks offense have been chronic underachievers under the current offensive staff. The reason you have not been critical is that you were "okay" with the outcomes of games that could have easily gone either way, but the Bucks held on to win in the end.

It is a strategy vs. outcome story. And as long as the outcomes remain acceptable to Buckeyes, things will not change.

The most troubling factor in my mind is the ever increasing parity and level of competition in NCAA DI Football. As that continues, the best of the best will have to further seperate themselves on all levels of the game.

It may take a few years of very tough games (and seasons) for Buckeye fans to see real changes on the offensive side of the ball, IMO.