Game Thread Southern Cal 18, at tOSU 15 (Sept 12th, 8 pm, ESPN)

[MililaniBuckeye]

In the nasty realistic world that is college football,or college sports yes. There are coaches out there that wouldnt honor his schollie.

I'd like you to tell us which ones wouldn't, especially when the scholarship would not could against the 85-scholarship limit due to the illness.

 

[troy#1]

I'd like you to tell us which ones wouldn't, especially when the scholarship would not could against the 85-scholarship limit due to the illness.

Why dont you use that crystal ball of yours and post which ones wouldn't?

 

[SoCal]

Look, USC is a big game, no doubt. But its not the season. Pryor has to be ready to pass against defenses like USC's if OSU is going to do anything special. Winning with the triple option doesn't help Pryor develop for the bowl game or next year.

I think the key word here is winning, and if taking a radical(but suitable) approach for one game, means getting a higher bowl or even MNC, then I don't see why not.

And I don't think that alternating TB/TP last year was a very effective, or even creative approach (but this has been discussed ad nauseum...)

I'm talking about a purely hypothetical, purely for fun-because every other aspect of this matchup has been exhausted- schematical shift in gameplan, that might actually work.

Paul Johnson's offense worked because nobody else ran it, and defenses were not prepared to go against it. It is a radical departure from the norm, both in style and mentality. So, why not force SC, with a bunch of new guys on D, to completely shift gears, on the fly, and get into a ground-war with a team that is probably capable of doing it better than any other team in the country?

Again, just purely hypothetical, outside the box conjecture... I mean come on, are you guys telling me that you have full confidence in JT's offensive gameplan going into this game? If you could take over the playcalling for this one game, what kind of plays would you run?


-on a completely seperate note, what do you guys think of Donald Washington, and his chances of starting this year for KC? Didnt get to see him play too much last year, and as a Chiefs fan, I'm desperate to see some improvement and our D. Is he NFL-starting DB quality?

 

[t_BuckeyeScott]

I think the key word here is winning, and if taking a radical(but suitable) approach for one game, means getting a higher bowl or even MNC, then I don't see why not.

And I don't think that alternating TB/TP last year was a very effective, or even creative approach (but this has been discussed ad nauseum...)

I'm talking about a purely hypothetical, purely for fun-because every other aspect of this matchup has been exhausted- schematical shift in gameplan, that might actually work.

Paul Johnson's offense worked because nobody else ran it, and defenses were not prepared to go against it. It is a radical departure from the norm, both in style and mentality. So, why not force SC, with a bunch of new guys on D, to completely shift gears, on the fly, and get into a ground-war with a team that is probably capable of doing it better than any other team in the country?

Again, just purely hypothetical, outside the box conjecture... I mean come on, are you guys telling me that you have full confidence in JT's offensive gameplan going into this game? If you could take over the playcalling for this one game, what kind of plays would you run?


-on a completely seperate note, what do you guys think of Donald Washington, and his chances of starting this year for KC? Didnt get to see him play too much last year, and as a Chiefs fan, I'm desperate to see some improvement and our D. Is he NFL-starting DB quality?

Did you miss the first part of my post? Winning vs USC is not the only thing that matters. Of course it isn't important, but if you have to come up with some kind of gimmick that won't work again while also not preparing you for other teams you might face such as Florida, Oklahoma, or Texas it wouldn't be worth it. Yes winning vs USC is important, but not more important that the other 12 games and the development of the team.

 

[zincfinger]

I think the key word here is winning, and if taking a radical(but suitable) approach for one game, means getting a higher bowl or even MNC, then I don't see why not.

And I don't think that alternating TB/TP last year was a very effective, or even creative approach (but this has been discussed ad nauseum...)

I'm talking about a purely hypothetical, purely for fun-because every other aspect of this matchup has been exhausted- schematical shift in gameplan, that might actually work.

Paul Johnson's offense worked because nobody else ran it, and defenses were not prepared to go against it. It is a radical departure from the norm, both in style and mentality. So, why not force SC, with a bunch of new guys on D, to completely shift gears, on the fly, and get into a ground-war with a team that is probably capable of doing it better than any other team in the country?

Again, just purely hypothetical, outside the box conjecture... I mean come on, are you guys telling me that you have full confidence in JT's offensive gameplan going into this game? If you could take over the playcalling for this one game, what kind of plays would you run?

It seems to me you're engaging in some selective definition and hindsight analysis here. OSU didn't employ a creative offense last year because they didn't win. Yet Georgia Tech did employ a creative offense because no one else runs what they run. Tell me, who runs an offense in which two quarterbacks, of vastly different styles, alternate from play-to-play, within series? Lack of "creativity" in offensive play-calling was not the problem last year. And institution of "creativity" in offensive play-calling will not be the solution this year.

 

[NightmaresDad]

It's very pre-mature to assume that our offensive line will be "improved" over last season. The bottom line is, we don't know who is playing left tackle or right tackle. We have a new player at left guard and the right guard spot is also a question mark, of which may only be answered by what happens at right tackle. Continuity is a very important trait when it comes to offensive chemistry, and it also happens to be something that we are lacking at the moment along the front 5.

I'm thankful that Brewster gained the experience he did last season, and I have no doubt that he will enter this season much stronger and wiser, even if he is just a sophmore. He will have to be the leader up front for this offense this season, which is a strength, IMO.

I don't htik it's premature nor unreasonable to expect the OL to be better - and here's why:

WE are upgrading the effectiveness of 4 out of the 5 positions. And 5 of 6 if you count TE (Ballard + Stoney > Nicol + Ballard).

LT is the only position where we lose some effectiveness. We really need someone (Adams) to step up there.
LG = huge upgrade with Boren.
C = upgrade as Brewster gains experience and another year of maturity.
RG = Either Browning or Cordle upgrade over Person. Browning could end up being the best here, but fall practice will tell.
RT = ANY warm body is an upgrade over either Browning or Rehring here. Cordle will do in a pinch, but Shugarts has the attitude and the body to be a big upgrade here, as long as he is healthy and he knows his assignments.

Our season might depend on our young tackles staying healthy and playing up.

 

[generaladm]

A few thoughts on the recent conversations. Triple option, not gonna happen. There are many reasons, but the most obvious are: OSU doesn't have a FB who can make the inside run a viable threat, and there are better ways to utilize our talent. I think there will be aspects of option football, whether of the spread or traditional variety, but to try and force a very specific offensive strategy on a group who has the potential to do much more just isn't worth the effort. It could conceivably be a stroke of genius, but it's not gonna happen.

I also think the O-line will be more effective this year, despite the comparative lack of experience. I normally try to put a positive spin on anything I say about our players, but last years group was just plain not good. They managed good moments here and there, but seemed to save their worst games for the biggest stages. The one constant in all of OSU's high profile losses since the 07 Fiesta was a game changing play caused by our QB getting hammered from the blindside by an unblocked defender. If our new LT can just get a shoulder on the blitzer, it will be an improvement. I expect the numer of false start penalties to decline. And I think with the infusion of some new blood, we will see more of a push in run blocking. If there is even a small improvement in those three phases, I think it will make a world of difference. I watched last season's Purdue game recently, and the O-line play was perhaps the worst I've seen by an OSU team. I'm not kidding, they stunk on ice, and there were a few other games where they were nearly as bad. It's a credit to the rest of the team, especially Beanie, TP, the D, and ST, that they gutted out a 10 win, BCS bowl season, with such a fundamental flaw. It sounds far fetched to say that a group with so little starting experience would out-perform a senior-heavy line, but when you see teams that have a fraction of OSU's recruiting power field O-lines that perform better than ours, it would seem the problem was not with the talent, but with the commitment. I'll stop there.

Offensively, I think the effectiveness of the base running game could have a big impact on the outcome. As I've said before, USC thrives on big plays, both on O and D. Last year, the sacks, fumbles, and INTs had a huge impact on the game, both in scoring, and forcing our hand in offensive strategy. If The Buckeyes can establish an effective running game, whether it's Boom and Zoom, or TP, I think that will cause USC to become more aggressive in run coverage, which will open up chances for big plays via long passes, or screens/draws/scrambles. Of course, such a conservative offensive plan would require our D to hold the fort when the trojans have the ball. If this year's group can keep them from hitting the home run ball, it will favor OSU. An improved D-line, strong safety play, and improved coverage on underneath routes (Moeller/Hines) will help keep things under control. If there is a weakness in USC's game, I think that is it, deny them the big play until they try to force it a little too much, and then exploit it. If OSU can move the chains while protecting the ball, and hit a big play every now and then; while playing bend-don't-break D, and hopefully win the turnover margin; it should be a very good night in Columbus.

There's a very good possibility that what we will see on 9/12 will have no resemblence to the above, but it's almost a given that the game will have almost no resemblence to last year's. These will be two very different teams. I'm liking that there aren't nearly as many expectations going into this season (for OSU) as there have been for years. This squad is a bunch of unknown qualities, with huge upsides. What I love about the 09 team is that they seem to relish in their own identity, and are extremely hungry. They seem to think that they can be a great team, not based on the hold-overs from years past, but on the strengths of the recent recruiting classes. TP is a big part of that, and he certainly fits the bill as a player who is a leader thru his actions, as well as on the sideline. This team doesn't have the pedigree of returning All-Americans as the past 3-4 years had, but I feel that there is something special about them. I can't wait until we get the chance to see what they can do. I keep thinking that they know something we don't. First Navy, then USC. Go Buckeyes!!!

 

[Powair7s]

Sanchez

It seems to me you're engaging in some selective definition and hindsight analysis here. OSU didn't employ a creative offense last year because they didn't win. Yet Georgia Tech did employ a creative offense because no one else runs what they run. Tell me, who runs an offense in which two quarterbacks, of vastly different styles, alternate from play-to-play, within series? Lack of "creativity" in offensive play-calling was not the problem last year. And institution of "creativity" in offensive play-calling will not be the solution this year.

Mark Sanchez said after the game "I felt like I had played this game 3 times already. They did exactly what we thought they were going to do." When you hear comments like this from multiple teams/players you start to wonder about creativity.

 

[Flocka]

Mark Sanchez said after the game "I felt like I had played this game 3 times already. They did exactly what we thought they were going to do." When you hear comments like this from multiple teams/players you start to wonder about creativity.

What position did he play on defense?

 

[zincfinger]

Mark Sanchez said after the game "I felt like I had played this game 3 times already. They did exactly what we thought they were going to do." When you hear comments like this from multiple teams/players you start to wonder about creativity.

Which, as he was USC's QB, was a comment made in reference to OSU's defense, not to OSU's offense. Specifically, he was referring to a pass play to, I believe, Havili, in which Marcus Freeman bit on a fake exactly as USC had expected him to do. It had nothing to do with OSU's offense.

 

[BB73]

-on a completely seperate note, what do you guys think of Donald Washington, and his chances of starting this year for KC? Didnt get to see him play too much last year, and as a Chiefs fan, I'm desperate to see some improvement and our D. Is he NFL-starting DB quality?

FYI, we prefer to keep threads on topic, so I copied this part of your post to DW's thread, where you can find the discussion of his role for the Chiefs.

BP.alumni.D.Wash

 

[Poe McKnoe]

Mark Sanchez said after the game "I felt like I had played this game 3 times already. They did exactly what we thought they were going to do." When you hear comments like this from multiple teams/players you start to wonder about creativity.

I think it's partially true. I think it's also something they say. They said the same thing about Michigan after the Rose Bowl in 2006. I believe it to an extent and they were the winner of game in both instances.

I don't know that USC did anything different than they've done countless times before (got QB pressure from the line and blitzes, completed passes, and pass protected. McKnight direct snaps were new, but it's not like OSU didn't know what was coming). They executed better and didn't have penalities (some legit, some questionable) forcing their hands.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

What position did he play on defense?

Sanchez wasn't the only USC player to make such comments. One of their main defensive players (Mauluga?) said our offense was extremely predictable.

 

[Flocka]

Sanchez wasn't the only USC player to make such comments. One of their main defensive players (Mauluga?) said our offense was extremely predictable.

I know, it just makes no sense he said Sanchez.

The problem was there is only so much JT was willing to let Pryor do and everything was limited with Boeckman combined with our o-line play. Hopefully this year is different.

 

[BB73]

Steve Helwagen takes a look at the matchup.

BN.free