Game Thread Sugar Bowl: tOSU vs Arkansas, Tue, Jan 4th, 8:30 ET ESPN

[BrutusBuckeyeAZ]

Buckeyes to the Orange Bowl to face Virginia Tech

EBAY here I come!:osu:

 

[Diego-Bucks]

I also want to welcome the Arkansas fans/posters to BP. You guys have been very intelligent for a possible big-time opponent and I look forward to this discussion continuing... if the match-up actually happens.

 

[scarletngray]

]Look no disrespect to Arkansas' offense but to call it one of the top 5 attacks of the last 20 years is a little over the top.[/B]

To say it was a "little" over the top is like saying that the elephant man was just a "little" puffy over one eye...

:osu:

 

[EireHog]

Look no disrespect to Arkansas' offense but to call it one of the top 5 attacks of the last 20 years is a little over the top.

Anyway, Ohio State faced a team in January of 2003 that was definitely one of the top 5 attacks in the last 20 years and held them to 17 points in regulation and 24 points in 2OT. 2005 Texas and Vince Young? Scored 41 or more points against every team their schedule...except Ohio State who they struggled to put 25 against. 2009 Oregon? 37 or more points in their last 6 games until Ohio State held them to 17. 2008 Texas? Averaged 49 points a game including 45 against Oklahoma. Ohio State held them to 24. I could add more but I think you see the trend and why we are so skeptical that Arkansas will put 30+ or 35+ up against Ohio State. It's a rare occurence historically and many very good teams haven't gotten close.

The thing is that it really isn't. I'm seeing that the Ohio State fan base will believe it only when they experience it, which is fair enough. You cite a couple of cases of shutting down fairly one dimensional offenses (Oregon 2009) that did one thing remarkably well-- spread people out and run the football -- but truly diverse offenses aren't that common. With Texas, there's a strong argument to be made that it wasn't a particularly diverse offense, but their scoring average was helped by putting up huge numbers against extremely poor teams, whereas Arkansas has, despite not even playing the best available players, averaged 30PPG against bowl eligible teams, and a much tougher schedule overall. You won't find a 60 point game against Louisiana Lafayette or a Baylor skewing the numbers.

The single most impressive accomplishment of the Tressel era was the treatment of the Miami team you defeated for the MNC. That was the best defensive performance in a long time, without a doubt.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

The thing is that it really isn't. I'm seeing that the Ohio State fan base will believe it only when they experience it, which is fair enough. You cite a couple of cases of shutting down fairly one dimensional offenses (Oregon 2009) that did one thing remarkably well-- spread people out and run the football -- but truly diverse offenses aren't that common. With Texas, there's a strong argument to be made that it wasn't a particularly diverse offense, but their scoring average was helped by putting up huge numbers against extremely poor teams, whereas Arkansas has, despite not even playing the best available players, averaged 30PPG against bowl eligible teams, and a much tougher schedule overall. You won't find a 60 point game against Louisiana Lafayette or a Baylor skewing the numbers.

The single most impressive accomplishment of the Tressel era was the treatment of the Miami team you defeated for the MNC. That was the best defensive performance in a long time, without a doubt.

The usual level of discourse here calls for more than sky-high rhetoric.

The implication that Arkansas has a uniquely diverse offense looks thin when compared to the 62nd ranking in rushing offense. While there may be facts that support your claim that this is something other than the one-dimensional offense it appears to be; you provided no such facts. All we have to go on is your rhetoric.

Perhaps you would suggest that the Razorbacks rushing rank is due to the fact that they don't run the ball as often as most teams. Setting aside for a moment the fact that this meets most peoples' definition of a one-dimensional offense; there is still the matter of the yards per carry.

Of the 36 teams with higher YPC than Arkansas, 3 come from the almighty SEC (one of them Kentucky). So much for the idea that the super-high incredible level of world beating competition keeps your stats down. Unless all 3 of those teams (including Kentucky) are top-5-in-20-years-diverse super-amazing offenses...

Beyond any of the numbers though is the inconvenient fact that many of us have actually seen Arkansas play this year. I, for one, would accept that the Razorbacks might have a top-5 offense this year. That is a heck of a stretch, but I concede that one could make an argument for it.

The claim of it being a top-5-in-20-years offense requires a great deal more to back it up than the wait-until-you-see-it rhetoric.

 

[SmoovP]

The usual level of discourse here calls for more than sky-high rhetoric.

The implication that Arkansas has a uniquely diverse offense looks thin when compared to the 62nd ranking in rushing offense. While their may be facts that support your claim that this is something other than the one-dimensional offense it appears to be; you provided no such facts. All we have to go on is your rhetoric.

Perhaps you would suggest that the Razorbacks rushing rank is due to the fact that they don't run the ball as often as most teams. Setting aside for a moment the fact that this meets most peoples' definition of a one-dimensional offense; there is still the matter of the yards per carry.

Of the 36 teams with higher YPC than Arkansas, 3 come from the almighty SEC (one of them Kentucky). So much for the idea that the super-high incredible level of world beating competition keeping your stats down. Unless all 3 of those teams (including Kentucky) are top-5-in-20-years-diverse super-amazing offenses...

Beyond any of the numbers though is the inconvenient fact that many of us have actually seen Arkansas play this year. I, for one, would accept that the Razorbacks might have a top-5 offense this year. That is a heck of a stretch, but I concede that one could make an argument for it.

The claim of it being a top-5-in-20-years offense requires a great deal more to back it up than the wait-until-you-see-it rhetoric.

I'm not going to dispute what you're saying, and I think the 5-in-20 claim is over the top.

However - there is always a 'however' - take a look at our rushing stats in the first five games against our last 7 games.

You'll see something.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

I'm not going to dispute what you're saying, and I think the 5-in-20 claim is over the top.

However - there is always a 'however' - take a look at our rushing stats in the first five games against our last 7 games.

You'll see something.

That's a great point that you've hinted at there - have some rep'.

For those who'd rather not look it up:

After the midway point in the season, Knile Davis started getting a great deal more of the carries and Broderick Green a lot fewer. The result was a MUCH more powerful rushing attack. The difference in yards per carry between them was > 3. No, the decimal point isn't missing: Davis has over three yards per carry more than Green.
​

That is a very good example of backing up a claim with facts.

I still don't buy the top-5-in-20 thing; but it would be interesting to see what would have happened if Davis had more carries against Alabama, considering he gained 42 yards on the 6 carries he had. If he'd been given the 10 carries that Green got, it seems a good bet he would've gained more than 25 yards.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

how do you hog fans feel about no touch icing?

 

[Honor&Glory]

This thread has been a pretty good read. And to think my only real exposure to Arkansas was Slick Willy...

(enter all humidor jokes here)


Go Bucks!

 

[matcar]

Have to agree with others here that thus far the Arkansas fan base has been quite reasonable on here. Much more so than many others...so Welcome! This game will be of great interest to me since I've lived in Little Rock for the past 20 years. I'll be joining some Hog fans down at the Sugar Bowl...should be a blast.

 

[SmoovP]

how do you hog fans feel about no touch icing?

We're agin it.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

We're agin it.

gpa.

hog fans must be great people.

 

[SmoovP]

Something to consider

The Razorbacks use the pass to set up the run rather than using the run to set up the past like most teams.

And since the sixth game Knile Davis has gone for:

176 yards vs. Mississippi
82 vs. Vandy (it was over early)
110 vs. So. Carolina
182 vs. UTEP
187 vs. Miss State
152 vs. LSU

That's 889 yards on 134 carries (6.6 ypc) in 6 games.

In fact, I saw something last week vs. LSU that I don't think I've ever seen before.

You know how in Basketball when on team goes on a run, the opposing coach will call a timeout to give his team a breather and a chance to regroup?

In the 4th quarter, Hogs up by 8, LSU did that very thing after 9 consecutive running plays by the Hogs. We were just mashing them and all they could do was burn a time out in hopes of slowing the Hogs down.

We can run the ball.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

The Razorbacks use the pass to set up the run rather than using the run to set up the past like most teams.

And since the sixth game Knile Davis has gone for:

176 yards vs. Mississippi
82 vs. Vandy (it was over early)
110 vs. So. Carolina
182 vs. UTEP
187 vs. Miss State
152 vs. LSU

That's 889 yards on 134 carries (6.6 ypc) in 6 games.

In fact, I saw something last week vs. LSU that I don't think I've ever seen before.

You know how in Basketball when on team goes on a run, the opposing coach will call a timeout to give his team a breather and a chance to regroup?

In the 4th quarter, Hogs up by 8, LSU did that very thing after 9 consecutive running plays by the Hogs. We were just mashing them and all they could do was burn a time out in hopes of slowing the Hogs down.

We can run the ball.

ohio state ranks sixth in rush defense. though personally i think we are not as deep as we have been in the past at dline. it has seemed that teams have either had some success moving the ball on us during parts of the game, or none at all. those that have moved the ball tend to be a more physical style run team, a la wisc.

mallet has a cannon and is fun to watch, he also turns the ball over a lot. the thing is if you can make him pay for his mistakes that makes things easier.

here is the ohio state stats
http://web1.ncaa.org/football/exec/rankingSummary?year=2010&org=518


at the end of the day and hundreds of hours of film study im almost ready to go way out on a limb say the major key, if this game were played, is whoever scores more points will win this game...

 

[jdevers]

I will certainly not argue with you, and this isn't an attempt at such. But I would like to post our own scores on these two particular teams as well.

2006, Florida: scored 41 in a win; won national championship, 13-1 record
2007, LSU: scored 38 in a win; won national championship, 12-2 record

I will certainly not argue with you and this isn't an attempt at such. But I would like to post our own scores on these two particular teams as well.

2006 Florida: 38-28, Florida win.
2007 LSU: 50-48, Arkansas win.