Game Thread tOSU at Indiana - Oct 13, 8 ET, BTN

[bukIpower]

There doesn't seem to be a leader out there on the defense... a player that holds things together from play to play and gives the squad some sense of direction and continuity. Individual players seem to wake up and make one-off plays now and again, but there's no standard bearer. Maybe that's part of the effect of missing guys like Nathan Williams and Storm Klein, and guys like OJ or the rest of the CB crew simply not having the maturity and vision to keep the group from going slack.

That's why putting Boren in there was the only way to go because, beyond his instinct and motor, he was able to at least serve as an example of what a leader is supposed to do out there.

Don't have a leader on the defensive coaching staff either. No Direction on the field as well as on the coaching staff.

 

[buckeyebri]

Bull[Mark May].



Three letters:

UCF

Three more letters:

UAB

Exactly, how many times do you need slapped before you come out swinging? I can't remember a more embarrassing defensive performance by an OSU squad and that goes back to the 60's. OSU football has always meant face pounding, ass kicking defense and not this passive [Mark May] being put on the field today.

 

[buckeyebri]

Maybe someone should explain to this kid that he is costing himself MILLIONS (NFL) by dropping these TD passes.

Maybe THAT would help his concentration? And, that's all it is, concentration. He absolutely has the talent.

One of the things I have been hoping to see with the new staff was more consistent pass catching skills. OSU receivers have been dropping passes consistently for years.

 

[Jaxbuck]

Exactly, how many times do you need slapped before you come out swinging? I can't remember a more embarrassing defensive performance by an OSU squad and that goes back to the 60's. OSU football has always meant face pounding, ass kicking defense and not this passive [Mark May] being put on the field today.

To be historically accurate/fair the OSU defenses from 1987 to about 1993 were by and large the most collectively nonathletic and substandard that I have ever seen. They'd have to be up there in any "turrible defense, just turrible" discussion.

The only reason points against weren't higher was more due to the style of offenses they faced vs today if i had to guess. They were woefully over matched on most days.

 

[buckeyebri]

To be historically accurate/fair the OSU defenses from 1987 to about 1993 were by and large the most collectively nonathletic and substandard that I have ever seen. They'd have to be up there in any "turrible defense, just turrible" discussion.

The only reason points against weren't higher was more due to the style of offenses they faced vs today if i had to guess. They were woefully over matched on most days.

I can't disagree with you, but what they lacked in skill they made up for with attitude. I can't fathom those guys giving up these kind of points to an IU team who had two frosh playing on the Oline, or allowing the backup QB to drive the field twice in the closing minutes of a game to put the game in jeopardy.

 

[shetuck]

Don't have a leader on the defensive coaching staff either. No Direction on the field as well as on the coaching staff.

Not trying to be a jerk, but... you know this how?

I can *see* there's no leader on the field. How does one tell there's no leader on the sideline?

Maybe the coaches have a game plan, but the players don't have the maturity or pride to step up and execute. That's not on the coaches.

Again... the fact that the coaches chose to put Boren in there tells me a lot about where the defensive squad stands in terms of having an on-field leader.

 

[Buckeye doc]

I can't disagree with you, but what they lacked in skill they made up for with attitude. I can't fathom those guys giving up these kind of points to an IU team who had two frosh playing on the Oline, or allowing the backup QB to drive the field twice in the closing minutes of a game to put the game in jeopardy.

This was what bothered me the most. And the qb is a true freshman. I am glad that Meyer is going to be turning his attention to our D. I would think that if it is an effort/motivation issue, he will get results pretty quickly.

 

[BB73]

Hopefully someone tells Roby that you just don't let the live ball go out of bounds on the onside kick. At the very least you make sure the ball gets out. That pissed me off almost as much as the other defensive issues.

Agree completely. You can't watch the ball go out of bounds, you need to knock it farther out of bounds so an alert player on the other team can't do what the Indiana player did. If a Buckeye had tossed that ball back in bounds, we'd be singing his praises.

I thought the replay was inconclusive as to whether or not his foot was down before the ball left his hand, but as somebody pointed out - since the flag was thrown for the out-of-bounds penalty originally, how could replay change the call? Of course, they changed close calls all night long.

 

[Jaxbuck]

I can't disagree with you, but what they lacked in skill they made up for with attitude. I can't fathom those guys giving up these kind of points to an IU team who had two frosh playing on the Oline, or allowing the backup QB to drive the field twice in the closing minutes of a game to put the game in jeopardy.

They went to Bloomington in 1988 and gave up 41 to an IU team handing the ball off out of the I all day but I get your point.

This defense has more attitude/mental issues than aestheticism issues.

 

[Onebuckfan]

They went to Bloomington in 1988 and gave up 41 to an IU team handing the ball off out of the I all day but I get your point.

This defense has more attitude/mental issues than aestheticism issues.

Would Chris Spielman and Mike Doss like to be honorary Capt. next week and have a closed door chat with this squad including coaches.Urban can't bring all the JUICE,,

 

[HorseshoeFetish]

If a Buckeye had tossed that ball back in bounds, we'd be singing his praises.


since the flag was thrown for the out-of-bounds penalty originally, how could replay change the call? Of course, they changed close calls all night long.

See Aaron Craft.

As far as the out of bounds call..it wasn't called that way, after a ref huddle they made it a good play. Replay just didn't overturn that.

 

[MaxBuck]

... what they lacked in skill they made up for with attitude.

Attitude had little to do with Indiana's success last night.

Fans are quick to cite "attitude, desire and effort" as reasons their teams don't perform at the desired level, and they're almost never the primary problems.

 

[shetuck]

They went to Bloomington in 1988 and gave up 41 to an IU team handing the ball off out of the I all day but I get your point.

This defense has more attitude/mental issues than aestheticism issues.

Aestheticism?

http://blogzarro.com/2007/07/geek-honey-of-the-month-ana-aesthetic/

 

[bukIpower]

Not trying to be a jerk, but... you know this how?

I can *see* there's no leader on the field. How does one tell there's no leader on the sideline?

Maybe the coaches have a game plan, but the players don't have the maturity or pride to step up and execute. That's not on the coaches.

Again... the fact that the coaches chose to put Boren in there tells me a lot about where the defensive squad stands in terms of having an on-field leader.

It's also very telling about their ability to develop players too. Boren on defense was a definit move to get leadership. Well I don't know if the coaching staff has leadership or not but a logical guess. What I do know is that 3 weeks now coach Meyer has at his post game presser critiqued and now stated he will be directly involved with the defense. The fact that we don't know what to run on defense is how I just guess there isn't much leadership there. 10 yards off the ball or do we press? Should we blitz or should we just give the QB all day to throw? It appears that we don't really know what the hell to do.

All the while Meyer has got our team having two difficult tackling days because our defense can't figure it out. The offense was young and relatively unproven to start but what they have that the defense does not is a blue print. The coaches have a plan and everyone is going in the same direction. Can you say the same about our defense? Because I cannot.

 

[shetuck]

... The [offensive] coaches have a plan and everyone is going in the same direction. Can you say the same about our defense? Because I cannot.

My guess, and I've never been on the sideline, is that the coaches *do* actually have a plan (because that's what these guys at this level do) but that the players aren't stepping up and executing it like the guys on offense. So, the difference isn't whether there's a plan or not, but whether somebody on the field is able to shoulder and communicate that on the field.

Is it player development? I don't know. Maybe... most of the cast of characters, and I'm really keying on OJ for some reason, was there long before Fick and Vrabes took over the reigns. So, to me, on the surface, the issue is with the player(s), not the coaches' ability to come up with a plan or develop talent.

It's amazing to me that there are typically half-a-dozen or more INT opportunities on D, but those same guys aren't able to seal routes. That tells me that the back seven are more focused on making an occasional big play rather than doing the hard boring work of making sure the QB has no reason to throw the ball their way. These aren't lunch-pail kind of guys. They never have been. They likely won't every be... the work ethic doesn't seem to be there because it seems they're individually happy to be superstars on a couple plays a game, rather than making sure their jersey numbers never get called.