Game Thread tOSU at NW'ern, Oct 5, 8 ET, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2

[MAINEiac Buckeye]

I'm happy for you. Given my age and medical metrics, I'm afraid my pregame menu ritual is going to have to revolve around tofu and raw vegetable noshes.

Live a little Max! Slosh some Franks Red Hot on that tofu.

 

[RB07OSU]

I'm one that thought tOSU would win big. They didn't. [Mark May] happens. It's not like tOSU played a great game tho. I'd say NW played as good as they could hope to. I'd say tOSU played about as bad a game as we've seen under Urban...and still won, at their place, at night. I think if Brax doesn't have missed opportunities and turnovers, it could easily have been 54-20. But a win is a win and I'll take it

It could have been but I just expected those types of things to happen on the road at night against a quality opponent. Getting Mark back was huge for them too. In any event, we should curb stomp the rest of the schedule, except maybe scUM. I fully expect this to be the toughest victory but we earned it.

 

[buckeyesin07]

And yet the talent around Braxton is just oozing and waiting for a chance. And we've even seen the results of letting others do the work. Kenny G particularly is great- because of the offensive command he has and the coaching that calls plays to limit him perfectly by using him as a facilitator and not a playmaker (though the results are "playmaker" status). Staff just cannot figure it out with Braxton. Some of that is probably on him too, because he is so unpredictaable and so shaky and can ruin a good gameplan himself with some un-focused plays.

All the talk of Meyer v Tressel and how Meyer isn't afraid to play guys, isn't afraid to spread the ball around, and yet we're seeing the same fact- coaches (just about all of them) fall into the convenient trap of getting tunnel vision and sticking with 1 or 2 guys as soon as things get panicky.

It worked well riding Hyde last. But all the talk in the game thread about Wilson, R. Smith, EzE, got pretty comical. It was clear it wasn't going to happen. Things got buttoned up (again)- for better or worse, forced or by free-will...

It strikes me that just about any coach in the country would have "buttoned up" if their star running back is averaging 6.5 ypc. I seriously don't understand the criticism of the staff on this count.

 

[BUCKYLE]

I expect some mistakes that wouldn't happen at home, sure. Or maybe a sluggish start for the offense when they usually come out hot. Maybe even a turnover or two in the game. But all of that happening in the first half plus Brax overthrowing a WIDE open receiver by ten feet? You should probably start a business around your talents. I think people are not really realizing exactly how much went horribly wrong last night. Those kinds of games happen once every three years or so, and tOSU rarely, if ever, wins them. I have a higher opinion of this team now than before the game. The only concern, while a big one, is pass defense. Though i think it's fixable.

 

[RB07OSU]

I expect some mistakes that wouldn't happen at home, sure. Or maybe a sluggish start for the offense when they usually come out hot. Maybe even a turnover or two in the game. But all of that happening in the first half plus Brax overthrowing a WIDE open receiver by ten feet? You should probably start a business around your talents. I think people are not really realizing exactly how much went horribly wrong last night. Those kinds of games happen once every three years or so, and tOSU rarely, if ever, wins them. I have a higher opinion of this team now than before the game. The only concern, while a big one, is pass defense. Though i think it's fixable.

Agreed 100%. That overthrow looked like Bauserman. I haven't seen Braxton that off in a very long time and the two turnovers that got Kenny G to warm up. To get a win in that fashion is incredible. I thought it would be that close, just didn't think it would happen the way it did.

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

It's like tOSU defense plays "Prevent" the entire game.

A poster on Scout (DVo45) pointed out that the cushion is there to allow the DB to read the play and make the break on the ball. That's consistent with the video of DB drills that we saw last year on how DBs are taught to play the ball. The problem is that OSU DBs don't break on the ball in time to break up the pass, or worse yet, aren't even in position to make the tackle when the pass has been completed. Conclusion was that this is a coaching issue, not a scheme issue.

 

[BUCKYLE]

Agreed 100%. That overthrow looked like Bauserman. I haven't seen Braxton that off in a very long time and the two turnovers that got Kenny G to warm up. To get a win in that fashion is incredible. I thought it would be that close, just didn't think it would happen the way it did.

Totally agree. I completely understood people that were saying it would be close. I just disagreed. And it's not like they buttoned up Brax and shut down the run. If Brax had been Brax last night and the D played 50% better, it could've been ugly. I know it sounds crazy, but it looked like Brax along with the secondary, were kinda shook. Like they didn't expect NW to be a quality team. But one thing I took from this game is our boys have elephant hearts. No give up in this team at all. That in itself can overcome an awful lot.

 

[Buckeneye]

A poster on Scout (DVo45) pointed out that the cushion is there to allow the DB to read the play and make the break on the ball. That's consistent with the video of DB drills that we saw last year on how DBs are taught to play the ball. The problem is that OSU DBs don't break on the ball in time to break up the pass, or worse yet, aren't even in position to make the tackle when the pass has been completed. Conclusion was that this is a coaching issue, not a scheme issue.

The problem is that when facing a competent QB/WR combo with good timing and ball placement - off coverage is going to give up a lot of patterns on the tree.

There is a reason you're seeing more tight man to man in the NFL. It's about the only way to stop a decent passing attack.

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

The problem is that when facing a competent QB/WR combo with good timing and ball placement - off coverage is going to give up a lot of patterns on the tree.

There is a reason you're seeing more tight man to man in the NFL. It's about the only way to stop a decent passing attack.

There was a article or youtube showing that's exactly how the DB coach teaches it. It's not a scheme issue as much as a technique issue then.

 

[Buckeye86]

It strikes me that just about any coach in the country would have "buttoned up" if their star running back is averaging 6.5 ypc. I seriously don't understand the criticism of the staff on this count.

The problem wasn't that they buttoned it up- it's that they went away from feeding it to Hyde on straight dive plays and tried to get fancy with designed QB runs and plays that gave Braxton the opportunity to put the brakes on drives by making a wrong read.

My friends were worried about Guiton coming in... they could have put the punter in at QB and scored- all he had to do was hand the ball off on straight run plays (no read option!) and we would have scored on most drives.

For some inexplicable reason it took the offensive staff until the second half to figure that out.

Even after it worked great for awhile, they tried getting cute again and put the breaks on some second half drives that could have iced the game with more straight hand offs.

 

[OHSportsFan]

The problem wasn't that they buttoned it up- it's that they went away from feeding it to Hyde on straight dive plays and tried to get fancy with designed QB runs and plays that gave Braxton the opportunity to put the breaks on drives by making a wrong read.

My friends were worried about Guiton coming in... they could have put the punter in at QB and scored- all he had to do was hand the ball off on straight run plays (no read option!) and we would have scored on most drives.

For some inexplicable reason it took the offensive staff until the second half to figure that out.

Even after it worked great for awhile, they tried getting cute again and put the breaks on some second half drives that could have iced the game with more straight hand offs.

This and referencing the amount of other players getting touches is my "buttoned up" comment. Plus, I said it worked out. I was calling for more Hyde all night.

But on the designed runs with Brax or even the read plays- I don't have much doubt R. Smith or a change of pace like Wilson wouldn't have had an extra positive impact on the offense if they had a few more plays...when spelling Hyde who was exhausting himself.

 

[buckeyebri]

I have to say that I am glad they only ran the bubble screen once last night, albeit at a bad time. They have to dump that play and run a slant or a drag to the TE instead.

 

[buchtelgrad04]

A poster on Scout (DVo45) pointed out that the cushion is there to allow the DB to read the play and make the break on the ball. That's consistent with the video of DB drills that we saw last year on how DBs are taught to play the ball. The problem is that OSU DBs don't break on the ball in time to break up the pass, or worse yet, aren't even in position to make the tackle when the pass has been completed. Conclusion was that this is a coaching issue, not a scheme issue.

It's impossible to break on the ball when you bail as soon the ball snaps. It's so easy to run comeback routes when the corner is running the opposite direction

 

[Coqui]

This and referencing the amount of other players getting touches is my "buttoned up" comment. Plus, I said it worked out. I was calling for more Hyde all night.

But on the designed runs with Brax or even the read plays- I don't have much doubt R. Smith or a change of pace like Wilson wouldn't have had an extra positive impact on the offense if they had a few more plays...when spelling Hyde who was exhausting himself.

I was yelling for Cardale to run because of his size to push piles while Hyde got to rest. This is really where we missed Hall as he could have given Hyde a break.

 

[NFBuck]

Coming into this season, I predicted 12-2 for tOSU, and I had @NW as one of the losses. To play as terribly as they did, and still get a W out of it says something. That first half and into the first 5-10 minutes of the 3rd quarter was just dreadful football. Yet, here we are...6-0.