A few thoughts on yesterday's game....
1) After Carlos Hyde scored his first touchdown with 11:45 remaining in the second quarter, the Buckeye offense ran 30 plays in regulation, gaining just 74 yards (2.47 yards per play). Add in 25 yards of penalties while on offense, and the Buckeyes gained just 49 yards in the final 41:45 of regulation.
2) During the offensive doldrums, Braxton Miller was 3/8 passing, for 21 yards, with 3 sacks for -17 yards; and the offense was 0/7 in 3rd down conversions.
3) Ohio State had a hundred more punt yards (336) than total yards (236).
4) Before the final drive of regulation, Curt Phillips, Wisconsin's third-string quarterback, was 9 for 18 passing, for 105 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 3 sacks. The defense had completely shut down Wisconsin's passing game (and their offense in general) by playing aggressive man-to-man coverage and applying pressure to the quarterback. So in the final 90 seconds of regulation, what does Ohio State's defensive brain trust decide to do? Play soft zone with a three-man rush. Phillips, arguably the worst quarterback in the Big Ten (and it's a pretty easy argument to make), promptly completed five straight passes for 49 yards and the game-tying touchdown. The defense could have won the game in regulation, but the coaching staff refused to give them that opportunity.
5) In overtime, the defense became more aggressive once again. On fourth down in overtime, Wisconsin ran the same play as the game-tying touchdown. However, Ohio State sent two extra men on a blitz, and this added pressure disrupted the timing of the play. As a result, Phillips was a split second slow in delivering the football, and Buckeye safety Christian Bryant was able to swat the ball away from Badger tight end Jacob Pedersen.
6) John Simon has consistently flirted with greatness. Last night, he finally achieved it (6 tackles, 4 sacks, batted pass). Simon has always been a tough, hard-nosed, high-motor guy who lacked elite athleticism. Last night, his attitude infused the entire defense, and they turned in their best performance of the season.
7) Ryan Shazier (110 tackles, 14.5 TFL's, 4 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 12 passes defensed, pick six) didn't enter this season with a lot of hype, so he probably won't make any All American teams this year. But he will definitely be a front-runner for the Butkus Award in 2013.
8) Zach Boren (12 tackles, forced fumble) was created to play middle linebacker against Wisconsin.
9) I don't know anything about Montee Ball. He may be a great guy and a fabulous teammate; he may even go on mission trips to the Philippines. But after the incessant chatter about the career touchdown record, I am officially rooting against the kid. And even if he breaks the record (which seems virtually certain at this point), so what? He can then claim to be better than the great Travis Prentice? Is that really something to brag about?
10) You heard it here first - Carlos Hyde is a better running back than Montee Ball.
11) Watching the telecast of last night's game was like watching a wrestling match between Hulk Hogan and the Iron Sheik. Except that there was no Bobby the Brain Heenan in the broadcast booth to root for the Buckeyes.