And that our defense pretty much sucks...not listed there are the 503 yards we gave up to Cal, and Wiscy being a yard short of 400. Over the final three games we gave up 420, 442, and 603 yards.
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- Thread starter BB73
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Not true. Of those six games listed, only during the Purdue game did the third stringers get any significant playing time...even in the Indiana game, few if any third-stringers saw any real time until we were up 42-0 in the fourth. Keep in mind we didn't really pull away from Illinois until late in the fourth quarter when El Guapo busted off those two long TDs.
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True, but I'm still not all that worried. If tOSU had kept the starters in against Purdue, the yardage and points could have favored tOSU by a large margin. Sparty didn't play NW with everyone healthy, and I tend to think B1G teams give tOSU their best shot.
The D has been lacking, for sure. Sparty may put up some points. I don't think it's going to be enough. No wind, no snow, no cold. Ohio State is playing for a title shot, Sparty will probably be in the Rose either way.
I'm not expecting a blowout, but I wouldn't be shocked.
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
As the Sinclair baby dinosaur would say "AGAIN"..."AGAIN"
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As confident as I was going into the UM game I am concerned with this one (given the UM results maybe that's a good thing).
Here's why -
Good pitching beats good hitting. The MSU D is absolutely stellar. Five of their last six opponents have scored 6 points or less. We have not seen anything like it.
In "The Game" teams have a tendency to beat each other up. No injuries reported, but I gotta believe there are some serious bumps and bruises.
When our opposition shows up with a good offensive game plan we have yet to show that we can make the adjustments to stop it.
I don't believe MSU struggled against Minnie because they were evenly matched. They struggled because Dantonio spent the week thinking ahead. He is one hell of a coach.
Every 11-1 team in the country is getting consideration for the NC game except for the team that took 14 weeks just to crack the top 10. These guys have a chip on their shoulder the size of brick.
On the positive side -
The man coming up with our offensive game plan is as good as it gets. If there is a scheme that will find any weaknesses in the MSU armor he will come up with it.
Our DL had a poor week. They will not have two in a row.
MSU does not have the kind of Offense that keeps you up at night. And for God's sake, could we really lose to Bollman? We know how to stop Dave, right? I don't know if I could survive losing to Bollman.
If I was a betting man I wouldn't bet the house on this one. But then again, if I was a betting man I would have lost my house to the spread last week.
Here's why -
Good pitching beats good hitting. The MSU D is absolutely stellar. Five of their last six opponents have scored 6 points or less. We have not seen anything like it.
In "The Game" teams have a tendency to beat each other up. No injuries reported, but I gotta believe there are some serious bumps and bruises.
When our opposition shows up with a good offensive game plan we have yet to show that we can make the adjustments to stop it.
I don't believe MSU struggled against Minnie because they were evenly matched. They struggled because Dantonio spent the week thinking ahead. He is one hell of a coach.
Every 11-1 team in the country is getting consideration for the NC game except for the team that took 14 weeks just to crack the top 10. These guys have a chip on their shoulder the size of brick.
On the positive side -
The man coming up with our offensive game plan is as good as it gets. If there is a scheme that will find any weaknesses in the MSU armor he will come up with it.
Our DL had a poor week. They will not have two in a row.
MSU does not have the kind of Offense that keeps you up at night. And for God's sake, could we really lose to Bollman? We know how to stop Dave, right? I don't know if I could survive losing to Bollman.
If I was a betting man I wouldn't bet the house on this one. But then again, if I was a betting man I would have lost my house to the spread last week.
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UpNorth_Buckeye
Assistant Coach
For whatever reason, we have always seemed to struggle against spread offenses (which has been quite ironic the past 2 years given our offense). Looking at that list, I see a few offenses that fit that description. I've said it before, but the only way I see us losing is if bollman pulls a Borges and completely changes up their offense this week. Otherwise I don't see us losing to a team with their offensive identity.
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Thing is, half of the Big10 teams have completely revamped their offense just for us.
- Only game all season NW had Mark, Colter, and Semian
- Ferentz came out with some crazy ass 3 TE setup
- Michigan threw everything they could muster at us
Of the teams that played us "vanilla" (for them), only Illinois gave us some issues. Even so, that game was never in doubt either.
But I have no reason to expect that MSU will play us vanilla.
Part of me doubts Bollman has it in him, but I didn't think Borges had it in him to put together a completely new offense either... and an element of Tressel-ball has always been to save some trickery for big games. To look as bland as possible for 10 games of the season, set the opponent up with certain expectations... and then change the script.
So why would it be any different this week? That's what we've seen all year from every team treating us as their bowl game.
- Only game all season NW had Mark, Colter, and Semian
- Ferentz came out with some crazy ass 3 TE setup
- Michigan threw everything they could muster at us
Of the teams that played us "vanilla" (for them), only Illinois gave us some issues. Even so, that game was never in doubt either.
But I have no reason to expect that MSU will play us vanilla.
Part of me doubts Bollman has it in him, but I didn't think Borges had it in him to put together a completely new offense either... and an element of Tressel-ball has always been to save some trickery for big games. To look as bland as possible for 10 games of the season, set the opponent up with certain expectations... and then change the script.
So why would it be any different this week? That's what we've seen all year from every team treating us as their bowl game.
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Greyshirt
All-American
This game is definitely between a team of mirror opposites.
The comparison stuff is useless because each team wins in completely different ways. tOSU blows up the score board offensively and then the other team opens the play book wide open (lots of passing). MSU plays the field possession game and once up by 2 scores will just lock it down running clock and playing ball control.
MSU can be boring to watch but conversely they tend to physically dominate teams and this style of play as we all know wins and wins often.
tOSU is fun to watch (unless keeping it close....) but it tends to leave you a bit wanting because you do not get the physical domination.
I still see the combo of Brax and Hyde pulling this out. But this is not going to be pretty. The Bucks better be ready to get dirty this game.
The comparison stuff is useless because each team wins in completely different ways. tOSU blows up the score board offensively and then the other team opens the play book wide open (lots of passing). MSU plays the field possession game and once up by 2 scores will just lock it down running clock and playing ball control.
MSU can be boring to watch but conversely they tend to physically dominate teams and this style of play as we all know wins and wins often.
tOSU is fun to watch (unless keeping it close....) but it tends to leave you a bit wanting because you do not get the physical domination.
I still see the combo of Brax and Hyde pulling this out. But this is not going to be pretty. The Bucks better be ready to get dirty this game.
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HorseshoeFetish
Silver Bullet Supporter
I'd ask all of you to take some time and reflect on what's truly important heading into this game......................
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DEBuckeye
It ain't easy, bein' cheesy.
You've got to admit, the "points allowed" column for MSU is kind of impressive. Our offense is better than any of those, and I believe that we are good enough to put up points despite their strong defense, but still.... rather impressive. It ain't gonna be easy, but as Woody said, "Anything easy ain't worth a damn!"
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If it makes you feel any better;
- I don't think good pitching beats good hitting in CFB, or NFL, any more.
- Also don't look at the last 5 opponents, look at who Sparty has played that's most similar offensively to OSU and what has happened in those games.....
- ......IU and Nebraska are as close as anyone in the B1G to having OSU's offensive firepower, both scored 28 straight up on MSU. Nebby did it with it's cadre of backup QB's and 5 turnovers.
- Now look at similar opponents OSU has faced, Iowa and Wisconsin. Both managed 24 vs the OSU defense and I'm pretty certain both are better offenses than Sparty.
- It's all about matchups and MSU is a better matchup for OSU's defense. Don't let last week cloud your judgement too much.
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OSUK
Sometimes lucid, mostly confused
My omen I look at is how MSU defended Nebraska: they gave up 186 on the ground to an offense with a comparable RB, but not a comparable QB as OSU. I'm sure Sparty is going to focus on taking away Hyde between the tackles first and then try to manage Brax and hope he isn't passing the ball well. That's a lot of ifs, buts, candy, and nuts.
The most interesting thing about this game is that Ohio State is going to be facing an offense and defense that is the best expression of Tresselball that exists in CFB. The gameplan is simple for the Bucks: 1) stop Dave 2) win 3rd and long more than half the time 3) get a 2-3 score lead in the second half 4) watch an opponent who can't come from behind do things they don't want to do. The path to defeat: 1) turn the ball over 2) give up non-offensive scores 3) allow MSU to have a lead in the 2nd half, run the ball and control the clock.
It always comes down to players making plays, but Sparty's path to victory is much narrower than Ohio State's. If we lose this game, it will be because we turned the ball over and our defense finally bit us in the butt. If Jim Bollman beats us, then we have no business having national championship fairies dancing around in our heads anyway.
The most interesting thing about this game is that Ohio State is going to be facing an offense and defense that is the best expression of Tresselball that exists in CFB. The gameplan is simple for the Bucks: 1) stop Dave 2) win 3rd and long more than half the time 3) get a 2-3 score lead in the second half 4) watch an opponent who can't come from behind do things they don't want to do. The path to defeat: 1) turn the ball over 2) give up non-offensive scores 3) allow MSU to have a lead in the 2nd half, run the ball and control the clock.
It always comes down to players making plays, but Sparty's path to victory is much narrower than Ohio State's. If we lose this game, it will be because we turned the ball over and our defense finally bit us in the butt. If Jim Bollman beats us, then we have no business having national championship fairies dancing around in our heads anyway.
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TresselstillownsTSUN
Hall of Fame
This year just seems eerily similar to 2006 but with the roles reversed. I mean if you really think about it is crazy similar.
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