Tulsa 2021
1. Let's take a trip down memory lane....
Apparently, I was one of the few people to notice Stroud's lack of "it-ness" back in the Spring Game, as most everyone disagreed with my assessment. However, it is pretty clear - at least to me - that Stroud isn't going to be the answer at QB. Or at the very least, that he isn't going to be enough of an answer to preclude the dreaded QB competition, which beginning tomorrow should be wide open.
In Week 1 (Minnesota), Stroud looked bad early, then settled down to hit a few wide open receivers for big gains on plays that were well-designed and well-timed by the offensive staff. Stroud threw for 294 yards, but 203 of those yards (a whopping 69%) were after the catch. Not exactly a QB rifling the ball into tight windows.
In Week 2 (Oregon), Stroud threw for a near Buckeye record 484 yards, but when the game was on the line in the fourth quarter, he melted down and couldn't tie the score, much less get Ohio State into the win column. In the first 53 minutes of the game, Stroud had 49 plays (passes or QB runs) for 454 yards of total offense, or 9.3 yards per play, and scored 28 points with no turnovers. In the final 7 minutes of the game, with Ohio State down a touchdown but having plenty of momentum, Stroud had 10 plays for 27 yards of total offense, or 2.7 yards per play, with no points and one turnover.
In Week 3 (Tulsa), Stroud was mediocre from start to finish, completing 15 of 25 passes (60.0%) for just 185 yards (long of just 20 yards), with one TD and one INT. In general, Stroud was inaccurate with his passes and looked slow in his decision making and unsure of himself regardless of whether he was in the pocket or rolling out. This against a Tulsa team that is maybe half a step ahead of a MAC school.
Yes, Stroud is a young quarterback who's learning on the job, but this isn't 2014 where basically the answer at QB was Barrett or Bust (and where Bust ironically turned out to be the better option). Stroud is perhaps the third-most talented QB on the current roster, and Ryan Day eventually will have to give his other two QB candidates (Kyle McCord and Quinn Ewers) a fair shot at the starting job (i.e., not just garbage time against Akron). And Day might not have the luxury of waiting until Spring of 2022 for a full-blown competition, as either McCord or Ewers (or both) might have disappeared into the transfer portal by then. The Tulsa game was Stroud's opportunity to claim the QB position for his own. He didn't do it, and now we have a problem on our hands.
2. More from the Spring Game....
In just three games, Henderson has already generated 433 yards from scrimmage on just 41 touches (10.6 average), with 5 touchdowns including huge bursts of 48 yards, 52 yards, and 70 yards. Against Tulsa, Henderson had 24 carries for 277 yards (11.5 average) with 3 TDs; his single-game yardage total ranks third in Ohio State history, behind Trey Sermon (331 yards vs Northwestern in 2020) and Eddie George (314 yards vs Illinois in 1995). When a back is averaging 11.5 yards per carry, he is obviously getting some nice holes from his offensive line, but on his two long TD runs (48 yards and 52 yards), Henderson made some open field moves that were some of the best that I can remember from a Buckeye running back. And if you didn't already know, Henderson is your starting RB for the rest of 2021 (and 2022 and 2023).
3. Master Teague had 14 carries for 62 yards (4.4 average), and will battle Miyan Williams (MIA) for the backup RB role going forward.
4. Nicholas Petit-Frere is clearly the Buckeyes' best OL, and moving him from RT to LT was probably a good decision for the team and for him personally as LTs get the big NFL money. With that being said, I'm not sold on Dawand Jones at RT, as he has too many issues in pass protection. Thayer Munford, who was displaced from LT despite 34 career starts and preseason All American recognition in order to get Dawand Jones into the lineup, has not looked particularly good at LG; Munford was injured in today's game and was replaced by Matthew Jones, who seems a better natural fit at guard. Luke Wypler has been fine in place of an (injured?) Harry Miller. Paris Johnson has generally been good this season, but today he had an untimely hands-to-the-face penalty that negated a 47-yard completion. All things considered, OL is the least of the Buckeyes' worries.
5. As mentioned above, C.J. Stroud completed only 15 passes, and thus the Buckeye WRs were very quiet today. Last week against Oregon, the starting trio of Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba combined for 27 receptions, 388 yards, and 3 TDs; against Tulsa, they had only 8 receptions for 103 yards and 1 TD, with Olave being completely shut out on just four targets (one of which was a very bad drop on his part). The tight ends were more involved than normal, with 4 receptions on 4 targets for 63 yards; Cade Stover and Gee Scott, Jr. each had his first career reception, going for 17 yards and 16 yards, respectively.
6. The Buckeye defense allowed 501 total yards, 25 first downs, and 31:34 time of possession. And that really wasn't the worst of it, as Tulsa was able to convert 10 of 18 (55.6 pct) on 3rd downs, with many of those conversions coming on 3rd-and-long, including 3rd-and-7; 3rd-and-9; 3rd-and-9; 3rd-and-10; 3rd-and-12; and 3rd-and-12 for a 22-yard TD. Quarterback Davis Brin was 31 of 54 for 428 yards and a pair of TDs; his favorite target was WR Josh Johnson, who had 8 receptions for 149 yards and a score.
7. Some good news for the Buckeye defense: After going 7+ quarters without recording a sack, the Buckeyes finally had a pair in the second half of today's game. The first came from reserve DT Antwuan Jackson, who has been very quiet during his four years in Columbus. The second sack was courtesy of true freshman Tyleik Williams, who was very disruptive every time he saw the field; in general, Williams looked like the proverbial SEC defensive tackle - big, fast, relentless, unblockable.
8. Another thought from the Spring Game....
If Sawyer gets 3.5 sacks in 2021, he might lead this team in that category.
9. The Buckeyes also forced a pair of interceptions, with Ronnie Hickman and Cameron Martinez each getting his first pick as a Buckeye. Martinez's interception was of the pick six variety; at 61 yards, it tied for 17th-longest in Buckeye history. In two games against Tulsa, the Buckeyes now have three pick sixes of Golden Hurricane quarterbacks, as both Marshon Lattimore and Malik Hooker accomplished that feat in the 2016 contest.
9. Tommy Eichenberg finally had an impact play, a nice hit on a receiver to break up a pass in the 4th quarter. However, on the very next play, Eichenberg got caught in the wrong gap, was late to fill, and allowed a 24-yard run right up the gut. Things like that cannot continue to happen at Ohio State.
10. Denzel Burke and Cameron Brown seem to have solidified themselves at cornerback, while some combination of Cameron Martinez, Lathan Ransom, and Ronnie Hickman should suffice at safety.
11. The special teams were excellent today. The kick coverage team gave up just 37 yards on 3 returns (12.3 average), with walk-on RB Xavier Johnson recording a pair of tackles. Johnson also had a pair of kick returns for 37 yards, while true freshman Emeka Egbuka had two returns for 53 yards and nearly broke one for a long gain. Jesse Mirco had 3 punts for 133 yards (44.3 average) with all three being downed inside the 20-yard line. Noah Ruggles connected on both FG attempts (43 yards; 44 yards), and seems to be the answer at PK after several years of uncertainty at that position.
12. This was far from a great game, but it was still a win. If the coaching staff is any good at their jobs, then they are using games like this to see who can play and who cannot; in a few weeks, we should have tighter rotations, especially on defense. The main question mark going forward will be at quarterback: can C.J. Stroud lay an unequivocal claim to the starting job, or will we see a mid-season QB controversy in Columbus?
