Jami Jurich
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What Will Howard’s interception against Marshall tells us about the Buckeyes
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
In his first turnover of the season, we learned more about the Buckeyes’ strength than their weakness. That’s a good thing.
Ohio State starting quarterback Will Howard threw his first interception of the season this week against Marshall, and seemingly everywhere I look, Buckeye fans seem dismayed by it.
I’m not usually a glass-half-full kind of girl (it’s the Chicago sports fan in me), but in this instance, I think this interception actually speaks volumes about not just Will Howard but this whole Buckeye offense.
For those who missed the game, the play in question was a deep ball intended for Jeremiah Smith. From the looks of it, Smith never expected the ball to come his way, and when the unexpected pass was then underthrown, it opened the door for Marshall’s defensive back Josh Moten to make a play.
Was it the Buckeyes’ best moment of the season? No, of course not. Could Will Howard’s accuracy and arm on deep balls use some work? Yes, certainly.
But in spite of the fact that Howard hasn’t quite mastered this deep ball facet of the job, the interception tells us more good things about this Buckeye offense than bad ones.
You see, this is a Buckeye offense with so much depth, so many weapons, that they have the opportunity to play quick, aggressive, ram-it-down-the-field football. For the most part, their success rate with this style of play has been high this season.
It still comes with an element of risk, though.
Ryan Day himself said as much, telling cleveland.com, “We wanted to play fast today. We felt like that was the right approach and we did. When you do that and you’re creating explosive plays but then turn the ball over quickly, too, things like that can happen. That’s the risk.”
On the risk-reward scale, I’ll take the occasional turnover if it means on the whole, the Buckeyes’ offense is wreaking havoc on opposing defenses. That kind of aggression is going to backfire at times, but as long as it doesn’t become a consistent problem, a turnover here and there isn’t really cause for concern, especially when, more often than not, a play like that is going to pay off for a team with this many guys to throw the ball to.
You also have to trust that the Buckeyes understand when they can afford to be a little risky. The pass to Smith on Saturday was one of those times. Maybe Howard would do something different in a critical, end-of-game situation against, say, Penn State or Oregon. Early against Marshall, Howard could afford a little risk.
Howard isn’t making a pattern of it. It’s the first time it’s happened in three games, and he countered it by going 16-for-20 with 275 yards, two touchdowns in the air, and a rushing touchdown, bringing his season totals to 795 yards and six touchdowns to just this single interception (an interception that, for what it’s worth, also taught us a lot about Howard’s ability to maintain his composure even when errors happen).
Turnovers can kickstart a downward spiral if players let it get under their skin too much, but while Howard is not going around attempting to throw interceptions for fun, he managed to regroup quickly and then keep the Buckeye train rolling.
In post-game interviews, he seemed unfazed—not in a blasé or flippant way, but in a very level-headed and matter-of-fact one.
“It’s part of the game, and it’s about how you respond. I think we responded really well,” he said in a post-game press conference.
Howard, who is in his fifth year, is seasoned enough to shake it off. Mistakes happen to Heisman winners and first-round draft picks. They happen from the most consistent, reliable guys on the field. Everyone is going to make one from time to time.
He doesn’t want to make a habit of it, but he also wasn’t going to sweat it so much that it affected his mental game. That speaks volumes about his leadership.
It also speaks to the immense trust Howard has for his teammates, particularly Smith. Howard spoke to this in post-game interviews as well, saying, “I’m gonna trust No. 4 every day of the week, and he’s gonna go make that play.”
The reality is, this is a Buckeye team with so much manpower on the field, more often than not, that exact play is going to wind up in some ESPN highlight reel or Top 10 moments rather than resulting in an interception. It’s always going to be a bit of a gamble, so again, you don’t want to consistently put your defense in a sticky spot if turnovers become a regular thing.
But Howard knows Smith is a freak of nature. He knows he has guys like Smith, Emeka Egbuka, or Carnell Tate who will make the play. And he knows that on the rare occasion that balls end up in the hands of the other team, he can count on one of the best defenses in the country to do some clean-up.
One interception does not a crisis make. In fact, I’ll be more concerned about this team the day the Buckeyes start to play it safe with a team this loaded. Until then, let’s not make a mountain out of a molehill on a single turnover. It speaks more to this team’s strengths than its weaknesses.
Continue reading...
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
In his first turnover of the season, we learned more about the Buckeyes’ strength than their weakness. That’s a good thing.
Ohio State starting quarterback Will Howard threw his first interception of the season this week against Marshall, and seemingly everywhere I look, Buckeye fans seem dismayed by it.
I’m not usually a glass-half-full kind of girl (it’s the Chicago sports fan in me), but in this instance, I think this interception actually speaks volumes about not just Will Howard but this whole Buckeye offense.
For those who missed the game, the play in question was a deep ball intended for Jeremiah Smith. From the looks of it, Smith never expected the ball to come his way, and when the unexpected pass was then underthrown, it opened the door for Marshall’s defensive back Josh Moten to make a play.
Was it the Buckeyes’ best moment of the season? No, of course not. Could Will Howard’s accuracy and arm on deep balls use some work? Yes, certainly.
But in spite of the fact that Howard hasn’t quite mastered this deep ball facet of the job, the interception tells us more good things about this Buckeye offense than bad ones.
You see, this is a Buckeye offense with so much depth, so many weapons, that they have the opportunity to play quick, aggressive, ram-it-down-the-field football. For the most part, their success rate with this style of play has been high this season.
It still comes with an element of risk, though.
Ryan Day himself said as much, telling cleveland.com, “We wanted to play fast today. We felt like that was the right approach and we did. When you do that and you’re creating explosive plays but then turn the ball over quickly, too, things like that can happen. That’s the risk.”
On the risk-reward scale, I’ll take the occasional turnover if it means on the whole, the Buckeyes’ offense is wreaking havoc on opposing defenses. That kind of aggression is going to backfire at times, but as long as it doesn’t become a consistent problem, a turnover here and there isn’t really cause for concern, especially when, more often than not, a play like that is going to pay off for a team with this many guys to throw the ball to.
You also have to trust that the Buckeyes understand when they can afford to be a little risky. The pass to Smith on Saturday was one of those times. Maybe Howard would do something different in a critical, end-of-game situation against, say, Penn State or Oregon. Early against Marshall, Howard could afford a little risk.
Howard isn’t making a pattern of it. It’s the first time it’s happened in three games, and he countered it by going 16-for-20 with 275 yards, two touchdowns in the air, and a rushing touchdown, bringing his season totals to 795 yards and six touchdowns to just this single interception (an interception that, for what it’s worth, also taught us a lot about Howard’s ability to maintain his composure even when errors happen).
Turnovers can kickstart a downward spiral if players let it get under their skin too much, but while Howard is not going around attempting to throw interceptions for fun, he managed to regroup quickly and then keep the Buckeye train rolling.
In post-game interviews, he seemed unfazed—not in a blasé or flippant way, but in a very level-headed and matter-of-fact one.
“It’s part of the game, and it’s about how you respond. I think we responded really well,” he said in a post-game press conference.
Howard, who is in his fifth year, is seasoned enough to shake it off. Mistakes happen to Heisman winners and first-round draft picks. They happen from the most consistent, reliable guys on the field. Everyone is going to make one from time to time.
He doesn’t want to make a habit of it, but he also wasn’t going to sweat it so much that it affected his mental game. That speaks volumes about his leadership.
It also speaks to the immense trust Howard has for his teammates, particularly Smith. Howard spoke to this in post-game interviews as well, saying, “I’m gonna trust No. 4 every day of the week, and he’s gonna go make that play.”
The reality is, this is a Buckeye team with so much manpower on the field, more often than not, that exact play is going to wind up in some ESPN highlight reel or Top 10 moments rather than resulting in an interception. It’s always going to be a bit of a gamble, so again, you don’t want to consistently put your defense in a sticky spot if turnovers become a regular thing.
But Howard knows Smith is a freak of nature. He knows he has guys like Smith, Emeka Egbuka, or Carnell Tate who will make the play. And he knows that on the rare occasion that balls end up in the hands of the other team, he can count on one of the best defenses in the country to do some clean-up.
One interception does not a crisis make. In fact, I’ll be more concerned about this team the day the Buckeyes start to play it safe with a team this loaded. Until then, let’s not make a mountain out of a molehill on a single turnover. It speaks more to this team’s strengths than its weaknesses.
Continue reading...