Matt Tamanini
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You’re Nuts: What are you hoping to learn about Ohio State before conference play?
Matt Tamanini 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
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
Today’s Question: What are you hoping to learn about Ohio State before conference play?
The Buckeyes' offense has been firing on almost all cylinders under new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, with quarterback Will Howard surrounded by a wealth of weapons, including running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, and wide receivers Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, and freshman standout Jeremiah Smith.
Through two games, the team has 644 passing yards, 443 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns, and 54 first downs.
The craziest part? They’re doing it with a limited playbook. Head coach Ryan Day said a few days ago that Kelly hasn’t opened up the full offensive playbook yet, which means Kelly has more up his sleeve.
Huge, if true.
The Buckeyes’ offense hasn’t really been tested yet, so it’s not yet clear just how high their ceiling is—but they already look like they’re playing national championship-caliber football.
That doesn’t mean it’s been perfect. The offensive line has had its share of challenges, and frankly, the right side in particular has some issues they need to sort out before Ohio State has to face a competitor like Oregon. They’re doing a fine job, but they’ll need to be a little more confident and explosive against some of the tougher Big Ten opponents than was required of them against Akron or Western Michigan.
Still, the offensive line as a whole improved drastically between Week 1 and Week 2, and they’ll get Donovan Jackson back this weekend after he missed the first two games with an injury, which brings some added leadership to the group.
Even with the offensive line’s room for improvement, if I were a defensive coordinator, I would hate to see Ohio State coming. Based on talent alone, they would be a nightmare to defend. But even more challenging is that Kelly’s play-calling is unpredictable. We haven’t even gotten to the good stuff.
By the time the Buckeyes get to the meat of their conference schedule, I expect the offense Kelly is going to have them running to look entirely different than what we see today.
For starters, other teams are making adjustments to how they’ll defend us based on these early games. As Smith heats up, for example, the coverage on him will tighten, freeing Egbuka to play the starring role everyone expected him to play before the season started.
Kelly’s offense will have to adjust, which is part of why the depth he’s been talking about is so critical. It gives him more options. Plus, a longer season necessitates depth to avoid wear and tear on your top guys, it becomes even more important to have other players lined up and ready to go at the drop of a hat. Kelly can work with that.
But don’t expect Kelly to take a reactive approach to football. He’s a proactive guy, and he’s going to coax aggression out of his players, no matter who the opponent is or where the player is in his depth chart.
That means we can expect to see even more creativity in the play-calling. Chip Kelly isn’t new to play-calling, but it’s going to be exciting to see what he can really do with this much talent. If this is what this team is accomplishing and we’re only a few chapters into his playbook, just imagine how high they can fly.
The further we get into Kelly’s plans, the more we’re going to learn about just how special this team is and exactly how they stack up against the other top teams in the country.
Unfortunately, I’m not sure that there’s a lot that will really satisfy my cravings for knowledge by watching the Buckeyes play Marshall this Saturday, because, well... it’s Marshall. But there is one area where the Thundering Herd conceivably will give OSU a challenge.
Coming into their Week 4 matchup, Marshall currently has the fourth-best defensive pressure grade according to Pro Football Focus. I don’t put a ton of stock into PFF grades, but they can be a useful tool to point you in the right direction of things to look for, or to confirm what you see with the naked eye.
Ohio State will be welcoming back Donovan Jackson to the offensive line this weekend, so I am curious to see what the legitimate first-team offensive line can do against a defensive attack that at least has some semblance of ability to put pressure on Will Howard. Granted, Marshall was far more effective at generating pressure versus Stony Brook than it was against Virginia Tech, but the Herd still graded out with a solid 68.5 against the Hokies.
So while the offensive line looked reasonably improved against Western Michigan, I would like to know if they are ready for a legitimate Big Ten challenge. Again, I’m not sure that we will actually be able to glean that based solely on a matchup with Marshall, but before the conference slate officially starts, it might be the one thing that we actually able to get any insight on.
The Buckeyes’ pass protection has been pretty solid thus far, ranking in the top 20 according to PFF. But by sliding Jackson back in, it is possible that things don’t look as cohesive as we would like. Even if that’s the case, I would welcome seeing what Howard can truly do on the move.
We’ve seen him avoid pressure in the pocket through the first two games, but I am curious what he will be able to do against a front seven that is truly bearing down on him. Obviously I hope we never have to find out, but I remain unconvinced that the offensive line is capable of anything approaching Joe Moore Award-level. So, if by chance, Marshall is able to get some free runners in the backfield at some point, I wouldn’t necessarily like it, but I would welcome the ability to see what Howard does in those situations.
So, ultimately, as I wrap up this rambling missive, I want to feel confident in the Ohio State offensive line’s ability to protect Will Howard, I’m just not so sure that we will have a definitive answer before the Bucks kick off the B1G schedule against Michigan State next weekend.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini 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
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
Today’s Question: What are you hoping to learn about Ohio State before conference play?
Jami’s Take: Just how high is the offense’s ceiling under Chip Kelly?
The Buckeyes' offense has been firing on almost all cylinders under new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, with quarterback Will Howard surrounded by a wealth of weapons, including running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, and wide receivers Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, and freshman standout Jeremiah Smith.
Through two games, the team has 644 passing yards, 443 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns, and 54 first downs.
The craziest part? They’re doing it with a limited playbook. Head coach Ryan Day said a few days ago that Kelly hasn’t opened up the full offensive playbook yet, which means Kelly has more up his sleeve.
Huge, if true.
The Buckeyes’ offense hasn’t really been tested yet, so it’s not yet clear just how high their ceiling is—but they already look like they’re playing national championship-caliber football.
That doesn’t mean it’s been perfect. The offensive line has had its share of challenges, and frankly, the right side in particular has some issues they need to sort out before Ohio State has to face a competitor like Oregon. They’re doing a fine job, but they’ll need to be a little more confident and explosive against some of the tougher Big Ten opponents than was required of them against Akron or Western Michigan.
Still, the offensive line as a whole improved drastically between Week 1 and Week 2, and they’ll get Donovan Jackson back this weekend after he missed the first two games with an injury, which brings some added leadership to the group.
Even with the offensive line’s room for improvement, if I were a defensive coordinator, I would hate to see Ohio State coming. Based on talent alone, they would be a nightmare to defend. But even more challenging is that Kelly’s play-calling is unpredictable. We haven’t even gotten to the good stuff.
By the time the Buckeyes get to the meat of their conference schedule, I expect the offense Kelly is going to have them running to look entirely different than what we see today.
For starters, other teams are making adjustments to how they’ll defend us based on these early games. As Smith heats up, for example, the coverage on him will tighten, freeing Egbuka to play the starring role everyone expected him to play before the season started.
Kelly’s offense will have to adjust, which is part of why the depth he’s been talking about is so critical. It gives him more options. Plus, a longer season necessitates depth to avoid wear and tear on your top guys, it becomes even more important to have other players lined up and ready to go at the drop of a hat. Kelly can work with that.
But don’t expect Kelly to take a reactive approach to football. He’s a proactive guy, and he’s going to coax aggression out of his players, no matter who the opponent is or where the player is in his depth chart.
That means we can expect to see even more creativity in the play-calling. Chip Kelly isn’t new to play-calling, but it’s going to be exciting to see what he can really do with this much talent. If this is what this team is accomplishing and we’re only a few chapters into his playbook, just imagine how high they can fly.
The further we get into Kelly’s plans, the more we’re going to learn about just how special this team is and exactly how they stack up against the other top teams in the country.
Matt’s Take: How the offensive line holds up against a decent pass rush
Unfortunately, I’m not sure that there’s a lot that will really satisfy my cravings for knowledge by watching the Buckeyes play Marshall this Saturday, because, well... it’s Marshall. But there is one area where the Thundering Herd conceivably will give OSU a challenge.
Coming into their Week 4 matchup, Marshall currently has the fourth-best defensive pressure grade according to Pro Football Focus. I don’t put a ton of stock into PFF grades, but they can be a useful tool to point you in the right direction of things to look for, or to confirm what you see with the naked eye.
Ohio State will be welcoming back Donovan Jackson to the offensive line this weekend, so I am curious to see what the legitimate first-team offensive line can do against a defensive attack that at least has some semblance of ability to put pressure on Will Howard. Granted, Marshall was far more effective at generating pressure versus Stony Brook than it was against Virginia Tech, but the Herd still graded out with a solid 68.5 against the Hokies.
So while the offensive line looked reasonably improved against Western Michigan, I would like to know if they are ready for a legitimate Big Ten challenge. Again, I’m not sure that we will actually be able to glean that based solely on a matchup with Marshall, but before the conference slate officially starts, it might be the one thing that we actually able to get any insight on.
The Buckeyes’ pass protection has been pretty solid thus far, ranking in the top 20 according to PFF. But by sliding Jackson back in, it is possible that things don’t look as cohesive as we would like. Even if that’s the case, I would welcome seeing what Howard can truly do on the move.
We’ve seen him avoid pressure in the pocket through the first two games, but I am curious what he will be able to do against a front seven that is truly bearing down on him. Obviously I hope we never have to find out, but I remain unconvinced that the offensive line is capable of anything approaching Joe Moore Award-level. So, if by chance, Marshall is able to get some free runners in the backfield at some point, I wouldn’t necessarily like it, but I would welcome the ability to see what Howard does in those situations.
So, ultimately, as I wrap up this rambling missive, I want to feel confident in the Ohio State offensive line’s ability to protect Will Howard, I’m just not so sure that we will have a definitive answer before the Bucks kick off the B1G schedule against Michigan State next weekend.
Let us know who you are agreeing with:
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