Matt Tamanini
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You’re Nuts: Which Oregon weapon does Ohio State’s defense need to worry most about?
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 Steve Dykes/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.
When Ohio State heads to Oregon this week, they’ll face an arsenal of weapons in Ducks uniforms not unlike those in Scarlet and Gray. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel is very much still a Heisman contender, and with receivers Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden, and Evan Stewart, plus tight end Terrance Ferguson, he’s got a plethora of options on every play.
But at present, the Duck I’m most concerned about is junior running back Jordan James, who had a lights-out performance last week against Michigan State.
James has been an extremely effective runner this season, boasting more than 100 rushing yards in three contests (including against No. 17 Boise State), five rushing touchdowns in as many games, and most recently putting up a season-high 166 yards (with a long run of 41 yards) and a touchdown on 24 carries against Michigan State.
James is a dynamic rusher, and with an average of 6.3 yards per carry, he’s among the top 10 running backs in the Big Ten so far this season. Now, Ohio State’s defense will pose a bigger challenge to him than he’s seen in the past, but the same can be said of Oregon’s offense as a whole for the Buckeye defense, so it’s a good proving ground for both sides.
The defense did face a running back with even more success than James in Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson last week (who they held to just 86 yards in his first sub-100-yard game all season), but the difference is, the Buckeyes didn’t have to worry too much about other threats. The main focus was shutting down Johnson, and it becomes a much easier task when you can home in on one individual versus having to adapt to a multitude of offensive options.
The latter is what the Buckeyes will face against Oregon, given Gabriel’s ability and the arsenal he has at his disposal. Now, the Ducks have fewer options on the ground than they do in the air, but the Buckeyes will have to be careful not to sleep on the running back as they try to prevent long pass plays.
Additionally, the Buckeyes have proven just as successful at pass coverage as they did with stopping Johnson last weekend on the ground, doing a nice job of keeping pressure on the quarterback. The Ducks have an exceptional pass game, with Gabriel netting 1,449 yards and 11 touchdowns through the first five games, with a 77.8 percent completion average.
Still, their offensive line has struggled (in both pass and run protection) this season, giving up seven sacks and opening the door for Ohio State’s front seven to do even more damage. With Tyleik Williams back from his injury and the defensive line logging three sacks against Iowa (led by Jack Sawyer with three tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks, including a strip sack), this could be bad news for the Ducks.
Gabriel, despite being one of the top quarterbacks in college football, is not immune to errors under pressure, having thrown two interceptions just last week against a far-inferior Michigan State team. The Silver Bullets have proven capable of forcing turnovers, and unless Oregon’s offensive line plays the game of their lives, we could see that continue.
James, however, has no turnovers this season and seems to have hit his stride last weekend, creating momentum entering this marquee matchup.
Let me be clear—I trust this Buckeye defense overall, even against as many threats as Oregon has offensively. This is, after all, still a national championship-caliber defense ranked in the top five in the country by nearly every defensive metric around.
They have the added advantage of practicing against the Buckeyes, who arguably have the most stacked offense in college football. I’ve said a few times this week—you want to learn to stop a run play? Square off with TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins in practice. You need to work on pass coverage? Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith are the receivers you want to practice on.
Still, they haven’t been tested in a real game situation so far this season, so it’s hard to know what the ceiling is. I don’t think they’ll have a problem keeping the pressure on Gabriel given Oregon’s offensive line struggles, so as long as the secondary can take away the option for long pass plays, look to Oregon to try to turn up its rushing game.
When they do, it’s James that the OSU defense will need to be ready to handle.
I appreciate what Jami said about James, but when it comes down to it, Oregon is a passing team and if you are going to slow down this offense, you have to do so by making life uncomfortable for quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Oregon averages 294.2 yards through the air per game — which is good for 19th nationally — while only putting up 164.4 yards on the ground, which has them down at 67th.
Gabriel makes his living in the short-passing game. Nearly 74% of his passes are thrown nine yards or shorter with 28% coming behind the line of scrimmage; nearly 20% of every pass he has thrown this season has been a screen. The UCF and Oklahoma transfer has only thrown 43 of his 163 pass attempts (26.4%) at least 10 yards, completing just 24 of them (55.8%). For context, Will Howard has thrown 44 of his 125 attempts (35.2%) 10 yards or more, and he has completed 63.6% of them (28).
Many Buckeye fans have been underwhelmed by Howard’s downfield-throwing ability, but based on the numbers, he is significantly more adept deep than Gabriel is. But that is by design. Oregon’s offense ran similarly last year when Heisman finalist Bo Nix was running the show. However, I don’t think that Gabriel is nearly as good as Nix.
So, the Oregon objective is to get the ball out of his hand quickly, neutralizing their opponents’ pass-rush. Gabriel has been excellent at doing that this season. He leads the country with a 77.8% completion percentage, so if OSU wants to cause problems for the QB, it would behoove them to get their hands up into passing lanes and be prepared to cover the flat.
I know the Buckeyes aren’t facing Penn State just yet, but this feels like a J.T. Tuimoloau game. If he and Jack Sawyer can be disruptive early — not just in the game, but on passing plays as well — that should give guys like Jordan Hancock and Sonny Styles time to catch up with wide receivers and running backs catching the ball in space.
Ultimately, I don’t think a dink-and-dunk offense is going to be enough to break the Buckeyes. The Silver Bullets are too good to have their wills and backs broken by the college football version of death by a thousand cuts. While I imagine that Oregon will complete a lot of these passes — and will likely move the ball as well — as long as the OSU defense keeps everything in front of them, I don’t see this being a game plan that will hurt the Buckeyes all that much.
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 Steve Dykes/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: Which Oregon weapon does Ohio State’s defense need to worry most about?
Jami’s Take: Jordan James, Running Back
When Ohio State heads to Oregon this week, they’ll face an arsenal of weapons in Ducks uniforms not unlike those in Scarlet and Gray. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel is very much still a Heisman contender, and with receivers Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden, and Evan Stewart, plus tight end Terrance Ferguson, he’s got a plethora of options on every play.
But at present, the Duck I’m most concerned about is junior running back Jordan James, who had a lights-out performance last week against Michigan State.
James has been an extremely effective runner this season, boasting more than 100 rushing yards in three contests (including against No. 17 Boise State), five rushing touchdowns in as many games, and most recently putting up a season-high 166 yards (with a long run of 41 yards) and a touchdown on 24 carries against Michigan State.
James is a dynamic rusher, and with an average of 6.3 yards per carry, he’s among the top 10 running backs in the Big Ten so far this season. Now, Ohio State’s defense will pose a bigger challenge to him than he’s seen in the past, but the same can be said of Oregon’s offense as a whole for the Buckeye defense, so it’s a good proving ground for both sides.
The defense did face a running back with even more success than James in Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson last week (who they held to just 86 yards in his first sub-100-yard game all season), but the difference is, the Buckeyes didn’t have to worry too much about other threats. The main focus was shutting down Johnson, and it becomes a much easier task when you can home in on one individual versus having to adapt to a multitude of offensive options.
The latter is what the Buckeyes will face against Oregon, given Gabriel’s ability and the arsenal he has at his disposal. Now, the Ducks have fewer options on the ground than they do in the air, but the Buckeyes will have to be careful not to sleep on the running back as they try to prevent long pass plays.
Additionally, the Buckeyes have proven just as successful at pass coverage as they did with stopping Johnson last weekend on the ground, doing a nice job of keeping pressure on the quarterback. The Ducks have an exceptional pass game, with Gabriel netting 1,449 yards and 11 touchdowns through the first five games, with a 77.8 percent completion average.
Still, their offensive line has struggled (in both pass and run protection) this season, giving up seven sacks and opening the door for Ohio State’s front seven to do even more damage. With Tyleik Williams back from his injury and the defensive line logging three sacks against Iowa (led by Jack Sawyer with three tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks, including a strip sack), this could be bad news for the Ducks.
Gabriel, despite being one of the top quarterbacks in college football, is not immune to errors under pressure, having thrown two interceptions just last week against a far-inferior Michigan State team. The Silver Bullets have proven capable of forcing turnovers, and unless Oregon’s offensive line plays the game of their lives, we could see that continue.
James, however, has no turnovers this season and seems to have hit his stride last weekend, creating momentum entering this marquee matchup.
Let me be clear—I trust this Buckeye defense overall, even against as many threats as Oregon has offensively. This is, after all, still a national championship-caliber defense ranked in the top five in the country by nearly every defensive metric around.
They have the added advantage of practicing against the Buckeyes, who arguably have the most stacked offense in college football. I’ve said a few times this week—you want to learn to stop a run play? Square off with TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins in practice. You need to work on pass coverage? Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith are the receivers you want to practice on.
Still, they haven’t been tested in a real game situation so far this season, so it’s hard to know what the ceiling is. I don’t think they’ll have a problem keeping the pressure on Gabriel given Oregon’s offensive line struggles, so as long as the secondary can take away the option for long pass plays, look to Oregon to try to turn up its rushing game.
When they do, it’s James that the OSU defense will need to be ready to handle.
Matt’s Take: Dillon Gabriel, Quarterback
I appreciate what Jami said about James, but when it comes down to it, Oregon is a passing team and if you are going to slow down this offense, you have to do so by making life uncomfortable for quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Oregon averages 294.2 yards through the air per game — which is good for 19th nationally — while only putting up 164.4 yards on the ground, which has them down at 67th.
Gabriel makes his living in the short-passing game. Nearly 74% of his passes are thrown nine yards or shorter with 28% coming behind the line of scrimmage; nearly 20% of every pass he has thrown this season has been a screen. The UCF and Oklahoma transfer has only thrown 43 of his 163 pass attempts (26.4%) at least 10 yards, completing just 24 of them (55.8%). For context, Will Howard has thrown 44 of his 125 attempts (35.2%) 10 yards or more, and he has completed 63.6% of them (28).
Many Buckeye fans have been underwhelmed by Howard’s downfield-throwing ability, but based on the numbers, he is significantly more adept deep than Gabriel is. But that is by design. Oregon’s offense ran similarly last year when Heisman finalist Bo Nix was running the show. However, I don’t think that Gabriel is nearly as good as Nix.
So, the Oregon objective is to get the ball out of his hand quickly, neutralizing their opponents’ pass-rush. Gabriel has been excellent at doing that this season. He leads the country with a 77.8% completion percentage, so if OSU wants to cause problems for the QB, it would behoove them to get their hands up into passing lanes and be prepared to cover the flat.
I know the Buckeyes aren’t facing Penn State just yet, but this feels like a J.T. Tuimoloau game. If he and Jack Sawyer can be disruptive early — not just in the game, but on passing plays as well — that should give guys like Jordan Hancock and Sonny Styles time to catch up with wide receivers and running backs catching the ball in space.
Ultimately, I don’t think a dink-and-dunk offense is going to be enough to break the Buckeyes. The Silver Bullets are too good to have their wills and backs broken by the college football version of death by a thousand cuts. While I imagine that Oregon will complete a lot of these passes — and will likely move the ball as well — as long as the OSU defense keeps everything in front of them, I don’t see this being a game plan that will hurt the Buckeyes all that much.
Let us know who you are agreeing with:
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