Well, everybody knows what happened in the Horseshoe on September 12. It was, for the most part, what I expected aside from the outstanding performance of the OSU D (except for that last drive, of course). I won't bother with a full breakdown of the game but suffice to say, smartfootball.com's Chris Brown said it far better than I could.
RIP Tresselball. Let's just hope that The Senator is aware.
Showing posts with label Ohio State. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ohio State. Show all posts
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Showdown in the 'Shoe
Twenty four hours from now, the Ohio State University football Buckeyes will be battling the USC Trojans on their home turf. The men in the Scarlet and Gray will be fighting not only to avenge last year's demoralizing defeat, but also to redeem their deflated national reputation (not to mention that of the Big Ten). Ostensibly much bigger underdogs in this year's game than in last year's, the Bucks will have their hands full on both sides of the ball in this game.
The good news for the Bucks, on a high level, is twofold: the Trojans run a pro-style offense, which OSU is much better at defending than say, a triple option or spread-option offense. Also, Ohio State played this same offense (with a few different players as compared to this year) last year. The same can't be said for USC: OSU's offense last year was also largely a pro-style offense, crafted for the now-departed Todd Boeckman. This year things will be much, much different with Terrelle Pryor at the helm. This will be a new offense with new looks run by a different style QB. One could even say that Pryor is Boeckman's antithesis.
Keys to the Game
Ohio State and USC match up fairly well when it comes to their skill players. True that USC has more depth and their starters are largely more experienced, but OSU's pool of starting talent--raw talent-- is fairly similar to USC's. The difference, moreso than any other area, will be how well the Bucks fight the battle in the trenches. That's right, the keys to this game are all about line play. It is no secret that OSU's line play-- that of the O line in particular-- has been subpar, even terrible at times. Last year's game, which I blogged about beforehand here, against the Men of Troy was a prime example. Todd Boeckman, a decent quarterback in most regards, lost his job after the USC game due mostly to the fact that the O line couldn't protect him-- and let's face it: when the protection wore down, the guy was slower than molasses in January on his feet. If the offensive line had performed on par with, say, USC's, things would have been much different that game and indeed, the remainder of the season. Had that been the case, right now I'd be speculating on how well Terrelle Pryor would be handling "his" offense in a big game for the first time.
USC D line vs OSU O line
USC's D line knows all too well about OSU's underachieving O line and will do their best to capitalize on it. True, Pryor does a good job of evading defenders when things break down, but he can't be relied upon to lead the offense to a win unless broken plays are more the exception than the rule-- and that will most likely not be the case. Look for Pryor to spend a lot of time scrambling. Thankfully, he's good at this. Against Navy last week, it was apparent that he's in much more of a pass-first rather than run-first mentality than last year. Rather than running for whatever yardage he can get, he will be trying to evade defenders long enough to complete the pass. In other words, Pryor wants to be Troy Smith rather than Vince Young. And that is a very good thing.
OSU D line against USC O line
The matchup that will be more favorable to the Buckeyes will be their D line against USC's O line. USC still has the upper hand here, but things will not be as lopsided as USC's D line against OSU's O line. OSU's D line has the best chance of keeping the momentum from swinging too far in USC's favor. USC generally uses a pass-first mentality: set up the pass early to establish the running game, then use the run to take pressure off the QB and the passing game. It will be absolutely necessary for OSU's D to prevent this from happening and keep USC's offense from getting into a rhythm. The best way to do this, in my opinion, will be to pressure Barkley: bring the DE's in and ring his bell or at least force him to make decisions he doesn't want to make. The results of this will be either incompletions or, hopefully, turnovers. Don't let him get comfortable in the pocket. Shut down the passing game and force USC to the run. The problem here is that while OSU's D line is good, they will be facing the same O line that dominated them one year ago.
OSU Offense
OSU under Jim Tressell has historically been of an offensive mindset opposite USC under Carroll: establish the run to set up the pass. Run-run-pass. Tressellball and all that. I will not be surprised if OSU steps away from this approach tomorrow. This will take away the predictability that USC will be prepared for and will also not rely on OSU's ground game, which is currently less than stellar (primarily due to the play of the O line). Herron and Saine are good running backs, but they aren't bruisers that can run between the tackles and bowl defenders over like Beanie Wells was. These guys need good blocking and a bit of space in order to shine, and the offensive unit has not been reliable in providing this.
This may very well be Duron Carter's coming out party. I have been excited about the kid since I saw him in practice and then against Navy. He is a true freshman starting in his 2nd game, but the kid has got talent. He is already showing flashes-- he has good hands and, more evidently, he's got moves. Although he hasn't seen much playing time yet, I believe he's the real deal. He won't be seeing much play time behind Small, Posey, and Sanzenbacher, but look for something special when he is on the field.
USC Defense
I don't need to tell you that USC's D is the real deal. Although they have replaced three future NFL stars at LB, they will likely not miss a beat. USC is a team that reloads like nobody's business on both sides of the ball. Last year, I rightly predicted that Rey Maualuga would be the standout defender. This year, the man to watch will be SS Taylor Mays. Mays is famous for being both very fast and a hard hitter. He has also let it be known that he will be looking for Pryor. Mays is at his most dangerous when he is in the open field: reading the quarterback's eyes or closing on a defender. Perhaps his only "weakness" is his ability to cover. Running receivers straight at him may be the only way to keep him at bay.
Prediction Time
This will be a huge battle for momentum. Both teams will come out swinging hard. The Bucks know that USC is a team that cannot be allowed to settle into a rhythm. Once that happens, they are almost unstoppable--unless they can be outscored, which isn't likely. Ohio State will look to set up the passing game using short, quick passes. Get the ball out of Pryor's hands quickly so that the O line won't be so heavily relied upon early in the game. Build up confidence in that way. The pistol formation will be instrumental in this. Once the USC D is forced to back off a bit and focus more on covering the Buckeye receivers downfield, that will allow for the ground game to open up. Pryor will no doubt do his share of the running, but designed running plays will probably not come up right away-- at least not until the offense has scored a couple of first downs, if not later.
USC will also take the field and start by hitting Ohio State in the mouth. They will not hesitate to do some aggressive things to get that all-important momentum. The element that will probably not be present until the offense gets into a rhythm will be the deep passing game. Barkley, for as talented as he is, hasn't proven that he can throw the deep ball yet and Carroll probably won't ask him to do so until he has gained a bit of confidence. Once that time comes, OSU's newly-rearranged secondary will be tested.
Bottom line: he who wins in the trenches likely wins the game. I say likely because Pryor, as I said, can at least make something from nothing when protection breaks down. If the Bucks can at least keep a 40-60 balance at the line of scrimmage against USC, they will be OK.
Ohio State may put up a quick score or two early. But unfortunately, I think USC is just too talented, experienced, and confident coming into the game. Look for them to gain that all-important momentum in the 2nd quarter. Once that happens, the air will be taken out of the Horseshoe and the 12th man will evaporate. Tressell will make few, if any, changes at the half and the 2nd half of the game will be all USC-- excepting a too-little-too-late OSU rally late in the game. OSU will rally and either have too little time left or lose momentum back to USC. Carroll is not the kind of guy who will call off the dogs when his team has the game in hand. His teams play every game like they have something to prove.
USC 38, OSU24.
I hope that in approximately 26 hours' time, I will be eating my words. Go Bucks!
The good news for the Bucks, on a high level, is twofold: the Trojans run a pro-style offense, which OSU is much better at defending than say, a triple option or spread-option offense. Also, Ohio State played this same offense (with a few different players as compared to this year) last year. The same can't be said for USC: OSU's offense last year was also largely a pro-style offense, crafted for the now-departed Todd Boeckman. This year things will be much, much different with Terrelle Pryor at the helm. This will be a new offense with new looks run by a different style QB. One could even say that Pryor is Boeckman's antithesis.
Keys to the Game
Ohio State and USC match up fairly well when it comes to their skill players. True that USC has more depth and their starters are largely more experienced, but OSU's pool of starting talent--raw talent-- is fairly similar to USC's. The difference, moreso than any other area, will be how well the Bucks fight the battle in the trenches. That's right, the keys to this game are all about line play. It is no secret that OSU's line play-- that of the O line in particular-- has been subpar, even terrible at times. Last year's game, which I blogged about beforehand here, against the Men of Troy was a prime example. Todd Boeckman, a decent quarterback in most regards, lost his job after the USC game due mostly to the fact that the O line couldn't protect him-- and let's face it: when the protection wore down, the guy was slower than molasses in January on his feet. If the offensive line had performed on par with, say, USC's, things would have been much different that game and indeed, the remainder of the season. Had that been the case, right now I'd be speculating on how well Terrelle Pryor would be handling "his" offense in a big game for the first time.
USC D line vs OSU O line
USC's D line knows all too well about OSU's underachieving O line and will do their best to capitalize on it. True, Pryor does a good job of evading defenders when things break down, but he can't be relied upon to lead the offense to a win unless broken plays are more the exception than the rule-- and that will most likely not be the case. Look for Pryor to spend a lot of time scrambling. Thankfully, he's good at this. Against Navy last week, it was apparent that he's in much more of a pass-first rather than run-first mentality than last year. Rather than running for whatever yardage he can get, he will be trying to evade defenders long enough to complete the pass. In other words, Pryor wants to be Troy Smith rather than Vince Young. And that is a very good thing.
OSU D line against USC O line
The matchup that will be more favorable to the Buckeyes will be their D line against USC's O line. USC still has the upper hand here, but things will not be as lopsided as USC's D line against OSU's O line. OSU's D line has the best chance of keeping the momentum from swinging too far in USC's favor. USC generally uses a pass-first mentality: set up the pass early to establish the running game, then use the run to take pressure off the QB and the passing game. It will be absolutely necessary for OSU's D to prevent this from happening and keep USC's offense from getting into a rhythm. The best way to do this, in my opinion, will be to pressure Barkley: bring the DE's in and ring his bell or at least force him to make decisions he doesn't want to make. The results of this will be either incompletions or, hopefully, turnovers. Don't let him get comfortable in the pocket. Shut down the passing game and force USC to the run. The problem here is that while OSU's D line is good, they will be facing the same O line that dominated them one year ago.
OSU Offense
OSU under Jim Tressell has historically been of an offensive mindset opposite USC under Carroll: establish the run to set up the pass. Run-run-pass. Tressellball and all that. I will not be surprised if OSU steps away from this approach tomorrow. This will take away the predictability that USC will be prepared for and will also not rely on OSU's ground game, which is currently less than stellar (primarily due to the play of the O line). Herron and Saine are good running backs, but they aren't bruisers that can run between the tackles and bowl defenders over like Beanie Wells was. These guys need good blocking and a bit of space in order to shine, and the offensive unit has not been reliable in providing this.
This may very well be Duron Carter's coming out party. I have been excited about the kid since I saw him in practice and then against Navy. He is a true freshman starting in his 2nd game, but the kid has got talent. He is already showing flashes-- he has good hands and, more evidently, he's got moves. Although he hasn't seen much playing time yet, I believe he's the real deal. He won't be seeing much play time behind Small, Posey, and Sanzenbacher, but look for something special when he is on the field.
USC Defense
I don't need to tell you that USC's D is the real deal. Although they have replaced three future NFL stars at LB, they will likely not miss a beat. USC is a team that reloads like nobody's business on both sides of the ball. Last year, I rightly predicted that Rey Maualuga would be the standout defender. This year, the man to watch will be SS Taylor Mays. Mays is famous for being both very fast and a hard hitter. He has also let it be known that he will be looking for Pryor. Mays is at his most dangerous when he is in the open field: reading the quarterback's eyes or closing on a defender. Perhaps his only "weakness" is his ability to cover. Running receivers straight at him may be the only way to keep him at bay.
Prediction Time
This will be a huge battle for momentum. Both teams will come out swinging hard. The Bucks know that USC is a team that cannot be allowed to settle into a rhythm. Once that happens, they are almost unstoppable--unless they can be outscored, which isn't likely. Ohio State will look to set up the passing game using short, quick passes. Get the ball out of Pryor's hands quickly so that the O line won't be so heavily relied upon early in the game. Build up confidence in that way. The pistol formation will be instrumental in this. Once the USC D is forced to back off a bit and focus more on covering the Buckeye receivers downfield, that will allow for the ground game to open up. Pryor will no doubt do his share of the running, but designed running plays will probably not come up right away-- at least not until the offense has scored a couple of first downs, if not later.
USC will also take the field and start by hitting Ohio State in the mouth. They will not hesitate to do some aggressive things to get that all-important momentum. The element that will probably not be present until the offense gets into a rhythm will be the deep passing game. Barkley, for as talented as he is, hasn't proven that he can throw the deep ball yet and Carroll probably won't ask him to do so until he has gained a bit of confidence. Once that time comes, OSU's newly-rearranged secondary will be tested.
Bottom line: he who wins in the trenches likely wins the game. I say likely because Pryor, as I said, can at least make something from nothing when protection breaks down. If the Bucks can at least keep a 40-60 balance at the line of scrimmage against USC, they will be OK.
Ohio State may put up a quick score or two early. But unfortunately, I think USC is just too talented, experienced, and confident coming into the game. Look for them to gain that all-important momentum in the 2nd quarter. Once that happens, the air will be taken out of the Horseshoe and the 12th man will evaporate. Tressell will make few, if any, changes at the half and the 2nd half of the game will be all USC-- excepting a too-little-too-late OSU rally late in the game. OSU will rally and either have too little time left or lose momentum back to USC. Carroll is not the kind of guy who will call off the dogs when his team has the game in hand. His teams play every game like they have something to prove.
USC 38, OSU24.
I hope that in approximately 26 hours' time, I will be eating my words. Go Bucks!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Time to Step Up: What the Bucks Will Need in LA
Beanie will need to do what he does and open things up on the ground
It's no secret that the match-up of the week (possibly the entire regular season) will be Ohio State against USC this Saturday in the Coliseum. What appeared two weeks ago to be a dominant Ohio State against a USC team that would not be as strong as they had been in recent years will now in fact be a #1 ranked firing-on-all-cylinders-and-taking-no-prisoners Trjoan team against a Buckeyes team that so far has only succeeded in underwhelming fans and critics alike. Any questions about Mark Sanchez's knee injury have vanished and the Trojan defense looks strong as ever. The Buckeyes have failed to execute as expected against two overmatched opponents and star Beanie Wells has been injured. Will the Trojans continue their streak of non-conference domination? Will the Buckeyes' O be able to get traction if Beanie doesn't return to carry the load? We'll find out four days and four hours from now.
If one thing is certain, it's that the Buckeyes- who now will enter the game as a 10-point underdog- will need to step up their game and play a tough one if they want to stay in it. In their first two games we have seen a lack of boldness on play calling, freshman-caliber mistakes, and more missed catches than a schoolyard game of monkey-in-the-middle. The running game at this point is a bit of a question mark. There is no doubt that Beanie will play, but lips have been tight as to his condition. Even if he is at 100%, which he will certainly need to be, there is always a possibility that he could re-aggravate the toe injury. He will already be targeted by a hungry USC defense - lead by stars such as standout linebacker Rey Maualuga. If Ohio State want to open up the ground game, Beanie will be the guy to do it. Unless we were missing something on Saturday, we saw that the rest of the running backs on the OSU depth chart could not take his place altogether.
Rey Maualuga won't be the only hurdle in the Buckeyes path.
There has also been rampant speculation about what we have so far seen from Ohio State. The prevailing notion seems to be that the coaching staff have been deliberately refusing to show their hand so that USC won't have any film to study and won't know exactly what we plan to throw at them. I, for one, hope that this is the case because we sure won't be gaining many yards with the sort of "vanilla" offense that OSU typically runs. Trying to run it up the middle every 2nd or 3rd play won't go over too well in LA.
Another hot topic is what to expect true freshman QB Terell Pryor. Again, unless we haven't really seen him utilized to the best of his ability, he won't be a factor. So far we have seen that although he can run well, he lacks the sort of "touch" he needs, a la Todd Boeckman. It's great if the guy can run, but pre-designed take-the-snap-and-run-to-the-outside plays won't be fooling anyone. If Pryor proves that he can pass well and (usually) run when he is under pressure, he could emerge as a threat.
Speaking of emerging as a threat, we have finally seen some razzle-dazzle out of WR Ray Small. His combination of speed and agility (something we haven't seen since Ted Ginn, JR) is exactly the sort of thing the Bucks will need if they want to spread the out that tough USC defense. Hartline and Robiskie have both proven reliable, but they have never had the ability to burn the defense when they hit open space in the same way as Small can. He spent much of season struggling against a leg injury, so expect better things out of him this year.
Prediction Time
Ohio State will struggle out of the gate. Expect the first couple of posessions to be short. Maybe not 3-and-outs, but not scoring drives either. The defense will be hungry, perhaps too hungry- USC's O will capitalize on miscues and exploit their weaknesses well. If the OSU D can step up, execute, and keep USC bottled up, the offense may be able to make things happen. This will absolutely key: if our defense doesn't slow down USC's offense, our offense will struggle. If both the offense and the defense struggle early on, expect USC to tear this one wide open. They will do their best to get us out of it quickly because they know that if we can hang with them, we will eventually gain momentum and give them a run for their money.
Boeckman will struggle. He will do well if the O-line gives him enough time, but he will overthrow his receivers on the deep passes. He will throw at least 2 INTs. If he can establish a rhythm he will produce results. However this is doubtful since USC's D-line will be tough to hold back.
Pryor lacks big-game experience but may still yield results.
We will bring Pryor out in the Red Zone, using 4 and 5 receiver sets. Don't expect this to burn USC's defense though. His first couple of series will be key because we haven't seen how he handles big time pressure. If he can keep his cool and execute, he will produce. If Boeckman struggles, we may even bring him out at midfield.
Beanie will play and he will do his part, but he will be too high of a priority target to be able to have many big runs. He will probably average 2-3 yards per carry. Don't expect the offense to capitalize on USC's D focusing on Wells.
The defense will do well early on, just like they did against LSU in Janurary. They won't be able to keep it up and eventually USC will open things up, but not enough to run away with the game.
Ultimately, OSU's demonstrated weaknesses will outweigh their strengths. USC will win by two scores.
Of course this is all given the assumption that Tressel & co have more up their sleeve than we know. But given Ohio State's recent record in "big" games, don't hold your breath. If the Buckeyes escape, it will be by 7 points or less.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
What Was That, Hart?
Today was going to be the day. The day that a stellar Michigan team, led by returning seniors Mike Hart, Jake Long, and Chad Henne as well as a slew of others was going to beat Ohio State. After years of sub-par performances and blown opportunities, they were finally going to kick the Buckeyes' asses. On their way to a BCS Championship game, no less.
At least, that's what today was supposed to be coming into this season. Hart Henne and Long stayed at UM for an extra year instead of entering the NFL draft because they had something to prove. They had things to accomplish. Above all, they had a score to settle.
Ah, what a difference 12 weeks have made. Michigan, after screwing the pooch in weeks 1 and 2, has capped off a mediocre season with a loss to their arch rivals in Scarlet and Grey.
Today's victory over the Wolverines tastes especially sweet given the trash talk coming from tailback Mike Hart ever since last year's loss to the Buckeyes. Running a measly 44 yards on 18 carries against a stout OSU defense, Hart delivered one of the worst performances of his career (and Michigan delivered one of their worst performances against the Buckeyes). Granted he isn't fully healthy and hasn't been for much of the season, but then again the same is true of Beanie Wells.
So now that it's over, what will Mike Hart have to say about today's game? I hope that for once, he may actually have learned to keep his mouth shut.
I believe this photo sums Hart's experience today perfectly. Eat it, Wolverines!
At least, that's what today was supposed to be coming into this season. Hart Henne and Long stayed at UM for an extra year instead of entering the NFL draft because they had something to prove. They had things to accomplish. Above all, they had a score to settle.
Ah, what a difference 12 weeks have made. Michigan, after screwing the pooch in weeks 1 and 2, has capped off a mediocre season with a loss to their arch rivals in Scarlet and Grey.
Today's victory over the Wolverines tastes especially sweet given the trash talk coming from tailback Mike Hart ever since last year's loss to the Buckeyes. Running a measly 44 yards on 18 carries against a stout OSU defense, Hart delivered one of the worst performances of his career (and Michigan delivered one of their worst performances against the Buckeyes). Granted he isn't fully healthy and hasn't been for much of the season, but then again the same is true of Beanie Wells.
So now that it's over, what will Mike Hart have to say about today's game? I hope that for once, he may actually have learned to keep his mouth shut.
I believe this photo sums Hart's experience today perfectly. Eat it, Wolverines!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Buckeye Hangover
After last night's unexpected loss to the Illinois, I (like everyone else in Buckeye nation) have been asking myself what happened. The answer I keep coming back to is that we simply couldn't stop the spread. It's that simple, folks.
I thought that after last year's national championship game debacle against U of F, we had learned a few things about the quickly proliferating spread option attack. Apparently we needed another lesson, as was made abundantly clear last night. A fair amount of blame should be placed Todd Boeckman's three interceptions as well as the officiating crew's terrible job (and it was terrible), but the fact remains that play after play, they ran right over us. 3, 5, 7 yards or more at a time, they ran right over us. It was January 8th all over again and we let it happen. We have seen all season what Illinois was capable of, and we failed to stop it.
That being said, if there is one Big Ten team that I would want to lose to this season it would be Illinois. They are no pushovers-- this was not as huge of an upset as some might think-- as they have proven against Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan what they could do. The narrow loss to Michigan was the result of Illinois' own mistakes: penalties and turnovers. Had the Illini played a cleaner game, they would have easily bested the Wolverines as well. They are a quality team and they came to Columbus to play.
I am, of course, disappointed to see our national championship hopes dashed but we were arguably not ready to face a team like LSU. With all the criticism the Big Ten has been receiving for its lack of quality teams, I am in fact glad to see a new contender in the conference. We need more strong teams like this upstart Illinois squad if we want to get respect nationally. Not to mention the fact that playing crappy teams like this year's MSU and Northwestern teams is just plain boring to watch.
I say congratulations to Ron Zook and his team. You played a tough game and you beat the #1 ranked team in the land.
Of course next year, the gloves are coming off. 11/15/08 the Buckeyes are coming to Champaign, and we'll be out for blood. You can bet on it.
I thought that after last year's national championship game debacle against U of F, we had learned a few things about the quickly proliferating spread option attack. Apparently we needed another lesson, as was made abundantly clear last night. A fair amount of blame should be placed Todd Boeckman's three interceptions as well as the officiating crew's terrible job (and it was terrible), but the fact remains that play after play, they ran right over us. 3, 5, 7 yards or more at a time, they ran right over us. It was January 8th all over again and we let it happen. We have seen all season what Illinois was capable of, and we failed to stop it.
That being said, if there is one Big Ten team that I would want to lose to this season it would be Illinois. They are no pushovers-- this was not as huge of an upset as some might think-- as they have proven against Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan what they could do. The narrow loss to Michigan was the result of Illinois' own mistakes: penalties and turnovers. Had the Illini played a cleaner game, they would have easily bested the Wolverines as well. They are a quality team and they came to Columbus to play.
I am, of course, disappointed to see our national championship hopes dashed but we were arguably not ready to face a team like LSU. With all the criticism the Big Ten has been receiving for its lack of quality teams, I am in fact glad to see a new contender in the conference. We need more strong teams like this upstart Illinois squad if we want to get respect nationally. Not to mention the fact that playing crappy teams like this year's MSU and Northwestern teams is just plain boring to watch.
I say congratulations to Ron Zook and his team. You played a tough game and you beat the #1 ranked team in the land.
Of course next year, the gloves are coming off. 11/15/08 the Buckeyes are coming to Champaign, and we'll be out for blood. You can bet on it.
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