Ohio State-Miami Midweek Mierda: Mobility Issues
Catch Me If You Can
Like many other teams (read Michigan), Miami has had some problems with mobile quarterbacks. Last season, the Hurricanes struggled to stop Tyrod Taylor as he accounted for 75 of Virginia Tech’s 272 rushing yards with an average of 7.5 ypc.
Even the Wolfpack’s Russell Wilson produced 58 yards and a touchdown on 16 carriers, while throwing for 220 yards and two more touchdowns in an upset over Miami in ‘08.
Of course, Christian Ponder has piled up over 600 total yards against Miami in his two starts versus the ‘Canes, including his best (2005) Troy Smith impression when he ran for 144 yards and threw for 159 in 2008.
Now For Something More Important...
As the coaches had mentioned, Nathan Williams will be back in the lineup on Saturday when the ‘Canes come to town.
Williams's return is something only slightly south of crucial for the Buckeyes, as his experience is always helpful to have on the field. More importantly, he is one of the few true DEs that is likely to see considerable playing time at this stage of the season.
The pass rush from the front four against Marshall was less than inspiring.
In fact, when Garrett Goebel or Adam Bellamy substituted for Solomon Thomas, the defensive looked a lot like four defensive tackles—Heyward, Larimore and Simon are all more tackle than end. That type of lineup is more effective against a running-dominant team like Wisconsin; not a play-action oriented offense like Miami.
Another obvious benefit of Williams return is that Jacory Harris has been known to make bad decisions when under repeated pressure, especially on the road.
Something Smells
Apparently, being famous a resident of South Florida named Dwayne (alternate spellings accepted) means you take any opportunity to dig at assorted Ohio sports communities.
Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock from the WWE, had some minorly colorful words for Ohio State fans on Jim Rome. Interestingly, Rome seemed to be more of a Buckeyes supporter in this piece.
