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Quick Recap: Ugly Counts Too!
David ThurmanNov 5, 2011
Dave Thurman (8:07 pm)
A week after their most impressive win of the year, Ohio State stumbled to a lackadaisical win on a beautiful early November afternoon in Columbus. Nobody should have been too surprised that the Buckeyes lacked the kind of zeal they had demonstrated against the Badgers. The stage was set for a bit of a letdown: 1) The usual fall off after a huge adrenalin-filled victory; 2) The after-effects of playing a physical opponent; and, 3) A 1-8 team coming to town that looked like easy pickings. Although the slow start should not have shocked anyone, there were a number of things that did stagger me:
1) The ease with which Kofi Hughes got open and sliced the Ohio State secondary. This is not a big time receiver, and his statistics coming in were pretty pedestrian (20, 298, 2). But Hughes finished with 8 catches for 143 yards and a touchdown. Part of this was due to the scheme (Heacock played too much soft zone in my opinion) and part of it was due to the Silver Bullet secondary playing poorly. Christian Bryant, in particular, was a lost ball in high weeds most of the day.
2) The lack of passing offense from Ohio State. With the exception of one drive the Buckeyes did nothing through the air. This against one of the worst pass defenses in America. Braxton overthrew some receivers, and held onto the ball too long at other times. Making matters worse, his pass protection was less than stellar. I really thought this would be a game when Bollman would air it out a little, but that didn't happen, as OSU completed all of five passes for 55 yards. It didn't help when they fell behind 10-0, which changed the gameplan, and caused the Buckeyes to rely on what they do best, which is run the ball.
A week after their most impressive win of the year, Ohio State stumbled to a lackadaisical win on a beautiful early November afternoon in Columbus. Nobody should have been too surprised that the Buckeyes lacked the kind of zeal they had demonstrated against the Badgers. The stage was set for a bit of a letdown: 1) The usual fall off after a huge adrenalin-filled victory; 2) The after-effects of playing a physical opponent; and, 3) A 1-8 team coming to town that looked like easy pickings. Although the slow start should not have shocked anyone, there were a number of things that did stagger me:
1) The ease with which Kofi Hughes got open and sliced the Ohio State secondary. This is not a big time receiver, and his statistics coming in were pretty pedestrian (20, 298, 2). But Hughes finished with 8 catches for 143 yards and a touchdown. Part of this was due to the scheme (Heacock played too much soft zone in my opinion) and part of it was due to the Silver Bullet secondary playing poorly. Christian Bryant, in particular, was a lost ball in high weeds most of the day.
2) The lack of passing offense from Ohio State. With the exception of one drive the Buckeyes did nothing through the air. This against one of the worst pass defenses in America. Braxton overthrew some receivers, and held onto the ball too long at other times. Making matters worse, his pass protection was less than stellar. I really thought this would be a game when Bollman would air it out a little, but that didn't happen, as OSU completed all of five passes for 55 yards. It didn't help when they fell behind 10-0, which changed the gameplan, and caused the Buckeyes to rely on what they do best, which is run the ball.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
3) The absence of passion from the proud Buckeye defense. Late in the game the Silver Bullets finally woke up, forcing a fourth quarter turnover and getting some final drive sacks. But for the most part they let Indiana dictate the tempo, and just did not seem very enthused or hungry. Consider that the Hoosiers won the time of possession battle (31-29) and converted 10 of 17 third downs. This was one of the worst performances I have seen from a Jim Heacock coached defense.
4) The fact that Tre Roberson outplayed his more highly ranked fellow freshman quarterback. I know that Miller led OSU to victory and came up with a couple of big touchdown runs. But with less talent around him, Roberson was the more impressive player on this day in Columbus. That being said, I have rarely seen a player who can break as many ankles as Braxton Miller. Wow, is he fun to watch run.
On a positive note, Ohio State dug deep late in the game and posted an ugly win. And, three OSU runners passed the century mark for the first time since 1989 (Herron: 141, Miller: 105, Hyde: 105). I have been lobbying for more of Carlos Hyde and he showed again that he is a superior runner to the versatile Jordan Hall. Since it took Bollman a few weeks to figure out that Miller is better than Bauserman, it doesn't shock me that he has missed this obvious fact as well!
What a strange day it was in the B1G Ten. Michigan State barely survived hapless Minnesota at East Lansing, Northwestern upset Nebraska at Lincoln. And Iowa defeated Michigan in Iowa City. Of the upper echelon teams only Wisconsin, which hammered Purdue, played up to expectations. So even though the Buckeyes underperformed, they managed to get the W and that is really all that matters.
4) The fact that Tre Roberson outplayed his more highly ranked fellow freshman quarterback. I know that Miller led OSU to victory and came up with a couple of big touchdown runs. But with less talent around him, Roberson was the more impressive player on this day in Columbus. That being said, I have rarely seen a player who can break as many ankles as Braxton Miller. Wow, is he fun to watch run.
On a positive note, Ohio State dug deep late in the game and posted an ugly win. And, three OSU runners passed the century mark for the first time since 1989 (Herron: 141, Miller: 105, Hyde: 105). I have been lobbying for more of Carlos Hyde and he showed again that he is a superior runner to the versatile Jordan Hall. Since it took Bollman a few weeks to figure out that Miller is better than Bauserman, it doesn't shock me that he has missed this obvious fact as well!
What a strange day it was in the B1G Ten. Michigan State barely survived hapless Minnesota at East Lansing, Northwestern upset Nebraska at Lincoln. And Iowa defeated Michigan in Iowa City. Of the upper echelon teams only Wisconsin, which hammered Purdue, played up to expectations. So even though the Buckeyes underperformed, they managed to get the W and that is really all that matters.
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.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
