Five Things: Minnesota
Thaddeus Maximus and Marcus Freeman whip up a double Decker sandwich. (photo: Jay LaPrete)
D-Licious
The defense, especially the front four and safety Anderson Russell, have taken a little heat this year but I felt the unit played much faster yesterday and with a renewed sense of urgency. Sure, there were some breakdowns starting midway through the 3rd quarter but the game was no longer in doubt after a stout first half performance.
Statistically, the Silver Bullets surrendered only 92 first half yards – just 16 on the ground – yielding a minuscule four first downs. Even better, the defense came up with two turnovers in the opening half (3 total), in the form of a pick by Donald Washington and a fumble recovery by the (hopefully) resurgent Russell.
They picked up just one sack and five tackles for loss but I was happy with the pressure the front four was able to generate. If nothing else, Heyward clogged up the middle as he continues to get comfortable with the move to DT and my man Thaddeus Maximus looked to get decent pressure off the edge on numerous occasions. With the Minnesota offense focused on short to intermediate routes, to expect a ton of sacks was unrealistic.
Another encouraging sign was how the Buckeyes approached 3rd and short-medium. They often stuffed the box and brought the blitz forcing Adam Weber to get rid of the ball. The result? Minnesota converted just 2/7 third downs in the opening half.
Finally, I didn’t see as many missed tackles this week. Laurinaitis still doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Hawk, Kat, Spielman etc, but he had a solid, if unspectacular, 12 tackles with Ross Homan adding a career high 10 stops. Russell did something other than piss me off for the first time this year with 7 tackles and the fumble recovery and I was also glad to see Curtis Terry out there. He’s got a mean streak that needs to rub off on his teammates. Dude will shank you. Serious.
Don’t worry, I was already well aware before kickoff that Minnesota didn’t belong on the same field as OSU (despite their delusions) but I still think the defense took a positive step forward. If nothing else, this should be a confidence builder as they began preparation for the Badgers.
The Continued Emancipation of Terrelle
Start number two for Pryor was another step in the right direction. He still has some things to work on but man is he going to be sick.
Aerially speaking, I thought the TD to Robo was beautifully thrown and my impression was he didn’t stare down receivers like he did at times versus Troy. Also, I know the majority of his throws have been short routes but the guy is an accurate passer. To my untrained eye (and to those sitting on the same couch as me every game) the main area to improve is knowing what type of pass to throw based on the route. Two specific throws yesterday illustrate this point.
He tried to hit Small coming out of a double move in the first half but the pass was more of a floater / touch pass when he really needed to put less loft and more heat on it. As a result, the defender was able to catch back up to Small and knock the ball away. Another example was the incompletion to Hartline on a post route with a little over two minutes left in the half. Again, he put a little too much under the ball when he needed to guide a laser in there. Hartline had some space but the ball needed more hair on it. A little knit picky but he did the same thing against Troy. Arm strength isn’t an issue, he just needs to recognize what type of throw is required and confidently deliver. He will.
As my bro pointed out a few minutes before the BTN, Pryor had 7 TD in his first 7 quarters as a starter (5 pass, 2 run). On the season, he’s now 28/44 (64%) through the air for 293 yards with 5 TD, 1 INT with another 47/292 on the ground, good for 6.2 yards per carry. Any doubt he’s going to be the ultimate weapon in college football by the end of this year? Not in my eyes.
Rushing Attack in High Gear
I assume you noticed Beanie’s back – or was that Edwin Moses? Knowing Beanie can be a little dramatic, I was impressed in that he ran hard and sought contact, showing no concern for the foot mid-play.
And what’s up with the offensive line? There were actually holes yesterday and I can’t put my finger on why. Is it Tressel showing Bollman how to do his job or does Minnesota just suck? Or maybe it’s that Beanie is such a force and with his power and unrivaled vision on cutbacks, he can make a pedestrian line look better? Maybe it’s a little of all those things but either way, I like it.
As Jason discussed, the backfield is definitely special with Beanie and Pryor back there giving defenses something to think about. In the decisive first half, the duo combined for 155 yards on 15 carries, running downhill on virtually every touch. As teams scheme to stop them, that can only mean good things for the passing attack.
Another lesser discussed strength of Pryor’s that impacts the rushing attack is his how well he hides the ball on fake handoffs. Those fakes are lethal in that when he does hand it to Wells, the defense has to freeze for a second to determine who actually has the rock. That extra time gives a little added advantage to the running back (or Pryor on the keeper) as the defenders are caught on their heels.
Finally, I know some knock Herron for a lack of big play / breakaway speed but if he’s your backup, complementing the runs of Pryor and Beanie, then you’ve got yourself a lethal rushing attack. The kid popped another 10 carries for 50 yards and continues to improve his pass protection.
Again, I know Minnesota is a weak to mediocre team but the stat line of 37 carries for 279 yards (7.5 ypc) is fun to look at.
A Robiskie Sighting?!
How ’bout Robo taking off the invisible cloak he donned the first month of the season? In the first four games, he produced a meager 12 catches for 113 yards and 2 TD while drawing the ire of the fans for too many drops, weak downfield blocking, a half hearted attempt at a sure TD toss from Pryor last week then lazily running out of bounds on a Pryor scramble killing a third down conversion.
Yesterday, however, Robo was a different man hauling in 8 passes for 90 yards and 2 scores. I’m still not sure he’s a strong blocker but the catch of Boeckman’s TD ball was pretty while the fade from Pryor was thrown so well I would’ve caught it (then got a penalty for excessive celebration as I moon-walked back the bench).
Hopefully, this will be the jump start needed to get Robo on track. Pryor’s gonna need a go to guy and after yesterday, maybe he found one. I can’t be sure though considering half of Robo’s 8 grabs came on passes from Todd.
From the Aggravation Department
Not a whole lot to complain about yesterday but what the hell is the deal with 10 penalties for 90 yards? I heard all the blather about playing so many guys and how that led to the numerous illegal subsitution / 12 men in the huddle penalties but I don’t want to hear that garbage. The coaches need to get that nonsense under control.
And how about that sequence at the end of the half before the 8 yard TP to Robo touchdown? A delay of game at the three yard line then they had to call a timeout on the next attempt at getting a play off. No excuse.
Can’t say I was particularly fond of the two false starts on the drive toward the end of the 3rd quarter, either. The second one was especially painful as the Bucks were set to go for it on 4th and 3 from the Gopher 20 before the penalty made it 4th and 8 setting up a pushed 43 yarder from Pretorius. Ridiculous.
Double Decker Sandwich is horribly cleaver.
err… clever
I’d piss blood for a month if those two tackled me like that.
TP’s speed is sick-nasty, and I do think he will develop that arm into a lethal cannon, buit if I had to choose one moment in the Minny game that defines the difference between TP and Boeckman, it would be that scramble Pryor made late in the game out of bounds, when the Minny defender came at him, and he lowered his shoulder and leveled the defensive back, talkin’ shit all the while. He plays with a fire and passion on offense that I haven’t seen since Maurice the Beast Clarett.
That hit was indeed awesome. I think TP took exception to that assclown Tramaine Brock implying he was just “regular…nothing special”. Okay, juco transfer…whatever you say.
Si, better in slow-mo too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbeG0-a1GGM
Speaking of slow-mo, my bro and I watched the first half offensive plays in slow-mo focusing on the line. Brewster struggled like a mother getting beat on at least 4 occasions badly and Cordle wasn’t any better. Cordle actually fell down twice on one running play without throwing one block. Unbelievable. I gotta say, however, Boone blew his man off the screen on multiple plays.
The thing I liked in the game was the intensity. They did not walk out there sleep walking leaving the fans hoping the alarm clock would go off sooner than later. The intensity was there from the opening kickoff, which I use as an indicator to how the 1st quarter will pan out. From the tail end of the 3rd qtr on though, the substitutions drained the focus out of the offensive while the defense still had intensity, it became undisciplined as Weber was allowed to escape the pocket in crucial situations. Overall, a damn good job!!!
New AP poll has Ohio State at No. 14 ??? Screw them, WE NEED TO Just win baby, just win!!!!
I think I’ve finally come to accept Laurinaitis for who he is. He’s technically solid and extremely steady, but he’ll never take over games like some of the backers we’ve had in the past.
More Zach Thomas, less Lawrence Taylor.
Totally. I’m not hating on him either because I know where he should be slotted from historical perspective.
Shows you how little respect there is for OSU when we have a bunch of upsets (to unranked teams no less) and we don’t move up at all.
Regarding the polls – definitely no respect. Also, do voters not think we’re a better team with Wells AND Pryor on the field? I’m convinced 90% of them just look at final scores and they see a 34-21 score. That was not a 34-21 game.
I for one was confident that Ohio State would remain stagnant at the #14 spot. The Media did what they always do: they lightly dropped USC for an embarrassing loss to a mediocre opponent. And then of course we know that no one loss SEC team will be placed ahead of a one less Big 10 team, especially when that Big 10 team is Ohio State.
There will be no MNC for OSU, no way, no how. There would have to be a perfect storm; PSU must win every game except their game against the Buckeyes, at least two of the three conference champions of the SEC, Big 12, and Pac-10 will need to have at least two losses.
But nothing will say resurgent like going to the Rose Bowl, and beating the tar out of a team that beat the Buckeyes 35-3 three months earlier. The race for the Big 10 is as exciting as its been in a number of years, and I’m hoping we make a strong run at the Rose Bowl.
I agree that there’s about a .01% chance for a MNC entry, but the Buckeyes can win-out and finish on a high note with Pryor heading into ‘09 as a potential Heisman candidate and the team entering next year with a top five ranking.
Guys, forget about the MNC this season and who cares? I do not think we are anywhere near the best team in the country … that is after all who is supposed to play in that game – and we are not that
let’s just try and beat TTUN, win a freakin’ bowl game again, have some positive momentum and maybe see if this team can make a run at it next year
please, we do not want to play in the big one again with this defense, it will only cause more problems
Also, with respect to the polls … again who really cares. a win over Troy and Minny following the destruction at the hands of USC is not exactly a reason to pump out your chest.
Just keep winning and it will take care of itself. Also, this team will not be a top 5 team THIS YEAR at any point at all. this team is slotted about right IMO
let’s see how much they improve.
Underachieving vs. Overrated:
Obviously being a homer, I may have Rose tinted glasses for numerous since our one loss. However, I think this team has underachieved in the first four games as they searched for their identity. Which is difficult to say with so many seniors? Part of the problem is scheme, mix in un-motivated play and a steady diet of substitutions. Something has crept in to the gray matter between their ears and turned off a couple of switches. I wonder if all of the seniors that came back would they have made that same decision if they knew how things were going to be in the spring and the first two games?
I honestly believe a big problem we have is our line subbing. Lines must learn to play together as a unit and they should be subbed as such. Subbing Individual lineman, particularly on the offensive side, destroy’s the continuity these guys need to be effective.
Hey how about that E. Sabino hit on the kickoff coverage. That was a monster hit for the true freshman.
Chuckr – as an ex-lineman, I cannot agree with you more!
Nasty Hit Parade: Right before Beanie fumbled, he popped the 300+ nose guard causing him to crumple.
Great comparison Jason, little animal is more of Zach Thomas type player. It seems to me Freeman makes more TFL never see Laurinaitis in the backfield. He is solid though. I also like Jenkins agressive tackling this year he seems real physical. Great point Chris, Brewster did looked horrible yesterday. I seriously think that our offensive line is the reason we have choked lately in big games. Four of the Five linemen we got probaly will never make it to the NFL. Also i want a kick returner that will hit a seem not act like its trap play, i would love to see Posey and Small returning kicks
both JL and Freeman are a little overrated, but still good players. They are not great but not complete garbage, either and with fans there is sometimes no in between. How I see the linebackers is kind of how I see this team as a whole, actually … not garbage by any stretch but in all honestly not as talented or productive as we thought it would be.
and yes we are spoiled, we bitch about being 14th??? it’s kinda funny to think about it. The lowest depths for us is what most programs aspire to meet.
we’ll be back in the NC hunt, just not this year.
The good news is that Wisconsin may have the slowest secondary in the history of the planet. Did anyone see them trying to catch STEVEN THREET?
I bet their coach had to break it to them that they play Beanie Wells and Terrelle Pryor next weekend.
Looking beyound talent, I think Pryor and Beanie give this team such an attitude change that it is unreal. They both seem to have that “Give me the ball, I’ll win us the game” mentality. Something I think we lacked against USC. Not saying that if we had them both ( and Pryor took all the snaps ) that we would have won, but I am convinced that the scoreboard would have looked completely different and the country would have looked at the game in a completely different way.
Stupid Stat of the day: Need some more proof that Pryor’s the real deal? Pryor’s QB rating is a 148.62, which is on par with some of the best in the country… Last years Heisman winner, Tebow is sitting at a 146.74 – Stafford a 143.97 and J.P Wilson a 135.95. When this kid reaches his full potential, gets off page 1 of the play book and gains more confidence in himself… gives me a quarter chub just thinkin’ about it!
Great points about his throwing Chris, I think your right on the money. I also think he could work on his field vision running the ball. Im not scared of him running the ball based on his frame and wouldn’t normally say this to a QB (Pryor’s no normal QB though), but I think he could hit the seem a little more rather than trying to bounce it outside.
Sure would be nice to see these guys could play a 60 minute game at least once this year.
how do I edit that poor sentence?
totally agree with BuckeyeBlowoutWin – we aren’t in the hunt for the MNC this year and that’s okay. a freak perfect storm that puts us in it again might result in another loss – can you say Buffalo Bills? eek. let’s try to win out, and win the Rose Bowl. the media will then have a lovefest for TP and decide we’re okay next year because we now have TP. we can make a run at it next year – maybe with Beanie Wells back if this toe thing keeps him from going to Sundays.
anyone noticed that it’s a lot more fun to be out of the MNC chase? really takes the pressure off doesn’t it? that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love to be in it but after dealing with it two straight years it’s nice to just focus on the Big Ten and the Rose Bowl. in some ways the BCS is great – in some ways it’s ruined the goal of winning your conference and bowl game. kinda sad.
Big D, completely agree about the pressure and fun of watching when you’re not stressed out every weekend. Let’s hope for some curb-stompings the rest of the way through the Big Ten to build some momentum for a run in ‘09.
I have to say, I’m relatively new to this website, and the knowledgable folks in here posting is impressive. No Trolls. As Borat would say…”VERY NIIIIICE!”
On to football(sort of): I think it would be easier to explain the origins of the universe, than to explain the how and why of poll voters.
Also, what is the thought in Buckeye Nation about the possibility(slim or otherwise) of Beanie staying one more year to play a whole season with an experienced Terrelle to try to win that Heisman he wanted so badly?
Poe McKnow: I agree on the Threet comment. I was befuddled at how Threet could make ANY defense look slow. Wisconsin accomplished that task, which bodes well for OSU next Saturday.
As long as we have this offensive line – I don’t want us in the MNC. They are the common denominator in the 2 ugly NC losses and the USC loss, IMO. Next year maybe.
Nobody should give a shit about the polls at this point. Take Al Davis’ advice.
Wisconsin is in trouble. IF, that is, we come to play. Wisconsin got exposed Saturday. Their D is not up to snuff – everybody is raving about them “getting on track” to the point that I’ll bet even such a knowledgeable and pessimistic observer as Brian at MGoBlog will be caught up in, in the words of Alan Greenspan, “irrational exuberance” – it wasn’t talent or playcalling that allowed the Wolverines to mount THREE long scoring drives against the Badgers, it was lousy defense. I watched the whole game, and it was obvious.
We’re much, MUCH better than Michigan on both sides of the ball, and Bucky is gonna get blown out – you heard it here first – if we come ready to play. And now that Evil Tressel is raging, we’ll be ready to play (you think JT doesn’t HATE the fact that Wisky’s the only B11 team he’s got a sub-.500 record against?).
I second BuckeyeDude re: the offensive line. They’re “offensive” in both meanings of the word. I don’t want us to be in the MNC w/ this line – Boone, Person, and, sadly, Browning (needs to be @ G, not T) are not as good – with or without Beanie – as a championship team needs. Next year’s will be better.
Finally: I think Beanie’s back next year, if for no other reason than he’ll want payback vs. USC, to win his Heisman, and to play w/ LiC one more year. Why do you think Gonzo left?: he didn’t want to play w/o Troy. The principle works in reverse as well. Let’s not forget that, for all the highlights, he BARELY saw the field his freshman year.
I should still be playing a lot more. Brian is a pusssy
TP and Beanie both being Heisman hopefuls next year would mean neither would win. You can’t win when you split your votes, not out of the Mid-West atleast. You get an East or West coast player where all the votes are and you might be able to split and win (a la USC).
But I go back to my old point about us falling into a Big Ten single-minded team to add the fan base too. Did you notice the team was more pumped for this game and look more aggressive? Maybe partly because we had Beanie back, but atleast partly because this was the start of the conference schedule. The team, the coaches, and I just noticed for the first time that the fans also get more pumped for a Minny Big Ten opener than for a USC showdown in LA. The trash talk on here against Minny this week was huge as just one indicator. Also the students came back this week, so maybe that’s a variable too. Just something to think about.
BucksfanXC, in 06 Ginn Jr and Smith were both in the Heisman race. Granted Ginn wasn’t a top candidate but he was in the conversation.
That said I still don’t think it would be likely for either of them to win as teammates next year (if Beanie even comes back).
For two years now, I’ve been knocking my head, trying to figure out what famous linebacker Jimmy reminds me of – now I know: It’s Zach Thomas. That’s a great comparison, Jason.
I agree that the interior line play was really, really poor. Brewster regressed from last week, and there just doesn’t seem to be an answer at guard, which mystifies me. Trading off linemen every other play doesn’t help, but there has to be someone – anyone – on that roster who can nail down the interior three spots on that offensive line. As noted above, I thought Boone has his best game of the season so far. They’ll be greatly tested against Bucky’s front four, though.
I was disappointed to see Posey not break one loose. He was there, by just around the periphery a bit. Still no breakout from Washington, which is disappointing.
Good to see Robo show up for this one. We’ve missed him. Now, if we can just get Hartline interested again, we’ll have something.
I’m a huge fan of classic offenses like the wishbone, veer and single-wing. I think they control a game and the tempo like few other things. The option Ohio State uses is about as vanilla an option as you can get, but I understand why: I think offenses that run the option well are “institutionalized” to it; it even helps to recruit players who run the option in high school. There’s simply a mentality to it that requires long exposure and familiarity. It doesn’t look like much now, but Pryor running the option in year 3 will be absolutely frightful.
To all:
I apologize for this post being lengthy and somewhat therapeutic in nature. I also want to say that I am not a fan of the read & re-act defensive scheme. So take all of this with a grain of salt.
In rewatching the Minn/OSU game last night. I came to one conclusion, our LB’s are playing within the scheme designed and it is not designed for TFL’s. To rank JL & Freeman with other great LB’s using other schemes is not quite the apples to apples comparison that you might think. The current standard package has them ~5 yards off the ball, it is a read & re-act scheme allowing them to use their athleticism to cover the increased distance & time.
In regards to running downs, the read & re-act scheme is a good when talent is not equal to yours; however, in the USC game when talent is equal to yours it means you are not getting to RB until he is on our side of the ball and requires them to make difficult tackles in space. This practice may be done to either offset the weakness in DL or done to prevent the big run. Unfortunately, we are getting gashed for 4-6 yards at a time. Which in turn cause us to do run blitzes and since those are not disguised well it allows experienced QB’s to check out.
In passing downs, they could be lining up greater than 5 yards off the ball and at times they are having the LB’s back peddling almost immediately. This could be a reason why our defense has trouble getting off the field in big games. When its (2nd 7+yrds) or (3rd and 5+yrds), they are susceptible to draws & quick hitters because they are 5+ off the ball and back peddling. If I was a Offensive Coordinator, I would give my QB either a pass/draw option or pass / quick hitting running play option depending on what the LB’s are doing because they tipping their coverage’s and responsibilities too early. Why are LB’s back peddling immediately? I can only guess that since the defense is getting most of their pass rush from the DE position, they do not check the TE at the line. TE’s more times than not get a clean release. The only time they do not is when our pass rush forces them to keep the TE in or the TE checks the DE before taking his route. In which the underneath stuff is open all day. The cure is consistent pressure from all positions and not relying on a few. Which means the DT’s have to penetrate (at times) as their first option, instead of blunting the point of attack.
This may be an issue of scheme as well, but when they our LB’s are taking on pulling blockers or blockers trying to pick them up on blitzes, they are hitting them squarely and then reading the direction that the ball carrier is taking. This philosophy is leading to bad habits and putting them in bad positions. As a said in a previous post, I am an ex-offensive/defensive lineman. Granted most of my experience was in the semi-pro ranks, but the fundamentals of doing things remains the same. When I pulled as an OL and a LB engaged me squarely. I thanked him for making my job easier. Because he allowed me to focus my energy on a somewhat stationary target while allowing me the opportunity to set my meat hooks into him. The most frustrating thing as a lineman was when a LB that had quickness and speed used it while never allowing me to engage him squarely. They would ricochet off of me never allowing the clean hit. In addition, I would become frustrated and they would cause me to reach, opening up the potential for holding calls. Shedding blocks is something the JL & Freeman need to work on, as I said they need to change this habit of taking on blockers squarely. For instance, when taking on a pulling OL they will try to stand him up and then read the direction the RB will take. Unfortunately, in doing this all the time they are reducing their chance of success. It can make an average OL luck good, and a good OL look superior. When blitzing they have a tendency to bull rush a RB trying to pick them up. They need to vary their approach to hit the blocker on either shoulder quickly followed up with a move such as rip, swim, over, under, spin, etc. They need to treat the blocker as if they were on kick-off coverage running down field never wanting to engage anyone a 100% until they came to the ball carrier or the wedge. When hitting the RB squarely they need to add a spin or a push-pull technique. It is the game within the game.
No one scheme is infallible, how a well defensive coordinator or player mixes schemes to break tendencies is what separates good and bad defenses/players. In the past, when an offense hits our defense and gets us on our heals, our true tendencies come out, and in the process of fixing something we have become weaker. My preference is to be aggressive and then back off; however, with the read & re-act system in place it appears to operate in reverse of my desires. With that being said, the first half of the Minnesota game, we changed some of our tendencies and the end result was a more aggressive and productive output. Finally, in a long winded assessment, our LB’s are doing the job they are asked to do and it is scheme that is not really maximizing their talents.
My Five Things
1. Football is an intense sport. If your players play with it then they will have a better chance at being successful. It’s not rocket science it’s football. The team that hits the hardest usually wins.
2. TP is an absolute freak. I don’t think comparison’s to Vince were fair…to Terrelle
3. If Beanie stays healthy they will run the table.
4. If they run the table I’m praying there isn’t an available slot in the MNC. A BCS game is fine by me (maybe the Bulldogs?…their pass defense is fugly)
5. The USC game could be the beginning of a new Buckeye era. I love the fact that the rest of the big 10 smells blood. JT is fired up because of this. His sideline demeanor was a thing of beauty. Every team feeds off of it’s HC and QB. When the HC is pumped up on the sidelines and the QB is blowin’ up LB’s the rest of the team has to raise their level of play.