In the aftermath of the soul-destroying loss to the Trojans, there was an uprising of sorts within the Buckeye staff. Of course, this is all pure conjecture -- just getting the staff to come clean about Darrell Hazell calling some of the plays against Toledo was a challenge in and of itself -- but for the purpose of this excercise, let's assume that Hazell was one of the coaches Tressel referred to as having peppered his inbox after the loss seeking change on the offensive side of the ball.
After the cat emerged from the bag, so to speak, following the win over the Rockets, Hazell appears to have taken on a significantly greater role in the offense with each passing week. Against Toledo, Pryor threw a career high 28 attempts, but the following week against the Illini is when we really started to see the Darrell Hazell Experience in full effect.
Pryor and the Buckeye offense came out and ran plays from the shotgun almost exclusively against Illinois and have operated from that formation for about 95% of the snaps since. What this did was greatly simplify the offense for a young signal caller that had struggled against USC. The staff had worked for over a year tutoring Pryor in the ways of running a pro style offense, but clearly a different approach was needed to spur his development.
Essentially running a zone/read offense that would look familiar in Ann Arbor, the change seemed to be working. In a downpour against the Illini, the offense did its damage on the ground. The following week at Bloomington, Pryor threw for three first half touchdowns in another blowout win and all appeared well with the world. Sure, Terrelle was still learning the "read" part of the zone read and his mesh points were sometimes less than fluid, but progress was being made and the simplified offense was paying dividends.
The downside of the new base offense and handful of plays that were being called from it is that it's a little easier for defenses to stop (especially when you haven't perfected the offense and it's still a work in progress as it is in Columbus) and the Badgers threw some new wrinkles at the group Saturday in the Horseshoe that seemed to confuse Pryor. Given the limited amount of time the Buckeyes were on offense against the Badgers, the Buckeyes were unable to make the necessary adjustments to the scheme they were facing. It's no wonder then, that he had one of his worst days as a Buckeye starting 1/7 before finishing 5/13 in the bizarro win.
The staff being smart people, were aware of the dangers in keeping things too simple and that is why you're starting to see some new wrinkles out of the offense. A misdirection play to Saine that went for 31 yards at the start of the fourth quarter Saturday was both something we haven't seen before and entirely effective. Whether it was Hazell-inspired as we think, or came from elsewhere, you can't debate the beauty of the play.
The play starts out like any of the read plays the Buckeyes have run in the last month. Pryor is in the shotgun with Saine to his right and Ballard coming across from left to right in motion.
Pryor starts to roll to his right with Saine heading the same direction. The defense is either thinking option (to the right) or pass at this time based on the film they've seen. Notice Ballard starting to head back to the other tackle.
With Ballard still leading the way to the other side of the line, Saine plants and begins to cut back for the handoff. Boren's man has shot the gap and looks like he might be able to make a play in the backfield.
By the time Saine does get the handoff heading the other direction, no fewer than three Badgers are out on the right edge of the Buckeye offense, ready to spy Pryor/read the option.
Boren is able to drive his man upfield and Saine turns the corner with Ballard and Mike Adams paving the way for him on the left edge. Because the entire Badger defense was thinking option to the other side of the field, Saine has plenty of green ahead of him.
As frustrated as we can all get (myself included) over the sluggishness of Pryor's development1, it is worth pointing out that the offense has basically flipped philosophies in the middle of the season. This read look is quite a bit different than the pro look worked on all spring, summer and fall through the USC game. Once he does become more comfortable in this set, particularly with the reads that go into making decisions at the mesh point, it should open up some passing opportunities for him2.
- 1 I wonder if we'd all be a little less frustrated if Tressel hadn't spent the summer saying Pryor was 10 times better at quarterback than he was as a frosh?
- 2 If not, then e-roc might be on to something with his suggestion to start every game in a two minute drill to get Pryor clicking.
Comments
Yeah, i remember watching that play thinking...ummm... Did urban meyer call up and give us a play???
It was beautiful...
This is the type of stuff the staff needs to keep doing creative plays with different people, in different spots. They can't stop tp unless they put 3 people there on the qb spy as you see!
My question is when are we going to see the open recievers that all these spy/LB/DB's are not covering??? Or maybe the TE's someone has to be open on these plays or is tp missing them???
Jason, nice analysis.
Pryor is just missing them. On most of his INTs or almost INTs the under man is always wide open for a 9-15 yard gain.
Pretty much. It's like he already has his mind made up who he's throwing to. Hence the telegraphing of his throws into dangerous coverage. Like he's not even reading the defense.
I didn't get a chance to see this play but it looks beautiful.
Thanks!
Flip, I have a video of it I can try to upload to YouTube w/in the next couple of days if you're interested.
Oh I recorded the game, thanks though.
Thanks for the props in the footnote! And thanks for giving us all something enjoyable to read... unlike, say, Bucknuts...
actually could you upload that? I think i missed it too, and it'd be cool to see it in real live motion!
It is beautiful. Now all we need is for TP to recognize that this freezes the interior D and allows for short open zones and hit those passes! Carter on a cross, Ballard on an out.
These are plays that allow zoom to find holes and Posey to get more open on deep routes.
Man, those buckeye hockey sweaters are bad-ass! Def. gonna try and get one of those
Tressel is smarter than us.
"Yeah, i remember watching that play thinking…ummm… Did urban meyer call up and give us a play?"
Duran, so funny you put it in those words because as i immediately replayed that sequence back from my DVR like 10 times....i said the exact, i mean EXACT, same thing to my wife.
I even sent LTL a note requesting there be an analysis of this play (THANKS LTL!) and i believe i put it the same way - so totally UNTressel-like & so totally out of tendancy & so totally successful. The LACK of this type of creativity is what is seperating us from the cream at the top.
loved the play - absolutely - left shaking my head though because now i know that there is the potential....but if history tells us anything it will likely go unrealized!
gonna keep the faith though....and hope....
I think silver lining in this whole affair is that we're probably going to get Pryor for a full four years unless he drastically improves ahead of next season. I know when he signed I thought for sure he'd be a three-year guy.
Though this misdirection play is a "new wrinkle" for 2009, this play was used extensively during the Troy Smith era. It first appeared in late 2004 after Troy took over for Zwick (see the '04 Michigan game, in particular), and was run with a few variations with Pittman as the RB in '05 and '06.
The next variation off of this action is the Statue of Liberty misdirection that Troy and Pittman ran with great effect in 2005 (especially vs. Iowa) and '06 (especially vs. Michigan). Perhaps this is what we will see next as the Pryor-led offense evolves.
It has become apparent that all his passing success in high school was made possible by his threat to run. Now that the running threat is somewhat lessened, we have discovered what kind of a challenge it will be to develop him into a passing threat.
I think the move to the zone-read base offense is a sign of the offensive coaching staff recognizing this. It gives Pryor the freedom to pull the ball down and run, instead of forcing him into having to throw. But now, it seems Pryor is struggling with the decision to throw or run.
I think Pryor is the victim of a bit of a mind f---. When he can relax and just play is when we will see the best results. Expectations are a bitch.
hopefully the next two years arent as angst filled as this one.
Nice article Jason.
I don't think they will be. The reality is that he has improved since last year, and we are winning. But, I can remember lenghty discussions on this board about how Pryor could win Heisman this year. I always thought that was ridiculous, but it just goes to show what kind of expectations were out there.
Ditto; nice read!
Good call on featuring that play. The question is why haven't we see more of this.
One other thing I noticed was it seemed as if Pryor was pissed off about the play calling. Shortly after two run plays Pryor hit Posey deep. Anyone else see that.
If defenses are going to cheat with 8-9 men in the box Ohio State has got to throw deep middle. Is the Post still a legal pass route? Wisconsin played with basically one safety the whole game and it took the play callers most of the first half to test them deep. Epic Fail.
From my seats during the game (the couch in my living room) it appeared that Coach Tressel was making all the calls again. Coach Hazell had his game plan tucked in his pants in every camera shot I saw. During the Toledo game it was just the opposite.
Anyone else notice this?
I'm curious to see what happens this week on the sideline.
How do you get endzone film?
He isn't a great thrower yet on the run!
He really isn't a consistent thrower in the pocket!
Hence we he hits those 30yd lasers to posey on the post routes, he looks great then we misses people 15 yards.
He is not there yet, but with time he should be much better...
I think he has at least improved since last year, some people thinks he has regressed which is just dumb. They have no clue about what it takes to play qb or run new offense or throw to young recievers or to remember to make reads, plant your feet.
I say he gets better with time, and that is something we have 3 games untill the big boys, and another offseason... Then the whole season, another off season...
LOOK OUT LOOK OUT LOOK OUT THE KID WILL BE BETTER THAN VINCE YOUNG!
mark my words his senior year... he will destroy teams!
this is his senior year
Sat, Sep 03 Akron Columbus, Ohio TBA
Sat, Sep 10 Toledo Columbus, Ohio TBA
Sat, Sep 17 Miami (Fla.) at Miami, Fla. TBA
Sat, Oct 01 Michigan State * Columbus, Ohio TBA
Sat, Oct 08 Penn State * at State College, Pa. TBA
Sat, Oct 15 TBA at TBA TBA
Sat, Oct 22 Minnesota * Columbus, Ohio TBA
Sat, Oct 29 Indiana * at Bloomington, Ind. TBA
Sat, Nov 05 Northwestern * Columbus, Ohio TBA
Sat, Nov 12 Purdue * at West Lafayette, Ind. TBA
Sat, Nov 19 Iowa * Columbus, Ohio TBA
Sat, Nov 26 Michigan * at Ann Arbor, Mich. TBA
TOUGH ROAD
What's really interesting is that the Buckeye offense was completely stifled by Wisky's 4-4 look for the first several drives. Then we started moving Ballard around and getting good backside blocks, and boom!, we get a couple scoring drives. We definitely caught the Wisky front overpursuing on our big plays--witness the huge Pryor run where he bails on the run left and rambles free to the right sideline.
Which leads me to the true travesty in all this. Jim Tressel has been running the Ohio State offense uphill ever since Troy, Teddy and Gonzo left. Despite a young line and a mobile QB, JT has insisted on running our backs into the teeth of the defense, even when those defenses are extremely strong (USC). It's like Tressel thinks hoodwinking the other team is tantamount to cheating.
Well, it is, actually. Only the guys being cheated are our offensive linemen. While I'm happy to see the shackles coming off Pryor and the use of liberal and intelligent misdirection against opposing formations, I cry for what might have been. We spent all spring and summer drilling Dave and trying to shove a Pryor-shaped peg into a Boeckman-shaped hole. And four games into the season, we're actually happy that Tressel ditched the whole thing to install a shotgun-based spread offense.
I mean, ouch.
There's some good stuff here and the future is promising. But I worry that a good defense--a really good, disciplined defense--will jump all over our lack of precision and sluggish decision-making out of the spread look. We have three weeks to get this thing right, before we have to run it at Top 25-opponent speed. That's not a lot of time...
wow!!!
wow!!!
Bro, you are right on!
I agree totally with you on the "Pryor-shaped peg into a Boeckman-
shaped hole." (I AM NOT HERE TO BASH TRESSEL) But, gosh i have
to wonder somewhere in the back of my mind, WHAT IF!
What if we had actually practiced the zone read offense from tranining
camp on, would it look much better? What if we had strictly kept him
in shotgun, and taught his postion from there?
I don't know! Frustrated a little because i know how talented this team
is, i am not frustrated that we are 5-1 that is great. But 5-1 and how
we are winning is what i guess buckeynation is frustrated about!
We all blame pryor! Fact is he isn't executing what tressel is calling.
But, this kid is so dangerous half of team on defense has to worry
about where he is! This should by now be a HUGE ADVANTAGE!
I guess they only advantage is that defenses come up, and he makes
them pay by throwing or misdirection!
I don't know guys! I just hope they get things figured out on offense!
please enlighten me as to how he has improved iball
Are you somehow contractually obligated to end 75% of your sentences with exclamation marks?
lol
well... i can't scream at work!!!
http://www.buckeyextra.com/liv...
watching his footwork. First time?
New Plays. More misdirection, deep balls, slants, passes?
he has...only a whiner can't see it. Last year he never would have had a drive like the 88 yarder last week. You are basng your assumptions on a weird game with Wisky when we did not even get the ball on offense until 1:40 in the third. Yes he is making some bad throws but I see improvement
How can you look at his throwing motion and tell me it doesn't look better than last year? He's still a little inconsistent, but overall he has improved.
Throwing in the towel on turning Pryor into a pro-style QB, eh? Should have gone to Michigan.
that only would have insured that he would have to sit out his sophomore year because of a transfer.....
Note the past tense.