Five Things: Oregon
Tressel’s gameplan and Pryor’s ability to execute came up Roses in the 26-17 defeat of Oregon. (AP Photo) Offensive Gameplan: Wide Open Approach to Controlling T.O.P.
If you’re like me, you almost missed Aaron Pettrey’s extra point giving OSU an early 7-0 lead due to tears of blinding yet joyous surprise as Jim Tressel dialed up pass plays with Terrelle Pryor Lebron in Cleats completing 5/8 on a 10 play, 74 yard TD march culminating with an in-Saine-ly placed 13 yard touch pass to Brandon Saine.
The wide open, or at least less cautious approach to moving the football was an obvious change from what was admittedly working during three straight November wins but proved that if your QB can make throws, the Tresselball principle of controlling the clock can allow for passing the football while still shortening the game. I find it remarkable that Ohio State was able to hold a 42 to 18 minute edge in time of possession while throwing a season high 37 times.
The chub inducing field goal drive in which OSU took a 13-10 lead saw the Buckeyes run a ridiculous 19 plays chewing up 8:00 and taking back momentum after Oregon had scored 10 quick 2nd quarter points to tie the game. The march was absolutely astonishing as Pryor completed 8/10 while Tressel extended the drive going for a 4th and 1 from the Duck 14.
Even more impressive, OSU controlled the clock for 11:24 of the 4th quarter giving Oregon just 3:36 (8 plays!) to try and overcome what began as a 19-17 deficit before expanding to 26-17 thanks to Pryor’s pinpoint back-shoulder toss to Posey with roughly seven minutes left capping the drive of the season. The killer series, a 13 play, 81 yard march chewing up 6:01 of valuable time, saw Pryor complete 4/5 including OSU’s version of “The Catch”, a 24 yard snag by Jake Ballard on 3rd and 13 giving the Buckeyes a 1st down at the Oregon 31. The drive, and a quick ‘modified three-and-out’ (45 yard FG miss on 4th down) proved a devastating upper cut to the Duck cause setting up the haymaker in the form of Tresselball Classic, 11 straight rushes to run out the final 5:10. Rose Bowl Over. BCS Curse Over. My Angina On Hold Til August.
Looking at the stats, Tressel’s surprisingly open plan saw OSU throw it 38 times and rush it 51. Obviously, 11 straight rushes on the final clock-bleeding possession swayed the stats a bit but how ’bout the sexy fact Pryor threw it unofficially on 16 of 31 first down plays excepting the final drive where throwing the ball on any down would’ve been insane. Man, I’m tearing up again and its been three days.
The Emancipation of Lebron in Cleats?
So, we had stowed away the LiC moniker – I think it was after USC – waiting for the day it became valid again and holy sh!t did it ever against the shocked Ducks (and some sorta-shocked Bucks fans). The kid was simply sensational in what we can only hope was his coming out party.
Pryor: 20 carries, 72 yards (AP photo)I’ll be the first one to admit I had become skeptical if he would ever truly put it together after watching the same mistakes over and over in the first half of the season but I give him all the credit in the world for how he performed down the stretch even if some of his margin for error was masked in the ultra-conservative play calling enabled by a resurgent rushing attack leading up the the Oregon Outburst. Now, I pray the Oregon defense isn’t really the joke I think it might be but still it was the way in which Pryor put up the gaudy stat line of 338 total yards (23/37, 266yds, 2TD/1INT, 20/72 rushing) that gives me reason to think Troy-like-greatness might hopefully be around the corner.
The kid looked in total command of the offense from the jump connecting on 5/8 and converting a huge 3rd and 6 with a 24 yard scramble up the left sideline. Then, the 13 yard TD toss to Saine in which he rolled right and collected himself before calmly placing the ball over Saine’s right shoulder near the goal line, on 3rd and 10 no less, brought the fans to their feet. He flashed his touch once again on OSU’s third possession with a nice running lob to Saine for a 46 yard gainer on a well timed wheel route call setting up a field goal for a 10-0 lead.
Further glimmers of hope for 2010 came as Pryor consistently stepped into his throws completing hot slants to Dane and Posey throughout the evening. He also worked the middle of the field more than we’ve seen in the past including a key 15 yard strike to Boom on 3rd and 11 extending the 8:00 FG drive that recaptured first half momentum. He also had a great night reading man defenders on Posey capped by previously mentioned perfectly placed back shoulder fade to DeVier for the game winning TD.
Lastly, I was very impressed and proud of how Pryor handled himself after the game, projecting a humble yet confident attitude. His teammates raved about the way in which he prepared for the game and how he showed leadership in a way that wasn’t seen to that point. This is great to hear because I was personally unimpressed with how he handled himself at early practices and scrimmages we were able to witness. If the kid truly views this game as a springboard and not just an ‘arrival’ of sorts, then he can do big things leading an offense with nine starters returning.
See-Saw Special Teams
Another veer from the usual Tresselball was the bipolar play of the special units. Kickoff and punt coverage was dismal enough to almost singlehandedly keep Oregon in the game. Leading 10-0, Kenjon Barner peeled off a 28 yard return of a very short (fielded at the 13) Devin Barclay kickoff allowing Oregon to set up shop at the their own 41 yard line. The Ducks would take advantage of the short field as a 37 yard rush by Barner led to a field goal cutting the lead to 10-3. The KO return team would get burned again allowing another big Barner return (39 yards) to start the second half and Oregon took advantage of the field position (own 47) scoring a go ahead TD (17-16) with 11:03 left in the 3rd quarter.
The lackluster coverage would continue as the Buckeyes surrendered a 36 yard return by Barner after answering the Oregon TD with a FG to regain the lead at 19-17. This time, the defense wouldn’t allow Oregon to take advantage though much of the credit goes to LeGarrette Blount for javelin-fumbling out of the back of the endzone for a much needed touch back. Tempting fate one last time, the KO coverage would get scorched again after Pryor’s TD toss gave Ohio State a 26-17 lead with 7:02 to play. The return saw Barner lateral to Cliff Harris who took it 42 yards to the Buckeye 36 but the defense held and Morgan Flint missed a 45 yard field goal to overcome the short field.
Thankfully, the positive side of the special teams equation saw Barclay drill all three of his FG tries (19, 30, 38) with the clutch 38 yarder recapturing the lead for Ohio State at 19-17. The return of Aaron Pettrey was also a successful one as he hit a big 45 yarder to close the first half after Ross Homan’s interception gave OSU the ball at the Oregon 46 with :25 left.
Defense Locks Up Ducks
Hats off to a Buckeye defense that shut down one of the most hyped offenses in recent memory. All we heard was how the Ducks didn’t care about time of possession, they only cared about putting up points as quickly as possible so they could get the ball back and do it all over again. Well, Ducks, welcome to big boy defensive football.
The front four controlled the line of scrimmage with Cam Heyward and Thaddeus Maximus making their presence known early and often. Heyward sacked Pacific Northwest legend Jeremiah Masoli on the third play from scrimmage and forced him to scramble out of bounds on Oregon’s first 3rd down as the high octane offense generated just 17 yards on their opening possession. The Ducks would fare even worse on their second possession as Thaddeus blew up LaMichael James for -3 on first down before Heyward and Devon Torrence closed the door on Masoli for no gain on 2nd down. Masoli got lucky on 3rd down as he hit Anderson Russell in the hands for what shoud’ve been an INT at the Oregon 8 yard line but Russell tipped it then started pouting not realizing the ball was still in the air.
The Silver Bullets would keep the pressure on the Ducks despite the shaky special teams putting Oregon in good field position from time to time. In fact, the Oregon never put together a long scoring drive marching 52 for a field goal, 30 for a touchdown and finally 53 for a touchdown. In total, the Ducks managed just 260 total yards against a season average of 424 as they were held to 20 points under their average. Another telling stat came in the form of Oregon converting just 2 of 11 third downs as Masoli completed only 9 of 20 passes for a paltry 81 yards. Lock down, bitches.
Reflections
In what was a wild ride thanks largely to some early inconsistent offensive line play by a group plagued with injuries coupled with the slower than desired maturation of Pryor, the Buckeyes still accomplished what we projected prior to the season; an 11-2 record capped with a win in the Rose Bowl.
We saw the defensive line live up to their potential thanks to monster campaigns from Doug Worthington, Heyward and Thaddeus, among others and Homan separated himself from the rest of the LB’s as a tackling machine with a penchant for big plays.
While the corners failed to achieve greatness, Devon Torrence seized the boundary corner spot early on and showed he’s got some cover skills combined with an ability to offer run support. Chekwa seemed to regress as the season went along or at the very least he’s got some work to do as it relates to ball skills. He often found himself step for step with receivers this year but struggled to finish plays which isn’t something I’m sure can be taught. As a result, I find it interesting that he appears to be seriously considering a jump to the league whereas the latest on Heyward and Gibson indicates they’ll be back. Personally, I think both should go but obviously I hope they stay with an eye on a title run. And what is Jermale Hines planning to do? There could be some serious holes to fill if things don’t break right for Jim Heacock.
Much respect to the seniors, especially Kurt Coleman, Jake Ballard, Lawrence Wilson and Worthington. Coleman made the most of decision to return and I’m interested to see if he can stick at the next level.
Offensively, I thought at one point this year Jim Bollman might be on his way out but with his comments talking about next year in the interviews after the victory, it seems clear he’ll be back. He only loses two starters in Jim Cordle and Ballard so Mike Brewster, Justin Boren, Bryant Browning and J.B. Shugarts are in place for next year with Mike Adams and Marcus Hall vying for a tackle spot and Jake Stoneburner likely stepping in for Jake. That’s a pretty seasoned group to protect Pryor and allow skill guys Boom, Zoom, Posey, Sanzenbacher plus whoever feels like stepping up in the slot to accomplish great things. Things are definitely looking bright on this side of the ball as we count down the days to spring practice.
I settled in to my bar seat and ordered a Sam Adams. I took my first sip as TP stepped back to pass on the FIRST play. That sip ended up being spewed as a result. I wonder how many other Buckeye fans spit out a $5 glass of beer?
Pam, I decided to drink more since I couldn’t believe what I was seeing unfold.
First beer – tOSU’s first TD
Second beer – Oregon’s first TD
Third beer – Oregon’s second TD
Fourth beer – 3rd field goal, visions of USC loss creeping into consciousness
Fifth beer – Pryor’s TD pass to Posey, Oregon’s missed field goal, game over
VICTORY – sake bombs and spicy tuna rolls at the sushi joint down the street
Re: Kick-Off Coverage/Special Teams
While I believe there is much to be said about our lack of coverage, part of the blame has to be on Barclay’s wimpy soccer leg. It seems like he can ONLY kick it to the 10 yard line (no farther). No wonder he couldn’t make it in the MLS. It’s not like the ball is up in the air long enough for our guys to get down field either. I remember the days when Nuge and Huston kicked the damn ball out of the endzone.. over and over…. *sigh*
On a side note, props to Barclay for being solid at kicking short/mid-range field foals.
He had to be top five in tacles for the game as he made every one on his ko’s.
I told people before the game, if tOSU only has to throw it about 15 -20 times we would win for sure. With 8 passes in the first series and using the pass to set up the run, I was shocked….
I believe the defense for the entire pac 10 was horrible.
Once I saw the neb vs arizona game 33-0.
I thought to my self Arizona put 41 on oregon, and they can’t score a point against nebraska. Hmmm….
Even though oregon’s defense sucks, i like that we Crushed them on offense.
That is what you are supposed to do, and we did it!
One thing i will saw about oregon…. That offense was freaking scary!
lol… i only hope scoring 17 points… People will say in return that defense is freaking scary!
I cant say enough about the obvious great gameplaning…. I think the coaching staff got lazy during the 2006 and 2007 bowl games and a few of the “Big Games” that OSU has lost…… creativity and breaking tendencies can be a backbreaker mixed with talent and good defense. Keep this going into next season….. let’s repeat this performance vs the Hurricanes in week 2!
The game plan was pretty good, I kept wondering why Thadeus, and Williams were just running right at the tackles and locking them up on 3rd down until I realized they were not making huge running lanes for Masoli, and making him throw the ball to beat us. I knew the Oregon WR’s weren’t that good and Masoli couldn’t do anything from inside the pocket.
Hey, Bollman can coach when his job is on the line. and don’t pretend it wasn’t.
hah, I shouldn’t be snarky, and just enjoy the win. I love seeing high percentage passes mixed in with our solid run game. The throw to Saine and Posey were nfl quality, the rest were just timing/read routes. Just how you want a 2nd year QB to play.
I really hope this taste of success brings Cam and Thaddeus back for a real run at the title. We should be a top 5 team if all the juniors come back, with a favorable schedule.
heck of a win for our Bucks, i was really impressed with them. I want to see if they can just take it in stride, and not get big heads, and go to a national championship next year. Of course, this also relies on the fact that most of the players you mentioned, stay. I personally don’t see why Chekwa WOULD leave. He still has a lot to learn.
I am encouraged to hear that the latest word has Thad staying. With him and Cam back, the D line will be incredible again. As for Pryor, I’m very happy for him. Everyone has talked about how hard of a worker he is, and it seemed like he just needed to get out of his own head. This exactly why Tressel put the cuffs on him to finish the year. Now the game has slowed down for him and and he’s only going to go up from here.
After watching the bowls though, I have this feeling the toughest game on the schedule next year is going to be Wisconsin. They have a lot coming back and are going to be very tough.
Can we talk about the first TD pass to Posey that was dropped real quick? That was equally as perfect of a throw as the one that was caught. How many TDs has Posey dropped this year (I still love the kid…just sayin’).
I thought Coleman was overhyped last year but he won me over this year. However, this game was far from his best. I remember at least 3 times when he went for the strip instead of securing the tackle allowing the ball carrier 2 or 3 extra yards (at least one case was for a first).
Honestly the thing that worries me the most is the expectations for next year this causes. My brain is already in the ‘NC or bust’ mentality.
I also felt the first TD was an equally great pass or maybe even a better pass than the one before. Posey really does need to work on those drops. A lot of points were left on the field this year from drops. With the O-line and the return of Thad and Cam, this team will have what it takes to win the national championship, speed on the lines. With the maturation of Pryor and the offense, this team could be scarry good next year.
oficially he has dropped 2
It’s days later … and, it’s still beautiful :)
Yes it is! I can’t wait to watch PTI and Around the Horn to see what they have to say as it was us against the world! But then again, they will probably just spend their time talking about a new experiement to clone Tebow and suggest he should be the next Pope!
ditto
When is the Spring Game?
My first football prediction for 2010…… Brandon Saine will be moved to wide out next season as a glut of talent at RB takes the field and we will be sorely lacking experience at WR. The kid looks much better as a receiver in space than he does a RB.
saine will stay at rb…wr sorely lacking? posey…sanz…carter
I said sorely lacking in experience… Posey and Sanz are the only experience WR’s…… need more depth with experience… alot of Talent at RB coming in…. will prob go 4-5 deep
I still say this team needs to improve leaps and bounds in red-zone offense next year, if we expect to WIN a title. (not COMPETE, but WIN)
6 trips to the red-zone and only 26 points to show? One thing the championship UF teams did well, was scoring from inside the 20.
As for Pryor, many fans expected finished product Vince Young from day 1. What the naysayers aren’t realizing is that at this stage in his career, VY was a (rs)freshman, splitting time with Chance Mauk. (lol) So two years in, I say LIC is doing a HELL of a job.
Also, has anyone heard how Tyler Moeller is doing? Getting him back would be huge.
I hope this Rose Bowl victory will help help propel the team to a strong end to recruiting and help motivate the team to work even harder to achieve more next year. I’m not saying this squad was a championship-caliber team this year, but I think we can all look back at that USC game as one they should have won, and their was just no excuse for them losing to a terrible Purdue team. They could be sitting at 13-0 right now realisticaly.
Think high level recruits…Seantrel Henderson & Jordan Hicks might want to block for TP or runningbacks next year ? We certainly play on a “Big Stage” !!
If we lose Thaddeus to the draft, I still think we’re sitting pretty good with Keith Wells, Solomon Thomas, and Melvin Fellows waiting for a shot.
Keith Wells is going to be a huge surprise for the line in 2010. I have a gut feeling.
What about Nathan Williams as the DE??
williams will be better
I was on CNATI.com today and C Trent had a good write up about Tressel and admitted maybe he was wrong in making fun of his style of coaching. It’s only a couple paragraphs but I usually only link it when he or someone else is ripping Ohio State. He does kind of rip fans for loving the fact that UC got destroyed, and really I kind of do too. Especially when people will cheer for Michigan against Florida, but that’s another story. They proved they don’t belong with the Big Boys though.
http://cnati.com/blogs/ctrent/2010/01/thinking-out-loud-1410.php
As a true fan of OSU FB, I too was shocked to see Coach Tressel call plays that actually HELPED T.P. to build confidence and get into a positive rhythm right from the very first call of the game. I had a huge, almost crazy-looking, smile on my face while watching the OSU clan grow and mature right before my eyes. Hands down, T.P. came to Cali to play, albeit to not eat 8 kilos in Lawry’s (sp?) beef products!
The entire team will be a great to watch next year, as always. And, don’t be surprised if you continue to see a humble Ohio State FB team grace your TV screen all next year. Coach Tressel takes high school boys and turns them into men. Get ready college FB nation, the Buckeye’s are back!
What’s amazing to me is, the college football world has seen the last few years from the Florida game until the win, as a “down” time for the Buckeyes. I’ll take top 5 finishes and BCS bowls as down time, Can’t wait to see them back in the discussion as one of the truly good teams. Can’t wait to see Mark May look like his grandma died every time he has to utter, I like Ohio State in this one” it’s going to be fun next year.
wow. just think about this front 7—thaddeus maximus and cameron at the ends, larimore and williams (or simon) at the tackles, then homan, sabino (or hicks? PLEASE!!!), and rolle. then with young guys who have been raved about in the secondary (i.e. ohrian johnson and travis howard), this looks to be a GREAT defense. if everyone comes back, this is a championship quality team all around (we just need someone to emerge in the return game)
But is Williams big enough to play tackle?
agreed, I’d rather see Williams at end and Heyward at Tackle
I can’t believe how fast that OSU defense was. Right when we saw an open man, he was covered, or what looked like an openfield suddenly turn crowded with silver and red. How is the Pac 10 going to compete with that for the next few years?
Oh Tress, how doth ye play with mine heart? Runneth conservative in contests prior. Hark! Thou unleasheth fleet footed demons and skinned-swine upon the wind come Judgment Day, victory be upon us! Oh we merry band of brothers (and Pam).