Eleven Warriors

Look out again! The South Eastern Conference maybe holding on to that BCS National Title. The way Alabama and LSU are destroying everyone on the schedule. If the # 1 and #2 team LSU and Alabama has anything to say about it. The BCS National Title will be in the South Eastern Conference one more year. Will there be anyone left standing, when the season ends that is undefeated? Alabama and LSU are playing each other in a few weeks. One of them will be walking away with a win one with a loss. I guess the question after that game, will there be anyone walking at all? The way those teams play defense and the hits those guys are putting on opposing offenses. There may not be anyone left to play anymore games! For more information on the SEC try http://www.secfootballtalks.com for up to date information on the players and the teams around the SEC.

I was listening to some Mizzou fans this morning on the radio discussing their beat down of Iowa State on Saturday.  They were thrilled that the Tigers ran the ball 58 times on Saturday and that Henry Josey (averaging 10 yards per carry this season) finally carried the ball a season high 19 times.  They suggested that the coaching staff might have finally listened to the public cries to do what the team does best.....run the ball.  While I doubt the motivation behind the coaching decision was public outcries, it seems that something changed in their offensive strategy.

Far from suggesting that Ohio State only throws the ball an average of 4 times per game for the remainder of the season I also have absolutely no problem with how the game was called against Illinois.  It resulted in a victory and it focused on what the Buckeyes do best.  It resulted in 4.1 yards per play for the game.  That number is pretty pedestrian by any measure of offenses in modern football, but once again it worked for THAT game.  The Bucks never trailed and there was absolutely no reason to risk an interception on a windy day.

By contrast Illinois threw the ball 34 times on Saturday.  For the game they averaged 4.1 yards per play.  They trailed for 55 minutes, and they turned the ball over 3 times.  They lost.

Illinois completed 20 passes on Saturday for an average of 5 yards per pass attempt.  Of those 20 completions 6 of them went for 4 yards or fewer.  So of the 34 passing attempts only 14 of them resulted in gains of 5 yards or more.  By contrast Ohio State had 21 running plays that gained 5 yards or more and 1 pass play that gained more than 5 yards.  Illinois had 11 running plays that resulted in 5 yards or more gained.  Total offensive plays gaining 5 yards or more were 22 for Ohio State and 25 for Illinois.

It was windy, OSU never trailed, and Miller and the receiving corp are a work in progress.  Why throw?  Just cuz isn't good enough for me.  You play to win the game not to appease public outcries or to pad stats.  Move on Buckeyes, Bucky is next.  Revenge is a dish best served cold and by running the ball.

Everyone is trashing Zook for going for it, it fits the meme that he's a terrible game coach. I actually think it's complicated and he could have been right.

First off, the success rate on 4th and 2 is pretty good, around 60%. If they made it they have a much better chance of getting the TD than they would from the onsides kick, being on the 10 instead of the 50.

Finally if they kick the FG from the 12, they are leaving the best-case scenario as overtime. If they get the first down and then the TD, they still have a chance to make a TD after the onsides kick and win in regulation.

So there are factors going both ways, I can't kill him for going against coach-think in that position. On the other hand I didn't like the play- I'd probably have had Scheelhaase run if I absolutely needed 2.

Let's face it: The 2011 Ohio State football season is an exercise in humility. Between Nick Siciliano avoiding his true calling at Best Buy, Jim Bollman catching flying fish with his mouth and Joe Bauserman dropping scuds on innocent people, we might as well have a little fun.

Laughter helps ease the pain. You know what else helps ease the pain? Drinking games.

Here is a helpful chart for making what's sure to be yet another abysmal performance in Champaign on Saturday (in fairness, this happens with all Buckeye teams) at least somewhat entertaining. At least it might keep you in the bathroom instead of in front of your TV.

[The 11W legal team says that this game is only to be played by readers over the age of 21, that nobody should actually do this and that if you do choose to participate, anything you do to yourself or others is your fault and not ours.]

Illinois 2011

Well, I’m back from a totally unwarranted one game suspension. I go to a friend’s beach house in the Outer Banks for a few days of golf and the NCAA calls that an improper benefit, so I miss the Nebraska game. Can’t anyone have fun?  Speaking of fun…how about the first half in Lincoln?  It looked like we had the Buckeyes of old back on the field.  Then the second half happened and we were back in the sinkhole which this season is rapidly becoming.  Hey, all is not lost we are only 2 games out of first place in the Liebowitz Davison of the Big Ten (12) with plenty of football to be played.

What happened in Lincoln?  One minute we are cruising along looking like the 1975 Buckeyes with a 21 point lead.  Then our QB limps off and our non-QB starts throwing the ball places Google Maps has yet to chart.  When Braxton left everything changed.  The play calling went from Bill Walsh to Bill Murray.  The tackling, inexplicably, went from Jack Tatum to Tatum O’Neil.  Momentum changed sides faster and further than Chaz Bono.  All in all it ended up with one of our most disheartening defeats in recent memory.

Oh there were bright spots.  Braxton Miller played better than most expected him to before next season. Hankins, Simon and the rest of the D-Line dominated the Huskers for 30 minutes. Left tackle Mike Adams made his season debut and impressed.  Carlos Hyde ran like a bull.  Then everything changed.  Still it was an improved performance over the Michigan state fiasco.  It just ended in an epic collapse.  At half time I would have given Luke a 65% chance of keeping his job.  Now I would give him a 40% chance, and that is generous.  I don’t like that.  I don’t think it is fair to Luke, but this is big boy football and this team has to play a lot better to save Luke’s job.  It needs to start this week in Champaign-Urbana.

Elsewhere last week:
The Sooners made an example of the Texas Longhorns and a joke out of the Red River Rivalry by neutering Bevo on national TV.  Maybe the Sooners deserve to be in the discussion with LSU and Alabama after all.

LSU handed the Florida Gators their second straight wacking.  Maybe Urban wants to return to Gainesville. 

The Weasels overcame a bunch of Denurd interceptions to somehow rout Northwestern.

This week:  Not much happening on the national scene this week.  Might be a good weekend for Nike and Under Armor to break out some new hideous uniforms.  Penn State could use a splash of color.  Iowa’s copy of the Steelers is getting a bit dated. 

Michigan at Michigan State – Are the 6-0 Weasels for real?  Win this game in East Lansing and I will believe it.  I think the Spartans get it done and Coach Hoax looks less and less like Bo Schembechler and more like Bo Didley.

Arizona State at Oregon- Not sure if we should care, but this is probably as meaningful a game the PAC 10, 12 or whatever the hell they  are, can produce this year.  At least until the Ducks travel to Stanford on November 12.  Ducks soar this week.

South Carolina at Mississippi State – Now that the Steven Garcia era has officially and permanently ended (or has it?) can the old ball coach just keep running the ball?  Please!
The top 3 teams will roll as OU faces Kansas, and in Conference Bubba LSU travels to Tennessee, and Bama visits Ole Miss.  None will be challenged, though the Tide’s game might be interesting for a while.

Ohio State at Illinois – Ron Zook.  The thought of losing to guy makes my intestines ache.  Maybe it is the amount of Irish whiskey it took me to get over the Husker debacle.  No, it is definitely Ron Zook.  Ron Zook, with all his SEC bluster and funny facial expressions has the Illini 6-0 for the first time since Red Grange. C’mon man, even Brent Musberger can’t remember back that far. Illinois has a soph QB, Nathan Scheelhaase, who they think is the next Jeff George. Seriously, nobody besides his mother liked Jeff George.  I just like reminding the Illini faithful of their legacy.  I think the Buckeye defense plays for 60 minutes and dominates.  Braxton is good enough and our running backs pound them.  Buckeyes 24 Illinois 14.

Note to the world:  It has come to my attention that the NCAA has cleared Auburn of all wrong doing in the Cam Newton saga.  Wow!  And Miami still has had only one player suspended for more than one game.  The NCAA knows justice like Charlie Sheen knows sober.

Being consistently good (not great) can open more doors because, while you may never dazzle, you still produce.  Of course, if you're consistent at something, and you're always terrible... then you're probably named Jim Bollman.

Let's take a trip back to 2005 and look back at the offensive talent.

QB: Troy Smith (Future Heisman Trophy Winner, NFL Draft Pick)
WR: Anthony Gonzalez, Ted Ginn, Santonio Holmes (ALL OF WHOM WERE FIRST ROUND NFL DRAFT PICKS!!!)
WR #4: Roy Hall (NFL Draft Pick)
RB: Antonio Pittman (First Day Draft Pick)
OL: Nick Mangold (First round draft pick, starts for Jets), Rob Sims & Doug Datish (NFL draft picks)
TE: Ryan Hamby

You may have noticed something.  TE is the only key position without premier NFL talent.  Boy oh boy, this offense must be remembered as one of the best of the decade (or all time). Could you imagine what RichRod would've done with that fleet of talent?  Now, keep in mind they were complimented with an elite defense.

So, how did they fare against top talent?
Texas: 22 points (lost by 3)
Penn State: 10 points (lost by 7)
Michigan: 25 points

Even when factoring in the crap teams (Miami Oh, SDSU, etc...) they were only 5th in the Big Ten in points per game.  That's it!  Five out of eleven.  They were a middle of the pack Big Ten offense.  They assembled the best offensive talent in recent memory but finished a notch above mediocre.

And their offensive coordinator: Jim Bollman.  How the hell is this guy employed????  Is anyone really shocked at this year's futility?  They have talent; however, he needs a future NFL unit just to achieve mediocrity.

The curse of #2 is in full effect.

Not only do we all have hallucinations of #2 arm punting and gliding his way past opposing defenders effortlessly, but so far this season the current #2's have been about as good as that other "Number Two".

Rod Smith played himself out of a role on the team with a couple of poorly timed fumbles, and with the return of Boom is doubtful to make his way between the lines against anyone not named Indiana.

The heartburn that Smith caused us as #2 is a distant memory by now though.  Smith was not going to make or break this team in the long run because of depth at RB.  He has a chance to become a contributor in 2012 or 2013 perhaps.

The other #2 is a source of much more consternation presently.  Christian Bryant has taken over the role at the revolving-door-safety-spot and his performance against Nebraska can only be summed up as an EPIC FAIL.  Bryant has been described as "fiery" and clearly enjoys making tackles and standing over the victim while talking noise.  He is very aggressive and is definitely the player most likely to get flagged for leading with his helmet.  However, in a couple of situations this past Saturday when being overly aggressive was the incorrect course of action #2 completely and blatantly  "Number Two'ed down his leg". 

While Smith's "Number Two" performances did lead to some heartburn Bryant's "Number Two" performances led to 14 points for the bad guys.  BRUTAL!!!!!

As anyone who has read my blogs will know I feel that Buckeye Nation is presently being punished by the Football Gods.  No clearer example exists to me than the fact that #2's have played so poorly this season.  Sure it's just a number and can't really mean anything.  However, with the wounds of the early 2011 so fresh and borderline gangrenous the #2 curse is very real in my mind.

Let's pray for a speedy exorcism.

First posted by Brady at Inside The Shoe.

I don’t know if I would feel better today about a complete blowout in Lincoln, NE or the way things really went down on Saturday night. On one hand, the offense looked fairly competent during the first half giving me hope for the future. On the other hand, coping with complete melt-downs like the one witnessed in the 4th quarter are a really tough pill to swallow.

Braxton Miller finally showed glimpses of what may be in store for OSU during the first 30 minutes on Saturday night. He looked more comfortable in the pocket and appeared to know when to scramble to pick up crucial first downs. His throws were much better than in previous weeks and it really looked like the rout was on when the Bucks pushed the lead to 27-6 early in the third quarter. Then Braxton showed that he is still 18 years old and gave Nebraska a cheap touchdown with a fumble deep in Buckeye territory. Things would go downhill quickly from there. The offense completely abandoned the things that were working for most of the game and the defense also began to show signs of panic.

I’m not sure who to blame for this epic collapse. Bollman and Fickell definitely showed that they are still not ready for the limelight. Conservative calls and questionable game management reared their ugly heads once again. Although, when Braxton went down with a sprained ankle there wasn’t much the coaches could do to cover up the horrendous play of Joe Bauserman. He never would have been in the game if hadn’t been for Miller’s reckless runs into the Nebraska defense. Braxton took a number of huge hits that I am convinced helped get him out of the game. I realize it was a sprained ankle but Miller had his bell rung a number of times that may have led him to second guess going back in the fourth quarter. I’m not trying to question his toughness or will to play but we all knew what was going to happen when Joey Ballgame stepped on to the field.

Even in my buzzed/homer state on Saturday night, I stated to my friends that the game was over at that point even though OSU still held a 14 point advantage. I wished I was wrong but I knew I was right.
This is turning out to be a lost year for Ohio State. The suspensions and lack of overall talent are turning this campaign into a nightmare. It is a really weird feeling as the state of Ohio is not used to football being played like this. The last decade has spoiled me and I’m not quite sure how to deal with these losses. It really sucks not being able to get amped up for games that matter on the weekend. I am literally terrified to attend the Wisconsin game in a couple weeks.

I think we can all agree that Fickell and his staff are in way over their head and are only there to hold the fort down this season. It will take a huge splash in the coaching department to stabilize this program for next year. Whoever is hired in the off season will have to have some flash to keep that recruiting pipeline open and to stop the bleeding right away. We don’t want to turn into a Michigan or Penn St. due to one bad season. I have faith that this job will attract the best of the best and look forward to starting over next season. Wait, what’s that you say? There are still 6 games to go this season? I guess I will just have to stock up on Rolling Rock and Tylenol to get me through the Fall.

Completely ripped off from MGoBrian.

He explains his terms here http://mgoblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/hennechart-legend.html

2 inaccurate passes, the first on a 3rd and 7 in the first quarter is more of a miscommunication than an inaccurate, Stoneburner is running a hook, Miller expects it inside, Stoneburner makes it outside.  The second is early in the third quarter on 2nd and 9 Miller rolls left and overthrows an open Fields near the end zone.  The bad read really deserved to be a pick as Miller broke out of the pocket then floated a ball into double coverage.   It was nice to  write one of these up again where the inaccurate and the bad reads were the exception rather than the rule.

Runs

The QB draw was run 3 times once for 24 yards, once for 29 yards and Miller fumbled the snap on the third.  Neither defense in this game had an answer for the qb running the football, unfortunately Ohio State only had their qb for a little over a half.

Receivers

Nice to see you again Corey Brown.

This next table is similar to what I think mgobrian is doing with his receiving chart but I am unable to find a link to his explanations so mine will have to do.  The first digit in the grade is from the receiver’s point of view, 4 easy to 1 impossible.  The second digit indicates the presence of the defender (1 there, 0 not there) at the time the ball hits the receiver’s hands.  When I say there, I mean close contact.
Therefore:
11  Bad pass, tight coverage.
10  Bad pass, no defender to stop it
21  Really tough ball to catch and in tight coverage.  A catch on this means the receiver is saving his qb.
20  Really tough ball to catch, no coverage.
31  Ball outside the strike zone, tight coverage
30  Ball outside the strike zone, no coverage
41  Ball on the money, tight coverage
40  Ball on the money, no coverage

Good day for Miller

For the receivers this is catches/opportunities

By the book game for the receivers.  Fields did have a drop that would have been for a big gain that was wiped out by a holding penalty.

Buckeye Nation, I beg you to repent, ask for forgiveness, sacrifice a chicken or something.

I know there are long suffering fan bases throughout this great nation.  I know there are lovable losers and plenty of folks who have had their collective hearts ripped out by their favorite sports teams, but I contend that being an Ohio State Buckeyes fan is as tough as it gets in the world of sports.

That statement will strike a chord with Buckeye fans, and it will likely flat out piss off fans of teams who have never been to the top of the mountain.  I can see the comments to follow, "I would take 50 seasons of losing for just 1 National Championship" or "you are a spoiled a-hole" or perhaps some even less flattering than those.  Well, you can't please everyone.

So it begs the question in my mind..........WHY????  What did Ohio State do to deserve such heartache???  Please someone tell me so we can atone and move on.  Move on to happy days filled with B1G championships and Heisman Trophies and crystal trophies.  At this point I would actually just be happy to move on to happy days without National TV embarrassments.  Forget about the championships for a bit, just give me a winning season and a win over Michigan.  How many Hail Mary's do I have to say for that?  How many chicken carcasses need to be in my trash bin to accomplish that modest goal?

The list is getting almost too long to bear.  Desmond Howard's pose, 41-14, 38-24, 0-9, 35-3 those were all really painful, however, some others have even been harder to stomach like 24-28 in 1998, 2-10-1, 22-25 in C-bus vs VY, 15-18 in 2009, 21-24 2009 Fiesta Bowl, Tatgate et. al, and now 27-34 in Lincoln.  PAIN.  NIGHTMARE.  CRUEL AND UNUSUAL.

What makes it soooooooooooo hard is that it seems to always come with a tease.  A late lead against VY's Texas.........dagger.  A late lead against USC in 2009...........dagger.  A late lead against Texas in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl...........dagger.  A win over an SEC team in a bowl............erased, and now 2011 Lincoln.  Feelings of hope and visions of victory all snatched away with a rolled ankle..................dagger.

Of course most of those losses come with a counterpart win.  1997 Rose, 2002 Michigan, 2002 Fiesta, 2006 Michigan, 2010 Rose and the feeling after 2011 Sugar will never be completely erased.  Celebration.  Joy.  Adrenaline Rush.  You know what though?  The pain lasts longer.  The pain hurts more.  The pain keeps you up at night.  The pain sucks.

So where do we go from here?  Of course we will press on.  We will cheer.  We will gnash teeth.  We will suffer and we will celebrate, but the pain has left scars that will never go away.  Perhaps that's just comes with the territory, but right now that doesn't seem to give me any comfort.