Okay...so I am more of a lurker than I am a poster. I am also an old, with the emphasis on old, football coach and I just can't help myself. I watch the game later and break down each position for my own enjoyment. Does anybody else do this?
FWIW...here are my thoughts on the offense through the first few games. If there proves to be any interest, I will share my thoughts on the defense as well.
First, it is difficult to find fault in a team that has scored 170 points in three games. However, J.T. Barrett has not yet played his best football. I know this will be unpopular, but the film does not lie. The QB has yet to play his best game. Most of the Tulsa first half offensive problems fall squarely on Barrett. So far this year, he has made some fairly poor reads in the option game and often throws the ball late from the pocket. The yards gained in those situations have come from superior talent over the competition versus superior execution. Eventually you will face an opponent with equal or superior talent and success must come through execution.
Now I don't pretend to know what he is supposed to do on every play so it is difficult to tell why he is holding the ball. However, he definitely has a hitch, at times, where he thinks about throwing the ball but then changes his mind and doesn't throw it. This leads me to believe one of two things must be true...either he can't find the open receiver or there isn't an open receiver. Both things are bad but it is impossible to tell from the tv replay which is true.
On a positive note, the offensive line mauls people. There is no better way to put it. There are missed assignments every now and then but the hog mollies upfront have been a physical mismatch for all opponents so far. It truly is a joy to watch them work. It is easy to tell they enjoy moving a man from point A to point B against his will. From what I can tell, the group buys into Coach Meyer's 4 to 6 seconds, A to B as hard as you can. You do not find an o-lineman standing around watching the play. Their effort is outstanding on every play.
The weakest link of the bunch is the TE, regardless of who is in the game. That is not to say that Baugh and Alexander are bad players...that would be untrue. But every chain has its "weakest link" and the TE position holds down that spot for the Buckeyes. Spotty and inconsistent blocking and a lack of production in the passing game are the specific reasons for this moniker.
On the other hand, the members of Zone 6 are blocking machines and should be given credit for the Buckeyes averaging 6.1 yards per rush this season. Consider this, the longest run from scrimmage this year is only a 36 yard Curtis Samuel TD run against Oklahoma. Yet the Buckeyes still average 6.1 yards per rush on an average of 50 rushes per game. That is unreal...more than 300 yards rushing per game. For comparison sake, Alabama has averaged a little over 40 rushes per game with a rushing average of 5.3 yards per rush and only a little over 200 yards per game.
For fun, just watch the Zone 6 players in the game during a running play. As a group, they are tremendous blockers. And they do so with vigor, violence and precision on opposing linebackers, safeties and corners.
I welcome all your thoughts. Go Bucks!
