Twitter Link to Space Coyote.
https://x.com/SpaceCoyoteBDS?s=20

This is from Space Coyote, a TCUN guy, yes but a good and fair analyst. It's one of the few X's & O's discussions I've seen of the debacle last week. Obviously, things were bad with the OL and our QB situation but whatever the plan was, once DB went down, it looks like there wasn't anything the coaches felt they could do.

Let's just start with a general disinterest from everyone on offense, as if they spent the entirely bowl season worrying about finishing a recruiting class or securing NIL deals

Let's get caveats out of the way. You had an offense largely built off MHJ, and obviously he was out. You lost your starting QB for the year, also doesn't help (bowl practice doesn't replace season planning, fall camp, and full season of planning). The OL never topped out as good So not a great starting point. But by mid-season you found things that were applicable to McCord that applied to an overall trajectory could be built off tonight: down hill and gap runs, hard PAP, you know, an identity. You ran it down Michigan's throat a billion straight plays!

To set the stage, you got a bunch of bowl season hype of the QB that couldn't beat out the QB that left, and even for the FR that probably just wasn't ready. You heard about how much they took to heart the UM loss, how they wanted to prove themselves, how so many are coming back OK, whatever, but, you finished the season building on some things, and one of those guys coming back with an up trajectory was Henderson. Hey, it all fits together, let's feature this guy and our improving OL and build around these up-and-coming QBs!

So the very first play of the game you run a gimmick alignment with the TE in the backfield and the RB running a jet sweep outside the formation because you don't trust your OL to win on the first snap Your second play is a tunnel screen where your QB's feet are moving like he's running a ladder drill and he doesn't get it there. His first drop back pass also has bad footwork and it's three and out. Not great, but it happens...

So you come out and finally run some things that make sense. A stick, a hitch, a tight zone, a heavy personnel power, you move the ball! And then you stall out and just never really get back to any of it in a meaningful way Meanwhile, in this game where you want to feature your run game, your OL looks like it's asleep (maybe there's a panic move because your C situation was bad all year, not really sure there). Not ID'ing anything Mizzou is doing at the second level in your zone scheme or pass pro I mean, that's not great, but your new up-and-coming major talent WRs also look like they aren't focused when the ball comes their way.

But remember you had that Power run that worked!? Better never run another interior gap scheme again on the night I'd rather just keep running wide zone, and sweep, and Counter OT, and end around, and sweep, Hey! a successful tight zone at least! Sweep, and so on OL not doing great but ya know we're featuring the run game, we built a nice play action offense over the course of the year that has always been pretty good in the Day tenure, can allow for max protect for the struggling OL and simplify the QB's reads, utilizing the WR talent... Let's wait until the 4th quarter to call it and then only do it twice...

What the fuck was your plan?! What message were you sending any of your players?! You don't trust your QB, your OL, your young WRs, and not setting up your supposedly returning stars (Egbuka and Harrison) to do anything? What are we doing here? Now look, when you can't pick up first downs, it is very difficult as a play caller to get a rhythm. Things can absolutely snow ball. But there was no real plan from the start. They went into this game with a grab bag, unfocused, mumble-gumble offense with low ceiling potential This was the worst total offensive performance by Ohio State since at least 2011, probably longer, and I watched that full 2014 game vs MSU. There was effectively no redeeming quality to anything that happened on offense. And it left an otherwise stellar D performance out to dry

Mod Edit:  Tried to clean it up a bit and added Twitter link
We'll see if it holds up or gets the -10.  Good Luck