11W Mailbag: Talking Ohio State's Offense, Western Michigan's Star Wide Receivers and More

I'm really just curious as to what the feeling is around the locker room after the last two games. Is it still laid back and casual or has it tightened up a bit? — YTOWNBUCKI

I don't know the exact mood of the locker room after the last two victories, just because I haven't been lucky enough to step foot inside there. Hardly any media get that opportunity.

Besides that, though, just going off what the players said following each game and then this week, they know there is plenty of room for improvement. They also know that expectations are ridiculously high for this team, so they're not going to let a 3-0 start and a No. 1 ranking dampen their spirits if they only win a game by a touchdown. My guess is things have been tightened up a bit, to use your term, just because the offense hasn't been proud of the way it has been performing. Believe it or not, guys, they're working on it.

Do you think we will see a balanced run/pass offense? I could see the Buckeyes play selection being pass heavy. What type of offensive scheme will we deploy against Western (i.e. safe passing game, dink and dunk, or traditional Urban Meyer offensive)? — BroJim, Qujo and ScarletNGrey01

Urban Meyer is always going to be the aggressor, but admitted this week on multiple occasions that the offense hasn't been doing that the past two weeks. The reason for that, though, is because he hasn't had the trust in the offensive line to protect long enough in order to stretch it down the field with consistency or the wide receivers to do their job. You have to remember that a lot of those talented guys on the outside are seeing the field in earnest for the first time in their careers, and guys like Jalin Marshall, Dontre Wilson and Corey Smith were suspended. They have to work their ways back.

As far as Saturday goes, I expect Ohio State to throw the ball a lot. There's all this talk and concern over Ezekiel Elliott not getting enough carries, but the reality is that he's averaged 25 in the last two games. He's getting his touches, but the huge gashes that happened at the end of last year was because the line was playing out of its mind and Cardale Jones' arm was a huge threat. Defenses had to play back. That threat isn't there right now with the lack of a deep threat. Meyer and Co. want to change that, and there's only one way to get game reps at it.

Why do you think the offensive line his having such a hard time adjusting to these odd man fronts? Wisconsin, Indiana run a 3-4 and Oregon runs a odd man front so this is nothing new. Also it seems like the play calling is not adjusting as well, I think to my untrained eye they only ran the counter trey one time and thats the play Braxton fumbled the snap? Is keeping our quarterbacks in the backfield and not letting them run putting an extra strain on our offensive line? Seems like we are eliminating 75 valuable yards per game by making Cardale and J.T. essentially pocket passers. — KevinJ, BUCKEYE3M, HoutSauceCommittee and BuckeyeCWRU

There were so many questions about the 3-4 or odd-man fronts from defenses that I just decided to combine them all into one response.

Yes, other teams run odd fronts and have found success against Ohio State in doing so. Due to that, more teams are going to keep doing it this season until the Buckeyes show they can burn it with consistency. As far as the reason the line is struggling to block it, who knows? The guys could be overthinking things and not blocking the right people, just misreading things or even grown a little complacent.

I believe you're correct about Ed Warinner only calling for the counter from Miller the one time, and the outside was there even though he fumbled the snap. He appeared to lose his focus a touch, so maybe that's why they went away from it. Warinner is still adjusting to calling the plays during games, but there's one thing we have to keep in mind: the staff is only going to call plays that they trust the offense to run. The line hasn't been performing, so I'm sure the playbook isn't as wide open as it was at the end of last season. And that's OK — it's not even October yet. There's still plenty of time to get things ironed out.

As far as running the quarterback goes, I think with all the injuries at the position last year coupled with the fact that the talent at the skill positions is so deep, Meyer doesn't want to put either Jones or Barrett in harms way too much. He believes he can get yards in other ways, so why risk it? There's no point with guys like Ezekiel Elliott, Jalin Marshall, Miller and others to run or catch the ball. He wants his quarterbacks to throw the ball and get it out of their hands and into the arms of other guys. That way, the defense can't key just on the quarterback. Besides, Meyer wants more a pro-style attack from his spread, which means that the quarterback does not run the ball a whole bunch. Not doing so sets up the play-action game nicely, which is what he wants more than anything.

How close are the young O-linemen to jumping up and challenging Jacoby Boren and Billy Price (who have appeared to be the under performers through three weeks) for meaningful playing time? Are any positions on the O-line being pushed by second-teamers to the point of shared or more shared time? — Allinosu and OSU_ALUM_05

We haven't spoken to Ed Warinner since right after the Virginia Tech game, so I won't base this answer off anything he's said recently.

Regardless, and not to be too blunt, but no. Boren and Price haven't played as well as they're capable of performing, there's no denying that. Do you really want to pull out two-fifths of the offensive line that mashed people on the way to Ohio State winning it all last year? Really?

The young talent behind them is solid: On his radio show Thursday, Meyer even mentioned Isaiah Prince, Jamarco Jones and Demetrius Knox as guys who have been killing it in practice recently. He added that fans should remember the name Matthew Burrell: "He's getting close."

So yes, there are second team guys making the push for playing time up front. It's like that everywhere though, which is exactly what the staff loves. But unless one of the starting offensive linemen gets hurt, I just don't see them losing their jobs.

How much of the offensive woes can be attributed to the loss of Tom Herman? Using a pie chart, please attribute blame for our offensive ineptitude. Areas where you may place blame include: Warinner on the sideline, neither quarterback getting full reps in practice, Herman gone to Houston, "junk" defenses, no vertical deep threat, and too many playmakers. — Mwk80 and Potatodigger

I sent out a tweet Saturday during the game that mentioned the loss of Herman being a big issue for Ohio State, and I still believe that is a huge part of the "woes."

Herman was, and still is, brilliant. He understood how to connect with kids who play quarterback and develop them, all while being a terrific offensive coordinator. Not to say that Tim Beck can't do those things, but Herman's tenure at Ohio State is going to be tough to top.

The issues with the offense go way beyond where Warinner calls plays, though. Meyer said Jones takes the majority of reps in practice at quarterback, so I think the only thing that holds merit with that is that it's understandable if Barrett isn't as sharp when he plays. Live reps are completely different than mental reps.

I'm not real big into pie charts, though they are easy to read. Plus, I don't really want to take the time to make one. Sorry, I'm lazy. Anyway, on the offensive issues, I think the biggest piece would be that Herman is gone, followed by "junk" defenses, then a lack of a deep threat, and finally having too many playmakers. The only thing that could cause issue with something like the latter is guys pressing when they have the ball in their hands because they know they might not see it again, therefore causing mistakes.

What exactly is the flowchart for the play calls by Beck/Warinner/Meyer? To wit: Beck calls down a play suggestion from the press box to Warinner/Meyer on the sideline, Warinner gives it a go/no-go, Meyer nods consent or overrides with a call of his own? Or does Beck simply rubber stamp what Warinner calls from the sidelines? And, shouldn't the OC be up in the press box in order to have the most advantageous view of the whole field and formations? The present arrangement just seems confusing to me. — GrandTheftHarley

I'm not sure of the exact exchange between Meyer, Warinner and Beck with regards to play calling, but the head coach usually has the final say-so. To boot, here's a quote from Meyer in March when he revealed Warinner will be remaining on the sidelines during games:

"The good thing is, the way we call plays around here, it's not a dictator. I'll call a good chunk of them and Tim Beck's going to assume a lot of responsibility and Ed Warinner's going to be the big ... I'm the game manager. I call a bunch of the plays and then Tim Beck's going to assume some of that responsibility that Tom had last year."

Now whether or not that's changed is a bit unknown, but Meyer did say Monday he's evaluating it, just like everything else on the offense in order to get better production from the unit. Wherever the offensive coordinator works during games is usually a personal preference, but Meyer does not want Warinner away from the offensive linemen. Warinner is the last person the entire offense speaks to before it takes the field, just like last season. Meyer wants to keep it that way.

Do you anticipate a shift in either play calling duties or who sits in the box and who is on the field? — Steve-OH

Dovetailing off my answer from above, I don't think Warinner will be anywhere else during games this fall than on the sideline. Just my hunch with his duties as offensive line coach. Beck could start calling some plays, but that is also doubtful. Remember: He's only been on Meyer's staff since January.

After the first three wins, with some successes and some room for improvement, what are you hoping to see from the game this weekend? What are you going to be keeping a closer eye on? — CTBuckeye

Well, what I'm hoping to see is a well-played football game under lovely weather. As corny as that sounds, that's what I hope for every weekend.

For what I'm going to be keeping my eye on, it's definitely going to be Ohio State's offensive line and quarterback play. I'm anxious to see if Jones plays confidently like he did against Virginia Tech, or if he lacks focus a bit and gets sloppy with his fundamentals. I think that was a big issue against Northern Illinois.

I also am curious how, when and where Ohio State uses Braxton Miller. Whenever he's been in the backfield, he's been the one toting the ball 98 percent of the time so far this year. Will that change? Will the staff electing to do that throw a wrench into a drive like it did against Northern Illinois? We'll see.

As some of the players/coaches have mentioned, at this point in the season last year the Bucks were 2-1. Is this season's progression similar to last in terms of quality of play at this point in the season and we are were blinded by the highlights of last year's postseason run, or is there something more serious going on this year as opposed to last year? — ChicagoBuckeye

Great question. The most obvious difference is Ohio State's the defending Big Ten and national champion, something that wasn't the case last year. That could be the only "more serious" thing that's going on with the team, but I don't really buy it. The season is still so, so young. Even though Ohio State hasn't looked as dominant as anyone thought they would the last two weeks, they're still undefeated and the top-ranked team in the country. What more do you want?

If he gets healthy, is there any chance Torrence Gibson could be a deep threat this year? — BrooklynBuckeye

Not really. He's a freak athlete, no doubt about that, but his ankle injury set him back about two weeks in his progression. I think that, plus the fact that he's a freshman, will keep him from seeing the field much this year. Even if he's able to get on the field, it won't be until later in the year and by that time they might just hold him out and redshirt him.

Also, I received a truckload of questions on freshman running back Mike Weber. He's out this week, as has been reported multiple times on the site. Meyer said Wednesday after practice he might be back at Indiana next week, but his knee isn't ready yet. Tony Alford said Monday the plan still isn't to redshirt him, but it could end up being the case if he doesn't become available soon.

I'll ask it, who will start at quarterback against WMU? Will that be it or will it continue to be either or? If they ever choose one quarterback who will it be and when will we see that? — Squirrel Master and FlyerBuckeye

As Meyer noted Wednesday, Cardale Jones is the starting quarterback. He is "the guy," to quote the head coach, and will continue to be until Barrett beats him out. That was the case against Hawai'i and Northern Illinois. Nothing's changed from that end. So, unless Jones continues to turn the ball over and struggle with his reads, it is his job. Period.

Could the poor offensive performance actually be a deliberate strategy to provide worthless game tape/film once conference play begins? — QuadCitiesBuckeye

What happened with Damon Webb? Is he gone for good? — CC

The only update we've received from Ohio State is that he's suspended for the time being after violating an athletic department policy. Chris Ash said "He will be missed," which can be interpreted many different ways. Me? I think they're preparing to be without his services for the long haul.

Does Western Michigan have any players that we should keep an eye on? Who could do the most damage if the Bucks don't bring it? What do I need to be afraid of with them? — BadApple and FalcotoyourMartel

At last, some inquiries about Ohio State's opponent.

One guy who could threaten Ohio State greatest Saturday is wide receiver Daniel Braverman. The dude's only 5-foot-10 and 177 pounds, but he leads the country in receptions (40) and is super quick. They love to throw it to him on bubble screens or in the flats with the hopes he can make a play. He's priority No. 1 for Ohio State.

Opposite of Braverman is another stud wide receiver in Corey Davis. He snagged 78 receptions for a team-leading 1,408 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2014. Both he and Braverman can certainly challenge any top secondary.

Last, keep an eye on Western Michigan's running back, Jarvion Franklin. With the help of former Michigan running back Mike Hart — who P.J. Fleck hired as running backs coach prior to last season — Franklin earned Freshman of the Year, MAC Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-MAC honors in 2014. He ran for 1,551 yards and 24 touchdowns, averaging a little more than 5.0 yards per carry.

Western Michigan likes to run bubble screens and plays to get guys in the open field and make plays. We haven't had too much of a test this year against that, from what you've seen so far this season, will our defense be prepared to make the open field tackles necessary to shut down their offense? What aspect of WMU's game is most likely to induce mass hysteria on the WMU live thread? — Adamluangraj and NOLABuckeye

Spinning off my previous answer, the biggest aspect of what Western Michigan does offensively will be the bubble and quick screens. If quarterback Zach Terrell is able to connect on a few of those throws to Braverman or Davis and the Broncos can move the sticks, I'm sure that will incite some concern among fans.

To answer the first part of the question, I think Ohio State's defense is very well-equipped to deal with plays like that. The secondary is fast — I mean, really, really fast — and anytime Northern Illinois tried to challenge the unit to the outside be it on a jet sweep or quick pass, Vonn Bell and Tyvis Powell were there almost instantly. Plus, Raekwon McMillan and Darron Lee have been playing excellently at linebacker and fly around to make tackles on plays that run horizontally. Joshua Perry can also cover ground. Whether or not they're able to do it consistently, though, remains to be seen.

Michigan State played AT Western Michigan this year. Ohio State ever contemplate playing home and home games with in-state schools? — Dongbrake44

Excellent question. The answer: Doubtful. Ohio State doesn't want to lose money on anything regarding a football game, at least as much as it can control. That's why you've only seen it host teams like Cincinnati, Toledo or Akron. It's because the opposing team's stadiums don't have anywhere near the capacity of Ohio Stadium. There's a reason the Buckeyes played a "road" game against Toledo at Cleveland Browns Stadium in 2009.

Will it be safe to go back into the deep end if the ship gets righted this weekend? What is your prediction on the final score? — Seattle Linga

I don't think the proverbial ship was ever turned on its side, but that's just me. As I mentioned above, Ohio State is 3-0 and the No. 1-ranked team in the country. Yes, it is no longer unanimous, but things could be much, much worse.

I've got the Buckeyes taking this one, 35-14.

BONUS: How in the world is Auburn rankled No. 25 in the Coaches Poll? — KBonay

¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I didn't watch Auburn get absolutely annihilated by Leonard Fournette Saturday, because the Tigers played LSU at the same time Ohio State hosted Northern Illinois. Later, though, I did see Fournette do Superman-like things to the Tiger defense, who also switched up their quarterbacks this week. How are they still ranked in the Coaches Poll? Probably because the coaches who vote in said poll don't watch the other games that happen outside their own so are therefore a tad short on information when they have to send in their polls.

BONUS: What is your favorite on campus pregame spot? — D1145fresh

I don't get to tailgate anymore because I work on Saturdays, but I used to always go beyond the baseball stadium when I was in college because my best friend's uncle was a part-owner of a tailgate bus and we could score free food and beverages. Great times were had — always.

Outside of that, I always enjoyed going to the Varsity Club on Lane Avenue.