Are you satisfied with the way the NC game turned out?

11 January 2011
20 Comments

Comments

flipbuckeye on 11 Jan 2011 - 8:48am #

Neither team looked impressive, Cam and LMJ looked nothing like the Heisman contenders they were, and the team I wanted to lose more lost.

So yes, I'm satisfied with the way the game played out. Yeah, we all tuned in for an offensive showdown and got everything but that (save for a few brilliant plays drawn up by Chip Kelly), but for the Buckeye-homer and everyone-else-hater in me, this was an even better outcome.

The_Lurker on 11 Jan 2011 - 8:57am #

Pretty much a MEH game for the most part. Armpunt contest in the first quarter. Thomas is not a very good quarterback. I can't help but think they win with Masoli at QB, despite the porous Oregon secondary. Matthews and Rowe are players. Harris is a playmaker but shows poor discipline in coverage and the rest of the Oregon defense leaves me unimpressed. I have a complete new respect for Terrelle Pryor as a player now after watching Newton and Thomas.

It's really surprising the game was close at all if Chizik was right about God being with Auburn. I mean, how do you beat Auburn AND God?

Poe McKnoe on 11 Jan 2011 - 10:42am #

Rowe looks like a mini-Cameron Heyward.

RoweTrain Mod on 11 Jan 2011 - 11:29am #

Yes, I do.

Denny on 12 Jan 2011 - 12:27am #

That is the either the meanest thing I've ever heard someone say about Holly Rowe or the nicest thing I've ever heard someone say about Holly Rowe.

Taquitos.

Kurt on 11 Jan 2011 - 10:59am #

I think the game turned out to be much more of a tactical chessmatch between coaches than most people thought it would be. Great analysts like Chris Brown will have in this game some great material to dissect.

Poe McKnoe on 11 Jan 2011 - 11:23am #

If by tactical chessmatch you mean flailing offenses, then yes.

SilverBullets on 11 Jan 2011 - 11:31am #

Yea let's not confuse offensive letsdowns with defensive triumphs.

Colin on 11 Jan 2011 - 11:56am #

Yes but let's not confuse defensive triumphs with horrible decisions and easy interceptions.

Kurt on 11 Jan 2011 - 12:15pm #

The defenses were doing great things. I'm no expert, but I saw some interesting stuff like lining up with the entire d-line standing, so the o-line couldn't determine who was dropping into coverage or blitzing, lining up defensive ends on wr's then having him spy the qb, lining lb's 3-4 yards deeper than normal then delaying their blitzes... then, of course, there were offensive counters to all these. As I said earlier, I'm really anxious to see what Chris Brown (smartfooball) has to say about the game.

RoweTrain Mod on 11 Jan 2011 - 12:24pm #

Having said linebackers cover wide receivers one on one was not a smart decision however.

The_Lurker on 11 Jan 2011 - 12:28pm #

Ohio State exploited Rowe getting stuck covering the wheel route in the 2010 Rose Bowl. Obviously Gus Malzahn and Gene Chizik watched that tape. Smart coaching by them and dumb by Chip Kelly not to fix that chink in the armor (although he might not have a choice on some calls in particular defensive sets if he guesses wrong).

btalbert25 on 11 Jan 2011 - 11:25am #

I wanted Oregon to win, not because Auburn is SEC, or Cam Newtown is making a small fortune to play there, but because I hate Nick Fairley. He's a thug. He may be a nice dude off of the field, I really don't know. However, his actions on the field are deplorable. He takes cheap shots at people, he has zero sportsmanship, and he legitimately tries to hurt people on the field. It's one thing to go after people and hit them really hard every play. That's a player being a player, it's a totally different thing to take cheap shots to try to knock someone out of the game. Dude has no class, and I hope I witness the game where he gets what's coming to him.

The_Lurker on 11 Jan 2011 - 11:36am #

Fairley is a hell of a player and he doesn't need to play like he wants to decapitate people to be that good. However, after hearing him speak, I find it hard to believe he could pass high school classes, let alone anything offered at any reputable university.

btalbert25 on 11 Jan 2011 - 11:59am #

I'm certainly not going to disagree with you about how good he is. He just has no class and has no understading of sportsmanship. I despise players like that.

William on 11 Jan 2011 - 12:13pm #

Enjoyed this game, because neither team looked anything like a national champion. Both teams floundered and it was enjoyable to see such hyped offenses stall against mediocre to decent defenses. Watching Newton and Thomas completely suck makes me appreciate Pryor even more. Was hoping someone would snap Fairley's ankle all night. Oh well this win will be vacated within a year or two.

tomcollins on 11 Jan 2011 - 12:45pm #

I love defensive struggles and seeing the spread offenses get stuffed by speed is hilarious to me.

The offenses didn't struggle as much as people think. Both teams averaged ~6 YPP, which is above average, but not huge. Both defenses, while not elite, were much better than people thought. There were fewer points than one might expect, but there were 2 TDs stuffed at the 1 yard line, and Auburn was at the 1 when the game ended. That would have put the game at 60 points (I had predicted 66), which is not unreasonable. They put up almost 1000 yards in the game, just both teams had a bend but don't break defense. A very enjoyable game to watch.

-TomCollins

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