Unfortunately, due to obligations, I was not able to make a long write up for this week’s edition of the play-by-play breakdowns. Furthermore, while the defensive play-by-play will be complete, it will be added to next week’s write up alongside the Penn State game. Unfortunately, I just ran out of time this week. I am changing the process and some of my schedule is clearing up so these should start getting posted earlier in the week.
Here is the play-by-play drive:
| Time | Yard Line | Down | Distance | O Formation | D Package | Front | High | Type | Box | Play | Player | Yards | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Quarter | |||||||||||||
| 14:46 | I29 | 1 | 10 | Pistol 3W Y Flex Stacks Y Jet | 4-2-5 | Over | 3 | Run | 6 | Split Outside Zone | Henderson | 1 | Iowa slants hard to the boundary, so this is a tall task for the line. I would like to see Stover (-1) go for someone in the box, whether it is double-teaming the guy Johnson is blocking, or by trying to get up to the second-level to get the backside linebacker. It is a hard play as hard as Iowa is flowing, but if he double-teams the lineman, Johnson can cut off the backside linebacker, which would give Henderson a hole. Play-calling -0.5 for Iowa's anticipation. |
| 14:34 | I28 | 2 | 9 | Gun 3x1 | 4-2-5 | Under | 3 | Pass | 6 | Improvisation | Egbuka | 0 | Protection +1, as Jackson gets beat after 3s, which is a tough ask. Johnson (+0.5) is good here. I am a little surprised that Stroud (-1) doesn't throw this one to Harrison, as he was one-on-one, but I couldn't see the coverage. Either way, I am dinging him, as he looked at an open JSN for a couple of yards. Throw away. |
| 14:11 | I28 | 3 | 9 | Gun | 4-2-5 | Show Blitz | 2 | Pass | 6 | Switch Dig | Egbuka | 0 | Egbuka (-2) isn't looking for the ball and can't make the difficult catch. Stroud (+1) throws a good ball after identifying the pressure. Honestly close to being a really nice play, though I think Stroud mis-identifies the safeties, as he does not expect one high safety after seeing two at the snap. Play-calling -1.. Field Goal. |
| 13:07 | O24 | 1 | 10 | Gun 11 Empty | 4-2-5 | Base | 3 | Pass | 4.5 | Spacing | Stroud | FUM | First time all year Stroud's really gotten hit like this. Jackson (-2) doesn't see the stunt happen at all, probably because Johnson (-2) doesn't alert him that it is coming based on Jackson's reaction. Protection -2. Iowa also had nice coverage on this one, as the linebacker disguises his coverage to the field before covering JSN over the middle. Rough all around. |
| 13:00 | O25 | 1 | 10 | Pistol 3W Trips Jet H | 4-2-5 | Base | 2 | Run | 6 | Windback | Henderson | 4 | Smith-Njigba (-1) probably needs to crack the linebacker here if Stover is blocking down. Doesn't need to get a great block, just needs to get in the way. Then Henderson is one on one with a corner if he even just gets a piece. Still, he was one on one with a linebacker in space, which isn't a bad matchup. Play-calling +1 for equating numbers. |
| 12:39 | O29 | 2 | 6 | Gun Y Flex | 4-2-5 | Under | 1 | Pass | 7 | Smash | Harrison | 5 | Stroud (+1) reads the route concept correctly and makes a good throw to Harrison, who makes a routine catch. |
| 12:11 | O34 | 3 | 1 | Gun | 4-2-5 | Base | 1 | Run | 7 | Inside Zone | Henderson | 4 | Matt Jones (+2) does a nice job of finishing a block after getting beat to the inside. Henderson (+1) has a nice juke to get the first down. |
| 11:54 | O38 | 1 | 10 | Gun | 4-2-5 | Over | 1 | Run | 6.5 | Quick Pitch | Henderson | 9 | Henderson (+2) nearly gets caught for a loss, but picks his way back inside behind an excellent block from Wypler (+2) which gets him nine yards. |
| 11:39 | O47 | 2 | 1 | Gun | 4-2-5 | Over | 2 | Pass | 6 | PA Levels | Harrison | 5 | Stroud (+0.5) makes a good throw and Harrison (+0.5) makes a routine catch. |
| 10:50 | I48 | 1 | 10 | Pistol 3W 3x1 | 4-2-5 | Base | 2 | Run | 6 | Split Outside Zone | Williams | 14 | Dawand Jones (+2) with a solid block, and a nice job of identifying who he is blocking. This is helped quite a bit by Williams (+2) who cuts this all the way back with Iowa slanting hard again. Play-calling +1 for running with a numbers advantage. |
| 10:29 | I34 | 1 | 10 | Gun | 4-2-5 | Over | 2 | Pass | 6 | PA Seam | Fleming | 26 | Fleming (+2) makes a difficult catch after an okay throw from Stroud. Love Fleming's route here too. Play-calling +1 as Iowa is looking for the run here. |
| 9:49 | I8 | 1 | 8 | Pistol 3W 3x1 H Jet | 4-2-5 | Base | 2 | Run | 6 | Split Outside Zone | Williams | -4 | Matt Jones (-1) gets off his block too fast. Jackson (-1) also beat way too quickly. Iowa being extremely aggressive with outside zone. |
| 9:17 | I12 | 2 | 12 | Pistol 3W Y Flex T Mtn Out | 4-2-5 | Over | 2 | Pass | 6 | Tunnel Screen | Egbuka | 10 | Stover (+1) and Wypler (+0.5) with good blocks here on the screen. Gives them a chance on third. |
| 8:18 | I2 | 3 | 2 | Goal Line Strong | Goal Line | Goal Line | 0 | Run | 11 | Iso | Williams | 2 | Rossi (+2) and Fryar (+2) with outstanding blocks make Williams' (+1) job easy. Honestly not sure what to call this play due to Johnson (+2) blocking down. |
| 6:39 | I27 | 1 | 10 | Pistol 3W Y Flex Stacks Y Jet | 4-2-5 | Over | 2 | Run | 6 | Split Mid Zone | Williams | 0 | Stover (-1) identifies the right guy, at least. Still, the defender cuts underneath him and makes a good tackle at the line. Matt Jones (-1) blocks the wrong guy, so even if Stover gets the block, this probably isn't a big gain. |
| 6:14 | I27 | 2 | 10 | Gun Y Flex T Mtn Out | 4-2-5 | Boundary | 2 | Pass | 5.5 | Tunnel Screen | Smith-Njigba | 7 | Iowa was not covering the screens much. Defensive line is always late to react because they are so aggressive. Wouldn't have minded seeing more of these. Play-calling +1. |
| 5:23 | I20 | 3 | 3 | Gun | 4-2-5 | 5-1 Over | 0 | Run | 8 | Mid Zone | Williams | -2 | Play-calling -2 as the late motion from Iowa caused the box to be loaded for this run. Williams (-1) is one on one with the safety, but tries to bounce it outside instead of cutting it back. Stover (+1) and Dawand Jones (+1) almost make this play work. |
| 2:24 | I34 | 1 | 10 | Gun | 4-3 | Under | 2 | Pass | 7 | PA Circus | Harrison | 15 | Perfect time to call a seven-man protection with the blitz. Harrison one-on-one with the safety is easy yards. Stroud (+2) gets to his second read and throws a good pass to Harrison (+1.5), who makes a difficult catch. By the way, I have been watching JSN, and he looks good on his routes. |
| 1:48 | I19 | 1 | 10 | FOX | FOX | FOX | FOX | Pass | FOX | TE Slip Screen | Dawand Jones | -5 | Illegal Formation. Dawand Jones (-1). Stover (+1.5) does a nice job with what he is given. I have to grade him here because it would be a shame not to. |
| 1:45 | I24 | 1 | 15 | Gun Twin TE Pair F Jet | 4-2-5 | Over | 2 | Run | 6 | GC Counter | Henderson | 9 | Like the block from Stover (+1). Johnson (+0.5) Jackson (+0.5) and Wypler (+0.5) have nice blocks as well. Henderson (-1) nearly had a touchdown but cut a bit too hard. If he stays on his feet and stays the course he gets a couple extra yards. Play-calling +1 for getting an extra blocker. |
| 0:58 | I15 | 2 | 6 | Pistol Pair Y Flex Tight | 4-2-5 | Over | 2 | Run | 7 | Power | Henderson | -3 | Jackson (-2) gets beat immediately and falls down. Would have good yardage otherwise. Love seeing them run power and counter. Iowa not defending these as well as they do zone runs. Would likely have been a first down if Jackson holds up. |
| 0:19 | I18 | 3 | 9 | Gun Y Flex | 4-2-5 | Show Blitz | 0 | Pass | 7 | Smash | Smith-Njigba | 0 | Stroud (+1) reads this well and throws a good pass to Smith-Njigba, but the ball is uncatchable. This is blatant pass interference. Stroud could have thrown this a bit earlier, but this is a poor no-call. Play-calling +1 for getting Smith-Njigba on a safety. Field Goal. |
| Second Quarter | |||||||||||||
| 10:07 | O25 | 1 | 10 | Gun | 4-2-5 | Over | 3 | Pass | 6 | Checkdown | Henderson | 4 | It is hard for me to see what is happening downfield, but this is a fine checkdown to pick up a couple yards. Stroud (+0.5) makes a good decision. |
| 9:58 | O29 | 2 | 6 | Gun 3x1 | 4-2-5 | Base | 2 | Pass | 6 | PA Comeback | Egbuka | 13 | Buckeyes go hurry-up here.Stroud (+2) throws a perfect pass, and Egbuka makes a routine catch. Protection +0.5. |
| 9:27 | O42 | 1 | 10 | Pistol 3W X In 3x1 | 4-2-5 | Under | 3 | Run | 7 | Split Zone | Henderson | 5 | The unblocked corner makes the tackle. Well-executed play. |
| 9:03 | O47 | 2 | 5 | Gun 3x1 | 4-2-5 | Over | 4 | Pass | 6 | Smash | Smith-Njigba | 0 | The infamous play. For the record, I think JSN was running well in and out of his breaks up until this point. Obvious limp. Because JSN pulls up a little (maybe even after getting his legs tied up), I can't evaluate this throw. I could believe that this is a long-term or short-term issue. Who knows. Smash concept with a hook instead of a quick hitch. |
| 8:36 | O47 | 3 | 5 | Gun Y Flex 3x1 | 4-2-5 | Over | 4 | Pass | 6 | Out | Egbuka | 0 | Stroud (-1) throws an inaccurate pass and the ball is uncatchable for Egbuka (-1). I like the anticipation he throws with, but I would like him to stay a little bit more calm in the pocket here; he doesn't have to bail that early. Egbuka gets locked up one on one. Matt Jones (-1) gives up some pressure here. Protection -1. |
| 6:38 | I33 | 1 | 10 | Pistol 3W Jet H | 4-2-5 | Over | 1 | Run | 7 | Mid Zone | Williams | 3 | Williams cuts this all the way back (+1, -0.5), which is not a bad idea as Jackson decides to block the backside linebacker instead of the play-side safety in the hole. Either way, I think this was the right decision, but instead of continuing to run upfield after gaining two yards, he starts moving horizontal, so instead of gaining another 3-4 yards, he only gains one. |
| 6:26 | I30 | 2 | 7 | Gun | 4-2-5 | Over | 2 | Pass | 6 | Curl | Stover | 5 | Stroud throws a good pass to Stover, who makes a routine catch. |
| 5:52 | I25 | 3 | 2 | Gun Twin TE Unbalanced | 4-3 | Over | 1 | Run | 8 | Inside Zone | Williams | 0 | Matt Jones (-1) gets knocked over immediately, but maintains at least some of a block. This does prevent the first down. More than anything though, this is running into a stacked box. Play-calling -1. |
| 5:02 | I25 | 4 | 2 | Gun 3x1 | 4-3 | Field | 1 | Pass | 7.5 | Ohio | Egbuka | 14 | Stroud (+1) makes a good throw to Egbuka (+1), who makes a routine catch. Play-calling +1 to trust these wide receivers to win one-on-one matchups. |
| 4:44 | I11 | 1 | 10 | Ace Pair 3x1 | 4-3 | Base | 2 | Run | 7.5 | Inside Zone | Williams | 3 | Dawand Jones (-1) is a bit slow to block the linebacker, but Williams (+0.5) cuts left instead and gets a couple yards. |
| 3:53 | I8 | 2 | 7 | Pistol 3W 3x1 | 4-3 | Over | 0 | Pass | 7.5 | PA Pivot | Stroud | 0 | Stroud (-2) throws an inaccurrate pass, and the ball is uncatchable. Harrison (+2) with a ridiculous route. Play-calling +1 as this should have been a touchdown. |
| 3:46 | I8 | 3 | 7 | Gun Y Flex 3x1 | 4-3 | Wide | 0 | Pass | 8 | Fade | Harrison | 0 | Play-calling -2, as the simulated pressure screws up Ohio State's pass protection. Stroud is pressured, and the ball is uncatchable. Field Goal. |
| Third Quarter | |||||||||||||
| 15:00 | O25 | 1 | 10 | Ace Pair | 4-2-5 | Over | 3 | Pass | 6.5 | PA Dagger | Stroud | INT | Stroud (+1, -3) throws into triple coverage leading to an interception, and the ball is uncatchable for Fleming. Stroud gets a point for navigating the pocket well. It should not have been called an interception, but this was a bad read. After getting pressured, he only realistically had 1 player to throw to, but he should have tried to throw it away or pick up a couple yards on the ground. Play-calling -1, as Ohio State has 8-blockers for only 5 rushers. Johnson (-2) gets beat nearly immediately. |
| 14:49 | O45 | 1 | 10 | Gun 3x1 Jet X Unbalanced | 4-2-5 | Under | 2 | Run | 6 | Jet Sweep | Egbuka | 4 | Fleming (+1) and Henderson (+2) have good blocks, with Henderson getting a pancake. Xavier Johnson (-1) can't get his first block, but Egbuka (+0.5) makes up for it. |
| 14:43 | O49 | 2 | 6 | Pistol 3W | 4-2-5 | Over | 2 | Penalty | 6 | Offsides | N/A | 5 | N/A |
| 14:17 | I46 | 2 | 1 | Pistol 3W | 4-2-5 | Over | 2 | Run | 6 | Mid Zone | Henderson | -4 | Iowa moves down an extra defender late. Matt Jones (-1) doesn't get to the second level in time, but this is a tough play for him. Henderson (-1) also probably loses more than he needs to by going outside, but he was dead to rights in the backfield regardless. Spectacular play by the linebacker. |
| 13:32 | O50 | 3 | 5 | Gun 11 Empty | 4-2-5 | Pinch Tackles | 2 | Pass | 6 | Spacing | Stroud | 0 | I actually think Stroud's (-1.5) initial instinct of throwing this one is correct. I think he second-guesses himself after seeing the open green grass in front of him. He takes off, but can't get to the first down due to the defensive tackle recovering. He was not going to get the first down even if he did run. Stover is open. Don't believe the fans CJ! You don't actually need to run to be successful! |
| 11:44 | I15 | 1 | 10 | Gun Y Flex Trips Bunch | 4-2-5 | Under | 1 | RPO | 6 | RPO WR Screen | Egbuka | 4 | Stroud (+1) makes a good decision to throw the screen, and Egbuka makes a routine catch. |
| 11:36 | I11 | 2 | 6 | Ace Pair 3x1 | 4-3 | 5-2 Over | 1 | Run | 8 | Duo | Williams | 4 | Looks like Duo, but the doubles are quick. Johnson doesn't even spend any time on it. Jackson (-2) tries to come off of a double to get to the second level, but there is not anyone helping block, so he just lets a blocker go through unimpeded. Williams (+2) turns a TFL into a solid gain in the red zone. |
| 10:52 | I7 | 3 | 2 | Gun Twin TE 3x1 | 4-4 | Base | 0 | Read Option | 9 | Zone Read | Williams | 1 | It is pretty rare for Ohio State to run a zone read, but that is the only reason I can think that they would run with this kind of numbers disadvantage. If this is the case, Stroud (-0.5), as he had a good shot at a first down but didn't pull it.. However, it was a fairly murky read, especially with Stroud on his heels.Stroud really isn't quick enough to pull unless the pull read is blatantly obvious, which it isn't here. Play-calling -1, as there are a lot better ways to use the personel than to run against a stacked box. |
| 9:46 | I6 | 4 | 1 | Gun | 4-4 | Under | 0 | Pass | 8 | Rollout Omaha | Harrison | 6 | Just an incredible play, and Joel Klatt's diagram before the play shows some good insight into what Iowa was likely expecting. Iowa probably thinks that a pick route is coming with a backside slant with Harrison Jr. When this route starts, Harrison (+2.5) fakes to the inside like he is running a slant. Moss, the defensive back, already has inside leverage, but as soon as he commits further to the inside, Harrison cuts toward the pylon for an out route. Thiis gives him just enough separation for Stroud (+2) to make a good throw and Harrison to make a difficult catch. Touchdown. |
| 6:37 | O44 | 1 | 10 | Gun | 4-3 | Base | 4 | Penalty | 7 | False Start | Fleming | -5 | Fleming (-1) |
| 6:37 | O39 | 1 | 15 | FOX | FOX | FOX | FOX | Pass | FOX | WR Screen | Harrison | 2 | I can't see anything here. |
| 6:26 | O41 | 2 | 13 | Gun | 4-3 | Under | 2 | Pass | 6 | Verticals | Egbuka | 28 | Stroud (+2) throws a perfect pass to Egbuka (+2), who makes a routine catch before spinning off the safety to avoid a huge hit. Play-calling +1 to get Egbuka between the two deep defenders. |
| 5:33 | I31 | 1 | 10 | Ace 3W | 4-3 | Under | 1 | Pass | 8 | Flood | Harrison | 18 | Play of the game. Dawand Jones (-1) gets beat inside, so Stroud (+4) has to move up in the pocket. Henderson (-1) also doesn't have a great block, which forces Stroud to throw over the defender while still dropping the ball in between three defenders to Harrison (+3), who makes a spectacular catch. Perfect pass. Protection -1. |
| 5:00 | I13 | 1 | 10 | Gun Y Flex Trips | 4-3 | Under | 1 | Pass | 7 | Double Move Out and Up | Egbuka | 13 | Touchdown. Those last three passes are in the top five of throws in Stroud's (+3) career. There's like three people on the planet who can do what he did this drive. Consistency is the only thing in his way to being the best QB on the planet. Stroud throws a perfect pass to Egbuka (+1), who makes the difficult catch. Play-calling +1 for going for a double move against man-coverage. |
| Fourth Quarter | |||||||||||||
| 14:52 | O10 | 1 | 10 | Gun Trips Jet H | 4-3 | Over | 1 | Run | 8 | Counter | Henderson | 6 | Stover (-0.5) falls over, but more or less does his job. Matt Jones (+1) has a nice pull. Henderson (+0.5) cuts inside to get a bit extra. |
| 14:39 | O16 | 2 | 4 | Gun Twin TE 3x1 | 4-2-5 | Base | 2 | Run | 7 | CG Counter | Henderson | 5 | Wypler (+0.5) and Jackson (+0.5) have nice blocks on the pull. Perfectly done. |
| 14:15 | O21 | 1 | 10 | Pistol 3W | 4-2-5 | Over | 2 | Pass | 7.5 | Deep Post | Fleming | 79 | Stroud (+3) makes a perfect throw. Fleming (+2) wins off the post and makes a difficult catch. Good coverage, but the DB was playing more than ten yards back and Fleming still got a step. Touchdown. |
| 11:27 | I40 | 1 | 10 | Pistol Y Flex Wing F | 4-2-5 | Boundary | 3 | Pass | 6.5 | Improvisation | Stover | 20 | Full marks for pass protection here. Linemen (+1). Stroud (+1, -1) exits early, but composes himself, rolls out, and hits Stover (+3), who turns a 2 yard gain into a 20 yarder after a beautiful hurdle.The throw is good and the catch is routine. Protection +2. |
| 10:57 | I20 | 1 | 10 | Gun Twin TE F Flex Trips Bunch | 4-2-5 | Boundary | 3 | Pass | 6 | RPO WR Screen | Harrison | 9 | Stroud (+1) makes a good read and throws the screen. I actually think either the counter or the screen works here. Both looked blocked up perfectly. Easy to do when the defense is playing 10-yards off. This defense is what Iowa did the whole game against Michigan, but rarely in this one. A better block from Egbuka (-1) might yield a touchdown. Rossi (+1) with a good block. |
| 10:17 | I11 | 2 | 1 | Ace Pair Jet Z | 4-3 | Over | 2 | Pass | 9 | PA Improvisation | Harrison | 0 | Iowa is not fooled at all, and this probably should have been a huge sack. Play-calling -2.However, Stroud (+2, -1) does a nice job of evading the defender in the open field and attempting to find Harrison who is one-on-one. The defender makes a nice play, and this throw was a bit dangerous, but I can't fault Stroud too much for throwing this one. The throw was okay, and the ball was uncatchable. |
| 10:07 | I11 | 3 | 1 | Gun Twin TE Pair Unalanced | 4-4 | Under | 0 | Pass | 9 | Pick Route | Egbuka | 0 | Offsetting Penalties. I have no idea how Iowa sniffed this one out. I would have never expected Ohio State to run this from this formation, which is usually a run-formation. The defender would get a +2 for it, even if the ball did hit the ground. I am not going to grade it for Stroud as it didn't count, but wow. What a play by Iowa. Play-calling would also get dinged for Ohio State as Iowa was absolutely ready for it. |
| 10:01 | I11 | 3 | 1 | Ace 13 F Flex | 4-4 | Under | 0 | Run | 9 | QB Sneak | Stroud | 0 | Stroud (+1, -1) might have checked into it, which I think is the right call. He just hesitates a second to collect the ball before falling forward, so he gets stuffed. A little quicker and he gets it. Probably needs more leg drive too. With both tackles a little wider, this is absolutely something that you can do. |
| 9:26 | I11 | 4 | 1 | Ace 13 F Flex | Goal Line | Goal Line | 0 | Run | 10 | Mid Zone | Henderson | 2 | Matt Jones (+1.5) and Dawand Jones (+2) open a huge hole for Henderson to work with one on one with the linebacker, and he is able to get the first down. |
| 9:02 | I9 | 1 | 9 | Ace Pair 3x1 | 4-3 | Under | 2 | Pass | 7 | PA Switch | Stroud | 0 | Protection +2. This is the one where Stroud might be able to pick up a couple, but he throws it away. Honestly, I don't hate it considering how he has been perhaps a little too aggressive recently. Play-calling -1, as Ohio State has a 7-man protection for minimal rushing, so no one is open. |
| 8:43 | I9 | 2 | 9 | Gun 3x1 Jet X | 4-2-5 | Base | 2 | Run | 6 | Jet Sweep | Egbuka | 6 | Good blocks from Johnson (+1), Stover (+0.5), Henderson (+0.5) and Harrison (+0.5) |
| 8:19 | I3 | 3 | 3 | Goal Line Weak Jet U | Goal Line | Goal Line | 0 | Pass | 11 | PA Rollout FB Flat | Rossi | 3 | Some interesting eye-candy hear to encourage Iowa to bite. Stroud (+1) throws a good throw to Rossi (+0.5), who makes a routine catch before scoring the touchdown. Play-calling +0.5 for getting him a couple feet. |
| End of Charting |
While I will not have a large write up, I have a couple of basic takeaways.
First, while I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Ohio State was more successful when given more space, it isn’t that ridiculous of a claim, as I had the same impression early. However, when looking after the game, Ohio State gained 101/160 available yards when starting on Iowa’s side of the field and only 247/501 available yards when starting on their own side of the field. There wasn’t much of a difference here.
While I have heard that some people didn’t think JSN looked like himself even before he came up limping, I completely disagree. He looked comfortable in and out of his cuts. While I don’t think he plays this week, and this injury continues to linger, I think he will be available for games later this year, especially if Ohio State makes it to the playoffs. The Michigan game may be in doubt, however. I am assuming he is out the next couple weeks, but we shall see.
Also, I have heard from some in the Ohio State media that the Pistol is a run tell, which was an inaccurate statement for this game. It is true that they ran every time they were in the pistol against Michigan. In this game, they ran 9 times out of the 14 times they lined up in the pistol, though they did start off 7/8 before adjusting late. The passes out of this formation were successful, which I think is why they want to establish the tendency for running out of it.
For the individual efforts, here is the offensive chart:
| Player | + | - | Total | Percentage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| offensive line | |||||
| donovan jackson | 2 | 7 | -5 | 22.2 | Kind of a disaster of a day. Easily his worst as a Buckeye.Probably a blip though. |
| luke wypler | 4.5 | 0 | 4.5 | 100.0 | He played well throughout this game. |
| paris johnson jr. | 4.5 | 5 | -0.5 | 47.4 | Decent. Got beat on a couple of pass-protection losses. |
| dawand jones | 6 | 3 | 3 | 66.7 | Another solid game for him. He has eliminated a lot of the mediocre games from last year. Hugely improved. |
| Matthew Jones | 5.5 | 5 | 0.5 | 52.4 | Not incredible, but not bad either. |
| Total | 22.5 | 20 | 2.5 | 52.9 | If this is as bad as it gets for this line, Ohio State is going to be fine running the ball. |
| Backs | |||||
| cj stroud | 31 | 12 | 19 | 72.1 | A pretty average performance from him overall, but a couple of those drives were the best of his career. It isn't reasonable to expect it all the time, but I love what I have seen from him. |
| miyan williams | 6.5 | 1.5 | 5 | 81.3 | Didn't think he was to blame for the lack of running success. |
| treveyon Henderson | 6 | 3 | 3 | 66.7 | Includes a blocking minus. Otherwise, similar to Williams' performance. |
| Total | 43.5 | 16.5 | 27 | 72.5 | Solid day for this group, but not great. |
| receivers | |||||
| jaxon smith-njigba | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0.0 | Thought he looked healthier than expected on second watch, so hopefully the tweak was minor. |
| julian fleming | 5 | 1 | 4 | 83.3 | Really solid as a third option. He is not going to play as much if JSN comes back, but he has positioned himself well for next season. Exceeded my expectations. |
| emeka egbuka | 4.5 | 4 | 0.5 | 52.9 | He might be the best on the team at actually receiving the ball, but man, he just makes too many mistakes for my liking. At some point, I have to concede that he hasn't been up to the standard of the other guys. At the same time, I cut him slack for playing the H when he practiced at Z all off-season. Also, he is leading the team in receiving so who knows. |
| marvin Harrison Jr. | 10 | 0 | 10 | 100.0 | Nothing short of spectacular. What a player. |
| cade stover | 7 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 73.7 | Continues to play well. He is such a good tight end. |
| mitch rossi | 3.5 | 0 | 3.5 | 100.0 | Love him as the fullback. Love even more when he gets touches, just for fun. |
| gee scott jr. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Did not chart |
| Total | 30 | 8.5 | 21.5 | 77.9 | Probably the best position group on the team, so this isn't a surprise. |
| metrics | |||||
| protection | 5.5 | 4 | 1.5 | For how much Iowa was blitzing, this is a great number. | |
| play calling | 9.5 | 11.5 | -2 | Not as bad as I remember it as I was going through the game. The biggest issue was that there were 2-3 calls that Iowa called perfectly, and that led to big stops. Too many runs when Iowa is stacking the box. |
Again, I will just post a couple thoughts:
I thought this was one of Marvin Harrison’s best games so far. His route on the fourth-down touchdown was an incredible route, and his diving catch in the second half is one of the best passing plays I have ever seen.
I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but Cade Stover is really good. While I think LaPorta will win First Team All-B1G TE this year, Stover should get some serious consideration. He is an excellent tight end, both receiving and blocking. He is going to be an excellent pro.
I thought most of the issues running were play-call related. Toward the end of the game, Ohio State started making up ground, but early on, they were constantly running into stacked boxes. To Iowa’s credit, many of these were disguised until bringing a safety down late. Furthermore, this was the first time all year that Iowa really played with this gameplan. Against Michigan, Iowa was constantly in a six-man box and just allowed them to slowly make their way the length of the field. There were few blitzes, and they just tried to prevent the explosive play. Against Ohio State, they blitzed a ton early on and relied on man-to-man coverage to attempt to stop the run. Not only is this a departure from what they’ve done all year, but it is a departure from every team that has played Ohio State this season. Once the Ohio State coaches committed to throwing the ball, Iowa had no shot to stop them. I don’t anticipate this continuing later this year.
The line played okay for the most part, but Jackson had a rough day. I imagine that this will not emerge into a pattern, but we should find out soon, as Penn State will be a good barometer for his future performance. I am happy that the tackles are holding up much better than they did last year, and I think it bodes well for this team’s future. Wypler has also significantly elevated his play from last year, though he will have his toughest assignment to date this weekend with PJ Mustipher.
Finally, here are the receiver chart and the passing chart:
| Player | Uncatchable | Spectacular | Difficult | Routine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| jaxon smith-njigba | 2 | 1/1 | ||
| julian fleming | 1 | 2/2 | ||
| emeka egbuka | 1 | 2/3 | 4/4 | |
| marvin harrison jr. | 2 | 1/1 | 2/2 | 3/3 |
| cade stover | 2/2 | |||
| mitch rossi | 1/1 | |||
| treveyon henderson | 1/1 | |||
| total | 6 | 1/1 | 6/7 | 12/12 |
| CJ Stroud | Perfect | Good | Scramble | Pressure | OK | Batted | Throw Away | Inaccurate | Bad Read | RPOs | Read Options | Passing Percentage | General Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 5 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2/2 | 1/1 | 83 |
In some ways, this was the quintessential CJ Stroud Experience. He had a couple of misses early, wasn’t great under pressure, but made some of the best throws that I have seen from a college quarterback. I still think he misses JSN out there, but he has been great this year. And while I do think this issue is overblown, as he realistically only has a couple opportunities to run every game, I do not want to see him run. I would rather see him throw in the playoffs. Seeing Ohio State limp into the playoffs in 2019 and 2020 with an injured quarterback was the worst. I am fine if he doesn’t feel like running against Iowa.
What should we be worried about?
JSN’s injury. The best version of Ohio State includes Jaxon Smith-Njigba. While they are going to be fine without him, it still sucks to see him injured, especially since this is the second setback. I think he can still get back, but we will see what happens.
Also, the slow adjustment from the coaching staff is a little concerning, as this is the second game this year that it has happened. However, we have years of track record for Ryan Day and Kevin Wilson, so I am not overly concerned about it. They will do what they’ve always done.
What should we not be worried about?
Run offense. This is the first game this season where an opposing team has even marginally slowed down the rushing attack. Perhaps not uncoincidentally, this was also the first game where the opposing team made stopping the run more of a priority than stopping the pass. Bad games only become problems when they become trends, and right now, the run game for Ohio State has been consistently excellent all year. One bad game doesn’t really mean anything. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them run all over Penn State.
What should we be excited about?
Iowa shocked me with how good they actually looked against Ohio State, at least defensively. Even in the second-half, which I have seen dismissed by pundits due to Iowa’s defense presumably being tired, they were constantly in tight coverage and were rarely fooled by anything Ohio State was doing schematically.
Iowa has the best defense in the country. Ohio State will not have that difficult of an opponent defensively the rest of the season, except for Alabama. Michigan and Georgia are very good, but Iowa is on a different level. With that being said, this offensive performance is more than enough to give them a chance against the best teams in the country.
