Thursday Skull Session

By D.J. Byrnes on September 4, 2014 at 6:00 am
Rod Smith kicking it at the Orange Bowl [Walt Keys, ElevenWarriors.com]
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I'm a bit late to the party, but I give History Channel's Vikings the prestigious TWO MARIONAIRE GUNZ UP rating.

Now let's get busy.

IT'S GOING DOWN IN THE SHOE ON SATURDAY. Ohio State practiced in the chrome alternate helmets from last year (pictured above), and it appears Ohio State will wear their alternate home jerseys (last spotted in the Orange Bowl) against Virginia Tech.

I've accepted alternate uniforms are part of the college game in 2014, and as long as they're not hideous, I'm not going to grab my fictional shotgun to disperse the fictional kids from my fictional lawn.

The chrome uniforms certainly aren't hideous.

Meyer also said yesterday he expects to see LeBron James in the Horseshoe. With the bevy of high school talent on hand, I expect the Shoe to be electric. (Yes, standing is still kosher within Ohio Stadium's confines).

AN ENEMY SCOUT LOOKS AT J.T. BARRETT. The Key Play, for those not familiar, is an excellent, independent Hokie-centric website. (Here's their version of Walt's game day poster.)

french60wasp, their X's and O's guy, has been dissecting various parts of Ohio State's team throughout the summer. His latest piece dissects J.T. Barrett:

Against Navy Urban Meyer played to Barrett's strengths. Most of the Buckeye passing attack featured screens and low-risk play-action throws. As result, Barrett had a high completion percentage (8-11 in the first half) but very little in the way of yardage (96 yards) and no touchdowns. In the second half, Urban Meyer all but abandoned the passing game, but when called upon, Barrett went 4-4 including a game winning 80 yard touchdown on a four verticals route to Devin Smith. Eleven Warriors wrote a tremendous breakdown of the play, read, and throw that I strongly recommend you read.

For Bud Foster and the Hokies, the play-action element and the down are the keys. Ohio State had success running the football against Navy in the second half. The Navy secondary started to focus on stopping the run, and the Buckeyes hit them with a deep ball off play-action on first down. If the Buckeyes are not effective running the football, the play-action is much easier to defend, and Foster can pressure Barrett into some bad throws, just like his first half interception which, to be kind, was absolutely brutal.

If Virginia Tech's defense can put Ohio State into situations where Barrett has to drop back and read the defense in the face of pressure, there will be opportunities for sacks and interceptions. Barrett can break contain, but he will only get 10 yards on plays where Braxton Miller would take it to the house. Foster's secondary is good enough in man coverage that he can really be aggressive without devoting a linebacker to spy Barrett. Foster has a track record of really rattling inexperienced quarterbacks with pressure to spark major upsets (LSU's Matt Mauck and Miami's Brock Berlin in 2003 immediately come to mind). The opportunity is ripe for a big time Virginia Tech defensive performance in Columbus.

Barrett looked like he had legitimate quicks to me, but he's definitely not a guy that's going to leave a trail of shattered ankles in his wake. 

I am, however, a bit worried Bud Foster — here's some background on Virginia Tech's legendary defensive coordinator — is going to throw the kitchen sink at the redshirt freshman. Why? Because to beat Ohio State his defense will have to gin some turnovers. 

This was also a comparison I wasn't expecting:

Regardless, hopefully the offensive line will be up to the task. If Barrett has time, Ohio State will be fine. (I'm predicting Ohio State bombs on the Hokies.)

CURTIS SAMUEL COULD BE THE NEXT PERCY, BUT BETTER. Since Urban Meyer arrived in Columbus, Buckeye fans have perpetually been in search of "the next Percy."

Dontre Wilson is a blazer, but I'm not sure he matches Percy's strength.

Curtis Samuel, however, is a freshman already making an impact on Ohio State's offense. Samuel's high school coach thinks the Brooklyn product could be the next Percy, but better.

From Dave Briggs of The Toledo Blade:

In 2003, [Erasmus High School coach Danny] Landberg became so enamored with Utah’s shovel option play — a triple option with an inside shovel pass as the first choice — that he had to meet the man behind it. He packed his notebook when then-Utes coach Urban Meyer appeared at a coaches clinic at the Tropicana Resort in Atlantic City, N.J.

“I spent all day listening to him talk and installing his stuff right after that. I've followed him ever since.”

[...]

“I told our coaches, ‘I don't ever like to say things like this, but I'm going to guarantee this city championship right now if we give Curtis the ball 20 times,’ ” Landberg said.

[...]

“Listen, I don't want to sound cocky about it,” Landberg said, ”but I think he can be better [than Percy Harvin]. He can be better.”

Curtis Samuel could be the best running back on the team right now, and that's no disrespect to Ezekiel Elliott. 

People forget how electric Percy Harvin was during his time at Florida. If Curtis Samuel ever reached 85% of Percy Harvin, I'd be over the moon. 

Time will tell, but I do hope ol' Danny Landberg is right about Curtis. Enjoy him while you can, Buckeye fans.

DEVIN SMITH READY FOR BREAKOUT YEAR. Devin Smith almost died in a single car accident over the summer, but it didn't appear to take any speed from him.

Devin has excelled at ripping the top off defenses — Urban called him one of the best deep threats he's ever had — but he's also excelled at going missing during large swaths of the game. This year, he looks to change that.

From James Navaeu of The Portsmouth Daily-Times:

Receivers coach Zach Smith said, “Obviously, he has elite speed, which is the first skill you need. But he has an uncanny ability to track a deep ball. The catch he made against the team up north (a 52-yard touchdown catch at Michigan last season) is one of the finest deep catches I’ve seen.

“Great players have a knack for when the lights are bright and the game is on the line, they make the play. That’s what separates good players from great players. He has done that a number of times. He’s a competitive kid and if the ball is in the air and it’s a big stage and it’s time to go win the game, he’s going to get it.”

The OSU assistant dismissed Smith’s eight catches in his last six games as “just a number” and said, “It wasn’t intentional. I feel great about him running a short, intermediate or deep route.”

Ohio State is undefeated in games Smith catches a touchdown, and I don't think that's 100% coincidental. Ohio State is operating at its best when Smith is a threat, but the problem is, he's only proven a threat deep down the field. 

Zach Smith says he feels as great about Devin running short or intermediate route, but I don't ever recall (off the top of my head) a time Devin took a short or intermediate pass for a long touchdown. (Hell, I'm struggling to remember Devin catching a short or intermediate pass, but that's probably more of an indictment against my memory than Devin's skillz.) 

BE THANKFUL YOU'RE NOT A BADGERS FAN. In October 2008, I was in Madison, Wisconsin, to watch Ohio State beat the Badgers. Midway through the third quarter, the score was tied 10-10. This lead to this following exchange between a crunked OSU fan next to me and a Wisconsin fan:

OSU SOCRATES: SCOREBOARD, ASSHOLE!!!!

WISCONSIN FAN: Uh, the score is tied.

OSU SOCRATES: Zackly! You're a first-half team and we're a second-half team.

Fast forward to about a minute left in the fourth quarter:

Folks, real talk here: Be thankful you're not a Wisconsin fan:

THOSE WMDs. Help support children's literacy/OSU fandom and a friend of 11W... Whatever You Do, Don't Ever Try to Snatch a Chain from Migos... BGSU lost their quarterback for the season and now the MAC East race is wide open... Despite back-to-back tragedies, Terry Bowden working on building Akron into a winner... Young Jeezy is the Heaviest Rapper Alive... The Little Rascals poster, 20 years later... Hilariously surreal street fight caught on Russian dash cam.

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