Northwestern Performance Evaluations

We’ve decided to do a quick “perfomance evaluation” of the Buckeyes after each game here at MotSaG, but instead of handing out Buckeye Leaves, we’ll be doing it a little differently (like we always do). We’ll be giving out sweater vests. We don’t have any set categories, so these may or may not change from week to week. Let’s get on with it:

Quarterbacks: 4 Sweatervests

If I was grading simply on the first half, they would get five sweatervests. Taken as a whole, though, the backups weren’t able to move the ball as effortlessly as the Boeckman did. If Rob Schoenhoft wants to be the quarterback of the future, he needs to learn to throw the ball at his receivers hands, not three yards in front of their feet. If he can get his throws up, he’s got a great arm, but until then, I’d rather see Henton out there. I’m sure everyone was seeing brief flashes of Troy Smith out there when Henton was running the offense. Silky smooth.

As for Boeckman, it’s hard to complain with 4 touchdowns. I’ll excuse his one interception because he was trying to get his before he had to sit out the second half. Boeckman’s short game was great, throwing bullets everywhere. When he goes deep, I’d like to see him either get the ball out of his hands a little faster or put a little more air under his passes. More than once the receiver had to slow down to wait for the ball. That’s okay when they’ve blown by the coverage, but will come back to haunt him against faster DBs. Still, I think what we’ve seen so far from Boeckman is very promising.

Backs and Receivers – 4 Sweatervests

Again, tough to argue with performances here. Beanie got his hundred on 12 carries. He’s definitely running the way we expected him to. He’s no longer tentative as he approaches the line. He’s running hard and he’s running people over.

Robiskie is the king of efficiency right now. One in four catches is a touchdown and he’s averaging over 20 yards a catch. For the Northwestern game, three catches and three touchdowns was impeccable. Hartline didn’t have a big game, but he came through when he was needed.

The most positive sign from Saturday’s game was the return of Ray “Little Teddie” Small. His speed is obvious and he’s got some moves in his pocket as well. He was involved in all facets of the game and his impact was pronounced.

Defensive Front Seven – 5 Sweatervests

The facts: 0 yards rushing on 33(!) attempts, 120 total yards. Three turnovers. Four sacks (two by Vernon).

The observations: Players flying to the ball, linebackers cleaning everything up, DTs getting penetration. Vernon Gholston.

Defensive Backs – 4 Sweatervests

Not a lot to go on here as Bacher never really had time to throw the ball down field. I have been impressed with the improvement of Donald Washington. I wasn’t worried about his ability to cover receivers, but after the first two games I was worried about his open field tackling. Against YSU and Akron, his tackling was suspect. But starting at Washington and continuing yesterday, Washington’s tackling has improved greatly. The rest of the defensive backfield looked strong against Northwestern, but they never were really tested. They probably won’t be truly tested until Purdue. Still, two interceptions are two interceptions.

Vernon Gholston – 5 Sweatervests to the Sweatervest Power

What more to say? Two sacks, a fumble recovery for a touchdown, intimadating Northwestern’s cheerleaders. The dude was a manimal out there.