Navy Game Recap and Roundup

The end is nigh.

At least that’s what a lot of people would sure like you to believe. Yes, we saw the game. Yes, it was A LOT closer than it should have been. Yes, Navy is a good team that went to a Bowl Game last year and will go to one this year. But some of the concern Buckeye fans are feeling may not necessarily be so.

First and foremost — that thing that might be called fate or destiny or things don’t always go your way:

Had this been called, the Buckeyes are in the red zone and most likely score. The score is no longer suddenly close. It’s 36-14 with about six minutes to go. The Buckeyes cruise, cover the spread and take care of business. Instead, we turn Ricky Dobbs into David and almost catch a slingshot to the forehead. Luckily, we have our Goliath, one Brian Rolle. Order is temporarily restored until chaos breaks out in Buckeye Nation. Doubts are sown, fingers are pointed and “Oh NO, we suck again!”.

I’m not saying things are rosy. I’ve been a glass-mostly full kinda-guy for a long time. But things are not perfect. But let’s do a little Navy game recap and then leave it in the rear-view mirror.

A few Silver Bullet points:

• Line play: was it that bad? I am in the camp that thinks the line still has issues. I need to go back and watch the game again, but outside of Boren, I wasn’t impressed. Browning looks tentative, Brewster missed assignments and the full backs (who are, for the most part, a sixth lineman) looked confused. In the camp of “it isn’t that bad” is Jeff Amey at The-Ozone. Solid points, but I’m not sold.
• Linebackers: Brian Rolle and Ross Homan played good, if not completely consistent. Rolle is a spark-plug that is going to be fun to watch and Homan played solid. On the other hand, the Austin Spitler did not impress with his performance against Navy. When you look slow against Navy, that’s a very bad thing. The thought of him keeping up with USC’s backs is already giving me nightmares. How about working in a little Eighty-yen?
• Defensive Backs: If Homan gives me nightmares, the DBs are apocalyptic visions of DOOM. Kurt Coleman started out slow, was taking bad angles and was out of place, but ended the game with some nice plays. Anderson, rightfully so, has taken the brunt of the blame for the 85 yard Dobbs pass and lacking in the run support department. This game may cost him playing time, as word out of practice is that Jermale Hines is working with the first team. Chekwa and Amos let Navy WRs beat them, which is nigh unacceptable.
• The Rest of the Offense: It warmed my cold, dead heart to no end to see Saine healthy and running hard. Others have said he seemed to avoid contact, but I didn’t see it. Herron looked a little tentative, but still has a motor. Pryor gets a B+ for his effort. Most of his passes looked okay, but they are still floating occasionally and his footwork still has room for improvement.

I could go on, but others have covered this ground. Preparations are already in full-effect for USC, but things need to improve drastically before Saturday. No “chilling out” this week.