Bauserman for Heiserman (Akron Game Thoughts)

Due to a scheduling mishap (hey, it’s the preseason, right?) we didn’t get a recap after the Akron MACssacre. Oh well, that means you’re stuck with my stream of consciousness of thought before we go into full Toledo mode.

One of the first things I was struck with was that Luke Fickell is NOT Jim Tressel. This was obvious when, with less than a minute to go in the second quarter and Akron unable to get any traction on the ground, Fickell called time-out after the OSU defense had stuffed Akron on first and second down. This, my former Tresselball friends, is not a Jim Tressel move.

Neither was throwing downfield at the end of the fourth quarter with the game well out of hand. Or going for it on fourth and long, trying to get Carlos Hyde his hundy on the ground. Again, this was not Jim Tressel.

I think these decisions were made clearly with that in mind. Fickell wants to distance himself from his mentor for a number of (obvious reasons) but ultimately I think he wanted to establish his own identity. Clearly he was successful, as the mid-field hand shake with the Akron head coach Rob Ianello showed.

I know I’m really going out on a limb here, but this defense is going to be really good. Better than people had originally anticipated, I think. Everyone got to play and just about everyone contributed. Very exciting.

On offense, besides the unexpected play by Joe Bauserman, this game felt like a movie trailer. Seeing the two young bucks running the ball was enlightenin. Both Rod Smith and Carlos Hyde have obvious upside but they also have work to do.

The tight-end utilization was a thing to see. While Jake Stoneburner may not be a young underclassmen like the rest of this offense, he and Joe Bauserman are going to make a nice combo.

And yes, while Evan Spencer’s one-handed catch was a thing of beauty, let us not forget Braxton Miller’s threading of the needle on his touchdown to Devin Smith.

Akron’s game was a taste of things to come and I think all Buckeye fans liked what they saw.

Comments

  1. Anyone who minimizes that pass with an “oh-it’s-just-Akron” line doesn’t understand… this was an exceptionally tough pass over the middle and through four defenders to a timed spot where the receiver would be. And it wasn’t even his primary receiver (looks like he checks off Boren first). This is an amazing level of technical ability from a first-year-first-game freshman.

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