(Hello everyone! My Name is Chris and I am one of the newest writers over here at the oldest and the best damn Buckeye blog on the internet. I am from Boston but have been raised as a Buckeye fan my whole life. Hope you enjoy reading my blogs throughout the season! Follow me @cjason112 on Twitter, as I usually live tweet during games.)
Anyways, here is what we learned versus Miami (OH.):
- Devin Smith. Catch of the year. Enough Said.
- Although Meyer has coached Alex Smith, Tim Tebow and Chris Leak in the past, he has not had the opportunity to coach a supreme athlete like Braxton Miller at quarterback before. Tebow was the master of the zone read/spread option at UF, but he usually stayed between the tackles when he decided to run the ball. Miller uses his speed to get to the corner and gives himself a chance to make a play in space. We’ll come back to this subject in a few…
- It took a full quarter, but once this offense gets its no huddle going it will be very difficult to stop. Urban will be hard on the offense this week, especially Miller, to get settled in earlier in the future. It was okay to start off slow against Miami (OH) but they cannot dig themselves into a hole against more formidable opponents later on in the season.
- Although Miller had a couple of overthrows and underthrows in the first quarter, wasn’t it refreshing to see the Bucks go deep early and often throughout the game? Although the offense gained a paltry 48 yards in the first quarter and gave us Buckeye fans Jim Bollman flashbacks, they exploded for 292 yards in the second quarter and we were quickly reminded that we have the best offensive mind in the country on our sidelines.
- There was massive miscommunication the first three drives for the OSU secondary, which luckily only lead to a field goal. Zac Dysert made plays for Miami (OH) and really showed flashes of greatness in the pocket. The Bucks could have easily been down two scores going into the second quarter if their receivers could catch a pass. The corners and safeties will have to sure that up in the future with one of the better receivers in the country, Keenan Allen, coming to the ‘Shoe in two weeks (Cal.)
- One player who caught my eye and has taken a step forward from last year is Bradley Roby. He was tremendous in run support and did everything on Saturday with six tackles, one fumble recovery, two passes defended and he was a half a shoe size away from having a great INT. I cannot wait to see Roby the rest of this year.
- Besides Devin Smith’s insane one- handed catch, Braxton Miller’s 65 yard touchdown run was a prime example of things to come in this spread offense. Corey Brown came into motion from the slot to the backfield next to miller. Miller then executed the triple option to perfection by faking the inside handoff to Carlos Hyde (who had a great game himself) then getting to the corner and putting the cornerback from Miami (OH) into a tough position to either take Miller or Brown. Jake Stoneburner walled off the safety that came down quickly into run support and with a slight hesitation, Miller faked the pitch to Brown that froze the cornerback and it was off to the races. Miller then showed his athleticism with a jaw dropping stutter step on poor D.J. Brown at the 30 yard line and the rest was history. This play is the best example of what this offense is capable of when ran to perfection.
Look for the Bucks offense to get off to a fast start versus UCF next week, as I guarantee that will be the focus of practice this week.
Great write up Chris….
One thing I learned this past week was that OSU fans haven’t changed with the new regime just yet. I was in the live chat for the start of the game and with in minutes of the game starting a lot of the guys in there reverted back to mass amounts of complaining and questioning the players and coaching staff. As soon as I left the chat out of frustration over their woe is me attitudes the Buckeyes turned things around and exploded on both offense and defense. We as a fan base need to temper our expectations and allow the coaches and players to work out the kinks and grow in this new system. I should have known better then to go into the chat room as it is a breeding ground of pessimism. Lesson learned on my part :). This team will have glimpses of both brilliance and utter failure and it is our job to accept both.
The other thing I learned is this is not Jim Tressel football. There will be no victory formations. There will be no politically correct handling of the opposing teams feelings. We are full on all 4 qtrs no matter what the score is and we will be making tons of enemies going forward thats for sure.
Thanks!
I think it takes a fan base a while to buy into a new coaching staff and even though this team will put up unprecedented yardage and points compared to the past, fans will now expect them to score 50 each and every week. So when they do go 3 and out or have a rough quarter or half, doubt sets in. I think patience is the key this season. Allow the offense to settle in and don’t forget that 3/4 of the players on the team weren’t even recruited for Urban’s offensive philosophy. This offense will be look better and better each week as Braxton gets more comfortable as the season goes on.
As a Patriots fan, I feel like the Belichick-Urban friendship shows while watching this Buckeye team. Here in New England we call those 4th quarter touchdowns “F U touchdowns” and neither of the coaches have a problem making enemies. Their offenses are very similar too… but that is a story for a different day.
I was at the game. It was just like the chat room. It’s not just Buckeye fans, but man, people need to relax.
Welcome, Chris!!
IMO – the fact that an OSU defender was flagged for the hit on the 2nd play of the game speaks volumes about their intensity.
And, I’d like to point out that the Bucks came within an inch of scoring 63 points. And in only three quarters. Had they played a full game, and not been rusty in the first quarter, their “adjusted score” was on pace for up to 84 points…
However, the defensive secondary had better improve. Giving up 300 passing yards to a MAC school, and that includes almost another 100 in drops by the Miami WRs, is troubling.
Color me surprised that OSU fans were ready to register FireUrbanMeyer.com half-way through the first quarter. Let’s hold off on those reactions just a teeny bit…
Yep, as I texted most of my friends last week: This ain’t your dad’s Tressel.”