“Average” was the word Coach Meyer used to describe the performance of Ohio State’s defense on Saturday night. Chris Ash thought the performance showed some bright spots and largely the mistakes were due to mental, yet fixable errors. Coach Meyer also felt as though the defense was moving in the right direction and had a nice foundation to improve on. One could easily see why the coaches would be optimistic about their young defense as they forced three turnovers, and did fairly decent yardage wise versus a spread attack, at least compared to last years unit. However, one could easily question the coaches sanity and wonder if they ignored the countless mistakes in the red zone and on third down. I’ll break down each positions performance Saturday and allow you to be the judge of which is a more reasonable view to move forward with for the defense.

Defensive Line

This unit was touted as one of the best in the country prior to the 2014 season. I think that statement is accurate if, and only if, all four starters are on the field at the same time. I questioned the depth of this unit prior to the season and it still remains in question. Todd Blackledge made a great point Saturday night that, up until Joey Bosa’s strip sack, the Buckeyes pass rush was getting to Hokie QB, just not in enough time. The reason for that was because it was being made by 4 defensive tackles. And in large part he was right. The quickness and athleticism of Noah Spence was greatly missed Saturday night. Steve Miller and Rashaad Frazier both did a solid job together filling in, but I think Buckeye fans took Noah Spence for granted last year with the emergence of Joey Bosa. Bosa has proved that without Spence he can have moments of greatness on his talent alone, but this unit is completed with a true edge rusher like Spence.

Spence collapses the pocket much quicker than any other rusher for the Buckeyes, and often forces the quarterback towards Bosa or Bennett. Spence also provides the flexibility to drop in to coverage and I think Chris Ash is very excited to get him back for that reason. Ash can use Spence in multiple ways and move him around the line. With Spence in as well I think it allows Ash to have faith in only having to rush four if he needs to, which is a major advantage for the Buckeyes young secondary. This unit played well later in the game and their rotation is almost complete, but they will need to get Spence back before this unit can really take over games.

Linebackers

Ohio State does not have the experience at this position to play the way Chris Ash wants his linebackers to play. In my opinion if he could put Raekwon McMillan and Dante Booker on the field with Darron Lee that would be the preferred starting line-up for the defensive coordinator, but putting that much youth at such a key position could be dangerous for an already green back seven. For now Ash has Perry and Grant playing well in rush defense, but both showed their weaknesses in pass coverage on Saturday versus Virginia Tech’s tight ends and slot players.

Ash prefers to have his linebackers get a soft re-route on any player that cross in to their zone. Grant and Perry failed to do that multiple times as slot receiver Willie Byrnes and tight end Bucky Hodges had free releases and often went untouched in their routes. Grant and Perry were largely chasing shadows and were seen time and time again on the wrong end of highlights. Ash attributed these struggles to mental hurdles, but I’m not sure asking Grant and Perry to cover athletic tight ends and small quick slot receivers fits in to either’s downhill style of play.

Defensive Backs

This group had it’s forgettable moments Saturday night, but also had several bright spots. Lets begin with the obvious issues: 3rd down. I’m going to pick on Eli Apple for this instance because I think there was one play that stuck out to all fans on Saturday night. 3rd and 17 from the Hokies endzone and Hokie QB Brewer connected with freshman Isiah Ford for an 18 yard gain. It was one of the biggest mental blunders of the night and left Buckeye fans stunned. Apple did not know where the marker was, but his issues began long before the catch. Apple did not get his hands on Ford off the line of scrimmage and was set on preventing Ford from getting deep rather than worrying about the first down. Apple’s mental error could have been due to lack of faith in whether or not he had safety help over the top. Either way, the Hokies took advantage of this mistake and several other “mental errors” made by the Buckeyes Saturday night.

On the positive note, since I picked on Apple earlier I will praise him for his early interception. And he should be praised for the play. Apple gave the quarterback a very small window on the sideline which forced Brewer to throw the ball inside, Apple had his head turned, high pointed the ball and made the play. It was as textbook as you would like. Vonn Bell also made several nice plays Saturday night including a nice diving interception that came at a crucial part of the game. I’m sure Ash will show the secondary a mixture of both their solid plays, and mental errors to help the players understand not all was bad on Saturday night. Ash and his DB’s have began to lay a solid foundation moving forward and I think this group will only get better through the season.

Coaches

As soon as I posted my initial post game reaction there was one comment on the post that read “Fire Fickell”. I did not respond, because frankly that phrase has been used at nausea from Buckeye fans. Fickell may not be the most technically sound coach, and could be stuck in the old school with his love of hard nosed rush defending linebackers , but he brings a valuable aspect to coaching the defense which is the mentality it takes in game to adapt. I agree, he should not be in charge of the scheme or calling defensive plays, but having him on the field during the game to remind his guys to keep fighting and to provide them with the correct emotional feedback they need is vital during a game. No, I do not believe that firing Fickell will fix every defensive problem, I think getting the players more experience at game speed in a new scheme will help them get better.

That being said I think Ash did a solid job Saturday night. His players made young mental errors which was the most frustrating part of the performance on defense. The defensive line did not create much pressure rushing just four so Ash did blitz frequently. He never let up on being aggressive and going after Brewer and you have to credit him for sticking to his guns.

So what’s your judgement?

What do you guys think? Is this defense on the right track after Saturday’s performance or are you as concerned as you were last year? Let me know in the comments below!

We all know what happened Saturday night and to some of us it left a sickening feeling. My initial knee jerk reaction was “Wow this feels like 2011 all over again.” J.T. Barrett looked like Braxton Miller as a freshman. A talented kid who gave his play makers opportunities to make plays but in the end it looked like he was on his own. The receivers could not manage a yard of separation, and when they did they could not make a play on the ball to save their life. Every running attempt looked uninspired, aside from Elliott’s TD run. The offensive line looked completely over powered and over matched.

The defense did an alright job, forcing turnovers here and there, keeping the game within reach. Ultimately they would be let down by their offense and its inability to move the ball. And in today’s age of college football, if you give a decent spread offense enough chances they will surely capitalize on some of them.

The one difference between the 2011 squad and this years is that there is a strong leadership group of coaches to work the players through this loss. As Lou Holtz was once quoted as saying, “You’re never as good as everyone tells you when you win, and you’re never as bad as they say when you lose.” And I think this quote applies to this football team very appropriately. I will get to the in depth breakdown of this game shortly but I think a bit of perspective is helpful when dealing with a loss like we saw on Saturday night. It would be incredibly ignorant and uneducated to say this team is not as, if not more, talented than every other team on its schedule for the rest of the year, the lone exception being Michigan State. That was not the case in 2011, in my opinion, and that team still managed to find itself in almost every game.

I say all of that to say all of this: the fans needed this loss more than the players and coaches did. I think this team needed this loss, but several of the fans, including myself, were either too high on this team, or were convinced that the team in the 2nd half of Navy was the Ohio State team we would get the rest of the year. While we still may not know which team to fully expect, I think we as fans know that this team is both very talented and very inexperienced, which will lead us to very high high’s and some disappointments as well. Either way this team will be entertaining and provide us all with more dialogue than we may even want. Now to the breakdown of the offense:

The Quarterbacks

There were times in this game where I felt bad for J.T. Barrett and times where I was frustrated with him. In either case I will start his review off by applauding him for fighting until the end. Not that he had much of a choice, but you could tell by his body language and demeanor he would not let his team quit until the final whistle.

Barrett ended the game 9 of 29 for 219 yards, throwing 1 touchdown to 3 interceptions. He also ran the ball an astounding 24 times for 70 yards and a touchdown.

That stat line is not flattering but judging Barrett on completion percentage and turnovers alone is not a fair evaluation of his performance. Barrett was apparently handed more of the playbook Saturday night, however that “more” meant more QB runs and more go routes. Which in my opinion Barrett did pretty well on both. I thought he threw the ball fairly well. His arm strength concerned me at the beginning of the game, but once he realized the speed at which the game was being played at he adjusted and I thought he threw the ball with greater velocity as the night went on. Barrett’s rough stat line is more of a product of poor pass protection, receivers not making plays, and a very very poor run game. Overall I would grade Barrett out at a B-.

Running Backs

It was hard to tell whether it was intimidation, poor play calling, or lack of effort, but Saturday night was one of the worst rushing performances I have ever seen out of Ohio State. The stat line backs it up as the team only ran for 108 yards on 40 attempts. Saturday night marked the least amount of rushing yards accumulated by an Urban Meyer coached team ever. It was abysmal. The offensive line could not generate any push or running lanes. Credit defensive coordinator Bud Foster for employing his 46 front and using 3 nose tackles at points in the game. A scheme that he said he hasn’t used in about 20 years, and Urban Meyer would echo that sentiment after the game stating that his coaching staff was “surprised” to see the 46 front.

The Buckeyes lone success running the ball came after they pounded the middle a few times and then ran speed option. However, even that play provided limited success as the Hokie linebackers or safeties often proved aware enough of the play to string it out for little to no gain.

Carlos Hyde was greatly missed Saturday night. His determination and angry running was much needed versus a very experienced and violent Hokie front. Curtis Samuel seemed to be the only Buckeye running back that consistently looked willing to push the pile and run violently. Elliott was thought to be that type of all purpose back this year, but I have not seen any violence in his running and that should be a serious concern for the Buckeyes. Inside zone is the Buckeyes bread and butter, if they do not have a running back who is willing to take on that task of running between the tackles the offense will not have a starting point or foundation.

Wide Receivers

Next to defensive backs, wide receiver has been the poorest position group for the Buckeyes under Urban Meyer. As an overall group the receivers, aside from Philly Brown, have been poor route runners, unable to get separation off man coverage, and all love to catch the ball with their body not their hands. The one commonality between the group? They are all good run blockers. That trait was useful in last years offense when Carlos Hyde was the feature and not the receivers. The receivers are not the feature of this team this year but they are being asked to pose somewhat of a threat to beat coverage on a consistent basis.

It’s perplexing how players like Evan Spencer still receive playing time at the position. His route running is poor, he is not electric in any sense of the imagination, his lone skill trait is run blocking which did not seem to make a huge difference Saturday night. Meyer has recruited more natural receivers, such as Johnnie Dixon, to start as freshman yet Spencer continues to see playing time while not producing. Another player who seems to automatically get the nod over others is Devin Smith. Smith does have a reputation for making highlight plays, but the Buckeyes could use more consistent route running and catching at this point. Smith has made a career out of being a hood ornament, the same thing Dontre Wilson was accused of being last year as a freshman.

Overall the group needs serious work. While Corey Smith did himself no favors following Saturday night, he left me with a greater belief that if given a chance on a more consistent basis he at least was able to create separation for a throw. Smith may just need more experience at game speed to begin to haul in those balls. Michael Thomas needs to see the field more due to his rare skill set. The kid does nothing but catch the football like a receiver should, with his hands. He runs smooth routes, see his touchdown catch and run on Saturday night. He has all of the tools a coach would desire of his number one receiver. This is a very deep group and after Saturday’s performance, no spot should be safe.

Tight Ends

Can’t really say anything other than good blocking by this group. Vannett and Heuerman continue to be ignored by the offense. They had prime matchups versus undersized linebackers for Virginia Tech yet received very few to no targets at all.

Offensive Line

This position group had a forgettable night Saturday night to say the least. I’m not sure if rotation or change is the right answer here since it takes time for lineman to gel, but the coaching staff may experiment with that versus Kent State. Baldwin looked entirely too slow against Navy and Virginia Tech’s edge rusher so maybe its time to give Chase Farris or Jamarco Jones an opportunity. The whole right side of the line was completely over matched from Boren to Baldwin. I’d imagine if Chad Lindsay is healthy and has a good week of practice he will receive some playing time against Kent State. I know Meyer wants to save Demetrius Knox, Marcelys Jones, and Jamarco Jones but if Baldwin and Price can not fix that right side of the line it may be time to put the freshman in. Having two freshman start on your offensive line would not be the ideal scenario for Meyer and Warinner but if the kids are as talented as they were touted to be, then they could provide some help to an over matched group at the moment.

I will excuse the offensive line on one note, Meyer stated that they were not prepared for the use of 3 nose tackles and a 46 front. So for a team that’s youth is on the inside of the offensive line, after knowing that and re-watching the game I can understand how they struggled.

Coaches

Tom Herman called a pretty poor game against Virginia Tech. The offense does not perform that poorly without some of it resting on the shoulders of the coaching staff. Maybe he wasn’t expecting to face a 46 front and cover 0, but either way, I stated in my players to watch post that this game would come down to preparation and it seems like the whole offensive coaching staff failed in that department last week. Bud Foster is a defensive genius and has been doing this a very long time, but Tom Herman should not have been out-coached as bad as he was on Saturday night.

More to Come

I’ll have my recap on the defense tomorrow, in the mean time leave your comments below on the offense, let me know what you think went wrong versus Virginia Tech and what can be improved moving forward.

With all of the excitement surrounding the Buckeyes home opener versus the Hokies, the Buckeyes quelled that very quickly with their abysmal play. Ohio State started the game strong intercepting Michael Brewer, and that was their lone bright spot in the first half on defense. The Hokies converted time and time again on third down. Whether it was long, short, or medium, Hokie quarterback Michael Brewer picked apart the Ohio State secondary that had been revamped in the off-season. While the yardage given up was not substantial, the damage was done where it mattered and that was on the scoreboard. The Buckeyes were unable to create a significant pass rush blitzing or not. The apparent strength of this team, the defensive line, was non-existent with the pass rush and sorely missed its all Big Ten play-maker Noah Spence.

Barrett and the offense had one bright spot in the first half which was their lone scoring drive. While it was largely on the feet of Barrett, the young quarterback did what he had to do to march the Buckeyes down the field. Aside from that drive the Buckeyes looked unimaginative. No targets to the tight ends, missed opportunities in the red zone including a huge drop by Corey Smith, play-makers were largely kept in check, nightmare play calling, the list goes on and on for the Ohio State offense, long story short, Braxton, Carlos Hyde, and the offensive line mainly from last year are greatly missed.

The second half provided a little bit of a brighter spot for Ohio State, but the frustrations remained. Ohio State fought and clawed its way back after trailing 21-7 to tie it up at the end of the third quarter. The Buckeye defense,Joey Bosa and Vonn Bell specifically, created two key turnovers that gave the Buckeyes life, but the offensive line was incredibly poor and unable to give freshman QB any time to throw. All in all it was a very poor performance from Ohio State.

I will have a full write up on the game on Monday, but I do not want to post this without giving full credit to Virginia Tech. Coach Beamer and his Hokies played with great heart, emotion, and executed extremely well on the road. They quieted the Shoe numerous times, and when they got punched in mouth by the home team they responded by landing their own huge blows. They are a gritty and quality football team that have a bright year ahead of them. The Buckeyes will have to regroup and prepare for a noon kick against Kent State next Saturday.