Ohio State-3 Changes Needed ASAP to Get to Indy

September 9, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Well it happened, the first regular season loss for Ohio State in 25 games occured Saturday night (Recap) and it’s time to reflect and project. The playoff chances seem laughable and the season looks bleak, for now. Over reaction by the fans always happens after a loss for any major college football program (“fire this coach, strangle this player, drink that poison”) , but this time a little concern seems warranted.

It’s not time to throw in the towel and buy your D’angelo Russell jerseys for basketball season just yet. With the Big Ten looking as stinky as ever, the chance for a conference championship is very doable and is now should be the teams #1 goal. The talent is there but my god do the coaches and players need to change some things for Ohio State to get to Indianapolis on December 6th.

Here is my list of what needs to change in order of importance…

1.OFFENSIVE SCHEME:

7-8 men in the box with a blitz every play is something Buckeye fans can look forward to the rest of the season if a simple scheme change is not implemented. I’m no Vince Lombardi but the last play any coach would call against a suicide blitz is a play action vertical route down field-yet that is what happened and it happened frequently against Virginia Tech. As a fan I have never been more mad, frustrated or confused as I was Saturday night. The routes needed to be shorter, simple as that. J.T. Barrett was a sitting duck all night; he should be commended for being alive today. To be fair, there were a few (very few) short routes called, such as Michael Thomas’ 53 yard touchdown or the pass just out of Dontre Wilson’s hands on a swing play that was an easy 40 yard gain if caught.

WHERE WERE CALLS LIKE THAT THE REST OF THE GAME? A SCREEN, A DRAW, ANYTHING TO SLOW DOWN THE 8 HOKIES MAKING A BEELINE FOR A REDSHIRT FRESHMEN QUARTERBACK!!!

That’s the only time I’ll yell at you, promise. There has to be something we are missing; the only logical explanation I have is that Frank Beamer beat Urban Meyer in a high stakes game of poker. Out of chips Meyer went all in on a pair of aces and put up half is playbook as a payout.

The part that really worries me is the comments by the coaches afterward. Especially Meyer continually saying “they forced us to throw and catch the ball and we didn’t do it.” While true, they didn’t force you to run four go routes every play, or force you to abandon your whole offensive identity (if they even have one).

The talk of all preseason camp was of the running backs/h-backs and how they need the ball. Ezekiel Elliot, Dontre Wilson, Curtis Samuel. Jailin Marshall and Rod Smith are ready to make an impact and need the rock in their hand. Through two games almost 65% of the plays have been a called run or pass for J.T. Barrett. One would expect that number to be correct if number 5 was the quarterback, but a freshmen who hasn’t played a game in two years? Rod Smith only has two carries! He’s the guy who basically tied Elliot in the running back competition according to coaches. I don’t care how many guys are in the box, get the ball to your best players. A play action fake is not going to mean anything if the other team knows you’re not going to hand it off.

This is Ohio State, make teams adjust to you and not the other way around. If you are the Undertaker the last type of match you want to be in against Mankind is a boiler-room-brawl.

Am I as smart as Urban or Tom Herman? My A.C.T. and high school G.P.A. would say no. These guys know what they are doing and they will figure it out. However, a case could be made that they have been out-coached by teams with inferior talent in 4 of the last 5 games.  It will be interesting to see the gameplan used against Kent State this Saturday; if it’s more of the same I will become very worried about the Cincy game in two weeks.

2. OFFENSIVE LINE PLAY

There is not much to say about the 2014 offensive line right now.  Coach Meyer knows it, the players know it, and the opponents definitely know it- this unit is not very good right now. Virginia Tech exposed them (despite not a lot of help from the scheme) and there is a lot of learning on the fly ahead. There will be more ups and downs this season but with Ed Warriner I am not too concerned about the line issues in the future. A cream puff game this weekend and byes two of the next four weeks afterwards, there is no reason to believe this unit should not be ready to play at a high level come start of the big ten season. However, if the play stays at the path of the first two games then get ready to watch two other teams play in Indianapolis this December.

3. 3RD DOWN DEFENSE

“Frustrating, so frustrating.” All I could hear was Landfill from Beerfest saying that quote over and over in my head Saturday night. How many times this season has Ohio State forced an opponent in third and long only to give up an easy conversion? I’m going to give Chris Ash and Luke Fickell the benefit of the doubt here as I’ve already complained about the coaching scheme enough (Though the fact that Curtis Grant stays on and Michael Bennett comes off the field on third down is very puzzling). Ohio State fans just have to hope that these third down conversion rates will not be a trend this season. Sometimes the defensive backs are ten yards off the receivers only to give up an easy out route 1 yard behind the sticks. Other times the coaches dial up a blitz perfectly only to have the quarterback somehow Houdini is way out of the pocket to throw off his back foot to a receiver who makes a diving catch.  It can’t keep happening or the big ten title will be out of the picture and I will be 6 feet under after a heart attack, unable to bore you with my weekly articles.

I’m going to be positive here and believe this problem/aberration will be fixed. The linebackers look improved, the secondary looks talented and these young guns will only get better.

If these 3 weaknesses of the men of the scarlet and gray (menofthescarletandgray.com) get fixed then I certainly believe this team will finish with no more than two losses and a good chance of heading to Indy. As long as Frank Beamer agrees to give the other half of the playbook back of course.

Filed Under: B1G Football, BCS, Ohio State Football

Ohio State-Virginia Tech: In Depth Reaction Part 1

September 8, 2014 by 1 Comment

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.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

MotSaG B1G Power Poll Week 2

September 8, 2014 by 1 Comment

What a weekend of Big Ten football, Black Saturday,losses for the “top” teams and unnecessary close games for many others. There is a huge shake up in this weeks Power Poll and I am betting that TTUN fans won’t be hitting me up on twitter this week calling me a homer.

1. Maryland -(+5) This was a toss up between Rutgers and the Terps but seeing Washington State lose to Nevada is the main reason I jumped Maryland to Number 1.

2. Rutgers -(+1) Weird that the two new additions to the big Ten are number 1 and 2 right now in my poll, these two could be 1a or 1b.

3. Minnesota -(+5) While Minnesota starts off strong they seem to make it kind of close down the stretch in the fourth quarters.

4. Penn State -(same) With their 21-7 win over Akron I kept James Franklin’s team in the same spot as last week

5. Illinois – (+6) Playing the Western Kentucky close or from behind most of the game in the second half the Fighting Illini figured out a way to win by 8

6. Nebraska – (-1) Bo Pelini sacrificed one of his cats lives to beat McNeese State with 20 seconds left thanks to Ameer Abdullah I won’t got down and won’t quit running.

7. Iowa– (+5) Despite the Hawkeyes playing down to their competition again they get to move up by being undefeated barely beating Ball State 17-14

8. Indiana – (+2) Being idle mean no loss helps the Hoosiers move up and stay undefeated go cut down the nets Tom.

9. Michigan State – (-8) The first of the one loss teams, getting beat by Oregon on the road and it looked like they had it until it fell apart in the second half

10 Wisconsin – (+2) After losing week 1 to LSU they bounced back with a win not on the legs of Gordon but the arm of McEvoy

11. Ohio State– (-9) Getting beat at home by an unranked Virginia Tech team hurt, but hey the Buckeyes got into the endzone

12. Michigan– (-5) Shutout by the Golden Domers 37-0 sorry nothing else needs to be said

13. Purdue– (-4) Got crushed by a MAC team Central Michigan 38-17 if they played a better opponent and lost they would be higher

14. Northwestern– (same) Only team without a win this season so far.

I enjoy the interaction and feedback on my polls so I can’t wait to hear about this weeks.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, Ohio State Football

Why This Loss Is Good For Ohio State

September 8, 2014 by 3 Comments

We here at MotSaG received this post from one of our loyal readers Cyndi Travis she is a fellow blogger who writes her own food and lifestyle blog linked below and she can be found on Twitter @cyndic88. Cyndi thought this post would work well for our site and we couldn’t agree more.

I was so worked up this morning I wrote this. It’s not really appropriate for
my site (which is about recipes and lifestyle) but I thought that it might work here…

Why this loss is good for Ohio State?

Losses can be good, they build character. They provide experience. They make
you hungry.

Don’t get me wrong, that one hurt a little bit. As a lifelong Buckeye fan and
alumni I hate an ugly loss, especially at home. But, I think this one will be
good for us. See I try to walk a thin line between being realistic and being a
fan at heart. I didn’t believe the hype of this team, even when Braxton was
healthy. I have been telling everyone for weeks, we need to get through
Virginia Tech before we celebrate anything that is going to be a hard game. All
I heard in response? Virginia Tech, no problem. Well, we have a problem now
don’t we.

The pressure that was on this team to go undefeated was tremendous. Local and
National media, either we were overrated or we were going to live up to the
hype. Fans added pressure. Coaches added pressure. Now the only pressure they
should feel should come from the inside. The pressure to right the wrong. The
pressure to prove that you are as good as you say.

Let’s be honest, we weren’t going to win a National Championship this year.
Did I want us to? I sure did, but the realistic part of my brain said that we
just didn’t have the experience to get it done. What we had in the pre-season
is what we had last night. A young OL that would have made it impossible for
even Braxton to make anything happen. A weak secondary that proved if you throw
against us you will have success.

I heard a lot on social media last night about how we don’t have much of a
playbook. In my opinion we could have had a playbook as big as War and Peace
and we would not have been about to execute any of it. The core of an offense
starts with the line, not the QB, protection equals the ability to make big
plays. They will get there. I think we have one OL lineman with more than 3
starts. One. We have young running backs which are tentative to provide extra
block protection. It will get better.

The defense, well it has a lot of potential. The secondary is young but shows
flashes of potential greatness. The penalties are a symptom of youth. They
will calm down, they will learn what they can get away with and what they
cannot.

Where do we go from here? Well, now that we have lost some of the bandwagon
fans, we do what we always do. We cheer. We support our team, and we support
our coach. We go into each game with the knowledge that these players are
growing with each snap.

This loss will be good for a young team. It will build their character. It’s
not fun walking off the field in front 107,000 fans that came to support you and
watch you win. It will leave that taste in your mouth, that chip on your
shoulder. It will drive you to do better in the weight room, on the practice
field.

So if you were one of those “fans” that tweeted about “when does
basketball season start” last night, good luck to you, this team doesn’t
need you. We need supportive fans in times of loss and victory. We will see
you next August as you climb back on the bandwagon.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, Ohio State Football

Ohio State-Virginia Tech: Post Game Reaction

September 7, 2014 by 4 Comments

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.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

Football: Coaching with Urban Meyer Weeks 1&2

September 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Since this is my last semester at The Ohio State University, I knew I had to find the class about which I had heard since freshman year: the football coaching class, taught by the football coach. The night before I scheduled, I happened to be at a friend’s house, and one of his roommates was looking for the class as well. Once we found the official class number, I knew I had to add it to my schedule for the fall semester.

The class meets at 7:30 at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, meaning I have to wake up around 6:15 to get ready and then drive over to get there before 7:25 (you don’t want to be late to this class). The class has met twice this semester, and Coach Stan Jefferson, Director of Player Development, and Coach Hiram A. de Fries, Football Administrative Assistant to the Head Coach, have been in class both days. Coach Meyer came in and spoke for about 20-30 minutes each day. We haven’t gotten into football play and the like yet, as it’s mainly been lessons on motivation and, as Coach Meyer says, “how to build a great team.” Coach Meyer did, however, teach us about the “Buckeye Plan To Win.” (If you would like to read further on the plan to win, here is an article about it from when Coach Meyer came to Ohio State.)

  1. Play Great Defense
  2. Turnovers
  3. Score in the Red Zone
  4. Win the Kicking Game

There isn’t much more to say about this class as of yet, though I can tell you there will be some exciting things. I have to scout a high school game on offense and defense, write two practice reports (one of which will be an OSU practice report), and we’ll soon start learning about individual position play. Coach Meyer isn’t slated on the syllabus to teach another class. Rather, we have each position coach teaching their position. For example, Linebacker Play will be taught by Coach Fickell, QB Play and the Pass Attack taught by Coach Herman, and so on. This should be a great class, and hopefully I’ll be able to transfer some of the knowledge on football scouting, position play, and game planning on to the fine readers of Men of the Scarlet and Gray. Go Bucks.

Filed Under: College Football, Miscellany, Ohio State Football

5 Things I Think: CFB Week 2!

September 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Week one started off with six straight nights of college football and it felt great. As can be expected, none of the so-called top teams looked terrific. It makes sense, though, as it’s the first time they’ve played against players that aren’t teammates. Adjustments will be made, new players will become acclimated, new coach’s styles will become second nature to the teams. For some teams starters still haven’t been decided, so after one week there’s no reason to get too excited or too disappointed just yet. There are several intriguing matchups this week some of which will be games that will be indicators for fans and media alike and that will likely be referred to later in the season by the selection committee.

Let’s jump in!

1. #14 USC at #13 Stanford (9/6/14 3:30pm EST ABC): Stanford wants to avenge their loss to the Trojans last year especially given that the Cardinal have won the previous four contests. In fact, of the 92 times these two teams have met, this decade (the 2010’s) is only the second one in which the Cardinal have a winning the record (the other was the 1940’s) against USC. The Trojans faced the reigning MWC champions last week, and in the midst of scandals that included a faux hero and a quitting player calling Coach Sarkisian a racist, they beat the Bulldogs of Fresno State by 39 points. The Trojans ran an unbelievable 105 plays Saturday, second only to Northern Illinois’ 109, and redshirt junior quarterback Cody Kessler looked great. Kessler, however, had surgery on his toe this week to address what some are reporting was a staph infection. Though it sounds like Kessler will still play this week, we may see the former number one QB recruit in the nation (Rivals, 2012) in redshirt freshman Max Browne. The last time we saw the Stanford Cardinal (unless you happened to watch last week’s 45-0 drubbing of an FCS team that won five games last season) they were watching as Michigan State went into the victory formation and won the Rose Bowl. The Cardinal hope to return to the Rose Bowl because if they do it means they’re in the playoffs. Playmaker Ty Montgomery will have to play very well Saturday if that’s going to happen. Montgomery is a threat in the receiving game, the return game, and even out of the backfield on occasion. Trojans All-American defensive lineman, Leonard Williams, suffered a high-ankle sprain Tuesday. Stanford’s offensive line will surely try to exploit that and perhaps Barry Sanders, Jr. will have his breakout game. We didn’t get much insight into the strength of either team in Week 1, but this game will certainly give us — and the selection committee — a clearer picture. USC was a top-ten team in time of possession last season and last week kept the ball for nearly 39 minutes. If they can keep it away from Kevin Hogan, Ty Montgomery, and company, the Trojans will win this game. I just don’t think they’ll be able to because their depth issues on defense will hinder their ability to keep Stanford from eating clock. Stanford wins a very close game.

2. #7 Michigan State at #3 Oregon (9/6/14 6:30pm EST FOX): The last we saw Spartans quarterback Connor Cook he was in the aforementioned victory formation and he had just finished his second consecutive game passing for at least 300 yards and completing 60% of his passes. His team was known all season for its suffocating defense (finished the season 2nd in the nation in total defense), but the offense showed up during its two most important games. Cook, running back Jeremy Langford, and sophomore tight end Josiah Price are now as much worthy of game planning as Pat Narduzzi’s defense is. This week they face the high-octane Oregon Ducks in what is this season’s first matchup that has realistic playoff appearance implications. The Spartans travel to Autzen Stadium where the Ducks are 21-2 in their last home 23 contests (the two losses were by a combined 6 points and both were in November). This is the Ducks’ first season without Nick Aliotti at defensive coordinator since 1999, so it will be interesting to see the difference on that side of the ball. All-American cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is surely leaned upon as a steadying force, but he didn’t play the last three quarters in Week 1 against South Dakota with an ankle injury, so if I’m Connor Cook, I’m testing him early to see if his coverage skills are compromised. In years past, I’d have written that the Spartans aren’t built to make a comeback if they get down early, but I don’t think I can do so now because they’re a threat offensively under the much-improved Cook. Oregon only ran 70 plays last week, but they averaged 9.61 yards per play. Yes, it was against the Coyotes, but at least it showed Mariota is healthy and was efficient (70% passing). Would you believe me if I told you that the Spartans only had one more rushing attempt in 2013 than did the Ducks? It’s true. The difference is that the Ducks averaged nearly two more yards per carry! It’s a tough call. Pick the team with a fully healthy Heisman candidate at quarterback and has lost twice at home in three years or pick the team with a hot and much-improved quarterback and is finally a threat on both sides of the ball? Aflac by 10!

3. Michigan at #16 Notre Dame (9/6/14 7:30pm EST NBC): A lot of the talk surrounding this game is that this is the last meeting between these two teams in the foreseeable future because Notre Dame opted out of the matchup in 2012 when they committed to playing 5 ACC games yearly. Though this is certainly a big rivalry, it would surprise some to know that these two teams have only met 41 times. However, from 1980 to 2013 there have only been six seasons in which they didn’t square off. Given the last five games though, which were decided by an average of six points, it seems a shame that it has come to an end. In an amusing turn of events, it was announced Thursday that Notre Dame and Wolverines rival Ohio State have come to terms for a home-and-home in 2022 and 2023. Notre Dame is still dealing with what could potentially explode into a North Carolina-like academic scandal and Brian Kelly has announced that the five currently affected players are still unavailable due to suspension. Everett Golson, who missed last season due to his own academic scandal, looked like a much more polished player last week. I realize that it was just against Rice, but going into last week I felt fairly comfortable that sophomore Malik Zaire would win the job by season’s end. I’m not so sure now. Golson looked much crisper and more decisive than he did as the redshirt freshman that led the Fighting Irish to the BCS title game in 2012. The Irish’s secondary, however, did not look great at all. They allowed the Owls to complete 71% of their passes on first down and on third down and 9 passes of 15 yards or more. Part of the reason for that is they were without redshirt senior safety Austin Collinsworth who is out 2-4 weeks with an MCL strain. That means they’ll be without him this week against a Wolverines team that was 75th in the nation in passing offense last year, but is now under Devin Gardner’s second full season as starting quarterback. They’ll need to watch out for the Devin-to-Devin (Funchess) connection. Funchess, who was listed as tight end last season and was second on the team in every receiving category, is listed as a wide receiver this year and went for 95 yards and three touchdowns last week. Michigan has won four of the last six, but I think we’re going to see another crisp game by Golson this week and the Fighting Irish will win yet another close game. Notre Dame by a field goal.

4. BYU at Texas (9/6/14 7:30pm EST Fox Sports 1): It’s a battle of two “unranked” teams, yet it’s very intriguing nevertheless. It was this matchup last season that started kicking the legs out from under Mack Brown when the Cougars won by 19 and their quarterback, Taysom Hill, ran for 259 yards and 3 touchdowns. Texas gave up a total of 550 rushing yards that day. In comes Charlie Strong and the Longhorns want to avenge this loss and more importantly show the defensive toughness and discipline for which Charlie Strong-led teams are known. What will make the defense’s job a little more difficult is that they may be on the field a lot longer than they’d prefer. Quarterback David Ash is out with concussion symptoms and starting center Dominic Espinosa is reportedly out for the year with a fractured ankle. If that weren’t enough, Charlie Strong suspended both starting offensive tackles for this game due to the ever popular “violation of team rules”. Perhaps it’s a good thing that David Ash and his concussion history is out for this game because his immobility could possibly heighten his injury risk behind what will now be one of the most inexperienced offensive lines in the country. Texas has a stable of running backs and will now be starting 6’5”, 225-lbs. Tyrone Swoopes (distant cousin of Sheryl Swoopes) at quarterback. Swoopes is mobile, but how will these rushers do behind such a suspect offensive line? Longhorns fans, and defensive players, are hoping they do well enough to move the chains so that they keep Taysom Hill off the field. Hill, a sophomore, improved as the season went on last year. He started the season with three games (including the Texas game) in which he completed less that 40% of his passes but completed at least 55% in 7 of his last 10 games and 77.8% last week. If Texas’ offense weren’t so weakened, I’d take Texas because I believe in the culture change that Charlie Strong has and continues to implement in Austin. I just don’t think they’ll be able to move the chains, which will wear out their defense, and will allow Taysom Hill to play well. BYU won’t win by 19 like that did last year, even with a weakened Longhorns offense, but they will win and probably by a touchdown or less.

5. Virginia Tech at #8 Ohio State (9/6/14 8pm EST ESPN): This is the first time these two teams have ever played one another, which seems a bit unbelievable. The Buckeyes’ first game against Navy made it difficult to gauge them due to Navy’s unorthodox style of play; this week should be a better indicator. While Virginia Tech is currently “unranked” there are many who think they will be a better team than last year’s 8-5 squad. While they lost Logan Thomas (Arizona Cardinals) at quarterback, they were fortunate to avoid having to replace him with an inexperienced passer. Junior Michael Brewer transferred from Texas Tech and is a better passer than Thomas was (Brewer completed over 70% of his passes over his career); the Buckeyes were the 112th-ranked defense against the pass last year, so new co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash’ impact will have to be realized this week. The Hokies defense lost cornerback Kyle Fuller in the first round of May’s NFL Draft (Chicago Bears), but many people think his younger brother Kendall is as good, if not better, than Kyle. Virginia Tech boasted the 4th best team in the country in total defense in 2013, the highlight of which was holding an Alabama offense that averaged 454 yards on offense on the year to a mere 216 offensive yards to start the season. While the Tech defensive backfield returns three starters, their front seven only returns two. Contrast that against the fact that the Buckeyes only return one starter on the offensive line and the battle in the proverbial trenches will be vital to the Buckeyes’ offensive success. While scarletshirt freshman J.T. Barrett has mobility, he doesn’t have the level of mobility that an Urban Meyer quarterback typically has, so it is imperative that the front line play well. The Buckeyes, of course, have to be ready for “Beamer Ball” as well. Defense and special teams is what have defined Frank Beamer’s Hall-of-Fame caliber career which means Meyer’s squad must avoid turning the ball over, cover kicks and punts thoroughly, and beware of fakes. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw several screens early in the game to test that inexperienced Hokies front seven and put some of the Buckeyes’ speedsters out in space. I think it is here that the Buckeyes have the advantage and Meyer and Tom Herman will exploit it. Ohio State extends its home winning streak to fifteen games with a win by about 10 points.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, Ohio State Football

Friday Open Thread: Virginia Tech

September 5, 2014 by 2 Comments

Week two of the college football season dawns upon us, and here are some of the crucial areas to contemplate as Ohio State welcomes in Virginia Tech for a nationally televised game at 8pm EST on ESPN:

– Stephan reviewed all of the week 1 B1G contests, with Northwestern and Wisconsin being the only teams to begin the 2014 season with a defeat.

– Jeremiah provided a MotSandG Top 10

– Shannon released his MotSandG B1G Power Poll

– Both Kade and I looked back at how Ohio State played versus Navy. Kade provided highlights from the game as well.

– The MotSandG podcast reviewed the OSU/Navy contest, and previewed the OSU/VT game with our special guest Jacob Emert, a Virginia Tech beat writer for TechSideline.com.

– Nate also provided A Look Around The Country

– Josh made an effort at Predicting Every Single FBS College Football Game for Week 2

– Jason cautioned against Jumping To Conclusions regarding possible college football playoff participants

– Jacob provided a preview of the Ohio State/Virginia Tech contest

– In a tip of the hat to scheduling quality opponents, Ohio State and Notre Dame announced a future home & home series for 2022 and 2023. While I have concerns about how much these tickets will cost, Ryan expressed his concern over the series in the following fashion on Twitter…

– On The Urban Meyer Call-In Show on 09/04/2014, Shelley Meyer called into the show under the alias of “Sasha”, asking Coach Meyer about the shovel pass or jump pass…

– For those of you who may be inclined to watch as many games as possible, Jason provided a guide for the games that will be on, and which networks are televising them.

Looking forward to attending the game versus Virginia Tech on Saturday evening in Ohio Stadium with family and friends. Ronnie provided players to watch on the Virginia Tech side of the ledger.

Remembering how Ohio State struggled along the offensive line last week versus Navy, and how Virginia Tech was able to give Alabama a good game in the 2013 season opener, when Alabama also had to work with a rebuilt offensive line, has convinced me that this game is going to be relatively low-scoring and won in the trenches. I have it Ohio State 20, Virginia Tech 17.

How do you see it? Go Bucks!

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

Ohio State vs. Virginia Tech, A Second Look

September 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment

OSU vs VT

Virginia Tech Preview, Sept. 6th, 2014 at 8:00PM EST ESPN
Ohio Stadium

After a successful opening weekend for the Ohio State Buckeyes, it’s on to week two and their home opener against the Virginia Tech Hokies. Head Coach Frank Beamer just entered his 28th season at the helm for the Hokies. This certainly isn’t his most talented team, but Va Tech always plays sound and disciplined defense and fields great special teams units. The Buckeyes will have to play well if they expect to leave the “Shoe” with a victory.

As expected, Ohio State defeated Navy 34-17 in Baltimore to open their season. All things considered, JT Barrett performed well going 12-for-15 with 226 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception as the Buckeyes were knocking on Navy’s door step. His only real mistake was the interception. He also led the Buckeyes in rushing with 50 yards. I don’t expect this to happen again this season as the Buckeyes offensive line really struggled early in the game. Ohio State had balance with 226 yards passing and 194 yards rushing. The defense played a bend but don’t break style. They yielded 390 yards rushing (most of which came in the 2nd half) and 20 yards passing. When all was said and done they only gave up 17 points which is a far cry from where they were toward the end of last season.

Virginia Tech opened their season strong with a 34-9 victory over William & Mary. The Hokies are trying to break in new QB Michael Brewer who went 23-for-30 with 251 yards and 2 touchdowns. Their offensive attack was very balanced. They passed for 266 yards and ran for another 222. However, they turned the ball over twice and that could spell disaster if they do that in Columbus against the Buckeyes. The Va Tech defense gave up less than 200 total yards of offense to William & Mary. I would take some of these stats with a grain of salt given the level of competition they played. However, the Buckeyes can’t sleep on this Virginia Tech team.

There are a few key matchups that will go a long way in deciding who wins the game under the lights on Saturday night. A big one is whether or not Virginia Tech can run on Ohio State’s defensive line? The Hokies had some success on the ground against a far less superior team in William & Mary. They rolled up 222 yards rushing. Shai McKenzie and Marshawn Williams are expected to receive the bulk of the carries. Both are freshman so it will be interesting to see how they handle the atmosphere on Saturday. I like the Buckeyes chances of holding Va Tech under 100 yards total rushing. If they do, Va Tech will be too one dimensional against Ohio State’s revamped pass defense.

Texas Tech transfer QB Michael Brewer is now the starter for Virginia Tech as Logan Thomas departed after last season. If Brewer has some time to throw it will really shed some light on Ohio State’s revamped pass defense. The secondary is expected to be pressing the Va Tech receivers and give them far less cushion than the defense did the past few seasons. With the combination of Ohio State’s front four overpowering the Hokie offensive line and the improved secondary play, I don’t expect Brewer to have a great game.

When the Buckeyes have the ball it’s simple — protect redshirt freshman QB JT Barrett. If the Buckeyes offensive line comes out Saturday like they did in the first half against Navy, it’ll be a long night. Assuming Barrett has some time to throw, he’ll have to be extra careful with Va Tech CB’s Kendall Fuller and Brandon Facyson. Both are capable of breaking on the ball in a heartbeat. If Barrett protects it and the offensive line comes together, I like the Ohio State skill guys to take over the game.

Lost in translation last week against Navy was all-purpose back Dontre Wilson for the Buckeyes. He racked up 166 all-purpose yards among his duties returning punts/kicks, catches and carries. His cat like quickness will be electrifying Saturday night against a far more athletic defense in Virginia Tech. Stud true freshman Curtis Samuel is also someone to keep an eye on. It seemed he was the main back that did the toughs sledding between the tackles against Navy. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry and Urban Meyer gleamed over his first collegiate game.

Traditionally, the Frank Beamer teams that aren’t hyped up and don’t have much to lose play better. The teams that have lofty preseason rankings rarely win big cross conference games like this one. We’ll find out Saturday night which Ohio State and Virginia Tech teams show up. Ohio State just doesn’t lose many night home games, especially when the King, LeBron James is in attendance. I think Ohio State wins going away in the 2nd half, 31-16. This is what Ohio State football is all about, primetime and under the lights. Oh how glorious it will be.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

Q&A with an opponents blogger: Virginia Tech

September 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Bring on the Hokies. What is a Hokie? Well, I am glad you asked as we have that covered in our most recent podcast.

This week I had the great pleasure of working with Chuck Workman who is the managing editor of gobblercountry.com (he goes by flyer13 on the site) and they do a fantastic job covering Virginia Tech football. Please check out their site and get some more information on to what the Buckeyes are facing tomorrow so you can sound well educated in front of your friends and family like all Buckeye fans should (besides reading our site!!)

MotSaG: Which conference do you feel is better, the Big Ten or the ACC?

GobblerCountry: They are evenly matched, though the talent is distributed more evenly in the ACC. I think the top of the BiG often gets that extra at-large BCS bid historically; where it took VT until 2011 with our semi/very-bogus trip to the Sugar to get the first at-large for the ACC (where we beat Michigan, I’m sure you agree). With FSU and Miami not up to the standards envisioned upon the ACC’s expansion in 2004 (until recently of course for the ‘Noles) it’s been difficult to justify that extra ACC team. Now that the system has changed to include the playoff.

With the extra four teams, the at-large BCS bid will likely be eliminated as a distinguishing factor. But in a nutshell, the BiG has always had 2-3 behemoths at the top (and I’m sure you’re counting on Nebraska to join in soon) and a very deep basement with the Hoosiers, Wildcats, Gophers, et al all taking turns in the cellar. A lot of years, the ACC will have eight or nine bowl teams of their 12; and now likely even more with Louisville joining and the Irish trailing in our wake as they attempt with all of their futile might to remain independent. Most days I take the Buckeyes over most everyone in the FBS. Same with Michigan St (sorry UM). But if you stack up ACC teams 3-15 I have to say the ACC balance is better through the middle.

MotSaG: How much does OSU’s defensive line concern the Hokies?

GobblerCountry: Very much, though the Spence suspension helps. We have an offensive line that is veteran, but a lot of them are still having trouble with snap counts and motion in the spread we run. Consequently, we saw an uncharacteristic number of false starts; we even saw one in the backfield out of a RB. These things simply cannot happen vs an Urban Meyer team, who seems to maintain discipline on the field, though he is a little more lax with his players behavior off of it (Gator Haters all of us amirite? Or maybe you’ve learned to forgive the BCS Title Game loss. Teddy Ginn Jr. hasn’t)

Last week we unleashed some sick TEs on FCS opponent William & Mary. And we have a third equally impressive TE on the mend. He is questionable. This affords us extra blockers. Word to the Buckeye faithful, the more you see of J.C. Coleman as the tailback in the pistol formation, the better you should feel. He’s tiny, he doesn’t pick up weak-side blitzes well, and he doesn’t have the vision to find the holes in between the 300 lbers. If you see us come out with Shai McKenzie and Juice Williams, you may be in for a day of it in the trenches. They find yards where there aren’t any to be had.

As for the passing game, we have good tackles. I feel OK with the initial double team on the edge and then the TE releasing for an outlet. We could make a game of it this way. But the coaches, well, they probably won’t read this.

If I were Urban, I’d blitz early to see how we hold up. If it works, we’re yours. If this new kid Brewer we have at QB can pick your scabs though, you may have to sit back. William & Mary didn’t provide us with enough of a litmus test.

MotSaG: What do you think VT’s biggest concerns are?

GobblerCountry: Youth, youth, youth. Those are choices 98,99,100 on my list. The first 97? Coaching on offense, and the playcalling. What can I say except that our menu is comparable to The Cheesecake Factory’s. You spend an hour reading thru it and then you get something with the alfredo that tastes like it was cooked at the same station as the marinara. Either way the sauce the past couple years has been weak. The playbook/menu outstrips the kitchen’s ability to cook everything with their A game.

Hokie football was built on leaning on teams. What goes for one yard in the first, goes for two yards in the second, goes for six points in the 4th. (quote from ex-NFL/USC coach John Robinson). Now we’re integrating personnel into a spread system that used the no-huddle last week, so it’ll be interesting to see how much huddle time we use vs a viable opponent such as OSU.

Defensively, we have no real concerns. We looked pretty good against all the base formations. We got fooled once by the wildcat set (W&M gained 193 net yards, 100 were on three plays). We have two heavy watch-list names in Luther Maddy (DT) and Kendall Fuller (CB, in a long line of DB brothers). And I’d be completely underselling DE Cory Marshall (who will work his way onto the 2nd day of the draft at minimum) and his counterpart DE Dadi Nicolas, who can probably beat 3/4 of your WRs in a foot race.

MotSaG: Virginia Tech has one of the best secondaries in the nation — do you feel it will cause problems for scarlet shirt freshman JT Barrett?

GobblerCountry: Barrett would be best suited testing the edges to get the corners to creep in and help the nickel back and LBs out. That’s when he’s going to want to challenge our guys deep. Our second CB Brandon Facyson didn’t fare so well against the Tribe’s all-CAA WR (until he went out with an injury). The added pressure on him due to Fuller being so lock-down will reveal him very soon as our resident whipping boy or whether he’ll live up to all the attention he’s getting from QBs.

Our safeties include an NFL draft hopeful in Kyshoen Jarrett who really fits the mold of the hard-hitting Hokie SS (like Aaron Rouse and Kam Chancellor before him). Our Free man is Detrick Bonner, who excels in run support, but is toastable in man coverage. I’m sure Urban is aware of this. Chuck Clark is the nickel du jour, as Bud Foster defenses often eschew the extra LB for more speed.

MotSaG: How excited are VT players to get to play in the ‘Shoe?

GobblerCountry: I can only imagine that for a large percentage of these players that the experience will be once in a lifetime. However, OSU returns the favor with a return trip to Blacksburg, so they’ll have to get over the stars in their eyes and remember that they will be tussling with a lot of these guys next year. Now is not the time to genuflect, its time to see what we’ve got in terms of mental strength.

MotSaG: If OSU can shut down VT’s running game how much pressure does that put on Brewer?

GobblerCountry: Some pressure to be sure, but if they don’t put pressure on him, we have weapons on the edges that we didn’t possess the past two years. We have a TE corps that is the ultimate fire alarm to pull in case of emergency, and we have more seasoned receivers. I think we test your speed in the LB corps and see if they can keep the 6 and 7 yard hitches in front of them. I also think the seam routes are a nice attack point against the OSU team particularly if they decide to dial up the pressure. Brewer isn’t lauded for his arm strength, but I think he is very underrated, particularly rolling to his right. If you examine his HS tapes, you’ll see a little Drew Brees gunslinger in him. He also runs like a young Heath Shuler, or a Dee Dowis (lol, i always loved that name as a kid). We have some options, but it’s up to the coaches to adjust, and I never have confidence in the VT coaches to adjust mid-game. Pre-game? Great group of planners, but deer’ in the headlights when things hit the fan between the lines. There’s a reason there are only like 4 double digit comebacks in Coach Beamer’s career (spans to 1986).

MotSaG: What are some of the VT players Buckeye fans should keep an eye out for?

GobblerCountry: QB Michael Brewer, RB Shai McKenzie/Marshawn “Juice” Williams (you’ll cheer for Coleman if he’s in), TE’s Bucky Hodges/Ryan Malleck, WR Isaiah Ford, Willie Byrn, Josh Stanford

DT Luther Maddy, DE Corey Marshall, DE Dadi Nicolas, LB Chase Williams, LB Derek DiNardo, CB Kendall Fuller, SS Kyshoen Jarrett

P AJ Hughes….we know about your P too….but ours goes to 11.

MotSaG: Do you feel like VT was looking past William and Mary last weekend to this weeks matchup?

GobblerCountry: Not at all, it was a sleepy effort at times, crisp at others. A lot of bodies saw action against an FCS club. Not that W&M is Navy (but they could give Navy a game). But as a former athlete who is aware of world surroundings, I can’t imagine a few of the guys didn’t look ahead.

MotSaG: Do some of the redzone issues that VT had last week concern you?

GobblerCountry: Red zone issues always concern me especially when you have the bulk advantage up front. We need to establish a rotation, and stick to it. This RB by committee thing is a real thorn in the side for me, especially when we settle for FGs of 20 and 27 yards. But that feeling would be universal amongst all college football fans, wouldn’t it?? We need to impose ourselves down there, and that is the function half the time. The finesse stuff, we can put that in the round file, particularly inside the five. I like the fade pattern when you have a guarantee like Randy Moss. Otherwise, like your own immortal Woody Hayes once said, “When you throw the ball, three things can happen and two of them are bad.”

MotSaG: What’s your prediction for the game?

GobblerCountry: Hokies shock the world. Brewer matches Brown, several TOs kill momentum on both sides. OSU misses a long FG to win. Hokies 20-17, on a wet field (I think there’s a good possibility of rain in Columbus Saturday)

Thanks for this opportunity to converse with you guys. Check us out for VT Hokies sports news on www.gobblercountry.com or @gobblercountry on Twitter. We also have a Facebook page.

Good luck Saturday, and most importantly have fun as safely as possible!

I would like to thank Chuck for taking the time out of his busy schedule to help me with this post. While he made some fine points and may make some Buckeye fans nervous for the game tomorrow I do not believe for one second that William and Mary would have been able to handle Navy. Navy showed last Saturday they are a very talented and athletic team that no one wants to give credit to but we will see at the end of the year what kind of season they had and if I am the delusional one.

This game has the making of being a close game but after watching the VT and W&M match-up last weekend somethings just didn’t impress me with VT. I think their run defense might be suspect and I look for the Buckeyes running back stable to take pressure of JT and possibly opening up the play action big time for the Buckeyes. I hope that the tight ends get used more and that they don’t have to stay back to help with blocking on the line. The coaching staff hopefully fixed some of the problems on the offensive line especially going up against a more talented VT defensive line, VT secondary does worry me but JT and the coaching staff seem smart enough to figure out ways to get those guys out of position. We will finally see the new revamped secondary against a more traditional offense and I’m looking forward to a big night from the defensive line.

My prediction as I believe I said on the podcast is 34-14 Ohio State.

Remember have any questions for any of the upcoming games you would like answered email us at AskMotSaG@gmail.com. Would love to hear from you and Go Buckeyes.

Filed Under: College Football, Ohio State Football Tagged With: , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »