Indiana Recap

Don't sleep on the Hoosiers, because one of these days, they are gonna catch you...

And with less than 2 minutes to go, with a lead of 18 points, the Buckeyes fell asleep, the Hoosiers scored 15 points in a span of 35 seconds, and the Buckeyes desperately needed to recover an onside kick (the second of two) to hold on to win 52-49 in Bloomington. Below are my observations.

1. Devin Smith needs glue. It is becoming Smith's pattern to make the most ridiculous catches and then completely miss the easiest ones. Smith dropped two such easy passes in the game -- on the first, he committed the cardinal sin of turning his head to look for the endzone before securing the ball, and on the second he just...dropped...it. It went right through his hands, at which point even Braxton Miller turned around to view the replay to determine why his beautiful pass wasn't caught for a TD. Smith did score two long touchdowns though, one of which was mostly a result of his running skills after the catch, as he evaded a couple of defenders to extend the play. If the Buckeyes could figure out how to get this guy a little more consistent in his receiving abilities, his long threat could never be ignored.
2. Commentators were AWFUL. I really don't like the BTN commentators. I know that they probably groan from week to week when they discover that they have to cover games that aren't supposed to be close, and they have to figure out a way to bring some excitement to the game. But it comes across as them rooting for the underdog, and last night it seemed like they were very excited for every opportunity that Indiana had to score on the Buckeyes. It also seemed a lot like Indiana "did something wrong" more often than OSU got credit for doing something really well. Combine that with the fact that they still can't seem to figure out how to properly execute commercials, and you miss at least one play a game, and they are often confused about what down it is, and it gets old fast.
3. Officiating was atrocious. For the second week in a row, I was really confused and disappointed in the officiating. It wasn't that I would say the officials were biased. I am always reluctant to say that (at least, to seriously say that). But there were too many reviews and a lot of reversals. So by the end of the game, when there was confusion about whether Indiana recovered an onside kick that appeared to have gone out of bounds, all of the officials' credibility was SHOT. There were inconsistent calls all the way around, which makes it really frustrating to see something get called when it wasn't called on the same team earlier in the game. And as for the overturned reviews -- I think the replay official may need to look up the meaning of indisputable (not disputable or deniable; uncontestable. indisputable evidence; unquestionably real, valid, or the like), because at least one of the overturned plays did not show enough evidence to be overturned. Before you call me biased, I did agree with a lot of the calls that went against Ohio State early -- it just seemed like the whole thing deteriorated as the game went on.
4. Carlos Hyde. Remember when we were worried about Jordan Hall's absence? Carlos Hyde has quickly transformed into such a presence on the field that I would be disappointed if Hall returned and Hyde wasn't still the primary back. He had a strong running effort for 156 yards against the Hoosiers. He runs his best when he just plows over defenders, rather than trying to dance around them. And when he and Braxton are in the backfield together, it really is a double-run threat, because either one of them can spring past defenders for extra yards. Though Braxton gets a lot of the offensive attention on the team, Hyde has become a very reliable runningback.
5. Braxton Miller. Yet again, we see why Braxton Miller is such an asset to this Buckeye team. He rushed for 149 yards and 1 TD, passed for 211 yards and 2 TDs and 1 INT, and even jumped on a Rod Smith fumble to save a possession late in the game. But what impressed me most was watching how calmly he took the Buckeyes down the field after falling behind early. A lot of fans seemed to start panicking when the Buckeyes were down 14-10 after the blocked punt lead to a TD for the Hoosiers. And even when the Buckeyes let Indiana score again on the first possession of the second half, Braxton went out and took the offense down the field for a score, breaking out for a 67-yard touchdown run of his own. It seemed that no matter how many times Indiana scored, Braxton took his team on the field to answer, and the look in his eyes said everything -- he wasn't going to lose. He impressed me many times by making 10+ yards on wha seemed to be sure sacks, and that is one of the reasons his team must have so much confidence in him. My only concern is that early in the game, after the initial touchdown drive, the Hoosiers knew that OSU was going to run Miller, and they were able to stop him and even sack him many times. If Indiana's defense can do that, there will come a game (possible against Purdue or Penn State) where Miller's legs won't be able to save him.  He gets better and matures as a leader and passer every game. If Devin Smith hadn't dropped 2 sure touchdown passes, we might be discussing Miller's arm more than his legs today. So if the Buckeye offense can continue to gel and get better, it will only help Miller in his rushing efforts. Just need to get that glue for Smith...
6. HORRIBLE defense. It's hard to say that, because the defense has saved the offense at times this season, but in the last two games, the defense has surrendered 87 total points. I am beginning to get the feeling that OSU is more like West Virginia, and at some point they will not be able to score more points than their defense give up. But there are always those flashes of brilliance from the "Silver Bullets," points where I begin to think the defense is finally coming together. And there have been banged up players and injuries and young players. But I still had much higher hopes for this defense, with John Simon, Johnathan Hankins, Nate Williams (though banged up), and Bradley Roby than the amount of points surrendered has shown me. Coach Meyer isn't thrilled either, and it looks like Purdue may prove a tougher challenge than anticipated unless the defense can figure out a way to tighten up and shut down the passing game.
7. Zach Boren at linebacker. Right along that theme of banged up players and figuring out how to shut things down, we got to see Zach Boren play at linebacker last night. I love Boren. I will just say that right now, because he is one of those players who will do anything that is asked of him. And giving him some experience on defense will only add to his resume should he be able to play at the next level. Having Mike Vrabel as a skills coach will also help in that regard, because Vrabel has played both sides of the ball in the NFL. Boren made some good tackles last night against the Hoosiers, though there were still gaping holes for the Hoosiers to run through on some plays. The only real downside I see of trying Boren out at linebacker is then we don't see him at fullback, and he might be one of our best blockers.
8. Personal Foul penalties. Has there been one game yet this season where Ohio State didn't get some sort of ridiculous personal foul penalty? And when I say ridiculous, I don't mean that it shouldn't have been called. I mean one of those "WHAT-THE-HECK-ARE-YOU-THINKING-THE-PLAY-WAS-OVER-THAT-WAS-TOTALLY-UNNECESSARY?!?" type of penalties. It just shows a lack of discipline that I don't like to see.
9. Kenny Guiton. I don't like to just complain, complain, complain. So let me talk about how excited I was to see Kenny Guiton pass for a touchdown! Another week brought another brief injury to Braxton Miller (following a late hit out of bounds, occupational hazard for a scrambling QB), and once again Guiton was called upon to come in and finish a scoring drive. What can I say about Guiton? It is refreshing to know the Buckeyes have him available if/when Miller goes out of the game. He is reliable and very capable, even if he lacks some of the flash Miller brings to the offense. And wouldn't you know it, Guiton had a few tricks of his own, completing a shuffle pass to Hyde for a touchdown! It was a great play, and it brings a confidence to the Buckeyes that when Braxton isn't in the game, it doesn't mean the offense is shut down.
10. Corey Brown. I hear a lot of talk about Devin Smith in the media, because he makes long TD receptions (at least half the time) and is such a deep threat. But I don't hear nearly enough about what Corey ("Don't-call-me-Philly") Brown is doing in the Buckeyes offense. Brown often shifts into the backfield to serve as both a blocker and another running option. Braxton obviously has a great rapport with Brown as a receiver, because he throws him the option pass with ease and usually looks for him on those 3rd and long situations. Last night, Brown made SEVERAL clutch receptions on 2nd or 3rd down to extend drives. His sure hands are something any QB would value. He is a playmaker and deserves more credit than he is getting. Not to mention his punt return for a TD last week nor the fact that he covered up the final onside kick to secure the game last night. As far as receivers go, he is maturing quickly and I am excited to watch Miller and Brown grow together ike Smith and Ginn did for years.
11. Corey Linsley. Speaking of players who don't get enough credit, the offensive line has been steadily improving of late. They have their issues at times, but aside from a few too many false starts (which seem to be plaguing the majority of the offensive linemen), I can't complain, because they are leaps and bounds above what they have been in past seasons. In particular, Corey Linsley has really impressed me with his blocking ability. He blocked TWO defenders on the shuffle pass from Guiton to Hyde, making the pass possible and opening up a hole for the TD sprint.

So it was an ugly win, but the Buckeyes advance to 7-0 as they return home for Purdue this week. Another game that could be hyped as a revenge match from last season. The Buckeyes need to be sharp for this game. Purdue has been less than impressive this season, but they tend to be one of those teams that catch the Buckeyes off guard. While I still expect to lose 2 games this season, to lose to Purdue wouldn't do justice to what this Buckeye team has accomplished this season. They have more talent than the Boilermakers for sure, so let's see if they can work on some of those blemishes on defense and put together 60 minutes of football.

Nebraska Recap

WOW.

There is no more adequate word to describe my feelings about the game versus Nebraska last Saturday. The Buckeyes started excruciatingly slow, and had it not been for the quick 7-point interception return by Bradley Roby, it would have been a bleak situation for the Buckeyes in the 1st quarter, with just 17 offensive yards, 6 of which were actually the result of a failed fake punt attempt. This attempt brought a lot of criticism from my section, but I was thrilled with the call. Think about it: You are Urban Meyer, and your offense has mounted just 11 yards of offense through the bulk of the 1st quarter. How do you get things going and change the momentum of the game? You try something bold and unexpected to jump-start things. Granted, it made things rough on the defense, but it also made a statement that Meyer believed his defense could hold Nebraska if the attempt failed.

So after falling 17-7 early in the 2nd quarter, following a field goal by Nebraska after the botched fake punt, a lot of Buckeye fans in the stands were getting a bit discouraged. That's when something happened and the offense seemed to figure out the formula to move the ball on Nebraska's defense. They did it on the ground with Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde, and they did it through the air, utilizing the tight ends! And just like that, OSU was up 21-17.

And then, the officials made one of the worst calls I have seen in a collegiate game this season. Nebraska's Taylor Martinez dropped back to pass, and he got rid of the ball a split-second before getting hit in the backfield, completing the pass downfield. His receiver then grabbed the facemask of not one, BUT TWO of our defensive backs (granted our second DB grabbed his as well, but that was well after the first facemask). So flags are thrown, and the fans believe that the play will be called back from the first facemask penalty. So you can imagine our shock when we hear that there were multiple fouls on the play, BOTH ON THE DEFENSE!?!? The refs called roughing the passer, which in itself was ridiculous, because our defender hit Martinez in a reasonable amount of time after Martinez released the ball (i.e., there was no real way he could have held up) and a personal foul facemask penalty against the defense. WHAT?!?!? Terrible. And I will go on to say that there were at least 2 reviews that were reversed in the game, so needless to say, I think the officiating was less than stellar.

So there the Buckeyes sat, down 24-21, after a bungled series of events. But OSU didn't quit -- they marched themselves downfield once again, even after getting hit with a personal foul late hit penalty along the way, following a lack of disciplined play by one of the receivers who showed up late to block on a Braxton Miller run. But even after that, the Buckeyes managed to go up 28-24, and finished the half up 35-24, having put up 4 offensive TDs in the second quarter.

The halftime show was ridiculously good. I haven't seen many other marching bands, but I know there can't be many out there near the calibre of TBDBITL. It has been years since I have seen this level of excitement from the fans during halftime -- even the students were excited. Check out the performance if you get a chance. It has more than 6 million hits on YouTube. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAzzbrFgcUw)

After halftime, Nebraska came out firing the ball downfield, and I was a little worried. I think I may have made a remark about Fickell needing to work on his halftime pep talks. Nebraska scored quickly, putting the score at 35-31. But as soon as OSU's offense got the ball, all fear was erased. They continued to move the ball at their will, and by the end of the 3rd quarter, the score was 49-31.

The Buckeyes even scored on a punt return for a TD by Corey "Philly" Brown, who was standing in for Devin Smith.

The offensive line was really clicking, the defense was playing harder than I have seen them play all season, and when it got to be about 13 minutes left in the 4th quarter, I was feeling pretty good about OSU's chances of finishing out the game with a victory. Even when Nebraska scored in the 4th quarter, they had to exhaust 5 minutes of the clock to do so. The Buckeye offense was moving the ball well enbough to burn at least 3 minutes of clock with each possession, and given that Nebraska needed 3 scores to catch up, it seems that unless the Huskers were able to orchestrate 2 successful onside kicks, the Buckeyes would finish 6-0 and remain the only undefeated team in the Big Ten.
So when the Buckeyes were up 56-38 and Carlos Hyde broke free for a final TD to put the score at 63-38, it seemed like icing on the cake in a stellar offensive performance.

Takeaways:

• Braxton just keeps getting better. After a rough outing last week at MSU where he turned the ball over 3 times and was banged up, Braxton failed to run the ball over this week, broke his own QB rushing record by racking up 186 yards on the ground, threw for more than 100 yards and had one rushing and one passing TD. Though his completion percentage isn' the best, he seems to have a leadership quality the team responds to, and he makes things happen when the team needs a first down. If his growth continues and he can avoid serious injury, it will be exciting to watch him get better with every week.
• Carlos Hyde has been getting better as well, since the last offensive series against MSU when OSU needed to convert first downs on the ground. He is running hard, and despite giving up a fumble on what appeared to be a scoring drive, Hyde has managed the ball well and keeps his legs churning on every down.
• The offensive line is finally clicking.
• John Simon returned to what most fans expected out of him this week, causing nightmares for Taylor Martinez in the backfield for much of the game. Not only did the defense get to the QB, they pressured him into throwing THREE interceptions, which is three times what Martinez had thrown up to this point in the season. 
• Tackling is still sub-par. Missed tackles and poor tackles are prevalent, and really that is inexcusable at this point in the season. It is getting to the point that I want to award medals to great tackles, because they are so rare! 
• Special teams is so-so. Basil is not kicking touchbacks, and I can't figure out if that is by design or from lack of ability. At times it pays off, when our coverage can down the receiving team before they hit the 25 yardline, but there were occasions on both kickoffs and punt returns where the kicker/punter had to make a touchdown-saving tackle. NOT cool.

Next week brings the Hoosiers and another night game, though I think this may be for BTN's and Indiana's benefit moreso than it is for the Buckeyes. Don't sleep on the Hoosiers. They make me nervous every year. They always seem to be just on the cusp of being that sleeper team that can upset you if you overlook them, and the Buckeyes haven't exactly avoided playing down to their opponents this season.

MI State Recap; Nebraska Preview

WOW.

That sums up the feelings I had after watching OSU hang on in a 17-16 victory against MSU at Spartan Field last weekend. That was true football -- you have a couple minutes to burn, you are up by 1 point, and you need to get a couple first downs to keep the clock moving and cling to a close win in a game that has been a battle in the trenches.

And they got the first downs when they needed them. I was truly impressed with the Offensive line and Carlos Hyde on the final series of plays. On 3rd & 4, I was biting my nails that they would at least get within inches on a first down so that maybe Braxton Miller could stretch out for the first down. But the offensive line spread some bodies and Hyde lunged forward, picking up more than 4 yards and guaranteeing a victory for the Buckeyes.

The Bucks did everything they could to give the game to the Spartans. Three turnovers to none, the Buckeyes technically should have lost the game. A missed field goal by MSU before the half made all the difference. Miller looked impressive at times -- even Troy Smith-esque in how he evaded tacklers, shook defenders off his ankles, and pulled an impressive spin move to extend a play and score. But he personally turned over the ball three times (I like to say 2.6666), and he isn't going to beat every team if he does that. And he did it during promising drives, which is truly momentum-crushing. The first was an interception, bound to happen, as Miller was getting a little too comfortable in staring down his target, and the linebacker pounced, making an awesome catch over his shoulder. (Earlier, Braxton had narrowly avoided being picked off while committing the same offense and staring down a receiver.) The second turnover was on a Miller scramble, where the defender seemed to catch him off guard and the tiniest tap on the ball knocked it loose. And the third (that 0.6666) was on a scramble where Miller appeared to hyperextend his knee, dropping the ball just before his knee hit the ground. I can forgive him this. A lot of fans don't, commenting that he should have held onto it until he hit the ground, but when you hurt yourself and your end goal is the NFL, I am sorry but I can truly understand dropping the football immediately.

But Miller made up for 2.6666 turnovers with one, beautiful, perfectly timed play: a scrambling pass to Devin Smith downfield, who had gained just enough space on his defender to catch the ball when Braxton escaped a tackle and tossed it to him on the run. It came just at the right time, and it made a statement that Miller was not giving up.

To add to the offensive playmakers, how about Kenny Guiton? I watched the replay of the game -- when Braxton went down on the first series of the game, Guiton was at his side immediately. It was almost comical -- he went over, checked on Braxton, and within seconds of some sort of conversation with Miller, Guiton threw on his helmet and ran on the field. Here is how I imagine that conversation:

Guiton: "Hey man, you alright?"
Miller: [groans] "I don't know man. I don't know."
Guiton: "Need me to go in?"
Miller: "Yeah man. Maybe."

And Guiton did what every back-up QB should be able to do in that situation (cough, Joe Bauserman, cough) -- you go in and just don't screw up. Urban Meyer must trust the heck out of Guiton too, because even when Miller was up and ready to go back in, he left Kenny G in there, and the Buckeyes scored.

As to the defense -- it was better. I want to complain about the secondary still playing very soft on their receivers, but they knocked enough balls out of receivers' hands and put enough pressure on to make them drop balls that I can't complain too much.
And MSU's strategy was just...weird. We all expected a heavy and steady dose of Le'Veon Bell, but we didn't see much beyond his catching abilities as a screen receiver. MSU chose to spread the field, likely as a result of game film (undoctored) that showed its success against the Buckeyes in previous games this season.
I still want to see more sacks. The Buckeyes are just not getting to the QB quite fast enough. I see the pressure there. Nate Williams is in the backfield almost every play. By the way, I love Williams in that LB slot. He fills it well as a leader.

And kudos to the special teams for a blocked punt.


Now, looking forward:

Nebraska is going to be a rough game. I watched them last week and thought maybe I misjudged them. They did NOT play well against Wisconsin in the first half. The defense barely pressured Wisconsin's young QB, who throws a beautiful spiral when he is given enough time. Wisconsin jumped ahead early in the game. And Burkhead couldn't get much going in the running game, nor did Taylor Martinez in either realm. But apparently after I fell asleep (cheering for a victory in a 17-16 win is exhausting you know), Nebraska mounted a strong comeback.
I am most worried about Martinez scrambling and Abdullah in the running game. He is scrappy. I am really not sure why he doesn't play more. I am also concerned about Nebraska passing all over us. It is obvious to anyone that our secondary needs work.

I am excited to see Pellini coach against Urban Meyer -- given that BOTH were rumored to be on the short list for OSU's coaching vacancy last season.

This will be the third game I will have attended this season, and I can already feel the energy of it. An 8 PM kickoff on national television is ELECTRIC in Columbus. I am gonna need a few adult beverages to make it through this one without hyperventilating. :)

M*ch*gan State

I didn't do a recap of California or UAB because there wasn't a ton to say. I was shocked not to see Bri'onte Dunn in either game, save special teams play, but I have since heard that he hasn't performed up to standards in practice.
The return of Jordan Hall has restore the true "option" in the option play, as Braxton Miller seems to have great faith in the tailback and flicks it out to him more frequently than he would with Hyde.
And all-in-all, despite some dropped balls and quarters where the offense couldn't get going with much, I haven't been unimpressed with our offensive unit. They seem to be growing in confidence and ability. Devin Smith needs to work on  catching the catchable pass -- or maybe Braxton needs to stop improving on his accuracy and count of Smith to catch the uncatchable more often.

But the defense. Sigh. I am disappointed in the defense. The corners are young, but most have at least a year of experience playing, and they are playing such soft coverage and with such confusion that I throw my arms up in frustration constantly. But there is NO excuse for the rushing stats against us to this point. Poor tackles, dumb penalties, dropped interceptions. All that basic stuff that OSU usually prevails at -- NOT there. And I figured our defense would be our strong arm this season, covering for the inability of the offense to score. Not so much. Watching John Simon, Johnathan Hankins, and Nate Willliams can be a thing of beauty, but I have seen them get this close to the QB and not quite get him too many times. I was listening to the first quarter of the UAB game on the radio, and it seemed like UAB was gaining at least 5 yards on every play, if not more.

So in a nutshell, it hasn't been great or awe-inspiring, but they have won their games. I can recall another season like that where OSU went home with a crystal football. Granted, that can't happen this season, and it isn't likely that OSU will go on tp be undefeated, but I do like what I am seeing from Braxton Miller thus far, and so does Urban Meyer, so I won't dwell on the first four games too much more.

Now, looking to this weekend, I am EXCITED! The first game in the Big Ten schedule for OSU and the first away game, and it comes against one of the strongest teams in the Big Ten, despite their loss to Notre Dame. This might be one of the best defenses OSU will have faced so far and one of the better runningbacks in the nation. The QB isn't anywhere near the polished player that was Kirk Cousins (MSU's QB last season), and the receivers shouldn't be able to outrun the OSU corners. But Le'Veon Bell will provide a real challenge for the Buckeyes, so the defensive line MUST be stellar in this game and prevent long runs. The linebackers need to step up and secure the holes quickly. Andf the tackling needs to be EFFECTIVE. No missed tackles, no assuming Bell will fall down when he is touched. And NO penalties to keep drives alive for the opponent.
On offense, Miller needs to be quick in his decision-making. No running one way, then trying to turn, then "oh maybe I will pass, no wait I can run..." He won't have time for that. Those defensive linemen will eat him up, much like they did last season in Columbus. You remember that game -- it was atrocious. I believe the score was 10-7, but only because OSU got a cheap touchdown late in the game. They could barely move the ball all game, and the defense (the one that we are used to seeing at OSU) kept them in the game by limiting Bell and Cousins. So Miller has to be quick to make up his mind, find a receiver, or throw it away. His running plays have to be smart and timely. And we will see the return of Carlos Hyde, which is fortunate because it adds a new dimension to the running game in a true power back. So we can have Hall in there to run to the outside or catch a screen pass or execute the option, and then we can have Hyde in there to block for Braxton or pound it up the middle.
And the receivers really need to CATCH.THE.BALL. I will say I have enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Braxton and Philly Brown over the last couple of games. Miller has grown to trust Brown, and goes to him in the clutch situations.
It would also be helpful not to give up cheap points on blocked punts and special teams mistakes. We need to win the field position battle, because D'Antonio studied and coached under one of the best in that area -- Coach Jim Tressel.

College Gameday will be at the game tomorrow, so I have set my DVR to record. I am really revved up to watch the game, but unfortunately I will be watching alone. :( That tends to get very frustrating for me when things are going well. Look for me on Facebook and/or Twitter. I am trying to just make one status update and comment on that throughout the game, so as not to completely annoy people who follow me.

GO BUCKS!!

California Preview

I have been slacking on my preview research. You will have to forgive me. Balancing this whole single-mom life (granted I am not really single, because I am married, but my husband works two full-time jobs right now so I may as well be single) has taken a toll. With that and my own two jobs, caring for two children, and all the other stuff I do to maintain the house, not to mention exercising to keep somewhat sane, blogging is a luxury, so one a week may be all you get from me for a while. When I have time, I will do my very best to get you a recap and a preview each week. I think it will be easier when Big Ten season kicks off, because I am more familiar with those teams and their players.

Now, that being said, I have done a little bit of research on the Golden Bears of California. I think their talent is equal to or greater than that which the Buckeyes saw against UCF last weekend. After all, Cal is a Pac-12 team, so that helps their recruiting.

My research tells me that California plays a couple of different ways on defense. They play what is called press coverage--meaning they press the receivers and push them around on the field. Some people say this isn't a big deal, but our receivers haven't been super impressive to date. Sure, there have been great plays, but I wouldn't say there has been great play, if you understand my distinction. Braxton carrying the ball 27 times attests to that somewhat. California also plans to play a lot of man coverage this weekend. This means they will use their safeties more at the line of scrimmage, rather than dropping them back into the backfield to protect against the pass. Translation: California is far more concerned about Miller taking off and running than they are about him beating them with his arm. And if you watch the first two games (or read my blog), wouldn't you feel the same way? So until Braxton makes a few long passes against this defense, expect to see Braxton getting chased around the field quite a bit.

My research also tells me that the Golden Bears have some impressive wide receivers, including a standout named Keenan Allen. Allen was recruited to go to Alabama, but chose California as part of an arrangement that included scholarships for both Allen and his half-brother. Alabama is obviously highly touted in the college football world of late, so if they were recruiting this young man, he must have some impressive talent. And being that he isn't even the receiver with the most catches through two games, Ohio State's defensive backfield is going to need to step it up this weekend and work out all those communication bugs from last week. Luckily, Bradley Roby should be matched up against Allen most of the game, and I have enjoyed watching Roby develop so far this season. He is all over the field, and I expect nothing less than 110% from him.
It might also help to put more pressure on the QB and force some errant throws. The return of the dinged up Nathan Williams may help with this. He sat out last week due to soreness from the Miami(OH) game. Unfortunately Williams is still recovering from his microfracture surgery -- this surgery is very difficult to come back from, and I am personally praying that he is able to do so, because he has a remarkable talent that could take him far if he can manage to get back in a rhythm. I am also looking to see more from John Simon and Johnathan Hankins this week. Urban Meyer has called for more explosive plays that will ignite the crowd, and I hope to see a response from the defense especially. Defense has carried OSU for the last few years, and I haven't seen a ferocity in them just yet. Storm Klein will also be available this week, after serving his two-game suspension as a result of disorderly conduct. The more options, the better.

On the offensive side of the ball, with Carlos Hyde out at least a week with an MCL sprain, Ohio State plans to start Bri'onte Dunn at tailback, but Jordan Hall returns from a foot injury, which offers a more experienced take on the running game. Combine that with Miller's propensity for the run, and Ohio State should give California fits in its run game defense.
But the run will only work if OSU can establish a decent passing game and keep those safeties honest. Miller will need to keep his eyes downfield while scrambling, and this may be the first time OSU fans see Miller go deep with any consistency, as California is susceptible to giving up receptions of greater than 15 yards this season. Given that we haven't seen Braxton go deep too often so far, this could be an exciting game to watch. And if the Bears stick to their plan and play man coverage (as opposed to zone), it may give Braxton a one-on-one look that he needs to get comfortable completing those longer passes.

I hope the stadium is loud. Of course, I will do my part to contribute. I should have at least one beer in me beforehand, so that always helps loosen me up a bit!

Central Florida Recap

I could write a very easy synopsis of the Ohio State v. UCF game:

UGLY, BUT EFFECTIVE

That sums it up nicely. Granted, UCF was a superior opponent to Miami of Ohio, but the Buckeyes did NOT play well on Saturday. I think the game plan was to run Braxton Miller 17 times. He ran the ball 27. I know not all of those were designed runs, but where are his receivers??

I heard three names during the first half of the game: Braxton Miller, Travis Howard, and Orion Johnson.

Miller played okay. I didn't see anything superior in his passing or running game. When Carlos Hyde went out with an MCL sprain, it was nice that Miller could fill that runningback role. But wait...Miller ISN'T A RUNNINGBACK!! If we intend to use him as a RB, why not play Kenny Guiton as a QB and put Braxton in the backfield? Because Braxton is a QB, and he has talent to be an even better QB, and we haven't gotten to see much of that talent yet because for some reason, the plays are not developing well thus far.

And while I am focusing on the offense, I will say that some of the receivers were decent in this game. It is obvious that Miller has taken a liking to Philly Brown. But Philly, here is my only note of significance to you. When your team is up by 2 scores in the 4th quarter and trying to burn some clock, please, oh please, STAY IN BOUNDS after you catch the ball.

Devin Smith continues to be impressive with most of his receiving capabilities. It is also nice to see Stoneburner step up and make some plays.

Now to the defense.

The question that has been nagging me for 2 weeks is, "Where is John Simon?" I was so excited pre-season because I heard John Simon had returned for his senior season, despite high potential in the NFL draft and the post-season ban imposed on the Buckeyes this year. And I think he made one significant tackle on Saturday. Granted, he is always there, behind the scenes, pulling blockers to him, being held on every play.

But between John Simon and Big Hank (Johnathan Hankins) on our D Line, OSU was supposed to be dominant this season. Against two relatively weak opponents, OSU has failed to be impressive, and I have seen so little pressure on the opposing QBs that I can't help but wonder what is wrong there.

But the D-Line is the not the biggest of the offensive woes. No, that honor goes to the secondary. Travis Howard is much improved from last season, and he only made one critical mistake on Saturday that I could see (when he committed a lazy and blatant pass interference penalty), but the secondary often looked confused and was almost always out of position. Later, the coaches made comments about lack of understanding and communication on the field. That is a problem, if you are having trouble communicating the plays to the players AT HOME. What happens when you go to MI State or, gulp, Wisconsin?? Noah Spence was out of position most of the game, but most notably on the play that sticks in my brain now:

The Buckeyes accepted a penalty on what would have been 4th down, in an attempt to get UCF out of field goal position. This made it 3rd and 21. I thought to myself, "I hope this is worth is Urban, and they don't convert this." But then of course, how often does a team convert on 3rd and 21?

Well on Saturday, UCF converted 3rd and 21 once. Because THREE of OSU's secondary players were out of position on that play. There were THREE Buckeyes in the middle of the field surrounding ZERO UCF players. Because the UCF players were too busy catching the ball on the side of the field, thus converting the down and setting themselves up for a touchdown.

Travis Howard and Orion Johnson were key to OSU's victory, both making key interceptions at critical moments and swinging the momentum of the game. Gameball to Braxton for his rushing and minimal passing efforts. He stepped up and figured out a way to win.

All-in-all, I can't say much more than the game was sloppy and ugly. There are so many examples of this that I could go on for paragraphs more. And I would really rather not. In a nutshell, OSU needs to run Braxton less to prevent injury and to develop a real passing threat; pressure the opposing QB more; and figure out what the heck is going on in the secondary.

But on a weekend where most of the Big Ten teams fell to inferior opponents, OSU came away with a win, and it was a 2-score win at that. So that can't be all bad.

Going forward: CALIFORIA. I have been invited to this game by my #1 fan. He looks forward to learning more about football from me. He tells me I can stand when other people are standing but I have to behave myself otherwise.

I will fill you in on how that goes next time. :)

Miami(OH) Recap

I didn't do a preview of the Ohio State vs. Miami (OH) game, because I honestly didn't have much to go on. I heard prior to the game that Miami's QB is on pace to break Ben Roethlisberger's records at Miami(OH). So I guess it shouldn't have come as a great surprise that 90% of the plays (at least) Miami ran were without a tailback of any kind in the backfield. The sad thing is that it took the defense almost a quarter to figure out how to handle that kind of an offense.

I must admit, I was sitting in the stands a little bit concerned. I wasn't concerned that we would lose the game. I never felt like that was a true scenario that would play out. I was concerned that when we got to the meat of our schedule, we would start to relive last year's disaster of an offense.

The start of the game seemed to be a test for Braxton and the new offense. Obviously, we have all heard that this will be a fast-paced offense, without many huddles, meant to keep the game moving and wear down the opposing defense. So that part didn't surprise me. I was really surprised that we lacked a running game (outside of Braxton pulling down the ball and taking off) for much of the first quarter. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised...it is just such an adjustment to go from a power running team to one that uses the run as a supplement to the pass more than a key to the game.

The next thing I noticed (and appreciated) was that Urban made adjustments. And when I say he made adjustments, I am not talking the adjustments the man next to me predicted ("Oh, they will fix it in the locker room at halftime...). No, he made adjustments after the first quarter! Maybe part of it was that our fast pace was wearing down the Redhawks defense. Maybe our offense started relaxing and clicking. Maybe Urban called everyone over and said, "Hey this isn't working, we need to do this, this, and this." I don't know. But the adjusting happened in the 2nd quarter, and you could see that by the halftime score of 21-3 (versus 0-3 at the end of Quarter 1).

Speaking of that halftime score, the final offensive drive by the Buckeyes in the first half intrigued me. With 3 seconds to go in the half, leading 21-3 from the 1 yard line, with an almost guaranteed 3 points from the leg of Drew Basil, Meyer elected to go for the touchdown. If you have watched Meyer coach before (and most Buckeye fans have [insert groan here]), you know that he would go for it in this situation. From the 1 yard line, an offense like OSU's should be able to punch it in against an inferior defense. But the Buckeyes didn't quite make it in, and they had to settle for their 18-point lead at the half as well as a likely butt-ripping from Coach Meyer.
But the whole offensive drive was a new experience for fans, wasn't it? The Buckeyes got the ball with less than 2 minutes to go in the half, and they could have easily burned the clock down and run into the locker room for rest and recuperation. When I was trying to convince my mom that Tressel would have taken the field goal from the 1 with 3 seconds to go (mom didn't seem to believe me at first), a woman behind me remarked that he would never made it that far down the field -- he would have run out the clock and taken a knee! All that to say -- I think it is going to take Buckeye fans some time to adjust to the way our games are going to be called from now on!

And even halftime brought a new atmosphere. TBDBITL is under new leadership as well, with the retirement of Dr. Woods, and they were SPECTACULAR. They did a Beach Boys arrangement that was lively and enthralling, complete with formations that kept the crowd far more interested than I have seen them in a while. But then again, when have the Beach Boys ever been dull? =)

The third quarter brought more offense, with a big run from the legs of Braxton Miller for a score, but my mom had just told me how she was beginning to feel sorry for Miami when they ended up driving down the field for a score. There were 11 minutes or so left in the THIRD quarter. Plenty of time for Miami to mount a comeback, however unlikely. Plenty of time for Mark May to sit and salivate about how Ohio State wasn't winning by enough points to be taken seriously (more on that later). I told mom she was not allowed to feel sorry for Miami until at least the fourth quarter. They came to play -- I doubt they would want anyone's pity.

I did become concerned watching Braxton's runs in the second half. He needs to learn to throw the ball away more often instead of trying to force plays. It is exciting to see him make something out of nothing, but there are times when he needs to toss it away and not risk a major loss of yards. He was very lucky to get called for intentional grounding in the third quarter, rather than a fumble recovered by Miami. I know I am just a girl, but if you are going to ground the ball, I recommend throwing it directly into the ground, rather than throwing it up for grabs in a flailing attempt to make something happen.
Also, all those hits Braxton incurred (while also inspiring) throughout the game made me very nervous. When he went down with cramps after taking a hit running out of bounds, I would have been happy to see him rest for the remainder of the minutes. I know, I know -- we have to build up his stats and get him playing time. But when he returned, he was obviously still not feeling 100% and it risked injury to him if he was uncomfortable out there. Plus, it was great to see Kenny Guiton's improvement from last season. Urban has said he wasn't impressed with Kenny G when he arrived on campus but has since changed his tune -- and Guiton didn't disappoint with his performance. The first two series were not awe-inspiring, but from that point on, Guiton played with control and composure, completing passes and keeping the ball (and the offense) moving. Again, bear in mind that he was playing a tired Redhawks defense, but it was nice to see a backup QB whose philosophy on being a backup doesn't center around which band member will be the target of his next pass.

As the game wound to a close, and OSU was winning handily at 49-10 with very little time left to play, we once again saw a controversial (at least in Columbus) decision to keep scoring against an obviously outmatched opponent. Late in the fourth quarter, Zach fell just short of the endzone after an impressive run. I have always been impressed by Boren's blocking skills. Now I am impressed with his running skills. And on the very next play, they gave the ball to Boren to finish it out, putting the Buckeyes up 56-10. There is no way Tressel would have taken that score, and I am sure it left a bad taste in the mouths of many Buckeye fans who remember the era of Jim Tressel and his "classy" ways. I liked being a classy team too, actually. But I also know that there are a lot of people out there who weren't watching the OSU-Miami(OH) game to see whether OSU was going to be classy late in the game. People who just check the score to see whether the Powerhouse thrashed the Underdog like it was supposed to.

Which leads me back to the idea of Mark May and what his opinion represents. We all know that May doesn't exactly care for OSU. Too many times I have seen him break in at halftime and question why the Buckeyes are only up by 2 TDs or at the end of the game when he criticizes the Buckeyes for winning only by a fractional margin in comparison to Wisconsin's drubbing of their opponent. Unfortunately, in the college world nowadays, you have to earn what are called "style" points. You have to make a statement for people to take you seriously. You have to develop a killer instinct. And quite frankly, it isn't your job to make your opponent stop you from scoring either. Miami(OH) showed up Saturday to play a football game. I doubt they were surprised that they didn't win. I doubt the players were astounded that Coach Meyer gave the green light on scoring when they were winning 49-10. I am sure the Redhawks defense wasn't happy that they couldn't stop OSU from scoring. But I also doubt any of them are outraged that Meyer "ran up" the score on them. It's another adjustment a lot of OSU fans will have to make over the coming years.

A couple quick thoughts on individual performance:

• Bradley Roby changed his number this season from #25 to #1. From the way he was playing Saturday for the majority of the game, this is a fitting change. I felt like there were few plays where Roby wasn't involved, and he nearly had an interception to boot. He flew around the field, and I was thoroughly impressed with his individual performance.
• Carlos Hyde may not be a back who breaks out for long runs often (yet), but watching him run sure is fun. He bounces off defensive tackles and linebackers like a pinball, often shaking off the first tacklet and gaining a few more yards before he is brought down. His effort is remarkable.

Until next week!