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!
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