Mike Kudla and Marcus Green
These two will be missed next season. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to
figure out the key to this game (and most any game for that matter) was pressure
along the defensive line. Of concern is that Kudla was the only one to appear to
consistently reach Basinez. Who will step up in 2006?
The Triumvirate
After taking a look at the two freshmen backs Ohio State did not offer in
order to take Maurice Wells, I believe very little separates them in terms of
overall ability. When all is said and done, the three will probably end up a
push. I.e., if the three were swapped out from their respective schools to
another, their statistics would likely look about the same. Still, I would put
them in the following order as of now:
·
Tyrell Sutton. Sutton has a nice burst, shows patience
in following blockers, is willing to run inside – shedding tacklers, and
is a receiving threat out of the backfield. He is the most complete of the
three backs, showing competence in blocking as well.
·
Javon Ringer. Clearly he is a gifted runner. He has
better statistics for Michigan State than Wells does for the Buckeyes. He
also is willing to take on linebackers and even defensive linemen in the
hole and has not been shy about finding pay dirt when close to the end zone.
·
Maurice Wells. Wells is developing nicely and coming
along strong down the stretch. However, he still shows a propensity to
bounce most everything outside while not being able to break tackles inside.
His receiving skills have yet to be tested. His upside is tremendous, but it
might take him longer to develop since he will be backing up Chris Wells and
Antonio Pittman in 2006.
Ohio State Special teams:
·
Special Teams: The Buckeyes have a tremendous
advantage over any other team in the nation with their complete package of
punter, place kicker, field goal unit, punt coverage, and kick returns units.
·
Not so Special Team: The personnel grouping on the
kickoff coverage unit is decidedly sub par in comparison to other recent
seasons at Ohio State. They have allowed multiple long returns this season,
and it can be argued that their errors cost the Buckeyes the game against
Texas with a missed safety and setting Texas up before half to kick a field
goal. They could have all but iced the contest but instead put the Buckeyes on
ice. Next week Huston either needs to kick it out of the end zone every time
or his coverage unit must have their best day of the season against Michigan
and Steve Breaston.
Why the offensive explosion for Ohio State?
Have the coaches suddenly become certified geniuses after being proclaimed
offensive idiots by talking heads and every fan watching the games with a cold
one? While the answer clearly is a dynamic growth at multiple positions and
coaching adjustments, if you are looking for a simplistic solution, allow me to
give you a possible answer: Antonio Pittman. For the first time since Maurice
Clarett the Buckeyes have a 1,000 yard rusher who does not require a hole large
enough to push a grandmother in a wheel chair through. Pittman now attacks the
line of scrimmage instead of dancing around as he approaches it. After being
held out of the end zone all season, he has five touchdowns in the last three
games. Consider the following statistics:
·
In games 1-5 Pittman averaged 95 yards with no touchdowns. Per
carry he managed 5.2.
·
In games 6-10 Pittman has averaged 131 yards with five
touchdowns. Per carry he managed 6.1.
·
In the three games Pittman has run for 75 yards or under, Ohio
State has scored 59 points for an average of 19.67 and is 1-2.
·
In the seven games Pittman has run at or above 100 yards, the
Buckeyes have scored 274 points for an average of 39.1 and are 7-0.
Granted, Pittman has done some of his best work when facing lesser defenses,
but that does not explain away San Diego State. Against the Aztecs the Ohio
State offense scored just 27 points, and Pittman was held to just 66 yards with
no touchdowns. On the same number of carries versus a statistically better rush
defense in Michigan State, he topped 100 yards and Ohio State scored 35.
Further, Miami of Ohio (also a better defense than San Diego State), allowed
Pittman 100 yards on 14 carries and the Buckeyes scored 34 on the afternoon
before calling off the dogs.
Nice Coaching Calls
Normally fans and media tend to note the negative more easily than the
positive. I.e., if a play call works well it is chalked up to the talents of the
players. If a play call backfires, then the question is asked, ‘what were the
coaches thinking!??!’ Yesterday the Ohio State offensive, defensive, and
special teams coaches put players in a position to succeed, and they did. Sacks,
scores, turnovers, and an overall nice day for their team resulted. They should
take a bow.
Sending a Statement
Ohio State coaches apparently wanted to send a statement to Northwestern
following their opening drive. Taking the ball at the Wildcat 45 after a nice
kickoff return by Holmes, the Buckeyes did not complete a pass while sticking
the ball into the end zone. Statistically it was the most plays (11) and longest
time of possession (5:45) they would have for the entire game. As Woody would
have said, “They were grinding meat.” After the Buckeyes proved they could
score on the ground at will, Northwestern didn’t threaten again.
A.J. Hawk
Go ahead and start engraving his name on the Butkus. None of the other
candidates have his resume this year or in previous seasons. He has been flat
out dominant. Yesterday’s hat trick of a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble
recovery for a touchdown should just about do it. If he doesn’t win the award
then they should stop giving it away. Paul Posluszny and DeMeco Ryans are
fantastic players, but they have not had the overall impact of Hawk.
Troy Smith Progression
What should be disturbing to opposing teams is that Smith is just now showing
signs of becoming a quarterback. Until this point he has been able to skate by
mostly on athleticism and arm strength. Yesterday he dumped the ball off a
couple of times as he progressed through his reads. He also headed for the
sidelines instead of turning up the field to take a hit for only another 6 feet
or real estate. Those two items may sound simple, but they can be tough to teach
to a young man who is competitive. The tendency is to want to gamble, trust in
their abilities, and go for the big play on every down. Fighting that natural
inclination is a sign of budding maturity. If Smith dedicates himself in the
off-season to film study and a better understanding of the game, there’s no
telling how well he might play in 2006.
Roy Hall
The Buckeyes need to find a way to get this young man the football. When he
gets into the secondary it looks like a game of pinball, and with hapless
defensive backs ricocheting off of his body. Despite his reception being
nullified due to a holding penalty, players that physical are a joy to watch
whether they play in Columbus, Austin, or Los Angeles.
Offensive Line
For the first time in half a decade the Buckeyes might have the kind of
offensive line who can take over a game with or without the defense’s
permission. Barton’s recovery has given Ohio State the luxury of 6 bona fide
starters and multiple healthy backups on scholarship. Tressel and Bollman have
been working toward this goal since the day they stepped on campus, and now it
has arrived.
Why do I say that?
On Maurice Wells’ first career touchdown, he waltzed into the end zone. Not
only was he able to hit pay dirt without being touched, Doug Datish also went
through that same hole – and found himself with nobody to block. Wells,
Holmes, Anthony Gonzalez and Datish all met across the goal line, and no Wildcat
even was in a position to give them a scratch.
It wouldn’t have mattered if Steve Rhering were carrying the ball on that
play – it was going to be a touchdown.
Florida Collapse and Steve Spurrier
Urban Meyer was supposed to be the flavor of the year before the season
started. He was lauded as a man who would have the Gators winning the SEC in no
time at all. Quietly a few even said he was a better choice than Steve Spurrier,
the man who had given them their only SEC titles and National Championship. Some
even projected the Gators in the top 5 merely because he was at the helm.
The only problem is football games are played on the field and not in
television studios, on the monitors of sports writers, or on the couch at home.
What is most disturbing is that this is not a new trend. Meyer is clearly a
fantastic coach, but before I crown him the emperor I would like to see him
prove it on the field, at the top level in the game. It is one thing to out
coach your opponent on a regular basis when you are at a Utah or Bowling Green.
It is quite another feat to do this when you are in a conference like the SEC or
Big Ten.
Florida has as much talent as anyone in the SEC (barring perhaps LSU), but
they now sit at 7-3 with their game against Florida State still remaining. Zook
was canned for a 7-5 season in 2004, but this version of the Gators has a
realistic shot of repeating that dubious achievement.
There is little joy in Mudville.
Meanwhile, Steve Spurrier is once again terrorizing opponents in the Deep
South. On the day they retired Peyton Manning’s jersey at Tennessee, he upset
the Vols. During what was considered the ‘easy stretch’ of Florida’s SEC
schedule (Vanderbilt, South Carolina, and a bye week before the Seminoles), he
ruined their shot at playing for the SEC East title. In fact, were it not for a
missed extra point against at Georgia on September 10, the Gamecocks would
have clinched the SEC East berth yesterday.
Think about that for a moment. Let that sink in as you consider what that
means for the future of the SEC East.
Don’t look now, but Spurrier is on the warpath, and he has accomplished
this in his very first season with a patchwork lineup after cleaning house in
the off-season. His most powerful weapons have been Mike Davis, a freshman
tailback, Sidney Rice, a redshirt freshman wide receiver, and Blake Mitchell, a
sophomore quarterback.
Officials
The Big Ten has a different take on instant replay by being more aggressive
to review close plays or they have proven what many have suspected for decades;
the conference needs to upgrade the quality of their officiating crews. ABC
showed a statistic yesterday that should receive more attention than it did (or
probably will). A poor officiating crew impacts and sometimes even changes the
outcome of a game. If you don’t believe it then ask Joe Paterno or listen to
Lloyd Carr whine after losing a close contest.
Of all the conferences participating in instant replay the rate of
overturning calls on the field was as follows:
Big Ten – 40.7%
Big East – 39.0%
ACC – 38.0%
Pac Ten – 35.7%
Big 12 – 28.9%
SEC – 23.4%
Granted the officials have a very difficult job. Granted, it is hard to find
the balance between ‘letting the kids play’ and ‘letting the kids get away
with an unfair advantage.’ Even so – the Big Ten needs to take a long, hard
look at who is making the calls that are overturned. If officials are not doing
their job well, they should be replaced. One bad call can literally cost a team
(and the conference) millions of dollars.