Game Thread Game Ten: #1 tOSU 17, Illinois 10 (11/4/06)

[BearBuck27]

Congrats Coach T. on your 60th.!!! Faster than any coach in tOSU history. And some of you are bitching about him? Play the odds. No way does Ill (who couldn't really move the ball on us all day) make up 17 in the 2nd half.

 

[7 45 33 48]

fuck the boo birds! i can see this big picture, and this was a great game, and a greater coaching job by Tressel. Tressel put the kids in this position to see how they would respond, and they stepped up to the challenge.

AWESOME punt!!!! 1 shot at a 99 yard TD for Illinois.

it's such great fun to see the other guys think they have a chance, only to have their hearts ripped out.

game over.

GO BUCKEYES!

I am starting to believe you somewhat of a point. This is the first time all year we have gone run-run-pass so early in a game and had to deal with numerous third and longs. Illinois defense was teeing off Smith in the 2nd half. Although, everything was just out of sync today - playcalling, 2nd half gameplan, execution, blocking, catching, running, etc.

 

[OSUBuckeye4Life]

Shafer didn't look to hot out there today from what I saw.

The combo of the Illinois Dline playing well and the Ohio State Oline doing the inverse let to some VERY frustrating times for me watching this game.

 

[BearBuck27]

We're 10-0 boys. These seasons only come around every so often. Enjoy them, don't spend them complaining.

 

[Onebuckfan]

A win is a win.I wonder if the Illinois Defensive Gameplan is a Blueprint for stopping TOSU. Or as many have Opined it was JT shutting down too soon. Next week will be a chance to see if the O can recover before Mich. comes to town. But we nust realize any Big 10 team is capable of a Big Effort at home. See what happened to Indiana this week.So give the Illini kids a lot of credit.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

First game all year that I was up pacing back and forth in front of the TV, shaking like a leaf...I fucking hate that feeling.

I totally disagree about "Tressel purposely keeping it close". Now, I do believe that he did lock down the offense in the second half because he believed 100% in his defense...but when you get stuffed for loses on first-down runs in three consecutive drives, it puts the offense in a hole and gives the other team the opportunity to get back in it. Keep in mind we had four yards total offense in our first four second-half drives.

I hope this second half offensive performance doesn't affect the confidence of Troy and the rest of the offense. Win or not, I think being so unproductive throughout the entire second half has to put a certain degree of doubt in your subconscious.

 

[AKAK]

Bottom line...

You see Michigan only winning by 8 vs. Ball State... and then this performance against Illinois...

Well...

I'm gonna rack this one up as a focus issue...both for them and us... and... well... no excuse for that... but.... I think after this... no problem next week... but... all eyes are pretty much on the 18th at this point...

 

[Steve19]

Why? so we can have a chance to lose?

No, I think he had two goals. First, this is the best defensive line we have seen in some time and the best we will see before TSUN. A MAC team showed that TSUN is very vulnerable to a passing attack today but if we can't establish the run against them, they can defend the pass. So, Tressel was attempting to run the ball.

Second, he wants this team to get a bit of a fright. I suspect he heard some things this week that made him think the guys were growing complacent. So, he did put them in that position purposely.

The thing to remember is this. This was a good, but still 2-7, team we played today. They have lost some really close ones and given some good teams fits. Even if the play-calling was predictable. This is the #1 team in the country. They should have been able to execute. To be very frank, on offense we didn't.

We would have done better on offense if Beanie had been available but I also agree to sit him down. He's got to stop fumbling now. That was a silly "unforced error" today.

So, all in all, I found this very stressful to watch but I think the guys will have learned some important lessons today that may not be immediately apparent. One of those lessons is that they better execute or they are going to leave their national championship on the field in Columbus. I think the team will have learned what they need to learn by next week. I also think you can expect Tressel to run right at Northwestern next week. He's playing for a national championship and the games and scores are now inconsequential.

 

[osugrad21]

A win is a win.I wonder if the Illinois Defensive Gameplan is a Blueprint for stopping TOSU. Or as many have Opined it was JT shutting down too soon. Next week will be a chance to see if the O can recover before Mich. comes to town. But we nust realize any Big 10 team is capable of a Big Effort at home. See what happened to Indiana this week.So give the Illini kids a lot of credit.

If bring three and four on every play is a blueprint...I love it. I hop Michigan does the exact same thing.

Somehow though, I don't see JT running on every 1st and 2nd down against them...

 

[fanaticbuckeye]

A win is a win.I wonder if the Illinois Defensive Gameplan is a Blueprint for stopping TOSU. Or as many have Opined it was JT shutting down too soon. Next week will be a chance to see if the O can recover before Mich. comes to town. But we nust realize any Big 10 team is capable of a Big Effort at home. See what happened to Indiana this week.So give the Illini kids a lot of credit.

I dont see having 8-9 guys in the box as a very good game plan to stopping us for an entire game. When we are cruise control protecting the ball, yes. But not for 4 quarters.

So I think it was the right defense against our second half offense plan.

 

[HabaneroBuck]

Tressel was not trying to make this a close game, LV. He was trying to milk the clock (figuring they could just run for first downs against the Illini) WAAAAYYY too early. I give Tress some benefits of the doubt, but this was 2003 Cincinnati all over again. The lack of first-down passes downfield in the second half was quite frustrating. The Illinois fans said that their team had a good run D... and you know what? They do.

The only preparation an attack like today does is show that we should NOT go about playing Michigan like this at all. Don't believe Ball State made it a game today by playing into the Michigan D's strength.

 

[Steve19]

I hope this second half offensive performance doesn't affect the confidence of Troy and the rest of the offense. Win or not, I think being so unproductive throughout the entire second half has to put a certain degree of doubt in your subconscious.

And, if that isn't handled right, it could be a big problem.

Woody always said that out of every bad thing, you get a good thing. Maybe given all the smoke being blown up these guys asses, a little doubt isn't such a bad thing right now.

 

[Padraig]

...I will be very happy to get big Alex Boone back when he's ready.

...I read a chat this past week that someone speculated (an "insider") that next year Ross Homan will take the starting LB spot from Marcus Freeman (along with Little Animal and Curtis Terry), and while I'm thrilled to have the talent of Homan on the team, there's no way beyond injury that Freeman will flat out lose a starting position the way he is playing. He continues to improve and impress me each week.

...See the last sentence of the blurp about Freeman and also apply it to Yao Smith.

...I think the offensive game plan today (combination of tinkering with new/different plays, missing Boone, and going 'vanilla' after getting a 17 point lead) had as much to do with the final score as our Offense being "flat", but as someone else just said, we're 10 - 0! Happy to get out of there with a win!

:osu:

 

[AKAK]

Woody always said that out of every bad thing, you get a good thing. Maybe given all the smoke being blown up these guys asses, a little doubt isn't such a bad thing right now.

Bingo.

 

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

What a piss-poor offensive gameplan. Thank God we scored 17 in the first half and our defense is really good, or else we lose this game.