Were there serious problems? Sure. Troy Smith tried to force some passes and one pitch. Our receivers lost concentration on a couple catches and that unluckily resulted in two turnovers.
But keep this in perspective.
Our defense was playing without three of its starting DBs. The defensive coordinator didn't trust them at first and cost us two early touchdowns (I might have done the same at first as him tho; hindsight is 20-20). The defense rallied and played a great second half save one drive against an excellent QB. Snyder also had some great playcalling on D that really confused a previously unstoppable PU passing attack.
Troy Smith is a young quarterback. He missed some open looks, but didn't do too much to hurt us in the first half. Then, with our backs to the wall on the road and down by two scores, he tried too hard to produce points and cost us two turnovers. These are serious mistakes, but he did a lot right to get us into those two scoring opportunities. With the right coaching and video, he can learn from that throw to Holmes and the pitch is obviously an easy learning experience.
Also, most negative posts on here are refusing to acknowledge one key factor: Ted Ginn had a minimal impact on the game. He played well, and I think PU did well shutting him down on some of the short passes. What does that mean? In the 2nd half, OSU produced offensively without Ginn. Yes he set up one of the red zone opportunities, but he was a small part in the offense. Smith scrambled well and ran a pretty good option (obviously the one fumble near the end zone, but the other was just a monster hit by a linebacker).
Pittman was also back finally! He showed that same burst we saw weeks ago when we started begging for him to get play time. And Brandon Joe had a couple of good carries. Roy Hall also resurfaced, and Gonzalez finally held onto a ball after burning the secondary as usual.
The UM def coaches have a lot to worry about for next week. This was a totally new offensive package for us, yet we ran it fairly successfully (tho PU's defense isn't spectacular) in the 2nd half. We obviously have other formations we've run a lot and can use also against UM. And there is no way UM can try and neutralize Ginn alone. They have to worry about Holmes too obviously, but now Gonzalez and Hall have shown they can make big plays, and Pittman is still itching to prove himself this week after only having a few chances last game.
I think there is way too much to be positive about to be upset. If we were 7-3 and had just lost a shot at a bigger bowl, that would be one thing. But we were already going to a smaller bowl, and every buckeye fan knows that a meager bowl game is a fair trade for a UM victory anyday. I think UM is going to be a big challenge, but the way the buckeyes stepped up on both sides of the ball is exciting.
Oh, and while Breaston's newfound health is not encouraging, someone should tell him about Sirjo Welch :)
Edit: additionally, we have to recognize how well Carpenter finally played for us. He has been slightly disappointing in a number of games lately, but he really stepped up and was a force to be reckoned with against PU.
But keep this in perspective.
Our defense was playing without three of its starting DBs. The defensive coordinator didn't trust them at first and cost us two early touchdowns (I might have done the same at first as him tho; hindsight is 20-20). The defense rallied and played a great second half save one drive against an excellent QB. Snyder also had some great playcalling on D that really confused a previously unstoppable PU passing attack.
Troy Smith is a young quarterback. He missed some open looks, but didn't do too much to hurt us in the first half. Then, with our backs to the wall on the road and down by two scores, he tried too hard to produce points and cost us two turnovers. These are serious mistakes, but he did a lot right to get us into those two scoring opportunities. With the right coaching and video, he can learn from that throw to Holmes and the pitch is obviously an easy learning experience.
Also, most negative posts on here are refusing to acknowledge one key factor: Ted Ginn had a minimal impact on the game. He played well, and I think PU did well shutting him down on some of the short passes. What does that mean? In the 2nd half, OSU produced offensively without Ginn. Yes he set up one of the red zone opportunities, but he was a small part in the offense. Smith scrambled well and ran a pretty good option (obviously the one fumble near the end zone, but the other was just a monster hit by a linebacker).
Pittman was also back finally! He showed that same burst we saw weeks ago when we started begging for him to get play time. And Brandon Joe had a couple of good carries. Roy Hall also resurfaced, and Gonzalez finally held onto a ball after burning the secondary as usual.
The UM def coaches have a lot to worry about for next week. This was a totally new offensive package for us, yet we ran it fairly successfully (tho PU's defense isn't spectacular) in the 2nd half. We obviously have other formations we've run a lot and can use also against UM. And there is no way UM can try and neutralize Ginn alone. They have to worry about Holmes too obviously, but now Gonzalez and Hall have shown they can make big plays, and Pittman is still itching to prove himself this week after only having a few chances last game.
I think there is way too much to be positive about to be upset. If we were 7-3 and had just lost a shot at a bigger bowl, that would be one thing. But we were already going to a smaller bowl, and every buckeye fan knows that a meager bowl game is a fair trade for a UM victory anyday. I think UM is going to be a big challenge, but the way the buckeyes stepped up on both sides of the ball is exciting.
Oh, and while Breaston's newfound health is not encouraging, someone should tell him about Sirjo Welch :)
Edit: additionally, we have to recognize how well Carpenter finally played for us. He has been slightly disappointing in a number of games lately, but he really stepped up and was a force to be reckoned with against PU.
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