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Game Thread tOSU at NW'ern, Oct 5, 8 ET, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2

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BUCKYLE said:
Yeah I can't think of a single thing that bothers me more than casual fans blaming Fick for everything wrong with the D.
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How about the casual fan that screams at the offensive line every time a run play doesn't work? I had one sitting behind me at the Buffalo game.

*high snap causes missed hand off and the play turns into a QB run for a short loss of yardage*

[causual fan] c'mon line! BLOCK! [/casual fan]

:smash:
 
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Zander42 said:
You emphasize putting pressure on the QB rather than playing coverage.
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You don't think the defense was trying to get to the QB? The two main problems with our defense are: 1.) Tackling still (though it's markedly better than last year) and; 2.) DBs playing 8-10 yards off the LOS and/or soft zone coverage letting WRs loop into voids in the zone.
 
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MililaniBuckeye said:
You don't think the defense was trying to get to the QB? The two main problems with our defense are: 1.) Tackling still (though it's markedly better than last year) and; 2.) DBs playing 8-10 yards off the LOS and/or soft zone coverage letting WRs loop into voids in the zone.
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Those are both pretty true. If I may add #3, IMO If we only have 3 D-linemen on the field, we don't have our best 11 out there.
 
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I don't care who you put on the DL to rush the QB, if your DBs cannot make the QB hold the ball for longer than 3 seconds you are never going to consistantly pressure the QB. I understand the desire to not give up the chunk plays and playing pressure style man on the WR does put that into play but I will never understand why you start with a 10-12 yard cushion and you bail on the snap of the ball? If you are going to play the big cushion then you read the play on the snap instead of turning and running.

When you combine the large cushion with the tendancy to miss tackles you get 5 yard passes and pick up 8-12 yards. That is the single biggest issue I see on this defense right now. I think we have the players to do better, I don't know that they are putting the emphasis on wrapping up on tackles as much as needed (the constant pushes in hopes of making the offense trip or fall is enough to make fans nuts). I have noticed the guys are not going for those kill shots we were all worried about with the new rule this year. That is good but that should also make it easier to wrap up and that is not happening.
 
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HorseshoeFetish said:
Those are both pretty true. If I may add #3, IMO If we only have 3 D-linemen on the field, we don't have our best 11 out there.
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I am with you here. We should always have four of them on the field. I often wondered what it would look like to throw 5 of them in there with Spence freelancing a little bit and 1 LB, and 5 DBs in the backfield. Maybe we have done this and I just haven't caught it. I have seen Spence back into coverage on occasion.
 
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The off coverage might have been called because of what looked like a very slippery grass field. I still saw many slips by DBs allowing Northwestern receivers to get YAC. On a slippery field the receiver has an advantage. One misstep and like the Lawrence play on Robey, the guy goes 76 yards and it was just Robey's top gear that prevented a TD on that play.
The lack of wrapping up is making me crazy! No excuse for so many veterans to not be wrapping guys up. And thank goodness for C. Grant making the tackle on third down before the epic fourth dawn stop. How many times did the Northwestern QB escape a sack? And we still got 5! Please! No more 3 man rush!
 
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germ said:
Those rankings mean squat, it's a more of matter of who you played. OSU has only faced one team with a decent running game with a very limited passing game.
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OSU's two best rush defense performances this season were against two teams with Top-25 rush offenses. Below is the rush off rank, team, per-game avg, yards rushing against OSU, and the percent of rush yards gained against OSU off their season avg.

93 Buffalo ........ 134.0 ...... 73 ...... 54.4%
81 San Diego St ... 145.4 ...... 64 ...... 44.0%
106 California ..... 113.0 ..... 132 ..... 116.8%
6 Wisconsin ...... 300.6 ..... 104 ...... 34.6%
22 Northwestern ... 218.4 ...... 94 ...... 43.0%

Note on Cal: Daniel Lasco ground out 64 yards rushing after OSU took a 52-27 lead late in the 3rd quarter.
 
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Yeah but...Wisconsin and NW didn't play anyone before tOSU so their rushing stats were skewed. :roll1:

Look, I get that everyone wants to think they have a wealth of football knowledge and that message boards are for discussion. I get that accountants and car salesmen and janitors like to flex their football IQ. I just don't get why I should listen to anyone that doesn't have two NC's and a current 18 game winning streak over a guy that does. "Play Joe Shmoe more! It's obvious he's better that John Doe!!!". But Urban and the staff see both these guys in practice every day. What knowledge do you have that makes you more qualified to name starters than the dude making millions who's dream job depends on making the right decision?
 
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This may be the first game in my life where the other team dared tOSU to run. I never expect to see it again, but it almost worked for NWU. I have long since lost my reference, but I think Meyer basically said that NWU decided to take away the deep pass. NWU played 3 deep and left someone to spy Miller. That left the run open, as well as the outlet to Hyde. There had to have been some other short routes open, but I don't know what they were. That is how NWU achieved their bend but not break .... let tOSU run down the field, but it is harder to run near the end zone. Fortunately Mensa the OC figured it out in less than 60 minutes.
 
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Was Northwestern always a "Paper Wildcat" this season?
Were they just being hyped by ESPiN?
Did we just "steal their mojo"?
Or were they crippled by injuries?
Or some combination?
I wonder because after we beat them, they were never the same team. It seems like strange circumstances in retrospect.
 
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