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Offense -
"I really wasn't very happy sitting up there period"
Those were Jim Bollman's words after the game describing Ohio State's offensive performance. At quick glance, it may seem odd with OSU rolling up nearly 500 yards of balanced offense (against a D that was allowing roughly 360 yd/gm = not too bad) that Bollman would be unhappy. But, the fact of the matter is Ohio State continues to turn the ball over, only scored 24 offensive points and stalled drives with unforced penalties. With nearly 100 penalty yards (4 of the 15 yard variety), one can see it wasn't a solid overall performance.
Nevertheless, the ball was marched up and down the field. We continue to migrate away from the shotgun looks that drenched our offensive sets. We still use the shotgun but it's not overused and, hence, becomes a little more effective. I think Troy and JT are better under center and the team operates a little more efficiently. Antonio Pittman turned in his 4th 100 yard performance of the year and showed surprisingly good resiliency as the game wore on. He has been especially strong with the draw play in the last few weeks. Against Indiana, he was getting to the 2nd level quite often and once there, carrying a few tacklers too. Pittman will turn into a back that we'll be sorry to see leave. He has that kind of potential and frame to pack on additional weight.
Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn were also solid. More than once, OSU was effective dragging Santonio across the field. Once the ball was delivered, Holmes used his speed and playmaking ability to turn upfield. Unfortunatley, Santonio did drop a TD in the 2nd quarter. This came after Ginn's 98 yard KO return was called back. The throw as absolutely perfect but he couldn't haul it in. To see this missed opportunity and other photos, be sure to check out the OZone's photo gallery. Unfortunately, Ginn and Holmes also were involved in turnovers. Santonio's was on a slant in the endzone and Ted was stripped after being stopped on 3rd down play. Truth be told, the INT was on Smith more than Santonio and Ginn's progress was stopped but the whistle was late.
Speaking of the QB position, this one is tough. Again, Troy put up fairly impressive numbers. But, the INT in the endzone was crucial, not because it was an INT but because it happened in the endzone. This is what Bollman was speaking to above. We continue to take points away from ourselves with our unusually high turnover rate (15 for the season). Having said that, I also think Troy takes some unfair criticism. For instance, a few years ago, I started calling certain players the "Donnie Nickey of the team" in reference to our former (and now NFL) safety. Donnie was always ridiculed for his play; when he played fine, it should have been better and when he made a poor play, he should be pulled. Troy is in a very similar position and he has now become my new "Donnie Nickey" of this team. Against IU, Troy was 14-23 with 2 of the incompletions throwaways and 2 blatant drops (Holmes and Pittman). I can think of 2 bad throws (the INT and the first throw of the game to Gonzo).
Probably the most disappointing portion of the offense yesterday was the offensive line. To be more specific, our tackles had an atrocious day. They made the IU defensive ends look like Pro Bowler, Michael Strahan. They were both called for Clipping penalties that cost the team 30 yards in total. The interior of the line held up unsurprisingly well. Mangold, Sims and Downing are three of our best and collectively probably the best interior OL we've had in many years IMO.
Overall, this unit garners 2.5 Buckeye Leaves. It would have been nice to see a more productive unit, less penalties and a successful 2 minute offense. The end of the first half was deflating. Let's hope we are drying up our turnovers for Michigan.
Defense -
As I mentioned on the main page, the unit was spectacular again. IU had not really been stopped by anyone all year (read: Wisky and Iowa: 400+ ave b/w the two) and we shut them down. I"m beginning to think we might be desensitized to how good these guys are. Allowing only 137 total yards (4 times they've held a team under 200 total yards) is insane. Hawk was again the leader of the unit registering the quietest 7 tackle, 1 sack performance you'll see. Interestingly, CFN ranked Hawk in their top 10 of the best collegiate players. It's also notable Hawk's run in with IU Head Coach Terrry Hoeppner. Did anyone else catch this? They had words on the IU reception that was overturned. Ashton Youboty had to pull Hawk away. I believe Hoeppner thought Hawk grabbed facemask on the tackle.I think it's important to give praise to new D-Coordinator, Jim Heacock. He has made enough adjustments to this D to make them more aggressive and pressure opposing offenses. We don't see the 10-15 yard DB cushion that we saw constantly under Mark Snyder. We still see it now and that's fine but it's not exploited as it was last year. Ashton Youboty and Malcolm Jenkins are thriving. Youboty could have had a remarkable day if he hadn't dropped 2 sure INTs that would have went for TDs. Jenkins, on the other hand, contiues to play beyond his years. He will frustrate us from time to time (last week v. MSU two missed tackles for instance) but he has a gigantic upside. I can't remember Ohio State having a corner as physical as Jenkins.
Of course, none of this happens without the solid play upfront. While these guys are banged up (Green/ankle, Wilson/ankle, etc.) they continue to get pressure. This forces the opposing OL to contend with them rather than releasing to find AJ or Bobby. IMO, Marcus Green and Quinn Pitcock continue to be the unsung heros of this group.
Overall, this defense was outstanding. There were some cracks in the armor such as the Kudla late hit personal foul and two pass interference calls on Youboty. But, you'll have that from time to time when you are an aggressive, passionate D. A full compliment of 4 Leaves for this group.
Special Teams -
Even with two great returns by Ginn, this unit still was just short of a "Good" performance. Punting, I thought, was average and we did miss a 49 yard FG. The wind was not much of a factor. Return teams also get dinged for the personal foul on Ginn's KO return that negated 7 points. We did not score on the ensuing drive so we completely lost those points. Couple that with the deep KO return of IU and it was barely above an average day overall for the Buckeyes' special team units.
::Other Notes & Observations::
* With the win, the Buckeyes actually were leapfrogged in the USAToday poll. Penn State with their yawning win over hapless Illinois (who was soundly beaten by IU I should add) hopped over us. So be it.
* Pittman finished with 133 yards on 26 carries. Solid day, but consider it could have been much better had a 33 yard run not been wiped out by a penalty that happened behind the play.
* Sian Cotton could be a force if he'd lose about 15 lbs. He is a load.
* Our offensive line is depleted. When the 2nd unit came in, it consisted of Steve Winner (walk-on), John Conroy (walk-on), Whaley (walk-on), Andre Tyree (scholarship) and Schafer (scholarship). No doubt, injury has hurt our depth. Rehring and Jimmy Cordle would certainly be in the 2nd unit. Add in Barton's injury and Boone's subsequent promotion and it's not difficult to see where some of our problems arose. Still, it begs the question: Where is Mitchum, Person, Skinner, etc...? Some of it is probably inexperience but some of it is probably 'non-progress'.