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Offense -
Penn State was so jacked for this game that white out version 2 was unleashed and start time was moved to primetime. These are two indications that the Nittany Lions pointed to this game as one that could right the ship. Ohio State, on the other hand, had redemption on their mind for an inept offensive gameplan the last time in Beaver Stadium. To Coach Tressel's credit, the offensive attack was superb and left several Penn State players openly discussing how unprepared they felt. We broke tendencies and predictability enough to keep Penn State off balance and applying guesswork methodology in hopes something might work.
The end result was a 37-17 victory for Ohio State, one where they rolled up 453 offense. That number likely could have eclipsed 500 yards if not for several rushes at the end of the game as we bled clock. The 453 yards were accumulated over 74 plays which works out to be 6.12 yards per play. Not bad against one of the better defenses in the country and Linebacker U. Above all else, the offensive line is to be lauded for their protection which allowed Todd Boeckman and Beanie Wells to do their work. As I thought pre-game, Penn State did unleash blitzes from all directions but Jimmy Cordle barked out the correct line calls all night. Penn State led the nation in sacks going in and didn't get their first until the 4th quarter after the game was already decided.
Todd Boeckman showed the poise of a multi-year starter despite this being his first year at the helm. He was impervious to the crowd noise and exceptional throwing the ball, delivering strike after strike. His 253 passing yards were a career high and he really only had one throw he'd like to have back. Boeckman's effectiveness softened up the run defense of Penn State which allowed Beanie Wells to get going, after a slow(er) start, by the second quarter. The most interesting thing about Beanie's night was the fact his longest gain was only 17 yards. This consistency really helped Ohio State stay away from many third and long situations. For the season, Wells is now just 4 yards shy of a 1000 with a projected year end total of 1328.
Overall, it's hard to ask for more production considering the environment and circumstances. The ever emergence of the tight end spot is a welcome sight. Several times, we converted 3rd downs using Rory Nichol or Jake Ballard. In fact, Boeckman hit Ballard on a 3rd and 2 for a touchdown the third quarter. The Buckeyes were 12 of 16 on third downs which is both obnoxious and delightful at the same time - even better when one of the third down stops Penn State had occurred on our our first possession. Penn State's defense basically never stopped Ohio State as evidenced by nary a punt from AJ Trapasso.
Defense -
The one area Penn State was able to do some damage - temporarily - was against our defense. They ran and threw equally well in the first quarter, to the tune of 115 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was the first scored against the defense all year in the first quarter. Penn State QB Anthony Morelli was sharp early hitting several passes and executing playaction and boots very well. I thought going into the game, the Penn State staff would use misdirection and boots against us because that's essentially what they did so successfully in their win over Wisconsin.
It was apparent Penn State made a concerted effort to mind James Laurinaitis all game. The Little Animal was credited with only two tackles all night, mainly because the Nittany Lions brought at least one offensive lineman to the second level to engage James. The zone blocking scheme worked perfectly but mainly on draw plays because the draw play gave additional time for the lineman to get a chip and then work to the second level. The downside of this for Penn State is their focus on Laurinaitis allowed Marcus Freeman to have a huge game with 14 tackles, 2 for loss and forced fumble which was recovered by Donald Washington.
To my eye, it didn't appear Ohio State made many adjustments in terms of x's and o's. The early vulnerability was a result of a combination of timidness and execution by Penn State. However, that soon faded away because it appeared Penn State was tapped out offensively by early in the third quarter. In total, the Buckeyes gave up 263 total yards but only 148 of those came in the last three quarters. They also collected two turnovers with Malcolm Jenkins duplicating his pick 6 of last year. But, the first quarter woes cannot be ignored in the grade.
Special Teams -
The week's game presents a little bit of a challenge in rating the special teams. On the one hand, we never saw AJ Trapasso except for his kickoffs. The offense never was stopped on 3rd down that forced a punt. On the flip side, our kick coverage allowed another cheap return for touchdown - the second of the year. In both cases, Ohio State was up big and coverage teams may not have not have been mentally in the game.
On the positive side, Ryan Pretorius made me a believer weeks ago and his 50 yard opening field only reinforced his value. He has a little bit of funny dip of the hips right at impact but whatever the technique the 28 year old has been a machine. On the night, he went 3-3 with all kicks being basically right down the middle. Kudos also go out ot the improvement in shortsnapping.
:Other Thoughts & Observations:
* Vernon Gholston only had one tackle - a sack - but his presence was felt several other times. He had a few qb hurries including one that caused the errant throw which Malcolm Jenkins intercepted.
* I though Kurt Coleman had a poor first quarter of play. His 3rd down stop late in the half, however, seemed to snap him out of the funk and he played much better from that point forward.
* I also thought JT mismanaged the end of the first half. We got the ball back with approximately 1:50 remaining and we ran two straight times. We picked up the first down on the next play and then let nearly 30 seconds run off the clock before throwing 25 yards downfield. I guess I view that as a risky play once you've run 1:20 of the clock. Why not just take a need rather than risk a interception return.
* Video review did make the correct call on the Robo juggle. The endzone view camera clearly shows the ball out as he rolled over the pilon.