BUCKEYE REVIEW (er rather, PEE-YEW): Wow. I am hard-pressed to recall a game in which Ohio State was so inept in ALL phases. Last night’s loss was humiliating on multiple levels. First off, the Buckeyes had no offensive game plan. Nothing. Zero. Urban Meyer and Tom Herman KNEW Virginia Tech was going to go after OSU quarterback J.T. Barrett with a multitude of both base and exotic blitzes. They KNEW it. Hell, we all did! But the $5 million dollar head coach and his $1 mill offensive coordinator had nothing to counter with, except for deep throws in man coverage and the occasional flare pass on the edges. That’s it! Seriously? Six mill a year and that’s all ya got? Meanwhile, their counterparts on the other sideline, who pull in only half as much dough annually, just simply turned their front seven loose and told them to feast. I would analogize it to the Seattle Seahawks defense overwhelming a high school offense, but I don’t want to be so demeaning toward high schoolers. I don’t care that OSU has four new starters; no Buckeye offensive line (and secondary) should be this inept. For over two years now, OSU’s best offensive plays have been the quarterback scramble and draw. Defensively, OSU’s line played fairly well, applying consistent pressure. Credit Va. Tech’s quarterback for making some great plays, especially in third-and-long situations. The Buckeye secondary continues to be an embarrassment, and overall tackling still stinks. Kicking game? Two missed FGs and one shanked punt. Can’t do that and beat a quality team like Tech. Now, Urban Meyer didn’t get to where he is today without knowing something about football. His record speaks for itself, especially those two national titles at Florida which included an utter destruction of our Buckeyes. But now OSU has lost three of its last four games, and despite owning a 25-3 record overall since his arrival in Columbus, none of Meyer’s wins are against a top 15 team. So one could easily argue that the 25-3 mark isn’t actually all that good. Ohio State is officially eliminated from the college football playoff. With Michigan State’s and Michigan’s losses yesterday, there is no potential quality win to be had the rest of the season. Cincinnati may very well its toughest opponent. And so, even if Ohio State wins the next 11 games, 12-1 is not gonna get it done. There will surely be three or four other one-loss teams and all will rate higher. Even a two-loss team from the SEC or PAC 12 will likely get chosen before the one-loss Buckeyes. And it doesn’t help that OSU’s last three games against ACC teams have resulted in losses (Va. Tech, Clemson, Miami). So what do we have to look forward to the rest of the season? I’m just going to watch to see how good (or bad) this coaching staff really is. Aside from the game in East Lansing, any additional loss should be considered monumental, so simply winning shouldn’t be used as much of a gage for the team’s progress. I want to see both offensive innovation and some old-fashioned Woody Hayes smash-mouth running, which is what Urban Renewal promised. I want to see the Silver Bullets of the Tressel era; you know, the guys who flew around with reckless abandon and knew HOW to tackle. Oh Mark Dantonio, Mark Snyder and Jim Heacock, where have you gone? And yes, Luke Fickell’s days are numbered. In closing, my condolences to fellow St. John’s HS alum Ryan Forgacs who has to figure out a way to schlep tickets for OSU’s final six home games, which even at face value won’t nearly provide corresponding value. Oh well, at least we still have the Best Damn Band In The Land! At least there’s no controversy there. Uh, never mind. Six more sleepless nights to go. Regardless of how bad it seems, GO BUCKS!
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 16:13:57 +0000
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