- The win over Illinois doesn't look nearly as good, after they got dominated by Purdue
- Wisconsin's pass defense is not great
- Dantonio is a better coach than Bielema
- Alabama and LSU appear to be far and away the 2 best teams in the country. They remind me of OSU and Michigan in 2006. My guess is the one difference is that both will show up in their bowl games
- Oklahoma was exposed for what they are...overrated. Their defense is average and Landry Jones is a product of the system more than he is a great quarterback
- The Big East is horrendous (though this is nothing new)
- Notre Dame beating Michigan State had to be an aberration. There is no way ND should have been able to compete with them.
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Showing posts with label recap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recap. Show all posts
Sunday, October 23, 2011
What we learned this week
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Ohio State vs Illinois Recap
I can't remember seeing a team win with 1 completion. It was amazing that Illinois allowed us to run basically the same play over and over without ever making any adjustments. It was nice to not be outcoached for once.
Quarterbacks: C - Miller did what was expected of him...which was nothing. A better grade might be incomplete, but since he did not make any big mistakes, I will give him a C.
Running Backs: A - I forgot how much we were missing without Boom. He runs as hard as any running back out there. He is not the biggest, fastest, or most powerful, but he is good in all those facets and he finishes every run. I hope Hyde can learn how to finish runs from watching Boom, because he will be a great one if he can get that from Herron.
Wide Receivers: B - How can I give a B when no there were no receptions by the receivers? Run blocking. Boom was able to bounce it outside almost at will because the receivers were blocking so well. They were not allowing the Illini corners to set the edge, which opened up some big runs.
Offensive Line: B+ - That was some dominating run blocking. That is the best performance from an OSU line in a long time. They finally came out knowing they were going to blow the defensive line off the ball, and then they came out and did it with a nasty attitude that has been lacking in the past. They lose the A, however, because of the continued false start penalties.
Defensive Line: A+ - Hankins and Simon were unbelievable. Hankins is the best defensive tackle we have had since Dan Wilkinson. He is unblockable, and I like the fact that he can play any position on the line. Simon reminds me a lot of Cam Heyward. He is relentless and always seems to make a play when one is needed. I liked seeing Bennett get a lot of PT out there too. If we had a weakside defensive end to go with Hankins, Simon, and Bennett, we would have a top 5 defensive line nationally. Even without a good end, they are still pretty damn good.
Linebackers: C+ - We just have to face the fact that we don't have any great linebackers for the first time in a long time. Shazier could become our next great one, but he is not there yet. Sweat was solid and Sabino didn't get caught out of position, but I would still like to see them making more plays.
Defensive Backs: A - They finally hung on to the ball when they had shots at interceptions. Roby played great and Travis Howard make a great interception. I liked seeing our corners up playing press man to man coverage. That is not something we have seen much with this coaching staff. Moeller, Barnett, and Bryant all had good games too.
Special Teams: B - Basil is turning into a very good kicker. That was not an easy kick. Buchanan didn't have the greatest distance on his punts today, but he was consistent and got good hang time to allow our coverage teams to do well.
Coaching: B - The offensive coaches realized that with the windy conditions and Illinois' very good pass rush, that it was not good conditions to make Miller make plays through the air. Add to that Illinois not adjusting to the draw play, Bollman just kept calling what was working. It was nice to see a commitment to running the ball, especially when we needed to run some clock. Bollman apparently learned from the mistakes of the 2nd half of the Nebraska game. Defensively, the coaches came up with a great gameplan. They realized Scheelhaase is not a great passer, so they pressed the receivers and committed to stopping the run and the easy passes.
Officiating: A - I don't recall any bad calls...which is all I can ask from officials.
Announcers: D - Is it just me, or is Bob Davie one of the most annoying announcers out there? I can't stand him.
Quarterbacks: C - Miller did what was expected of him...which was nothing. A better grade might be incomplete, but since he did not make any big mistakes, I will give him a C.
Running Backs: A - I forgot how much we were missing without Boom. He runs as hard as any running back out there. He is not the biggest, fastest, or most powerful, but he is good in all those facets and he finishes every run. I hope Hyde can learn how to finish runs from watching Boom, because he will be a great one if he can get that from Herron.
Wide Receivers: B - How can I give a B when no there were no receptions by the receivers? Run blocking. Boom was able to bounce it outside almost at will because the receivers were blocking so well. They were not allowing the Illini corners to set the edge, which opened up some big runs.
Offensive Line: B+ - That was some dominating run blocking. That is the best performance from an OSU line in a long time. They finally came out knowing they were going to blow the defensive line off the ball, and then they came out and did it with a nasty attitude that has been lacking in the past. They lose the A, however, because of the continued false start penalties.
Defensive Line: A+ - Hankins and Simon were unbelievable. Hankins is the best defensive tackle we have had since Dan Wilkinson. He is unblockable, and I like the fact that he can play any position on the line. Simon reminds me a lot of Cam Heyward. He is relentless and always seems to make a play when one is needed. I liked seeing Bennett get a lot of PT out there too. If we had a weakside defensive end to go with Hankins, Simon, and Bennett, we would have a top 5 defensive line nationally. Even without a good end, they are still pretty damn good.
Linebackers: C+ - We just have to face the fact that we don't have any great linebackers for the first time in a long time. Shazier could become our next great one, but he is not there yet. Sweat was solid and Sabino didn't get caught out of position, but I would still like to see them making more plays.
Defensive Backs: A - They finally hung on to the ball when they had shots at interceptions. Roby played great and Travis Howard make a great interception. I liked seeing our corners up playing press man to man coverage. That is not something we have seen much with this coaching staff. Moeller, Barnett, and Bryant all had good games too.
Special Teams: B - Basil is turning into a very good kicker. That was not an easy kick. Buchanan didn't have the greatest distance on his punts today, but he was consistent and got good hang time to allow our coverage teams to do well.
Coaching: B - The offensive coaches realized that with the windy conditions and Illinois' very good pass rush, that it was not good conditions to make Miller make plays through the air. Add to that Illinois not adjusting to the draw play, Bollman just kept calling what was working. It was nice to see a commitment to running the ball, especially when we needed to run some clock. Bollman apparently learned from the mistakes of the 2nd half of the Nebraska game. Defensively, the coaches came up with a great gameplan. They realized Scheelhaase is not a great passer, so they pressed the receivers and committed to stopping the run and the easy passes.
Officiating: A - I don't recall any bad calls...which is all I can ask from officials.
Announcers: D - Is it just me, or is Bob Davie one of the most annoying announcers out there? I can't stand him.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Initial Reaction to game
Well, that was unexpected. I don't think anyone saw this game playing out like that. A combination of the best half we have played all year, followed by probably the worst half of the year. I am disappointed in the loss, but I a little happy to at least see a little bit of progress. Here are my grades:
Quarterbacks: B- - Miller played much better than expected. It is too bad he got hurt on the terrible field. If he doesn't get hurt, I don't see us losing that game. Bauserman played exactly how you would expect him to play. I don't blame him, though, because he was put in a horrendous situation. They continued to run the same plays as they were for Miller. Bauserman cannot be expected to roll out and they can't run long developing plays that require him to throw deeper passes. Going forward, I don't see how they can keep Bauserman as the backup to Miller. He has proved repeatedly that he cannot play quarterback at this level.
Running Backs: B+ - Hall and Hyde played very well, especially Hyde. I was glad to see Hyde finally running hard and finishing his runs. He is going to be a very good one.
Wide Receivers: C+ - It was nice having Brown back from injury. He was finally able to give us someone who can get separation. He would have had 2 touchdowns if the QB's would have made good throws. The other receivers were below average, as usual.
Offensive Line: B+ - This was the most pleasant surprise of the game. The pass blocking was great. The run blocking was pretty good, but could have been much better later in the game. There was also the obligatory false start by Shugarts
Defensive Line: B - Hankins is a stud. He led the defensive line in dominating the entire first half. They just got completely worn out in the second half. I don't understand why there was not more of a rotation throughout the game, especially in the 2nd half. When the offense continually goes 3 and out and turns the ball over, the defense is going to get worn out. The coaching staff needs to recognize this and make adjustments to the rotation.
Linebackers: F - This is the position that deserves most of the blame for this loss. I have no idea what Sabino was doing. He was lost out there. He was out of position almost every play. Martinez was Sabino's assignment on most of the option plays, yet Sabino continuously ran right by the hole that was his responsibility to try to chase the running back, and Martinez would run right by. Sabino also appeared to be just jogging and running through the motions half the time. As soon as a blocker engaged him, he basically gave up on the play. Sweat and Klein weren't a whole lot better. They made very few plays.
Defensive Backs: D- - Missed tackles, bad coverage, and penalties cover it for the defensive backs.
Special Teams: C - Punting was good, but not great. Punt coverage was good, but kick coverage was average. Would have been nice to have a reliable field goal kicker to allow us to kick that long field goal, but since we don't, I think it was the right call to punt.
Coaching: D - The playcalling with Miller in the game was much better...they actually ran a screen and rolled Miller out!!! However, once Miller was out of the game, the play calling should have been adjusted for Bauserman. Instead, they ran the same type of plays and allowed Bauserman to throw the ball way too much. Defensively, I already mentioned that they should have been rotating the line to keep them fresh for the 4th quarter. I would also like to see some kind of emotion out of Fickell and maybe some coaching on the sideline.
Officiating: B - There were some missed holding calls and the late hit on Moeller on the final drive was a joke, but overall the officiating was pretty good.
Announcers: C - They were very annoying, but I am chalking most of that up to my bad mood from being on the losing end. Millen provides nothing. You don't learn anything from him. He provides very little insight beyond the obvious.
Quarterbacks: B- - Miller played much better than expected. It is too bad he got hurt on the terrible field. If he doesn't get hurt, I don't see us losing that game. Bauserman played exactly how you would expect him to play. I don't blame him, though, because he was put in a horrendous situation. They continued to run the same plays as they were for Miller. Bauserman cannot be expected to roll out and they can't run long developing plays that require him to throw deeper passes. Going forward, I don't see how they can keep Bauserman as the backup to Miller. He has proved repeatedly that he cannot play quarterback at this level.
Running Backs: B+ - Hall and Hyde played very well, especially Hyde. I was glad to see Hyde finally running hard and finishing his runs. He is going to be a very good one.
Wide Receivers: C+ - It was nice having Brown back from injury. He was finally able to give us someone who can get separation. He would have had 2 touchdowns if the QB's would have made good throws. The other receivers were below average, as usual.
Offensive Line: B+ - This was the most pleasant surprise of the game. The pass blocking was great. The run blocking was pretty good, but could have been much better later in the game. There was also the obligatory false start by Shugarts
Defensive Line: B - Hankins is a stud. He led the defensive line in dominating the entire first half. They just got completely worn out in the second half. I don't understand why there was not more of a rotation throughout the game, especially in the 2nd half. When the offense continually goes 3 and out and turns the ball over, the defense is going to get worn out. The coaching staff needs to recognize this and make adjustments to the rotation.
Linebackers: F - This is the position that deserves most of the blame for this loss. I have no idea what Sabino was doing. He was lost out there. He was out of position almost every play. Martinez was Sabino's assignment on most of the option plays, yet Sabino continuously ran right by the hole that was his responsibility to try to chase the running back, and Martinez would run right by. Sabino also appeared to be just jogging and running through the motions half the time. As soon as a blocker engaged him, he basically gave up on the play. Sweat and Klein weren't a whole lot better. They made very few plays.
Defensive Backs: D- - Missed tackles, bad coverage, and penalties cover it for the defensive backs.
Special Teams: C - Punting was good, but not great. Punt coverage was good, but kick coverage was average. Would have been nice to have a reliable field goal kicker to allow us to kick that long field goal, but since we don't, I think it was the right call to punt.
Coaching: D - The playcalling with Miller in the game was much better...they actually ran a screen and rolled Miller out!!! However, once Miller was out of the game, the play calling should have been adjusted for Bauserman. Instead, they ran the same type of plays and allowed Bauserman to throw the ball way too much. Defensively, I already mentioned that they should have been rotating the line to keep them fresh for the 4th quarter. I would also like to see some kind of emotion out of Fickell and maybe some coaching on the sideline.
Officiating: B - There were some missed holding calls and the late hit on Moeller on the final drive was a joke, but overall the officiating was pretty good.
Announcers: C - They were very annoying, but I am chalking most of that up to my bad mood from being on the losing end. Millen provides nothing. You don't learn anything from him. He provides very little insight beyond the obvious.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Ohio State - Michigan State Grades
QB - F
I understand the O-Line and Playcalling were horrendous, but the QB's still have to be able to do something. Neither QB could even throw a spiral. Bauserman missed a lot of open receivers. He just doesn't seem to have the arm strength to make throws to the outside. Braxton still looks like a deer in the headlights.
RB - C
Average game by the Running Backs. A lot of this has to do with pathetic blocking, poor play calling, and inability to pass, but I would still have liked to see a few broken tackles or another big play.
WR - D-
Yet again they couldn't get any separation until the defense was in prevent. Also saw some very costly dropped passes and a lack of effort by Devin Smith on Miller's interception might have been the play of the game.
OL - F
I would give them lower if I could. This was one of the worst performances I have ever seen. Penalties, missed blocks, etc.
DL - B+
Great against the run. The only thing more I can ask for is a consistent pass rush. That is not going to happen though with the lack of speed on this line.
LB - C-
More missed tackles and still no linebackers making any plays. Can't remember the last time we haven't had any playmakers at linebacker.
DB - B
Played solid, but not great. This game should put to rest any thoughts of Travis Howard going pro after this year. He got schooled by Cunningham.
Special Teams - B-
Kick coverage was outstanding. Returns were below average. Punting was average.
Coaching - F
A better grade might be 'What Coaching'. Offensive playcalling was horrible as usual. There is no gameplan and no offensive identity (other than bad). There are almost no quick hitting passes to help get the ball out quickly. There is also absolutely no coaching on the sidelines. If you watched Florida-Alabama when Florida had to put their freshman QB in the game, you would have seen Charlie Weiss talking to the QB after every series. Braxton Miller comes off the field and stands by himself. Need to have someone going over the plays with him to tell him what he did right, wrong, and what he can do differently next time.
I understand the O-Line and Playcalling were horrendous, but the QB's still have to be able to do something. Neither QB could even throw a spiral. Bauserman missed a lot of open receivers. He just doesn't seem to have the arm strength to make throws to the outside. Braxton still looks like a deer in the headlights.
RB - C
Average game by the Running Backs. A lot of this has to do with pathetic blocking, poor play calling, and inability to pass, but I would still have liked to see a few broken tackles or another big play.
WR - D-
Yet again they couldn't get any separation until the defense was in prevent. Also saw some very costly dropped passes and a lack of effort by Devin Smith on Miller's interception might have been the play of the game.
OL - F
I would give them lower if I could. This was one of the worst performances I have ever seen. Penalties, missed blocks, etc.
DL - B+
Great against the run. The only thing more I can ask for is a consistent pass rush. That is not going to happen though with the lack of speed on this line.
LB - C-
More missed tackles and still no linebackers making any plays. Can't remember the last time we haven't had any playmakers at linebacker.
DB - B
Played solid, but not great. This game should put to rest any thoughts of Travis Howard going pro after this year. He got schooled by Cunningham.
Special Teams - B-
Kick coverage was outstanding. Returns were below average. Punting was average.
Coaching - F
A better grade might be 'What Coaching'. Offensive playcalling was horrible as usual. There is no gameplan and no offensive identity (other than bad). There are almost no quick hitting passes to help get the ball out quickly. There is also absolutely no coaching on the sidelines. If you watched Florida-Alabama when Florida had to put their freshman QB in the game, you would have seen Charlie Weiss talking to the QB after every series. Braxton Miller comes off the field and stands by himself. Need to have someone going over the plays with him to tell him what he did right, wrong, and what he can do differently next time.
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