Now that we’ve had a couple of days to process, it’s time for the Ohio State program to take a hard look at what went wrong Saturday and where to go from here. There have been some excellent comments on this site, all of which hit on any of a number of problems that Ohio State faces as we move forward.
First and foremost, Saturday’s loss to USC is a huge hit. After being blown out in two BCS games, this was our last chance to show that we could play on the national stage. With blow out number three in the record books, we have been knocked out of the top ten, deservingly so, and it may take years before the Buckeyes can earn the respect of pollsters and return to the top of the rankings. We get another shot at USC next year but unless there are some serious changes to the program, I would make January travel plans.
Not since our series with Texas have we seen an Ohio State team fired up for a big opponent (Michigan not included). Against Florida, LSU and now USC, the Buckeyes have looked dead on the field. At the first sign of trouble, things start breaking down and by half time, it is as though the players have given up. In the 90s, I used to get very frustrated with Coach Cooper because it would seemed like it would take a miracle to come back once the Buckeyes were down and it now looks like Tressel is facing the same problem — at least in the big games.
The difference is that Cooper wasn’t able to mentally prepare his team to play. Cooper would obviously fall apart on the sidelines bringing the entire team down with him. When it came to Michigan, the breakdown began long before the opening kickoff. With Tressel though, it doesn’t feel like he can’t prepare these kids mentally. However, the coaching staff seems to get so locked into a game plan that they refuse to change things when the plan starts to break down. The players seem to recognize that instead of getting creative, the coaching staff is going to hunker down even more, burying themselves in conservative play until there is no chance of coming back.
And you’ve got to give the coaching staff credit. Switching Boeckman/Pryor every other play was the type of coaching I thought I’d never see from the vest. It appears as though nobody on the field expected it, including Boeckman and Pryor. The problem is, as Pryor proved that he was ready for the job and Boeckman struggled, Boeckman seemed to be getting more of the snaps. By the time Pryor was receiving most of the snaps, it was too late. USC had pretty much sealed our fate.
There also seems to be big trouble with the offensive line. Although the problems reared their ugly head against OU, it was easy to shrug it off because they were looking forward to the USC game — they had to be. But we saw more of the same against USC. As things started looking bad, instead of coming to life, the offensive line seemed to shut down. There was no energy and the aggressiveness was gone. USC was getting the jump on them and that was all she wrote. Add to that a number of offensive penalties, including a holding call on what should have been a touchdown play, and the offensive line is a serious weak point on this team.
That brings up the quarterback situation. If the offensive line is not able to give the either Boeckman or Pryor the time he needs to let the play develop, then we need a quarterback who can scramble and make things happen. The choice at quarterback becomes obvious and although he may be young, Pryor showed leadership on the sidelines and grace under pressure (fumbled snap = first down). Although it appears that Tressel wants to give some sort of nod to experience, face it, Pryor is just a better quarterback and should see the majority of the playing time. A healthy Beanie in the backfield and the Buckeyes have a serious running attack between Pryor/Wells.
And that may be where the future of this season lies — a Wells/Pryor ground attack. Dan Herron also showed some serious running ability. Force them to concentrate on the ground game opening up the receivers and we can still salvage what is left of this season.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
We also need to look at the defense, as they have been a major let down the past few years in the big games. Even since losing D’Antonio, they have progressed to a bend and don’t break scheme. By the time 2006 came around, this was entirely the defensive scheme they began playing. Now, this defensive scheme (mainly consisting of 4 down linemen and a soft zone) works wonders against a team of lesser talent or a traditional Big 10 offense; hence the great in conference statistics. However, once you face a team with athletes (FL, ILL, LSU, USC), it’s all over because of the space you give them and the time you give the QB. You essentially allow them to get the ball to their prime players in space. We need a return to the early 2000s aggressive D that was not afraid to let loose and get at it. Although this may result in a big offensive play here and there, it also results in getting to the QB and making big hits/plays on D. When facing a team like Florida, LSU, or USC, this is the only approach you can take. At some point you have to trust your secondary to play man and be aggressive.
(spelling) Dantonio.
I’m telling you! Throw some cash at Spielman and let him make the defense crazed! Who was the better defenseman in the early 80′s? Spielman or Bo Pelini? If Pelini can get it done at Nebraska, kick our ass in the NC game with Yellow Shoe and then get the head job at Nebraska 5 years after he should have gotten it, why the hell is Spiels not on tOSU coaching staff?
Look at Spiel’s passion, pedigree, and commitment here! We are missing out on one crazed SOB…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9aSFIMbUmY
I agree that CP may be a good addition to the staff. Possibly bring him on as LBs coach or in some capacity and see what he can do. You never know, he could be a future Defensive Coordinator. His intensity and playing pedigree are definitely unparalleled and you can tell when he announces that he is fired up. I would like to see what this translates into as a coach.