If I had to choose, I would slide Jackson over to tackle. He isn’t exactly perfect at LG, with a few head scratcher plays per game, and Austin played well there earlier in the season.
I would usually agree with that but Austin played very well at LG when Jackson was out so I am not overly concerned with the change of the LG. If Jackson can be serviceable at LT, I think it is worth a shot.
We shall see how the coaches view things when we take the field against Nebraska.
Has Jackson ever played tackle? I might be forgetting something, but the last time I can remember hearing about him even getting practice reps at tackle was all the way back in spring 2022 and I don't remember him ever playing tackle in a game.
You are only as good as your last game is remembered. Good but not good enough is a recurring theme when one part of the equation for winning football games breaks down.
Too much time spent at the North Heidelberg rather than the classroom. SSD 68-72
The offense has certainly done its part. Kelly, in general, has been a great addition. Fingers crossed losing Simmons doesn't cost the team but overall, I'm still optimistic about this side of the ball.
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
I'd give the Safeties at least a B. Caleb Downs has been exceptional and doesn't have any big mistakes that I can recall. Ransom has been a force in run pickups and generally played extremely well too.
To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.
100%. The defense gave up 496 yards of offense which isn't good. However, 170 something was Burke alone. Take away just half of that and this game is a W. Also fair to mention that Oregon may have the best offense in the country so as much as we want to hold every opponent to 200 yards of total offense, remember that Oregon is really, really good. Burke had an exceptionally bad game against Oregon. He has a chance to get it right against PSU
Hopefully this is a wakeup call for Burke. He needs to refocus and trust his technique. He got burned looking into the backfield expecting to jump the route and get an interception. The Oregon WR ran right by him.
Also remember both Bama and Georgia gave up 500+ yards to each. Texas will finally get tested this weekend. It’s really hard to shut down great offensive teams
Those who stir the shit pot should have to lick the spoon.
yo; The best offense in the land would score more than 35 ppg. It's not like they've played all top 5 schools either. They exploited an os team's weakness over and over again like in '21.
PSU has their best o coordinator since Moorhead was there. It'll be a tougher game than oregon.
I think this is a more even-keeled response to that game that most will start to adopt as they reflect and hopefully as the defense rights the ship and buckles down. Burke really struggled biting on double moves or trying to cheat due to their offense rarely going deep in certain instances in prior games. The 2 bombs in the first half (I think he had very good coverage on the other TD, just a better throw and catch) completely changed the game and had the defense on their heels scrambling to figure out how to help their #1 cover corner and prevent more big plays.
They held them to 10 in the 2nd half, which honestly I would've taken in a heartbeat after watching the first, but still gave up way too many yards and couldn't get a stop sooner on the last drive.
Right. My prediction is that this team will bounce back, beat PSU and look good doing it and everyone will jump back on the hype train. Oregon is a much better team than anyone else on the schedule and I think the rest of the season will prove it.
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
Oregon is probably the 3rd best team they've played since 2020. Bama in 2020 and Georgia in 2022 are the better 2. I don't think Oregon is in the same class as those 2, but there aren't a ton of CFB teams that can stress a defense like they can while having good lines and defenders.
Not to mention they did a great job of varying from their tendencies and were at home with a very intense crowd behind them. And it was still a 1 point game.
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
I noticed the big plays came from audibles from the sideline. That is something OSU wasn't going to be able to do on offense in that environment that Oregon could. Now, OSU's defense should have been able to audible too, but they don't seem to ever do that (not sure why).
Script could be flipped if they earn a rematch in Indy.
If Simmons doesn't get hurt, I'm confident the offense would continue to improve and become a dominant unit, making the defensive issues less concerning. Now it's more a matter of not regressing. Kelly and Day have more than enough brainpower to scheme around this against lesser teams, but in the playoffs they'll need the LT to win battles
I'd rather not move Fryar over to protect the blindside. I'm not down on him like some are, but he's not consistent enough in pass pro or athletic enough to deal with speed rushers. Zen or someone else needs to take the leap.
Not their fault, but I'd give the WR group more like a B. There have been some individual mistakes, just recently Smith slides like a half yard too early on that last drive and we lose 15 seconds), but I think the coaches should have done a much better job of getting dudes ready. We basically haven't played WR 4,5,6,7 and 8 even though we've been up HUGE in games.
One of the BIGGEST knocks on last years team was the offense was basically "find MHJ"... this years its more of find Smith and EE, but then what happens. We get in a tight game and those two are out of gas. They kept tapping out in the 4th quarter. Then we bring in dudes with no experience..
Who knows what they will do with the offensive line. I know in real time it seemed like Michalski held up ok, but then EVERYONE breaking down tape after the game said he had a lot of issues.. You can easily make the argument that the only two guys this team couldn't afford to lose were Howard and Simmons.... at least they have two weeks...
We have played four WRs mostly. Ballard has gotten chances and not done well. Rodgers got the opportunity against Iowa and only had one catch while playing around 40 snaps.
I agree with your B+ as the max for the OL. If they were giving an "A" performance against Oregon, the run game would have been better. Multiple 1-yard gains were not gotten.
The Ohio State University - "Haters love us!"
Baskins and Robbins? Nah, Haskins and Dobbins - KannonMic
Seems a bit like an agenda to grade the second half rushing attack (after loosing TWO starters).
I would say the first 5 games PLUS the first half vs Oregon would be a SOLID A with the second half vs Oregon being a solid B (A Pass blocking, C run blocking).
I would rather be on hand with 10 men then elsewhere with 10,000 - Timur Lenk
Both lines suffer from mistakes in recruiting:OL lacking any quality athletic depth at OT and DL apparently the same. I say apparently because of not enough playing time at DT because of lack of rotation. It has been and will always be: It's what upfront that counts.
My biggest concern all season has been the two minute offense and it failed at the end of the first half and at the end of the second half on Saturday. The team has the ability to sustain long extended drives leading to scores yet for some reason in the last two minutes of the first half ( prior to Saturday , since the games have been blowouts ) they can't execute a two minute offense and get points on the board. This should be a big red flag in a close game.
It is easy to build up stats by check downs and WR screens. Howard has shown the ability to through a 20 yard out but not the ability to take the top off the defense deep down the middle consistently. If the WR's are going to run a comeback route you need to go a few more yards past the first down marker before putting on the brakes an back for the ball, lost a few first downs this way.
I would give the offensive line a B-. We still have lots of difficulty running between the tackles.
I agree with the poster with the reaction about not playing all these 4 and 5 star receivers more in obvious blow outs . No better measuring stick than play in actual games. Plus experience is needed especially if injuries occur . PSU game has me worried with a revamped offense verses our defense . As always Go Bucks !!!
Both right guards and LT were a big problem against Oregon. Not sure how you can watch the game and miss the DTs and DE screaming into the backfield. That is the main reason Judkins only ran for 23 yards. And the 3rd and 1 got immediate penetration leading to Tre "dancing" in the backfield. Howard is the reason there weren't more sacks.
This is where playing a one back set becomes an issue. If you have a fullback in the game they can help pick up some of the penetration, it gives you a lead blocker hitting the designed hole first. They did use Gurd as a fullback for a few short yardage plays and actually ran an old Woody Hayes Robust T formation with Henderson and Judkins flanking Gurd.
They have no center screen game to make the d tackles think about that possibility, they run plenty of wide WR screens or flares to RB's but no traditional center screens. They did try to run a shovel pass screen to Inniss but the center of the Oregon line blew up the play and Howard had to keep the ball and run a qb sweep.
If the center of the line keeps getting blown up in short yardage, use a play action naked boot out the backside of the formation, drag a TE in the vacated space for a run pass option. Howard is a capable runner.
This defense is NO WHERE near best in school history and that was BEFORE the Oregon game. 1973 the buckeye defense had given up just 33 points in 9 games. They would go on to tie TCUN 10-10 and best USC for the national championship(back then it was just the final poll ranking) OSU allowed just 53 points allowed for the ENTIRE season.
Spare me that teams today are better... bull crap. That team would absolutely beat the brakes off this OSU team and Oregon as well...
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Heyooooo
"Hell, there's no question who'll win"
The Simmons injury is the wild card for the second half of the season. We obviously know that, whoever replaces Simmons, is going to be a downgrade.
Simmons was the one guy we couldn’t lose on the offensive line, with Seth a close second.
Spot on. Line play (both sides) wins games. Not 5 star receivers
A fan since the Randy Gradishar days
Yes indeed! I will keep saying
Give 5 linemen who will be drafted in rounds 3-6 EACH season and we will have a very successful season! Even if we have ONLY 4 Star WRs and RBs
I would rather be on hand with 10 men then elsewhere with 10,000 - Timur Lenk
Minor adjustment to your comment- Line play wins Championships and really Big games. Not 5* receivers.
Steelybuck54
If I had to choose, I would slide Jackson over to tackle. He isn’t exactly perfect at LG, with a few head scratcher plays per game, and Austin played well there earlier in the season.
I’m from the school of less guys out of position the better
A fan since the Randy Gradishar days
I would usually agree with that but Austin played very well at LG when Jackson was out so I am not overly concerned with the change of the LG. If Jackson can be serviceable at LT, I think it is worth a shot.
We shall see how the coaches view things when we take the field against Nebraska.
Has Jackson ever played tackle? I might be forgetting something, but the last time I can remember hearing about him even getting practice reps at tackle was all the way back in spring 2022 and I don't remember him ever playing tackle in a game.
It has been a while. Thankfully, Ohio State has two weeks to prep whoever they decide upon. Can’t hurt to give it a shot if nobody else is ready yet.
You are only as good as your last game is remembered. Good but not good enough is a recurring theme when one part of the equation for winning football games breaks down.
Too much time spent at the North Heidelberg rather than the classroom. SSD 68-72
Just keep coming together and getting better. Still high on this team and all their goals are still in front of them.
The offense has certainly done its part. Kelly, in general, has been a great addition. Fingers crossed losing Simmons doesn't cost the team but overall, I'm still optimistic about this side of the ball.
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
Defense should be pretty easy : C- and below across the board at least
I'd give the Safeties at least a B. Caleb Downs has been exceptional and doesn't have any big mistakes that I can recall. Ransom has been a force in run pickups and generally played extremely well too.
To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.
Caleb downs has been awesome this year really the defense didn’t play bad against Oregon Denzel Burke played bad
Yes, sir! Here’s an upvote.
“In Europe, every morning game is a night time game. GO BUCKEYES!”
100%. The defense gave up 496 yards of offense which isn't good. However, 170 something was Burke alone. Take away just half of that and this game is a W. Also fair to mention that Oregon may have the best offense in the country so as much as we want to hold every opponent to 200 yards of total offense, remember that Oregon is really, really good. Burke had an exceptionally bad game against Oregon. He has a chance to get it right against PSU
Beat Michigan or Nothing Matters
The bad day covering I get, but the bad tackling is very troublesome.
A fan since the Randy Gradishar days
Hopefully this is a wakeup call for Burke. He needs to refocus and trust his technique. He got burned looking into the backfield expecting to jump the route and get an interception. The Oregon WR ran right by him.
Also remember both Bama and Georgia gave up 500+ yards to each. Texas will finally get tested this weekend. It’s really hard to shut down great offensive teams
Those who stir the shit pot should have to lick the spoon.
Denzel Burke PFF 8 for 8 completions against him for 172 yds and 2 tds.
I have said in several conversations after the contest with those mocking our defense as a whole.
If instead of 100% Denzel had forced the percentage to 80% we would win that game as EACH of those catches were either TDs or 1st downs.
I would rather be on hand with 10 men then elsewhere with 10,000 - Timur Lenk
yo; The best offense in the land would score more than 35 ppg. It's not like they've played all top 5 schools either. They exploited an os team's weakness over and over again like in '21.
PSU has their best o coordinator since Moorhead was there. It'll be a tougher game than oregon.
I think this is a more even-keeled response to that game that most will start to adopt as they reflect and hopefully as the defense rights the ship and buckles down. Burke really struggled biting on double moves or trying to cheat due to their offense rarely going deep in certain instances in prior games. The 2 bombs in the first half (I think he had very good coverage on the other TD, just a better throw and catch) completely changed the game and had the defense on their heels scrambling to figure out how to help their #1 cover corner and prevent more big plays.
They held them to 10 in the 2nd half, which honestly I would've taken in a heartbeat after watching the first, but still gave up way too many yards and couldn't get a stop sooner on the last drive.
I am incredibly partial to the Safety position and those two have been tremendous.
It will be an incredible match up when they deal with Penn State's dynamic TE!
I would rather be on hand with 10 men then elsewhere with 10,000 - Timur Lenk
Let's revisit after the PSU game
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
Penn State is the next major exam.
“In Europe, every morning game is a night time game. GO BUCKEYES!”
Right. My prediction is that this team will bounce back, beat PSU and look good doing it and everyone will jump back on the hype train. Oregon is a much better team than anyone else on the schedule and I think the rest of the season will prove it.
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
Oregon is probably the 3rd best team they've played since 2020. Bama in 2020 and Georgia in 2022 are the better 2. I don't think Oregon is in the same class as those 2, but there aren't a ton of CFB teams that can stress a defense like they can while having good lines and defenders.
Not to mention they did a great job of varying from their tendencies and were at home with a very intense crowd behind them. And it was still a 1 point game.
"In weightlifting, I don't think sudden, uncontrolled urination should automatically disqualify you."
-Jack Handey
I noticed the big plays came from audibles from the sideline. That is something OSU wasn't going to be able to do on offense in that environment that Oregon could. Now, OSU's defense should have been able to audible too, but they don't seem to ever do that (not sure why).
Script could be flipped if they earn a rematch in Indy.
Hmmm. The Cheaters gave our signs to Oregon cuz they hate us so much? /s
My favorite team? Whoever is playing TTUN.
Sounds like a dynamic duo to me!
“Everybody on the Ohio State sideline is coaching. Everybody on the Michigan sideline is cheating.” - CFB Nerds
If Simmons doesn't get hurt, I'm confident the offense would continue to improve and become a dominant unit, making the defensive issues less concerning. Now it's more a matter of not regressing. Kelly and Day have more than enough brainpower to scheme around this against lesser teams, but in the playoffs they'll need the LT to win battles
I'd rather not move Fryar over to protect the blindside. I'm not down on him like some are, but he's not consistent enough in pass pro or athletic enough to deal with speed rushers. Zen or someone else needs to take the leap.
Move Jackson to LT and put Austin S. back at LG. Austin played well enough there earlier in the season.
If it doesn't work, move Jackson back and put someone else at LT.
Not their fault, but I'd give the WR group more like a B. There have been some individual mistakes, just recently Smith slides like a half yard too early on that last drive and we lose 15 seconds), but I think the coaches should have done a much better job of getting dudes ready. We basically haven't played WR 4,5,6,7 and 8 even though we've been up HUGE in games.
One of the BIGGEST knocks on last years team was the offense was basically "find MHJ"... this years its more of find Smith and EE, but then what happens. We get in a tight game and those two are out of gas. They kept tapping out in the 4th quarter. Then we bring in dudes with no experience..
Who knows what they will do with the offensive line. I know in real time it seemed like Michalski held up ok, but then EVERYONE breaking down tape after the game said he had a lot of issues.. You can easily make the argument that the only two guys this team couldn't afford to lose were Howard and Simmons.... at least they have two weeks...
Go Bucks!!!!
We have played four WRs mostly. Ballard has gotten chances and not done well. Rodgers got the opportunity against Iowa and only had one catch while playing around 40 snaps.
Ballard dropped the one pass that was thrown to him in the Iowa game, during garbage time.
The Ohio State University - "Haters love us!"
Baskins and Robbins? Nah, Haskins and Dobbins - KannonMic
I think A- is generous for the OL. B+ would be the ceiling for them. I can't imagine them achieving that with remaining talent available.
Will has played very well, but again B+ would be my grade for QB. He still struggles with the deep ball and under pressure.
I hope we do one of these for coaches as well.
Boy, I got vision and the rest of the world wears bifocals! - Butch Cassidy
I agree with your B+ as the max for the OL. If they were giving an "A" performance against Oregon, the run game would have been better. Multiple 1-yard gains were not gotten.
The Ohio State University - "Haters love us!"
Baskins and Robbins? Nah, Haskins and Dobbins - KannonMic
Seems a bit like an agenda to grade the second half rushing attack (after loosing TWO starters).
I would say the first 5 games PLUS the first half vs Oregon would be a SOLID A with the second half vs Oregon being a solid B (A Pass blocking, C run blocking).
I would rather be on hand with 10 men then elsewhere with 10,000 - Timur Lenk
Both lines suffer from mistakes in recruiting:OL lacking any quality athletic depth at OT and DL apparently the same. I say apparently because of not enough playing time at DT because of lack of rotation. It has been and will always be: It's what upfront that counts.
My biggest concern all season has been the two minute offense and it failed at the end of the first half and at the end of the second half on Saturday. The team has the ability to sustain long extended drives leading to scores yet for some reason in the last two minutes of the first half ( prior to Saturday , since the games have been blowouts ) they can't execute a two minute offense and get points on the board. This should be a big red flag in a close game.
It is easy to build up stats by check downs and WR screens. Howard has shown the ability to through a 20 yard out but not the ability to take the top off the defense deep down the middle consistently. If the WR's are going to run a comeback route you need to go a few more yards past the first down marker before putting on the brakes an back for the ball, lost a few first downs this way.
I would give the offensive line a B-. We still have lots of difficulty running between the tackles.
I agree with the poster with the reaction about not playing all these 4 and 5 star receivers more in obvious blow outs . No better measuring stick than play in actual games. Plus experience is needed especially if injuries occur . PSU game has me worried with a revamped offense verses our defense . As always Go Bucks !!!
Ljgrafton44
Both right guards and LT were a big problem against Oregon. Not sure how you can watch the game and miss the DTs and DE screaming into the backfield. That is the main reason Judkins only ran for 23 yards. And the 3rd and 1 got immediate penetration leading to Tre "dancing" in the backfield. Howard is the reason there weren't more sacks.
This is where playing a one back set becomes an issue. If you have a fullback in the game they can help pick up some of the penetration, it gives you a lead blocker hitting the designed hole first. They did use Gurd as a fullback for a few short yardage plays and actually ran an old Woody Hayes Robust T formation with Henderson and Judkins flanking Gurd.
They have no center screen game to make the d tackles think about that possibility, they run plenty of wide WR screens or flares to RB's but no traditional center screens. They did try to run a shovel pass screen to Inniss but the center of the Oregon line blew up the play and Howard had to keep the ball and run a qb sweep.
If the center of the line keeps getting blown up in short yardage, use a play action naked boot out the backside of the formation, drag a TE in the vacated space for a run pass option. Howard is a capable runner.
This defense is NO WHERE near best in school history and that was BEFORE the Oregon game. 1973 the buckeye defense had given up just 33 points in 9 games. They would go on to tie TCUN 10-10 and best USC for the national championship(back then it was just the final poll ranking) OSU allowed just 53 points allowed for the ENTIRE season.
Spare me that teams today are better... bull crap. That team would absolutely beat the brakes off this OSU team and Oregon as well...
You WIN with people.
WW Hayes