But before we jump into the actual game itself, we first have to talk about another setback for the Buckeyes. Late Friday (9/12) afternoon, news broke re: Junior defensive-end Noah Spence. Spence, who had been suspended for the first two (2) games of the season (plus last year's bowl game vs. Clemson) for a failed drug test (ecstasy), was popped again for a second failed drug test (ecstasy again). This is very alarming. First and foremost, the kid needs help. I was glad to see he admitted he has a problem (but then again, what was he going to say this time? 'Someone dropped something into my drink... AGAIN' ?). So... I hope Spence receives the treatment he clearly needs. But then after that... I'm left shaking my head. Time & time again we see these college stars that have literally the WORLD at their finger tips, and the piss it all away by doing stupid stuff like 'poppin Mollies'. Good gracious. I get it... these kids want to live the rock-star life... but when you're already a star, do you really need to live/become a rock-star? This fruit-loop dingus is poppin Mollies and probably dancing at rave parties, etc... Can't these guys just retire to their dorms and play 'Idiot Ball' in the hallway or Call of Duty... something... ANYTHING... just stay away from the DRUGS!
On to the game...
Let's start with the offensive line. I thought the offensive line looked MUCH improved (then again, it was Kent State). The Golden Flashes defense immediately came out and their 1st defensive formation was 46 (Bear) defense/package that gave the Buckeyes fits last weekend. The good news is... the Buckeyes were able to handle it this week. The bad news it... it was against Kent State (i.e., not Virginia Tech caliber). Also... Kent State didn't 'live' in the Bear (46) formation like the Hokies did last week (i.e., the Golden Flashes didn't blitz almost every down like the Hokies did). So... I don't take this victory as a 'cure' to the Buckeyes woes, but it's certainly (maybe 'hopefully' is a better word choice) a step in the right direction.
JT. Barrett. I'm really pleased with Mr. Barrett. If you go back to what I saw about him in Week 1, I said I wanted to see him progress. I think Barrett is doing that. Sure some will say he didn't progress against Va Tech, but I'm actually going to side in the other camp on that one. I think Barrett looked fine against Va Tech... his coaches just didn't do him any favors (i.e., play-calling), neither did his OL (pressure in his face all night -- that's what she said!), nor his wide-receivers (dropped passes). So... I think Barrett is fine. Again, I'm not sold on him being a 'stud'/'star', but he's certainly 'not the problem'. There are bigger holes/woes (like the OL and lack of a offensive playmaker) that need to be tended to first. I personally was in heavy favor of leaving Barrett in there (at least thru the 3rd Q) and even into the 4th Q. At this point, Barrett simply needs the experience (snaps). And the only way he's going to get that is by getting/taking the snaps. I understand the argument, "Well what if Barrett gets hurt/injured?" But guys, let's face it... this team isn't going anywhere this year. Yeah the Buckeyes could possibly go undefeated and earn a 'BCS' bowl game, but let's face it... they would probably get absolutely destroyed this year/season as the team is simply too young and doesn't have that 'it' player/playmaker. So... who really cares if Barrett goes down? If you're going to have a bad season, get it done & over with (i.e., get Barrett the experience he needs so that next season - or the season after - isn't miserable and then we have TWO bad seasons because of it -- it being the lack of in-game experience for Barrett).
Running backs. I was disappointed to see Eze (Ezekiel Elliott didn't get the bulk of the carries (7 car for 65 yds - 9.3 avg). Instead, Curtis Samuel received the most carriers (15 for 100 - 6.7 avg). Both looked solid. I'm super impressed with how well Samuel is running between the tackles (for a freshman and for the size he is). I'll officially go out a limb now and call it... with the fumble, Bri'onte Dunn's career as a Buckeye is over. I'd be surprised if Dunn ever receives another carry in an OSU uniform. Nothing will piss a coach off more than coughing up the football, and when there's a plethora of horses in the stable, and younger horses passing you (ala Samuel and Elliott), the coaches are going to spend their time focusing on developing that younger talent rather than an old dog. I thought Warren Ball looked pretty good too (again... it's Kent State), so there's also another reason I doubt Dunn will see too many more snaps. I think Dunn will for sure transfer out after this season, and I wouldn't be surprised if Ball did either.
Receiving. The receivers were much ok this week. There were still one or two drops that I remember. I'm telling you... Michael Thomas is the diamond in the rough in this group. The kid has talent, and he displayed it when he caught two passes and took them BOTH for touchdowns. He's the closest thing the Buckeyes have to a 'total package' in terms of speed, skills, size, and hands. I really wish Tom Herman would draw up more plays to get him open and target the ball to him. I also still stand by my proclamation that Devin Smith will be a better NFL receiver than a college receiver. This kid has the wheels to get open, and almost every time he touches the ball, it's a touchdown. Herman & Meyer need to find a way to get Devin more involved (again... it's that problem... we have so many weapons that it's almost a 'detriment' rather than an advantage; there just simply aren't enough snaps to get these guys all touches. Who are you going to take touches away from? Samuel? Eze? TE?). Which segues me into my next point... I'd like to reduce Evan Spencer and Corey Smith's minutes / snap-counts. These guys have been in the program 4 and 3 years now, respectively, and neither has really done anything significant. It's time to target Michael Thomas, Devin Smith, Curtis Samuel, Dontre Wilson, and the TE spot. Sorry guys... but you've had your opportunities to produce, and quite simply you haven't. #TimeToMoveOn
Tight end. FINALLY... the Herman HAS COME BACK... to TIGHT END COUNTRY!
With Heuerman out (cough :: Lisa Ann :: cough), Nick Vannett received the starting nod and capitalized on it to the tune of 4 receptions for 40 yards (and Marcus Baugh even saw some meaningful minutes as he hauled in the lone touchdown for the TE group this season). This was VERY pleasing to see, but equally VERY frustrating, as I'm confident that all we had to do to beat Va Tech's 46 (Bear) defense last week was utilize the TE and quick passing game. Why it's taken till week 3 to get our TEs into the passing game is beyond me.
Defense.
The loss of Noah Spence really hurts. Somehow, our defensive line went from one of the deepest / most-talented groups in the country, down to suddenly scraping the bottom of the barrel. With the losses of Jamal Marcus (transfer to Akron -- grades), Tracy Sprinkle (suspension), and now Noah Spence (suspension)... that vaunted defensive front isn't looking as enticing as originally believed to be. it's still without question the backbone of this defense (Bosa, Bennett, Washington), but I'm not so sure I'd say it's the best in the country anymore like I was thinking it might have been this off-season. And part of that is because I'm not as sold on Bennett still as much as the media is for whatever reason. Don't get me wrong, Bennett is a very good player, but I don't think he's the "beast" that the media likes to make him out to be. Going into this season, the pre-season talk was Bennett was potentially a top 5 pick in next year's NFL draft. I vehemently disagreed (and got blasted for it), but I think we're starting to see that I was more right than more wrong. Yeah Bennett gets good penetration (that's what she said), but I don't see he DOMINATE games like a top 5 player prospect should. BOSA should be the top 5 prospect. That kid is a STUD. Still looking for someone to step-up and grab hold of that 2nd DE spot (sigh: Spence :sigh). At this point, I would love to see the coaches experiment with Jayln Holmes or Donte Booker. Steve Miller and Rashad Frazier just aren't showing me enough.
LBs
Best part about blowing out Kent State? Seeing Raekwon McMillan getting extra snaps / bigger workload. I'm telling you... this kid is a STUD and the next great OSU LB in a long line of RICH LB tradition (Matt Wilhelm, A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, James Laurinaitis, Ryan Shazier to name a few). Curtis Grant still looks lost in the passing game. IMO, the coaching staff needs to work on phasing Curtis out and finding more minutes/snaps for McMillan. Sure there's going to be plenty of bumps in the road and learning points, but again... better to go thru those bumps and learning roads now than suffer another abysmal season later. As for the other two guys (Joshua Perry and Darron Lee)... I fear they are just simply that - 'JAGs' aka 'just a guy(s)'. Lee has demonstrated more talent than Perry (and I think Lee could end up being pretty decent, actually), but I just don't see anything special about Perry and Lee needs to make more plays before I fall in love with him.
Secondary
I think we're set at Safety, and have perhaps one of the best pairs in the country (in Tyvis Powell and Vonn Bell). Bell is a difference maker, and Powell just makes plays (i.e., Powell is 2nd on the team in tackles, avg almost 8 per game). The real concern is the corners, but thankfully Doran Grant has been as I thought (pretty solid), but unfortunately the other corner has certainly been little to desire. It looks like Eli Apple has surpassed Armani Reeves (which I'm happy to see), now hopefully he can just develop & progress.
2 for the road...
I thought it was interesting seeing Mr 'We-Aint-Come-Here-To-Play-School' Cardale Jones saw his first minutes of the season. I laughed when his first couple plays were all read-options and he kept the ball almost every single time. The guy is more about me-me-me than team (no surprise). I actually think he's a pretty solid athlete (in the mold of dare I say Terrelle Pryor), but with perhaps a stronger arm. The accuracy, however, still remains to be unseen (partly due to limited opportunities). I have to imagine he'll transfer out after this season. If he didn't come here to play school, then I'm guessing he damn sure as hell didn't come here to play 'sit-the-bench'.
Despite the lackluster performances, Ohio State is still co-favored to win the Big Ten (tied with MSU). So it can't all be bad.... [Can it?]
Let's start with the offensive line. I thought the offensive line looked MUCH improved (then again, it was Kent State). The Golden Flashes defense immediately came out and their 1st defensive formation was 46 (Bear) defense/package that gave the Buckeyes fits last weekend. The good news is... the Buckeyes were able to handle it this week. The bad news it... it was against Kent State (i.e., not Virginia Tech caliber). Also... Kent State didn't 'live' in the Bear (46) formation like the Hokies did last week (i.e., the Golden Flashes didn't blitz almost every down like the Hokies did). So... I don't take this victory as a 'cure' to the Buckeyes woes, but it's certainly (maybe 'hopefully' is a better word choice) a step in the right direction.
JT. Barrett. I'm really pleased with Mr. Barrett. If you go back to what I saw about him in Week 1, I said I wanted to see him progress. I think Barrett is doing that. Sure some will say he didn't progress against Va Tech, but I'm actually going to side in the other camp on that one. I think Barrett looked fine against Va Tech... his coaches just didn't do him any favors (i.e., play-calling), neither did his OL (pressure in his face all night -- that's what she said!), nor his wide-receivers (dropped passes). So... I think Barrett is fine. Again, I'm not sold on him being a 'stud'/'star', but he's certainly 'not the problem'. There are bigger holes/woes (like the OL and lack of a offensive playmaker) that need to be tended to first. I personally was in heavy favor of leaving Barrett in there (at least thru the 3rd Q) and even into the 4th Q. At this point, Barrett simply needs the experience (snaps). And the only way he's going to get that is by getting/taking the snaps. I understand the argument, "Well what if Barrett gets hurt/injured?" But guys, let's face it... this team isn't going anywhere this year. Yeah the Buckeyes could possibly go undefeated and earn a 'BCS' bowl game, but let's face it... they would probably get absolutely destroyed this year/season as the team is simply too young and doesn't have that 'it' player/playmaker. So... who really cares if Barrett goes down? If you're going to have a bad season, get it done & over with (i.e., get Barrett the experience he needs so that next season - or the season after - isn't miserable and then we have TWO bad seasons because of it -- it being the lack of in-game experience for Barrett).
Running backs. I was disappointed to see Eze (Ezekiel Elliott didn't get the bulk of the carries (7 car for 65 yds - 9.3 avg). Instead, Curtis Samuel received the most carriers (15 for 100 - 6.7 avg). Both looked solid. I'm super impressed with how well Samuel is running between the tackles (for a freshman and for the size he is). I'll officially go out a limb now and call it... with the fumble, Bri'onte Dunn's career as a Buckeye is over. I'd be surprised if Dunn ever receives another carry in an OSU uniform. Nothing will piss a coach off more than coughing up the football, and when there's a plethora of horses in the stable, and younger horses passing you (ala Samuel and Elliott), the coaches are going to spend their time focusing on developing that younger talent rather than an old dog. I thought Warren Ball looked pretty good too (again... it's Kent State), so there's also another reason I doubt Dunn will see too many more snaps. I think Dunn will for sure transfer out after this season, and I wouldn't be surprised if Ball did either.
Receiving. The receivers were much ok this week. There were still one or two drops that I remember. I'm telling you... Michael Thomas is the diamond in the rough in this group. The kid has talent, and he displayed it when he caught two passes and took them BOTH for touchdowns. He's the closest thing the Buckeyes have to a 'total package' in terms of speed, skills, size, and hands. I really wish Tom Herman would draw up more plays to get him open and target the ball to him. I also still stand by my proclamation that Devin Smith will be a better NFL receiver than a college receiver. This kid has the wheels to get open, and almost every time he touches the ball, it's a touchdown. Herman & Meyer need to find a way to get Devin more involved (again... it's that problem... we have so many weapons that it's almost a 'detriment' rather than an advantage; there just simply aren't enough snaps to get these guys all touches. Who are you going to take touches away from? Samuel? Eze? TE?). Which segues me into my next point... I'd like to reduce Evan Spencer and Corey Smith's minutes / snap-counts. These guys have been in the program 4 and 3 years now, respectively, and neither has really done anything significant. It's time to target Michael Thomas, Devin Smith, Curtis Samuel, Dontre Wilson, and the TE spot. Sorry guys... but you've had your opportunities to produce, and quite simply you haven't. #TimeToMoveOn
Tight end. FINALLY... the Herman HAS COME BACK... to TIGHT END COUNTRY!
With Heuerman out (cough :: Lisa Ann :: cough), Nick Vannett received the starting nod and capitalized on it to the tune of 4 receptions for 40 yards (and Marcus Baugh even saw some meaningful minutes as he hauled in the lone touchdown for the TE group this season). This was VERY pleasing to see, but equally VERY frustrating, as I'm confident that all we had to do to beat Va Tech's 46 (Bear) defense last week was utilize the TE and quick passing game. Why it's taken till week 3 to get our TEs into the passing game is beyond me.
Defense.
The loss of Noah Spence really hurts. Somehow, our defensive line went from one of the deepest / most-talented groups in the country, down to suddenly scraping the bottom of the barrel. With the losses of Jamal Marcus (transfer to Akron -- grades), Tracy Sprinkle (suspension), and now Noah Spence (suspension)... that vaunted defensive front isn't looking as enticing as originally believed to be. it's still without question the backbone of this defense (Bosa, Bennett, Washington), but I'm not so sure I'd say it's the best in the country anymore like I was thinking it might have been this off-season. And part of that is because I'm not as sold on Bennett still as much as the media is for whatever reason. Don't get me wrong, Bennett is a very good player, but I don't think he's the "beast" that the media likes to make him out to be. Going into this season, the pre-season talk was Bennett was potentially a top 5 pick in next year's NFL draft. I vehemently disagreed (and got blasted for it), but I think we're starting to see that I was more right than more wrong. Yeah Bennett gets good penetration (that's what she said), but I don't see he DOMINATE games like a top 5 player prospect should. BOSA should be the top 5 prospect. That kid is a STUD. Still looking for someone to step-up and grab hold of that 2nd DE spot (sigh: Spence :sigh). At this point, I would love to see the coaches experiment with Jayln Holmes or Donte Booker. Steve Miller and Rashad Frazier just aren't showing me enough.
LBs
Best part about blowing out Kent State? Seeing Raekwon McMillan getting extra snaps / bigger workload. I'm telling you... this kid is a STUD and the next great OSU LB in a long line of RICH LB tradition (Matt Wilhelm, A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, James Laurinaitis, Ryan Shazier to name a few). Curtis Grant still looks lost in the passing game. IMO, the coaching staff needs to work on phasing Curtis out and finding more minutes/snaps for McMillan. Sure there's going to be plenty of bumps in the road and learning points, but again... better to go thru those bumps and learning roads now than suffer another abysmal season later. As for the other two guys (Joshua Perry and Darron Lee)... I fear they are just simply that - 'JAGs' aka 'just a guy(s)'. Lee has demonstrated more talent than Perry (and I think Lee could end up being pretty decent, actually), but I just don't see anything special about Perry and Lee needs to make more plays before I fall in love with him.
Secondary
I think we're set at Safety, and have perhaps one of the best pairs in the country (in Tyvis Powell and Vonn Bell). Bell is a difference maker, and Powell just makes plays (i.e., Powell is 2nd on the team in tackles, avg almost 8 per game). The real concern is the corners, but thankfully Doran Grant has been as I thought (pretty solid), but unfortunately the other corner has certainly been little to desire. It looks like Eli Apple has surpassed Armani Reeves (which I'm happy to see), now hopefully he can just develop & progress.
2 for the road...
I thought it was interesting seeing Mr 'We-Aint-Come-Here-To-Play-School' Cardale Jones saw his first minutes of the season. I laughed when his first couple plays were all read-options and he kept the ball almost every single time. The guy is more about me-me-me than team (no surprise). I actually think he's a pretty solid athlete (in the mold of dare I say Terrelle Pryor), but with perhaps a stronger arm. The accuracy, however, still remains to be unseen (partly due to limited opportunities). I have to imagine he'll transfer out after this season. If he didn't come here to play school, then I'm guessing he damn sure as hell didn't come here to play 'sit-the-bench'.
Despite the lackluster performances, Ohio State is still co-favored to win the Big Ten (tied with MSU). So it can't all be bad.... [Can it?]
No comments:
Post a Comment