Well... I'm going to try to keep this one short and sweet. The good news is... OSU continued the progress/domination they built up/started from the Cincinnati game, and kept that pace rolling right on into & thru Maryland. I think this team is finally starting to find it's identity, and I think the coaches are started to see/realize it too.
With all the upsets that took place this past weekend, this could have easily been one of them. From Maryland's perspective, this was billed as the biggest game in Maryland's history. The Terps even sold out their stadium for the 1st time since 2008; tho, I wonder how many of those tickets were actually 'OSU fans'. So, yeah... Maryland was hyped (or at least should have been) and this had the makings for a nice upset; especially with Maryland rolling into the match at 4-1 (1-0 in Big Ten play).
But getting back to my original point... I think OSU (as a football program) is really rolling right now. The offense is clicking. The coaching staff (especially on the offensive side of the ball) is placing the team in winning positions (e.g., controlling the tempo of the game, settling in on a handful of 'guys' rather than worrying about getting 'everyone touches', and drawing up plays that fit perfectly with the personnel they have -- kinda the opposite of Michigan, really).
QB - J.T. Barrett is really progressing along nicely. I thought his passes looked crisp, but I was wary a bit of his decision making (I thought he tried threading a couple passes in there that were ill-advised attempts, but to Barrett's credit, he completed them; I just feel like with a more athletic/faster team, Barrett probably has 2-3 INT's that game). Regardless... he did look good. I think he's executing flawless decisions in the option game. I love how the coaches are using him more like Braxton (i.e., running for 71 yards). One thing is for sure... the team isn't really missing that big of a beat (i.e., from Miller to Barrett). Sure Barrett isn't the athlete that Miller is, but he's 'good enough' and not that far behind (if at all) in the passing game & decision-making.
RB - Another dominating performance by Ezekiel Elliott (139 rushing yards). Man, this kid is getting to be fun to watch. Yeah he's no Carlos Hyde (not even close), but boy have I been impressed with Elliott's effort & performances the past two games. He's diving, he's lead-blocking, he's hustling, he's asking-for/wants the football in his hands, he's leading, he's out there doing just about EVERYTHING. There's no doubt in my mind that Elliott is the heart of this offense. You give him the ball and you get him going, and *WHAM* this team becomes hard to stop.
Moreover, I was happy to see Elliott receive the bulk of the carries (24) and Barrett receiving a nice load himself (16). I think I would rather see Barrett, however, have closer to 10 carries and Rod Smith / Curtis Samuel getting the remainder. I was surprised Samuel didn't see any carries at all (not sure he even saw any snaps) [EDIT: Looks like Samuel didn't even dress].
WR - I've been saying it for the past 2 years, and I'm finally glad to see it coming to fruition out on the field... MICHAEL THOMAS IS A BEST and is the best/most-talented receiver in Columbus! The guy just looks like an NFL receiver. He has the body, build, speed, and hands; he's a clear mis-match for your average DB. He's making circus catches, he's blocking (and not just trying to block defenders - i.e., getting in the way of defenders - but he's actually BLOCKING defenders from making plays), and his route-running is one of the best on the team (maybe 2nd to Devin Smith's). I'm telling you... this kid (Thomas) has a bright future.
Corey Smith looked good... I wish Dontre Wilson had more catches (targets)... Again, Devin Smith is a beast on the deep ball; I love how the staff is drawing up at least 1 deep-ball play for him per game (and it's seems to be working every time)... Jalin Marshall looks like he has the potential to be a stud, but again I think the probably is there's simply too much talent (Thomas, Wilson) that are better than Marshall... I'd like to see Elliott get more involved in the receiving game (he only had 1 catch)... And I'd like to see us settle on 1 TE from here on out, unless we're running a double-tight formation; Heuerman or Vannett needs to make that next step.
OL - The OL looked great. I think this group (Decker, Price, Boren, Elflein, Baldwin) is really starting to settle-in and gel (which is exciting). I'm a firm believe in any success (whether it's in the passing game or in the running game) begins upfront, and if you're hog-mollies are giving your QB time to sit back in the pocket and survey the field or opening up gaps for your RB to run thru, then you're off to a good start (and that's what these guys are doing). If I had one complaint, it's that I think we rotate our guys a little too much for my liking.
Side note: Ohio State's offensive line coach, Ed Warinner, has to be one of the best in the country. Last year's OL was remarkable (and coincidentally enough, 4 of the 5 are now playing i the NFL) and this group is now starting to look like they're well on their way to being a solid O-line too. ... Which makes the loss to Va Tech so frustrating! It's mind-numbing how awful the offense looked against Va Tech, and now how great it's looked against Cincinnati and Maryland (I don't think Va Tech is that much better than Cincinnati and/or Maryland). The coaching staff was just simply out-schemed and out-coached that game, and they even acknowledged it themselves.
VERY GOOD READ on the differences of the Offense from Va Tech till now (i.e., thru Cincy & Maryland) >> COMPARED TO SHAKY SHOWING AGAINST VIRGINIA TECH, OHIO STATE'S ROLLING OFFENSE IS UNRECOGNIZABLE NOW
DL - Nothing new here, really. Bosa again looking like JJ Watt [3 solo tackles, 2 ast, 1 sack, 2.5 tackles for loss (16 yrds)]. The guy is an absolute BEAST out there. There's not a doubt in my mind that if OSU had Bosa, Bennett, Washington, and Spence it would be the best defensive line in the country. Such a shame.
Side note: I thought Steve Miller looked much improved this week, but still has a long way to go. The 'vacant' DE spot is not playing up to the level of competition that we need from that spot. I was encouraged to see Jalyn Holmes receiving increased snaps.
LB - I'm calling it now... Raekwon McMillan will be the listed starter next week over Curtis Grant. It's time. McMillan (I think) played more snaps than Grant did this past week. He had the big INT and a fumble recovery. You can see he's starting to look more & more comfortable out there. It's time. I'm sure Curtis Grant is a decent kid, but son... you have no idea what you're doing in the passing game, and ya gots ta go. It's time. McMillan has demonstrated he has enough skills to get us by.
Darron Lee is the team's best LB tho. This guy has a missile attached to his saddle, I swear. He's flying everywhere. I loved the blitz he had to open the game up. They clearly must have picked something up from the tapes. Beautiful.
Perry is racking up the stats (i.e., # of tackles), but to me, he's 'just a guy'. He's very quiet and doesn't make any BIG plays. The best way to describe him for now is... he's serviceable. But I think in a couple years, once McMillan is a Jr, this team will have a nice LB core and will be back to the days of Hawk, Carpenter, Laurinaitis, etc.
DB - Smh... This secondary is going to cost us at least one more game. Yeah they played better, but they're still not where they should be. I'm so tired of seeing us play bump-n-run coverage, but without the bump. Yeah the announcer said it, you know what... it's so true. Our cover packages are (1) play 10 yards off the receiver and give them everything underneath or (2) play tight coverage but give the receiver a free release and then just try to run with them on pure speed alone. So stupid.
I've been a big proponent of Doran Grant (last year I even made the assertion that Grant was going to be a better player and had a better year than Roby), but you know what... I'm starting to think I was wrong about that. Idk... maybe it's not the kids... maybe it's Coombs and the coaching staff. Because you know what... Eli Apple looked all-world too when he came in, but these guys are just looking worse than ever! There's been zero development in talent and it's pretty much been the same ol', same ol'. OSU will be fine because of the pathetic Big Ten, but I'm telling you now... be prepared for at least one more regular season loss, because this group just simply can't cover squat. The one 'shining' point has been Vonn Bell. Even my boy Tyvis Powell I thought had a poor game this weekend (saw him way out of position too many times).
One thing that I wanted to touch on last week but I think I forgot, was... Has anyone else noticed how OSU running a 'cadence' this season as opposed to the 'clap' that Miller ran last season? Idk if it's just me, but give me the 'clap' again. Last week there was an absurd amount of false starts, and while the offense was better this week, I still feel like the rhythm is missing a bit. When we're on the road in a boisterous environment (granted Maryland isn't that loud), a 'cadence' is simply too difficult to hear (in my opinion). Go with the 'clap'/motion and I think we'll see the number of false starts drop.
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