Football
Rainy Conditions Dictate Mega-Adjustments by OSU Coaching Staff
By John PorentasCOLUMBUS, Ohio - A big part of game-day coaching is the ability to make adjustments, particularly when things unfold unexpectedly.
The OSU offensive coaching staff did just that in a big way on Saturday, but the adjustment they made wasn't dictated by something the Illini defense was doing. It was dictated by something far less predictable, as in the rain clouds over Ohio Stadium that produced a torrent of rain through most the first half.
"We had a huge game plan for today. We were going to throw the ball a lot," said Buckeye quarterback Terrelle Pryor.
OSU running back Brandon Saine picks up yardage on the ground in the rain.
Photo by Jim Davidson"That was our game plan because their corners play some kind of cover-two that leaves open a lot of sideline passes and we were going to attack that a lot, attack the flat routes, attack the corner routes and stuff like that. We didn't get a chance to because of the rain."
With the rain pouring down, OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel completely abandoned the game plan that had been meticulously put in place all week and opted instead to rely on his running game for offense. The Buckeyes attempted just two passes in the first half. Both were incomplete, yet OSU held a 13-0 halftime lead because of unexpected but welcome success in the running game. The Buckeyes racked up 236 rushing yards against the Illini, 135 of them in the first half in a driving rainstorm that made the passing game almost impossible.
"At one point it was raining so hard you could barely even see the ball. I think if we wouldn't have been able to run the ball we wouldn't get anywhere," said junior running back Brandon Saine who rushed for a game-high 82 yards on 14 carries (6.2 yards per carry).
The decision to attack the Illini on the ground meant that the Buckeye offensive line would have to contend with the toughest part of the Illinois defense, their defensive line.
"We knew their front four was good going in, that’s probable the strong point of their defense," said junior OSU guard Justin Boren.
"They've got some big guys up there and they've got good movement. We knew if we wanted to have a chance to win this game we were going to have to control the line of scrimmage."
OSU's offensive line did just that, but got some help from a tweak to the offensive game plan in the running game that caught the Illinois defense by surprise.
"They did some nice things on that third or fourth series there with the tight end," said Illinois Head Coach Ron Zook.
"It was something they hadn't done. We had to make a couple of adjustments there. That's a good football team and a good offensive line and they have good running backs."
What the Buckeyes did was to run out of the shotgun and use their tight end to block in a way that was very different from the way he had blocked in the first three games this season.
"We just ran a couple of plays where the tight end ended up kind of being a lead blocker, kind of a puller, a counter-type of play," said OSU offensive line coach and running game coordinator Jim Bollman.
"A lot of people run that play and a lot of people end up pulling a lineman or using a fullback. We chose to use a tight end and he helped us to get into some of the other stuff we were doing."
OSU running backs were able to cut off the blocks of Jake Ballard for effective gains. That allowed Tressel to stick with the strategy of keeping the ball on the ground. His quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, was just fine with that decision.
"We probably could pass but Coach Tressel is very smart," said Pryor.
"I'm glad he took all the passing plays out. You never know what could have happened.
"Me as a quarterback I want to pass every down. That's part of football. When the rain came down the line stepped up and we ran the ball.
"You never know. The ball might have slipped out of my hand and I might have thrown a couple of interceptions so I'm glad the coach didn't put me in that situation."
The Buckeyes were able to mount a ground attack and the Illini weren't. That led to a 13-0 halftime lead for the Buckeyes. It also meant the Illini had to put the ball up to try to find some offense and in the rain, the results were not exactly great. Juice Williams completed just six of 15 with one costly interception in the first half.
The Buckeyes continued their ground pounding on the Illinois defense in the second half, but as the rain let up were able to complete just enough passes to make it tough on the Illini. Pryor completed eight of 11 for 82 yards and touchdown in the second half, just enough passing to keep the Illinois defense honest while the ground game continued to be effective. It was the kind of performance that would have made Woody Hayes smile.
"Once the weather cleared up a little bit we were able to open it up and throw it," said junior wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher who had three of OSU's receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown. "The run game was still working though so we kept going with it," Sanzenbacher said.
The success on the ground after the weather-dictated change of strategy brought a smile to the collective face of the OSU offensive line.
"It was cool. We were running the ball and pounding the ball up there and it was fun," said Boren.
OSU will likely return to a more balanced attack next week assuming the weather cooperates, but the confidence they developed in their ground game against Illinois will serve them well over the course of the rest of the schedule.
"I think the weather had a lot to do with it today but if our run game can come out and play like that every week we're going to be in good shape," said Sanzenbacher.
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