Football
By the Numbers
By Jeff AmeyAccording to most of the media, the Ohio State Buckeyes labored to a 31-27 win on Saturday where the Buckeyes played poorly and nearly lost a game to a team they had no business even being in a close game with. There were times where the Buckeyes labored and played poorly, but those times were pretty much isolated players on isolated plays. They did nearly lose, and they did have no business being in a close game, especially with a 29-14 lead and the ball on the opponent's 15 yard line with 7 minutes to go, but I think we'll all find that Navy was a better team than they are given credit for when all is said and done this season.
There's a lot more to be said, but let's take a look at the stats before we get into all of that.
Run/Pass Breakdown
64 Total Plays--362 yards--5.7 ypp
26 pass (41%)--17/26 for 209 yards 1 TD 1 INT
38 runs (59%) for 153 yards 2 TD--4.0 ypc
11 Offensive Possessions
Ave. of 5.8 plays--32.9 yards
Ave. Start--OSU 43
First Down--28 plays (44%) for 153 yards
11 pass (39%)--8/11 for 106 yards
17 runs (61%) for 47 yards--2.8 ypc
Ave. gain of 5.5 yards
Second Down--22 plays (34%) for 138 yards
6 pass (27%)--3/6 for 37 yards
16 runs (73%) for 101 yards 2 TD--6.3 ypc
Ave. of 8.5 yards to go
Ave. gain of 6.3 yards
Third Down--12 plays (19%) for 67 yards
9 pass (75%)--6/9 for 66 yards 1 TD 1 INT
3 runs (25%) for 1 yard--0.3 ypc
Ave. of 8.8 yards to go
Ave. gain of 5.6 yards to go
Conversions--3/12 (25%)
Fourth Down--2 plays (3%) for 4 yards
2 runs (100%) for 4 yards--2.0 ypc
Ave. of 1.5 yards to go
Ave. gain of 2.0 yards
Conversions--1/2 (50%)
Playaction Passing
7/12 for 96 yards
First Downs--17 total
8 by pass
9 by run
FORMATION BREAKDOWN
Two Back formations--24 plays (38%)
10 pass (42%)--7/10 for 104 yards 1 TD
14 runs (58%) for 41 yards 1 TD--2.9 ypc
Shotgun Formations--20 plays (31%)
10 pass (50%)--6/10 for 46 yards 1 INT
10 runs (50%) for 72 yards 1 TD--7.2 ypc
One back formations--17 plays (27%)
6 pass (35%)--4/6 for 59 yards
11 runs (65%) for 44 yards--4.0 ypc
Victory Formation--3 plays (5%)
3 runs (100%) for -4 yards--(-1.3 ypc)
RUN TYPE BREAKDOWN--38 Attempts
Base/Iso-- 6 (16%) for 19 yards--3.2 ypc
End Around-- 1 (3%) for 4 yards--4.0 ypc
Option-- 5 (13%) for 37 yards 1 TD--7.4 ypc
Power-- 5 (13%) for 35 yards--7.0 ypc
QB run/scramble-- 7 (18%) for 29 yards 1 TD--4.1 ypc
Stretch-- 9 (24%) for 20 yards--2.2 ypc
TEAM-- 4 (11%) for -5 yards--(-1.3 ypc)
Unknown because ESPN was busy showing highlights of other games-- 1 (3%) for 14 yards--14.0 ypc
Other Stats of Note
~ 4 offensive penalties for 25 yards
~ OSU started on the Navy side of the 50 four times--13 points (2 TD)
~ 4/6 in the Red Zone--(2 TD 2 FG)
~ 1 sack and 1 turnover (INT)
~ 45/64 plays took place on the Navy side of the 50--(70%)
~ 20/64 plays went for no gain/loss--(31%)
~ Number of plays of 10+ yards--13
~ Number of drives that went 3 and out--2/11 (18%)
First off, Navy deserves a lot of credit for making this a closer game than it actually was. Ohio State was clearly the better team, but there the Midshipmen were at the end of the game with a chance at tying the score with a two point conversion. QB Ricky Dobbs played a very good game, which he had to do for Navy to have a chance, and it was clear the Midshipmen coaching staff did a good job of preparing for the game, putting their players in favorable situations at crucial times in the game. With a viable passing attack to go with their option game, I think this Navy team will finish with at least nine wins this season.
As bad as the 31-27 final score looks if you're a Buckeye fan, things weren't nearly as bad as the final score indicates. The media has been playing this as a close, hard-fought game throughout. We can go along with the hard-fought part, Navy never gave up, but without a specific series of events at the end of the game, this probably ends up a three score win by the Buckeyes and there probably wouldn't be the perception that the Buckeyes are going to get creamed this week against USC throughout the fan-base and the media.
Let's take a swing through the position groups and find out what we learned and what we still need to know about the Buckeyes this season.
Quarterbacks
I think the primary thing we learned this week, and what we had already assumed, was that the Buckeye offense is going to center around Terrelle Pryor's ability to run with the ball. QB draw plays, option runs, and playaction bootleg playcalls accounted for about one third of all plays called when he was in the game. Those plays also accounted for over half of the offensive yardage output when he was in the game as well. I think we can only assume that is a sign of more to come from the offense this season.
As for Pryor himself, he showed several signs of improvement over the Terrelle Pryor of last season. First and foremost, his footwork was much better than last season. Last year when he was pressured or forced to move in the pocket, he rarely set his feet on his throws resulting in a lot of underthrows. In this game when he was forced to move, he set his feet and was a lot more accurate. Unfortunately, his interception near the end of the game came after he was forced out of the pocket, but I think he'll learn to keep the ball down over the middle, or we'll see more interceptions.
Every game announcer makes the same wrong comment that last season, Pryor would look to run the ball first when forced to move, and this game was no different. Last season he didn't seem to run the ball enough when he was forced out of the pocket, and this trend continued in this game. He did, however, do a better job of hitting his receivers in those situations than last year when he would hang onto the ball too long and take unnecessary sacks. There were a few times in the game when he seemed a little slow picking up on blitzes, and he's going to have to do a better job of recognition against better defenses. All in all, Pryor has come a long way, and still has a long way to go before he hits his ceiling as a passer.
Joe Bauserman got a series in this game, and managed to drive the Buckeyes for a field goal in the second quarter. There seems to be a little bit of controversy about the timing of Bauserman's playing time, but no matter what side of the fence you fall on when it comes to timing, you have to like the fact that he got a few snaps in the game when it mattered, and he was able to move the ball. He's not Terrelle Pryor, but then again, who is?
Grade-- B Much improved over last season, but still a lot of room before Pryor reaches his potential.
Running Backs
Boom Herron got the start in the game this week, but I think most Buckeye fans were more interested to see what a healthy Brandon Saine was going to bring to the offense this season. Saine and Herron will be a pretty good one-two punch in the backfield this season for the Buckeyes. Saine is clearly the more powerful of the two runners, and did a pretty good job of moving the pile forward on every tackle. In my opinion, he also showed better vision than Boom. Herron, while not as powerful, hits an open hole much faster than Saine, and is probably much more of a home-run hitter, though the Buckeyes weren't able to open any home-run size holes this week.
I think most Buckeye fans came away from the game this week concerned about the running game, and there was some cause for concern. Stretch plays, one of the staples of the Buckeye offense, were completely stuffed all game long, averaging only 2.2 yards per attempt. There were some bright spots, though. The speed option from the shotgun seemed to be there any time the Buckeyes wanted it, and the classic power-o play, another staple of the offense, averaged seven yards per carry. Most fans have allowed the missed 3rd and 4th down near the end of the game to cloud their opinion of the running game as a whole. Aside from the stretch plays and those two plays, the Buckeyes moved the ball fairly well on the ground.
If there is a cause for concern, it would be with the freshman fullbacks. Zach Boren played the most, and while he did have a few nice plays, there were several times where he whiffed on a lead block resulting in the run getting stuffed (4th and 2 especially), and others where he struggled with blitz pickups. If the Buckeyes are going to spend time in the I-formation this season, those freshman fullbacks are going to have to pick up the nuances of the position quickly.
Grade-- B- A passing grade, but the fullbacks drag it down a little. The running game had issues, but not as bad as has been made out.
Receivers
Heading into 2009, I think there was a little bit of excitment to see what a new corps of receivers would do after two years of consistant, but not spectacular play from the receivers. So what did we learn about this group? I think the jury is still out. I was impressed with true freshman Duron Carter. He was very fluid in his routes and had great body control, and it is clear that he inherited his father's hands. There are times when you know you're witnessing the start of something great, and I think his debut (3 catches for 21) is just a sign of greater things in the future.
Dane Sanzenbacher picked up right where he left off last year. He looks like he'll be more of Pryor's go-to guy, at least in the early season. He made a nice adjustment on his route on his touchdown catch and run and looks like a force over the middle. DeVier Posey had a nice catch early, but looked like his ankle injury earlier this week was bothering him.
In a play-action offense, the tight ends play a bigger role in the pass game than in more conventional offenses, and with the Buckeyes running so much of it this week, the tight ends seemed to be more involved than in previous Tressel years. Jake Ballard had three catches (one a very nice stretch) and Jake Stoneburner added one more in his Buckeye debut for nearly a quarter of the catches in the game.
The lone minus in the receiver corps was Taurian Washington. The junior has waited two years to get on the field, then droped the only two catchable balls to come his way on Saturday. He will have to do better to justify keeping him on the field ahead of Duron Carter.
Grade-- B Washington's drops brings the grade down for everyone. It looks like the group might be more explosive, but the jury is still out.
Offensive Line
Going into this season, we have been led to believe that the offensive line is going to be much better than the designated whipping boys from last season. Immediately after the game, I was disappointed in what I saw. After reviewing the game, however, I have to give the line an apology for my initial disappointment, which was probably colored by the missed 3rd and 4th down near the end of the game. Overall, the line played a pretty good game. There were individual assignments that were missed occassionally, but most of the problems on run plays and pressures on pass plays came from missed blocks or pickups from the backs, not the line.
That's not to say there weren't any issues on the line. Stretch plays did not work because there was too much consistant penetration against center Mike Brewster and right guard Bryant Browning, though it can be argued that penetration on those plays open up cutback lanes that were missed by the backs.
All in all, this is an improved line over the 2008 version. They didn't look like a dominating group, but there weren't the constant breakdowns all game we saw last year.
Grade-- B It would be nice to see an A for this grade next week.
Offensive Coaching/Gameplan
Reviewing the game this week, I found the playcalling to be very interesting. The first five times the Buckeyes lined up in the I formation, they threw the ball, three of those being playaction passes. We've gotten used to seeing the Buckeyes line up in many formations, and that didn't change this game. The difference between this game and what we saw last year was what the Buckeyes did when they were in those formations.
Last season, I formation meant run, to the tune of 84% of the time. This game was about 60/40 run/pass, with a lot of success on the passes out of the I (7/10 for 104 yards and the touchdown). One-back formations last year also carried nearly a 75/25 run/pass ratio. This game was 65/35, with success coming from pass plays in these formations as well. Shotgun formations saw a 50/50 run/pass split, which follows the trends from previous years.
We saw a little more variety in the playcalling than we usually do in season openers under Tressel. Is that the coaching staff searching for what this team can do well with all of the youth at the skill positions, or is it to give USC more to think about when preparing for the Buckeyes? I'm inclinced to think it's more the coaching searching than the latter. This week I expect we'll see a little less two back formations from the Buckeyes and Pryor becoming a bigger part of the running game.
Grade-- B Aside from the 3rd and 4th down at the end of the game, I thought the game was called well. Can we PLEASE get away from power-o calls on short yardage situations?
Defensive Coaching/Gameplan
The defense is catching the most heat for the close game against Navy this week, and is one of the reasons that some fans and media types are thinking this week's game against USC is going to be another Trojan blowout. I think this defense is better than they're being made out to be. Navy's offense is a tough one to defend, and when you add in a viable passing threat, it is much tougher. Luckily, there isn't another team on the schedule that runs that offense, so there won't be another team able to take advantages of the same weaknesses on the defense the same way.
I don't think we really learned all that much about the defense this week. Most of the few things we did learn weren't good. The interior defensive line looks like it is still not going to be a strength of the defense. Doug Worthington puts out a lot of effort and is a leader on defense, but appears undersized inside. Anderson Russell is most definitely not a very good man to man cover guy. The second cornerback spot is still a question mark heading into USC.
On the bright side, I think we did learn that Bryron Rolle is going to be a player on defense. He was flying around the field all game. The ends played a good game, and Thad Gibson looks like a big play guy again this year. Kurt Coleman made some big plays and looks better every season. Other than that, the jury is still out on the defense. We'll find out a lot more about them this week.
Grade-- C 27 points against Navy isn't going to win you good grades, but they can put the doubters to rest with a good game this week.
Special Teams
Punter was a big question going into this game with Navy, but senior Jon Thoma did a decent job punting this week for the Buckeyes. Aaron Pettrey did a good job kicking, but missed an extra point late in the game.
The return game hasn't really been a strength since Ted Ginn left for the NFL, but things look to be a little better this season with Lamaar Thomas returning kicks. He seems to have the instinct for it, and I look for a touchdown return from him sometime this season. Punt returns were another question mark with Ray Small sitting the game out, but Dane Sanzenbacher did a surprisingly good job.
Kick coverage teams have been excellent the past few seasons at Ohio State, and that looks to continue into this year. Navy's returns went nowhere on punts and kicks.
Grade-- B+ Better than I thought they would be. Returns can be a real weapon this season.
A lot of people have already written off the Buckeyes this week against USC, but I think we'll all be pleasantly surprised by the difference in the Buckeye defense from last week to this. If they are able to slow the Trojan running game and pressure QB Matt Barkley, I think they have a decent chance in this one. Anywhich way, I don't think this will end up in a blowout. Sam Bradford and Oklahoma's loss this week opens up the National Championship race quite a bit. A win against the Trojans can thrust the Buckeyes into the discussion heading towards Big Ten season.
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