It took Joe Bauserman's 33 yard pass to Evan Spencer with ten seconds to go and some bad Spartan tackling on the play to avoid an embarrassing shutout,as if this game was not enough of the former.Ohio State drops to 3-2 on the season and 0-1 in the Big Ten with a rough one on the horizon with a visit to Nebraska for the Huskers home debut in the league....
Buckeye Leaves.
1) Color Luke Fickell gone.
I like Fickell as a coach,but he was put into an impossible situation with no experience to guide him through.
Fickell will eventually be a solid head coach somewhere,if he wants,but that will not be in Columbus....
2) See above for offensive coordinator Jim Bollman,who had been OC in name only under Jim Tressel and now is exposed for what he is -unimaginative and just not very good..
3) Offensive line play was the difference in the game.
Nine sacks and an inability to run the football since Sparty did not have to play the pass,saw the O-line bullied and punished all day.
Mike Adams return next week will go a long way in addressing the issue,but it sure will not solve it totally.
4) The defense played hard and stopped the Spartans on occasions that should have made this score far worse,but with the exception of John Simon offered little rush on the quarterback and was on the ropes most of the game.
Field position and a lousy offense was part of the problem,but not the total issue.
5) The difference maker in this one?
The one drive that Braxton Miller put together in the game saw Devin Smith have the ball taken away from him by Darqueeze Dennard inside the Michigan State 10 on a pass that saw Smith get his hands on the ball first.
Smith was outfought for the ball and the play made the difference.
If Ohio State kicks a short field goal at minimum,that would have sent the game to overtime at least....
6) Yes,the only score was under the Joe Bauserman watch,but I still say Braxton Miller needs to keep the job and earn his stripes in a season that screams minor bowl at best.Ohio State needs to know if Miller is the guy for 2013 because he is for 2012 by default...
7) I would not be opposed to a series or two for Kenny Guiton though next week.
It is unlikely that Guiton could provide a spark or two,but one never knows for sure and Guiton has served his time and deserves a chance...
8) The Horseshoe is not Camp Randall Stadium on a good day,but boy was that place silent,when you consider that the game was a one score game for the vast majority of the game.
Awfully dead in there....
9) The Buckeyes will get an infusion of talent next week on the offensive side of the ball with Corey Brown expected to return from injury to join the tattoo crew,but I still have grave concerns about the offensive line against the Huskers.
When you get outmuscled by Michigan State with Nebraska and Wisconsin before the month ends,things look bleak.
10) Ohio State could leave October with a losing record for the first time in years.
3-2 now with Nebraska,a ranked Illinois and then the bully of the league,Wisconsin,looks like 4-4 at best to me....
Photo Credits-Kyle Robertson Columbus Dispatch
No comments:
Post a Comment