Sunday, August 31, 2014

Win or lose,Buckeyes crabby in Baltimore

Courtesy Columbus Dispatch
The Ohio State Buckeyes struggled in defending the option against the Midshipmen of Navy and it showed in Baltimore before the fourth quarter as Ohio State used some big plays to stun Navy on offense and defense in a 34-17 win.
The Buckeyes controlled the fourth quarter,but for three quarters,Navy stood toe to toe with Ohio State and battled them evenly.
J.T.Barrett threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns,including a 80 yard strike to Devin Smith while OSU used a committee ground game to rush for 194 yards on the day.
The biggest defensive play came in the third quarter when Joey Bosa wiped out Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds as he pitched the ball errantly to have Darron Lee scoop and run for a 61 yard touchdown on the fumble recovery.
Ohio State (1-0) will host Virginia Tech next week at the Big Horseshoe...

Olentangy Offerings

1) So what did I think of J.T. Barrett?
I liked much of what I saw.
Now he is not Braxton Miller,but few are.
I do think he can make plays with his feet,but he will need to be more elusive if he wants to be a huge threat running the ball...

2) Barrett will be a work in progress,but his deep ball to Devin Smith was perfectly thrown and I was more impressed by his arm than I thought I would be.

3) That didn't mean he was blameless as his first half interception was all on him.
Barrett eluded the rush and threw into coverage that he shouldn't have.
Barrett will avoid making that pass with time and experience.

4) Urban Meyer used a couple of different backs,but the one that stood out to me most was Curtis Samuel,who ran hard and played physically.
I'd like to see more of Samuel against Virginia Tech..

5) Meyer's play calling wasn't the best in this one.
Until the second half,the Buckeyes kept things close to the vest and didn't allow J.T. Barrett to make plays.
I understand that you want to make thing simple for the freshman,but too simple creates a vanilla offense and that was what Jim Tressel was often criticized for...

6) Liked what I saw from linebacker Darron Lee,who not only scored a touchdown,but seemed to be all over the football.

7) Super day for the Buckeye defensive line,especially Adolphus Washington,who played very well.
Wait until Noah Spence gets back for what might then be the best line in the nation.

8) Still the team was plagued by poor tackling,especially in the back seven.
I know Navy is a run first team,but over 300 yards to anyone is unacceptable...

9) I've always liked Verne Lundquist,but age might be catching up with him as he seemed behind the game and often puzzled.
Hope this is just first game jitters for Lundquist and he picks his game back up.

10) Loved the sportsmanship by both teams after the game as both teams went to the others end to sing their fight songs.
Great stuff and what college football should be.

11) Give Navy credit for hanging tough,they deserve it,but play this game in midseason and I bet it isn't that close.
Still the Middies are going to win their share of games and this win could look much better at seasons end....

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