With Jason doing most of the heavy lifting (previews/recaps) on the football coverage, I plan to offer up a few thoughts and facts after each game as a supplement. Think of it as a Flinstones vitamin after dinner, only far less good for you.
The Good
- OSU finished 8 of 12 on 3rd down conversions.
- 8 true freshmen saw action and 3 scored their first career TD. (Saine, Sanzenbacher, Washington)
- Even though Mo Wells had a decent day (68 rush/rec yards) it's clear to me Saine is our 2nd best running back. He looks quick to the hole and combines power with a deceptive elusiveness.
- Boeckman not only had a fine day passing (17/23, 225yd, 2TD), he also showed leadership controlling the huddle, stayed poised in the pocket and made smart decisions. Even with Robo snagging 9 balls, I didnt feel Boeckman was locked in on just one receiver. There were other occasions where he ran through his progressions and hit the secondary or check down receiver. We'll see what happens when the competition picks up but I see no reason to believe Boeckman can't be an above average quarterback that, at the very least, won't lose a game trying to do too much. It also looks like Tressel was right, he throws an accurate deep ball.
The Bad
- As noted, the rushing attack was shaky as the O-line really didn't create much of a push up front. This is definitely a concern but I'm not going to panic just yet for a couple reasons. First, Beanie basically admitted after the game that he wasn't hitting the line with much gumption. Second, YSU put 8 in the box creating a numbers mismatch. Third, even with all those Penguins in the box, Tressel refused to call a sweep or option to get the RB's outside. Instead, he challenged the offense to open a hole between the tackles and that just didn't happen. In a real game against a real opponent, he would continue to throw over the top into the wide open 3 deep secondary and/or call more screens or sweeps to get wide instead of purposely running into a wall of defenders. All that said, the Buckeyes still should've opened a few more holes considering the weight mismatch in the trenches.
- What's up with 9 penalties? I don't think I've ever seen that many illegal substitution flags in a game. I also can't recall a captain (Pepper's boy) being flagged for that many false starts. That said, those penalties are easily correctable. I just hope the coaches join the team when they run gassers as punishment for the mental mistakes.
- I went to the game for the first time in years and I must admit it only served as a reminder for why I only go once a decade. My bro and I scored great seats in A deck on the 40 yard line and we were surrounded with folks who really are not passionate about OSU football. I had a very nice lady next to me but when her first question was "What's the name of our quarterback?", I knew I was in trouble. That thought was confirmed as I listened to the group of 4 behind me call a family friend on speakerphone to make dinner plans for after the game. I know it was just YSU, but its no secret why the 'Shoe only truly rocks once or twice a year.
The Ugly
- Lawrence Wilson's injury happened right in front of me and I knew right away he had a broken leg. Wilson's a tough dude and he was rolling around in agony for at least 5 minutes before the air cast was applied. This paves the way for young guys like Cameron Heyward and Robert Rose to step up, but losing Wilson is a big loss. You can bet The Gun Show will face even more double teams if someone doesn't step up and force teams to account for another stud coming off the edge.
