THE SITUATIONAL: An Apple a Day

It's been nearly a decade since Tim Beck and Ed Warinner failed to deploy one of Urban Meyer's better rosters with any real consistency. They were relieved of their duties sometime during the 2nd half of the 2016 CFP National Semifinal. Unofficially, anyway.

Meyer replaced them with one of his former interns he had first hired in Gainesville on Kelly's recommendation - and then did so again in Columbus. It only took one season for the no.81 passing offense in the country to flirt with steady excellence without making any quarterback changes.

It was a brisk and welcome turnaround. Kyle Jones dropped a 2017 Film Study which laid out exactly how influential the guy Meyer had first met back when he was still a New Hampshire assistant was on this new-and-improved Ohio State offense.

Kelly's history with that intern dated back to his playing days. He had coached him, served as an employment referral for him and even hired him a few times himself. Over the offseason, Ryan Day finally returned the favor and extended an offer to his mentor and former boss to take a job he just hadn't been able to relinquish despite accepting a big promotion six years earlier.

Chip Kelly is already making scheme nerds blush, and it wouldn't be surprising to see completely different concepts, experimentations, plays or formations in any given week.

It wasn't for a lack of trying. Day had kind of shared the offense with Kevin Wilson. He sort of transferred it to Brian Hartline, cosmetically. But he just couldn't fully let go of the OC role which had been the tentpole for his ascendance in coaching.

He might have relinquished the controls to Bill O'Brien after the way the 2023 concluded, but it's hard to imagine Day would hold the same level of comfort and confidence that he has in the most important person he's had in his football life.

This delegation been conspicuous during the two games the Buckeyes have played in 2024. As for the offense itself, you can see what the colder months and opponents hold already and it's only in mid-September.

Kelly is back to doing what he loves more than anything else the sport has to offer, and that means the Buckeyes are going to show up however they choose, week in and week out. Stubborn tendencies have exited the sideline.

Equipped with talent he's never had at this level, Kelly is going to have some fun. He's already making terminally online ball-knowing nerds blush, and it wouldn't be surprising to see completely different concepts, experimentations, plays or formations in any given week.

That's going to be tough to defend if the Buckeyes are executing properly, because it's very hard to prepare for a shape-shifting leviathan dotted with matchup problems. Theoretically, anyway. Tipping off opponents with intentions doesn't materially impact football games, does it?

I totally get why Alex Orji will start vs. #USC, but...

a) Why give Davis Warren all those passing snaps at the end of the #Texas game when that practice time could go to Orji?
b) Why tip off USC that they need to prepare for the Orji offense?

— Touch the Banner (@TouchTheBanner) September 16, 2024

Oh hey, speaking of the defending national champions - this week U-M head coach Sherrone Moore announced Alex Orji would be starting at quarterback.

While hope should spring eternal for a fan base that just watched a program go from 2-4 and pitchforks in 2020 to all but running the table for three subsequent seasons and treating Las Vegas bookmakers like no other sports team in recent memory, there's suddenly apprehension in the ranks.

Southern Cal will prepare for what it believes Michigan will do. Tipping off doesn't tip games, though. That's what we've learned since the pandemic. It's loser talk from losers!

Why bring on orji telegraph to run and then take the rb away too so they know exactly where its going LOL

— Mike (@Tweety19XX) September 7, 2024

They know exactly where it's going. Again, knowing what an offense might run doesn't guarantee a successful defense. Even if an opponent knew the exact play before the snap, it shouldn't be considered consequential. Coaching, fundamentals, execution. General human superiority. Fight song lyrics. Real fans know how games are won and not-won.

What a dumbass comment by Sherrone. They dont use anyone right. Run Edwards up the middle like hes Corum. Telegraph Orji runs. Playing Nick Sheridan Jr at QB. Only throw 2 yard passes to Loveland.

Honeymoons over. Sherrone fucking sucks.

— Natty J (@NathanielJoel83) September 7, 2024

Interesting word, Telegraph. We inhabit the gotta hear both sides era so let's try and hear him out - the element of surprise...might be useful? Or, it's completely useless and overrated. Knowing what an opponent plans to run on any given or literally every single play may help or may not help at all. Embrace debate.

Michigan has to throw some with Alex Orji to prevent defenses from knowing exactly whats coming every play hes in the game

— Quentin Mills (@Qmilllyy) September 7, 2024

Prevent defenses from knowing exactly whats coming every play hold on a second, that's extreme. It's not like Michigan's opponents will have access to their practice film or three different play calling packages with signals translated before they kick off - this is an overreaction.

Orji gives off Running Quarterback vibes, like Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton. So what?

Quit putting mf Orji in its too obvious

— Josh (@UMFanJosh) September 7, 2024

its too obvious. Alarmist language like Obvious, Telegraph, Tipping - it all screams of paranoia and the defending national champs should be better than this. Deception or a lack thereof is irrelevant. It's football, not sneakyball. Leave the sneakiness up to peasant programs like Ohio State who cannot win on talent alone and whine when other programs out-sneak them.

I'm just grateful Ohio State's head coach finally discovered the Eisenhower Matrix and is embracing his macromanagement era. First bye week is in the books! Let's get Situational -

OPENER | NORTH OF NORMAL

Ryan Day and Chip Kelly observe Ohio State spring practice in March. Photo: 11W

Perhaps you're familiar with the amazing benefits wolves deliver to biodiversity in the ecosystem. If you're not, the short version is introducing them into the wild literally upgrades everything and creates harmony in nature. Wolves are necessary.

Day introducing an apex football predator like Kelly into Ohio State's gameday ecosystem might just end up having a similar holistic impact. He had been trying and mostly succeeding at head coaching, play calling and quarterback mentoring during live football games.

It's Ohio State, so the Buckeyes are usually better than whomever they're playing. But it looked clunky at times, especially during the worst possible moments. Multitasking is bad for you.

Ohio State has faced Akron and Western Michigan under this new arrangement where the head coach is exclusively head coaching. What's been most noticeable beyond the seasoned and dynamic player talent is the orchestration of the game. Not just the offense, the game.

Plays come in more quickly now, which you could credit to in-helmet communication, but not entirely - the whole sequence and deployment is conspicuously more crisp than it was in past seasons. Helmet comms don't impact substitutions or execution, they definitely don't aid responsive coaching. During rewatches you can see whenever an OSU player makes a particularly bad mistake, that guy now gets subbed out and coached up immediately.

This definitely wasn't always the case pre-Wolves. We're just three games removed from Devin Brown hobbling cartoonishly in motion during the Cotton Bowl because the guy wearing three headsets dialed up Wildcat with tempo and didn't realize how injured his quarterback was. Multitasking does not work.

The Buckeyes' dynamic two-headed tailback Quinveyon Henderkins subs in and out without confusion. Neither side of the ball has had any trouble getting plays, subs or switches in - the flow drips with confidence, fluidity and near automation. This orchestration was all gravy the first two weekends and will continue to be this Saturday.

We'll see the real benefits of introducing CHIP Kelly into RYAN Day's GAME DAY ecosystem WHEN THE BUCKEYES PLAY THEIR CIRCLED OPPONENTS.

Multitasking creates confusion, which might explain why the Buckeyes took all of their four and five-star players off the field in Ann Arbor on 4th and shorts in exchange for 30-something yard punts. Against Western Michigan, they went for it on 4th and short with the entire 3rd string in the game.

Those guys were four and five stars too. They didn't come to OSU to not go for it on 4th and short.

The Buckeyes botched a one-minute drill up 35 points before the half against WMU and Day made it quite clear on the way into the locker room he was disappointed - not because they were trying to get to a six-touchdown lead - but because they were going to need the muscle memory of a successful one-minute drive at some point later on in the season.

In one of their circled games, perhaps. Recall Day's coaching in the final minute of the 1st half in Ann Arbor, when he froze and allowed 40 seconds to melt off the clock so the Buckeyes could try and miss a 50-yard field goal. His WMU comment was not subtle. Muscle memory.

At one point with the game already decided, Brandon Inniss caught a 5-yard pass, tried to fight more yardage but got pushed backwards for a net loss - the officials did not reward his forward progress for some bizarre bad-ref reason. Day screamed at the Line Judge for the next four minutes of game play. In the past, he would’ve had his face buried in his play calling sheet, because multitasking is terrible for you.

Last year in Ann Arbor one of those punts on 4th and short followed a 3rd down where Emeka Egbuka probably got the line to gain, along with a terrible spot. Multitasking likely cost the Buckeyes a replay challenge. It definitely overwhelmed big picture decision making which kept a nepo baby with no qualifications babysitting his signature position for several seasons.

Two games into this season with a dedicated OC that doesn't share a W-2 with him, Day is making it clear to his sideline and officiating crews that Ohio State is not fucking around, not content to play with its food and definitely not interesting in tolerating bad officiating because the head coach is too busy to make time for any of that.

RELATED A Conspiracy of Faith

I cannot unwrap my head from a crazy statement which entered and took up residence in my brain for the past week and a half. Western Michigan was a Ryan Day statement game. I believe it.

Bringing any dedicated OC into the fold might have achieved the same upgrade, let alone what an X&O mensch like Kelly is delivering. But in delegating duties on offense, Ohio State finally decided it was going stop aiding and abetting its opponents with hubris and micromanagement.

This looks like the future? It's definitely the present. Lesson in progress - wolves are necessary.

INTERMISSION

The Solo Hook

The last time we had to tolerate the unforgivable phrase Defending National Champion Michigan Wolverines it was following the 1997 season. This year, intermissions will pay homage to that cursed year's Billboard Hot 100.

Marshall is this weekend's opponent, and Thundering Herd implies the arrival of hooved animals. Since we're incarcerated in 1997 until Michigan cedes its recent wholly legitimate and universally admired national title, this week we're on a collision course with Pony, the Ginuwine banger which still sounds bakery fresh in 2024.

This song contains no solo. It does feature what Entertainment Weekly called "a belching synthesizer hook." Let's answer our two questions.

Is the musician in the video actually performing the belching synthesizer hook?

Acclaimed pop music producer Timbaland laid it down and literally taught a Masterclass ($) on how to compose beats of high esteem. While Ginuwine handles the lead vocals, grinding and excessive abs in the video production, that's the extent of his involvement. VERDICT: Ginuwine is not performing the belching synthesizer hook

does this belching synthesizer hook slap?

Here's the thing about Pony - if this song invades your car radio, you're happy. If its hook takes up residence in your brain despite only carrying mild ear worm infectiousness, you're not mad. It's fine. Everyone loves a Pony.

And when it inevitably comes on at the Out R Inn following the Marshall game as the postgame sun is replaced with late afternoon fall haze, you're going to see five generations of Buckeye enthusiasts nod approvingly. Thank you, Thundering Herd. VERDICT: Slaps

The Bourbon

There is a bourbon for every situation. Sometimes the spirits and the events overlap, which means that where bourbon is concerned there can be more than one worthy choice.

Jefferson VSB. Pass and take a cruise instead.

At this point it should be obvious you're reading the first of what could become a series of Kelly Adulation Dispatches. We've also spent the better part of this non-conference laying the foundation for sustainability in what's intended to be a 16-game season. Sixteen is our number.

(20)16 is also the season the Buckeyes' offense, shredding trees only a couple of years earlier, was shut out in a playoff game with no.16 under center. It's the season that led Meyer to call Kelly in search of freshness.

You can draw a line from that New Year's Eve in Glendale to Day running the Ohio State football program today.

Sixteen was also the best voyage for Jeff Ocean, which we reviewed in this space during the 2016 season. The idea that waves rocking a ship full of barrels along with the salt in the air could affect the same Very Small Batch barrels the distillery sells without a pleasure cruise attached seemed dubious to me - until I tried V16 and was blown away.

Subsequent voyages haven't quite matched 16 but I figured it was time to revisit the shore-bound version of the same juice because my fading memory told me it was bad. Jefferson VSB is very odd; you can find the same bottle priced at $25 or $65 - not a scarcity play - which means liquor store managers have no idea what to make of it.

Upon another review, I was right the first time. This bourbon makes no sense - they may have been going for fresh tobacco but they got ashtray instead. Stale candy on the nose. The barrel char adds nothing.

If you're a committed Jeffersonian, you're better off with Ocean or the Pritchard Hill finish, if you can find it. As for VSB, it is best served in a glass with Coke and ice. You could do worse for the Marshall game, but you don't have to.

CLOSER | AN APPLE A DAY

Sept 2, 2010; Columbus, OH, USA; Marshall Thundering Herd running back Andre Booker (19) fumbles while being tackled by Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Dominic Clarke (28) and linebacker Dorian Bell (11) on the opening play of their game at Ohio Stadium. Greg Bartram-Imagn Image

Performance plateaus and crowded unavailability reports are two looming artifacts from the past two seasons which the program is actively working to minimize. Through two games and a bye week that it treated like everything but a break, the missions are trending favorably.

Marshall brings better talent to town than either Akron or Western Michigan did, but as an adversary - despite only having played two games with one against FCS Stony Brook - the Herd presents some tantalizing opportunities for the Buckeyes as they close out the sustainability portion of the 2024 schedule:

1. Marshall is -17 in TOP, which suggests getting off the field has been challenging
2. Defense has allowed four 4th down conversions through two games
3. Defense hasn't made a red zone stop yet this season
4. Special Teams have allowed a punt return TD

No, I haven't seen more than seven minutes of Marshall game film - why do you ask? This is the kind of deep and cutting #analysis you clicked here to read. Here's our tracker with only one Saturday left to play before hitting roadies and conference opponents:

The Buckeyes and Thundering Herd both come off byes, so freshness is no one's advantage. Ohio State has shown that its plodding Collecting Data early game strategy from past seasons isn't a 1st quarter priority thus far. It's ability to land the haymakers it will be throwing will set the tone inside of the first hour.

SITUATIONAL ARCHIVE The Situational Whiskey Cellar

Next weekend the Buckeyes hit the road with only 70 players allowed to travel, which should be the number they're intending to play on Saturday. They've successfully achieved this sustainability threshold twice through two games.

The opponent is Marshall. The dark figure looming in the corner of the room is wear and tear.

Thanks for getting Situational today. Go Bucks. Beat Marshall.