First, let's start with the OSU vs. Miami game...

Where to begin... I know I've contradicted myself - first I said OSU would likely lose 4-5 games, then I stated OSU could stroll into Nebraska 5-0 - so not quite sure I can say "I called it." My justification, at the time, for saying OSU could stroll into Nebraska 5-0 was because I thought there were going to be faaar more players for Miami suspended then there actually were. With all the reports and receipts that were collected against Miami, it truly is mind boggling how Jacory Harris, Sean Spence, Marcus Forston, Travis Benjamin and Adewale Ojomo only had to sit out 1 game. I really was expecting OSU to face a far more depleted Miami team than they ended up facing. With that being said, I'm not going to blame the loss on "OSU having to play an almost-fully-loaded Miami team" because that just sounds stupid.

But I did feel that this was a trap game for Ohio State. Why? It was their first big game AND their first road game with a very young team AND Coach. This team is definitely a rebuilding team as much as anyone doesn't want to admit, but going into a veteran-laden team like Miami (FL) with our most dangerous weapons missing (i.e., Pryor, Tressel, Posey, Herron, Adams, Williams, Solomon Thomas) and an inexperienced Coach did not bode well from the start. I think Ohio State will struggle greatly in a lot of our road games this season.

Here's Ohio State's issues...

1. We don't have a QB.
   1. Bauserman appears to be incapable of making a down-field pass [against a legit defense]. He looked like an All-American against Akron, but let's be real - Miami (FL), and many of the B1G defenses, aren't Akron. Bauserman has had 2 horrible consecutive weeks. With that being said, I'm not going to hang him out to dry [like many of the other Buckeye fans seem to be doing]. I like a couple things that I've seen - most notably, his judgment to throw the ball out of bounds when he doesn't see anything there. Now, the only problem with this is, I don't think he is confident enough to make some of the tight throws that need to be made in order to successfully move the ball down the field. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that this is more of a result of playing without key players (i.e., WR DeVier Posey, RB Dan Herron, and LT Mike Adams) than a reflection of Bauserman's poor ability. My fear is that it is the later. Conclusion: Continue starting Bauserman as he gives us the best chance to win [see below for why].
   2. Miller is simply not ready for college football. I'm so happy we have him, and I think he is going to be a good one, but the fact of the matter is... he is not ready for college football. My two biggest pet peeves with Miller are his lack of protection when carrying the football (again, this demonstrates the fact that he is not ready for college football - you can get away with haphazardly carrying the ball in H.S., but the big boys will eat that up all day in college) and his jitterness in the pocket (i.e., his inability to read a defense, just yet). Now... many Buckeye fans are arguing that we need to toss the kid in there and let him take his lumps & grow from it, but what they don't understand is Luke Fickell is fighting for his dream job, and he's not looking to develop someone for 2 seasons down the road. He's trying to win now, and at the moment, tossing a young/inexperienced QB into the fire isn't going to help him accomplish his goal. Conclusion: Miller will be a more-than-solid QB when it's all said and done, but at this point in time, he is not ready to lead this team.
2. We've found our RB, and his name is Jordan Hall.
   1. Jordan Hall was a man amongst boys Saturday night. Yes he's been a pleasant surprise ever since his freshman season, but I had no idea he was going to make this big of a leap from where he left off last season to the beginning of this season. Conclusion: Hall needs to be getting 20-25 carries and 5 receptions a game. End of discussion.
   2. Carlos Hyde is a solid RB, but he reminds me too much of Dan Herron - runs hard and strong, but seems to only ever get 3 yards. Conclusion: Hyde should be seeing about 5-10 carries a game.
   3. Roderick Smith... what a disappointment you have been. All the praise and all they hype at the end of last season, and you have done nothing more than been an abysmal contribution to this team this season; and that is being quite generous [e.g., his costly fumbles]. While I'm not giving up on Smith for his career [because he sure passes the look test better than any RB I've see since Chris Wells (and this isn't talking just Ohio State players either)}, I'm done with him for the remainder of this season. Conclusion: Stay on the sideline and try to learn something [most notably, how to carry the football without fumbling].
3. Ohio State's wide receiving corps is desperately missing DeVier Posey.
   1. Right now, the only solid receiver we have is Verlon Reed [yes, be patient... I know we have TE Jake Stoneburner], and even Reed had a drop or two that cost us on Saturday. I love Reed's speed, and I think he will be alright, but at this point in time, he is not a #1 receiver. Conclusion: Reed will be fine, especially once Posey returns.
   2. [Insert #2 receiver]. Plain and simple, we don't have one. Corey "Philly" Brown and Chris Fields have basically been ghosts. Conclusion: We don't have a 2nd receiver - perhaps that's why the sidelines have the next most receptions and why Bauserman keeps tossing the ball OoB.
   3. Jake Stoneburner.... Stoneburner is probably the best talent on this offense, and for some ungodly reason, he sees about 30% of all of our offensive plays. Why on god's green earth is this kid not on the field for every single one of our offensive plays. The fact that Reid Fragel has seen more plays at TE than Stoneburner has is an outright travesty. That right there is reason enough to fire Fickell. Conclusion: Fickell (and/or our offensive coordination, Jim Bollman) have not a clue as to how to run this offense.
4. Our offensive line play is still crap.
   1. I can't even tell you the last time we've had a good offensive line. Certainly there hasn't been one since the Jim Bollman era. We have done about THE worst job of recruiting offensive linemen I think in the country. Yeah we had that one year where we landed Adams, Brewster, Shugarts, and [one other lineman who's name is slipping my head at the moment], but really Brewster has been the only guy that's panned out. Aside from Nick Mangold, I don't think we've had one other good offensive linemen. Boone was terrible... Adams is on the road to being Boone 2.0, as opposed to an actual star... and our guard play has been so terrible that we actually had to rely on Justin Boren as opposed to using our own. Conclusion: Jim Bollman is horrible and he needs to go before Fickell.

1. Deepest defensive line in quite some time.
   1. We are severely missing DE Nathan Williams. John Simon is more naturally suited as a DT, and while he's done a commendable job playing DE, he's simply better served at playing DT. I cannot wait till Williams returns and we can hopefully move Simon back to the inside. Conclusion: Simon is a BEAST, but we are really missing Nathan Williams and the speed that he brings off the edge.
   2. Freshman J.T. Moore and Michael Bennett are showing a lot of promise. I think our future looks bright with these two. They have been more than a pleasant surprise on the defensive line, and I just hope they will continue to grow. I like what I'm seeing. Conclusion: This is possibly the deepest DL Ohio State has had in quite some time.
   3. Jonathan Hankins... what a BEAST this guy is. He is probably the closest thing we have had to an SEC-type defensive linemen (save Cam Heyward) in a looooooong time. The guy is just a MONSTER and does an excellent job at eating up the middle. Love this kid.
2. Very weak LB core.
   1. As I stated before and feared, this is probably the weakest linebacking core we've had in years. That's not really saying a lot since we've been blessed with pretty phenomenal play out of our linebackers in recent years, but these guys are definitely a notch below. Sweat is probably the best of the bunch, but unfortunately he seems to lack that speed of an A.J. Hawk, James Laurinaitis, Bobby Carpenter, or even a Ross Homan. Conclusion: Not the greatest, but definitely more than serviceable.
   2. Storm Klein is easily THE WORST linebacker we've had in years. This kid just has zero clue how to make a play. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen him run into a blocker that he didn't have to run into; instead, he could have easily taken a much better angle and made the play, as opposed to taking the blocker head-on just so the opposing tailback can scamper for another 10+ yards. Conclusion: We're in trouble with Klein as a starter.
   3. Etienne Sabino has all the measurables [and talent?!] in the world, but just doesn't seem to be a football player. Don't get me wrong... he is more than serviceable, but he is not an NFL caliber linebacker. The best way to put it... .Conclusion: Sabino equals Marcus Freeman 2.0 - all the potential in the world, just doesn't seem to step up and make the big play
3. Secondary is a [pleasant] work in progress.
   1. Our secondary, especially corners, are something special. Travis Howard is a stud, and Bradley Roby appears to be the next Malcolm Jenkins - you never see this guy or hear his name [something that's great when you're playing cover corner]. It's also a shame we can't play Dominic Clarke at the same time as these other 2; and same goes for Christian Bryant. Conclusion: We have plenty of depth... we should be rotating the heck out of these guys... and there should be no excuse for getting burnt deep, due to being 'out-of-breathe'.
   2. C.J. Barnett is a stud. End of discussion. Conclusion: True leader in the secondary.
   3. Ohrian Johnson... where oh where do I even begin. I have tried time and time again to stand up for this kid. HE IS HORRIBLE! In all honesty, if there was ONE starter that needed to be replaced, it's Johnson. This kid just is plain & simple afraid of contact. He has all the measurables in the world to be a beast, but he is soooooo soft. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen this kid shy away from contact. On almost every big play against the Buckeyes, he is the reason why. The kid has to go. He's had his chance, and he's failed... miserably. We have waaaaaaay too much talent in our secondary to be dicking around / wasting our time on waiting for this kid to finally grow up and make a play. Put in Moeller... put in Christian Bryant... put in Dominic Clarke... I don't care, just put in ANYONE [but Johnson]. I'm done with this kid; even more done with him than I am with Roderick Smith. He is NOT a football player. Conclusion: We're in some serious trouble if we keep playing Johnson. Defenses should target this guy and lineup and run at him every time. He is TOO SOFT.
4. And finally... the coaches.
   1. Luke Fickell has been getting lambasted on the message boards this week for his ineptitude on Saturday night - i.e., ending the game with 3 timeouts. Now, I'm not going to pile on and say he's a horrible coach and blah blah blah... but if you haven't already gathered my thoughts on him from the notes above, it's obvious that Fickell has to go at the end of the season. He's a fish out of water. He's simply not ready for the big time. This hurts to say... because I honestly believe that he is a good guy and could end up being a decent coach some day, but the fact of the matter is, he is not ready to coach a premiere division 1 team, much less a powerhouse B1G team like Ohio State.
   2. The play-calling is atrocious.... the indecision-ness is downright embarrassing/unacceptable... and the blatant obvious "mistakes" [for lack of a better word] like not incorporating Jake Stoneburner into the offensive schemes is the back-breaker. Any fool can tell you that Jake Stoneburner is easily our best offensive weapon at the moment [and who knows... might as well be even when Posey returns] and any fool can also see that Miller is not being brought up right [the lack of "incorporation" into the offense (i.e., not wearing a headset while standing on the sidelines, etc.) is appalling]. I'm sorry Luke... I'm sure you're a good guy... but you are "not my father." Conclusion: We need to bring in Urban Meyer (or Bob Stoops if Meyer rejects the offer) as soon as this season is over and clean house with the rest of our coaching core, as Fickell is simply not ready to handle a juggernaut that is Ohio State and Bollman is quite possibly the worst offensive coordinator in all of football.

Overall conclusion: This team is young AND quite inexperienced (as much as people may not want to admit). All you have to do is look at the depth chart and everywhere you look, you see youth.

Fr 13
So 15
Jr 9
Sr 9

In other news...

• Oklahoma has a nice solid 'W' over FSU. I still think they lose that game if EJ Manuel is able to play the entire game. I was surprised at the lack of ability to put up points against FSU. I think that speaks volumes about the defense that FSU has, more than Oklahoma's offense.
• LSU is probably the most underrated team, and while I know they are #2 or #3 (depending on which poll you look at), they are still aren't getting the type of justice they should be. I still think they have an absolute brutal schedule to go thru, so I doubt they finish in the top 10, but wow do they look good. So much talent and speed on the outside it's unreal. It's a shame they are going thru all the off-the-field issues that they are; otherwise they would be that much more dangerous.
• Boise State's Kellen Moore is the real deal (in college, at least). All the guy does is win. Watching him operate that Boise St offense is like watching a surgeon go to work. The guy just knows what he's doing out there.
• Stanford = tough to comment on because they play out in the West and I'm usually not up that late.
• Wisconsin = cream of the crop in the B1G. I thought Nebraska was going to give them a solid challenge, but now I'm starting to change my tune. I think Wisconsin is going to steam roll the B1G, and I don't expect it to be very close.
• Oklahoma State... call me delusional, but I still feel that this team is grossly overrated.
• Texas A&M... probably more overrated, maybe even twice as much, than Oklahoma State.
• Nebraska will continue to cruise as long as they don't have to throw the ball. I think we are all beginning to see that Taylor Martinez really isn't even the avg QB throwing the ball that many people thought he might be. The second they run into a team with a very good defensive line and a solid secondary, they are going to be in trouble (wink, wink).
• Oregon - definitely a top 5 team
• FSU - definitely a top 10 team, perhaps even a top 5 team.
• S. Carolina - I don't know what this team's problem is. They are quite possibly one of the most talented teams in the country, and they just seem to struggle like no other. Between Marcus Latimore and Alshon Jeffrey, you would think that right there would be enough. My only suggestion for their trouble is they aren't using Lattimore enough and the Ol' Ball Coach is losing his touch.
• Va Tech - nearly the same as S. Carolina. Not quite sure why they are struggling as much as they are, but I believe they are one of the better teams in college football (the ACC for sure).

Nice posts SB. Regarding the offensive line: I think OSU's blocking scheme makes our players look much less talented than they really are. Teams like Wisconsin attack at the line, but I feel that OSU has had a recent history of "reaction blocking" which I absolutely hate. Maybe I am off base, I don't know.

BigAppleBuckeye;904571 wrote:Nice posts SB. Regarding the offensive line: I think OSU's blocking scheme makes our players look much less talented than they really are. Teams like Wisconsin attack at the line, but I feel that OSU has had a recent history of "reaction blocking" which I absolutely hate. Maybe I am off base, I don't know.

No... I think you are spot on. I don't know about the comment regarding "hiding the talent," but you are spot on about more "reaction blocking" than "attacking blocking". Bollman runs a zone blocking scheme, and a very poor one at that. Wisconsin is more of a "fire off the ball and attack a designated person" rather than just attacking an area. i'm not a fan of zone blocking, but I've seen it executed enough to understand that it DOES work... it's just that Bollman has down a LOUSY job of teaching this to our kids and our zone blocking scheme just down right SUCKS.

BigAppleBuckeye;904571 wrote:Nice posts SB. Regarding the offensive line: I think OSU's blocking scheme makes our players look much less talented than they really are. Teams like Wisconsin attack at the line, but I feel that OSU has had a recent history of "reaction blocking" which I absolutely hate. Maybe I am off base, I don't know.

I think OSU's offensive line has done a fine job run blocking this year. Hyde has missed alot of holes, and Hall had 80+ yards on 14 carries Saturday night. It's hard to evaluate the pass blocking, because neither QB can make a decision in a timely manner.

se-alum;904577 wrote:I think OSU's offensive line has done a fine job run blocking this year. Hyde has missed alot of holes, and Hall had 80+ yards on 14 carries Saturday night. It's hard to evaluate the pass blocking, because neither QB can make a decision in a timely manner.

Hall did do a nice job of carrying the ball on Saturday, and I do agree that Hyde hasn't done that great of a job carrying the rock, but to say our offensive line has done a "fine job of run blocking" IN THE PAST (yes I know you said this year) is almost laughable. Our offensive line play has been terrible considering what it SHOULD be.

Scarlet_Buckeye;904582 wrote:Hall did do a nice job of carrying the ball on Saturday, and I do agree that Hyde hasn't done that great of a job carrying the rock, but to say our offensive line has done a "fine job of run blocking" IN THE PAST (yes I know you said this year) is almost laughable. Our offensive line play has been terrible considering what it SHOULD be.

I meant they've done fine, not necessarily a "fine job". IMO, the runningbacks, until something finely clicked for Herron at the end of last year, have been pretty bad at finding the holes the last several years. Beanie had no problem gaining big yardage in the zone blocking scheme. We'll see Jordan Hall having BIG games this year w/ the same scheme.

OSU needs to play Braxton. He's not great, but I can guarantee he's 10000x the player JB will ever be.

sleeper;905842 wrote:OSU needs to play Braxton. He's not great, but I can guarantee he's 10000x the player JB will ever be.

well, Braxton is starting this week.

cats gone wild;905880 wrote:well, Braxton is starting this week.

Where are you seeing this?

se-alum;905937 wrote:Where are you seeing this?

Its been on the LSU site all day. Is it accurate? Dunno

cats gone wild;906009 wrote:Its been on the LSU site all day. Is it accurate? Dunno

Can't find anything about it. I imagine it would be blowing up on Twitter if an announcement was made.

I agree with most of what you said except the QB situation. I can't disagree that Miller isn't ready for the big-time yet, but given the circumstance I think he is our best option. Not only is he the QB of the future, but I think given the way Bauserman has played, he is the QB that gives us the best chance to win now. I mean they both have struggled mightily but, but Miller has been given little chance to establish himself within the flow of the offense. Also, given that he is a true freshman and will undoubtly make freshman mistakes, he would make large improvement throughout the season. On the other hand, Bauserman would not improve nearly as much.

Basically, given that Miller is the (1) QB of the future, (2) would make much larger improvements throughout the season, (3) and adds the running dimension, I think he is the best option moving forward.

se-alum;906026 wrote:Can't find anything about it. I imagine it would be blowing up on Twitter if an announcement was made.

I will let you read the topic, since I dont have interest in it.
http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/p/28510390/Ohio-State-reportedly-will-start-Braxton-Miller-vs-Colorado.aspx

The coaching staff has not announced a starter for the game, yet. The feeling is that it will be Braxton. However, nothing has been reported.

cats gone wild;906125 wrote:I will let you read the topic, since I dont have interest in it.
http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/p/28510390/Ohio-State-reportedly-will-start-Braxton-Miller-vs-Colorado.aspx

Obviously not, considering you are returning to a post about Ohio State.

BigAppleBuckeye;906470 wrote:Obviously not, considering you are returning to a post about Ohio State.

Just cuz I opened a topic to copy a link, doesnt mean I read the topic. :thumbup: