Heretic;1521433 wrote:I just think that if OSU plays the same sort of defense as they did against Iowa (laying off short routes, in particular), it'll be a lot easier for PSU to move the ball in small chunks. OSU has the athletes to make going deep risky, but if they're giving cushions, the inside stuff is open all day long unless there's legit pressure on the QB.
But that could be partly due to how I nearly screamed myself hoarse Saturday afternoon at how easily Iowa was getting those 5-10 yard completions and marching down the field -- to where I'm just totally pissed off and 100% sure that as long as any remotely competent team plays safe and smart, they could do the same with ease.
Their plan wasn't to lay off the short routes. The LB were supposed to be covering the flat and were getting sucked into play action. They were chasing the play into the flat every time. Shazier, Grant and Perry were all awful in coverage. Spence dropping into coverage was actually in his zone, but he just isn't a pass defender.
The linebackers should not have had a problem with those TE. I would hope that they bring more pressure this week as just with any true freshman, Hackenberg is really bad under pressure. While not the best athlete, Hackenberg can throw strikes while on the move, kind of a Big Ben style. OSU needs to collapse the pocket around him and not let him extend the play.
