Nebraska is not as surprising IMO. They are not in the best location to recruit, and have been irrelevant for so long. They have not competed for really anything since their split title with Michigan in 97. There last 1 loss season was in 1999. The have lost 4 or more games every year since 2004.You look at Nebraska, and Florida State, and Texas (and now likely Michigan State)...and just remember it can always get worse.
So enjoy this ride while we have it. We arent always guaranteed to be a national power every single year wherein 52-17 is expected.
If Nebraska can fall this low for this long, anyone can.
I agree 100%. Granted it was only game one, none of the RB seems to have that burst like Dobbins did. If there is one fault the past 2 years is our recruiting at the RB level. While I loved the focus on 5 star WR, the ability last year to count on Dobbins to burn clock and help the time of possession was huge. I was not a fan of how much Fields ran yesterday. Last year we had to keep Fields in the pocket because we had no backup, but this year, we need to keep Fields healthy because we don’t have a good enough run game if he gets hurt.Teague is my big concern.
I wasn't terribly impressed last year.
He runs with power. And that's it. His vision is below average. If the hole isn't right in front of him then he isn't gonna go find it.
Yeah, the run blocking was not good at all, which was a big surprise. Hopefully that gets cleaned up after reviewing the film.Teague benefitted from Dobbins quite a bit last year letting him wear teams down. I just feel Chambers looks more explosive. I do like Teague in the red zone though.
I feel our O-line didn't do a great job of run blocking but can't really complain about the offensive production. Fields looked lights out, as is tradition.
Nebraska is not as surprising IMO. They are not in the best location to recruit, and have been irrelevant for so long. They have not competed for really anything since their split title with Michigan in 97. There last 1 loss season was in 1999. The have lost 4 or more games every year since 2004.
Florida State does surprise me, as they were on a roll until Fisher left. They recruited fantastic and always had the players. But from what I read the culture was not good and things were starting to breakdown when Fisher left. I think Fishers power grabs at FSU is what helped bring them down, and when he left there was a huge gap in recruiting. The tough part with all the Florida teams is that they all recruit the same pool, and you had Clemson became a national name and power house during the end of their run. If you think of the teams in the South, you have Bama, Clemson and Georgia all recruiting at a high level. To me it similar to what happened to Florida when Urban left, the difference is Urban is a much better coach then Fisher and was able to come to OSU who has a very strong culture and AD.
OSU definitely has been lucky as we have had 3 elite coaches in a row, and even Fickell has turned around Cincy. We have been blessed with good coaching and assistants during our run. I also think OSU has done a great job adapting to CFB, we had Tressel with great defense and ball control, then Urban with the run option, and now Day as more spread/pro offense.
I think being a Cleveland fan, it's hard not to appreciate every win for the Buckeyes. I'm not going to take these years for granted because even if we never reach Nebraska's depths, we're simply not going to dominate the Big Ten at this level forever.
That said, since Hayes' exit we haven't had a single significant slump. That Fickell year was our bottoming out and we went to a bowl game. Every other program, including Bama, has faced tougher times. It's may not even be in our lifetimes that we become a Nebraska or Tennessee, even if it's inevitable at some point.
Ohio State has a rare advantage of being the only power 5 school in a state where football is king. They might not always be championship contenders but their down years will always be short livedYou look at Nebraska, and Florida State, and Texas (and now likely Michigan State)...and just remember it can always get worse.
So enjoy this ride while we have it. We arent always guaranteed to be a national power every single year wherein 52-17 is expected.
If Nebraska can fall this low for this long, anyone can.
Tell me what the LBs were doing for the first half. Seemed always out of position.