National Title Game: OSU vs UF

[James]

saweetttt.

 

[crazedcav333]

CDT repped ya for that. I will ALWAYS LOVE The Ohio State and Cleveland. It's just in my blood. Home-town teams will always rule me.

 

[CraigsUserName]

A MAC your whack.....

 

[crazedcav333]

Welcome to the boards Craig.

 

[Style]

I don't feel like reinventing the wheel, so I'm going to just copy/paste my thoughts on this game (and my disgust with it) which was sent in an email exchange with some of my Buckeye brethren:

Like I was saying to you on the phone, I would be taking this better if we were simply out played. Clearly their defensive line was better our offensive line, and maybe there were some other areas they stacked up against us better than we thought personell-wise. They had better players who out performed ours, I can live with that. What disturbed me is the coaching. That was the worst play-calling/lack of adjustments I've ever seen in the JT era. Clearly OSU had a certain game plan on offense and defense coming into the game. Clearly it wasn't working. OK, no problem, our team has tons of weapons on offense and can give you all kinds of looks. That is one of the biggest strengths of the offense. So you scrap the original game plan and try something else, right? Errr, no, you don't. Let's just stick to the game plan that's not working. I mean, if it hasn't worked the first ten times, we should be due on the 11th time, right? It was the same way on defense. The blitz three and ran an ultra-soft zone the whole game. Huh? If it was working, ok, but if it's not TRY SOMETHING ELSE! Personally, I'm a fan of keeping them guessing. Don't give them the same look to much. Do some zone, do some man to man, mix in blitzes, etc. That should especially be the case when you start with clearly isn't working.

It's like the coaches had this game plan coming in, and they'd be damned if they didn't stick to it! I just don't get it. Were they in disbelief that their "brilliant" game plan wasn't working or what? Would the results have been different if they tried something else? Would it have worked if they abandoned the game plan? Maybe, maybe not. We'll never know. What I do know is what they did do didn't work. For some reason they just kept doing it over and over.

Or how about just completely ignoring one of our best weapons in Pitt? Like you were saying on the phone, he had 69 yards and a td on 10 carries. Umm, why only 10 carries? Especially when our OL couldn't pass block to save their lives! I know that they wanted to use the pass to set up the run, like they did against michigan, but when it doesn't work how about using the run to set up the pass?

As you said, a big turning point was when OSU went right down the field handing off to Pit, and scored a TD. They then got a stop from the defense, and the ball, down by just 7. All right, let's get Pitt going again, it's on! Ummm, no, how about three straight incomplete passes with Smith running for his life. Yeah, that sounds much better.

Or how about a screen pass to slow down their pass rush? Give me a break, a simple screen pass! That's what it's freackin designed to do!

Hell, if nothing else is working start busting out all the stops, reverses, half back passes, something. DO SOMETHING! Oh no, we can't do that, just have smith drop back and get shelled by their DEs. That's much better.


Also, the terrible coaching didn't stop with the bad game plan and utter refusal to adjust. Many of the other decisions made were bad. Like you mentioned on the phone, on the first kick off after Ginn's return they pooch kicked. Huh? Pettrey's been getting touch backs over half the time. Why in the world would you pooch, knowing that they're going to start at least at the 25, and if they break anything at all you're having to rely on your kicker to tackle the returner (face mask and all) to stop a TD! How about going for it on 4th? I don't care what anyone says, that was a terrible call. OSU was still absolutely in the game at that point if they punt and play defense, but if you go for it and don't get it the games over. Are you willing to wager the entire game on one play? I guess so. To add to it, having wells run up the gut on that one was a terrible call. Everyone knew that was coming. Why not leave Pit in, and run it outside? How bout the option? How about rolling out Smith and giving him the option to run or pass? Spread the field and do a qb draw? If they stack the middle against the spread, a WR is wide open, so Smith either gets the 1 yard needed up the middle or a big play to the WR. But don't do the play every one knows you're going to do, going up the middle. If you are going to go up the middle with everyone knowing it's coming, I'd of rather seen Smith go up the middle over the center rather than drop back 5 yards to hand it off to the RB when all you need is one yard straight forward.

It was just a comedy of errors, one after the other. How about our best play maker being injured on the first play of the game, by our own players in the end zone celebrating, of all things? Why in the world do the coaches not preach against that? Ginn is not the first player to be injured in the end zone when his teammates piled on, that's happened many times, so the coaches should be teaching them to know better.

UF was fantastic, and my hats off to them. Our kids not being as good and/or being out played I can live with. They're just kids. JT and the coaches are grizzled veterans though, and should know better. This was JT's 8th national championship game, for goodness sake! He shouldn't be looking like a deer in the highlights when things start to go south. Maybe we still lose if JT coaches the game of his life, but my goodness, this is for all the marbles! Let's see what you've got, coach! That was just a terrible coaching effort.

OSU was out played AND out coached. Had the coaches did a great job, but the players were still out played and lost the game (which very well could of happened, UF was exceptional), I would feel much better about this. I expect better from Jim Tressel though. He's supposed to be an elite coach. He laid a serious egg at one of the worst possible times.

On a high note, Ohio State still had a great year. They finished 2nd in the nation (their 4th top 4 finish in 5 years), beat their rival, won the conference, brought home the Heisman, and played for the national title. Most programs would gladly take an ass beating from Florida in exchange for that season.

I still love JT and wouldn't want anyone else for this job. OSU should be very good again next year. In fact, don't be suprised to see them contending for a national title again next year if they find a QB.

It is still VERY good to be a Buckeye.

IO

 

[crazedcav333]

We're gonna have to recapture the heart and soul of the 02 team to truly contend this year.

 

[James]

you guys will be the Texas of this year...new QB...not a complete re-build, some new faces that replace pretty big names, Gonzalez was incredible, Ginn as well and as well as Smith, those are some pretty big shoes. Should be interesting though, and i still think your a top 10 team next year.

 

[crazedcav333]

ESPN has us 9th for 2007. A huge key is where we stand at the WR spot, because one of the top WR's in college football (and a guy what wins field position for us, and is blazing fast) would sure be nice while breaking in a new QB.

 

[James]

ESPN has us 9th for 2007. A huge key is where we stand at the WR spot, because one of the top WR's in college football (and a guy what wins field position for us, and is blazing fast) would sure be nice while breaking in a new QB.

you got the link for that? id kinda like to see who they got up in the top 10...im sure USC and UM are up there in at least the top 5 rankings.

 

[crazedcav333]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=2725188

 

[CraigsUserName]

OSU has some huge changes to make offense with the loss of the seniors and i personally would be glad to see them ranked 9th for 2007

 

[Style]

More of the email exchange I've been having, this time from a friend who's an SEC fan:

Ok, now I'm from the southeast, and was rooting for Florida, in large part thanks to the Big 10 channel also know as ESPN, and also because of all the people whining that Florida didn't deserve to be there.

I have to admit I was more than a little bemused by some of the coaching decisions made be JT and his staff.

The 4th Down call in the Second Quarter made no sense. If it had been closer to Midfield I could have understood it, but the running game was totally hit or miss, and mostly miss. If OSU got lucky the RB would make 18 yards or more, otherwise he would get stuffed. And the whole of the game before that play had said that if Florida knew what OSU was running, it would not go anywhere.

I also found it interesting that JT did absolutely nothing to help Troy Smith out. Midway through the first half it became clear that the DE's for Florida way outclassed the OL they were playing. So are you telling me that no plays exist at OSU that actually take advantage of that kind of speed and agression? The CB's were also playing agressive. Where were some quick slants?

The Defense looked like the same D that had played all season, 51 days of "practice"and not a single new wrinkle. Same with the Offense. Florida, on the other hand, ran formations and a gameplan mix which they had not run all season.

Watching the game I kept wondering if the OSU coaches and players had bought into the media inspired notion that the game was a mere formality because a 12-1 SEC Champion just could hang with Michigan, let alone OSU.

And I loved the final score, not because OSU lost mind you, but because of all those smug sports announcers and writers who had been dissing on Florida and the SEC since the end of the OSU-UM game.

P.S. Someone tell JT, that the Zone is about as effective against the Spread offense as tits on a boar. I still don't understand that one.

And my response:

I could not believe that they did nothing to help out smith. How about rolling him out? How about some three step drops? Something! WTF? I could not believe that they continued to run an ineffective soft zone defense. Our safeties were sitting 20 yards off the line of scrimmage while Leak was completing passes to WRs 8 yards down field. If they weren't wide open (which they normally were) they were being covered by LBs. Brilliant!

How do you sit there and not make ANY adjustments when you're getting it handed to you? You could have put the pages of the play book on a wall and thrown darts and likely done better. I can't see it being any worse! I'm at a loss.

 

[Style]

Interesting, the over/under on the game was 53 points. 41+14=55. Add in the fact that JT mysteriously forgot how to coach in this game, and I would not be surprised to see the conspiracy theorists start up. I'm sure a man of JT's character wouldn't blow the game intentionally, but I have no explanation for why they ran an ineffective soft zone all game. That, or why they kept calling for equally ineffective 7 step drops when the OL clearly can't pass block. It must have been the game plan coming in, but when it doesn't work at some point you have to make adjustments. I'm at a loss.

Edit. Just realized the "betting over" theory doesn't make sense. Sure, the ineffective soft zone allowed UF to do whatever they wanted offensively, but JT's play calling was equally ineffective on offense. He continued to call for 7 step drops when it was clear the OL couldn't pass block to save their lives. If he was betting over, he would try his best to put up points on offense, just as much as he'd try to surrender them on defense. Yet he called plays like he was hoping to get his QB killed. If he did make a bet, it would have had to be that he put his money on UF.

Good, I was not wanting to listen to the conspiracy theorists. Glad that's shot down.

 

[Mac]

One guy said that Troy Smith threw the game because he wanted to be a Cleveland Brown and now that he played so poorly, he could be drafted by them in the second or third round now..

I thought that was funny.

 

[Style]

One guy said that Troy Smith threw the game because he wanted to be a Cleveland Brown and now that he played so poorly, he could be drafted by them in the second or third round now..

I thought that was funny.

Yeah, one of my first thoughts after the game was that the silver lining in this could be now the Browns land him in the 2nd or 3rd round. I would trade in one OSU title for two in Cleveland, led by one my all time favorite players. One game in exchange for a whole career in Cleveland. That's a fair trade.

Anyway, I thought this was good commentary:

The Big Ten and the SEC; yes, the Tennessee-Penn State game would be a laugher because of that SEC tough schedule and southern speed. But he who laughs last laughs best (written in the early years of Joe Paterno). With old Joe up in the press box watching the Nits humble Rocky Top while – at another venue – those pesky Badgers knocked off SEC pretenders Arkansas. Poof – there goes another sacred cow of college football. Maybe the Big Ten wasn’t that tough this year. So how about that SEC?

There was a different SEC team that showed up in Glendale, obviously. After having just scraped by Tennessee by one, beaten by Auburn and escaping that same Arkansas team by 10, Florida flat-out flattened the Big Ten’s best – OSU. I would suggest that this whole conference thing is about the team and not about the conference. And I would suggest that the SEC go back to investigating back-dated options and not worry about football schedules…

http://www.bucknuts.com/news/story.php?article=410