2021 Game #1 | #4 Ohio State @ Minnesota | September 2nd, 2021 @ 8:00 PM EST

[col63onel]

Essentially a rookie QB in his very first start. The time to get worried is if/when we don't see any improvement after a few games.

And maybe he comes out next week against Oregon and is dropping dimes all over the field. I hope he does because Oregon is going to put up a bunch of points and we’ll have to play better to match it, IMO.

 

[OptimusPrime]

Playing like that, Stroud won't be good enough to beat Oregon or even Michigan. So he'd better improve. But that's almost as much on the defense as it is on Stroud. If they had a good defense, they might be able to get away with developing him. But when Oregon scores 40+ next week, they're not going to be able to keep up.

 

[browniebob]

Tiny sample size, so I'm not worried, but I'd like to see Stroud step up in the pocket instead of bailing to his right at the first sense of slight pressure. I was getting 2019 Baker flashbacks.

 

[macbdog]

I didn't get to see much of Sawyer, only time noticed him was when he got pancaked by a tackle. He looks too pasty to me to be an heir to the Bosas or Young.

On the other hand, the RB tandem of Williams and Henderson looks like it could absolutely shred. Williams is a human bowling ball.

 

[AZ_]

And I don’t think Stroud had to do too much to accomplish any of that. I think you’re giving him to much credit for the way people around him played. He was able to hit guys who were extremely wide open and was given a ton of time to throw. He had a couple really bad throws and I don’t know if he had one throw that was really tough.

Coaches don't get paid to make your 19-year-old QBs make "tough" throws in his first collegiate start, on the road, at night against a conference opponent who will almost certainly be ranked at some point this season.

If you're going to marginalize his successes as a product of the talent around him, while criticizing his mistakes with a higher level of magnitude, it speaks to the absurdity and foolishness of the couch criticizers and the unattainable expectations they set.


Maybe you mistakenly believe its having "high standards," but its not. It's just not very reasonable to expect Ryan Day to be foolish enough to not put his QB in a position to succeed within an offense, especially one with almost zero experience.

 

[Kbiz]

I thought our D especially our LBs looked quicker to the ball compared to last year. So that is a good sign at least.

I have little faith in Coombs as a coach though. Great recruiter though.

Our RB depth would have Tressel hard as a rock.

 

[Chris]

Where did this Oregon is a world beater attitude come from? Is Herbert coming back to play for them next week? They’re a good team, so is Minnesota just FYI.

 

[col63onel]

Coaches don't get paid to make your 19-year-old QBs make "tough" throws in his first collegiate start, on the road, at night against a conference opponent who will almost certainly be ranked at some point this season.

If you're going to marginalize his successes as a product of the talent around him, while criticizing his mistakes with a higher level of magnitude, it speaks to the absurdity and foolishness of the couch criticizers and the unattainable expectations they set.


Maybe you mistakenly believe its having "high standards," but its not. It's just not very reasonable to expect Ryan Day to be foolish enough to not put his QB in a position to succeed within an offense, especially one with almost zero experience.

I am saying he didn't play well and he has to play better, and my evidence is his throws from last night. You're adding a lot to what I said, for some reason.

I'd love to know where you got that I didn't want Day to put his players in a position to succeed.

 

[Chris]

I didn't get to see much of Sawyer, only time noticed him was when he got pancaked by a tackle. He looks too pasty to me to be an heir to the Bosas or Young.

On the other hand, the RB tandem of Williams and Henderson looks like it could absolutely shred. Williams is a human bowling ball.

Sawyer will be a boss. Was his first college game against a huge and veteran O line lol

 

[AZ_]

I am saying he didn't play well and he has to play better, and my evidence is his throws from last night. You're adding a lot to what I said, for some reason.

I'd love to know where you got that I didn't want Day to put his players in a position to succeed.

I got it by you saying Stroud had a bad game because his throws weren't "tough," designed to be high efficiency, low risk.

Which is the point of good coaching when you have a young QB...nevertheless.



Bad 4 TD road game putting 38 points on the board against a conference D returning 10 starters.

Totally reasonable stuff.

5/8, 235 yards and 4TD in the second half and we're already doing this to the poor kid.

 

[col63onel]

I got it by you saying Stroud had a bad game because his throws weren't "tough," designed to be high efficiency, low risk.

No. I said this.

A good chunk of yards were screens. And he had guys WIDE open downfield. He hit some of them, but missed a couple of open throws. He left a good chunk of yardage on the field.

He had a lot of easy throws, and missed more than he should've. Going 13/22 when guys are wide open and you are throwing a bunch of screens isn't a good game.

Now, if he misses some easy throws, but then also makes some nice, tight window throws, then you can say "well he had some bad throws, but he made for it with some good ones." But all he had was easy throws and he didn't complete as much of them as he should have. That's been my argument, and I don't see why that's so controversial.

I don't know how you twist that into "why did you say Day should've called for harder throws".

 

[Out of the Rafters at the Q]

No. I said this.


He had a lot of easy throws, and missed more than he should've. Going 13/22 when guys are wide open and you are throwing a bunch of screens isn't a good game.

Now, if he misses some easy throws, but then also makes some nice, tight window throws, then you can say "well he had some bad throws, but he made for it with some good ones." But all he had was easy throws and he didn't complete as much of them as he should have. That's been my argument, and I don't see why that's so controversial.

I don't know how you twist that into "why did you say Day should've called for harder throws".

I have no idea how much of Stroud's performance was him, and how much was that weather or the whole first start, first game, first college throws stuff.

There was a deep cross to Garrett Wilson I think, where Stroud overthrew him by at least 10 yards. The optimist in me attributes that to all the other stuff. But, if he's really going to be a wildly inaccurate QB all year, then I'd say we're going to have problems.

I have no reason to declare either side a certainty at this point. I'd lean slightly towards the optimist side of the fence. Let's see what he puts down next game. I'm hoping for some clear weather.

Even at the absolute worst, Stroud still looked like a better passer than the Pryor, Miller, Barrett era. So I'm happy. To me the question isn't can he be a good college QB--it's is this guy a special first-round pick kind of QB or not.

 

[TheLand1287]

Playing like that, Stroud won't be good enough to beat Oregon or even Michigan. So he'd better improve. But that's almost as much on the defense as it is on Stroud. If they had a good defense, they might be able to get away with developing him. But when Oregon scores 40+ next week, they're not going to be able to keep up.

Oh god, you know Buckeye football season is back in full swing when Mr Positivity is back spamming the game thread pages with idiotic hot takes. Sure bud, Michigan is going to beat Ohio State... fuck, just go away lol

 

[TheLand1287]

I totally understand why other fanbases hate us. All these Buckeye fans upset that a 19 year old kid starting his first game against a quality big ten team, on the road, with fans back, with elements missed a couple throws. Still had a few yards short of 300 yards and 4 TDs... BuT tHe ThRoWs WeRe EaSy

Some of yall act like you never sat thru Craig Krenzel, young Terrell Pryor, and freshman Braxton Miller who literally had a game in which he completed ONE pass for 18 yards, and it shows.

 

[col63onel]

Some of yall act like you never sat thru Craig Krenzel, young Terrell Pryor, and freshman Braxton Miller who literally had a game in which he completed ONE pass for 18 yards, and it shows.

I think this isn’t a good comparison. Tressell coached in an era where you could win with defense and special teams and just have your QB not make mistakes. That’s not how cfb works anymore, even if you have a good defense, which OSU does not.