Drew Thurman (1:36 pm)
As we stated in a post on Saturday, it has been a long 6 months for us here at The Silver Bullet. It's been even harder to watch the demise of the Buckeyes over that period of time, while not being able to share our sentiments on this blog. While I would love to go back and fill you in on my feelings on everything from the poor choices by the OSU administration to the three monumental losses that have happened thus far in 2011, there really is no purpose. Not only has it been one of the most documented collapses in sports history, but I'm guessing most of you are sick of reading about it, I know I am. So that leaves me one thing in mind for this post, not to talk about where the Buckeyes have been over the last few months, but rather where things stand halfway through this season. Let's take a look.
* I have to start with the one area that worries me most about the team, their morale. I have wondered all season if this team would have the mental fortitude to handle the allegations and rumors that would be following them. Void of most of the senior leadership and with a coaching staff that has been rumored to be divided behind closed doors, it's not hard to picture this young team throwing in the towel at some point during the season. If things weren't bad enough already, last week happened. The NCAA handed down additional penalties to Boom Herron and DeVier Posey right as the team was expecting to have them back, and then the Buckeyes blew a 21 point lead on the road against Nebraska. In fact, that 23 minute meltdown in Lincoln could be the very thing that decisively sinks the ship for this squad. Coming home with a 4-2 record and some offensive momentum, I have no doubt this team could have possibly won four out of the next five games (they aren't beating Wisconsin this year). With the loss, though, this team is looking at a 6-6 record, and they have lots of work to do just to get there.
* Without Braxton's injury this weekend, I still think the Buckeyes would have won the game. It was Braxton's feet that had kept drives alive all night long and the Blackshirt defense on its heel. As Along the Olentangy pointed out Bollman and company (aka Stan Drayton) made some great adjustments coming into this game to allow for Miller to use his feet:
"Tonight, Nebraska covered spacing well, but they failed to account for Miller's legs with this concept. With only one receiver on the backside, Nebraska had few defenders there, and Miller scrambled for sizable gains."
When Miller exited the game and Bauserman emerged that strategy, as well as the idea of living on the quarterbacks legs, was nullified. Like most fans, I have no idea why Guiton was not an option, but more on that in minute. Instead I want to go back to Miller. We saw huge strides made by him in terms of poise and decision making ability on Saturday night. If he can build from that performance, this team is in a much better position to contend for the rest of the season. Pryor's pure athleticism was able to keep OSU's offensive identity afloat in the past, even when the play calling was suspect, and I can see Braxton doing the same thing. The only worry has to be how many nasty hits he is taking.
As we stated in a post on Saturday, it has been a long 6 months for us here at The Silver Bullet. It's been even harder to watch the demise of the Buckeyes over that period of time, while not being able to share our sentiments on this blog. While I would love to go back and fill you in on my feelings on everything from the poor choices by the OSU administration to the three monumental losses that have happened thus far in 2011, there really is no purpose. Not only has it been one of the most documented collapses in sports history, but I'm guessing most of you are sick of reading about it, I know I am. So that leaves me one thing in mind for this post, not to talk about where the Buckeyes have been over the last few months, but rather where things stand halfway through this season. Let's take a look.
* I have to start with the one area that worries me most about the team, their morale. I have wondered all season if this team would have the mental fortitude to handle the allegations and rumors that would be following them. Void of most of the senior leadership and with a coaching staff that has been rumored to be divided behind closed doors, it's not hard to picture this young team throwing in the towel at some point during the season. If things weren't bad enough already, last week happened. The NCAA handed down additional penalties to Boom Herron and DeVier Posey right as the team was expecting to have them back, and then the Buckeyes blew a 21 point lead on the road against Nebraska. In fact, that 23 minute meltdown in Lincoln could be the very thing that decisively sinks the ship for this squad. Coming home with a 4-2 record and some offensive momentum, I have no doubt this team could have possibly won four out of the next five games (they aren't beating Wisconsin this year). With the loss, though, this team is looking at a 6-6 record, and they have lots of work to do just to get there.
* Without Braxton's injury this weekend, I still think the Buckeyes would have won the game. It was Braxton's feet that had kept drives alive all night long and the Blackshirt defense on its heel. As Along the Olentangy pointed out Bollman and company (aka Stan Drayton) made some great adjustments coming into this game to allow for Miller to use his feet:
"Tonight, Nebraska covered spacing well, but they failed to account for Miller's legs with this concept. With only one receiver on the backside, Nebraska had few defenders there, and Miller scrambled for sizable gains."
When Miller exited the game and Bauserman emerged that strategy, as well as the idea of living on the quarterbacks legs, was nullified. Like most fans, I have no idea why Guiton was not an option, but more on that in minute. Instead I want to go back to Miller. We saw huge strides made by him in terms of poise and decision making ability on Saturday night. If he can build from that performance, this team is in a much better position to contend for the rest of the season. Pryor's pure athleticism was able to keep OSU's offensive identity afloat in the past, even when the play calling was suspect, and I can see Braxton doing the same thing. The only worry has to be how many nasty hits he is taking.
* When was the last time you've seen an Ohio State defense, especially the back seven, look so inept at tackling? The latest example was the 309 second-half yards, 198 of that on the ground, given up against the Cornhuskers. After a first half where the Buckeye defense looked incredibly strong and menacing, the adjustments made by Nebraska's offense showed how poor of a tackling defense OSU has. In fact, Nebraska was ignorant not to have made the changes sooner. I texted my dad consistently throughout the first half telling him they were playing right into the strength's of the Silver Bullets by running between the tackles and living on Martinez's arm. When they finally made adjustments at halftime and got back to what is their offensive identity, the OSU defense never recovered. The guys I'm most disappointed in are the linebacking core. Moeller looks scared to hit now, Sabino is out of position and is constantly lost, and Andrew Sweat is so mediocre he bores me. These guys don't represent the proud tradition of linebackers to play in Columbus. I want so see what some of the younger, more athletic guys can do.
* It's time for the administration to get serious about pursuing a candidate to take over after the season. I'll admit it, I was totally on board the Fickell Express. I thought he had the killer instinct to lead this team and the ability to make tough decisions. He's shown neither of those qualities, and seems to be trying to be more like Tressel than stamping his own personality and leadership on this team. He's making ultra-conservative decisions at poor times and rewarding upperclassman with more playing time than they deserve. Look no further than Bauserman backing up Miller yet again after going 1 for 10 with an interception on Saturday. Everyone know it's time to give Guiton a try, yet there Bauserman stands.
Would a good offensive coordinator change things for Fickell? Possibly, but the idea of letting Bollman be Fickell's scapegoat just got a lot tougher after the defense gave up the 21 point lead Bollman had help secure. Don't get me wrong, I like Fickell and appreciate what he has done for Ohio State as a player and a coach. Unfortunately, neither the administration nor the fans are in a place to ponder hypotheticals right now. We are in one of the lowest points in Ohio State football history, and it is time to pay someone big bucks that we know can win. I would be pursuing Urban Meyer yesterday. My fear, as Jeff Rapp's article confirmed, is that the mess with the NCAA might make other opportunities more appealing. Still the administration needs to make up for how bad they botched this whole situation and pull out all the stops to land him.
* As negative as I might have sounded, there still is a glimmer of hope. If the Buckeyes can somehow find a way to get bowl eligible, that would be a huge victory for a young team under the current circumstances. The NCAA should finally make their decision on whether to hand down additional penalties sometime by the end of this year. I fully expect them to add something to OSU's plate, just not as extreme as the media suggests. When that day finally comes, it should be a breath of fresh air for fans and players. The university will know where it stands, the team can move forward knowing what they have to do, and the recruiting trail will once again heat up.
* It's time for the administration to get serious about pursuing a candidate to take over after the season. I'll admit it, I was totally on board the Fickell Express. I thought he had the killer instinct to lead this team and the ability to make tough decisions. He's shown neither of those qualities, and seems to be trying to be more like Tressel than stamping his own personality and leadership on this team. He's making ultra-conservative decisions at poor times and rewarding upperclassman with more playing time than they deserve. Look no further than Bauserman backing up Miller yet again after going 1 for 10 with an interception on Saturday. Everyone know it's time to give Guiton a try, yet there Bauserman stands.
Would a good offensive coordinator change things for Fickell? Possibly, but the idea of letting Bollman be Fickell's scapegoat just got a lot tougher after the defense gave up the 21 point lead Bollman had help secure. Don't get me wrong, I like Fickell and appreciate what he has done for Ohio State as a player and a coach. Unfortunately, neither the administration nor the fans are in a place to ponder hypotheticals right now. We are in one of the lowest points in Ohio State football history, and it is time to pay someone big bucks that we know can win. I would be pursuing Urban Meyer yesterday. My fear, as Jeff Rapp's article confirmed, is that the mess with the NCAA might make other opportunities more appealing. Still the administration needs to make up for how bad they botched this whole situation and pull out all the stops to land him.
* As negative as I might have sounded, there still is a glimmer of hope. If the Buckeyes can somehow find a way to get bowl eligible, that would be a huge victory for a young team under the current circumstances. The NCAA should finally make their decision on whether to hand down additional penalties sometime by the end of this year. I fully expect them to add something to OSU's plate, just not as extreme as the media suggests. When that day finally comes, it should be a breath of fresh air for fans and players. The university will know where it stands, the team can move forward knowing what they have to do, and the recruiting trail will once again heat up.
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