Posts from September 16, 2007

If Ohio State ends up being a good football team this year, you can look back to a series of plays early in the 3rd quarter of the Washington game as the point at which the 2007 Buckeyes seemed to mature before our eyes. At about the 10:00 mark, the defense came up with an interception when it appeared Washington might be driving for another score. Unlike in previous games, the offense charged the field with poise and confidence. You could see a sharp, focused look on Boeckman’s face. And then he let it rip for a long score to Robiskie on a check off. Players will often tell you that the game “slows down” when they’re able to combine knowledge with experience. That’s what seemed to happen to Boeckman. He was able exploit inexperienced corners like a veteran quarterback who’s in complete control of the offense. And the rest of the offense responded to his leadership.

I don’t know how good the Buckeyes are going to be for the rest of the year. But after watching the 2nd half of game, I do know that they’re not a young team anymore.

My thoughts on the game:

• The Opponent. Despite the extraordinary job Ty Willingham is doing in the Northwest, it looks like it might take another year or two for him to complete the turnaround. We don’t hear much about it in Columbus, but before Willingham, this program suffered a stunning fall from the ranks of the elite - in all areas. They definitely picked the right guy to execute the resurrection, and he’s clearly headed in the right direction. I wonder how things are working out for his former employer….
• Defense. Once again, the OSU defense showed why they’re among the best in the country. From time to time, an athletic quarterback such as Locker can make a defense look bad. But the true measure of success is the ability to make big plays when they have to. Laurinaitis stepped up – again - and inspired a very aggressive defensive effort. We won’t face a true spread offense (Illinois) for a while, but it looks like we have the talent and the defensive schemes to compete effectively.
• Running Backs. Beannie Wells keeps getting better. But I’m still a little concerned with his tentativeness. Same with Brandon Saine. There’s no reason to hesitate and dance when you have the size, strength and speed these guys possess. They both have all the tools to become extraordinary backs. It might be worthwhile to break out Archie’s game films to show them what it means to run hard.
• The Offensive Line. After hearing the criticism for the past few weeks, the Offensive Line played like they had something to prove. The pushed around a pretty good Washington defense and gave Boeckman something he hasn’t had – time. It’s amazing how good a quarterback can look when he’s not throwing from the reclined position. There’s still significant work to do, but Boone, Barton and company made a nice statement as we head into the Big Ten season.
• Receivers. I continue to be impressed with just about everything Robiskie can do. He’s very polished, due in part I’m sure to his lineage. But it’s obvious that he works hard at the little things. From releases to stems to separation to catching the ball, he’s the complete package. He’s more prepared than any OSU receiver I’ve seen to make the jump to the next level. And he has a nice supporting cast in Hartline and Sanzenbacher. Now that Small appears to be getting healthy, the receiving corps should be one of the best in the Big Ten.
• Favorite Play. My favorite play of the game came from (surprise) a wide receiver. In the 3rd quarter Hartline ran a short route to the sideline and had to reach behind to grab a less than perfectly thrown ball. As he went up for the grab, the defensive back recovered and challenged Hartline for possession. For an instant it looked like the DB might have outwrestled Hartline for the ball. But the replay showed Hartline making a very aggressive play on the ball as he out-physicaled his opponent. That’s how it’s done.
• Special Teams. With a few exceptions, yuk. A couple of kicking miscues early in the game allowed Washington to take a lead into the locker room. In a tighter game, 2 missed field goals could’ve been the difference. But even more troubling was our kickoff coverage. I didn’t see Washington’s final return yardage, but they had several long gains and appeared to be close on one or two to going the distance. Coach Tressel will spend a great deal of time this week on fixing these problems.

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