Jamaal Berry, all world recruit, and the apple of Tressel's eye, committed to Ohio State today according to scout. This is exciting, although we haven't get too much out of our last Florida RB recruit. Maybe he and Carlos Hyde can be a tenacious thunder and lightning combo.
Check out the video.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Ohio State vs. Youngstown St. - First Quarter Analysis
Welcome to South Stands’ first of many post-game, play-by-play analyses. My goal here is to present a wealth of information to my readers, other bloggers, etc., so we can understand the oft-ignored facets of the game. The first layer of football viewing is simple—the ball is snapped, the quarterback drops back and does something with it. The viewer follows the ball to its final resting place. This is fine and good, but there are 22 players on the field every play, and for a team to play at the highest level, all 11 warriors must execute in synergy and with precision. Like a coaching staff in the film room the week after a big win, I’m not going to be nice for the sake of it. A play could turn out well, but you’ll see a few players get docked points in their ‘grade.’
I guess it’s also worth noting that this segment was my primary inspiration for creating South Stands this fall. I’ve seen Brian at mgoblog do something similar for a while now, and it’s about time Buckeye fans have something to gnaw on throughout the week. Hell, maybe I’ll get so good at this that I’ll be able to crank out the whole thing on Sundays (doubtful… I’ve still got a full slate of law classes to deal with here).
Anyone who ends up reading this is very much asked to offer your thoughts, criticisms, ideas, corrections, etc. I’m new at this, and while I think I’m doing a pretty good job, there are obviously always improvements to be made.
Pre-game and Miscellany and Waxing Lyrical
It sends shivers down my spine, pulling off I-71 at E N. Broadway, seeing the hordes of scarlet-clad students, alumni, taxpayers, and fans. Following High St. through the campus which I now visit so sparingly, things change every time. Heading west on Woodruff Ave. down to Ohio Stadium, through the gauntlet of officers, barriers, and jay-walkers. As a die-hard Buckeye fan, Ohio State alumnus, and resident of this part of town for 3 years, I’m beginning to understand the nostalgia my parents experienced and futilely attempted to explain. It’s more than a university; it’s more than a game. The stadium feels bigger every season, and I feel proportionally smaller. Every year, the last weekend in August is the start of a three month era—the happiest time of year for me and those like me. I have yet to start completely crying during ramp, or the pre-game “Carmen Ohio”, but dear lord does that drum cadence send shivers down my spine. That moment officially ends summer for me, and I love it. I can’t imagine being much happier than being in those stands on the first Saturday of football season.
OK enough of that shit; let’s get down to business.
Pre-game observations, etc.
(1) The new team entrance is pretty sweet. The band marches southward down the field in a “Block O” formation, turns it at a 45 degree angle, then opens the top and bottom of the O as the team runs out. Pretty cool effect.
(2) There is a new custom, made-to-order Nike Jersey vendor at the stadium. $75 bucks and you can pick your number and name. Good idea that should have happened years ago. Although any OSU fan worth his salt knows that a #2 jersey has been a top notch investment in the Tressel era.
(3) As expected, YSU looks like a high school team out there. As far as the size of their traveling roster, not to mention the size of the players themselves, it just didn’t look like there was a chance of anyone breaking through the Ohio State trenches. Their punter also shanked a warm-up kick into the stands. Kind of sad really.
And We’re Off—First Quarter
N.B.: ugh, I wrote this all in a Word table and my dumb ass can't make the table fit properly or look normal. Text only it is. Export to HTML just seems too easy. Can anyone help me make this look good?
YSU wins the toss and defers to the 2nd half. Tressel wants the ball.
TIME DOWN, DIST FORMATION YDAGE ANALYSIS
15:00 n/a Kick Return 27 yd
YSU’s Biose kicks off to Brandon Saine (+1), who fields the kick just outside the 10 yard line. He scoots around the left side of the busted wedge (Terry, Spitler, Sabino: +0.5), and makes it upfield to the second level, going down at the OSU 37. Solid return.
14:54 1st & 10 I-Form Right, Twins Left 6 yd
Boeckman makes some sort of pre-snap check, likely a protection audible or switching the run to the weak side. Smith(-1) lead blocks into nothing, but Beanie(+1) cuts it upfield for a nice gain. Rehring(+1) and Boone(+1) clear out the left side, Cordle gets a nice push, but fails to lock up his man. Person (-1) stands in the empty zone, doesn’t get upfield, and ends up barely chipping the Sam backer and Browning’s(-0.5) man who stop the play relatively short.
14:24 2nd & 4 Ace Right H-Back, Twins Left 4 yd
No huddle. Toss right to Beanie, who waits for a hole to form, and then makes one himself for a small gain. Nicol and Browning(+0.5) double team the DE, and Smith, from the H-Back position, gets up on the Sam backer. Too many men, not enough blockers, so CB and SS can make the play.
14:00 1st & 10 I-Form Twin TE, FL Left 1 yd
Pretty transparent playcalling here, but that doesn’t matter much against inferior opponents. YSU sends 9, and Beanie grinds ahead for a few over the RG. Decent lead by Smith, but not enough for points. He needed to leverage the defender out of the hole instead of into the hole.
13:26 2nd & 9 Shotgun 3 WR 4 yd
YSU sends the RLB. Boeckman short drops, looks for Hartline and Robo on slants, doesn’t like it and jets ahead. I’m not sure exactly what he didn’t like, since it looks like Hartline had separation. Nice little gain regardless.
12:48 3rd & 5 Shotgun 5 WR 4 yd
Beanie’s split out wide right. Boeckman (+0.5) hits a 5 yard stop route to Robiskie (+0.5), who makes his cut a bit shallow, and can’t convert. Hard to tell if the ball was short, so I’ll split the blame between them for turning the perfect playcall into a non-conversion.
12:15 4th & 1 I form Twin TE 43 yd ISO left.
Perfect pull by Person(+1), Smith(+1) seals the left side, Boone (+1) cleans up the LB, and the YSU safeties take themselves out of the play. Beanie (+2) runs through Rehring’s(-0.5) man and toasts the entire defense five yards past the LOS. Beanie houses it for six. PAT good, 7-0 OSU.
12:06 n/a Kickoff 11 yd
Pettrey on the KO, Williams fields it at the goal line. Schwartz (+0.5) busts through a blocker and disrupts the return, and Lane (+0.5), Spitler (+0.5), Lukens (+0.5), and Gant (+0.5), clean it up
11:59 1st & 10 Base 4-3 4 yd
Kind of a triple-option look, and Rowan shovel passes to Williams for a nice gain. All 3 LBs are in on the play. Laurinaitis (+0.5) breaks through the pulling OL and slows up the ball carrier, Freeman (+1) makes the play, and Homan (+0.5) is in position to clean up.
11:23 2nd & 6 4-3 Under 4 yd
“Under” meaning WLB Freeman is lined up a yard off the ball, outside the DE. Laurinaitis stunts, and both he and Freeman pull back right before the snap, but Homan comes on the blitz away from the play. YSU runs a hand off to the strong side out of the shotgun, and the OL zone blocks right. Larimore (-1), in position for a TFL, gets knocked over and out of the play by the zone blocking. Russell (+0.5) and Laurinaitis (+0.5) are there to stop the play short of the first down.
10:41 3rd & 2 3-3-5 0 yd
The coaches sub Thad Gibson in for Denlinger. Moeller is in at the NB, replacing Homan. Gibson is going to be filling the role of Gholston at this LEO position. Those who saw the official depth chart no doubt noticed the odd DL configuration: DT/NT/DT/DE. The alignment is like a 3-3-5, with Gibson playing faux-LB, and the DB/LB combo Moeller in at NB. But we’ll call it a 3-3-5 nonetheless. Here, Gibson drops into the flat zone and covers the eventual receiver, who runs a wheel route. Freeman (+0.5) gets pressure on Rowan, driving him into the ground after forcing the throw, which is right on the money. Luckily, Jermale Hines (+2) is there to slug the guy in the teeth, jarring the ball loose. YSU is called for holding, and Tressel wisely declines the penalty.
10:32 4th & 2 Punt Return 4 yd
Hard to see who it is, even on the HD broadcast on a 46” TV, but it’s probably Jenkins (since Chekwa’s on the near-side) who comes off the gunner and gets some rush, and someone comes through the inside and gets some heat on the P. Ray Small (-1) for some reason catches the average-ish 44 yard punt over the shoulder, and runs backward 5 yards before cutting it up for a 4 yard net gain.
10:18 1st & 10 I Form Right Twins Left 3 yd
Boom Herron enters the game. The OL’s mistakes will really start to show, since arm-tacklers are 3x more likely to bring down the svelte Herron compared to Beanie. The rest of the 1st team is still out there. Did Herron actually pass Saine on the depth chart, or is Saine’s hammy convincing Tress to pull back the reigns? Either way, here we have a standard HB dive left. Ballard (-1) fails to lock up his man, who makes the play all the way from the OLB spot. It probably wouldn’t have changed anything since Smith (-1) whiffed on the lead block. Herron has two men meeting him in the hole, and he can’t run through them. See what I was saying? Boone (+0.5) does a good job of letting the outside rushing DE take himself out of it, Rehring (+0.5) doesn’t get much push right in the middle of the hole (possibly leading to Smith’s missed block), but he locks up his man, not allowing him to make a play. Cordle (+0.5) and Person (+0.5) do a good job of sealing up the weak side.
9:42 2nd & 7 Shotgun 3 WR 47 yd
Boeckman (+3) takes a five-step drop, and locks on to Hartline (+2), who is running a fade along the sideline on the short side of the field. With a defender in his face and one coming from the back, Boeckman delivers a strike for a huge gainer. A lot going on in this play, good and bad. First of all, thumbs up to Boeckman for making an outstanding throw, right before he gets up and downed by two defenders. This is the exact sort of situation that had Buckeye fans cringing during the last three games of the 2007 season, but he delivers a perfect ball. This shows the synergy between Boeckman and Hartline. The ball was out of his hand approximately a fifth of a second before he gets drilled, and it doesn’t look like Hartline had created his separation yet. That’s having faith in your receiver, and knowing exactly where he’ll be, and when he’ll be there. Great execution by the skill players. Now the bad. The two DL on the OL’s left side (Boone, Rehring), slant down toward the center, taking that entire side of the line with them. The DT lining up over person wraps around the right side of the DL, while Boone (-2), who had just chipped the DE into Rehring gives a perfect example of an “ole” block… the type of block that effectively is a push toward the QB, since you were so out of position. The ball was approximately two yards out of #17’s hand when he got drilled in the stomach by Boone’s man. Terrible pass protection… set up the pocket, and if your entire side of the line crashes, look for more people to show up instead of going shoulder to shoulder with the LG screaming “ooh ooh I’ll help!” His feet were out of position, and once he saw the DT coming around he couldn’t do anything but hold the guy or watch. On the other side of the line, Bryant Browning (-2) got owned by the outside speed rush. He barely got a hand on him past the initial push. I’m no OL coach, but this mistake also seems to be based in poor footwork. Browning makes the first push without dropping his outside foot. Technique, technique, technique. This was a simple stunt, and we absolutely cannot allow this result with only a four man rush. What happens when USC runs a zone blitz and it’s Maulaluga or Cushing coming in on Boone and Browning. Yikes.
9:11 1st & Goal I-form Left, Twins Right 3 yd
YSU lines up with nine men in the box. There’s a S on Small in the slot, and a CB on Robo flanked out wide. The play is a HB dive left, and Cordle (-0.5) gets no push. Smith (+1) meets his man in the hole for a stalemate, turning his back to the hole, Herron (-0.5) misreads the block, trying to bounce it outside. He makes something out of it though, making for a short gainer.
8:24 2nd & Goal Ace Bunch Left n/a
False start on Browning (-1)
8:24 2nd & Goal Shotgun 3 WR 0 yd
Boeckman (-0.5), under pressure (no blame on the line here… the blitz was heavy and there weren’t enough blockers with the Herron in the flat) hits Small in the feet for an incomplete pass. About time.
8:06 3rd & Goal Shotgun 5 WR 0 yd
Herron is split out wide right. Boeckman (-2) drops, looking for something over the middle, but a dense zone closes any lanes. With nowhere to go, Boeckman rolls, and fails to see a wide open Herron, chucking it into the back of the endzone for an incomplete pass. Not to mention, his target (Hartline) was open, the guy who was nearby (Ballard) was open, he just threw it too high (to Tacopants if you will). This would normally be a one point deduction, but it was a surefire touchdown unless Herron forgot to use his hands to catch the pass. We can’t leave points on the field like this. Field goals won’t cut it when you get 1st & goal.
7:58 4th & Goal Field Goal 29 yd
McQuaid (-1) puts down a low snap, Thoma (+1) gets it down, and Pretorious (+1) knocks it home. 10-0 OSU.
7:54 n/a Kickoff 19 yd Lee fields the Pettrey kick at the 1, and takes it up to the 20 before he gets hammered b Moeller (+0.5) and Nate Oliver (+0.5)
lol BTN 1st & 10 Base 4-3 3 yd
Here the BTN clock busted… no more time to show you for a while.. YSU shows trips right, with Chekwa out wide, a safety (can’t see which) on the middle receiver, and the two OLBs showing blitz presnap. Jenkins is on an island to the short side of the field (and only a yard off the ball! Well I’ll be damned). YSU runs a zone-read ish HB draw type of thing, and Freeman (+1) is right there to make the solo tackle
lol BTN 2nd & 7 3-3-5 0 yd
Here’s that 3-3-5 package again with Thad at the LEO and Moeller over the slot receiver playing NB. We blitz five, and Freeman (+0.5) goes in untouched, slams Rowan to the ground, forcing the incompletion. Gibson (+0.5) and Wilson (+0.5) also there on the play in case Freeman’s heart exploded.
Nope 3rd & 7 3-3-5 -- Delay of game on YSU.
Nope 3rd & 12 3-3-5 0 yd
YSU in the Shotgun 3 wide. Jenkins gets beat off the line on a fade route, and Rowan delivers a strike. The receiver has his hands on it before Jenkins knocks it free. We’ll call this a push for a player of Jenkins’ caliber against a FCS opponent.
Nope 4th & 12 Punt Return 0 yd
YSU’s punt is low and toward the sideline. Small lets it go wisely, and the Bucks take over.
Nope 1st & 10 Shotgun 5 WR 9 yd
HOLY SHIT IT’S PRYOR. Pryor does some sort of check or audible at the line, and it appeared to be kind of tough since the crowd was cheering so raucously. Pryor (+1) delivers a strike to Flash Thomas (+1) on the quick slant, securing the ball and getting hit right after the catch. A pretty damn good first play for both. Very nice overhand delivery for Pyror.
Nope 2nd & 1 Shot-Ginn left 2 yd
First we see of the ol Shot-Ginn (with Ray Small serving as a weak facsimile of Ginn). With Beanie to his right (the short side), Pryor (+0.5) runs the speed option right, keeping it for a short gain and the first down. Shugarts (-1) looked clueless at the play-side tackle spot, and blocked nobody. Move the sticks anyway. Pryor’s that good (ha).
Nope 1st & 10 Strong I Twins Left 2 yd
Pryor (+0.5) drops back, with both RB in the flats, looks downfield, but ultimately checks down to Beanie and smartly dumps it off for a short gain. Four rushers picked up very well by the 2nd team OL.
Nope 2nd & 8 Shotgun 5 WR 14 yd
Pryor (+1) runs the QB draw, showing everyone why he was the #1 recruit in 2008. Making two guys miss, Pryor breaks through the first layer of D toward the sideline, and picks up a big gain. Mike Adams (+1) just demolishes the DE, opening up the play. Thomas (+0.5) makes a solid block which secures the first down. Hartline (+0.5) kept his man on his heels, but if he could have locked down his man, Pryor might still be running.
Nope 1st & 10 I-form left twins right -1 yd
HB dive to Saine. YSU lines up with 6 men on the LOS, plus a LB four yards back and then they send a Safety. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, but we should be able to neglect one player away from the play, and then if Saine can break through one tackler, there’s really no one else back.This could have been a huge play if executed properly. Let’s take a closer look. Adams (-1) tries to block two guys, but blocks neither of them. Nicol (+0.5) aptly forces his man (the blitzing safety) to the outside. Moses (-1) goes to the 2nd level and checks out the tail in the 2nd row. Brewster (+0.5) held his ground and locked up his man well. Miller (-1) follows Moses’ lead. Shugarts at least blocked, so he gets a push.
I have no idea 2nd & 11 Shotgun 3 WR 14 yd
Pryor (+0.5) takes a three-step drop and delivers a bit of a high ball to Nicol (+1) who makes a great catch on a hook route and picks up some YACs for the first down. Remember Coach, you have tight ends who are pretty good!
This is getting tiring 1st & 10 Shotgun 3 WR 6 yd
Pryor and Saine (+1) run a speed option left. Pryor aptly pitches out, and Saine fights for a good five extra yards after contact.
Nope 2nd & 4 Shotgun 3 WR 14 yd
Speed option right with Pryor and Saine. Pryor forced into the pitch, and Saine (+2) has some running room. He makes two arm-tacklers miss, and tip toes up the sideline for extra yardage. Great downfied blocking by Nicol (+1), Small (+1). Great effort by Saine.
2:17 (ooh now we get to see the stadium clock!) 1st & Goal I-Form Twin TE 1 yd
This is Saine’s (-2). Moses pulls to the left on the HB trap, and has no one to block. When the pulling guard just starts running upfield, just ride his ass into the endzone. Saine instead runs up Moses’ back for a negligible gain. Extra point deducted for leaving points on the field.
1:38 2nd & Goal Shotgun 5 WR -4 yd
QB draw for Pryor (-1) with five blockers. YSU lines up in the 4-3. Obviously an audible would have been ideal; there’s no way he can run this in. Regardless, he runs the play, tries to scamper around the corner and gets stuffed for a loss. The beauty of this playcall is that it’s so obviously a QB draw, but if you stack to defend it, there are five wides out there and Pryor can hot route to any of them and can likely score a TD. Too bad really; having Pryor score on his first drive, in the first quarter of the first game, through the air. Would have been a magical moment.
0:55 3rd & Goal Shotgun 5 WR -6 yd
YSU sends 6 against our 5, but they only really needed the two going at our left side. Miller (-1) , after chipping off Brewster’s man got absolutely toasted by the blitzing Frasure, who picked up the sack. Adams (-1) kind of got unlucky. He had position to keep his man out of the pocket, but the pocket flowed in his direction once the blitz came from the other side, and there was nothing to be done. Hard to see with the narrow framing whether Pryor had a man, but at this point, I’m sure the coaches are giving him one, two, maaaaybe 3 reads on each play. At that point, just run somewhere. This play lasted about 4 seconds; that’s not enough time to check through five receivers.
0:12 4th & Goal Field Goal 32 yd
Good snap and hold. Pretorious (+1) knocks it through.
I guess it’s also worth noting that this segment was my primary inspiration for creating South Stands this fall. I’ve seen Brian at mgoblog do something similar for a while now, and it’s about time Buckeye fans have something to gnaw on throughout the week. Hell, maybe I’ll get so good at this that I’ll be able to crank out the whole thing on Sundays (doubtful… I’ve still got a full slate of law classes to deal with here).
Anyone who ends up reading this is very much asked to offer your thoughts, criticisms, ideas, corrections, etc. I’m new at this, and while I think I’m doing a pretty good job, there are obviously always improvements to be made.
Pre-game and Miscellany and Waxing Lyrical
It sends shivers down my spine, pulling off I-71 at E N. Broadway, seeing the hordes of scarlet-clad students, alumni, taxpayers, and fans. Following High St. through the campus which I now visit so sparingly, things change every time. Heading west on Woodruff Ave. down to Ohio Stadium, through the gauntlet of officers, barriers, and jay-walkers. As a die-hard Buckeye fan, Ohio State alumnus, and resident of this part of town for 3 years, I’m beginning to understand the nostalgia my parents experienced and futilely attempted to explain. It’s more than a university; it’s more than a game. The stadium feels bigger every season, and I feel proportionally smaller. Every year, the last weekend in August is the start of a three month era—the happiest time of year for me and those like me. I have yet to start completely crying during ramp, or the pre-game “Carmen Ohio”, but dear lord does that drum cadence send shivers down my spine. That moment officially ends summer for me, and I love it. I can’t imagine being much happier than being in those stands on the first Saturday of football season.
OK enough of that shit; let’s get down to business.
Pre-game observations, etc.
(1) The new team entrance is pretty sweet. The band marches southward down the field in a “Block O” formation, turns it at a 45 degree angle, then opens the top and bottom of the O as the team runs out. Pretty cool effect.
(2) There is a new custom, made-to-order Nike Jersey vendor at the stadium. $75 bucks and you can pick your number and name. Good idea that should have happened years ago. Although any OSU fan worth his salt knows that a #2 jersey has been a top notch investment in the Tressel era.
(3) As expected, YSU looks like a high school team out there. As far as the size of their traveling roster, not to mention the size of the players themselves, it just didn’t look like there was a chance of anyone breaking through the Ohio State trenches. Their punter also shanked a warm-up kick into the stands. Kind of sad really.
And We’re Off—First Quarter
N.B.: ugh, I wrote this all in a Word table and my dumb ass can't make the table fit properly or look normal. Text only it is. Export to HTML just seems too easy. Can anyone help me make this look good?
YSU wins the toss and defers to the 2nd half. Tressel wants the ball.
TIME DOWN, DIST FORMATION YDAGE ANALYSIS
15:00 n/a Kick Return 27 yd
YSU’s Biose kicks off to Brandon Saine (+1), who fields the kick just outside the 10 yard line. He scoots around the left side of the busted wedge (Terry, Spitler, Sabino: +0.5), and makes it upfield to the second level, going down at the OSU 37. Solid return.
14:54 1st & 10 I-Form Right, Twins Left 6 yd
Boeckman makes some sort of pre-snap check, likely a protection audible or switching the run to the weak side. Smith(-1) lead blocks into nothing, but Beanie(+1) cuts it upfield for a nice gain. Rehring(+1) and Boone(+1) clear out the left side, Cordle gets a nice push, but fails to lock up his man. Person (-1) stands in the empty zone, doesn’t get upfield, and ends up barely chipping the Sam backer and Browning’s(-0.5) man who stop the play relatively short.
14:24 2nd & 4 Ace Right H-Back, Twins Left 4 yd
No huddle. Toss right to Beanie, who waits for a hole to form, and then makes one himself for a small gain. Nicol and Browning(+0.5) double team the DE, and Smith, from the H-Back position, gets up on the Sam backer. Too many men, not enough blockers, so CB and SS can make the play.
14:00 1st & 10 I-Form Twin TE, FL Left 1 yd
Pretty transparent playcalling here, but that doesn’t matter much against inferior opponents. YSU sends 9, and Beanie grinds ahead for a few over the RG. Decent lead by Smith, but not enough for points. He needed to leverage the defender out of the hole instead of into the hole.
13:26 2nd & 9 Shotgun 3 WR 4 yd
YSU sends the RLB. Boeckman short drops, looks for Hartline and Robo on slants, doesn’t like it and jets ahead. I’m not sure exactly what he didn’t like, since it looks like Hartline had separation. Nice little gain regardless.
12:48 3rd & 5 Shotgun 5 WR 4 yd
Beanie’s split out wide right. Boeckman (+0.5) hits a 5 yard stop route to Robiskie (+0.5), who makes his cut a bit shallow, and can’t convert. Hard to tell if the ball was short, so I’ll split the blame between them for turning the perfect playcall into a non-conversion.
12:15 4th & 1 I form Twin TE 43 yd ISO left.
Perfect pull by Person(+1), Smith(+1) seals the left side, Boone (+1) cleans up the LB, and the YSU safeties take themselves out of the play. Beanie (+2) runs through Rehring’s(-0.5) man and toasts the entire defense five yards past the LOS. Beanie houses it for six. PAT good, 7-0 OSU.
12:06 n/a Kickoff 11 yd
Pettrey on the KO, Williams fields it at the goal line. Schwartz (+0.5) busts through a blocker and disrupts the return, and Lane (+0.5), Spitler (+0.5), Lukens (+0.5), and Gant (+0.5), clean it up
11:59 1st & 10 Base 4-3 4 yd
Kind of a triple-option look, and Rowan shovel passes to Williams for a nice gain. All 3 LBs are in on the play. Laurinaitis (+0.5) breaks through the pulling OL and slows up the ball carrier, Freeman (+1) makes the play, and Homan (+0.5) is in position to clean up.
11:23 2nd & 6 4-3 Under 4 yd
“Under” meaning WLB Freeman is lined up a yard off the ball, outside the DE. Laurinaitis stunts, and both he and Freeman pull back right before the snap, but Homan comes on the blitz away from the play. YSU runs a hand off to the strong side out of the shotgun, and the OL zone blocks right. Larimore (-1), in position for a TFL, gets knocked over and out of the play by the zone blocking. Russell (+0.5) and Laurinaitis (+0.5) are there to stop the play short of the first down.
10:41 3rd & 2 3-3-5 0 yd
The coaches sub Thad Gibson in for Denlinger. Moeller is in at the NB, replacing Homan. Gibson is going to be filling the role of Gholston at this LEO position. Those who saw the official depth chart no doubt noticed the odd DL configuration: DT/NT/DT/DE. The alignment is like a 3-3-5, with Gibson playing faux-LB, and the DB/LB combo Moeller in at NB. But we’ll call it a 3-3-5 nonetheless. Here, Gibson drops into the flat zone and covers the eventual receiver, who runs a wheel route. Freeman (+0.5) gets pressure on Rowan, driving him into the ground after forcing the throw, which is right on the money. Luckily, Jermale Hines (+2) is there to slug the guy in the teeth, jarring the ball loose. YSU is called for holding, and Tressel wisely declines the penalty.
10:32 4th & 2 Punt Return 4 yd
Hard to see who it is, even on the HD broadcast on a 46” TV, but it’s probably Jenkins (since Chekwa’s on the near-side) who comes off the gunner and gets some rush, and someone comes through the inside and gets some heat on the P. Ray Small (-1) for some reason catches the average-ish 44 yard punt over the shoulder, and runs backward 5 yards before cutting it up for a 4 yard net gain.
10:18 1st & 10 I Form Right Twins Left 3 yd
Boom Herron enters the game. The OL’s mistakes will really start to show, since arm-tacklers are 3x more likely to bring down the svelte Herron compared to Beanie. The rest of the 1st team is still out there. Did Herron actually pass Saine on the depth chart, or is Saine’s hammy convincing Tress to pull back the reigns? Either way, here we have a standard HB dive left. Ballard (-1) fails to lock up his man, who makes the play all the way from the OLB spot. It probably wouldn’t have changed anything since Smith (-1) whiffed on the lead block. Herron has two men meeting him in the hole, and he can’t run through them. See what I was saying? Boone (+0.5) does a good job of letting the outside rushing DE take himself out of it, Rehring (+0.5) doesn’t get much push right in the middle of the hole (possibly leading to Smith’s missed block), but he locks up his man, not allowing him to make a play. Cordle (+0.5) and Person (+0.5) do a good job of sealing up the weak side.
9:42 2nd & 7 Shotgun 3 WR 47 yd
Boeckman (+3) takes a five-step drop, and locks on to Hartline (+2), who is running a fade along the sideline on the short side of the field. With a defender in his face and one coming from the back, Boeckman delivers a strike for a huge gainer. A lot going on in this play, good and bad. First of all, thumbs up to Boeckman for making an outstanding throw, right before he gets up and downed by two defenders. This is the exact sort of situation that had Buckeye fans cringing during the last three games of the 2007 season, but he delivers a perfect ball. This shows the synergy between Boeckman and Hartline. The ball was out of his hand approximately a fifth of a second before he gets drilled, and it doesn’t look like Hartline had created his separation yet. That’s having faith in your receiver, and knowing exactly where he’ll be, and when he’ll be there. Great execution by the skill players. Now the bad. The two DL on the OL’s left side (Boone, Rehring), slant down toward the center, taking that entire side of the line with them. The DT lining up over person wraps around the right side of the DL, while Boone (-2), who had just chipped the DE into Rehring gives a perfect example of an “ole” block… the type of block that effectively is a push toward the QB, since you were so out of position. The ball was approximately two yards out of #17’s hand when he got drilled in the stomach by Boone’s man. Terrible pass protection… set up the pocket, and if your entire side of the line crashes, look for more people to show up instead of going shoulder to shoulder with the LG screaming “ooh ooh I’ll help!” His feet were out of position, and once he saw the DT coming around he couldn’t do anything but hold the guy or watch. On the other side of the line, Bryant Browning (-2) got owned by the outside speed rush. He barely got a hand on him past the initial push. I’m no OL coach, but this mistake also seems to be based in poor footwork. Browning makes the first push without dropping his outside foot. Technique, technique, technique. This was a simple stunt, and we absolutely cannot allow this result with only a four man rush. What happens when USC runs a zone blitz and it’s Maulaluga or Cushing coming in on Boone and Browning. Yikes.
9:11 1st & Goal I-form Left, Twins Right 3 yd
YSU lines up with nine men in the box. There’s a S on Small in the slot, and a CB on Robo flanked out wide. The play is a HB dive left, and Cordle (-0.5) gets no push. Smith (+1) meets his man in the hole for a stalemate, turning his back to the hole, Herron (-0.5) misreads the block, trying to bounce it outside. He makes something out of it though, making for a short gainer.
8:24 2nd & Goal Ace Bunch Left n/a
False start on Browning (-1)
8:24 2nd & Goal Shotgun 3 WR 0 yd
Boeckman (-0.5), under pressure (no blame on the line here… the blitz was heavy and there weren’t enough blockers with the Herron in the flat) hits Small in the feet for an incomplete pass. About time.
8:06 3rd & Goal Shotgun 5 WR 0 yd
Herron is split out wide right. Boeckman (-2) drops, looking for something over the middle, but a dense zone closes any lanes. With nowhere to go, Boeckman rolls, and fails to see a wide open Herron, chucking it into the back of the endzone for an incomplete pass. Not to mention, his target (Hartline) was open, the guy who was nearby (Ballard) was open, he just threw it too high (to Tacopants if you will). This would normally be a one point deduction, but it was a surefire touchdown unless Herron forgot to use his hands to catch the pass. We can’t leave points on the field like this. Field goals won’t cut it when you get 1st & goal.
7:58 4th & Goal Field Goal 29 yd
McQuaid (-1) puts down a low snap, Thoma (+1) gets it down, and Pretorious (+1) knocks it home. 10-0 OSU.
7:54 n/a Kickoff 19 yd Lee fields the Pettrey kick at the 1, and takes it up to the 20 before he gets hammered b Moeller (+0.5) and Nate Oliver (+0.5)
lol BTN 1st & 10 Base 4-3 3 yd
Here the BTN clock busted… no more time to show you for a while.. YSU shows trips right, with Chekwa out wide, a safety (can’t see which) on the middle receiver, and the two OLBs showing blitz presnap. Jenkins is on an island to the short side of the field (and only a yard off the ball! Well I’ll be damned). YSU runs a zone-read ish HB draw type of thing, and Freeman (+1) is right there to make the solo tackle
lol BTN 2nd & 7 3-3-5 0 yd
Here’s that 3-3-5 package again with Thad at the LEO and Moeller over the slot receiver playing NB. We blitz five, and Freeman (+0.5) goes in untouched, slams Rowan to the ground, forcing the incompletion. Gibson (+0.5) and Wilson (+0.5) also there on the play in case Freeman’s heart exploded.
Nope 3rd & 7 3-3-5 -- Delay of game on YSU.
Nope 3rd & 12 3-3-5 0 yd
YSU in the Shotgun 3 wide. Jenkins gets beat off the line on a fade route, and Rowan delivers a strike. The receiver has his hands on it before Jenkins knocks it free. We’ll call this a push for a player of Jenkins’ caliber against a FCS opponent.
Nope 4th & 12 Punt Return 0 yd
YSU’s punt is low and toward the sideline. Small lets it go wisely, and the Bucks take over.
Nope 1st & 10 Shotgun 5 WR 9 yd
HOLY SHIT IT’S PRYOR. Pryor does some sort of check or audible at the line, and it appeared to be kind of tough since the crowd was cheering so raucously. Pryor (+1) delivers a strike to Flash Thomas (+1) on the quick slant, securing the ball and getting hit right after the catch. A pretty damn good first play for both. Very nice overhand delivery for Pyror.
Nope 2nd & 1 Shot-Ginn left 2 yd
First we see of the ol Shot-Ginn (with Ray Small serving as a weak facsimile of Ginn). With Beanie to his right (the short side), Pryor (+0.5) runs the speed option right, keeping it for a short gain and the first down. Shugarts (-1) looked clueless at the play-side tackle spot, and blocked nobody. Move the sticks anyway. Pryor’s that good (ha).
Nope 1st & 10 Strong I Twins Left 2 yd
Pryor (+0.5) drops back, with both RB in the flats, looks downfield, but ultimately checks down to Beanie and smartly dumps it off for a short gain. Four rushers picked up very well by the 2nd team OL.
Nope 2nd & 8 Shotgun 5 WR 14 yd
Pryor (+1) runs the QB draw, showing everyone why he was the #1 recruit in 2008. Making two guys miss, Pryor breaks through the first layer of D toward the sideline, and picks up a big gain. Mike Adams (+1) just demolishes the DE, opening up the play. Thomas (+0.5) makes a solid block which secures the first down. Hartline (+0.5) kept his man on his heels, but if he could have locked down his man, Pryor might still be running.
Nope 1st & 10 I-form left twins right -1 yd
HB dive to Saine. YSU lines up with 6 men on the LOS, plus a LB four yards back and then they send a Safety. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, but we should be able to neglect one player away from the play, and then if Saine can break through one tackler, there’s really no one else back.This could have been a huge play if executed properly. Let’s take a closer look. Adams (-1) tries to block two guys, but blocks neither of them. Nicol (+0.5) aptly forces his man (the blitzing safety) to the outside. Moses (-1) goes to the 2nd level and checks out the tail in the 2nd row. Brewster (+0.5) held his ground and locked up his man well. Miller (-1) follows Moses’ lead. Shugarts at least blocked, so he gets a push.
I have no idea 2nd & 11 Shotgun 3 WR 14 yd
Pryor (+0.5) takes a three-step drop and delivers a bit of a high ball to Nicol (+1) who makes a great catch on a hook route and picks up some YACs for the first down. Remember Coach, you have tight ends who are pretty good!
This is getting tiring 1st & 10 Shotgun 3 WR 6 yd
Pryor and Saine (+1) run a speed option left. Pryor aptly pitches out, and Saine fights for a good five extra yards after contact.
Nope 2nd & 4 Shotgun 3 WR 14 yd
Speed option right with Pryor and Saine. Pryor forced into the pitch, and Saine (+2) has some running room. He makes two arm-tacklers miss, and tip toes up the sideline for extra yardage. Great downfied blocking by Nicol (+1), Small (+1). Great effort by Saine.
2:17 (ooh now we get to see the stadium clock!) 1st & Goal I-Form Twin TE 1 yd
This is Saine’s (-2). Moses pulls to the left on the HB trap, and has no one to block. When the pulling guard just starts running upfield, just ride his ass into the endzone. Saine instead runs up Moses’ back for a negligible gain. Extra point deducted for leaving points on the field.
1:38 2nd & Goal Shotgun 5 WR -4 yd
QB draw for Pryor (-1) with five blockers. YSU lines up in the 4-3. Obviously an audible would have been ideal; there’s no way he can run this in. Regardless, he runs the play, tries to scamper around the corner and gets stuffed for a loss. The beauty of this playcall is that it’s so obviously a QB draw, but if you stack to defend it, there are five wides out there and Pryor can hot route to any of them and can likely score a TD. Too bad really; having Pryor score on his first drive, in the first quarter of the first game, through the air. Would have been a magical moment.
0:55 3rd & Goal Shotgun 5 WR -6 yd
YSU sends 6 against our 5, but they only really needed the two going at our left side. Miller (-1) , after chipping off Brewster’s man got absolutely toasted by the blitzing Frasure, who picked up the sack. Adams (-1) kind of got unlucky. He had position to keep his man out of the pocket, but the pocket flowed in his direction once the blitz came from the other side, and there was nothing to be done. Hard to see with the narrow framing whether Pryor had a man, but at this point, I’m sure the coaches are giving him one, two, maaaaybe 3 reads on each play. At that point, just run somewhere. This play lasted about 4 seconds; that’s not enough time to check through five receivers.
0:12 4th & Goal Field Goal 32 yd
Good snap and hold. Pretorious (+1) knocks it through.
Ohio State - 43; Youngstown State - 0
Firstly, I must apologize for the gap in posting. Classes started last week, and I've been quite busy.Excuses aside, I was in attendance, sitting on the aisle in 22A, to witness the 2008 opener. I already had the outlines of a pre-season preview for the Bucks done, but that would be kind of silly to post at this point, so I've decided (and begun) to do a detailed game analysis, grading out every player who set foot on the field. This will take a while, so I'm going to try to crank out one quarter per day.
As far as Beanie goes, MotS&G thinks it's turf toe, and Dti allegedly has the inside scoop. I'm going to reserve judgment until an actual diagnosis is publicized; however, I can say that this sucks ass. Strategically, I'd almost rather see Beanie blow something out and not touch the field this year, presuming he wouldn't go to the NFL. If it's turf toe, or something nagging, we will have a gimpy starting RB who will not give up the job, and unless Tressel can tactfully spread the ball (I wonder who can pick up the slack?), limiting Beanie to 12-15 touches, we could send out Wells in a body-bag by the end of the season. Turf toe can be terrible, nagging, and not go away for months or years if not allowed to heal properly. We Buckeye fans have seen what two years of turf toe can do to a RB's productivity, hesitancy, and ability to go all out every play.
One final thing: color me surprised that Tressel isn't taking more heat for having Beanie on the field against a FCS opponent, well into the 3rd quarter, up 26-0. I'm not going to crucify him for it, but let's just say, if you gamble, you sometimes lose.
OSU v. YSU 1Q analysis coming up.
(Beanie screencap stolen from 11W)
Saturday, August 16, 2008
AP Poll Released; Bucks #2
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3538355
Others Receiving VotesSouth Carolina 84, Fresno State 83, California 59, Utah 53, Cincinnati 44, Florida State 41, Michigan 36, Boston College 32, Rutgers 32, Michigan State 21, Boise State 17, Arkansas 14, North Carolina 14, Connecticut 10, Tulsa 7, UCLA 6, Oregon State 5, Mississippi State 4, Virginia 4, Arizona 3, Nebraska 2, Notre Dame 2, Hawaii 1, Washington 1.
Notes:
| 1. | Georgia (22) | 0-0 | 1528 | 2 |
| 2. | Ohio State (21) | 0-0 | 1506 | 5 |
| 3. | USC (12) | 0-0 | 1490 | 3 |
| 4. | Oklahoma (4) | 0-0 | 1444 | 8 |
| 5. | Florida (6) | 0-0 | 1415 | 13 |
| 6. | Missouri | 0-0 | 1266 | 4 |
| 7. | LSU | 0-0 | 1135 | 1 |
| 8. | West Virginia | 0-0 | 1116 | 21 |
| 9. | Clemson | 0-0 | 1105 | 6 |
| 10. | Auburn | 0-0 | 968 | 10 |
| 11. | Texas | 0-0 | 966 | 15 |
| 12. | Texas Tech | 0-0 | 786 | 22 |
| 13. | Wisconsin | 0-0 | 771 | 24 |
| 14. | Kansas | 0-0 | 707 | 7 |
| 15. | Arizona State | 0-0 | 631 | 16 |
| 16. | Brigham Young | 0-0 | 590 | 14 |
| 17. | Virginia Tech | 0-0 | 578 | 9 |
| 18. | Tennessee | 0-0 | 509 | 12 |
| 19. | South Florida | 0-0 | 496 | NR |
| 20. | Illinois | 0-0 | 483 | 20 |
| 21. | Oregon | 0-0 | 366 | 23 |
| 22. | Penn State | 0-0 | 293 | NR |
| 23. | Wake Forest | 0-0 | 227 | NR |
| 24. | Alabama | 0-0 | 89 | NR |
| 25. | Pittsburgh | 0-0 | 85 | NR |
Others Receiving Votes
Notes:
- This is the first time in history that Georgia has been ranked #1 by the AP in the preseason.
- The top 5 seems relatively interchangeable at this point if you look at the raw points. Taking Florida's 1415 as the baseline, our top five is:
- Georgia - 113
- Ohio State - 91
- USC - 75
- Oklahoma - 29
- Florida - 0
- Conference "Rankings": (1) SEC--6 teams, 10.83 avg; (2) Big 12--5 teams, 9.4 avg; (3) Big Ten--4 teams, 14.25 avg; (4) Pac 10--3 teams, 13 avg; (5) ACC--3 teams, 16.3 avg; (6) Big East--3 teams, 17.3 avg; (7) MWC--1 team, 16 avg.
- The Maize & Blue failed to crack the top 25 in the pre-season AP poll for the first time since 1985. Good lawdy. In fact, the lowest Michigan has been ranked since 1985 was 14th. It's going to be an interesting season.
- The Big Ten makes a decent showing in the minds of the press. Illinois and Penn State are in good positions to make a run at the top 10 as the season progresses. Obviously Illinois' early tilt versus #6 Missouri will tell set the tone for the Fighting Illini, while Penn State gets to coast early (with only a moderate challenge versus Oregon State at home). It's a five game season for the Nittany Lions: (9/27 - Illinois; 10/4 - @ Purdue; 10/11 - @ Wisconsin; 10/18 - Michigan; 10/25 - @ Ohio State). Good luck, JoePa. Three wins through that five game stretch would have to be considered a success.
- Big Deltas: West Virginia (+13); Wisconsin (+11); Texas Tech (+10); Florida (+8); Kansas (-7... not far enough IMO); Virginia Tech (-8)
- As Pfef @ AtO reminds us, the AP really doesn't matter. But it's still August... what else is there to talk about? The BlogPoll criteria?
Friday, August 15, 2008
Hairstyles
In a ploy to shear Mike Brewster's wavy locks (scout), OL upperclassmen Alex Boone and Jim Cordle made poor decisions.
(OHD)
Plain Dealer via 11W
Nice one, guys... I guess. I prefer a different approach to hair hijinks myself. Show some dedication; we're not impressed by whimsy.
(OHD)
Plain Dealer via 11W
Nice one, guys... I guess. I prefer a different approach to hair hijinks myself. Show some dedication; we're not impressed by whimsy.
Robiskie Injured; Penguins Rejoice
1460 The Fan and Doug Lesmerises's blog at the Plain Dealer are reporting that Brian Robiskie suffered a separated shoulder today. Apparently it wasn't too bad, and it was popped back in on-site. He walked off the field with his arm in a sling. Robo is expected to miss the August 30th tilt with Youngstown State, and to be back week two.
This isn't very good, but it's not very bad. Of course we'd like to see Robo get as many reps as possible heading into the USC game, especially since he missed spring practice recovering from knee surgery. However, as fans and mere observers of the team, this will give us a sneak peak into the abyss of the depth chart at WR. Commentators agree that one of the biggest question marks for this team early is whether Ray Small will be that world-class sicko that Ted Ginn Sr. said we were getting, and if not, who was going to fill in that #3 receiver role.
My prediction: this injury will give DeVier Posey the chance to open some eyes a lot earlier than anyone could have thought.
This isn't very good, but it's not very bad. Of course we'd like to see Robo get as many reps as possible heading into the USC game, especially since he missed spring practice recovering from knee surgery. However, as fans and mere observers of the team, this will give us a sneak peak into the abyss of the depth chart at WR. Commentators agree that one of the biggest question marks for this team early is whether Ray Small will be that world-class sicko that Ted Ginn Sr. said we were getting, and if not, who was going to fill in that #3 receiver role.
My prediction: this injury will give DeVier Posey the chance to open some eyes a lot earlier than anyone could have thought.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Trackback
As a young man with plenty of experience with computers (and several computer science/programming classes under his belt), I'm quite ashamed to admit that executing a proper trackback is absolutely confounding me. Can anyone help?
Edit: Apparently blogger is goofy, and it uses something called backlinking, which is similar, but not really the same. Whatever, I turned it on, and I'm done trying.
Edit: Apparently blogger is goofy, and it uses something called backlinking, which is similar, but not really the same. Whatever, I turned it on, and I'm done trying.
First Order of Business
Here, I pay homage to the blogs that I read and have read for years now--my inspiration so to speak. These writers are great for different reasons, but in my humblest of opinions, they all deserve a spot in your RSS reader.
Ohio State Blogs
Our Honor Defend - I missed the boat on OHD's genesis, but holy shit do these guys (this guy?) do(es?) good work. Between their Better Know a Buckeye segment, which is probably the single greatest individual feature anywhere in the OSU canon (not just blogs, but everything... Dispatch and BSB be damned), and the Bucknut Youtube Explosion (55 videos and counting!!!), OHD wouldn't have to do anything else to remain a staple in my OSU blog rotation. The good news is, there's other material to read! P.S.: If you haven't read the BKAB on Terrelle Pryor, take 13 hours and read it. It's fantastic.
Around the Oval - Another one of my favorites, AtO offers thoughtful and solid analysis. Take their recent analysis of how OSU gets penalized as a prime example. As a former English Lit major and a current law student, I love when writers can compose lengthy diatribes that remain incisive, relevant, intelligently conceived, and most of all, entertaining. AtO is very readworthy.
Eleven Warriors - An all-around solid blog. 11W would play SS on the OSU blogosphere drunken softball team. As mentioned in the first post, I like to appreciate blogs for their strengths, and combine a dozen or more different sources into one uber-feed. 11W transcends categorization; it is just solid. News, commentary, analysis, discussion of other blog pieces, videos, and light humor. If you told me I could only read one OSU blog, it would probably have to be 11W; the breadth and depth of coverage is admirable to say the least. Not to mention, they probably have my favorite name of any OSU blog. P.S.: More youtube!
Buckeye Commentary - I'm not positive about this, but I believe BC is the first OSU blog I ever read. It seems like yesterday I was downloading Keith's 'Play of the Week' videos on Quicktime. (See: Robo's circus catch @ Minnesota in '07). Obviously, there's a youtube channel. I think it was the 2005 or 2006 season when I first saw these videos, and spending the time and effort capturing, ripping, encoding, and uploading those videos made me so happy.
Dotting the 'i' - Dotting the 'i' is one of those blogs that seems standard at first glance, but reaches into the darker corners of OSU athletics to find material generally untouched by the aforementioned blogs. DTI is keeping up with Othello Hunter, (apparently) allowed to attend Media Day, keeping track of Bucks in Beijing, and comprehends the value of reminisence.
Men of the Scarlet and Gray - The goal here is to bring the lols. Yeah, there's the standard news coverage, but MotSaG is more a 'personal' blog than strict, stuffy football. There are photoshops. Other sports and teams are covered as well!
Blogging the Buckeyes - From Ken Gordon and Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch, there is a good bit of meat posted to this blog. It's worth reading; the licensed member of the press has a unique perspective; however, it ranks below all of the fan blogs in my book. You can just tell you're reading the writing of older men, and that their motivations are more focused on getting a story than a more "pure" love of the game. Yeah, I know that makes no sense, but it's the feeling I get and I don't care.
Hoops & Scoops: an OSU Basketball Blog - Yeah, I'm mostly going to be posting about football here, but I'm still a basketball fan. I actually made it to the JV level before I quit in 10th grade! The Columbus Dispatch's Bob Baptist runs this blog, which I first noticed a few months ago. Considering the frequency of updates in the offseason, I'm looking forward to the in-season material.
Other College Football Blogs
Every Day Should Be Saturday - Widely considered to be the best.
ESPN Blog Network - Big Ten - Adam Rittenberg over at ESPN handles the Big Ten blogging duties. A one stop shop to keep up with the rest of the conference. Highly recommended.
mgoblog - Know thine enemy. The capstone of the maize & blue blog canon, mgoblog is everything that a blog should be. Even though their color scheme is hideous and terrible, no one needs to know. Use Google Reader for God's sake. Home of the BlogPoll in which I am far too tardy and unqualified to participate.
Varsity Blue - Another UM blog. Enough said. Their team-by-team Big Ten previews and conference-wide recruiting updates are worth reading.
Black Shoe Diaries - The only Penn State blog in my wheel house.
Black Heart Gold Pants - The only Iowa blog in my wheel house. Lots of comedy. See the latest J Leman saves the world series.
This is all I've got. Obviously, I like to read about this sort of crap, so if there's something that I'm not reading that I should be, let me know! Obviously I focus on Big Ten team-specific blogs and national blogs, but I'm open to anything! Especially now that I'm a contributor in the blogosphere, I am very willing to learn from some of the best
Cheers!
Ohio State Blogs
Our Honor Defend - I missed the boat on OHD's genesis, but holy shit do these guys (this guy?) do(es?) good work. Between their Better Know a Buckeye segment, which is probably the single greatest individual feature anywhere in the OSU canon (not just blogs, but everything... Dispatch and BSB be damned), and the Bucknut Youtube Explosion (55 videos and counting!!!), OHD wouldn't have to do anything else to remain a staple in my OSU blog rotation. The good news is, there's other material to read! P.S.: If you haven't read the BKAB on Terrelle Pryor, take 13 hours and read it. It's fantastic.
Around the Oval - Another one of my favorites, AtO offers thoughtful and solid analysis. Take their recent analysis of how OSU gets penalized as a prime example. As a former English Lit major and a current law student, I love when writers can compose lengthy diatribes that remain incisive, relevant, intelligently conceived, and most of all, entertaining. AtO is very readworthy.
Eleven Warriors - An all-around solid blog. 11W would play SS on the OSU blogosphere drunken softball team. As mentioned in the first post, I like to appreciate blogs for their strengths, and combine a dozen or more different sources into one uber-feed. 11W transcends categorization; it is just solid. News, commentary, analysis, discussion of other blog pieces, videos, and light humor. If you told me I could only read one OSU blog, it would probably have to be 11W; the breadth and depth of coverage is admirable to say the least. Not to mention, they probably have my favorite name of any OSU blog. P.S.: More youtube!
Buckeye Commentary - I'm not positive about this, but I believe BC is the first OSU blog I ever read. It seems like yesterday I was downloading Keith's 'Play of the Week' videos on Quicktime. (See: Robo's circus catch @ Minnesota in '07). Obviously, there's a youtube channel. I think it was the 2005 or 2006 season when I first saw these videos, and spending the time and effort capturing, ripping, encoding, and uploading those videos made me so happy.
Dotting the 'i' - Dotting the 'i' is one of those blogs that seems standard at first glance, but reaches into the darker corners of OSU athletics to find material generally untouched by the aforementioned blogs. DTI is keeping up with Othello Hunter, (apparently) allowed to attend Media Day, keeping track of Bucks in Beijing, and comprehends the value of reminisence.
Men of the Scarlet and Gray - The goal here is to bring the lols. Yeah, there's the standard news coverage, but MotSaG is more a 'personal' blog than strict, stuffy football. There are photoshops. Other sports and teams are covered as well!
Blogging the Buckeyes - From Ken Gordon and Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch, there is a good bit of meat posted to this blog. It's worth reading; the licensed member of the press has a unique perspective; however, it ranks below all of the fan blogs in my book. You can just tell you're reading the writing of older men, and that their motivations are more focused on getting a story than a more "pure" love of the game. Yeah, I know that makes no sense, but it's the feeling I get and I don't care.
Hoops & Scoops: an OSU Basketball Blog - Yeah, I'm mostly going to be posting about football here, but I'm still a basketball fan. I actually made it to the JV level before I quit in 10th grade! The Columbus Dispatch's Bob Baptist runs this blog, which I first noticed a few months ago. Considering the frequency of updates in the offseason, I'm looking forward to the in-season material.
Other College Football Blogs
Every Day Should Be Saturday - Widely considered to be the best.
ESPN Blog Network - Big Ten - Adam Rittenberg over at ESPN handles the Big Ten blogging duties. A one stop shop to keep up with the rest of the conference. Highly recommended.
mgoblog - Know thine enemy. The capstone of the maize & blue blog canon, mgoblog is everything that a blog should be. Even though their color scheme is hideous and terrible, no one needs to know. Use Google Reader for God's sake. Home of the BlogPoll in which I am far too tardy and unqualified to participate.
Varsity Blue - Another UM blog. Enough said. Their team-by-team Big Ten previews and conference-wide recruiting updates are worth reading.
Black Shoe Diaries - The only Penn State blog in my wheel house.
Black Heart Gold Pants - The only Iowa blog in my wheel house. Lots of comedy. See the latest J Leman saves the world series.
This is all I've got. Obviously, I like to read about this sort of crap, so if there's something that I'm not reading that I should be, let me know! Obviously I focus on Big Ten team-specific blogs and national blogs, but I'm open to anything! Especially now that I'm a contributor in the blogosphere, I am very willing to learn from some of the best
Cheers!
First Post
Welcome. Thanks for visiting South Stands, the newest and least-proven Ohio State football blog. I have a few introductory words for you, my new reader, which will hopefully exemplify what South Stands will be about, my perspective on college football, and what I can contribute to a saturated market. These goals and ideals are far from static; however, a first post seems to be a perfect chance to crack open my skull and let a bunch of nonsense flow through my fingertips, allowing you, the crucial half of this dichotomy, to close this window feeling like you didn't waste your time (and hopefully, you bookmark or subscribe, excited for actual content)
The college football blogosphere is a dense and potentially unnavigable forest; I know this, having navigated and parsed hundreds of thousands of words as a dedicated reader for years via Google Reader. If I were you, I would be quite happy that there is a new blog out there. Logic dictates that the more material there is out there, the more quality material there is. As absurd as it may sound, there are numerous niches within the Buckeye blogosphere which can be handled by different authors with varying degrees of effectiveness. When a dozen or more sources coalesce into one news feed, a reader should have everything they need. Varying perspectives, writing styles, focuses, levels of criticism, etc. can mold a lay reader into a pantheon of knowledge. Recruiting, game analysis, predictions, news, notes, and on and on; there is a load of information out there, and I would like to parse it for you, while introducing my personal opinion where appropriate. Hopefully it's palatable.
I know what you're thinking: "Well, what will SS give me that AtO, OHD, BtB, BC, MotSaG, DtI can't?" I'm glad you asked, sort of. The fact is that, like you, I'm just some guy on the internet. I'm not a member of the press, so I will not be able to write incisive investigative pieces featuring in depth interviews with players, coaches, trainers, or recruits. All the primary sources I will present herein already exist, and had I never ventured onto blogspot on this fateful August evening, you would still be able to find all the same raw data. That being said, I do have one thing to offer that no one else does, and that's me. I figure you read blogs due to the loose aesthetic; we crack jokes, make typos, say dumb stuff from time to time, and make posts much like we would make comments at the bar on a fall evening. It gives the medium an inherent purity in my opinion. It's likely that you already know what's going on, and if you decide to read what I have to write, it will because you find I offer something (whatever that may be) that no one else does--a unique perspective.
The logical progression of this epic first post is the question: "Well who the hell are you, and why should I care what you have to say?" The second part is far too intimidating for me to try to answer, but I can tell you who I am. My name is Nick. I'm 23 years old. I was born in Columbus, OH at Grant Medical Center. My mother and father are both Columbus natives. My parents were both lifetime Ohio State fans (lol obv), and my late-December birth was viewed as wholly inconvenient, as it ruined a potential trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. I've probably attended at least 100 Ohio State games. I graduated from Ohio State in 2007 with a dual degree in English Literature and Economics. I am currently a rising second year law student at Ohio Northern University. I like reading, writing, fall weather, cooking, music, card games, and, of course, watching and talking about football. I am definitely one of those guys who wakes up at 9 AM on Saturdays, and watches football until the Pac 10 finishes up, then I pass out (perhaps with a few beers in me) on my couch watching highlights on College Gameday Final or Sportscenter. While my playing career was cut short by a compound fracture of my desire to enjoy any sort of physical exertion, I did play long enough to realize what the hell was going on at an Xs & Os level. I'm a critical observer of a game; no one likes to watch football with me, especially if it's at my place, and I've got my hand on the DVR remote. I don't blame them. I get pretty fired up, especially if there's booze involved.
So that's enough for now. 800 words should be plenty for the first post. I've already got my wheels turning, thinking about new content. Two and a half weeks until the season starts. Feel free to comment or email southstands@gmail.com with any and all questions, comments, concerns, non sequiturs, minutae, etc.
Later
The college football blogosphere is a dense and potentially unnavigable forest; I know this, having navigated and parsed hundreds of thousands of words as a dedicated reader for years via Google Reader. If I were you, I would be quite happy that there is a new blog out there. Logic dictates that the more material there is out there, the more quality material there is. As absurd as it may sound, there are numerous niches within the Buckeye blogosphere which can be handled by different authors with varying degrees of effectiveness. When a dozen or more sources coalesce into one news feed, a reader should have everything they need. Varying perspectives, writing styles, focuses, levels of criticism, etc. can mold a lay reader into a pantheon of knowledge. Recruiting, game analysis, predictions, news, notes, and on and on; there is a load of information out there, and I would like to parse it for you, while introducing my personal opinion where appropriate. Hopefully it's palatable.
I know what you're thinking: "Well, what will SS give me that AtO, OHD, BtB, BC, MotSaG, DtI can't?" I'm glad you asked, sort of. The fact is that, like you, I'm just some guy on the internet. I'm not a member of the press, so I will not be able to write incisive investigative pieces featuring in depth interviews with players, coaches, trainers, or recruits. All the primary sources I will present herein already exist, and had I never ventured onto blogspot on this fateful August evening, you would still be able to find all the same raw data. That being said, I do have one thing to offer that no one else does, and that's me. I figure you read blogs due to the loose aesthetic; we crack jokes, make typos, say dumb stuff from time to time, and make posts much like we would make comments at the bar on a fall evening. It gives the medium an inherent purity in my opinion. It's likely that you already know what's going on, and if you decide to read what I have to write, it will because you find I offer something (whatever that may be) that no one else does--a unique perspective.
The logical progression of this epic first post is the question: "Well who the hell are you, and why should I care what you have to say?" The second part is far too intimidating for me to try to answer, but I can tell you who I am. My name is Nick. I'm 23 years old. I was born in Columbus, OH at Grant Medical Center. My mother and father are both Columbus natives. My parents were both lifetime Ohio State fans (lol obv), and my late-December birth was viewed as wholly inconvenient, as it ruined a potential trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. I've probably attended at least 100 Ohio State games. I graduated from Ohio State in 2007 with a dual degree in English Literature and Economics. I am currently a rising second year law student at Ohio Northern University. I like reading, writing, fall weather, cooking, music, card games, and, of course, watching and talking about football. I am definitely one of those guys who wakes up at 9 AM on Saturdays, and watches football until the Pac 10 finishes up, then I pass out (perhaps with a few beers in me) on my couch watching highlights on College Gameday Final or Sportscenter. While my playing career was cut short by a compound fracture of my desire to enjoy any sort of physical exertion, I did play long enough to realize what the hell was going on at an Xs & Os level. I'm a critical observer of a game; no one likes to watch football with me, especially if it's at my place, and I've got my hand on the DVR remote. I don't blame them. I get pretty fired up, especially if there's booze involved.
So that's enough for now. 800 words should be plenty for the first post. I've already got my wheels turning, thinking about new content. Two and a half weeks until the season starts. Feel free to comment or email southstands@gmail.com with any and all questions, comments, concerns, non sequiturs, minutae, etc.
Later
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