Football
By the Numbers
By Jeff AmeyThe Ohio State Buckeyes took a break from conference play with a game against in-state Mid-America Conference member Kent State and came away with a rather easy 48-3 win. Their win, combined with Kentucky's upset of LSU and California's loss at home to Oregon State, have elevated the Buckeyes to the #1 ranking in the major polls and BCS, despite having not had what most consider a major test on the schedule to this point.
Buckeye fans are not very surprised that the Buckeyes are undefeated at this point in the season. It was well known before the season started that the schedule was back-loaded. I also don't think that anyonen expected the Buckeyes to occupy the top spot in the polls at this point in the season either. Buckeye fans seem hesitant to believe in the Buckeyes' ranking, and not without reason. Last year's experience in the National Championship Game was the kind of soul-wrenching loss that forces fans to question all they thought they knew about the Buckeye team last year.
Should that game so thoroughly taint the view of this year's team? Right or wrong, that loss has changed the national and even Buckeye fan perception of the program, and only a win over a top-ranked, deemed to be legitimate, team is going to change it back. As for now, ready or not, the bulls-eye is now squarely on the Buckeye's backs.
Let's take a look at the statistics this week.
Run/Pass Breakdown
61 Plays--401 yards--6.6 ypp
25 pass (41%)--20/25 for 263 yards, two TD
36 runs (59%) for 138 yards, two TD--3.8 ypc
10 Possessions
ave. of 6.1 plays--40.1 yards
ave. start--OSU 33
First Down--28 plays (46%) for 168 yards
seven pass (25%)--5/7 for 84 yards, one TD
21 runs (75%) for 84 yards--4.0 ypc
ave. gain of 6.0 yards
Second Down--23 plays (38%) for 191 yards
12 pass (52%)--10/12 for 143 yards
11 runs (48%) for 48 yards two TD--4.4 ypc
ave. of 8.0 yards to go
ave. gain of 8.3 yards
Third Down--10 plays (20%) for 42 yards
six pass (60%)--5/6 for 36 yards, one TD
four runs (40%) for six yards--1.5 ypc
ave. of 5.4 yards to go
ave. gain of 4.1 yards
conversions--5/10 (50%)
Playaction Passing
5/7 for 105 yards
First Downs--19
12 by pass
seven by run
None by penalty
FORMATION BREAKDOWN
Two back formations--23 plays (38%)
Five pass (22%)--3/5 for 64 yards
18 runs (78%) for 52 yards, one TD--2.9 ypc
Shotgun formations--14 plays (23%)
12 pass (86%)--9/12 for 99 yards, one TD
Two runs (14%) for 9 yards, one TD--4.5 ypc
One back formations--24 plays (39%)
Eight pass (33%)--8/8 for 100 yards, one TD
16 runs (67%) for 77 yards--4.8 ypc
RUN TYPE BREAKDOWN--36 attempts
stretch--12 (33%) for 36 yards, one TD--3.0 ypc
sweep--seven (19%) for 69 yards--9.9 ypc
base/iso--6 (17%) for 19 yards--3.2 ypc
power--5 (14%) for 12 yards--2.4 ypc
QB run/scramble--3 (8%) for -11 yards--(-3.7 ypc)
reverse--one (3%) for 7 yards--7.0 ypc
draw--one (3%) for 4 yards--4.1 ypc
option--one (3%) for 2 yards 1 TD--2.0 ypc
Other Stats of Note
* One offensive penalty for the game
* Ohio State started on KSU side of the 50 one time--seven points (one TD)
* 5/5 in red zone scoring--(4 TD, one FG)
* two sacks and no turnovers
* 30/61 plays took place on the KSU side of the 50--(49%)
* 15/61 plays went for no gain or loss--(25%)
* number of plays 10 yards or more--14
* number of three and out possessions--1 (after the score was 48-0)
* total rushing yardage before the drive to make the score 48-0--37 yards
There weren't a whole lot of things to take away from this game that we didn't already know, so instead of handing grades out to the position groups, I'm just going to give the team, as a whole, an A-. The offense probably could've named their score. The defense came a shanked punt away from pitching another shutout, but gave up too many rushing yards to allow the team to get the solid A. Special teams have been a bit of an adventure this season, but all the snaps were decent on kicks, and a punt return for a touchdown almost always equals a win for the team that does it.
Speaking of giving up rushing yards, Kent State HB Eugene Jarvis was an impressive little back for the Golden Flashes on Saturday. He only finished the day with 85 yards on 16 carries, but most of that total came from the first half, as he didn't see the field much at all in the second.
Credit also has to go to the Golden Flashes for selling out so completely to stop the Ohio State run game. Kent State stacked the box all game long, daring the Buckeyes to throw the ball, but kept their corners back to also protect from the long ball Ohio State has thrown so much this year. This left the short passing game open to exploit all game long, and that's exactly what the Buckeyes did, using quick hitch passes and short rollouts to move the ball for much of the first half when Todd Boeckman was in the game.
Boeckman only played the first half, but was very efficient, going 13 out of 16 for 184 yards and tossing two touchdowns. Despite that, we also saw the "throw it up and pray" ball out of him on two separate occasions in the first half, though both fell incomplete. Boeckman continues to make good decisions, and throws, in the short passing game, but his long ball still leaves a lot to be desired.
I think one of the bigger stories from this game was a couple of different plays out of the offense that we've either never seen before or very little of in the past. One particularly successful one, run exclusively from a one back/three wide formation, was an outside sweep type play with the center and backside guard pulling around to lead block. They had ran that same play a couple of times last season, but that was the first time we'd seen it this season. They ran it seven times in the fourth quarter for a total of 69 yards.
Another interesting play had Brandon Saine line up in the backfield with Chris Wells in an off-set I formation. Saine took off up the sideline and was the target of a 35 yard pass off of playaction on the play. I think we might see that a few more times in the future, as Ohio State is very comfortable with one back runs (meaning Saine isn't needed to block), and Saine's speed out of the backfield and likely matchup with a linebacker creates mis-matches that will be tough for a defense to deal with. It was an interesting line-up with intriguing possibilities.
Robbie Schoenhoft came in the second half for his most extensive action of the season so far, and got to throw the ball around a little bit. He did have another of his throws at the feet of the receiver he's been known for, but ended up completing seven of his nine passes for 79 yards in the second half and scoring a touchdown on a two yard option run in the third quarter. He seemed more comfortable in the pocket than he had on previous appearances, but I'm not sure if we really learned anything new about him since the score was 35-0 before he came into the game.
The second half was little more than a glorified scrimmage, with the second and third string seeing extensive action and several walk-ons getting multiple carries. The offense was very vanilla, and the play calling (including the new play, which was ran several times) seemed to take on the flavor of a practice at times. It seemed the coaches decided that the screen passing game needed work, as those types of pass plays were called more than any other in the second half.
This game was a nice little break for the Buckeyes to re-charge their batteries for the home stretch in conference this season. The toughest part of the schedule begins this week with Michigan State. Interestingly, all teams remaining on the Buckeye's schedule are currently 5-2. As it stands right now, Ohio State controls its own destiny in the Big Ten and National Championship races. As long as this team takes things one game at a time (as it seems clear they are doing), the Buckeyes should be favored in the rest of their remaining games.
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