Football
By the Numbers
By Jeff Amey

Ohio State and Indiana squared off in the Buckeye's "Home away from home" in Bloomington, Indiana on Saturday, with the Buckeyes taking home a dominating 33-14 win over a very game Hoosier team.  Week two of the new "Buckeye shotgun offense experience" went much like the first, with the Buckeyes able to move the ball pretty well on the ground, and a healthier dose of the passing game to go with it.

I thought we learned a bit about the "new" offense and the progression of Terrelle Pryor in this game, but before we get into that, let's take a look at the stats.

Run/Pass Breakdown

74 Total Plays--378 yards--5.1 ypp

            28 pass (38%)--17/28 for 166 yards  3 TD  1 INT

            46 runs (62%) for 212 yards  1 TD--4.6 ypc

13 Offensive Possessions

            Ave. of 5.7 plays--29.0 yards

            Ave. start--OSU 37

First Down--38 plays (52%) for 237 yards

            12 pass (32%)--8/12 for 100 yards  1 TD

            26 runs (68%) for 137 yards  1 TD--5.3 ypc

            Ave. gain of 6.2 yards

Second Down--24 plays (32%) for 85 yards

            10 pass (42%)--8/10 for 51 yards  2 TD

            14 runs (58%) for 34 yards--2.4 ypc

            Ave. of 6.5 yards to go

            Ave. gain of 3.5 yards

Third Down--12 plays (16%) for 56 yards

            6 pass (50%)--1/6 for 15 yards  1 INT

            6 runs (50%) for 41 yards--6.8 ypc

            Ave. of 8.7 yards to go

            Ave. gain of 4.7 yards

            Conversions--4/12 (33%)

Playaction Passing

            5/8 for 32 yards  1 TD

First Downs Earned--26

            6 by pass

            15 by run

            5 by penalty

Formation Breakdown

Two back formations--11 plays (16%)

            1 pass (9%)--1/1 for 8 yards  1 TD

            10 runs (91%) for 44 yards--4.4 ypc

Shotgun formations--61 plays (82%)

            27 pass (44%)--16/27 for 158 yards  2 TD  1 INT

            34 runs (56%) for 168 yards--5.4 ypc

One back formations--1 play (1%)

            1 run (100%) for 1 yards  1 TD--1.0 ypc

Victory formation--1 play (1%)

            1 run (100%) for -1 yard--(-1.0) ypc

RUN TYPE BREAKDOWN--46 attempts

Base/Iso--11 (24%) for 45 yards--4.1 ypc

Counter/Trap--4 (9%) for 35 yards--8.8 ypc

Option--4 (9%) for 47 yards--11.8 ypc

Power--4 (9%) for 18 yards--4.5 ypc

QB run/scramble--12 (26%) for 16 yards  1 TD--1.3 ypc

Stretch--8 (17%) for 49 yards--6.1 ypc

TEAM--2 (4%) for -1 yard--(-0.5) ypc

Unknown because the BTN's production of this game was terrible--1 (2%) for 3 yards--3.0 ypc

 

Other Stats of Note

~ 1 offensive penalty for 5 yards

~ OSU started on the Indiana side of the fifty twice--14 points (2 TD)

~ 3/6 in the red zone--(3 TD)

~ 3 sacks against and 2 turnovers (1 fumble 1 INT)

~ 50/74 plays took place on the Indiana side of the 50--(68%)

~ 20/74 plays went for no gain or loss--(27%)

~ Number of plays of 10+ yards--17

~ Number of three and out drives--1/13 (8%)

 

First off, I was very surprised at the shoddy production of the Big Ten Network's coverage of this game.  Between missed plays because of a messed up TV timeout, or flat out wrong statistics being flashed on the screen all game, or as simple as the lines on the field for first down and line of scrimmage being either not there or off by a yard or more, or even Glen Mason's sub-par color commentary, it was shoddy.  Let's go Big Ten Network.  You guys can do better than that.

From what we DID get to see of the game, it was clear that the Hoosiers are a better team this year than the past few times the Buckeyes have played them.  I don't think that their game against Michigan last week was a fluke.  They had a decent set of young receivers and a capable young back.  If they had a better offensive line, they might have been able to make this a closer game.

I was impressed with their CB/KR Ray Fisher, especially on kickoff returns.  There were a couple he was close to taking back for touchdowns.  Their WR Doss seemed to be a playmaker as well.  This might be a team to watch in the next couple of years, at least on the second tier of the Big Ten.

So now to the Buckeyes.  If nothing else, we learned that last week's shift to more shotgun formations wasn't a fluke.  The Buckeyes ran 82% of their plays this week from shotgun, and a little less than half of those was from the three receiver set with the TE in an H-back position.

There were a couple of things that skewed the numbers in the breakdown this week.  First off, there were a couple of huge losses on second down sacks that brought that per play average way down.  Without those two plays, the Buckeyes averaged 5.3 yards per carry on second down (12 carries for 64 yards).  Those same two plays brought the QB run/scramble statistic way down as well.  You can't throw those two plays out, but they did skew the rushing numbers somewhat.

Let's take a look at the position groups.

Quarterbacks

Now we're starting to get somewhere.  Terrelle Pryor's statistics weren't fabulous against Indiana (17/28 for 166 yards  3 TD 1 INT), but there were several positives to take away from this game after reviewing his play.  There were also several things that clearly need to be worked on some more, but there were some steps in the right direction this week.

First the positives.  For the majority of his throws this game, Pryor did a pretty good job of stepping into this throw.  In fact, though the drive ended with three pretty bad decisions in a row, his last drive of the game was probably the best he has looked as a passer in a Buckeye uniform.  He started that drive 6/7 and did a pretty good job of hitting short passes, but finished 0/2 with a bad throw into coverage that got his receiver creamed, then an interception that was badly telegraphed and thrown.

I also thought he did a pretty good job running the ball this week.  In case you haven't been keeping up, a couple of weeks ago I pointed out that I thought Pryor was very contact-shy.  While I still don't think that he's gotten over it, I do think he's played tougher the past two weeks, at least when running the ball.  I still think that it affects his passing, as he still seems to panic when the opposing team brings blitzes or gets pressure on him.  He still hasn't stood in and passed a ball when a hit was coming.  However, I think he's making progress.

The play of his that stood out to me more than any other in this game didn't involve him passing or running the ball, but rather was when he signaled for Brandon Saine to follow him on a run where he bounced it outside, then threw a block that broke the play for 22 yards.  Little things like that are telling me he's moving in the right direction.

As for the negatives, I already alluded to the problems he has under pressure.  He needs to stay poised in the face of pressure, as most of the really bad decisions he makes are when he rushes either his mechanics or decision-making.  He got away with throwing a couple of very questionable balls this week, with the lob as he was getting tackled that Jake Ballard managed to snare being the worst one, even though it ended up working out.

Another problem he had in this game was overthrowing short passes on several occasions.  From the camera angles we got from the Big Ten Network replays, you could see how his relatively low delivery for such a tall guy hampered him.  He was having to angle the ball over defensive linemen, which seemed to cause the ball to sail on his short throws.

Grade--B   I would probably grade lower for the three sacks, two of them pretty bad, but there were some good things from Pryor this week.

Running Backs

With Boom Herron at third string this week due to his ankle injury, it fell to Junior Brandon Saine to pick up the slack in the running game against the Hoosiers, and despite a couple of minor dings that gave freshman Jordan Hall a few extra carries, it's safe to say that Saine delivered.  In fact, he delivered so well, I'm not sure if he didn't earn himself the starting position even after Herron returns.  There are times when Saine looks a little awkward running the ball, but he finishes his runs well, and has been a load for opposing teams to bring down this season.  He finished with Ohio State's first 100 yard game from any running back on the season on just 17 carries.

Jordan Hall didn't get a whole lot of work in this game, and didn't break any big runs, but when he was in he pretty consistantly got 4+ yards (1 negative rush).  His biggest improvement from the beginning of the season was in pass protections.  I was pleasantly surprised with how well he seems to have picked things up.

We can't leave the back discussion without bringing up the touchdown to freshman fullback Zach Boren near the end of the first half.  With Ohio State running so much shotgun the past couple of weeks, the fullbacks haven't been on the field much.  Boren made the most of the little time he had by scoring the first touchdown of his career.  It's great to watch the young guys score their first touchdown. 

Grade--B+   Saine had a good day.  Hall was steady.  We have to be careful when jumping on the Saine bandwagon, though.  He's not the first back to have a good day against Indiana.

Receivers

Speaking of young guys scoring their first touchdown, Duron Carter caught his first touchdown of his Ohio State career on a great catch of one of those high, short throws from Pryor in the first quarter.  Hopefully it will be the first of many.  Especially nice was his block on a Pryor option run.  Those are the kinds of things a running game needs to be successful.

The receivers, overall, were pretty good this week.  DeVier Posey caught his second touchdown of the season on another great pass from Pryor, though he probably dropped another touchdown on Ohio State's first drive.  Indiana showed him a lot of respect, playing way off of him.  The short pass was there for the taking all game long.  I'm starting to really like the combination of Posey, Sanzenbacher and Duron Carter.  If Pryor continues to improve, this might prove to be a very explosive receiving corps.

Jake Ballard, once again, played an important role in the running game from the H-back spot.  The Buckeyes ran many of the same plays they did last week, meaning he was the lead blocker on several runs.  This game was also the first major appearance of freshman TE Jake Stoneburner.  He still has a long way to go, but looks like he has the physical tools to be a good one before he's done at Ohio State.

Grade--B+    Aside from pass-cathing duties this week, I thought the receivers did a pretty good job of downfield blocking on several runs.  I really like this group.

Offensive Line

I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time on this section, and in this case, it's a good thing.  The Buckeyes had a pretty good day of sustaining drives and moving the ball on the ground.  For the most part, Pryor wasn't under a whole lot of pressure as the Hoosier blitzes were picked up pretty well.  I will say that Sophemore LT Mike Adams has impressed me after returning from his suspension.  He has done a pretty good job of run and pass blocking.

Grade--B   It was far from a dominating day for the offensive line, but they looked pretty good as a group.  The less we're talking about them, the better they are.

Offensive Coaching/Gameplan

Watching this game back, I got the sense that the Buckeyes spent a good deal of this game in "practice" mode, spending a lot of the early game honing the shotgun attack the offense seems to be evolving to.  After the score went to 33-7, it seemed clear that the next drive was pure work for Pryor in the passing game (10 of 12 plays were called passes).  For anyone thinking Tressel has had a sudden change of heart and is trying to run up the score, I don't think that's it at all.  I think he knows Pryor needs work, and has let him loose the past three games when there wasn't much risk of a mistake changing the game.

I've been a little dubious of the direction the offense is going (OSU's first 28 plays were from the shotgun), but that is probably more due to personal biases than anything else.  I think the shotgun attack the Buckeyes are developing is doing a pretty decent job of taking advantage of what the players do best, and maximizing the talent on the field at once.  It may be hard sometimes for those of us that like to see the I formation and a dominating and physical running game, but that isn't this team.

I'm pretty encouraged by what I've seen the past two weeks, but I think we all need to see success against a defense that is better than the ones the Buckeyes have faced in those two games.  Wisconsin's defense this week might not be great, but it will be better than the last two, and will be a better gauge of where the offense is.

Grade--B+   You have to give the coaches credit for moving towards an offensive style that seems to be working after that struggle the first two weeks.

Defensive Coaching/Gameplan

Ho Hum.  Another game, another dominating performance by the defensive line.  It didn't matter who was rotated in, the Buckeyes controlled the line of scrimmage the entire game.  DT Dexter Larimore was a pretty big loss on the front, but the depth this season is amazing, as freshman John Simon and Senior Rob Rose rose to the occasion and played well, especially Rose who ended the game with a sack and tackling the punter in the end zone for a safety.

The linebackers all had a good game, with Brian Rolle flying around the ball all game long, Ross Homan helping control the line of scrimmage, and even Austin Spitler getting into the act with a nice sack when he came free on a blitz.  This group is really going to be tested when the Wisconsin offense comes to town next week.  Rolle vs. Isolation block...who wins?  Can the DL penetrate and keep backside contain against the stretch play?

The only problems I saw on the defense this week was at the second cornerback spot.  Devon Torrence looked like he let himself get badly out of position in zone coverages a couple of times against the Hoosiers, which resulted in a few good plays for Indiana.  Andre Amos, the other Corner that has been splitting time, had a pretty poor tackling day.  He kept leaving his feet every time he went in for a tackle, which is why he nearly missed several tackles on the day.  Instead he managed to get enough of the receiver to slow him so another Buckeye could make the tackle.

Grade--A-   You can't fault the starters for Indiana's final touchdown.  Aside from the Hoosier's early touchdown drive, they weren't able to do anything against the defense.

Special Teams

It was a mixed bag for the special teams.  On one hand, Aaron Pettrey missed two of his three field goal attempts on the day, both of them being inside of 40 yards.  That's not what you want to see. On the other hand, Jon Thoma had another pretty good day punting the ball, leaving Indiana inside their 20 on several occasions.

The kickoff return team had a long return up to near the 50 yard line, but gave up several long returns to Indiana KR/CB Ray Fisher.

The punt returns basically went nowhere for the entire game, but gathered up a safety when the Hoosiers had a bad snap on a punt from their end zone.

Grade--C   Luckily, special teams weren't really needed to be much of a factor in this game, but the Indiana long kickoff returns were something to be concerned about.

I'm looking forward to the game against Wisconsin this week.  It seems to be a game the Buckeyes should win, but should also be a sterner test of what the Buckeyes have on both sides of the ball.  How will the defense hold up to a more "traditional" type of attack?  Can the offense move the ball consistantly against a more physical defense?  We'll find out this week.

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