OSU vs. Nebraska: Offensive Review

[BartonHusker]

http://www.elevenwarriors.com/2012/10/14742/osu-v-nebraska-offensive-review#more

Basically the story is that tOSU made adjustments after the 1st quarter and we did a extremely poor job of countering those adjustments. Either our coaches didn't recognize they were running basically just three plays over and over or Bo/Paps are just to damn stubborn to adjust from what they do.

Could be a big reason we continue to get gashed by running QB's.

In that first quarter tOSU called one designed run play but after they made adjustments they stuck primarily to their run game. IMO that is something we would never see Beck do. If the run was continuing to work, he would force drop back passing anyways.

 

[Karawithasmile]

In that first quarter tOSU called one designed run play but after they made adjustments they stuck primarily to their run game. IMO that is something we would never see Beck do. If the run was continuing to work, he would force drop back passing anyways.

I think you're right there. Very Watsonian strategy too. :bang

 

[The Maudfather]

In that first quarter tOSU called one designed run play but after they made adjustments they stuck primarily to their run game. IMO that is something we would never see Beck do. If the run was continuing to work, he would force drop back passing anyways.

I think you're right there. Very Watsonian strategy too. :bang

We rushed the ball 45 times and threw the ball 25 times. So for every pass play we had, we had 1.8 more rush plays...damn close to a 2:1 ratio. I don't think that we forced pass plays. In fact, I thought Beck called a pretty good game. We scored 38 points and had well over 400 yards of total offense against a damn good defense.

No, there was nothing Watsonian about the performance, other than the turnovers.

 

[sd'sker]

i am not as offended as the thread title lead me to believe i would be.

 

[Karawithasmile]

i am not as offended as the thread title lead me to believe i would be.

:clap

 

[zoogs]

In that first quarter tOSU called one designed run play but after they made adjustments they stuck primarily to their run game. IMO that is something we would never see Beck do. If the run was continuing to work, he would force drop back passing anyways.

I think you're right there. Very Watsonian strategy too. :bang

NO MOAR OF THIS.

Seriously, there is some expectation from fans that we should continue running until it is stopped once. After that we should throw out a different play until it is stopped once. Playcalling is far more complicated than "OK guys, that play did OK. Same play."

This is the most empty criticism of an OC possible, in my opinion.

Also, Ohio State demolished our run game.

 

[HuskerNationNick]

I have no problem with the play calling during this game, and I think Beck did a great job. If the line would have pressured better, and Martinez would have been more careful, nobody would even question the offensive play calling. Why are we still trying to point fingers? Especially pointing fingers at the wrong people.

 

[zoogs]

This article is a FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC X's and O's breakdown that was a pleasure to read, and I encourage everybody to. I wish I could watch football through those set of eyes, but I know if I tried, I'll probably misdiagnose half a dozen things on any given play. For example, the free safety reacting to a flare pattern on Ohio State's playaction pass. It looked a lot worse than that at first glance.

I think this highlights a lot of ways that we were outschemed and defeated by Urban Meyer, his two offensive coordinators, and Braxton Miller's offense. We lost the battle in a big way there, as Ohio State kept being able to exploit numbers advantages to one side or another (such as with trips WRs on the weakside vs man coverage, leaving 2 receivers on the other side and giving a matchup/numbers advantage on the 3WR side)...but yeah, it's Urban Meyer, vs an in-transition Bo Pelini defense. Very disappointing for sure. Not the end of the world.

In my eyes, Ohio State's offense really laid the groundwork for what we should strive to do on offense, and what we can't, right now. How frustrating is it for an offense to not have a true bread-and-butter play? We don't, because mobile QB that Taylor is, he can't run the zone read very well. Under Taylor, the zone read is a change-up play designed to unleash his explosiveness...but under Ohio State, it is their go-to, "Keep Ahead Of Schedule" play that keeps them in good down-and-distance situations.

Without a play like that to key off the rest of the run game and the entire offense, our offense is just going to be inconsistent. With all the weapons we have on offense, that's really, really, really unfortunate.

So going forward, the one thing that we can do to make our offense lethal and realize their full potential....enough with the short dropbacks. Go to a more or less playaction only passing game, and REINTRODUCE THE WILD REX. Either Rex, or Jamal, or both - but them back there and have them run zone reads. All day. Tear off Tommy's redshirt if he is good at this and give him 20 snaps a game. We need the Zone Read back. Our offense is languishing without it.

Supplementary reading, from the bottom of the article: Why Every Team Should Apply the Constraint Theory of Offense

 

[HuskerNationNick]

Besides, its hard to establish a passing game if your line can't keep the defense from getting to your QB untouched.

 

[BartonHusker]

But but we havvveeee to throw!!!!

 

[Count 'Bility]

In that first quarter tOSU called one designed run play but after they made adjustments they stuck primarily to their run game. IMO that is something we would never see Beck do. If the run was continuing to work, he would force drop back passing anyways.

I think you're right there. Very Watsonian strategy too. :bang

NO MOAR OF THIS.

Seriously, there is some expectation from fans that we should continue running until it is stopped once. After that we should throw out a different play until it is stopped once. Playcalling is far more complicated than "OK guys, that play did OK. Same play."

This is the most empty criticism of an OC possible, in my opinion.

Also, Ohio State demolished our run game.

This. While you want to be able to make someone stop what youre doing well, you still want to try to stay ahead, by seeing the different actions on a play by play basis against that particular play. If you dont try to stay ahead, and they do find a way to stop it, boom, youre in 2nd in 10, or 11, or 12, or turnover. Then we'd be in meltdown that Beck ran the same play too many times in a row and put us in bad situations.

 

[BartonHusker]

Doesn't mean running the same play over and over but not going away from what is working. tOSU stuck to basically three run plays. It was enough of a mix up to keep Nebraska honest. We never adjusted to those plays so they kept going to them... no need to get fancy.

 

[sd'sker]

Doesn't mean running the same play over and over but not going away from what is working. tOSU stuck to basically three run plays. It was enough of a mix up to keep Nebraska honest. We never adjusted to those plays so they kept going to them... no need to get fancy.

since when is passing 'fancy'? the forward lateral has not been controversial since knute rockne.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

38 points.

400+ yards, nearly half & half rushing and passing.

6.2 yards per play.

Against a Top 10 team.

Stop, people.

Just stop.

Unless you want to talk defense.

 

[knapplc]

38 points.

400+ yards, nearly half & half rushing and passing.

6.2 yards per play.

Against a Top 10 team.

Stop, people.

Just stop.

Unless you want to talk defense.

This. 200+ yards on the ground. 4.8 yards per rush. 31+ minutes of possession time.

I'm not getting the focus on the offense here. The offense had its share of problems, but the flaws on defense were far more glaring.