You had one job to do ..... sorry, but unless the snap or placement of the hold went south, Ruggles was inside his expected range and he simply muffed the kick .... time to get off Day's play calling as the reason for the miss .... TTUN's kicker booted a 60+ yard kick against TCU .... I feel bad for Noah, but kicking under pressure is what kickers do .... I'd like to see a close up of the snap and hold, as I'm not convinced that it was clean .... tough loss, but Day's play calling put 41 points on the best defense in the country, despite missing his top 2 backs, his top 2 tight ends and his top 2 receivers.....
Yes, he had one job to do. But it never should have come down to relying on the place kicker to hit a pressure packed 50 yd field goal to win the game. Tough spot he shouldn’t have been in.
Our $2M defensive coordinator had one job to do, with a long career’s worth of experience doing it, and he didn’t get it done. Ruggles isn’t the one that should face scrutiny in this scenario.
You can stop putting up his salary to emphasize whatever this or that point you are trying to make. Lots o coaches make lots o money to put up worse results.
Everyone pretty much knew it was gonna be a high flying affair going into the game, so how'd you think Georgia was gonna score points, by some act of elohim?
Really," should never have been put in that position"? What position did you want him to be put in? The camera flashed to CJ during Georgia's last drive. CJ knew Georgia was gonna score. I knew Georgia was gonna score. Hell, everyone knew Georgia was gonna score.CJ also knew that given the ball with 50 seconds left he would put this team in a position to win. In fact anyone who was watching the game pretty much counted on CJ doing this! And he told Ruggles to be ready, and the rest of the team, also. And he did what he said he would do.
Sorry, but I cannot see the validity of your viewpoint. I am about as bad a loser as can be, but not gonna be mad too long at anybody or anything over a helluva slugfest.
So how did you "expect" the number 1 team in the country to score their points? Did you think they would be lucky to score 21 points? C'mon man, its modern college football. Two epic semifinal games in one day.
If Georgia had ground out 42 points by running the ball over us, you'd be in much more pain right now.
I am fairly certain that Noah Ruggles practices kicking long long field goals. Every kicker does. Not to be flippant, but seriously, shit actually does happen.
OMG! I am now a Knowles apologist and a Holtmann apologist, lol
In the world of “modern college football,” the following teams held the No.1 team in the country to under 42 points this season: Samford, Kent St, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia Tech
Similar list of teams held TTUN under 45 points this season: Maryland, Iowa, Indiana, Penn St, Nebraska, Illinois, and Purdue
Do not think it is asking too much for a team in the top 2-4 for the majority of the season to keep pace with the defensive juggernauts listed above. This is The Ohio State University and the expectations should be for something above mediocrity. Having said that, am expecting better results next season.
"mediocrity"? They were in the semifinals of the CFP, lost by a point on a last second makeable field goal to the number 1 team in the country. Whatevah to your definition of mediocrity. Inasmuch as your "expectations" go, oy veys mer, feeling a bit sorry for your kids(if you have any).
Rico is a loser who expects perfection from his sports teams, but doesn't meet them in his own life.
He lacks perspective, critical thinking ability, and self-esteem.
Pay the idiots no mind. We lost to a team that is likely starting another SEC dynasty, in Georgia, but 1 point at the last play. I'm fine with that, as should be any sane Buckeye fan. (The problem is that there aren't many of us)
Thankfully I referenced your posting history before responding. Since I did, I suggest you heed your own words, posted above and pay yourself no mind.
If it were not for unfounded and unhinged attacks on fellow posters, you would have no content on this board. Might not be a bad idea to take a step away from the keyboard for a bit.
We are no better on defense than we were last year,we were embarrassed by ttun and won a shootout late in the Rose Bowl last year,we were embarrassed again by scUM (worse)this year,and lost a shootout late in the Peach bowl.
The bottom line is Ohio State is not seeing much of a return on it's investment in Knowles.
Can we put the entire Ohio State defense in the transfer portal, especially the coaches, and negotiate for Iowa’s defense? /s, kind of. They pitched a shutout, and their defense got TWO pick-6’s vs. Kentucky for a 21-0 win in the Music City Bowl.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
Irrelevant, Codeman. We just scored 41 on the most hyped defense in the country, on their turf, and we were told for three weeks how we had no chance. We had Iowa at home. In addition, Iowa's defense doesn't have nearly the 4* and 5* that Georgia's does and is still one of the best in the country, if not THE best.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
Yes they gashed us on defense, but you know what, we gashed their defense too; their #1 defense with their high paid DC. Kicker hits his worst kick in last two years, in a dome, go figure.
Go Bucks!
Without winners there wouldn't be any gosh darn civilization. We make no apologies for winning or for aiming our entire program toward that goal. - Woody Hayes
In modern football any defense can get beat. Georgia got gashed by us. At times they looked as terrible as ours. No one is calling for their coordinator (because they won). Michigan with their top D got gashed by TCU. And as I said, we put up an absurd number against Iowa. The reason Iowa is so good is because they have used the same system for years and the players are well trained in it from day one. That consistency allows them to play without hesitation because there is no thinking involved. It also opens you up to a great play caller who can pick apart the weaknesses, especially when you don't mix things up.
What makes me mad is that no one on this blog is willing to give Knowles even a season. Doesn't matter how much he is paid, you have limited practices to drill a complex system into your players. In a few years the underclassmen who have trained in this system will be able to play loose and fast without missed assignments.
I don't care what anyone says, our defense was miles better than the mess last year. They actually held us in games (ND, Penn State, NW) when our offense struggled. They got beat bad against the best two teams we played because our secondary just couldn't handle man coverage. They will improve.
Not sure how you think the secondary will improve. As long as you have 3 safeties, you have 3 people that can NOT cover wide receivers, and 3 people too small to fill a LB role. So you have to disguise and hope no one sees your weakness. Guess what? The best teams see it glaring like a flashing light and "light' you up- See the 3 most important game the last 2 years.
Ok. The opponent puts out 2 athletic tight ends with size and speed and 2 receivers. Plus a rb that catches a lot of passes. What’s your defensive line up? Extra corner for the passing part? Extra lb’er for the running part? (they still do that in this lineup). You do realize that safeties are basically the combination of lb’er/corner right? So what’s your defensive call? Btw, you have to get it right each time because you’ll need to make that call several times.
Yeah idk I mean what is the difference between a nickle corner, a hybrid linebacker and an extra safety...if your trained for that hybrid role the name is just semantics at that point. You are always going to swap situationally anyway.
I just think the scheme isn't as important as the knowledge and execution of the players and if you switch coordinators you just add another year of learning curve struggles.
Until recruiting emphasis/philosophy changes regarding the defensive side, Knowles will struggle. He's like the little Dutch boy with 10 fingers to plug 13 holes.
Poor Knowles with nothing but 4 & 5 star prospects how can anybody Expect anything with a top 5 recruiting class . Recruiting has never been OSU problem, Development and scheme have been the issues
Georgia and TTUN both set school records against OSU for yards per play so LITERALLY nobody has ever been as Bad as Knowles and his $2 million price tag.
Are you kidding me ? Football games come down to last second FGs every Sunday. Yes , tough spot to be in, but great spot to be able to beat #1 and reigning champion. Perfect spot
I wouldn’t call a 50-yard FG attempt in the last second(s) of a college football playoff game “a great spot to be in.” As I was watching it, I told my daughter we needed another 10-15 yards closer to have a real chance. When we couldn’t do that, in my gut I knew it was over. To blame Ruggles (or CJ) for this loss is ignorant, at best.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
I have to agree dude. Day reverted back to his old ways after playing wide open up to that point. He played for the FG. He trusted Ruggles more than he did Stroud. He had the momentum and a very tired Georgia defense on their knees and then gifted them. The sad thing is he said he would do the same again. I never liked playing for the FG because it limits chances of victory. I don't get the Knowles bashing for risks. I can remember not that long ago every one bitching because we sat in the same defense. You can't blame a coach because a DB stumbles and falls on a move he has done a million times without tripping himself. It's easy to second guess. If I was to throw blame, I would want to know why the special teams coach didn't notice that Ruggles had fear written all over him leading up to that kick. He was obviously stressed to no end and needed someone to calm him (if it was possible). All that said Day had the team ready for the game and without a lot of crap going against them, they win. They were the better team.
Our 9.5 million dollar head coach couldn’t get his players transitioning on and off the field and was probably to blame for putting too many men on the field during the fake punt play.
I watched some clips from Pat McAfee’s play by play on the field and as soon as the ball was snapped he was shouting “oh noooo”. I watched that clip several times, and given his knowledge as a kicker, he knew it “didn’t have a chance”. It looked like the snap and hold were not in sync. https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1609415053094318086/mediaViewer...
I think this is spot on and I’m surprised as we analyze the kick this isn’t being covered. After the play Ruggles bent down to the placeholder and grabbed his helmet with both hands and said a few words. It looked like he was consoling him.
This. I can't believe no one is talking about this. That kick was waaaay off. Mirco was clearly distraught as though he did something, not because Ruggles missed. Ruggles pick Mirco up and Ruggles was playing the role of consoler. Mirco had his hands on his helmet. No on does that unless they are upset with themselves.
Unless you feel like part of a team, more specifically, part of a unit. My guess is Mirco was thinking "we failed", not "you failed", or "I failed". The fact he grabbed his own helmet doesn't prove anything. I'm not an expert, but the hold looked good enough to me.
In no way a negative, but if we’re scoring honestly, Marv dropped 2 that hit his hands as well, before the targetting. Admittedly both would have been great catches if completed, but both were “catchable” in that they hit his hands, before hitting the turf. It happens.
I thought the players played an amazing game and although the L hurts, I am so proud of the effort every one of them put forth. They have no reason to hang their heads.
No, Ruggles was not "inside his expected range." In this career, he was 0-5 from 50 yards or more." You are entitled to your own opinion, not your own facts:
Honestly, it doesn't seem like he learns any lessons. In his biggest career games as Ohio State coach, he's won 1 game (Clemson 2020 playoff). He's now 1-6 in his biggest games (losses to Clemson 2019, Alabama 2020 natty, Oregon 2021, Michigan 21-22 and Georgia 2022).
If you're gonna put the two michigan losses on there you should put the win on there too. We beat them in 19 (and would have in 20 if they didn't bitch out) and I'd say winning the rosebowl was a big game. So that 1-6 should be 3-6. And two of those losses (Georgia and clemson) could/should have gone the other way.
I don't count Michigan in 2019 because they were a 4 loss team. Just as 2020 wouldn't have been a win over a good Michigan team. My point is that in the biggest games with evenly matched talent, Day hasn't performed well so far in his career.
This is funny, because all I heard after the TTUN game was hand the damn ball off to Hayden. Ohio State mostly ran the ball well in the second half. This is just fan with luxury of knowing the outcome of a play saying "should have run something else."
You are entitled to you own opinion, not your own facts.
Those stats from the last 2 games don't say $2million/year to me..not trying to be a dick, but out of curiosity, how many games last year did we give up 400+ yards on defense, and how many times did we allow over 30+ points? I know Knowles is in his first year yadda yadda, and I hope he turns things around, but to me, those stats are unacceptable..the 2 biggest games of the season, with a chance to move on and with a very real possibility of winning the whole damn thing, we shit the bed on defense..heads should be rolling IMO, not saying fire anyone, but if it were up to me, I'd say start proving your worth or else.. you're only as strong as your weakest link, if you score 40+ points a game and give up 40+ points a game, something's wrong..
Knowles was never the right candidate for the job. Ohio State is a B1G big time football program. No one else in the B1G would’ve hired this clown with his background of coaching a bunch of nobody football colleges. RCD was looking for anyone to unscrew this defensive mess and as usual was under pressure to fill the position and this Knowles joker popped his head up. RCD got sold a bill of goods.
The guy, though, undoubtedly understands the game and is intelligent. A coach is more than a system; he should be able to have all sorts of ways to be creative and adaptative.
I'm sure he believes in his system, or he wouldn't be doing it. I just hope either a) it works, with the right players, or b) he or Day make the necessary system change to fit the OSU (the real one!) circumstances.
Are you paying his salary? If not, why do you give a fuck how much it costs Ohio State? That was the market rate for a guy who was at the top of his profession.
The defense fell flat when Ohio State needed them most. There were hints of this during the season and the TTUN game cemented it.
This falls squarely on Ryan Day. It was his decision to hire a first time DC Coombs then to extend him. This meant that, whether Knowles is the right guy or not, he didn't get in there until the 2022 season. Had a limited chance to impact recruiting for the players that would play this season. Had one year to fix a train wreck. If you were paying attention in spring, Knowles said "depth at the CB position concerns me." This is coach speak for "our secondary sucks." You can tinker with a Ford Taurus all you want, it isn't going to run like a Ferrari.
Day wasn't the right hire to take over a program that had national championship caliber talent out of the box. Day has had to "try and figure it out" at a time when Ohio State should have been competing for titles. He is the head coach. He is responsible for everything, including hiring Knowles and when he decided to do it, recruiting on defensive side of the ball (which has been subpar), etc. People need to stop pointing the finger elsewhere. This is an inconvenient truth for some on here who told me "Day was gonna win multiple titles here at Ohio State."
Lastly, I am sure some are going to say "well, if the secondary sucks, don't run so much cover 0 or cover 1." I agree. Here's the deal. Almost every coach out there who gets to the top of their profession runs one system better than everyone else. Knowles system is an aggressive one that puts CB on an island. This is who Day hired!!! This is what we should have expected Knowles to run. Unfortunately, coaches don't reinvent themselves overnight, and to expect this is foolhardy at best (and as I pointed out last night, you wouldn't be happy if he ran some conservative prevent type defense, and UGA nickled and dimed us to death, ran out the clock on won. And Bennett was smart enough to take what the D gave him).
So, as a recap: 1) Day's previous DC was a poor hire. He extended him another year anyway, setting the correction time table back another year; 2) recruiting on the defensive side of the ball fell off. The LB's are lackluster at best except for Eichenberg and a converted running back, I can't even name one and the CB's are possibly below average overall; 3) he hired an aggressive DC that runs a scheme that doesn't fit the talent on his roster.
For the life of me, I still don't know why some are trying to find a scapegoat when many of us understand the buck stops with the head coach (pun intended).
You are entitled to you own opinion, not your own facts.
It’s a new year. New attitude. Let’s see what McCord to Harrison looks like in 2023. Let’s see how guys Knowles hand picked look like in his defensive scheme.
The fact this comment is getting bad press is hilarious. Apparently some of these awfully start OSU fans don't realize McCord and Harrison played HS ball together and won two D1 state titles (almost 3 when they were sophomores). Oh, ignorance is bliss. Don't be surprised if OSU is better, and you'll all see why...they just got to get this defense to stop bleeding in big game situations.
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
The loss sucks, but I did see what I wanted to see: FIGHT AND HERO-BALL BEING PLAYED. I get that "morale victories" are fleeting, but many expected our guys to get trounced. And all I really wanted, was to see our Field General, CJ Stroud, play like the hero we knew he was capable of being.
CJ played his greatest game yet. Definitely NOT SOFT. I am left with questions on what CJ Stroud would have been like, if the gameplan might have been designed with HERO-BALL STROUD in mind.
Not all of defense was disappointing, as there were several key parts of it that were excellent. The secondary remains glaringly average-at-best, against an all-star Georgia offense. We cannot accept average over here.
The defensive coordination was what I feel fails us the most. I get that Knowles is just getting started, but the secondary remains porous. That is unacceptable. The inadequacies of adjustments is also unacceptable. I get it -- Give him time, I know... But how much time?
Ryan Day? The last series of downs were TERRIBLE. Had the Buckeyes played for more running yardage, I believe we could have had our guys inward about 7-9 yards, and toward the middle for a more effective field goal. I give credit for more looks, but time and field management is part of being effective against championship caliber teams. This is something that Ryan Day needs to work on.
I am not down on Ruggles. Tough field goal, on his weakest side, with an ice on the kick, from a tough distance, in a tough environment.
I am left with few questions, but really happy with at least the answer of CJ's true rise as a "No Tomorrow" leader. RESPECT. You have plenty of it, CJ. I will question you no longer. You are a man among men. You answered the call, and this loss was not on you. FAR FROM IT.
You BELIEVING that we would have gained 7-9 more yards is unfounded with Miyan Williams out yet again and Hayden or Xavier trying to move a pile with 9 in a box. You saw the result on first down and there is no reason to believe we would have gained 7 yards in the next two plays without a bruiser in the game. Sorry but the play calling blame game doesn’t make any sense when we’ve hung 41 points on the #1 D in the nation, and should have been able to nail one only 2 yards longer than an earlier kick
With Harrison out they didn’t have to respect the passing so much. No Stover means no quick 6-8 yards. Missing so many weapons meant they could crowd the box.
30 yd line, first down, 2 timeouts…….didn’t move the ball, with a stud quarterback. That is on play calling. Three short out routes would moved the ball forward and may have scored SIX.
‘We’re gonna swing as hard as we can!’…….until the most crucial drive, apparently.
Who is he throwing these outs too? Kam’s bad right knee or his bad left one? Tight End eligible Dawand Jones? Only reason CJ was able to run all those times, especially late, is because everybody downfield was covered. Outs get picked for 6 late in games especially in the 2 minute drill when double covered. Middle of the field was open. Outs and deep middle are usually covered in 2 minute drills, and were covered here as well. Can’t have a video game mentality. Just because the play is called and the button pushed, doesn’t make it automatically successful, thus therefore what should have been done. Have to try to counter what the opponent is doing as well.
Thank you. Your analysis is based in fact. There are guys here bitching about not running on 2nd and 3rd down, and guys bitching that the pass patterns should have been outs ? Yeah with no #1 WR and no #1 or #2 TEs.
It was a no-win situation with no one to move the pile in the backfield anyway, so your only hope was to see if Stroud could manufacture something yet again, and if not, you go go a FG with the ball at the 31. How guys can complain about play calling in that situation after the play calling resulted in dropping 41 on the best D in the nation is illogical. Guys just want the HC to be a scapegoat for their emotional reaction
This is such a myopic, asinine comment. One that last drive.
Ran - 2 to 3 yard loss.
Throwing down - almost got sacked; CJ had to curl out of pressure and throw it out-of-bounds.
Your take on what should have been called in laughable, especially given who we were missing and the fact that GA was bringing pressure on every down. Just shutup. I can't stand trash COACH POTATO fans like you. Go pass out.
You nailed it until last sentence. Kickers have a limit. Ruggles never hit one from 50 (0-5 in college from 50 or more). The one from 48 was a knuckleball that barely crossed the crossbar. 50 was NEVER in the cards. Do you try it at that point? Absolutely, that is your best chance to win. But it was a long shot.
You are entitled to you own opinion, not your own facts.
I stand firm on my thoughts on it. Yes, I believe our guys would have gained. The question is, "how much?".
At the very, very least, the hash marks could have changed to a more favorable angle. Ruggles had to kick from his weak side (left marks), and that did not help matters. And even if you disagree? Even one run intensive play could have tricked Georgia enough into thinking that Buckeyes would be making 1-2 more plays for the sake of just re-adjusting for the kick, IMO.
Their strategy was jailbreak blitz up the middle all 3 downs. We ran into it on first, 2 yard loss. Next two plays CJ had to run for his life. How you don't set up a screen on that is beyond me (unless Day was expecting the bluff on third down). Any quick hitter is 20 yards if not a TD against that defense and we had three chances and 2 timeouts to figure that out.
Day is right in that if your run play breaks through it's 6 points but it's hard to break through in that situation (unless we are the defense running it, apparently). The bubble screen, which IIRC we didn't even attempt in this game, likely due to fan criticism, would have beat it.
Your signature will be publicly displayed at the end of your comments.
Exactly. Here is what happened. Day lost to TTUN again, this time by more than 3 td's. OSU caught a break and got in, but the narrative became "they will get blown out." I believed it too. So when it didn't happen, a lot of people are now satisfied. Nothing wrong with saying you are proud of the fight in the kids, 100%. But somehow being satisfied with a close loss at Ohio State is ridiculous. This is another year that.: 1) OSU had multiple losses; 2) got blown out by TTUN; 3) didn't win the B1g; and 4) didn't win a playoff game. Oh, and we took some major recruiting hits a week ago. I am sorry kids, but things are NOT trending in the right direction. Those that want to feel optimistic, I support that. But I am not feeling warm and fuzzy because in year 4 Day had a chance to win a playoff game but came up short again.
You are entitled to you own opinion, not your own facts.
Maybe not... But we now have clearer examples on what must be worked on and improved, from both players and coaching. Before this game, there were a lot more questions, on intangibles that included things that aren't merely coachable.
The toughness shown tells me that the culture isn't as bad as previously thought. And now, there are the other things that need worked on, that remain glaring.
The "scout reel" won't be as painful to watch now, as it did not look like anyone gave up out there. Some folks were outplayed, sure. But film breakdown can now focus on issues moving into next season.
Georgia is the gold standard measuring stick when it comes to defense currently. Look at their last 2 games. Take away the win and they look as bad or worse. Games are won or lost situationally more than this broad look at stats and points. Georgia against really good offenses isn’t the monster they are made out to be. TCU will be a big test as well. Knowles needs more time and players with experience in his system. Next year will be a truer statement of where he’s at or if he’s the right guy.
Let’s see how guys Knowles hand picked look like in his defensive scheme.
Before I get started, first year here as defensive coordinator, I got it.
Honestly not intending to shit on Knowles, but who are guys “hand picked” by Knowles? It is my understanding he isn’t known for his recruiting prowess.
Also, while still not intending to shit on Knowles, the defensive stats listed for the last two games are highly alarming and more than worthy of introspection and scrutiny. Something is not right there. For a defensive coordinator who employs a “safety driven” defense, it seemed that position turned out to be the Achilles heel for the D. Did Knowles not recognize this? Was Knowles so hell bent on running his “vaunted” scheme that he stubbornly did so anyway? Is Knowles a “one trick pony? Would seem a coach would recognize his personnel and put them in the best position to succeed. Did Knowles truly do this?
Bottom line is much more is expected next year, and having to live with a certain number of “explosive plays” is not a satisfactory answer. Rant over.
I tend to agree which is why Day needs to be more committed as a head coach on the defensive side of the ball. It’s his job as head coach to oversee and manage both of the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The jury may still be out on Knowles but this year was unacceptable. He had way more talent this year than he did at Oklahoma State and didn’t prove to anyone he is a high level defensive mind.
Well, Ford stopped making cars (except the Mustang) in 2022 and shifted their focus on SUV’s and trucks. And they forever screwed the Mustang by converting it to an electric model.
It seems that way with Ryan Day. He is so involved with the offense (OC of the team) that he wants/paying Knowles to take care of the defense. He is a great offensive minded coach but as the head coach needs to take on the defense as well.
This! And because he IS a great offensive mind, perhaps Day would see something that the analysts and defensive coaches might have missed, especially real-time to react fast in the play, or so adjustments during the game can be made more quickly. Or maybe even something he sees with a fresh set of eyes that could add data points to the scheme’s overall structure.
Im a firm believer in “trust the process” but one should also always be looking to improve or fine tune their process. Because the other guy has a process too, and they are professionals too. And if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse.
The anomaly with Day as OSU’s head coach is, despite his success, he is still growing into the head coaching role.
Unlike previous OSU head coaches (exception being the one-year interim Fickell tenure) Day has not had many years, and/or previous stops as a head coach to develop his style or hone his head coaching skills.
The best is yet to come, and it is my humble opinion, his last loss to TTUN and this year’s bowl prep period have gone a long way in bettering his head coaching acumen.
Did anyone notice how coach Day was screaming on the sidelines early in the game and otherwise over-the-top fiery? Even Herbstreit said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a coach act like that in a game. Ever.”
I only bring this up because no matter what, I seriously would hate to see him have a heart attack. The pressure in that job must be incredible. And he has family.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
Day has proven he doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground on the defensive side of the ball. He is a glorified Offensive Coordinator (and a damn good one). He has done nothing to prove he is a championship caliber head coach. Just my two cents, but I am guessing a championship caliber HC either has to have balanced knowledge on both sides of the ball, or be a savant at hiring on his deficient side. Day appears to be neither.
You are entitled to you own opinion, not your own facts.
I don't trust your assessment of Day over that of a lobotomized squirrel's.
Your comments here have been off-the-mark, and incredibly entitled, Idiots like you keep cherry-picking D stats from the last two games, as if the defense hasn't been much better than last season. Dishonest trash is what you are, especially considering this is Knowles first season with us. Yes asshole, you have to give him more than one season, and he has to get his athletes in play.
I sure wish Day had tried to get a few more yards and better position the ball for the Ruggles kick. His explanation of running the ball was weak IMO, even if CJ supported it. Did Day really expect to break through their cover 0 at that point in the game? Had we had any success doing that in the game up to that point? Yea, it would have been glorious to see Hayden break that one off, but geeze why take that gamble? Just get a few more yards and get the ball to place Ruggles feels comfy. Let him kick it and we go home to dream about TCU. Instead this . . .
Obviously I don’t know, but truly think the “50 yards” got in Ruggles head causing him to put a “little extra” into the kick that made it all go wrong. A 40-something yard kick he has done before, maybe not as much of a problem. My theory anyway. We’ll never know.
Sorry, but 50 yards is in his wheel house and as I mentioned, there's three parts to a FG - the snap, the hold and the kick - break down in any area and it doesn't happen. I firmly believe that with a miss that awkward and wide, the snap was low, resulting in a poor placement of the hold ....
The complaints about us not getting a little closer would make sense if he missed it barely wide left by a few feet. But that kick wasn’t gonna be good from 30 yards, it was practically sideways. He just shanked the hell out of it.
Right, but that's what happens when a kicker is at the edge of their range. They overkick it, and it misses badly. If they got him to 40 yds or closer, I think we see a much different looking kick.
He shanked the hell our of it,but it made it to the back of the end zone.Looked like his plant foot was too close to the ball and he overextended through it, but he still got power on it. Who cares though: zero points. :(
He did try. Ohio State ran the ball well in the second half and UGA was tired. It wasn't out of the realm to get 5 yards on that run play, UGA just won the LOS. The slant he called was the right play given the D was in man-to-man coverage. The CB who might be a first round NFL draft pick, jumped the play and timed it perfectly. It didn't help that Harrison was out, because even if you don't throw to him, D has to worry about him, and likely would have doubled him there. It is insulting for you to say he should have tried. FFS.
You are entitled to you own opinion, not your own facts.
Defense failed. Day's play call to run the ball up the middle on that last drive will never be justified. Not a single holding call against Georgia offense. But let's be serious for a second. Once again calls or reversed calls by the refs once again end our season in the CFP. It is not when the coach asks for a timeout. It is when the official signals for a timeout. Rossi already had the ball in his hands before the official signaled for that timeout. Targeting needs to be removed for CFP. I know, that sounds ridiculous. But until there can be something done about calls, no calls, or referrals, you should not be able to effect a game like this in this manner. Even if you take the targeting off, explain how that was not unnecessary roughness on a defenseless receiver. We were doomed with 31 seconds to go in the 3rd quarter.
Even if you take the targeting off, explain how that was not unnecessary roughness on a defenseless receiver
Exactly my point. The rule says defenseless and head AND neck area.
Until we have accountability of the mystery man in the booth- reversing the called decision from the official 5 feet in front of the actual play on the field, it won’t change.
Remember a couple of years ago when we shook our collective heads at Kerry Coombs defense that had Tuff Borland covering Davonte Smith? So what do we do now when Tommy Eichenberg ends up covering Georgia's fastest receiver? In our two biggest games, Jim Knowles defense may have been a little different, but the results were the same or worse than anything Coombs put out there.
Yes but…. Xavier Johnson ran that middle wheel route or whatever it might be called and had a linebacker chasing him but he couldn’t catch up and X scored a touchdown. Maybe on the Georgia blog they are mad about that. But the truth is that the offense designs plays to force the defense into a look and then exploit it. We did it to them. They did it to us. However, overall I agree that the defense just wasn’t good enough and the repeated chunk plays against us are just brutal. We looked below average against Maryland and it went downhill like an avalanche after that.
I believe it was said on the broadcast they were in a cover 2 scheme that play, and Tommy was responsible for the deep middle in that instance. So yes, he ended up being on that WR (and stayed with him I may add vs. what Borland did to Smith), but it was because UGA called the right play for the coverage they got, not because Knowles pointed at Tommy, and said cover that fast WR this play.
Ronnie Hickman didn't get the necessary depth on that play. Why I don't know. Guessing, it looked to me like he was locked on Bowers over the middle, and in that zone we ended up with 3 guys on Bowers. Hickman, Ransom and Chambers underneath. 3 guys for one player is too much. Eichenberg should never be the deepest man on the field.
Regarding Bowers first down reversal, next time you see someone trying to make a first down on the sideline, watch them extend the ball inside and beyond the marker while they're still in the field of play, in bounds. Bowers did not do that. The ball crossed the sideline, outside outside and short of the marker while he was in bounds. What am I missing?
You’re not missing anything. First saw this principle regularly from Russell Wilson when he would scramble for the Seahawks. After a few seasons I started to notice that instead of keeping the ball secure and tucked when he was going out of bounds, he would extend one arm out forward with the ball in the last split second before going out of bounds. Why? I am sure he worked with referees who are at practice and said “ how can I maximize the gain “ and the answer is “stick the ball as far forward as you can INBOUNDS “ because where the ball is when you go out is the spot. It appeared that Bowers was given credit for sticking the ball forward while it was out of bounds which based on the way they call it in the NFL shouldn’t be under consideration.
If that play takes place at the goal line he would be way outside the pylon, it wouldn't even be close to a touchdown. So why is he rewarded for a first down?
What upsets me the most is that Georgia was basically rewarded for head-hunting Marvin. I get the no-call for targeting, but it was absolutely a penalty for unnecessary roughness
Agreed, and they gave the guy - Ballard - who hit him the defensive MVP accolade! Like, I cannot stand how rigged this system has become. They’re paying players openly now, tampering with rosters, and rewarding defenders for playing dirty. Oh and conveniently cutting to commercials while they overturn calls on the field with no rhyme or reason. The rules “expert,” Bill Lemmonier was insufferable during that telecast too.
College football is becoming unwatchable. I love this sport because it’s not like the pros, but it’s getting ruined.
The rules “expert,” Bill Lemmonier was insufferable during that telecast too.
(Regarding the hit on Harrison) Lemmonier on the broadcast said: "I did not see his head spin backward from it." Since when is a head spinning backwards a requirement for targeting? And for that matter, how much does his head have to spin backward?
Maybe I’m just sentimental (because of JT and Justin), but seems a QB who can take off at anytime w his legs is such a great asset in the modern college game.
The only person that’s “blameless” in this game is Stroud. He played like it was his last game ever. He did all he could do. Day jacked up the last series cause he puckered up zero coverage there and you’ve got one of the best QBs in America I’d have thrown it but that could’ve gone wrong too idk.
Knowles? Oof those coverage calls were awful when we were up 11.
Since we had 2 TO’s AND CJ has a sniper’s accuracy, I was really surprised we couldn’t pick up a quick 10 yards in the air anywhere on the field and call TO.
Since we had 2 TO’s AND CJ has a sniper’s accuracy, I was really surprised we couldn’t pick up a quick 10 yards in the air anywhere on the field and call TO.
Courtesy of the QB Whisperer and offensive mastermind, Ryan Day.
You blame Day because you want to throw it without #1 WR or #1 or even #2 TE ( which resulted in Stroud having to run twice in that drive already). Most guys above are bitching because Day didn’t run two more times to get 7 to 9 more yards forcing Hayden or X Johnson into the 9 in the box teeth of the #1 defense in the nation.
please someone tell me which way the idiot play caller should have gone - you know, the idiot who had already hung 41 on the #1 D in the nation. And thanks Chase Brown for inviting more terrible play calling narrative. (Go watch what Harbaugh did against TCU and tell me about shitty play calling)
Bingo! If he runs it he’s an idiot. If he passes it he’s an idiot. No matter the play call, half of the fanbase says he’s an idiot. Except when it works then he got lucky.
Day's playcalling in that final sequence of plays was just confusing to me. It wasn't terrible, per se, so perhaps my words in the article were probably too harsh. Let me explain more.
I liked the idea of running the football on first down, although I would have liked to see Ohio State use a quarterback run/power rather than hand it off to Dallan Hayden. That would have been more effective as it would have added another blocker for Stroud to run behind to move closer into field goal range.
After Hayden's carry went for negative yards, why not run again on second if you run it on first down? Day had one more timeout to use that could have been burned after another carry by either Stroud, Hayden, Johnson, etc., hoping to make the kick more comfortable for Noah Ruggles. If Ohio State faced third down, it could've thrown with Day telling Stroud to look for a throw beyond the first-down marker or throw it away. In this scenario, at its worst, the Buckeyes lose another yard or two, but at its best, they get a closer field goal for Ruggles.
I think Day panicked once the first carry went for negative yards, and the two pass plays he called after didn't exactly help as they featured long-developing routes rather than quick hitters to exploit the blitz. Stroud needed a bit more time than he had in the pocket, and he was ultimately forced into an incompletion and a throw away in the final moments. All in all, it felt like Day settled for a 50-yard field goal rather than calling plays with the same aggression he had all game.
That set of downs was really costly. But it is not like Day and company said we're good, let's take knees. I did not like the run call initially, but they did attempt to pass the next 2 plays as well.
My frustration is their inability to recognize and find a quick man zero beater in that situation. Egbuka was open each time but whatever the playcalls were Strouds first and only read was to XJ (in place of Marv) given how little time he had. Any type of quick slant or drag route to Egbuka over the middle, where Stroud could have simply drifted a few yards backwards to avoid the incoming rush would have resulted in a huge gain and we win the game.
That feels like like that's "easy for me to say" knowing the outcome after the fact, but UGA went to that defensive call on every key down in the 3rd and 4th quarter, and we had no answer. Based on the post game comments, they knew they were in man zero. How you can't see that the middle of the field was being left wide open, and get your best/last available playmaker the ball in that situation, I will never know.
And for what it is worth, our inability to recognize this defense and make a proper adjustment is what got Marv knocked out of the game too. UGA blitzes everybody, EE is wide open immediately for an easy TD, but CJ is looking Marvs way for some slow developing double move type of route, but the blitz is coming so CJ has to run backwards and the rest is history.
It would have been interesting to see the look on Coach Knowles’ face in the coach’s box on the 70 yard TD pass after Ransom slipped and went down. I’m guessing it was the cobra?
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
They’d have had to censor his mouth I’m guessing. The slip sucks but he probably shouldn’t have been man to man with no backup. All in all I hoped OSU would win but expected them to get crushed. They didn’t and they looked good and I was proud of them. They should have and could have won they belonged and everyone knows that.
don't blame ruggles or day. this was 100% on jim knowles...surrendered 1400 yards and 117 points over the last 3 games. with a $5.7 million contract, this is complete failure.
I look specifically at the last 2 games 2nd halves. I would have thought our coaches would have been able to adjust and scheme on the fly to match what other team did in 1H.
That was the thing though. First 3 drives of the 2nd half UGA had 15 yds and no points. Then they started moving it a little bit at the end of the 3rd, and got the Bowers 4th down overturn, and still held them to 3.
So until we had to punt back after the Kirby TO on the fake punt, adjustments were made, we were playing well on defense. And then just epic meltdown.
People keep saying the Ransom slip was cover 0. It was cover 1, McCallister was the deep safety, he just wasn't remotely in the area code on that play. Not many FS would be. Still a bad call defensively, when it appeared we were mostly in zone and it was working in the 3rd quarter. Bennett was holding the ball and indecisive for that time period we were getting stops.
I agree. You have to be able to close defensively. How is it Iowa's defense is so much better than ours with much lower ranked recruits? Do these rankings even make any sense? They have a true defensive genius, not a mad scientist, in Phil Parker who recruits the right players for his system and then develops them completely.. At this point I believe it's a combination of coaching and nepotism, recruiting the wrong players for our defense and hiding behind supposed 4 and 5 star talent, then not fully developing those players. I believe the defense was in such a bad place that it will take Knowles another year or two. I'm willing to give him more time and feel that with the right players and development, he will take the appropriate gambles during a game against equal talent. It's hard to be patient at Ohio State, and I do understand that as well, but let's give the man time.
General question- have the Buckeyes EVER scored 41 points and lost? I could look through the all time record but it’s too early in the day for a research project.
General question- have the Buckeyes EVER scored 41 points and lost?
And the pre-game statistic that gave me the most confidence was the (feel free to correct me if I’m wrong) stat that “OSU is undefeated since 2014 (89-0?) when scoring at least 30 points.” Once we hit that, I really felt that the game was ours. But then a series of very unfortunate events, some out of our control, some not, happens.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
For every loss and for every team there are plays and players and coaching decisions open to criticism. I have my list too. But just remember there was a championship-caliber team on the other side of this one -- elite players and coaches to match ours. Great team against great team, and only one could win. Could the result have been any closer? If one kick were true, Georgia fans today would be ripping to pieces their porous defense, their settling for field goals, their missed ones, their at-times disappearing pass rush, why Buckeye receivers were running open across the field, a Georgia running game that seemed successful but then disappeared, and a QB who at times looked confused, who airmailed an interception from his own territory, and who almost airmailed a second. Perfection on every play and in every situation is an impossible, ludicrous standard. I saw a Buckeye team laying it all out there on the biggest stage. By late in the game -- with five elite offensive players out with injuries -- we were overmatched on the field but still one play from a national championship game. Unbelievably frustrating for sure, but I'm proud of how we bounced back from a crushing loss and went toe-to-toe with the best in college football.
Great commentary Buck, I’m one of the few with you. The injuries on this team have been a plague all year since game 1. And yet there we were, lined up for the winning kick. We played a hell of a game , and down here in SEC country , they all know we are a force after that showing. In addition , both TCU and UM gave up more points and Georgia gave up one less point . It’s not like the other playoff defenses held their top 4 opponents under 30 points - not one .
Good sentiment and I love the positives. But games 12 and 13, while admittedly against the toughest opponents, are not the time to be talking on defense about “just letting them run free and make plays” with less thinking. If you are talking about that in games 12 and 13 it means you are still deciding how to do it and if you are still deciding how to execute by the end of the season well perhaps that’s why it ends up being less successful.” I have to put the guys in position to succeed” is not what I saw when the opponent is getting 8.8 yards per play.
I understand your frustration and have my criticisms too. But again, we were a kick away from Georgia fans wanting to fire their D coordinator. Coordinator of perhaps the best D in the country. Certainly they should've figured it out by game 14. Certainly they should've been taught by LSU to tighten up their pass defense. But there we were taking it to them. Bottom line is it's not that easy to stop a modern offense when it's clicking. Even the best D in the country can struggle to do so.
I was pleased with the play calling for a change. Aggressive. The "what if" hurts the most. JSN. Tre Henderson. I didn't realize Henderson got his leg injury early in the season. He just didn't play the second half because he wasn't getting it done. He wasn't the player we saw, all last year. 2 of the 3 heads of the 3 headed monster, with Marv at the ready never happened.
Made the trip down to Atlanta with my dad and my throat still hurts from yelling so much. The offense came to play for sure.
Walking out of Mercedes Benz stadium I was still in shock that they lost. I was numb. I felt nothing. Sitting in traffic for two hours trying to go 15 miles to get back to the hotel I turned to sadness for it being over. They were so close. The next morning… pride. I’m proud that this team didn’t let the loss to Michigan and a few big misses on national signing day become a funeral. They could have rolled over and given many critics what they wanted, but instead they proved they were worthy of being in that game.
They gave Georgia all they could handle. Can’t wait to see what this fire forges. Go Bucks!
I don’t really believe Fowler that it was an overwhelming majority of Georgia fans, considering at the coin toss, you could hear a loud O-H-I-O chants reverberating around the stadium. Definitely not a small Ohio State contingent by any means. Fielder’s gotta maintain that mystique though for the viewing audience. I’d be curious to know the actual ratio. I bet it was closer to 50/50 than the SEC shills care to admit. Probably 60/40 or something in that ballpark. Maybe 65/35…
Yeah. I asked before the game last week if anybody knew precisely how many tickets were alloted to the Buckeyes, and if I remember correctly, I thought I heard OSU only got 13,000 tickets which sold out in hours. Interestingly, it seemed there were very few camera shots of the fans in the stands. Not that it would have mattered, as both fans were probably wearing a lot of scarlet and red.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
I've been watching Ohio State football since the early 70's and I could speak for an hour on all of the big games we've lost where we made key mistakes to cause it. I'm beginning too think it's in our DNA to screw things up.
I'm a glass half full person. What we saw out of Day on Saturday is the gameday coach we MUST have moving forward. It's the coach we thought we were going to see in The Game. I really hope it's a sign of things to come. I think Dabo and Smart are the comparisons for the possible trajectory we could see out of Day. Neither had been a HC before. Smart was at least a coordinator like Day. It takes time to learn everything, and while Ohio State isn't exactly a place someone should be learning on the job, I'm not sure who else realistically they could get that would be doing any better to this point. Dabo and Smart have figured it out and it has resulted in NCs (likely 2 for each after Monday).
It will be ironic to say the least when Ohio State's "soft" QB gets drafted in the first round and goes on to "break the Buckeye QB curse". To all the haters I call "shame"!
CJ Stroud will likely have the best NFL career of any Buckeye QB ever and it won't be close! His arm strength, accuracy and touch are unmatched in college football and his pocket mobility is excellent. He ran the ball with decent skill because he had to, not because he wanted to, which is exactly what is needed at the next level.
It's a shame he has played through 2 years of anemic, bordering on terrible defense; he should be 2-0 vs ttun and playing for a natty in 2023. The young man has character, class and stands up for his team mates. We will miss him and are unlikely to see his combination of qualities in the near future because they are truly that rare. Thank you CJ Stroud for leading our team the last two seasons.
Best thing for him though would be to drop a bit in the draft to a team with some pieces in place, namely a good OL. It's incredibly difficult for rookie QBs thrown into the fire with nothing around them (Fields a great example).
Looking at the current draft order with 1 week to go and teams at that could look to draft a QB:
-Houston, Seattle (from Denver), Indy, Detroit (to sit behind Goff most likely for a year or 2), Vegas and Carolina in the top 10 would be the likely candidates. Of those, Seattle wouldn't be bad to go and sit behind Geno for a year or 2. They've got pieces in place. Vegas also wouldn't be bad as Carr is likely gone and Stidham would be the place holder.
-Outside the top 10, Tennessee, NYJ, Washington, TB, NE maybe, and Baltimore probably the only others looking QB. Baltimore would be a good organization to go to, and I don't think they'd rush him on the field.
-1 other team would be the Rams, but they don't have a 1st round pick due to the Stafford trade. Stafford probably only has 1 year or 2 left IMO, but it would be a good situation to sit and learn before taking over.
Call me crazy but I really think these games are rigged… they didn’t think Ohio state could actually win. And when it was obvious they were the better team things had to change the game. I think these games are based on a narrative sometimes max duggen vs Stetson Bennett the two underdog qbs.
We all hate that team, but it was clear as Day those officials in the Fiesta Bowl wanted TCU to win. It was so bad I texted my buddy who's the ref in the AAC that it wouldn't shock me that it was an SEC crew doing that game...we both looked it up and texted back "SEC Crew."
The INT before the TD that wasn't when the WR was marked down at the 1, then followed by the fumble, was intercepted on the plus side of the 50, but it was marked on the opposite side of the 50, which was a negative net of 4 or 5 yards for that team. That pass is in the endzone if it was spotted correctly.
Maybe it’s unavoidable due to what conferences are represented in the CFP in any given year, but why don’t they just use refs from conferences with teams not participating? Including refs from the next group of 5 conferences like your friend?
I hate to say it, but I think you’re right, TTUN did get jobbed by the refs. I thought that TD catch that they marked him down at the 1 was crazy. That said, TTUN fumbling at the 1 was not caused by the refs.
These refs do just enough to tamper with the outcomes of these games. Like someone said on this thread above, they gotta protect their golden goose by having an SEC team in the national championship and Ohio State is the biggest threat to that algorithm.
The idea of having TTUN and Ohio State in the tithe game, while generating massive revenue via the eyeballs/viewership it’d bring, apparently isn’t enough to offset the need to maintain the facade of SEC dominance and keep folks in the south engaged and the prevailing narrative that the SEC is the best propped up.
And I’d add that ESPN got to televise exciting and highly competitive games, milking Ohio State for all its worth, while holding up a winner in Georgia at the end. It’s a win-win for them. The racketeering, tampering, and over all rigged nature of this system is making it virtually unwatchable for Ohio State fans like myself. How many more times are historically elite Ohio State teams, especially offensively going to be done in by poor officiating?
The 2019 Ohio State was so good! They were the most complete Ohio State team I’ve ever seen since watching them from about 1992 onward. I don’t know if they’d beaten Burrow and LSU, but they should’ve had the opportunity.
They may not be rigged but Saturday is exactly what they would look like if they are. Same way the final drive for the Rams in the last Superbowl looked. Barely a flag in the game and all of a sudden it can't stay in any refs pocket.
"Revenge is a dish best served cold." - Old Klingon proverb
please everyone STOP with the "injury and the starters out " crap that was the offense and they sored 41 ....it has nothing to do with the D giving up 42 .....
Very true, but think about what they could’ve put on that vaunted Georgia D if they had their full complement of players at their disposal? All their weapons. MHJ being unavailable for the 4th quarter was the turning point.
consider this, what if Ohio State had JSN, Henderson, Williams, MHJ, and Stover for this game? Heck, even for this season and the TTUN game? It’s just heartbreaking that this always happens to Ohio State.
JK Dobbins had 175 yards in a mere 2 quarters of action against Clemsucks due to injury. Had he been healthy for the entire game, he’d put 300 yards on the ground against those clowns.
I am confused by the focus on Knowles defense. Every team in the CFP gave up over 40 points. GA was 1 point away from losing to us and gave up 500+ yards to a 2 loss LSU team in their last game. TTUN gave up 51 to TCU! There are moments you'd like back and hindsight where you'd change things, but it seems like our D is pretty much on the same level as every other top team facing a top offense. Especially with a month to prepare.
That’s a valid point, although I’d point out that TTUN’s defense technically gave up 37 points to TCU considering ole wonder boy JJ threw 2 pick sixes.
Sometimes I wonder if it it better to get blown out than lose a game like that? Where there is NO DOUBT who the better team is. I am not convinced the better team won. I realize our defense sucked again, but Georgia had every built-in advantage and favorable calls that helped swing momentum their way. Football, like basketball, is a game of momentum and it only takes one horrific call to change the outcome.
I didn’t think my hatred for the “targeting penalty” could get any worse. It is applied so unbelievably inconsistently. Too many big games have been altered irrevocably because of this call. Ohio State has had more than it’s share. I wish I knew the statistics on this penalty(or not?) Add the 2022-23(?) Peach Bowl to a long list of games altered because of this inconsistency. How could the hit on Marvin NOT be the definition of targeting? I haven’t heard one good explanation and that includes from Kirk and Rece Davis Witherspoon. One “SEC” fan on another website said in response to my question, “because that’s how we hit in the SEC.” It’s disgraceful. I’m still pissed off when Bosa got ejected (vs. Iowa?) which led to a turn of events and a Buckeye loss.
Yes, our defense still needs work and was not good in the three games mentioned above, but there were too many bad calls that turned the momentum in the game. Georgia had every built-in advantage and then multiple favorable calls that helped swing momentum, IMO. I won’t be watching the NC game, but I do hope TCU wins. Fuk Michigan and fuk Georgia.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
Yep, the better team didn’t win. It was clearly Ohio State. Ohio State led that game for 57-58 of the 60 minutes. They were better prepared and more motivated and executed better. The refs did them no favors with the overturned calls during tv timeouts.
One thing people don’t realize is the Ohio States D held Georgia scoreless in the 3rd quarter. The Ransom slip was huge!
In the end winning a national title is so hard, even for a recession proof program like Ohio State, which is why I wish Saban would retire already for crying out loud.. His stump speech during the B1G championship halftime segment was infuriating. Like, we get it dude, you’ve won 7 titles. Now go home already.
Also, Ohio State was definitely the better team in 2019 against Clemsucks.
Also, I heard for three f&@king weeks on numerous sports networks, websites and from SEC fans how “Jalen Carter and the Georgia defense is going to shred the Ohio State offensive line.” Well, I saw fat-ass Jalen Carter on the sidelines because he was so winded, many times throughout the game. I think Iowa’s D is better.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
D was not good enough, but I think it's fixable. The top 5-6 dbs and safeties need identified before game one and they need to play 90% of the snaps. The secondary doesn't play as a unit. That leads to the big plays.
My bigger concern is Day. He seems to tighten up in big moments or games. We scored 3 points in Q4. We played tight the last 2 Um games. He needs to play call with no fear all game every game.
I was as upset as anyone about the Michigan loss this season and wondered what the hell had happened...the team just didn't look right. But this team played it's ass off two nights ago, and if you didn't see the heart in everyone, coaches included, you're blind. Lots of things went right, some didn't, and they just didn't win.
Some of these comments just absolutely reek with entitlement, like you're owed something by Day and Knowles...and the team. You're owed nothing by these people no matter how much they earn. Some of you need to get a grip. We need a 6-6 season or two to clean up this fan base.
No they don’t owe us anything. But they do know the expectations that come with the ginormous athletic budget and the fourth largest stadium and one of the largest alumni associations. Like Uncle Ben said to Peter Parker in Spider Man- with great power comes great responsibility. You can’t be all in for the facilities and the recruiting staff and development staff and academic support and then have the thought “ they expect too much.” It’s a two way street.
I am still 100% in support of Coach Day. There have been some disappointments but we are playing hard and ready- the second half against ttun is maybe the exception but they are a very good team (gag). I am torn between being disappointed about losing big games but at the same time happy to be playing in big games. Alabama and Clemson sitting home this year. USC and Oregon fell apart at the wrong time against the wrong teams. Oklahoma and Texas are mediocre to bad and moving conferences won’t do them any favors. They will always be getting sloppy seconds. Florida State ended 9-4 I think and the once mighty Gators and the U are now a fucking joke.
We were very very good but this season but alas we weren’t great. Disappointed for the injuries; very happy to see the dedication from the team and the positives around players like Miller and Henry who are facing life altering crises. No drama and off field shenanigans this season. Let’s get ready for next year and push through those big games.
If you have played football, you know there are going to be calls that go your way or the other. If I were watching the game with Georgia lenses I am sure I would have been complaining about non-calls- but reversing the targeting call WAS negligent on the refs part- that rule was specifically meant for those plays. One view looked like a shoulder- the other was clearly the helmet. His head probably hit the ground, easily more the 50% of tackles end up with the player hitting their head in some way. The helmet is meant to protect the brain from those routine falls- not when the helmet is used as a battering ram. The no call defensive holding with Royer over the middle was horrid. I believe the drive stalled after that series and we punted. There were clearly others, but we need to find a way to win those games. Make your own luck. We finally beat clemson when we made our own luck and found a way to win.
I was frustrated this year when it seemed Stroud had some daylight and didnt take it or when we needed that 1-3 yards and the defense knew he wasnt going to take it. I feel for him, it was a Heisman worthy game for him, a game that makes legends- and we lost. He WAS the MVP of the game. I do wonder what the season may have looked like if he felt more confident to play like that, likely make us much more difficult to defend-especially when everyone knew we were going to run the ball.
With exception of 2019, we haven't had a NC worthy defense since 2014. 2019 was an enigma, largely played well because of the talent despite the coaching issues- and we saw that in the years afterwards. We need 2 lock down corners and safeties that teams fear coming over the middle. What happened to Burke this year is the MOST puzzling on the defense. Last year he makes the play in the end zone at the end of the game. This year he got spun around like a top.
Love my Buckeyes, but hopefully another year in Knowles system will result in more consistent play, but it wont eliminate his questionable defensive calls-especially in the 4th quarter of the peach bowl and the second half of the UX game.
They’re never going to allow an SEC-less championship game again. We broke the algorithm against Alabama. Stroud needs to come back for one more season. He needs to play like he did on Saturday all season next season. But if we’re honest, he didn’t get the job done. He had the ball with a minute left and two timeouts. He may have left his heart on the field but he left the points off the board. Normally I wouldn’t say things like that about a college football player but He is a millionaire and a professional athlete already and needs more development. Better to do it at OSU than some hapless NFL team that will get him killed like Justin Fields is experiencing. What’s the hurry? Also, we need to get our RB room healthy. And maybe it’s bringing in another RB from the portal. I don’t know. We can’t have another year like this one where we wind up depending on a true freshman in his first start in the biggest game of the year. And I know they’re trolling (likely) but folks out there are saying Marv may transfer to USC. We better smother that rumor in its sleep. 2023 is off to a bad start.
Yeah MHJ to USC isn’t happening. Anyone can start a rumor and if I’m a USC shill, why not tweet something? Have we learned nothing from Sir Yacht’s escapades?
With that said, if Egbuka’s claims are true, the whole tampering this is completely ridiculous and it needs stamped out pronto. No way should coaches be contacting players on other teams, encouraging them to enter the transfer portal. College football is beyond recognizable now.
I don’t disagree, but what’s stopping USC (or whomever) to pick up the phone to Marv (or other stars) and offer them huge money to leave? You essentially have two options. Make players sign contracts OR sue other teams for tortuous interference. The portal has essentially made it possible for any player to leave anytime they want to anywhere they want. It’s a real mess. And I agree about the rumors. They tried that with Hayden already. I don’t know what you do but the military trained me to take initiative in the absence of orders. OSU could lead the way in bringing some order to this chaos.
Question- who is in the replay booth and why aren’t they ever identified to the viewing audience? I’m guessing our game it was the sec commissioner and the duke brothers from the dukes of hazard.
I always thought something so important as the CFP (and only 3 games) that we should have a committee of officials (ala Supreme Court), where you have roughly the same # of replay officials in the booth as on the field and its a majority rules type of thing.
And the way those reply booth officials decide on a replayed play is public knowledge. Until that happens, it wont be fixed.
Yeah that is odd. We know the identities of the refs on the field and just about everyone else associated with the game being played, but then we have this ethereal, unnamed replay official(s). Like I’d it just one person or multiple? What are their affiliations? Obviously, the PAC12 crew was openly identified as such.
My hope is that Day learned something valuable from the season ending performances. I thought Knowles would have learned something from the scum game- but it appears not.
Seems simple to me, up by that many heading into the 4th qtr, on defense, you protect the lead and give up all the 10 yard plays all day long at that point.
Knowles' aggression cost Ohio State as it did against Michigan
I think it's time for the Head Coach of the football team to exert some authority over the "head coach of the defense" and get some things straight.
Day needs to define the future of this team with how he reacts to this situation. I'm not saying to fire anyone, but how many more championship offenses is he going to let his defense squander?
I’m surprised we kept it as close as we did to be honest. Don’t blame a kicker people, we were up by 14 in the 4th quarter. You have to be able to close. Great game to watch.
For what it's worth...I like your article...Chase Brown...I also...don't like to loose...and I think...Georgia Head Coach...Kirby Squat...is a ... smirk face...cheating mother fucker...just like E.S.P.N. and S.E.C...the douche falls into the line up with...Back Stabbing Fuck Face Franklin and the Goofy Nose Picking scUm Head Coach...hoping that Ryan Day...throw's away his play calling book...and hires a Professional Coach..to do it next year...defense coach (sure I know his name)..it's...Crunch Time Coach..in Buckeye Land...the old man is wishing every one... Great 2023...Go Eleven Warriors...Go Bucks
The defense was run into the ground by a culture of nepotism that kept inept coaches around who were able to hide behind 4-5 star talent and a great defensive line. It appears the LJ may be getting past his prime, which resulted in a complete exposure of how bad the coaching was. It got so bad that players recruited to play offense were converted over to star on defensive. Coach Day finally realized that he had to do something, so cleaned house and brought in Knowles.
The system Knowles runs require a certain type of player and he just completed his first recruiting cycle. The defense appeared improved this year, especially playing inferior opponents. In fact, there are some stats from both the Georgia and Michigan games that show the system works. Georgia’s TEs and RBs were limited when compared to season stats. Unfortunately our DBs, mainly the CBs, don’t have the skills to cover man-to-man downfield, which is required under the new system. This issues is magnified when the defense plays teams with similar talent levels, the players who don’t fit into the new system simply got exposed. This is a 3-4 year rebuild that was never going to be fixed overnight. Unfortunately for the offense, the past two seasons we have seen what is likely the best offense in the country get negatively impacted by the defense. It will probably be another 2 years before the defense is no longer a burden.
Sometimes it comes down to players making, or not making, plays. Buckeye secondary is weak against quality competition. We need to recruit corners that can man cover as we did when Coombs was dback coach. We had a couple epic fails on the back end last two games that should not occur at our level of football.
Sometimes it comes down to players making, or not making, plays. Buckeye secondary is weak against quality competition. We need to recruit corners that can man cover as we did when Coombs was dback coach. We had a couple epic fails on the back end last two games that should not occur at our level of football.
I was enormously proud to cheer for a team that showed so much heart and gave many of us so much enjoyment over this season and especially this last game. Sad they came up a bit short, but what a game. Thanks especially to CJ! He handled it all with grace. Go beyond the numbers and watch that young man try to check on and console the woman he inadvertently ran over on the sideline. He is a fine human being who represented the university so well. Am glad he chose to be a Buckeye.
43 years ago, on Jan. 2, 1980, I flew home to Columbus from Los Angeles. The day before, I had witnessed what I still contend was one of the greatest football games ever played. Two days ago, I was in Atlanta, and was again witness to another great college football game. Both times, I watched a worthy opponent drive the length of the field in the waning moments of the game to take a 1 point lead. And both times, I watched as the as the Buckeyes fell short of a comeback. This Buckeye for life can tell you with certainty that the sun will rise tomorrow as it will in another 42 years. And with a break of two going their way, there will be more moments like Jan. 3, 2003 in Tempe and Jan. 12, 2015 in Arlington, TX. And yes, I was there for both of those games as well. Go Buckeyes!
Earle's boys (but it was really Woody's guys) came so close that day - in his first season as HC no less. Unfortunately, we had a lot of 9 and 3 seasons after that one, and then Coops.
This one was a heartbreaker too, but I see tremendous upside for the OSU program moving forward this time, and it is in a very, very good place. So we got that going for us.
After 45+ years of pulling for the Buckeyes, I'm numb to the losses to top 5 opponents. Dont take the statement as a "negative", thats not the intent. But, I absolutely take in those moments when the Buckeyes pull out the Big wins and thats why they are special. Unfortunately, something in the organization is missing, or insufficient - i.e. consultants, analysts, assist coaches, etc. Its apparent that the University is complacent with results year to year as they do not allot mire funds to increase salaries for those intangible support roles....so I guess I have taken that same complancency as a fan..... I'm ok with the Buckeyes losing as long as they put up a fight. Am I wrong? Would like your thoughts rather than just a down vote.
This is the first year that they’ve had a large amount of analysts, off the field coaches, support personnel etc. so it’s now in place but the results may not be seen immediately. Injuries to me are the overriding thing that needs looked at. Some of them are bound to happen in football but we’ve dealt with star players and backups dealing with nagging injuries since week one. Not many teams have to guess who the rb will be each week. 2 ankle/foot injuries to the top 2 rb’s. Knee for the 3rd rb. Then chip gets an injury after switching over to offense. Even the top walk on rb was hurt after running good in a game. That’s 5 of 6 in the rb room. Hamstrings for jsn and Hancock. Multiple nagging injuries to the tyliek and hall at d tackle. 2 broken thumbs on one lb’er. Improve the injury number and it’ll improve the record. Not one doubt in my mind on that. How to do that? I have no idea but maybe somewhere in the offseason and during the season area of S&C needs tweaked? Georgia believes in doing yoga every week if the season. Could it help? Maybe. Do we do it already? I don’t know for sure. Maybe it’s just bad luck but injuries have effected this team for several years going back to nick bosa and beyond.
Proud of their effort, concerned about the back-to-back big game fourth quarter collapse and our defense giving up so many big plays. Hopefully next season the defense takes a big step forward.
Captain Obvious over and out. :P
The will to win is not as important as the will to prepare to win. -- Woody Hayes
Totally amazing! Before the scUM game, Randsom was being talked about as being a late 1st, early 2nd round draft pick. Now he'll be lucky to be a UFA if he declared. In the last two games, on the biggest stage, he showed who he really is against top-notch competition and amplified the DB misses OSU has had. The coaches have serious work to do. I'm looking forward to Styles, Stokes, hell, and even incoming freshman Bonsu getting a chance next year. Rule #1, work on backpedaling technique.
You can't play S in the NFL if you twist yourself into the ground every time the ball is thrown your way. I agree, open competition for all secondary spots. Those who win spots play. Enough rotating in the secondary ( hopefully less injuries to allow that too).
We should be good at LB, DT, and DE next year. Excited to see caden curry develop. Hopefully styles, hicks, stokes, brown all make big leaps soph year.
Decisions are always more magnified in a loss. Everyone beating up on Knowles should take a step back. He gambled on more than one occasion and lost but perhaps the players are not the right ones for his system and then when signed, not developed or conditioned fully, forcing him to take gambles against equal talent. Let's give him some time and quit thinking because we have 4 and 5 stars everywhere, we will by default be a defensive juggernaut. We played the defending national champions evenly and despite the big lapses, we held Georgia to zip in quarter three.. Take a deep breath.
Knowles D was way better than anything Coombs ran out there and it's year 1. Everyone coming back now knows the system. Another thing not being talked about is getting outscored 18-3 in Q4. Our O didn't exactly protect the D the final 15 min either. Fake punt issue, illegal motion issue killed drives and gave more time to GA.
Knowles gets 1 more year in my book. I get it's a new scheme, and takes time...but recruits don't seem to be banging on the door to play for him. His defense has now lost an Michigan game and a Semi-Final. The defense is a huge problem, not acceptable regardless of who is running it, and if you defend him, that's the softness ichigan was talking about.
Either they see a chance at early PT, or they don't want any part of it because they won't feel like they can be developed properly..depends on how you want to look at it
What bothers me the most about the targeting wave off is that play is exactly what they are trying to remove with the rules - a DB simply teeing off on the receiver. I hope I would be as bothered (and suspect I would be) if it had been a wave off of an OSU DB who did that. So many seem to be comfortable turning football into a bloodsport. Yes it is a rough and violent game. Doesn't mean there isn't a line.
"Revenge is a dish best served cold." - Old Klingon proverb
On Targeting, I thought the main intent of the replay booth was to catch Targeting hits missed on the field by the onfield officials. Not to wave off what the onfield official immediately and clearly saw. The official 5 ft away immediately threw the flag the second the hit happened. There was zero question on the field by that official and the play happened right in front of him.
I am not a big NFL fan. But there are about a dozen Buckeyes secondary guys in the NFL right now. My honest opinion is I don’t see that same level of skill at the back of the defense now. Maybe 14 Ronnie Hickman. But I don’t think anybody is getting picked above the sixth round maybe. I don’t know whether that’s the Xs and Os or the Jimmy and Joes. But when good teams can get 8.8 yards per play and score chunk plays from their side of the field again and again and again- well I am concerned about the defensive secondary. We took an NFL coach and a secondary coach who just put three Bearcats in the NFL. It seems like they should be able to get some better results. Day already carpet bombed the defensive staff room after last season he can’t do it again. That’s where we need the most improvement and I hope we focus on that.
zero-coverage, no safety = explosive plays. That can work when the talent level discrepancy is in your favor; but when it's equal or better, the risk factor rises.
The position is called safety for a reason. The young talent will develop, but will Knowles ?
My biggest problem on replay overturns is zero accountability and also why is the ASSUMPTION that all the TV cameras are at better angles than all the onfield officials?
Knowles is a Snake Oil Salesman. He conned Day into thinking his unique Defense would be the end all. He interviewed with Bielema for the Illinois DC & Bret laughed him off. Bret selected a guy that knew what he was doing & provided one of the best Defenses in the country. He was rewarded with the Purdue HC job.
Unique huh? Look around and you’ll see it in a lot of places. Bama runs it a good bit. I even see the Dallas cowboys run it quite a bit. It’s not some thing he made up in his garage.
A rational take from Mike Rosenberg of SI on how we really should view this past season now that we’ve worked through the heartbreak of the Georgia game. GO BUCKS!
I am more disappointed by this loss than I have ever been. However, let's put things into perspective:
1) This was a home game for Georgia.
2) Our two starting running backs were not healthy enough to play the game - even though Williams played a handful of snaps.
3) JSN didn't play.
4) We lost our game changer (MH) to a cheap shot that should have given us first and goal closing out the third quarter.
Georgia was very lucky to catch the Bucks in this set of circumstances and it came down to a last second field goal. The Bucks were in this thing and could have won it just as easily as the missed field goal.
I am not happy with our defensive coaches. They have sucked for a number of years. Hell, just look at the last six games of the season. Pathetic - send Knowles back to the Big 12!
We had to hear Knowles talk for 4 weeks about the mistakes of the UM game and how they had a chance to see what was done wrong. Well, there was no upgrade. It's rediculous to hear people saying CJ is an all time great at OSU. CJ is a very very good drop back passer, even better when he has time to throw, good weather, and 2&3 star defensive backs trying to cover his receivers. He also seems like a GREAT kid, the kind of kid that is REALLY going to be sucessful in his life and, at the end of the day, what is more important than that, as an individual? All time great OSU QB? No way. 0-2 against UM, 0-1 in the CFP. Not an all time great. Talk all the stats you want, winning big games MATTERS, and it should.
That was a hard result to accept. You just can’t give up a 14 point lead in the 4th quarter of the national semifinal. I think if that targeting call isn’t wiped off, the Bucks punch in a score to go up 42-24 and it’s over.
The offense did enough to win. The defense did enough to win. I don’t blame Noah Ruggles. This loss belongs to Jim Knowles and his cover zero coverage bust and a few horrible play calls in the last few minutes. Needed to get 5-10 more yards for the kick. The 48 yard kick looked like a line drive brick minutes earlier. Didn’t hold much hope for a 50 yarder in that situation when I’m not sure one was kicked all year.
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I had forgotten what it feels like to have your heart ripped out of your chest, covered in gasoline and set on fire. Now I remember ...
"The minute we stop expecting greatness, we become Wisconsin."
It was much easier for me to swallow than the 2019 Clemson game and the 2020 Michigan game.
Shatinkycat1
Kinda. But we would have faced a loaded lsu team vs a tcu team we would surely beat
Doug
After just beating a loaded Georgia team.
True. But I liked our chances against tcu better than lsu
Doug
You had one job to do ..... sorry, but unless the snap or placement of the hold went south, Ruggles was inside his expected range and he simply muffed the kick .... time to get off Day's play calling as the reason for the miss .... TTUN's kicker booted a 60+ yard kick against TCU .... I feel bad for Noah, but kicking under pressure is what kickers do .... I'd like to see a close up of the snap and hold, as I'm not convinced that it was clean .... tough loss, but Day's play calling put 41 points on the best defense in the country, despite missing his top 2 backs, his top 2 tight ends and his top 2 receivers.....
Yes, he had one job to do. But it never should have come down to relying on the place kicker to hit a pressure packed 50 yd field goal to win the game. Tough spot he shouldn’t have been in.
Our $2M defensive coordinator had one job to do, with a long career’s worth of experience doing it, and he didn’t get it done. Ruggles isn’t the one that should face scrutiny in this scenario.
You can stop putting up his salary to emphasize whatever this or that point you are trying to make. Lots o coaches make lots o money to put up worse results.
Everyone pretty much knew it was gonna be a high flying affair going into the game, so how'd you think Georgia was gonna score points, by some act of elohim?
Really," should never have been put in that position"? What position did you want him to be put in? The camera flashed to CJ during Georgia's last drive. CJ knew Georgia was gonna score. I knew Georgia was gonna score. Hell, everyone knew Georgia was gonna score.CJ also knew that given the ball with 50 seconds left he would put this team in a position to win. In fact anyone who was watching the game pretty much counted on CJ doing this! And he told Ruggles to be ready, and the rest of the team, also. And he did what he said he would do.
Sorry, but I cannot see the validity of your viewpoint. I am about as bad a loser as can be, but not gonna be mad too long at anybody or anything over a helluva slugfest.
Those coaches will have to try pretty damn hard to put up worse results than this:
In the two biggest games of the year Jim Knowles defense vs Michigan and Georgia.
[] 87 points
[] 1063 yards
[] 1 turnover
[] 38 points given up in the 4th quarter.
[] Scoring plays given up of 69, 75, 45, 75, 85, 25, 76 yards.
Any one that did not expect him to do something he has never done in his career (kick a 50 yd FG) in the last seconds to win a playoff game.
So how did you "expect" the number 1 team in the country to score their points? Did you think they would be lucky to score 21 points? C'mon man, its modern college football. Two epic semifinal games in one day.
If Georgia had ground out 42 points by running the ball over us, you'd be in much more pain right now.
I am fairly certain that Noah Ruggles practices kicking long long field goals. Every kicker does. Not to be flippant, but seriously, shit actually does happen.
OMG! I am now a Knowles apologist and a Holtmann apologist, lol
In the world of “modern college football,” the following teams held the No.1 team in the country to under 42 points this season: Samford, Kent St, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia Tech
Similar list of teams held TTUN under 45 points this season: Maryland, Iowa, Indiana, Penn St, Nebraska, Illinois, and Purdue
Do not think it is asking too much for a team in the top 2-4 for the majority of the season to keep pace with the defensive juggernauts listed above. This is The Ohio State University and the expectations should be for something above mediocrity. Having said that, am expecting better results next season.
With one month to plan, defenses simply cannot stop good offenses today
Rico for the win.
"mediocrity"? They were in the semifinals of the CFP, lost by a point on a last second makeable field goal to the number 1 team in the country. Whatevah to your definition of mediocrity. Inasmuch as your "expectations" go, oy veys mer, feeling a bit sorry for your kids(if you have any).
Extremely odd (and inappropriate) that my kids would be dragged into this, but in your words “Whatevah.” Carry on.
Rico for the win again
I read blitz
Rico is a loser who expects perfection from his sports teams, but doesn't meet them in his own life.
He lacks perspective, critical thinking ability, and self-esteem.
Pay the idiots no mind. We lost to a team that is likely starting another SEC dynasty, in Georgia, but 1 point at the last play. I'm fine with that, as should be any sane Buckeye fan. (The problem is that there aren't many of us)
Thankfully I referenced your posting history before responding. Since I did, I suggest you heed your own words, posted above and pay yourself no mind.
If it were not for unfounded and unhinged attacks on fellow posters, you would have no content on this board. Might not be a bad idea to take a step away from the keyboard for a bit.
I couldn't agree more. All he does is trash people and never contribute anything meaningful to the conversation.
Appreciate the backup
The team that played Kentucky and Sanford is not the same as we played.
"Make Helen Well"
"Scoring plays given up of 69, 75, 45, 75, 85, 25, 76 yards."
BS, Blackcoffee! BS!
Day owes Ohio State money!
Knowles owes Ohio State money!
Gene Smith owes Ohio State money!
TBDSNITL: The best damn screen name in the land!
Woody. Your happiness is a choice.
We are no better on defense than we were last year,we were embarrassed by ttun and won a shootout late in the Rose Bowl last year,we were embarrassed again by scUM (worse)this year,and lost a shootout late in the Peach bowl.
The bottom line is Ohio State is not seeing much of a return on it's investment in Knowles.
Seo
Can we put the entire Ohio State defense in the transfer portal, especially the coaches, and negotiate for Iowa’s defense? /s, kind of. They pitched a shutout, and their defense got TWO pick-6’s vs. Kentucky for a 21-0 win in the Music City Bowl.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
We scored 54 on Iowa...
Irrelevant, Codeman. We just scored 41 on the most hyped defense in the country, on their turf, and we were told for three weeks how we had no chance. We had Iowa at home. In addition, Iowa's defense doesn't have nearly the 4* and 5* that Georgia's does and is still one of the best in the country, if not THE best.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
Yes they gashed us on defense, but you know what, we gashed their defense too; their #1 defense with their high paid DC. Kicker hits his worst kick in last two years, in a dome, go figure.
Go Bucks!
Without winners there wouldn't be any gosh darn civilization. We make no apologies for winning or for aiming our entire program toward that goal. - Woody Hayes
In modern football any defense can get beat. Georgia got gashed by us. At times they looked as terrible as ours. No one is calling for their coordinator (because they won). Michigan with their top D got gashed by TCU. And as I said, we put up an absurd number against Iowa. The reason Iowa is so good is because they have used the same system for years and the players are well trained in it from day one. That consistency allows them to play without hesitation because there is no thinking involved. It also opens you up to a great play caller who can pick apart the weaknesses, especially when you don't mix things up.
What makes me mad is that no one on this blog is willing to give Knowles even a season. Doesn't matter how much he is paid, you have limited practices to drill a complex system into your players. In a few years the underclassmen who have trained in this system will be able to play loose and fast without missed assignments.
I don't care what anyone says, our defense was miles better than the mess last year. They actually held us in games (ND, Penn State, NW) when our offense struggled. They got beat bad against the best two teams we played because our secondary just couldn't handle man coverage. They will improve.
Love love love this take!! Absolutely love it! Well said
Not sure how you think the secondary will improve. As long as you have 3 safeties, you have 3 people that can NOT cover wide receivers, and 3 people too small to fill a LB role. So you have to disguise and hope no one sees your weakness. Guess what? The best teams see it glaring like a flashing light and "light' you up- See the 3 most important game the last 2 years.
Forced by work to live in the mitten
Ok. The opponent puts out 2 athletic tight ends with size and speed and 2 receivers. Plus a rb that catches a lot of passes. What’s your defensive line up? Extra corner for the passing part? Extra lb’er for the running part? (they still do that in this lineup). You do realize that safeties are basically the combination of lb’er/corner right? So what’s your defensive call? Btw, you have to get it right each time because you’ll need to make that call several times.
Yeah idk I mean what is the difference between a nickle corner, a hybrid linebacker and an extra safety...if your trained for that hybrid role the name is just semantics at that point. You are always going to swap situationally anyway.
I just think the scheme isn't as important as the knowledge and execution of the players and if you switch coordinators you just add another year of learning curve struggles.
Until recruiting emphasis/philosophy changes regarding the defensive side, Knowles will struggle. He's like the little Dutch boy with 10 fingers to plug 13 holes.
Poor Knowles with nothing but 4 & 5 star prospects how can anybody Expect anything with a top 5 recruiting class . Recruiting has never been OSU problem, Development and scheme have been the issues
Georgia and TTUN both set school records against OSU for yards per play so LITERALLY nobody has ever been as Bad as Knowles and his $2 million price tag.
Are you kidding me ? Football games come down to last second FGs every Sunday. Yes , tough spot to be in, but great spot to be able to beat #1 and reigning champion. Perfect spot
I wouldn’t call a 50-yard FG attempt in the last second(s) of a college football playoff game “a great spot to be in.” As I was watching it, I told my daughter we needed another 10-15 yards closer to have a real chance. When we couldn’t do that, in my gut I knew it was over. To blame Ruggles (or CJ) for this loss is ignorant, at best.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
I have to agree dude. Day reverted back to his old ways after playing wide open up to that point. He played for the FG. He trusted Ruggles more than he did Stroud. He had the momentum and a very tired Georgia defense on their knees and then gifted them. The sad thing is he said he would do the same again. I never liked playing for the FG because it limits chances of victory. I don't get the Knowles bashing for risks. I can remember not that long ago every one bitching because we sat in the same defense. You can't blame a coach because a DB stumbles and falls on a move he has done a million times without tripping himself. It's easy to second guess. If I was to throw blame, I would want to know why the special teams coach didn't notice that Ruggles had fear written all over him leading up to that kick. He was obviously stressed to no end and needed someone to calm him (if it was possible). All that said Day had the team ready for the game and without a lot of crap going against them, they win. They were the better team.
I think you and I are on the same page, Allinosu.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
Our 9.5 million dollar head coach couldn’t get his players transitioning on and off the field and was probably to blame for putting too many men on the field during the fake punt play.
I watched some clips from Pat McAfee’s play by play on the field and as soon as the ball was snapped he was shouting “oh noooo”. I watched that clip several times, and given his knowledge as a kicker, he knew it “didn’t have a chance”. It looked like the snap and hold were not in sync. https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1609415053094318086/mediaViewer...
I’m a mini van driver in a mega fun world
I think this is spot on and I’m surprised as we analyze the kick this isn’t being covered. After the play Ruggles bent down to the placeholder and grabbed his helmet with both hands and said a few words. It looked like he was consoling him.
This. I can't believe no one is talking about this. That kick was waaaay off. Mirco was clearly distraught as though he did something, not because Ruggles missed. Ruggles pick Mirco up and Ruggles was playing the role of consoler. Mirco had his hands on his helmet. No on does that unless they are upset with themselves.
Unless you feel like part of a team, more specifically, part of a unit. My guess is Mirco was thinking "we failed", not "you failed", or "I failed". The fact he grabbed his own helmet doesn't prove anything. I'm not an expert, but the hold looked good enough to me.
That kick was so bad, I doubt if it would have been good from 30 yards out. Something wasn't right with the snap, the placement or Ruggles form.
I'd have to go back and watch the film, but, IIRC, Xavier Johnson let a catchable ball go through his hands on second down.
In no way a negative, but if we’re scoring honestly, Marv dropped 2 that hit his hands as well, before the targetting. Admittedly both would have been great catches if completed, but both were “catchable” in that they hit his hands, before hitting the turf. It happens.
I thought the players played an amazing game and although the L hurts, I am so proud of the effort every one of them put forth. They have no reason to hang their heads.
Happy New Year!
Go BUCKS!
tbdfitl
No, Ruggles was not "inside his expected range." In this career, he was 0-5 from 50 yards or more." You are entitled to your own opinion, not your own facts:
https://www.footballdb.com/players/noah-ruggles-ruggl0003
https://nypost.com/2023/01/01/ohio-states-missed-field-goal-happened-rig...
You are entitled to you own opinion, not your own facts.
Should have moved the pocket on the last three offensive plays and not handed the ball of to Hayden
Shoulda, woulda, coulda. Good thing today is Monday so we can keep doing that particular type of quarterback thing.
I don't buy one goddam drop of gas in the state of Michigan!
A true critic does not limit themselves to just Monday morning, but instead chooses all seven days.
I will use that as my own from now on if you don't mind!!
I love the game!
The most important Monday morning QB is Ryan Day. What lessons does he learn from this game? What would he do differently?
Honestly, it doesn't seem like he learns any lessons. In his biggest career games as Ohio State coach, he's won 1 game (Clemson 2020 playoff). He's now 1-6 in his biggest games (losses to Clemson 2019, Alabama 2020 natty, Oregon 2021, Michigan 21-22 and Georgia 2022).
Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!
If you're gonna put the two michigan losses on there you should put the win on there too. We beat them in 19 (and would have in 20 if they didn't bitch out) and I'd say winning the rosebowl was a big game. So that 1-6 should be 3-6. And two of those losses (Georgia and clemson) could/should have gone the other way.
The juice is worth the squeeze
I don't count Michigan in 2019 because they were a 4 loss team. Just as 2020 wouldn't have been a win over a good Michigan team. My point is that in the biggest games with evenly matched talent, Day hasn't performed well so far in his career.
Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!
Don’t recite Matt baxendel and think you sound smart lol might as well recite Dave biddle drivel.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!
This is funny, because all I heard after the TTUN game was hand the damn ball off to Hayden. Ohio State mostly ran the ball well in the second half. This is just fan with luxury of knowing the outcome of a play saying "should have run something else."
You are entitled to you own opinion, not your own facts.
Those stats from the last 2 games don't say $2million/year to me..not trying to be a dick, but out of curiosity, how many games last year did we give up 400+ yards on defense, and how many times did we allow over 30+ points? I know Knowles is in his first year yadda yadda, and I hope he turns things around, but to me, those stats are unacceptable..the 2 biggest games of the season, with a chance to move on and with a very real possibility of winning the whole damn thing, we shit the bed on defense..heads should be rolling IMO, not saying fire anyone, but if it were up to me, I'd say start proving your worth or else.. you're only as strong as your weakest link, if you score 40+ points a game and give up 40+ points a game, something's wrong..
Knowles was never the right candidate for the job. Ohio State is a B1G big time football program. No one else in the B1G would’ve hired this clown with his background of coaching a bunch of nobody football colleges. RCD was looking for anyone to unscrew this defensive mess and as usual was under pressure to fill the position and this Knowles joker popped his head up. RCD got sold a bill of goods.
Try not to suck
Time will tell. This is a possibility.
The guy, though, undoubtedly understands the game and is intelligent. A coach is more than a system; he should be able to have all sorts of ways to be creative and adaptative.
I'm sure he believes in his system, or he wouldn't be doing it. I just hope either a) it works, with the right players, or b) he or Day make the necessary system change to fit the OSU (the real one!) circumstances.
Are you paying his salary? If not, why do you give a fuck how much it costs Ohio State? That was the market rate for a guy who was at the top of his profession.
The defense fell flat when Ohio State needed them most. There were hints of this during the season and the TTUN game cemented it.
This falls squarely on Ryan Day. It was his decision to hire a first time DC Coombs then to extend him. This meant that, whether Knowles is the right guy or not, he didn't get in there until the 2022 season. Had a limited chance to impact recruiting for the players that would play this season. Had one year to fix a train wreck. If you were paying attention in spring, Knowles said "depth at the CB position concerns me." This is coach speak for "our secondary sucks." You can tinker with a Ford Taurus all you want, it isn't going to run like a Ferrari.
Day wasn't the right hire to take over a program that had national championship caliber talent out of the box. Day has had to "try and figure it out" at a time when Ohio State should have been competing for titles. He is the head coach. He is responsible for everything, including hiring Knowles and when he decided to do it, recruiting on defensive side of the ball (which has been subpar), etc. People need to stop pointing the finger elsewhere. This is an inconvenient truth for some on here who told me "Day was gonna win multiple titles here at Ohio State."
Lastly, I am sure some are going to say "well, if the secondary sucks, don't run so much cover 0 or cover 1." I agree. Here's the deal. Almost every coach out there who gets to the top of their profession runs one system better than everyone else. Knowles system is an aggressive one that puts CB on an island. This is who Day hired!!! This is what we should have expected Knowles to run. Unfortunately, coaches don't reinvent themselves overnight, and to expect this is foolhardy at best (and as I pointed out last night, you wouldn't be happy if he ran some conservative prevent type defense, and UGA nickled and dimed us to death, ran out the clock on won. And Bennett was smart enough to take what the D gave him).
So, as a recap: 1) Day's previous DC was a poor hire. He extended him another year anyway, setting the correction time table back another year; 2) recruiting on the defensive side of the ball fell off. The LB's are lackluster at best except for Eichenberg and a converted running back, I can't even name one and the CB's are possibly below average overall; 3) he hired an aggressive DC that runs a scheme that doesn't fit the talent on his roster.
For the life of me, I still don't know why some are trying to find a scapegoat when many of us understand the buck stops with the head coach (pun intended).
You are entitled to you own opinion, not your own facts.
It’s a new year. New attitude. Let’s see what McCord to Harrison looks like in 2023. Let’s see how guys Knowles hand picked look like in his defensive scheme.
The fact this comment is getting bad press is hilarious. Apparently some of these awfully start OSU fans don't realize McCord and Harrison played HS ball together and won two D1 state titles (almost 3 when they were sophomores). Oh, ignorance is bliss. Don't be surprised if OSU is better, and you'll all see why...they just got to get this defense to stop bleeding in big game situations.
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
Woody Hayes
The loss sucks, but I did see what I wanted to see: FIGHT AND HERO-BALL BEING PLAYED. I get that "morale victories" are fleeting, but many expected our guys to get trounced. And all I really wanted, was to see our Field General, CJ Stroud, play like the hero we knew he was capable of being.
CJ played his greatest game yet. Definitely NOT SOFT. I am left with questions on what CJ Stroud would have been like, if the gameplan might have been designed with HERO-BALL STROUD in mind.
Not all of defense was disappointing, as there were several key parts of it that were excellent. The secondary remains glaringly average-at-best, against an all-star Georgia offense. We cannot accept average over here.
The defensive coordination was what I feel fails us the most. I get that Knowles is just getting started, but the secondary remains porous. That is unacceptable. The inadequacies of adjustments is also unacceptable. I get it -- Give him time, I know... But how much time?
Ryan Day? The last series of downs were TERRIBLE. Had the Buckeyes played for more running yardage, I believe we could have had our guys inward about 7-9 yards, and toward the middle for a more effective field goal. I give credit for more looks, but time and field management is part of being effective against championship caliber teams. This is something that Ryan Day needs to work on.
I am not down on Ruggles. Tough field goal, on his weakest side, with an ice on the kick, from a tough distance, in a tough environment.
I am left with few questions, but really happy with at least the answer of CJ's true rise as a "No Tomorrow" leader.
RESPECT. You have plenty of it, CJ. I will question you no longer. You are a man among men. You answered the call, and this loss was not on you. FAR FROM IT.
GO BUCKS!!!
You BELIEVING that we would have gained 7-9 more yards is unfounded with Miyan Williams out yet again and Hayden or Xavier trying to move a pile with 9 in a box. You saw the result on first down and there is no reason to believe we would have gained 7 yards in the next two plays without a bruiser in the game. Sorry but the play calling blame game doesn’t make any sense when we’ve hung 41 points on the #1 D in the nation, and should have been able to nail one only 2 yards longer than an earlier kick
With Harrison out they didn’t have to respect the passing so much. No Stover means no quick 6-8 yards. Missing so many weapons meant they could crowd the box.
30 yd line, first down, 2 timeouts…….didn’t move the ball, with a stud quarterback. That is on play calling. Three short out routes would moved the ball forward and may have scored SIX.
‘We’re gonna swing as hard as we can!’…….until the most crucial drive, apparently.
Agree, Day calls too tight in UM games and big game stuations.
Who is he throwing these outs too? Kam’s bad right knee or his bad left one? Tight End eligible Dawand Jones? Only reason CJ was able to run all those times, especially late, is because everybody downfield was covered. Outs get picked for 6 late in games especially in the 2 minute drill when double covered. Middle of the field was open. Outs and deep middle are usually covered in 2 minute drills, and were covered here as well. Can’t have a video game mentality. Just because the play is called and the button pushed, doesn’t make it automatically successful, thus therefore what should have been done. Have to try to counter what the opponent is doing as well.
tbdfitl
Thank you. Your analysis is based in fact. There are guys here bitching about not running on 2nd and 3rd down, and guys bitching that the pass patterns should have been outs ? Yeah with no #1 WR and no #1 or #2 TEs.
It was a no-win situation with no one to move the pile in the backfield anyway, so your only hope was to see if Stroud could manufacture something yet again, and if not, you go go a FG with the ball at the 31. How guys can complain about play calling in that situation after the play calling resulted in dropping 41 on the best D in the nation is illogical. Guys just want the HC to be a scapegoat for their emotional reaction
We should’ve just quit since our starting receiver was out. Who we gonna throw to? GTHO
This is such a myopic, asinine comment. One that last drive.
Ran - 2 to 3 yard loss.
Throwing down - almost got sacked; CJ had to curl out of pressure and throw it out-of-bounds.
Your take on what should have been called in laughable, especially given who we were missing and the fact that GA was bringing pressure on every down. Just shutup. I can't stand trash COACH POTATO fans like you. Go pass out.
You nailed it until last sentence. Kickers have a limit. Ruggles never hit one from 50 (0-5 in college from 50 or more). The one from 48 was a knuckleball that barely crossed the crossbar. 50 was NEVER in the cards. Do you try it at that point? Absolutely, that is your best chance to win. But it was a long shot.
You are entitled to you own opinion, not your own facts.
I stand firm on my thoughts on it. Yes, I believe our guys would have gained. The question is, "how much?".
At the very, very least, the hash marks could have changed to a more favorable angle. Ruggles had to kick from his weak side (left marks), and that did not help matters. And even if you disagree? Even one run intensive play could have tricked Georgia enough into thinking that Buckeyes would be making 1-2 more plays for the sake of just re-adjusting for the kick, IMO.
Their strategy was jailbreak blitz up the middle all 3 downs. We ran into it on first, 2 yard loss. Next two plays CJ had to run for his life. How you don't set up a screen on that is beyond me (unless Day was expecting the bluff on third down). Any quick hitter is 20 yards if not a TD against that defense and we had three chances and 2 timeouts to figure that out.
Day is right in that if your run play breaks through it's 6 points but it's hard to break through in that situation (unless we are the defense running it, apparently). The bubble screen, which IIRC we didn't even attempt in this game, likely due to fan criticism, would have beat it.
Your signature will be publicly displayed at the end of your comments.
This morning on 97.1 The Fan, Bill Bender of The Sporting News issued this reminder, "Ohio State is not a moral victories program."
TBDSNITL: The best damn screen name in the land!
Exactly. Here is what happened. Day lost to TTUN again, this time by more than 3 td's. OSU caught a break and got in, but the narrative became "they will get blown out." I believed it too. So when it didn't happen, a lot of people are now satisfied. Nothing wrong with saying you are proud of the fight in the kids, 100%. But somehow being satisfied with a close loss at Ohio State is ridiculous. This is another year that.: 1) OSU had multiple losses; 2) got blown out by TTUN; 3) didn't win the B1g; and 4) didn't win a playoff game. Oh, and we took some major recruiting hits a week ago. I am sorry kids, but things are NOT trending in the right direction. Those that want to feel optimistic, I support that. But I am not feeling warm and fuzzy because in year 4 Day had a chance to win a playoff game but came up short again.
You are entitled to you own opinion, not your own facts.
Maybe not... But we now have clearer examples on what must be worked on and improved, from both players and coaching. Before this game, there were a lot more questions, on intangibles that included things that aren't merely coachable.
The toughness shown tells me that the culture isn't as bad as previously thought. And now, there are the other things that need worked on, that remain glaring.
The "scout reel" won't be as painful to watch now, as it did not look like anyone gave up out there. Some folks were outplayed, sure. But film breakdown can now focus on issues moving into next season.
Georgia is the gold standard measuring stick when it comes to defense currently. Look at their last 2 games. Take away the win and they look as bad or worse. Games are won or lost situationally more than this broad look at stats and points. Georgia against really good offenses isn’t the monster they are made out to be. TCU will be a big test as well. Knowles needs more time and players with experience in his system. Next year will be a truer statement of where he’s at or if he’s the right guy.
Huh? UGA held LSU to 30, with about 14 of those coming after the game was well into garbage time.
And what is LSU? A 4 loss team that didn't make the playoff field. Call it garbage time if you want, but they got 500+ yards passing against UGA.
You are entitled to you own opinion, not your own facts.
Turn on the LSU and Purdue game and let me know what you think LSU is.
I love the game!
Or maybe it says a lot more about Purdue.
You are entitled to you own opinion, not your own facts.
I don’t know about that. If I had a choice, I think I’d take Iowa’s defense.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
The one that gave up 54 points to us this season? Hmmm
Before I get started, first year here as defensive coordinator, I got it.
Honestly not intending to shit on Knowles, but who are guys “hand picked” by Knowles? It is my understanding he isn’t known for his recruiting prowess.
Also, while still not intending to shit on Knowles, the defensive stats listed for the last two games are highly alarming and more than worthy of introspection and scrutiny. Something is not right there. For a defensive coordinator who employs a “safety driven” defense, it seemed that position turned out to be the Achilles heel for the D. Did Knowles not recognize this? Was Knowles so hell bent on running his “vaunted” scheme that he stubbornly did so anyway? Is Knowles a “one trick pony? Would seem a coach would recognize his personnel and put them in the best position to succeed. Did Knowles truly do this?
Bottom line is much more is expected next year, and having to live with a certain number of “explosive plays” is not a satisfactory answer. Rant over.
I tend to agree which is why Day needs to be more committed as a head coach on the defensive side of the ball. It’s his job as head coach to oversee and manage both of the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The jury may still be out on Knowles but this year was unacceptable. He had way more talent this year than he did at Oklahoma State and didn’t prove to anyone he is a high level defensive mind.
Does the CEO of Ford say I only worry about the cars and I have a person who worries about the trucks?
Well, Ford stopped making cars (except the Mustang) in 2022 and shifted their focus on SUV’s and trucks. And they forever screwed the Mustang by converting it to an electric model.
Squirrel!
Skittle!
HAHAHAH. Someone just making reckless comments
It seems that way with Ryan Day. He is so involved with the offense (OC of the team) that he wants/paying Knowles to take care of the defense. He is a great offensive minded coach but as the head coach needs to take on the defense as well.
This! And because he IS a great offensive mind, perhaps Day would see something that the analysts and defensive coaches might have missed, especially real-time to react fast in the play, or so adjustments during the game can be made more quickly. Or maybe even something he sees with a fresh set of eyes that could add data points to the scheme’s overall structure.
Im a firm believer in “trust the process” but one should also always be looking to improve or fine tune their process. Because the other guy has a process too, and they are professionals too. And if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse.
Go BUCKS!
tbdfitl
The anomaly with Day as OSU’s head coach is, despite his success, he is still growing into the head coaching role.
Unlike previous OSU head coaches (exception being the one-year interim Fickell tenure) Day has not had many years, and/or previous stops as a head coach to develop his style or hone his head coaching skills.
The best is yet to come, and it is my humble opinion, his last loss to TTUN and this year’s bowl prep period have gone a long way in bettering his head coaching acumen.
Did anyone notice how coach Day was screaming on the sidelines early in the game and otherwise over-the-top fiery? Even Herbstreit said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a coach act like that in a game. Ever.”
I only bring this up because no matter what, I seriously would hate to see him have a heart attack. The pressure in that job must be incredible. And he has family.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
Day has proven he doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground on the defensive side of the ball. He is a glorified Offensive Coordinator (and a damn good one). He has done nothing to prove he is a championship caliber head coach. Just my two cents, but I am guessing a championship caliber HC either has to have balanced knowledge on both sides of the ball, or be a savant at hiring on his deficient side. Day appears to be neither.
You are entitled to you own opinion, not your own facts.
I don't trust your assessment of Day over that of a lobotomized squirrel's.
Your comments here have been off-the-mark, and incredibly entitled, Idiots like you keep cherry-picking D stats from the last two games, as if the defense hasn't been much better than last season. Dishonest trash is what you are, especially considering this is Knowles first season with us. Yes asshole, you have to give him more than one season, and he has to get his athletes in play.
I sure wish Day had tried to get a few more yards and better position the ball for the Ruggles kick. His explanation of running the ball was weak IMO, even if CJ supported it. Did Day really expect to break through their cover 0 at that point in the game? Had we had any success doing that in the game up to that point? Yea, it would have been glorious to see Hayden break that one off, but geeze why take that gamble? Just get a few more yards and get the ball to place Ruggles feels comfy. Let him kick it and we go home to dream about TCU. Instead this . . .
Obviously I don’t know, but truly think the “50 yards” got in Ruggles head causing him to put a “little extra” into the kick that made it all go wrong. A 40-something yard kick he has done before, maybe not as much of a problem. My theory anyway. We’ll never know.
Sorry, but 50 yards is in his wheel house and as I mentioned, there's three parts to a FG - the snap, the hold and the kick - break down in any area and it doesn't happen. I firmly believe that with a miss that awkward and wide, the snap was low, resulting in a poor placement of the hold ....
50 yard fieldgoals are not in professional kickers wheel houses: https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/ask?q=best+field+goal+percentage+for+nfl+ki....
Proverbs 14:15
The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.
You need to watch the replay again.
The complaints about us not getting a little closer would make sense if he missed it barely wide left by a few feet. But that kick wasn’t gonna be good from 30 yards, it was practically sideways. He just shanked the hell out of it.
Right, but that's what happens when a kicker is at the edge of their range. They overkick it, and it misses badly. If they got him to 40 yds or closer, I think we see a much different looking kick.
No doubt, I dont blame Ruggles at all.
Funny how those that blame Ruggles, take for granted his earlier 2 FGs in that game and every extra point.
He shanked the hell our of it,but it made it to the back of the end zone.Looked like his plant foot was too close to the ball and he overextended through it, but he still got power on it. Who cares though: zero points. :(
He did try. Ohio State ran the ball well in the second half and UGA was tired. It wasn't out of the realm to get 5 yards on that run play, UGA just won the LOS. The slant he called was the right play given the D was in man-to-man coverage. The CB who might be a first round NFL draft pick, jumped the play and timed it perfectly. It didn't help that Harrison was out, because even if you don't throw to him, D has to worry about him, and likely would have doubled him there. It is insulting for you to say he should have tried. FFS.
You are entitled to you own opinion, not your own facts.
Defense failed. Day's play call to run the ball up the middle on that last drive will never be justified. Not a single holding call against Georgia offense. But let's be serious for a second. Once again calls or reversed calls by the refs once again end our season in the CFP. It is not when the coach asks for a timeout. It is when the official signals for a timeout. Rossi already had the ball in his hands before the official signaled for that timeout. Targeting needs to be removed for CFP. I know, that sounds ridiculous. But until there can be something done about calls, no calls, or referrals, you should not be able to effect a game like this in this manner. Even if you take the targeting off, explain how that was not unnecessary roughness on a defenseless receiver. We were doomed with 31 seconds to go in the 3rd quarter.
Give violence a chance
Exactly my point. The rule says defenseless and head AND neck area.
Until we have accountability of the mystery man in the booth- reversing the called decision from the official 5 feet in front of the actual play on the field, it won’t change.
That is inaccurate.
FWIW with the timeout on the fake punt, someone on r/CFB pointed out the play shouldn’t have counted anyway because we had 12 guys on the field:
https://imgur.io/Iw62L6O
Unfortunately this is correct,look at the replay,
12 men on the field.
Seo
Yeah, but that was never an issue during the game.
Point being, the Targeting Call was made on the field immediately.
Didn't know that. FFS. That means in the last two games, we fucked up fake punts that could have turned the course of events. Fantastic coaching.
You are entitled to you own opinion, not your own facts.
Remember a couple of years ago when we shook our collective heads at Kerry Coombs defense that had Tuff Borland covering Davonte Smith? So what do we do now when Tommy Eichenberg ends up covering Georgia's fastest receiver? In our two biggest games, Jim Knowles defense may have been a little different, but the results were the same or worse than anything Coombs put out there.
Yes but…. Xavier Johnson ran that middle wheel route or whatever it might be called and had a linebacker chasing him but he couldn’t catch up and X scored a touchdown. Maybe on the Georgia blog they are mad about that. But the truth is that the offense designs plays to force the defense into a look and then exploit it. We did it to them. They did it to us. However, overall I agree that the defense just wasn’t good enough and the repeated chunk plays against us are just brutal. We looked below average against Maryland and it went downhill like an avalanche after that.
Michael
I believe it was said on the broadcast they were in a cover 2 scheme that play, and Tommy was responsible for the deep middle in that instance. So yes, he ended up being on that WR (and stayed with him I may add vs. what Borland did to Smith), but it was because UGA called the right play for the coverage they got, not because Knowles pointed at Tommy, and said cover that fast WR this play.
You're too stupid to have a good time. -Dalton
Exactly this^^^ to think anything else is just ignorance.
Ronnie Hickman didn't get the necessary depth on that play. Why I don't know. Guessing, it looked to me like he was locked on Bowers over the middle, and in that zone we ended up with 3 guys on Bowers. Hickman, Ransom and Chambers underneath. 3 guys for one player is too much. Eichenberg should never be the deepest man on the field.
Pfft. Offenses creat mismatches all the time. Part of football dude.
You are entitled to you own opinion, not your own facts.
Regarding Bowers first down reversal, next time you see someone trying to make a first down on the sideline, watch them extend the ball inside and beyond the marker while they're still in the field of play, in bounds. Bowers did not do that. The ball crossed the sideline, outside outside and short of the marker while he was in bounds. What am I missing?
ernie
You’re not missing anything. First saw this principle regularly from Russell Wilson when he would scramble for the Seahawks. After a few seasons I started to notice that instead of keeping the ball secure and tucked when he was going out of bounds, he would extend one arm out forward with the ball in the last split second before going out of bounds. Why? I am sure he worked with referees who are at practice and said “ how can I maximize the gain “ and the answer is “stick the ball as far forward as you can INBOUNDS “ because where the ball is when you go out is the spot. It appeared that Bowers was given credit for sticking the ball forward while it was out of bounds which based on the way they call it in the NFL shouldn’t be under consideration.
Michael
If that play takes place at the goal line he would be way outside the pylon, it wouldn't even be close to a touchdown. So why is he rewarded for a first down?
What upsets me the most is that Georgia was basically rewarded for head-hunting Marvin. I get the no-call for targeting, but it was absolutely a penalty for unnecessary roughness
Agreed, and they gave the guy - Ballard - who hit him the defensive MVP accolade! Like, I cannot stand how rigged this system has become. They’re paying players openly now, tampering with rosters, and rewarding defenders for playing dirty. Oh and conveniently cutting to commercials while they overturn calls on the field with no rhyme or reason. The rules “expert,” Bill Lemmonier was insufferable during that telecast too.
College football is becoming unwatchable. I love this sport because it’s not like the pros, but it’s getting ruined.
“Nothing that comes easy is worth a dime.” -Woody
It's becoming worse than the NFL...no salary cap and no regulated free agency.
You're too stupid to have a good time. -Dalton
(Regarding the hit on Harrison) Lemmonier on the broadcast said: "I did not see his head spin backward from it." Since when is a head spinning backwards a requirement for targeting? And for that matter, how much does his head have to spin backward?
……it was also pass interference. 22 did not look at or play the ball.
We saw a really entertaining Peach Bowl and aren’t paid to worry about the result.
As long as we woke up and are not looking up at grassroots, this morning is a great day!
Amen
wtf are you talking about, and why are you soiling our board with the trolling bullshit? gtfo of here, dude, nobody wants you here!
Be careful. They will take away your Dr. Pepper.
"Revenge is a dish best served cold." - Old Klingon proverb
Welcome to the offseason. I'd like to see Devin Brown take over in August.
Go Frogs!
I'm not trying to win a popularity contest. I'm trying to win football games-- Woody Hayes
Maybe I’m just sentimental (because of JT and Justin), but seems a QB who can take off at anytime w his legs is such a great asset in the modern college game.
The only person that’s “blameless” in this game is Stroud. He played like it was his last game ever. He did all he could do. Day jacked up the last series cause he puckered up zero coverage there and you’ve got one of the best QBs in America I’d have thrown it but that could’ve gone wrong too idk.
Knowles? Oof those coverage calls were awful when we were up 11.
Since we had 2 TO’s AND CJ has a sniper’s accuracy, I was really surprised we couldn’t pick up a quick 10 yards in the air anywhere on the field and call TO.
Courtesy of the QB Whisperer and offensive mastermind, Ryan Day.
TBDSNITL: The best damn screen name in the land!
You are spot on, how ironic. Day doesnt have a secret play for a quick 10 yards in the air?
You blame Day because you want to throw it without #1 WR or #1 or even #2 TE ( which resulted in Stroud having to run twice in that drive already). Most guys above are bitching because Day didn’t run two more times to get 7 to 9 more yards forcing Hayden or X Johnson into the 9 in the box teeth of the #1 defense in the nation.
please someone tell me which way the idiot play caller should have gone - you know, the idiot who had already hung 41 on the #1 D in the nation. And thanks Chase Brown for inviting more terrible play calling narrative. (Go watch what Harbaugh did against TCU and tell me about shitty play calling)
Bingo! If he runs it he’s an idiot. If he passes it he’s an idiot. No matter the play call, half of the fanbase says he’s an idiot. Except when it works then he got lucky.
Bull1214 is yet ANOTHER Me against the Ohio State fanbase fool.
TBDSNITL: The best damn screen name in the land!
Nah. I’m against stupid takes. No wonder you’re offended
I would normally agree but Georgia was gassed and on their knees. He let them off the hook. He said wide open and it worked then played it safe.
Day's playcalling in that final sequence of plays was just confusing to me. It wasn't terrible, per se, so perhaps my words in the article were probably too harsh. Let me explain more.
I liked the idea of running the football on first down, although I would have liked to see Ohio State use a quarterback run/power rather than hand it off to Dallan Hayden. That would have been more effective as it would have added another blocker for Stroud to run behind to move closer into field goal range.
After Hayden's carry went for negative yards, why not run again on second if you run it on first down? Day had one more timeout to use that could have been burned after another carry by either Stroud, Hayden, Johnson, etc., hoping to make the kick more comfortable for Noah Ruggles. If Ohio State faced third down, it could've thrown with Day telling Stroud to look for a throw beyond the first-down marker or throw it away. In this scenario, at its worst, the Buckeyes lose another yard or two, but at its best, they get a closer field goal for Ruggles.
I think Day panicked once the first carry went for negative yards, and the two pass plays he called after didn't exactly help as they featured long-developing routes rather than quick hitters to exploit the blitz. Stroud needed a bit more time than he had in the pocket, and he was ultimately forced into an incompletion and a throw away in the final moments. All in all, it felt like Day settled for a 50-yard field goal rather than calling plays with the same aggression he had all game.
That set of downs was really costly. But it is not like Day and company said we're good, let's take knees. I did not like the run call initially, but they did attempt to pass the next 2 plays as well.
My frustration is their inability to recognize and find a quick man zero beater in that situation. Egbuka was open each time but whatever the playcalls were Strouds first and only read was to XJ (in place of Marv) given how little time he had. Any type of quick slant or drag route to Egbuka over the middle, where Stroud could have simply drifted a few yards backwards to avoid the incoming rush would have resulted in a huge gain and we win the game.
That feels like like that's "easy for me to say" knowing the outcome after the fact, but UGA went to that defensive call on every key down in the 3rd and 4th quarter, and we had no answer. Based on the post game comments, they knew they were in man zero. How you can't see that the middle of the field was being left wide open, and get your best/last available playmaker the ball in that situation, I will never know.
And for what it is worth, our inability to recognize this defense and make a proper adjustment is what got Marv knocked out of the game too. UGA blitzes everybody, EE is wide open immediately for an easy TD, but CJ is looking Marvs way for some slow developing double move type of route, but the blitz is coming so CJ has to run backwards and the rest is history.
UGH
It would have been interesting to see the look on Coach Knowles’ face in the coach’s box on the 70 yard TD pass after Ransom slipped and went down. I’m guessing it was the cobra?
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
They’d have had to censor his mouth I’m guessing. The slip sucks but he probably shouldn’t have been man to man with no backup. All in all I hoped OSU would win but expected them to get crushed. They didn’t and they looked good and I was proud of them. They should have and could have won they belonged and everyone knows that.
don't blame ruggles or day. this was 100% on jim knowles...surrendered 1400 yards and 117 points over the last 3 games. with a $5.7 million contract, this is complete failure.
klusewski
I look specifically at the last 2 games 2nd halves. I would have thought our coaches would have been able to adjust and scheme on the fly to match what other team did in 1H.
That’s what is most perplexing to me.
That was the thing though. First 3 drives of the 2nd half UGA had 15 yds and no points. Then they started moving it a little bit at the end of the 3rd, and got the Bowers 4th down overturn, and still held them to 3.
So until we had to punt back after the Kirby TO on the fake punt, adjustments were made, we were playing well on defense. And then just epic meltdown.
People keep saying the Ransom slip was cover 0. It was cover 1, McCallister was the deep safety, he just wasn't remotely in the area code on that play. Not many FS would be. Still a bad call defensively, when it appeared we were mostly in zone and it was working in the 3rd quarter. Bennett was holding the ball and indecisive for that time period we were getting stops.
Fire the Bastard
OH-IO Goodbye Columbus.
Who could we realistically get instead?
Jim Leonhard?
Oh, the irony
This is a forum post from a site member. It does not represent the views of Lamplighter LLC unless otherwise noted.
peidiwch â ffycin gyda'r Cymry
Knowles' must be fired, today!
Day must be fired, today!
TBDSNITL: The best damn screen name in the land!
You are the poster boy for Buckeye Nation’s small percentage of lunacy.
,
Arizona Buckeye
Day gets the most blame: Day hired Knowles. Day looks utterly foolish, for doing so.
Day is UNWORTHY of the title, Head Coach of Ohio State.
TBDSNITL: The best damn screen name in the land!
I wish 11 Warriors had a a block button.
Eject button would be better.
I agree. You have to be able to close defensively. How is it Iowa's defense is so much better than ours with much lower ranked recruits? Do these rankings even make any sense? They have a true defensive genius, not a mad scientist, in Phil Parker who recruits the right players for his system and then develops them completely.. At this point I believe it's a combination of coaching and nepotism, recruiting the wrong players for our defense and hiding behind supposed 4 and 5 star talent, then not fully developing those players. I believe the defense was in such a bad place that it will take Knowles another year or two. I'm willing to give him more time and feel that with the right players and development, he will take the appropriate gambles during a game against equal talent. It's hard to be patient at Ohio State, and I do understand that as well, but let's give the man time.
OSUAlumInAZ
General question- have the Buckeyes EVER scored 41 points and lost? I could look through the all time record but it’s too early in the day for a research project.
Michael
No, I believe most points scored by the Bucks in a previous loss was 35, from the Orange Bowl following 2013.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Still not as bad as michigan with 45.
Probably not. Yet another dubious stat from this season, along with first 2 game losing streak since 2013.
“Nothing that comes easy is worth a dime.” -Woody
And the pre-game statistic that gave me the most confidence was the (feel free to correct me if I’m wrong) stat that “OSU is undefeated since 2014 (89-0?) when scoring at least 30 points.” Once we hit that, I really felt that the game was ours. But then a series of very unfortunate events, some out of our control, some not, happens.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
For every loss and for every team there are plays and players and coaching decisions open to criticism. I have my list too. But just remember there was a championship-caliber team on the other side of this one -- elite players and coaches to match ours. Great team against great team, and only one could win. Could the result have been any closer? If one kick were true, Georgia fans today would be ripping to pieces their porous defense, their settling for field goals, their missed ones, their at-times disappearing pass rush, why Buckeye receivers were running open across the field, a Georgia running game that seemed successful but then disappeared, and a QB who at times looked confused, who airmailed an interception from his own territory, and who almost airmailed a second. Perfection on every play and in every situation is an impossible, ludicrous standard. I saw a Buckeye team laying it all out there on the biggest stage. By late in the game -- with five elite offensive players out with injuries -- we were overmatched on the field but still one play from a national championship game. Unbelievably frustrating for sure, but I'm proud of how we bounced back from a crushing loss and went toe-to-toe with the best in college football.
Great commentary Buck, I’m one of the few with you. The injuries on this team have been a plague all year since game 1. And yet there we were, lined up for the winning kick. We played a hell of a game , and down here in SEC country , they all know we are a force after that showing. In addition , both TCU and UM gave up more points and Georgia gave up one less point . It’s not like the other playoff defenses held their top 4 opponents under 30 points - not one .
Good sentiment and I love the positives. But games 12 and 13, while admittedly against the toughest opponents, are not the time to be talking on defense about “just letting them run free and make plays” with less thinking. If you are talking about that in games 12 and 13 it means you are still deciding how to do it and if you are still deciding how to execute by the end of the season well perhaps that’s why it ends up being less successful.” I have to put the guys in position to succeed” is not what I saw when the opponent is getting 8.8 yards per play.
Michael
I understand your frustration and have my criticisms too. But again, we were a kick away from Georgia fans wanting to fire their D coordinator. Coordinator of perhaps the best D in the country. Certainly they should've figured it out by game 14. Certainly they should've been taught by LSU to tighten up their pass defense. But there we were taking it to them. Bottom line is it's not that easy to stop a modern offense when it's clicking. Even the best D in the country can struggle to do so.
I was pleased with the play calling for a change. Aggressive. The "what if" hurts the most. JSN. Tre Henderson. I didn't realize Henderson got his leg injury early in the season. He just didn't play the second half because he wasn't getting it done. He wasn't the player we saw, all last year. 2 of the 3 heads of the 3 headed monster, with Marv at the ready never happened.
#walkaway
Made the trip down to Atlanta with my dad and my throat still hurts from yelling so much. The offense came to play for sure.
Walking out of Mercedes Benz stadium I was still in shock that they lost. I was numb. I felt nothing. Sitting in traffic for two hours trying to go 15 miles to get back to the hotel I turned to sadness for it being over. They were so close. The next morning… pride. I’m proud that this team didn’t let the loss to Michigan and a few big misses on national signing day become a funeral. They could have rolled over and given many critics what they wanted, but instead they proved they were worthy of being in that game.
They gave Georgia all they could handle. Can’t wait to see what this fire forges. Go Bucks!
+1 UV for going to the game and making your Buckeye presence felt, even though you were outnumbered, CP2016! I could hear you on TV!
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
I don’t really believe Fowler that it was an overwhelming majority of Georgia fans, considering at the coin toss, you could hear a loud O-H-I-O chants reverberating around the stadium. Definitely not a small Ohio State contingent by any means. Fielder’s gotta maintain that mystique though for the viewing audience. I’d be curious to know the actual ratio. I bet it was closer to 50/50 than the SEC shills care to admit. Probably 60/40 or something in that ballpark. Maybe 65/35…
“Nothing that comes easy is worth a dime.” -Woody
Yeah. I asked before the game last week if anybody knew precisely how many tickets were alloted to the Buckeyes, and if I remember correctly, I thought I heard OSU only got 13,000 tickets which sold out in hours. Interestingly, it seemed there were very few camera shots of the fans in the stands. Not that it would have mattered, as both fans were probably wearing a lot of scarlet and red.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
When is the Spring game again?
This is a forum post from a site member. It does not represent the views of Lamplighter LLC unless otherwise noted.
peidiwch â ffycin gyda'r Cymry
In the Spring.
Typically a Saturday close to Tax Day.
"Revenge is a dish best served cold." - Old Klingon proverb
I've been watching Ohio State football since the early 70's and I could speak for an hour on all of the big games we've lost where we made key mistakes to cause it. I'm beginning too think it's in our DNA to screw things up.
Pressure is a privilege.
Ohio Stating a la Clemsoning?
And it's not just Day who's had these games.
I'm a glass half full person. What we saw out of Day on Saturday is the gameday coach we MUST have moving forward. It's the coach we thought we were going to see in The Game. I really hope it's a sign of things to come. I think Dabo and Smart are the comparisons for the possible trajectory we could see out of Day. Neither had been a HC before. Smart was at least a coordinator like Day. It takes time to learn everything, and while Ohio State isn't exactly a place someone should be learning on the job, I'm not sure who else realistically they could get that would be doing any better to this point. Dabo and Smart have figured it out and it has resulted in NCs (likely 2 for each after Monday).
You're too stupid to have a good time. -Dalton
It will be ironic to say the least when Ohio State's "soft" QB gets drafted in the first round and goes on to "break the Buckeye QB curse". To all the haters I call "shame"!
CJ Stroud will likely have the best NFL career of any Buckeye QB ever and it won't be close! His arm strength, accuracy and touch are unmatched in college football and his pocket mobility is excellent. He ran the ball with decent skill because he had to, not because he wanted to, which is exactly what is needed at the next level.
It's a shame he has played through 2 years of anemic, bordering on terrible defense; he should be 2-0 vs ttun and playing for a natty in 2023. The young man has character, class and stands up for his team mates. We will miss him and are unlikely to see his combination of qualities in the near future because they are truly that rare. Thank you CJ Stroud for leading our team the last two seasons.
Steelybuck54
You are so right Steely , he is a fine young man of character we will miss him.
Seo
Best thing for him though would be to drop a bit in the draft to a team with some pieces in place, namely a good OL. It's incredibly difficult for rookie QBs thrown into the fire with nothing around them (Fields a great example).
Looking at the current draft order with 1 week to go and teams at that could look to draft a QB:
-Houston, Seattle (from Denver), Indy, Detroit (to sit behind Goff most likely for a year or 2), Vegas and Carolina in the top 10 would be the likely candidates. Of those, Seattle wouldn't be bad to go and sit behind Geno for a year or 2. They've got pieces in place. Vegas also wouldn't be bad as Carr is likely gone and Stidham would be the place holder.
-Outside the top 10, Tennessee, NYJ, Washington, TB, NE maybe, and Baltimore probably the only others looking QB. Baltimore would be a good organization to go to, and I don't think they'd rush him on the field.
-1 other team would be the Rams, but they don't have a 1st round pick due to the Stafford trade. Stafford probably only has 1 year or 2 left IMO, but it would be a good situation to sit and learn before taking over.
You're too stupid to have a good time. -Dalton
Call me crazy but I really think these games are rigged… they didn’t think Ohio state could actually win. And when it was obvious they were the better team things had to change the game. I think these games are based on a narrative sometimes max duggen vs Stetson Bennett the two underdog qbs.
Caleb nause
We all hate that team, but it was clear as Day those officials in the Fiesta Bowl wanted TCU to win. It was so bad I texted my buddy who's the ref in the AAC that it wouldn't shock me that it was an SEC crew doing that game...we both looked it up and texted back "SEC Crew."
The INT before the TD that wasn't when the WR was marked down at the 1, then followed by the fumble, was intercepted on the plus side of the 50, but it was marked on the opposite side of the 50, which was a negative net of 4 or 5 yards for that team. That pass is in the endzone if it was spotted correctly.
You're too stupid to have a good time. -Dalton
Maybe it’s unavoidable due to what conferences are represented in the CFP in any given year, but why don’t they just use refs from conferences with teams not participating? Including refs from the next group of 5 conferences like your friend?
I hate to say it, but I think you’re right, TTUN did get jobbed by the refs. I thought that TD catch that they marked him down at the 1 was crazy. That said, TTUN fumbling at the 1 was not caused by the refs.
These refs do just enough to tamper with the outcomes of these games. Like someone said on this thread above, they gotta protect their golden goose by having an SEC team in the national championship and Ohio State is the biggest threat to that algorithm.
The idea of having TTUN and Ohio State in the tithe game, while generating massive revenue via the eyeballs/viewership it’d bring, apparently isn’t enough to offset the need to maintain the facade of SEC dominance and keep folks in the south engaged and the prevailing narrative that the SEC is the best propped up.
“Nothing that comes easy is worth a dime.” -Woody
And I’d add that ESPN got to televise exciting and highly competitive games, milking Ohio State for all its worth, while holding up a winner in Georgia at the end. It’s a win-win for them. The racketeering, tampering, and over all rigged nature of this system is making it virtually unwatchable for Ohio State fans like myself. How many more times are historically elite Ohio State teams, especially offensively going to be done in by poor officiating?
The 2019 Ohio State was so good! They were the most complete Ohio State team I’ve ever seen since watching them from about 1992 onward. I don’t know if they’d beaten Burrow and LSU, but they should’ve had the opportunity.
“Nothing that comes easy is worth a dime.” -Woody
It would be interesting to know which game had better viewership ratings?
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
They are NOT GOING TO ALLOW an SEC team to be left out of the title game. Ain’t happening.
They may not be rigged but Saturday is exactly what they would look like if they are. Same way the final drive for the Rams in the last Superbowl looked. Barely a flag in the game and all of a sudden it can't stay in any refs pocket.
"Revenge is a dish best served cold." - Old Klingon proverb
please everyone STOP with the "injury and the starters out " crap that was the offense and they sored 41 ....it has nothing to do with the D giving up 42 .....
Very true, but think about what they could’ve put on that vaunted Georgia D if they had their full complement of players at their disposal? All their weapons. MHJ being unavailable for the 4th quarter was the turning point.
consider this, what if Ohio State had JSN, Henderson, Williams, MHJ, and Stover for this game? Heck, even for this season and the TTUN game? It’s just heartbreaking that this always happens to Ohio State.
JK Dobbins had 175 yards in a mere 2 quarters of action against Clemsucks due to injury. Had he been healthy for the entire game, he’d put 300 yards on the ground against those clowns.
“Nothing that comes easy is worth a dime.” -Woody
I am confused by the focus on Knowles defense. Every team in the CFP gave up over 40 points. GA was 1 point away from losing to us and gave up 500+ yards to a 2 loss LSU team in their last game. TTUN gave up 51 to TCU! There are moments you'd like back and hindsight where you'd change things, but it seems like our D is pretty much on the same level as every other top team facing a top offense. Especially with a month to prepare.
That’s a valid point, although I’d point out that TTUN’s defense technically gave up 37 points to TCU considering ole wonder boy JJ threw 2 pick sixes.
“Nothing that comes easy is worth a dime.” -Woody
Sometimes I wonder if it it better to get blown out than lose a game like that? Where there is NO DOUBT who the better team is. I am not convinced the better team won. I realize our defense sucked again, but Georgia had every built-in advantage and favorable calls that helped swing momentum their way. Football, like basketball, is a game of momentum and it only takes one horrific call to change the outcome.
I didn’t think my hatred for the “targeting penalty” could get any worse. It is applied so unbelievably inconsistently. Too many big games have been altered irrevocably because of this call. Ohio State has had more than it’s share. I wish I knew the statistics on this penalty(or not?) Add the 2022-23(?) Peach Bowl to a long list of games altered because of this inconsistency. How could the hit on Marvin NOT be the definition of targeting? I haven’t heard one good explanation and that includes from Kirk and Rece
DavisWitherspoon. One “SEC” fan on another website said in response to my question, “because that’s how we hit in the SEC.” It’s disgraceful. I’m still pissed off when Bosa got ejected (vs. Iowa?) which led to a turn of events and a Buckeye loss.Yes, our defense still needs work and was not good in the three games mentioned above, but there were too many bad calls that turned the momentum in the game. Georgia had every built-in advantage and then multiple favorable calls that helped swing momentum, IMO. I won’t be watching the NC game, but I do hope TCU wins. Fuk Michigan and fuk Georgia.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
Yep, the better team didn’t win. It was clearly Ohio State. Ohio State led that game for 57-58 of the 60 minutes. They were better prepared and more motivated and executed better. The refs did them no favors with the overturned calls during tv timeouts.
One thing people don’t realize is the Ohio States D held Georgia scoreless in the 3rd quarter. The Ransom slip was huge!
In the end winning a national title is so hard, even for a recession proof program like Ohio State, which is why I wish Saban would retire already for crying out loud.. His stump speech during the B1G championship halftime segment was infuriating. Like, we get it dude, you’ve won 7 titles. Now go home already.
Also, Ohio State was definitely the better team in 2019 against Clemsucks.
“Nothing that comes easy is worth a dime.” -Woody
True, TB.
Also, I heard for three f&@king weeks on numerous sports networks, websites and from SEC fans how “Jalen Carter and the Georgia defense is going to shred the Ohio State offensive line.” Well, I saw fat-ass Jalen Carter on the sidelines because he was so winded, many times throughout the game. I think Iowa’s D is better.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
D was not good enough, but I think it's fixable. The top 5-6 dbs and safeties need identified before game one and they need to play 90% of the snaps. The secondary doesn't play as a unit. That leads to the big plays.
My bigger concern is Day. He seems to tighten up in big moments or games. We scored 3 points in Q4. We played tight the last 2 Um games. He needs to play call with no fear all game every game.
I was as upset as anyone about the Michigan loss this season and wondered what the hell had happened...the team just didn't look right. But this team played it's ass off two nights ago, and if you didn't see the heart in everyone, coaches included, you're blind. Lots of things went right, some didn't, and they just didn't win.
Some of these comments just absolutely reek with entitlement, like you're owed something by Day and Knowles...and the team. You're owed nothing by these people no matter how much they earn. Some of you need to get a grip. We need a 6-6 season or two to clean up this fan base.
Priority #1: Beat Michigan
Preach it bro!
Montana Silver Bullet
You had me until 6-6 season. How about 9-3? /s
No they don’t owe us anything. But they do know the expectations that come with the ginormous athletic budget and the fourth largest stadium and one of the largest alumni associations. Like Uncle Ben said to Peter Parker in Spider Man- with great power comes great responsibility. You can’t be all in for the facilities and the recruiting staff and development staff and academic support and then have the thought “ they expect too much.” It’s a two way street.
I am still 100% in support of Coach Day. There have been some disappointments but we are playing hard and ready- the second half against ttun is maybe the exception but they are a very good team (gag). I am torn between being disappointed about losing big games but at the same time happy to be playing in big games. Alabama and Clemson sitting home this year. USC and Oregon fell apart at the wrong time against the wrong teams. Oklahoma and Texas are mediocre to bad and moving conferences won’t do them any favors. They will always be getting sloppy seconds. Florida State ended 9-4 I think and the once mighty Gators and the U are now a fucking joke.
We were very very good but this season but alas we weren’t great. Disappointed for the injuries; very happy to see the dedication from the team and the positives around players like Miller and Henry who are facing life altering crises. No drama and off field shenanigans this season. Let’s get ready for next year and push through those big games.
Michael
If you have played football, you know there are going to be calls that go your way or the other. If I were watching the game with Georgia lenses I am sure I would have been complaining about non-calls- but reversing the targeting call WAS negligent on the refs part- that rule was specifically meant for those plays. One view looked like a shoulder- the other was clearly the helmet. His head probably hit the ground, easily more the 50% of tackles end up with the player hitting their head in some way. The helmet is meant to protect the brain from those routine falls- not when the helmet is used as a battering ram. The no call defensive holding with Royer over the middle was horrid. I believe the drive stalled after that series and we punted. There were clearly others, but we need to find a way to win those games. Make your own luck. We finally beat clemson when we made our own luck and found a way to win.
I was frustrated this year when it seemed Stroud had some daylight and didnt take it or when we needed that 1-3 yards and the defense knew he wasnt going to take it. I feel for him, it was a Heisman worthy game for him, a game that makes legends- and we lost. He WAS the MVP of the game. I do wonder what the season may have looked like if he felt more confident to play like that, likely make us much more difficult to defend-especially when everyone knew we were going to run the ball.
With exception of 2019, we haven't had a NC worthy defense since 2014. 2019 was an enigma, largely played well because of the talent despite the coaching issues- and we saw that in the years afterwards. We need 2 lock down corners and safeties that teams fear coming over the middle. What happened to Burke this year is the MOST puzzling on the defense. Last year he makes the play in the end zone at the end of the game. This year he got spun around like a top.
Love my Buckeyes, but hopefully another year in Knowles system will result in more consistent play, but it wont eliminate his questionable defensive calls-especially in the 4th quarter of the peach bowl and the second half of the UX game.
They’re never going to allow an SEC-less championship game again. We broke the algorithm against Alabama. Stroud needs to come back for one more season. He needs to play like he did on Saturday all season next season. But if we’re honest, he didn’t get the job done. He had the ball with a minute left and two timeouts. He may have left his heart on the field but he left the points off the board. Normally I wouldn’t say things like that about a college football player but He is a millionaire and a professional athlete already and needs more development. Better to do it at OSU than some hapless NFL team that will get him killed like Justin Fields is experiencing. What’s the hurry? Also, we need to get our RB room healthy. And maybe it’s bringing in another RB from the portal. I don’t know. We can’t have another year like this one where we wind up depending on a true freshman in his first start in the biggest game of the year. And I know they’re trolling (likely) but folks out there are saying Marv may transfer to USC. We better smother that rumor in its sleep. 2023 is off to a bad start.
Round on the ends and "HI" in the middle. O-HI-O.
Yeah MHJ to USC isn’t happening. Anyone can start a rumor and if I’m a USC shill, why not tweet something? Have we learned nothing from Sir Yacht’s escapades?
With that said, if Egbuka’s claims are true, the whole tampering this is completely ridiculous and it needs stamped out pronto. No way should coaches be contacting players on other teams, encouraging them to enter the transfer portal. College football is beyond recognizable now.
“Nothing that comes easy is worth a dime.” -Woody
I don’t disagree, but what’s stopping USC (or whomever) to pick up the phone to Marv (or other stars) and offer them huge money to leave? You essentially have two options. Make players sign contracts OR sue other teams for tortuous interference. The portal has essentially made it possible for any player to leave anytime they want to anywhere they want. It’s a real mess. And I agree about the rumors. They tried that with Hayden already. I don’t know what you do but the military trained me to take initiative in the absence of orders. OSU could lead the way in bringing some order to this chaos.
Round on the ends and "HI" in the middle. O-HI-O.
Question- who is in the replay booth and why aren’t they ever identified to the viewing audience? I’m guessing our game it was the sec commissioner and the duke brothers from the dukes of hazard.
Banks of olentangy
I always thought something so important as the CFP (and only 3 games) that we should have a committee of officials (ala Supreme Court), where you have roughly the same # of replay officials in the booth as on the field and its a majority rules type of thing.
And the way those reply booth officials decide on a replayed play is public knowledge. Until that happens, it wont be fixed.
Yeah that is odd. We know the identities of the refs on the field and just about everyone else associated with the game being played, but then we have this ethereal, unnamed replay official(s). Like I’d it just one person or multiple? What are their affiliations? Obviously, the PAC12 crew was openly identified as such.
“Nothing that comes easy is worth a dime.” -Woody
Hey hey hey,leave Bo and Luke out of this, they're just good ol'boys.
Seo
Never meanin' no harm...
We are the whiniest most entitled fan base
Reading the story about the Tasmanian Devil getting into an Australian home proves Ohio State isn’t the only one with problems on de-fence.
G’day, mates!
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
Is this supposed to be funny?
My hope is that Day learned something valuable from the season ending performances. I thought Knowles would have learned something from the scum game- but it appears not.
Seems simple to me, up by that many heading into the 4th qtr, on defense, you protect the lead and give up all the 10 yard plays all day long at that point.
Secondary and DTs did not change personnel, so why suspect that result would be different.
I think it's time for the Head Coach of the football team to exert some authority over the "head coach of the defense" and get some things straight.
Day needs to define the future of this team with how he reacts to this situation. I'm not saying to fire anyone, but how many more championship offenses is he going to let his defense squander?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Tailgate Fare Historical Archive
I’m surprised we kept it as close as we did to be honest. Don’t blame a kicker people, we were up by 14 in the 4th quarter. You have to be able to close. Great game to watch.
Fire Kevin Warren
For what it's worth...I like your article...Chase Brown...I also...don't like to loose...and I think...
Georgia Head Coach...Kirby Squat...is a ... smirk face...cheating mother fucker...just like E.S.P.N. and S.E.C...the douche falls into the line up with...Back Stabbing Fuck Face Franklin and the Goofy Nose Picking scUm Head Coach...hoping that Ryan Day...throw's away his play calling book...and hires a Professional Coach..to do it next year...defense coach (sure I know his name)..it's...Crunch Time Coach..in Buckeye Land...the old man is wishing every one... Great 2023...Go Eleven Warriors...Go BucksThe defense was run into the ground by a culture of nepotism that kept inept coaches around who were able to hide behind 4-5 star talent and a great defensive line. It appears the LJ may be getting past his prime, which resulted in a complete exposure of how bad the coaching was. It got so bad that players recruited to play offense were converted over to star on defensive. Coach Day finally realized that he had to do something, so cleaned house and brought in Knowles.
The system Knowles runs require a certain type of player and he just completed his first recruiting cycle. The defense appeared improved this year, especially playing inferior opponents. In fact, there are some stats from both the Georgia and Michigan games that show the system works. Georgia’s TEs and RBs were limited when compared to season stats. Unfortunately our DBs, mainly the CBs, don’t have the skills to cover man-to-man downfield, which is required under the new system. This issues is magnified when the defense plays teams with similar talent levels, the players who don’t fit into the new system simply got exposed. This is a 3-4 year rebuild that was never going to be fixed overnight. Unfortunately for the offense, the past two seasons we have seen what is likely the best offense in the country get negatively impacted by the defense. It will probably be another 2 years before the defense is no longer a burden.
Shatinkycat1
What’s the hurry? /s
Sometimes it comes down to players making, or not making, plays. Buckeye secondary is weak against quality competition. We need to recruit corners that can man cover as we did when Coombs was dback coach. We had a couple epic fails on the back end last two games that should not occur at our level of football.
Steelybuck54
Sometimes it comes down to players making, or not making, plays. Buckeye secondary is weak against quality competition. We need to recruit corners that can man cover as we did when Coombs was dback coach. We had a couple epic fails on the back end last two games that should not occur at our level of football.
Steelybuck54
I was enormously proud to cheer for a team that showed so much heart and gave many of us so much enjoyment over this season and especially this last game. Sad they came up a bit short, but what a game. Thanks especially to CJ! He handled it all with grace. Go beyond the numbers and watch that young man try to check on and console the woman he inadvertently ran over on the sideline. He is a fine human being who represented the university so well. Am glad he chose to be a Buckeye.
On to 2023! Go Bucks!
B Buehler
Totally agree with this JHicks, about CJ. Proud of him. Glad he came to OSU and represents.
As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two.
43 years ago, on Jan. 2, 1980, I flew home to Columbus from Los Angeles. The day before, I had witnessed what I still contend was one of the greatest football games ever played. Two days ago, I was in Atlanta, and was again witness to another great college football game. Both times, I watched a worthy opponent drive the length of the field in the waning moments of the game to take a 1 point lead. And both times, I watched as the as the Buckeyes fell short of a comeback. This Buckeye for life can tell you with certainty that the sun will rise tomorrow as it will in another 42 years. And with a break of two going their way, there will be more moments like Jan. 3, 2003 in Tempe and Jan. 12, 2015 in Arlington, TX. And yes, I was there for both of those games as well. Go Buckeyes!
“Holy Buckeye!”
Earle's boys (but it was really Woody's guys) came so close that day - in his first season as HC no less. Unfortunately, we had a lot of 9 and 3 seasons after that one, and then Coops.
This one was a heartbreaker too, but I see tremendous upside for the OSU program moving forward this time, and it is in a very, very good place. So we got that going for us.
Happy New Year!
After 45+ years of pulling for the Buckeyes, I'm numb to the losses to top 5 opponents. Dont take the statement as a "negative", thats not the intent. But, I absolutely take in those moments when the Buckeyes pull out the Big wins and thats why they are special. Unfortunately, something in the organization is missing, or insufficient - i.e. consultants, analysts, assist coaches, etc. Its apparent that the University is complacent with results year to year as they do not allot mire funds to increase salaries for those intangible support roles....so I guess I have taken that same complancency as a fan..... I'm ok with the Buckeyes losing as long as they put up a fight. Am I wrong? Would like your thoughts rather than just a down vote.
CBus love
I get you and agree completely on this point. Its a coinflip basically. Thats why we love sport!
This is the first year that they’ve had a large amount of analysts, off the field coaches, support personnel etc. so it’s now in place but the results may not be seen immediately. Injuries to me are the overriding thing that needs looked at. Some of them are bound to happen in football but we’ve dealt with star players and backups dealing with nagging injuries since week one. Not many teams have to guess who the rb will be each week. 2 ankle/foot injuries to the top 2 rb’s. Knee for the 3rd rb. Then chip gets an injury after switching over to offense. Even the top walk on rb was hurt after running good in a game. That’s 5 of 6 in the rb room. Hamstrings for jsn and Hancock. Multiple nagging injuries to the tyliek and hall at d tackle. 2 broken thumbs on one lb’er. Improve the injury number and it’ll improve the record. Not one doubt in my mind on that. How to do that? I have no idea but maybe somewhere in the offseason and during the season area of S&C needs tweaked? Georgia believes in doing yoga every week if the season. Could it help? Maybe. Do we do it already? I don’t know for sure. Maybe it’s just bad luck but injuries have effected this team for several years going back to nick bosa and beyond.
Great point on injuries. Bucks have definitely been through it this year.
CBus love
Kind of surprised nobody’s offended by that Nirvana album cover
Nirvana? I thought it was a photo of JJ McCarthy's dad.
Not offended by album cover....offended by what some call music. Nirvana's "music" was dark, self loathing, depressing, garbage. I hate 90s music.
CBus love
Proud of their effort, concerned about the back-to-back big game fourth quarter collapse and our defense giving up so many big plays. Hopefully next season the defense takes a big step forward.
Captain Obvious over and out. :P
The will to win is not as important as the will to prepare to win. -- Woody Hayes
Totally amazing! Before the scUM game, Randsom was being talked about as being a late 1st, early 2nd round draft pick. Now he'll be lucky to be a UFA if he declared. In the last two games, on the biggest stage, he showed who he really is against top-notch competition and amplified the DB misses OSU has had. The coaches have serious work to do. I'm looking forward to Styles, Stokes, hell, and even incoming freshman Bonsu getting a chance next year. Rule #1, work on backpedaling technique.
You can't play S in the NFL if you twist yourself into the ground every time the ball is thrown your way. I agree, open competition for all secondary spots. Those who win spots play. Enough rotating in the secondary ( hopefully less injuries to allow that too).
Without LBs and Def. ENDS we would have no defense at all.
We should be good at LB, DT, and DE next year. Excited to see caden curry develop. Hopefully styles, hicks, stokes, brown all make big leaps soph year.
Read steps.
Did anyone notice the basketball team had a nice conference road win yesterday?
Decisions are always more magnified in a loss. Everyone beating up on Knowles should take a step back. He gambled on more than one occasion and lost but perhaps the players are not the right ones for his system and then when signed, not developed or conditioned fully, forcing him to take gambles against equal talent. Let's give him some time and quit thinking because we have 4 and 5 stars everywhere, we will by default be a defensive juggernaut. We played the defending national champions evenly and despite the big lapses, we held Georgia to zip in quarter three.. Take a deep breath.
OSUAlumInAZ
Knowles D was way better than anything Coombs ran out there and it's year 1. Everyone coming back now knows the system. Another thing not being talked about is getting outscored 18-3 in Q4. Our O didn't exactly protect the D the final 15 min either. Fake punt issue, illegal motion issue killed drives and gave more time to GA.
Knowles gets 1 more year in my book. I get it's a new scheme, and takes time...but recruits don't seem to be banging on the door to play for him. His defense has now lost an Michigan game and a Semi-Final. The defense is a huge problem, not acceptable regardless of who is running it, and if you defend him, that's the softness ichigan was talking about.
G Hale
Combs was a disaster hire. It's going to take time to come back from that. At least Knowles has a scheme, now players and coaches have to execute it.
Either they see a chance at early PT, or they don't want any part of it because they won't feel like they can be developed properly..depends on how you want to look at it
What bothers me the most about the targeting wave off is that play is exactly what they are trying to remove with the rules - a DB simply teeing off on the receiver. I hope I would be as bothered (and suspect I would be) if it had been a wave off of an OSU DB who did that. So many seem to be comfortable turning football into a bloodsport. Yes it is a rough and violent game. Doesn't mean there isn't a line.
"Revenge is a dish best served cold." - Old Klingon proverb
On Targeting, I thought the main intent of the replay booth was to catch Targeting hits missed on the field by the onfield officials. Not to wave off what the onfield official immediately and clearly saw. The official 5 ft away immediately threw the flag the second the hit happened. There was zero question on the field by that official and the play happened right in front of him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mJSkhYoxiE
I am not a big NFL fan. But there are about a dozen Buckeyes secondary guys in the NFL right now. My honest opinion is I don’t see that same level of skill at the back of the defense now. Maybe 14 Ronnie Hickman. But I don’t think anybody is getting picked above the sixth round maybe. I don’t know whether that’s the Xs and Os or the Jimmy and Joes. But when good teams can get 8.8 yards per play and score chunk plays from their side of the field again and again and again- well I am concerned about the defensive secondary. We took an NFL coach and a secondary coach who just put three Bearcats in the NFL. It seems like they should be able to get some better results. Day already carpet bombed the defensive staff room after last season he can’t do it again. That’s where we need the most improvement and I hope we focus on that.
Michael
zero-coverage, no safety = explosive plays. That can work when the talent level discrepancy is in your favor; but when it's equal or better, the risk factor rises.
The position is called safety for a reason. The young talent will develop, but will Knowles ?
My biggest problem on replay overturns is zero accountability and also why is the ASSUMPTION that all the TV cameras are at better angles than all the onfield officials?
Knowles is a Snake Oil Salesman. He conned Day into thinking his unique Defense would be the end all. He interviewed with Bielema for the Illinois DC & Bret laughed him off. Bret selected a guy that knew what he was doing & provided one of the best Defenses in the country. He was rewarded with the Purdue HC job.
Time to Cut Bait with the Con Man!
Unique huh? Look around and you’ll see it in a lot of places. Bama runs it a good bit. I even see the Dallas cowboys run it quite a bit. It’s not some thing he made up in his garage.
This may be the first ever post on 11W where someone is suggesting Bert did something smart.
https://apple.news/A8GeZ-7KLRcWhCfMzYsWz_A
A rational take from Mike Rosenberg of SI on how we really should view this past season now that we’ve worked through the heartbreak of the Georgia game. GO BUCKS!
“Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!”
Not sure how the masturbating walrus didn't make it to the chase. https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/wing-walrus-called-thor-brings-28851521.amp
I am more disappointed by this loss than I have ever been. However, let's put things into perspective:
1) This was a home game for Georgia.
2) Our two starting running backs were not healthy enough to play the game - even though Williams played a handful of snaps.
3) JSN didn't play.
4) We lost our game changer (MH) to a cheap shot that should have given us first and goal closing out the third quarter.
Georgia was very lucky to catch the Bucks in this set of circumstances and it came down to a last second field goal. The Bucks were in this thing and could have won it just as easily as the missed field goal.
I am not happy with our defensive coaches. They have sucked for a number of years. Hell, just look at the last six games of the season. Pathetic - send Knowles back to the Big 12!
We had to hear Knowles talk for 4 weeks about the mistakes of the UM game and how they had a chance to see what was done wrong. Well, there was no upgrade. It's rediculous to hear people saying CJ is an all time great at OSU. CJ is a very very good drop back passer, even better when he has time to throw, good weather, and 2&3 star defensive backs trying to cover his receivers. He also seems like a GREAT kid, the kind of kid that is REALLY going to be sucessful in his life and, at the end of the day, what is more important than that, as an individual? All time great OSU QB? No way. 0-2 against UM, 0-1 in the CFP. Not an all time great. Talk all the stats you want, winning big games MATTERS, and it should.
O-H
That was a hard result to accept. You just can’t give up a 14 point lead in the 4th quarter of the national semifinal. I think if that targeting call isn’t wiped off, the Bucks punch in a score to go up 42-24 and it’s over.
The offense did enough to win. The defense did enough to win. I don’t blame Noah Ruggles. This loss belongs to Jim Knowles and his cover zero coverage bust and a few horrible play calls in the last few minutes. Needed to get 5-10 more yards for the kick. The 48 yard kick looked like a line drive brick minutes earlier. Didn’t hold much hope for a 50 yarder in that situation when I’m not sure one was kicked all year.