Football
By the Numbers
By Jeff Amey

In what has to be one of the weirdest feeling blowout wins ever, the Ohio State Buckeyes beat the Northwestern Wildcats 45-10 on Saturday...and actually looked pretty good at times in the process. I say at times because I think the players succeeded in this game despite the playcalling instead of because of it. In all of the Buckeye games I have ever watched, I can never remember being as frustrated with the playcalling, even as the Buckeyes were taking a 24-7 lead into halftime.

Even after all of that, this was a positive step forward for the Buckeyes in more ways than one. Couple this win with Penn State's loss on Saturday and there is suddenly a lot more to play for in the last two games of the season. Before we get into the game in more detail, let's take a look at the stats.

Run/Pass Breakdown

60 Offensive Plays-442 yards-7.4 ypp

16 pass (27%)-9/16 for 197 yards 3 TD

44 runs (73%) for 245 yards 3 TD-5.7 ypc

10 Offensive Possessions

Ave. of 6.0 plays-44.2 yards

Ave. start-OSU 35

First Down-26 plays (43%) for 171 yards

6 pass (23%)-2/6 for 49 yards 2 TD

20 runs (77%) for 122 yards 3 TD-6.1 ypc

ave. gain of 6.6 yards

Second Down-20 plays (33%) for 91 yards

3 pass (15%)-2/3 for 13 yards 1 TD

17 runs (85%) for 78 yards-4.6 ypc

ave. of 8.2 yards to go

ave. gain of 4.6 yards

Third Down-13 plays (22%) for 171 yards

7 pass (54%)-5/7for 135 yards

6 runs (46%) for 36 yards-6.0 ypc

ave. of 8.4 yards to go

ave. gain of 13.2 yards

conversions-8/13 (62%)

Fourth Down-1 play (2%) for 9 yards

1 run (100%) for 9 yards-9.0 ypc

ave. of 2.0 yards to go

ave. gain of 9.0 yards

conversions-1/1 (100%)

Playaction Passing

3 for 4 for 55 yards 3 TD

First Downs-18

5 by pass

10 by run

3 by penalty

FORMATION BREAKDOWN

Two back formations-31 plays (52%)

5 pass (16%)-3/5 for 47 yards 2 TD

26 runs (84%) for 102 yards 1 TD-3.9 ypc

Shotgun formations-18 plays (30%)

8 pass (44%)-5/8 for 135 yards

10 runs (56%) for 39 yards-3.9 ypc

One back formations-10 plays (17%)

3 pass (30%)-1/3 for 15 yards 1 TD

7 runs (70%) for 95 yards 2 TD-13.6 ypc

Punt formation-1 play (2%)

1 run (100%) for 9 yards-9.0 ypc

RUN TYPE BREAKDOWN-44 attempts

Base/Iso-6 (14%) for 5 yards-0.8 ypc

Draw-3 (7%) for 4 yards-1.3 ypc

Fake Punt-1 (2%) for 9 yards-9.0 ypc

Option-4 (9%) for 10 yards-2.5 ypc

Power-20 (45%) for 172 yards 3 TD-8.6 ypc

QB run/scramble-5 (11%) for 40 yards-8.0 ypc

Stretch-5 (11%) for 5 yards-1.0 ypc

Other Stats of Note

~ 2 offensive penalties for 20 yards

~ Ohio State started on the Northwestern side of the 50 three times-10 points (1 TD 1 FG)

~ 5/5 in the red zone (4 TD 1 FG)

~ 1 sack and no turnovers

~ 23/60 plays took place on the Northwestern side of the 50-(38%)

~ 18/60 plays went for no gain or loss-(30%)

~ Number of plays 10+ yards-14

~ Number of drives before Ohio State passed on 1st or 2nd down-4

Throughout the first half of this game it sure didn't look like 45 points were in the cards. The Buckeyes found themselves in 3rd and long (8 yards or more) 9 times, but managed to convert 7 of those to keep drives alive. Big plays were the name of the game, with 6 plays of 20 or more yards, four of those on third down.

A couple of things stood out in the statistics this week. First, the Buckeyes averaged 13.2 yards on third down. This probably had more to do with Ohio State's big offensive day than anything else. There was a big third down conversion on each of Ohio State's first four touchdown drives. Without those conversions, this game probably deteriorates into another defensive struggle.

Second, the Buckeyes did a very good job blocking on power plays in the second half. After Ohio State's third offensive possession, the offensive run play calls were almost exclusively power calls. The negative plays stopped and the Buckeye ground game started picking up yards in chunks.

Let's take a look at the position groups.

Quarterbacks

Terrell Pryor has been a focus of attention for the Buckeye offense, and for good reason. As the Buckeye quarterbacks go, so go the offense, and this week Pryor played what was probably his best overall game since taking over as the starter. He finished with almost 200 yards passing and three touchdowns on just 14 pass attempts (3 more passes were called ending in sacks or scrambles) and just over 30 more yards on 7 rushing attempts.

Pryor stayed away from disastrous mistakes and kept drives alive with some pretty remarkable plays on third downs. Almost all of the Buckeyes third down coversions were the result of a nice play by Pryor scrambling or hitting a pass beyond the sticks. He did a very good job of managing the game in the face of what can only be described as questionable (at best) playcalling for most of the game. Without him, I don't think the Buckeyes win that game handily, or maybe at all.

This was the first game where we saw a clear progression from his early season self into more what we all thought he can become. I don't think it's any accident that it comes after a bye week.To the delight of most Buckeye fans, Pryor actually did tuck and run decisively when the opportunities presented themselves for the first time this year. He showed more willingness to throw the ball when the receivers weren't WIDE open (the third down pass to Nicol on Ohio State's second TD drive stood out, as well as the touchdown to him later). It is finally starting too look like he might be ready to be turned loose a little bit with the passing game.

Grade-A- Pryor gets his first A grade from me this season. He was the difference between a blowout win and a defensive struggle and possible loss.

Running Backs

There's no real surprise here. The other major difference maker in this game was Beanie Wells. Despite Northwestern stacking the box when the Buckeyes were in the I formation, Beanie was able to go for well over 100 yards and break away for a long touchdown run. This was done in the face of a lot of penetration by the Northwestern defense, and several plays, especially in the first half, where Beanie was stopped before he was able to get started.

On a different note, this week saw the first significant action for Boom Herron after his concussion several weeks back. He picked up right where he left off, picking up 39 yards on just six carries with a nice 16 yard touchdown run on his last carry. Considering how tough it has been for any back besides Beanie to gain yardage behind an offensive line that is only just above average (at best), having Boom back in the lineup is a blessing at this point in the season and gives the Buckeyes a viable second option to run the ball at least somewhat effectively.

Grade-B+ A steady diet of Beanie and the running game was lethal to the Wildcats this week, even when they knew it was coming.

Receivers

The Buckeye receiver corps wasn't asked to do a whole lot against Northwestern, but when called on, they performed pretty well. Brian Hartline had two long catches and not surprisingly both came on third and long plays. Brian Robiskie added two more touchdown catches to his season total, both of them came on play-action passes. The rest of the receiver corps didn't really do all that much, with Dane Sanzenbacher getting one catch (also on third an long) and DeVier Posey having a long pass thrown his way late in the game.

Rory Nicol, on the other hand, had a pretty good game by tight end standards in Ohio State's offense with two catches. One was (surprise!) on third and long, while the other was a touchdown after an incredible play by Pryor to break three tackles in the backfield before throwing across his body for the touchdown. Considering how much blocking he does on a weekly basis, it was nice to see him rewarded with a couple of throws his direction this week, and for him to make the most of them.

Grade-B It was another solid game for this group, but not good enough to merit anything higher than their "stock" grade.

Offensive Line

It was yet another rough outing for the offensive line this week. As long as they ran power run plays, full 1/3 of the offensive playcalls were this week, things were pretty good (172 of 245 rushing yards on nearly half of the run calls). Other than those plays, the line was giving up penetration and allowing pressure on the quarterback on nearly every play, especially on the right side of the line.

I've been hoping for what could be called a "breakout" game from this group, considering the returning starters and talk going into the season, but it's time to give that up. This line is just average, or slightly above, for an offensive line in general, and far below average for Ohio State standards. Tough offensive lines with even tougher backs behind them is what Ohio State was known for for years. They have moments, but they are too few and too far between.

Grade-C+ 442 total yards = C+? Considering over half of that total came on six offensive plays, I think so. There was too much penetration and pressure on the QB all day to grade out too well.

Offensive Gameplan/Coaching

There are no excuses for the playcalling we saw on Saturday, especially in the first half. I really feel like the team succeeded despite the gameplan and not because of it.

I'm not talking about calling different types of runs. I think the coaches did a fine job of that. They started the game trying a few different things, searching for what would be the most effective run type before latching onto the power runs in the early second quarter and almost exclusively sticking to it after Northwestern showed they couldn't stop them.

I'm also not talking about a gameplan that relies mainly on the running game to move the ball. With the cold and wind, along with Pryor's still somewhat limited ability in the pass game, I'm not surprised the ball stayed on the ground for most of the game. The final tally was 19 called passes and 41 called runs. That's a little one-sided, but I don't think it was out of line.

What I'm talking about is the situational playcalling. Ohio State did not pass the ball on first or second down until their fifth offensive possession, and didn't throw on second down until their 12th second down play in the second half.

I would also like to see the coaches call a few more pass plays when the Buckeyes are in the I formation. Too often, teams are loading up 8 or even 9 in the box when the Buckeyes line up in the I and attack the line of scrimmage. They have to be getting man to man coverage on the receivers. This has gotten to the point where it is either that the coaches are stubbornly refusing to do it, or have absolutely no confidence in the quarterback to throw it accurately or the receivers to get open.

It is so painfully obvious what teams are doing on defense to defend the Buckeyes this season. They are loading the box and attacking the gaps when Ohio State lines up in I formations, attacking the edges of shotgun formations on running downs while rushing the passer with abandon on passing downs, and generally daring the Buckeyes to beat them through the air. Some teams have the defensive players to make it work. Northwestern didn't, but they were a few third and long conversions away from making that a much closer game than it was.

Pryor did a very good job of making things work despite the lousy situations he was dealt on third downs, but we can't expect that kind of performance every week. Ohio State has two teams coming up that aren't the greatest on defense, but if they should win both of those, they'll most likely make another BCS bowl, meaning they'll need to do a better job of sustaining drives without needing crazy third down conversions to have a realistic shot of beating whoever they end up playing. A loss to one of those teams probably means a Florida bowl against another SEC team. I'm not sure the Buckeyes are ready to take on a team that plays physical defense.

Grade-D+ I'll take a 45-10 win, but with the Buckeyes out of National Title contention I was expecting to see a little more pizzazz and less "plop, plop, fizz, fizz".

Defensive Gameplan/Coaching

Things started off a little shaky for the defense this week, but after Northwestern's touchdown drive, the Buckeye defense turned in yet another dominating performance. By the end of that first Wildcat drive, it became pretty clear that Northwestern didn't have much of a running threat beyond quarterback Mike Kafka, though I'll give him credit for a gutty performance with a lot of broken tackles and fighting for extra yardage along the way.

Other than that drive, the Buckeyes did a good job of bottling up Kafka, and while they hit a couple of moderately big plays the rest of the way, they were unable to put together anything consistant enough to put points up on the scoreboard.

I have to make special mention of the defensive line yet again this week, especially the much beleaguered defensive tackles for yet another decent game, especially Nader Abdallah, who was very. Freshman Nate Williams had a nice stretch where he accounted for sacks on consecutive plays to squash what had been a fairly good drive for the Wildcats.

Ross Homan may have started as the least heralded of the current linebacking corps, but he has improved greatly as the season has progressed and seems to now be playing the best ball out of that position group. He seems to be everywhere on the field. I'll be surprised if he doesn't move inside next season, as that seems to fit his play style a little better.

Grade-B+ The Wildcats had a couple of effective drives, but it was just another day at the office for the defense this week. The DL has really stepped it up the past few games.

Special Teams

What did we learn this week? We learned that A. J. Trepasso is not the greatest open field runner in the world, but he was good enough on Saturday to run a fake punt 9 yards for a first down near the end of the game.

The coverage was good, as usual, on both punts and kicks. Ryan Pretorious hit his only field goal attempt and all six (SIX!) extra points on the day. Lamaar Thomas continues to be weapon on kickoff return. It's only a matter of time before he breaks one of those all the way. Ray Small's suspension opened the door for both Brian Hartline and Robiskie to field punts this week, with Hartline having one decent return on the day.

Grade-B It was a solid day, but nothing stood out to turn this grade into an A.

With Penn State's loss to Iowa he Buckeyes are now solidly in the middle of the most competitive conference race outside of the ACC and Big XII south. Chances are pretty low for a third straight outright title, but the Buckeyes will get at least a share of their fourth straight conference title if they win their last two games. Another Penn State loss opens the door for the Buckeyes to win the conference on tie-breakers.

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