Football
Sunday Observation: Thoughts on Beating Navy
By Brandon CastelSeason-openers are usually bland and void of excitement. In fact, the headlines from Ohio State’s past two openers have been injuries (Lawrence Wilson and Beanie Wells).
Saturday’s game against Navy, however, was anything but bland.
The Midshipmen came in looking for the perfect storm, and they got it. Despite being down 15 in the fourth quarter, Navy kept fighting and had the Buckeyes against the ropes before Brian Rolle turned the tides with his 99-yard interception return on the failed 2-point conversion try.
Here are my thoughts on OSU’s one and only tune-up before the primetime battle with USC.
Pryor Has Progressed
If you aren’t convinced Terrelle Pryor is a better passer today than he was a year ago then you really never will be. Watching him out there Saturday, it’s clear he has made tremendous strides in his throwing abilities from what we saw out of him against Texas, let alone earlier in the 2008 season, but it’s also clear he still has a ways to go if he’s going to be a passing quarterback that can run instead of a running quarterback that can pass.
He missed a pass earlier in the game on a post route to Duron Carter that would have gone for 30 yards, but the one real mistake he made all day was the interception to Navy defensive back Emmett Merchant. Although Sanzenbacher may have gotten a finger tip on the ball, it was clearly thrown too high, which is something Tressel does not want to see from his quarterbacks.
“We always talk about, we like the ball delivered to the numbers or lower because if accidents happen, usually fall on the ground, and if accidents happen above the numbers, they're problems,” Tressel said.
It was an uncharacteristic throw for the usually cautious Pryor, who rolled right, scrambled back to his left before attempting to squeeze the ball in to Sanzenbacher right down the middle of the field. For me, it wasn’t really a bad play. In fact, it was good to see Pryor use his athleticism to create time and then have the confidence to make that pass instead of just taking a sack. My biggest issue with the turnover is when it happened. Make that play in the first half, or when you’re down in the fourth quarter, not when you’re up by eight points with five minutes to go in the game. That’s the time to be careful with the football and fall on it if there’s nothing there.
O-line has Work to Do
Without watching the film it’s a little hard to accurately breakdown the play of the offensive line, but certainly there have to be some concerns after the performance against Navy. It’s important to keep in mind that with Jim Cordle and Bryant Browning playing new positions, this is really a whole new line learning to play together, and we can’t really weigh it against years past because the Navy defensive line is much different than the Youngstown State one they faced in the past two openers. The Midshipmen held teams to just 3.75 yards per carry last season and I feel far too much is being made of the weight difference between their defensive line and the OSU offensive line. If we’ve learned anything from watching the OSU line the past few years, it’s that the biggest guys don’t always win. Playing in the trenches is about leverage, technique, playing low and playing with determination, heart and attitude.
I think that’s what disappointed me most about this group Saturday. We knew Navy was going to play with those attributes, but I was expecting to see a different kind of intensity from Ohio State up front. I really thought the interior group of Browning, Michael Brewster and Justin Boren would get a better push, especially when the Buckeyes had three plays to pick up three yards late in the game. That had to be a more discouraging sign for the coaching staff then the missed assignments in pass protection. Both Cordle and Andrew Miller had their gaffs out there, but the tight ends and backs are also to blame for some of the clean looks Navy blitzers got. The o-line has been the Achilles-heel of this offense in big games past and they will need a much better performance out of them against USC than what they got last year.
Run Game is Coming Along
With all the talk of the failed fourth down conversion, the Buckeyes had to be pleased with what they saw from their running game Saturday in the first game of the post-Beanie Wells era. I liked what I saw from both Boom Herron and Brandon Saine throughout the game as they combined for 127 yards on just 26 carries. Herron had some big carries, especially the 18 yarder late in the fourth quarter that helped to put the game away, but I was particularly impressed with the tough running of Saine. Known as a speed back coming in, it’s clear he has worked hard to add toughness to his game as well. Both were also factors in the passing game, where they totaled 50 yards on six catches. It’s going to be tougher sledding against a bigger, more athletic USC defense in week two, but the Buckeyes appear to have the horses to carry them in the run game, especially if they decide to add Jaamal Berry and Jordan Hall to the mix after neither of the freshmen played against Navy.
Catch and Release
It might sound silly considering the Buckeyes put 31 points on the board Saturday, but the offense really suffered from a lack of playmakers in the passing game down the stretch. With Ray Small out because of illness and DeVier Posey sidelined by what Tressel called an ankle injury, the Buckeyes attempted to get the ball into the hands of Taurian Washington – who is expected to provide some big plays this year – but he did his best Braylon Edwards impersonation on a ball that hit him right between the numbers. Pryor did a good job of getting the ball to freshman Duron Carter, but he averaged only 7.0 yards on his three catches. This team will need more of a vertical passing game against USC, and that’s not going to come from Dane Sanzenbacher, who by all accounts had an excellent season-opener. Getting Small and Posey back will help, but they also need some help from Washington and they need to find a way to get the ball into the hands of Lamaar Thomas out in space.
Carter II
He may have only totaled 21yards on the day, but you couldn’t help but get the feeling that Duron Carter has the look of a special player. Forget the fact he is Cris Carter’s son, the fact he was out there in the receiver rotation on day one of the 2009 season is a testament to his God-given ability to go get that football. He is probably never going to be a player that stretches the field vertically, but this is a kid who catches every ball that comes his way, and you cannot underestimate what that does for a young quarterback like Pryor when he knows No. 9 is going to make the play if he can put the ball in his area. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Carter is top three on the team in catches this season.
Hard to Gauge the Defense
There’s been a lot of talk about the play of the OSU defense in the opener against Navy, but realistically how much can we learn from a game like this? I say not much. People want to say that the linebackers looked slow out there, but anyone who has played against, coached against or game-planned for the triple-option would tell you that this is an offense designed to make the defense look slow. It’s the whole reason Navy runs it. They can’t match the speed and athleticism Ohio State has on defense. They just don’t have the athletes. What they do, is force those fast players to slow down by making them think and making them play disciplined. If your linebackers are flying to the football against that offense, you’re going to have huge holes in the defense. Stopping Navy is about reading keys, playing your area and doing your job. Ohio State understood that, which is why Navy ran for more than 100 yards below their average from any of the past five seasons.
Did the linebackers make mistakes out there? They absolutely did. The two mid-line option plays where Dobbs went untouched to the end zone are great examples of the linebackers trying to read the play and make a big stop on the running back. No one stayed home, and Dobbs had a clear path right down the middle of the defense. That’s called perfect execution for Navy.
Secondary Concerns
When pointing out Navy’s 186 rushing yards (compared to their average of 297 yards on the ground last year), it’s also important to highlight their 156 passing yards, which more than doubles their average of 61 yards through the air last season (second worst in the country). To me, this was my biggest concern with the OSU defense Saturday, especially when I think back about the way USC picked them apart in the secondary last season. I thought Navy might try to throw the ball a little more in this game than they have in the past because they called Dobbs “the best passing quarterback they’ve ever had at Navy” and because they were going to have to try something different to pull off an upset in Ohio Stadium.
What we quickly learned, or were reminded of, is that Kurt Coleman is a guy who’s going to make plays. After watching film, I think the coaches will have some definite teaching points for Coleman, and there’s no question he’s going to take some heat in the film room for getting trucked on that 99-yard drive, but he is a playmaker. When the Buckeyes desperately needed someone to make a play on defense, he made two, getting the strip and the diving interception in the fourth quarter.
On the other side of the coin was Anderson Russell. Now Russell and Coleman have been together for three years at the back end of OSU’s defense and it’s become clear to me that while Coleman has clearly gotten better each season, Russell appears to have made very few strides from his first season as a starter. Coverage has never been his strength, but in a game where the coaches were preaching eye control and not getting sucked into the play and not letting guys escape behind the defense, Russell got burned for both of Dobbs’ touchdown passes. The 85-yarder is going to be the one people talk about, but Marcus Curry was just as wide open on his 16-yarder in the third quarter.
I have to believe the coaching staff is going to take a long, hard look at this because they cannot be pleased with what they are getting out of Russell at free safety. That is the one position on the defense where the primary goal, the No. 1 thing you learn as a safety, is to keep everything in front of you. Getting beat deep like that is unacceptable at any level, and often costs players their job. Now many people are expecting Jermale Hines to take the starting job away from Russell, and that very well might happen, but be careful what you wish for. Hines is not a cover guy either. He is a hitter, a football player, like Russell. Both are better suited to play the Star, but there isn’t anyone else the Buckeyes can really put back there. Orhian Johnson, Aaron Gant and Zach Domicone are all hurt, and I think Nate Oliver is another guy who seems best suited for the strong safety spot. If Tyler Moeller were available, it would make sense to put Hines at safety and Moeller at the star, but how much can the Buckeyes gain from simply swapping Russell and Hines?
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