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2017 Game #2 | #2 Ohio State vs. #5 Oklahoma | September 9th, 2017 @ 7:30 PM EST

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Passing game is just non-existent and it has been non-existent for years now. We are a power spread that can't throw the ball and yet we still do not hand off to our fucking RB's. Shit just blows my mind. I counted 4 conventional handoffs in the 1st half. Four. In an entire half. The strength of this program in the Urban Era has been the run game and yet we just aren't willing to embrace that identity. Instead, we have no identity and just look lost out there.

And the new thing this year, the secondary is just god awful. Don't have 3 first rounders to bail our ass out all season anymore. Mayfield was just dumping 10-15 yard passes to wide open guys in the middle of the field all night long.

This game reminded me of the Virginia Tech one in a lot of ways...but I don't see anyway this team has the turnaround that the 2014 team had. Certainly can still have a good season, maybe even make the playoff. But against an elite team we'll just get Clemson'd again because our offense is one dimensional and we refuse to even use the one dimension we have.
 
We need to try something new at QB. Relying on this read option with JT is so frustrating and PREDICTABLE. He has GREAT career numbers but hasnt improved as a passer since his freshman year, actually I think he's gotten worse. The elite players that have been put around him inflated those numbers and made him look better than he actually is. His decision making is good but seems so delayed, doesn't seem to process or make his reads quick enough against the elite teams.
 
Why can't we find receivers who can get separation?

I saw Paris run a route where he literally ran TO the db and of course it was broken up.

It's certainly not JT alone that's the problem here.
 
Barrett plateaued long ago. Guy is perfectly fine at managing wins against outclassed opponents, but he is not a championship caliber QB.

At some point, you wonder if the receivers doubt JT can or will get them the ball if they do get open and that begins to negatively impact their play. I find it hard to believe that such an elite program can't find any capable receivers and that yet another set of offensive coaches are failing. The simler answer would seem to be that Barrett is holding these guys back.
 
JT is not the only problem though. I'd try something else at QB, but Urban needs to take a deeper look at some things.

First we have to run the damn ball with our RBs. Our passing attack is broken and it's not getting fixed fast, at least not this season.

And second, we gotta let Kevin Wilson run his own offense. Beck is gone and we're seeing the same problems, which probably comes down to Urban's playbook.
 
If we get up on Army and UNLV quick the next few weeks, I'd let Haskins play the second half.
 
They've tried allowing JT to be an actual QB that makes progressions and actually go through reads....

Personally, I think it's a mistake. JT is a smart kid and can get through his progressions, but physically, he just doesn't have the talent to take advantage when he finds his 3rd or 4th option in the route tree.

I commented on it against Indiana, but I wish they went back to freshman Barrett, where he essentially had 1 read, the play intentionally looked safeties off, have him come back to his primary, and if it were there he pulls the trigger, if not, it's tuck and run.

I also think "smart" JT when it comes to contact is unnecessary. Part of his success as a freshman was his physicality....those extra 2-3 yards in the run game are critical. 2nd and 5 is much different than 2nd and 8 when he's playing safe with with his body.

If they're going to let JT play this season out, I think they should make the offense "Tebowesque". Simplify the reads, create plays for a single receiver and develop play to look off secondary, if read isn't there, he turns into a runner. Asking him to read defenses with 5 options just isn't and hasn't been working......It's cringe-worthy watching him try and dissect defenses from the pocket...
 
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I feel like we beat Michigan this year, but probably lose to Penn State.

Won't comment on the Bowl Game because we have zero idea who we'll be playing.
 
I still think this team can make the playoff. It's easy to compare it to the Va Tech loss the year we won the title, but Meyer and Herman had a "come to Jesus"moment where they decided the vertical game wasn't going to be effective, and scrapped what they had worked on all off-season, and made Barrett a "Tim Tebow-esque" QB.

People forget against Va Tech, OSU targeted Corey Smith (11) freaking times, mostly on downfield shots.

The next week against Kent State, they came out, and their very first pass attempt was to Zeke on a little wing pass.......a play that would've wrecked havoc against Va Tech but they were too committed to a vertical passing game.

I see this Oklahoma game, in conjunction with what happened against Clemson, as a true crossroads moment. They can keep Barrett in the pocket and ask him to try and dissect defenses and win games with his arm, but I think the entire staff (most importantly Meyer) now realize asking JT Barrett to be Tom Brady is completely ineffective.

I expect the offense to look a bit different against Army....I'd anticipate a lot of quick throws, more power run, and maybe a more aggressive JT in terms of physicality as a runner, and quicker decisions to tuck the ball and run.

One interesting comment from Meyer in his presser this morning was that Ohio State tends to practice in "man coverage" and both Indiana and OU have played predominately zone coverage. He said they'd start working in more zone coverage so the QB's are more comfortable with it........which is kind of disappointing with a staff as good as Ohio State's, that this wasn't considered ahead of the game.

Taking the focus off Barrett for a second, our secondary has played poorly in the first 2 games, and I attribute it to being very vanilla. We play press man about 95% of the time, and only showed zone coverage against Indiana in the second half, and only then started forcing the QB to read coverages.

Not only should playing more zone in practice help Barrett and the other QB's, it should in theory help our secondary be more diverse so we can disguise our defense better. I'm not sure if the mentality is "our talent is so much better than you, that we're just going to line up in man press, and dismantle you". Because through 2 games this year, it ain't working.....

Still a ridiculous amount of talent, and an opportunity to run the table, if they can figure some things out. Getting Weber back healthy would be big, and becoming more power run oriented vs a finesse passing attack should stabilize them. I think the secondary will show the most improvement over the next few weeks...
 
I feel like we beat Michigan this year, but probably lose to Penn State.

Won't comment on the Bowl Game because we have zero idea who we'll be playing.

Holy hell if losing to psu becomes a yearly thing I may lose my shit
 

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