Grading the Bucks Week 4--EMU

Well, that was interesting. 73 eh? Something I haven't seen in a Tressel offense in...well...ever. Defense was a disappointment, but the special teams didn't suck this week so that's a plus.

Offense: A
I really don't want to give a straight A, but 73 points...I don't think I have a choice. I will definitely not go A+ because the offensive line cannot run block to save their life. Against a bad high school team, we struggled to establish the run (with the running backs) which is a MAJOR concern. Terrelle Pryor was fantastic but he should have been. The scramble by Pryor on the 3rd play was just embarassing. I really thought he should have stopped at the 2, struck a Heisman pose, and moonwalked into the endzone...it was just too easy. TP has looked very good throwing and scrambling (and receiving), but the running game is still a concern. Saine and Herron really need to watch out for Hall and Berry. They've looked more impressive. Don't get too excited Bucks...EMU is awful.

Defense: C
Ok, we won by 53, but giving up 20 to the worst team in football is embarassing. The run defense was fine, but the secondary looked worrisome. In their defense, injuries have eaten the secondary, but it was Eastern Michigan. Chekwa was on the sideline with a slight tweak, but it was Eastern Michigan. Way too many passes down the middle of the field to wide open TEs. The pass rush was pedestrian and a 5-step drop seam route was carving us up. The good news is tweets from players after the game show that the defense was very upset at themselves for the way they performed (even with a 53 point win). They were not the Silver Bullets this week.

Special Teams: B
Here's a positive point: the special teams didn't fail all over teh field this week. In fact, they blocked a PAT! Not too much to say about the punting unit...since we only punted once (maybe twice but I was distracted at that point of the game), but there was one tackle made by the punter. That's not good!! The punter should NEVER have to make a tackle. Still not perfect but we're getting there. The coverage on kicks was very good--a great sign since our kicker was getting tired kicking off so much. Other than the weak punt coverage, no real special teams issues (which we shouldn't have against EMU).

Coaching: C
Not too much coaching to be done here. I have a few knocks this week. First, Pryor was in the game WAY TOO LONG. When the game is clearly in hand, there's just no room to risk your star player. One bad hit and we set our sights much lower than an undefeated season. Second, while I love trick plays, I felt the halfback pass to Pryor when up 25 against a bad team was a bit in bad taste. Putting new plays on film is one thing, but in that situation, I don't think it was warranted. The coaches showed they have no faith in the runningbacks which is very scary. This was a perfect game to try to work out the kinks in the running game. The defensive schemes were boring and they didn't adjust to covering the tightend.