I've never felt this gross after a win since...well, UAB or Cal. Cal has since proven that they aren't total garbage, but the others...woof. This was a travesty of a game for the Buckeyes and truly worries me for the future. Yes, the win (or lack of a loss) is nice, but the extreme apathy exhibited by the players and coaches is a red flag.
Offense: B+
I give one player a passing grade for this game and he played like an absolute beast: Carlos Hyde. He ran extremely hard, 2 TDs, solid receiving, breaking tackles, decent blocks (that was the weakest part of his game), etc. Others trumpet Braxton Miller, but the interception in the endzone was embarrassing for a Pop Warner team. Miller ran fairly well but refused to feed the beast of Carlos Hyde enough and his passes we still off target. I have to give him a solid B/B+ grade because 2 nice TD passes were dropped by his number one (and only?) receiver Devin Smith. Miller could have had a stellar game for the books, but drops, lack of leadership, apathy, and lack of consistency are his Achilles heel. The O-line is playing well as well so let's not forget them. Miller needs to improve the decision making A LOT and the play-calling should focus a little more on Hyde.
Defense: F
49 points....let that sink in. 49 points....to Indiana. The last time OSU gave up more than 40 was the National Championship to UF. My. Hoying did a stellar exposition illustrating the extreme depths of depravity to which this unit has been relegated. Our leading tackler was a full back who was told he was switching to defense this week....that's pathetic. The secondary is laughably bad. I'll make one small excuse as my eyes told me that Hankins was getting held on EVERY SINGLE PLAY (Note: there was not a single holding penalty called the entire game on either team). With that being said, even if our line was handcuffed the whole game, IU shouldn't have sniffed 30 points. The linebacking corps is extremely depleted, but it was INDIANA!!! I knew they'd score; I had them scoring 20; but 49! This unit was apathetic the entire second half which comes down to coaching and desire. Weak tackling reared its ugly head. I can't call them the Bullets until they earn it back. For now, they're the Silver Swiss Cheese.
Special Teams: C+
I have no clue what to do with this unit. Giving up another blocked punt is just embarrassing--then they block a punt AND TOTALLY REDEEM THEMSELVES!! Very solid kick coverage for most of the game (most drives started inside the 15 for IU and around the 30 for us); and then we give up a 60 yard return at the end of the game. We never kick FGs anymore, so Basil yanks one (but makes another). And then there was the onside kick. Bradley Roby, I love you and think you're arguably the best talent on the defense, but what are you doing? The apathy reared its head again and we kept the door open.
Coaching: D
I've spoken of apathy as a recurring theme and this is a serious coaching issue. The Bucks played as if the game was over with 12 minutes to go. As a coach, you need to keep stoking the fire until zeros are on the clock, and if you don't keep the intensity up, that's on you (especially in a year with no postseason). Playcalling has been pedestrian (triple option every time Brown motions into the backfield), but the mood of the team and coaches on the sideline is more of an issue. I'm calling out Urban on this one. He trumpets hardnose, no-nonsense style in which any deviation from greatness is punished. I'm sorry, but I don't see it. If you want to be no-nonsense, you need to be going CRAZY on the sideline coaching this team as they give up the 7th most points in OSU history TO INDIANA! This is not acceptable in Columbus. It reminds me of the RichRod cartoon..."But we will score a lot of points". If we score 52, that's all well and good, but what if IU had scored 53? Is Urban on the hot seat? Probably not yet, but this is offputting to say the least.
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