Grading the Bucks: Week 6 -- Indiana

Calm. Down. Seriously: Calm. Down.  Buckeye Nation is in a tizzy after a 23 point win over Indiana.  Was the game ugly for much of it? Sure.  Have we played significantly better football against better and worse opponents? Of course.  But these games happen and you just work through it.  Clearly the defense has issues that will persist (more later) and the offensive line has a few problems, but the team is just fine.  No, the Buckeyes aren't the wagon that Bama is, but we're far from in disaster territory.  Take it from a Seminole fan who won the National Championship the year before the Buckeyes: they'd kill to be in our shoes.  We are whining about being in the 2nd tier (Bama stands alone...for now) with a great shot at the playoff and a title.  Fix the problems and march on.

Offense: B+
MVP: Dwayne Haskins, QB
Not a great showing, but not awful.  The running game just isn't working (a big concern), but the passing game is healthy as ever.  The O-line was the cause of the fluky INT's and that certainly needs cleaning, but the WR have been progressing nicely.  The TD by Victor is one of the nicest TDs you'll see this year (college or pro).  I wonder if the return of Brandon Bowen (coming soon) will lead to more success on the ground.  Buckeye Nation needs to remember that the success of the run game in year's past was due in major part to Joe Thomas Barrett IV.  The threat of the running QB in an Urban offense is lethal, but Haskins doesn't have that dimension.  His passing makes up for it (nearly breaking the OSU passing yardage in a game record), but the lack of ability to convert a 3rd or 4th and 1 is very concerning for the offensive line (JT hid a lot of warts in that area).  Many Buckeye fans hated the simplistic QB Power that was run on EVERY 3rd and short last year, but he always converted....that dimension is conspicuously absent.  This means success on 1st and 2nd down is of more paramount importance.  No room for falling behind the sticks.

Defense: D+
MVP: eh.....Pete Werner, LB
On the plus side, the linebackers didn't suck...too much.  Missed tackles were incredibly frustrating earlier on but that improved as the game progressed.  There is certainly a concern about the health of Malik Harrison and Jonathan Cooper.  The pass rush didn't get home which is a major concern for the young secondary, but I attribute that in part to the refs.  Chase Young looked was being manhandled on every snap (fistfuls of jersey everywhere) and nary a call to be had (almost felt like we were playing Wisconsin!).  Kudos to IU for the game plan of 'can't beat em, holdem and hope the refs don't catch you (or care)'.  It was tough on the line to consistently get pressure but be denied due to uncalled fouls.  Regardless, the secondary was simply poor on most dimensions.  Once Pryor got into the groove in the 2nd half (after the bogus targeting call vs. Penn State) he started playing pretty well.  There will be growing pains in the secondary all year, but I see flashes (sadly flashes of failure too).  This team will be featured in shootouts most week so it's time to grin and bear it.

Special Teams: B
Nothing to note here.  No missed kicks and only 2 punts (net average 41).  Fine, but nothing special.

Coaching: C
The team didn't seem prepared on either side of the ball either.  They were outschemed on both sides as well.  As most Buckeye games, the talent wore down the opposition and the Bucks pulled away, but I was disappointed with the lackluster playcalling, the confusion on defense, and the relatively small improvement as the game progressed.  After getting punched in the mouth early, I thought the defense would man-up and play with some pride, but they seemed sleepy in the secondary until midway through the second half.  The coaches need to get these players fired up.  The upcoming schedule is blah upcoming so lack of motivation is the enemy. 

Overall: B-
The defense can't do this all year.  There needs to be more consistent pressure or more sound play in the secondary.  Haskins has been great as have the receivers, but the running game and big uglies aren't getting it done consistently.  The big snake trap of a game is Purdue at night, but don't overlook the Gophers.  The Buckeyes are everyone's Superbowl.  No days off but I wouldn't have it any other way.