Well, that sucked. There's very little positive to talk about here so let's go.
Offense: F
This gameplan (see the coaching section) is simply baffling. We have (arguably) the most talented passer in the history of Ohio State...and we continue to throw weird screens and inexplicably run QB draws. Honestly, we have plus athletes at QB, RB, and WR....but the offensive line downgrades everyone. This is one of the worst offensive lines I've seen at OSU. We hear the mantra of building inside out, and boy does that ring true here. Haskins has been able to work through it...somewhat...but his numbers would put Tu'a to shame if he had that Bama line. The running backs are supremely talented but they can't get through with no protection. Also, their will seems to have diminished when they know help isn't coming shown by the lack of broken tackles lately. Putting up 6 meaningful points against Purdue....that can't happen. The redzone offense is a dumpster fire and something needs to change. When the O-line of OSU can't push PURDUE back for 1 freaking yard, there is a major issue.
Defense: D+
Defense, while bad, wasn't the reason for the loss. They played well against a pretty strong Purdue offense until the 4th. Honestly, I was going to give them a B until they threw in the towel and quit in the 4th quarter (when the game was honestly still in reach...barely). The D-line is the plus unit here, but offenses nullify the pass rush with the west cost dink and dunk. There's enough tape out there for teams to exploit this weakness. The secondary was OK, but not good by any stretch. Also, discipline (in every phase--see coaching) is a MAJOR problem.
Special Teams: F
Haubeil missed a kick which, while it sucked, wasn't the driving problem. A running into the punter AND a later roughing the punter penalty is inexcusable. I honestly don't understand this mentality on punts. A more conservative approach is needed. The gain of the block punt (low probability) is completely overshadowed (with this team) by the negative of a penalty (reasonably high probability).
Coaching: BUTT
This team wasn't ready. They weren't set up for success and that's on the coaches. They're undisciplined and show no signs of want to improve. That's on the coaches. 2 drives were directly extended due to idiotic penalties (roughing passer & punter). 2 drives were directly ruined by stupid penalties (false starts on 3rd and short--Prince). Talk about major swings in momentum. The roughing the passer killed all thought of a comeback and the false starts put the team in a hole on good drives. How can a team like OSU not gain a yard with the athletes in scarlet and gray? Ridiculous. How can we see a major upgrade in passing ability/efficiency and squander it to no end? By the way, I also said last year that JT wasn't prepared to match his skill set. Somehow the coaches were handed a ferrari and still can't figure it out with Haskins. Now, it's odd to complain here when Haskins has 3 of the top 4 passing yardage games in OSU history, but this is a combination of a changing game, playing from behind (what?), and simply his supreme ability. Haskins is the most talented passer I've seen at OSU and while he's breaking records, I still think he's criminally underutilized. Ryan Day was scheming for Haskins skillset. It appears that Urban is trying to make Haskins fit his spread scheme, and it's not the right fit.
Overall: F-
For some reason, OSU likes to go big when they fall. This is a faceplant of epic proportions only rivaled by last year's Iowa game (emerging pattern?). The good news: they usually rebound with a vengeance. I do think that Urban is going to take a long hard look at his future in the mirror and decide what path to take. Note: I do not advocate firing (arguably) the most successful coach in OSU history, but I think he's kicking around the idea of retirement again with all the 'stuff' swirling from the offseason, the red flags from the past few years, and simply the fact that coaching takes an enormous toll. Once again, I do NOT advocate releasing Urban as the Buckeyes track record over his tenure is easily in the top 3 in the country. Obviously, Bama is 1 and Clemson/OSU are 2/3, but for fans to get their pitchforks out, is just ridiculous. When you say there is one school you'd definitely trade with and no one else, you can't be super upset. Hopefully, this was a bump in the road. No one wants to say it so I guess I will. Win out (tall order with this team) and you're still in the playoff. And then....Bama by a million (copyright Steven Hoying).
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I heard an interesting view from Coach Bill Conley about the O line. He described that since the Bucks run so many RPO plays, the line never really knows what the play is going to be until Haskins makes his read. On a power run play, the line needs to blow off the line and bulldoze the D line & linebackers, but if they need to be in place to pass block, the mentality is totally different. They can't blow off the line if Haskins is going to pass - that's why we've seen the linemen downfield called several times this year.
In my mind, this is an excellent point. Pass blocking and run blocking are very different. I think the coaches might consider calling some dedicated runs so that the line can bust hinds and get it done. Why they don't do this - especially in the red zone is a mystery to me. Urban keeps talking about a 6 yard pickup on a pass is a plus in the run game, but the effect on the O line is huge. I don't think the scheme and the play calling are setting up the O line to succeed.
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