Ohio State casserole…
14 September 2008As I watched the Buckeye offense flounder against USC, I couldn’t shake the question: Who are these guys trying to be?
With USC, it’s clear; they are optimized for a pro-style offense, with a line that can protect a pocket, a quarterback who can read coverages, and a play-caller who uses his talent within that scheme. It’s the same with West Virginia, optimized for the spread-option in focus, personnel, and play-calling.
But Ohio State is a casserole. They run a little pro, a little spread-option, a little this, a little that… They are pretty good at a lot of things, but not excellent at any one thing.
For example, they asked their classic drop-back passer, Todd Boeckman, to run some spread-option plays against the Trojans, which is like asking a dump truck to win the Daytona 500. It was sad to watch him get pounded with no chance for a decent gain. Those were wasted plays that served only to fire up USC’s defense and home crowd.
Against lesser competition, a patchwork offense works just fine because Ohio State’s overall talent level is greater. But against the likes of USC and LSU, being a jack of all styles – instead of a master of one — has not served the Buckeyes well.
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