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How about some grades?
BroadcastingDawg
Member Posts: 1,245
Offense:
QB: C+
Morris passed... barely. Thought he looked better in the first half. His performance reminded me a lot of Browning's true freshman year which is alarming... cause we didn't push the ball down the ball much that year either and it's not a recipe for an explosive offense. It seemed like the plays/routes in the passing game were planned for him in the first half and he looked a lot more comfortable. In the second half when had to freelance a little bit it was clear there was a lot of indecision. He's clearly more comfortable throwing quick outs than anything that takes time to develop - but that might just be first game jitters. Multiple balls knocked down at the LOS on critical plays are alarming. I was hoping the program was past the point where we coddle a guy because it's his first game... yet here we are. Hoping we get the chance to see more than one guy next week.
RB: B
I thought McGrew looked great... he saw lanes clearly and didn't hesitate to hit them. Ran tough all game. 9 carries for 91 yards and a TD, yes please. Cam Davis looked real solid in his limited play and he surprised me as a pass catcher. Dick Newton didn't look as good as I'd hoped. I think he was at a little bit of a disadvantage because it was pretty clear they were going to hand the ball of to him when he was in there... that's not an excuse for not gaining much ground though. He seemed more willing to just bash into someone... which to be fair is his game... but patience is something he's going to have to learn. I don't understand why Kamari Pleasant was named the starter? Davis and McGrew do everything he does but better IMO. Too many guys are back there carrying the rock... go with 3 backs, 2 of them get the bulk of the carries and the third gets 5-8 in the game. 4 guys doesn't let any of em get into a rhythm. Didn't think I'd see this many fullback dives every again in college football... but it was actually a nice little wrinkle.
WR: C-
That was some ugly WR play, at least from a pass catching standpoint. Jones lets a midget body him on what should have been an easy TD. Puka and Bynum both had significant drops on key drive-extending catch opportunities. Odunze played like a freshman... was in position for a TD catch himself but the moment seemed to big for him. In all, I'm not sure the play calling did the wideouts any favors, but it's not like they were gaining much separation at all which is alarming considering the talent we believe we have at the position. I thought Bynum looked the best of the bunch. He was great on the jet sweep and had some nice YAC on a couple receptions finishing with 2 carries for 33 yards and 4 receptions for 66 yards... some nice AP yards there. Was cool to see McMillan get in there... question is: what must Spiker and Osbourne be thinking when 2x true freshman are getting chances over them... man what a waste. I thought the WR blocking was outstanding. Aside from a hold, Jones earned his keep out there and so did the other wideouts... sprung a lot of runs.
TE: B
Thought the tight end blocking was out of this world. Saw Otten mauling guys out of the play all night. That said, in an explosive "pro-style" offense... you'd better get the tight ends involved in the passing game off play action when the D is selling out so hard on the run. That didn't happen at all and I actually saw a number of plays that looked like they were designed for a QB rollout to the TE but the TE got washed out of the route. 1 catch from the TE's for 3 yards isn't going to cut it.
OL: B+
No sacks allowed and only 2 TFL's is a great start. Thought the OL looked confident, cohesive and authoritative in the first half and then maybe let up a little bit in the second half... which could have also been adjustments by OSU's D. Wattenberg seemed to handle the center position just fine. MJ Ale looked great as a puller on multiple runs. Curne/Kirkland seemed to handle the tackle positions just fine. Bainivalu is the only guy that I caught a couple times getting washed out of the play. Despite not allowing a sack, I thought the pass blocking was only so-so... didn't seem like Morris had much of a pocket and he had to retreat laterally several times to avoid pressure. But a good first game overall for the bunch.
Defense:
Defensive Interior: D
That was rough. Massive, gaping holes allowed all night for the OSU backs to run on through. Taimani and Bronson left a lot to be desired. Bronson had just 1 tackle despite playing the majority of snaps... oof. Neither anchored the line well and were washed out of the play multiple times throughout the game. They were often left grasping for the ball carrier with an arm versus disengaging a block and squaring up a back. Aside from the gift 3rd and 4th down spots in the second half, the play here was largely embarrassing. There wasn't much interior pressure levied on passing downs either... just seemed like they were nothing more than bodies out there. Jacob Bandes got in for a couple plays and I thought he looked just fine... he was in on 2 plays on one of the rare 3 and outs we had. Curious if Tuitele or Noah might get some run soon... cause they can't have repeat performances like that going forward.
Defensive Edge: B
ZTF was in a world of his own out there. Looked absolutely masterful as an edge rusher. 2 forced fumbles, 4 solo tackles, 2 sacks, 2 TFL's... looked fantastic. Ryan Bowman on the other hand looked ordinary... nothing special about his play and he got absolutely smoked on misdirection plays. Don't know if you noticed, but the bulk of the runs OSU hit on went to his side of the field. He wasn't setting the edge at all and got washed out of SO many plays. Was cool to see Smalls get some run despite not doing much. Question for you guys: where was Latu? I heard coaches saying he's impressed... didn't see him in the game once... did I miss it? If that's the case, why the fuck not?
Linebacker: C+
Ulofishio was fantastic. Is he perfect? No. His gap discipline in the run game is an issue... but in coverage/play making ability he's an absolute stud out there. 10 tackles, 8 solo, 4 PBU's... man 4 pass break ups... that's outstanding. Love this kid. Jackson Sirmon is slow, not a sure tackler, and is often late to diagnose the play... why is he playing? Even better question, why is Cooper McDonald getting snaps before MJ Tafisi or Daniel Heimuli? Heimuli is a guy I was most intrigued by heading into 2020... instead we're starting unathletic, slow white guys next to Ulo. God knows why.
Cornerback: A
McDuffie, Molden, Taylor and Gordon are all very very good. Not sure I need to say much more. It's clear Molden is a Sunday slot corner and McDuffie is a future 1st or 2nd round pick. OSU's QB is a pile of trash... but it wasn't the corners allowing receptions when they happened.
Safeties: C-
Asa Turner disappointed in a big way. If Gebbia wasn't horrible, Turner allows multiple big gains, possibly TD's in coverage. He was slow and trailed the route almost every time the ball was thrown in his direction and he looked far from physical in the run game. Alex Cook was only average... hardly even noticed him out there... makes me wonder how a converted wideout beats Irvin, Williams or Gordon at the position. Thought the safety play left a lot to be desired... really no help on the 2nd level in the run game and their play in the pass game was bailed out by OSU frankly being shit.
Special Teams:
Kick Coverage: D-
What the fuck was that? What happened to Tim Horn's leg? Can he not kick it into the damn end zone any more? Some of the coverage gaffs were on his failures giving the returner a 10 yard head start to catch the ball and bolt up field. Aside from the final kick off in the 4th Q the kick coverage team was abysmal. Absolutely enormous return lanes for that little midget from OSU to run through... often times a tackler not being in position to hit him until the 30 fucking yard line. A team that's gonna try to win by its defense is going to struggle when you're gifting the opponent starting field position at the 50 on multiple drives.
Snapping: F
Get your shit together man. One horrific snap that led to a TD. Almost another bad snap that Porter saved... and high on a couple of snaps for field goals...
Punting: A
Aside from the stupid decision to not cover the bad snap in the 1st Q, Race Porter had a hell of a game punting. To corral the second bad snap and get such a great punt off was class. Had an awesome pin punt when the team needed in most.
Place Kicking: C
For fuck sakes Henry... you can't miss a 28-yard field goal man... it kept OSU in the game. You had a hell of a season last year... don't start this now.
Kick Return: A
McDuffie is far better than Fuller ever was and it's nice to finally have someone capable again in the return game. McGrew makes me feel like he should be a lot better here than he is... but he only had a couple opportunities... so we'll wait and see.
QB: C+
Morris passed... barely. Thought he looked better in the first half. His performance reminded me a lot of Browning's true freshman year which is alarming... cause we didn't push the ball down the ball much that year either and it's not a recipe for an explosive offense. It seemed like the plays/routes in the passing game were planned for him in the first half and he looked a lot more comfortable. In the second half when had to freelance a little bit it was clear there was a lot of indecision. He's clearly more comfortable throwing quick outs than anything that takes time to develop - but that might just be first game jitters. Multiple balls knocked down at the LOS on critical plays are alarming. I was hoping the program was past the point where we coddle a guy because it's his first game... yet here we are. Hoping we get the chance to see more than one guy next week.
RB: B
I thought McGrew looked great... he saw lanes clearly and didn't hesitate to hit them. Ran tough all game. 9 carries for 91 yards and a TD, yes please. Cam Davis looked real solid in his limited play and he surprised me as a pass catcher. Dick Newton didn't look as good as I'd hoped. I think he was at a little bit of a disadvantage because it was pretty clear they were going to hand the ball of to him when he was in there... that's not an excuse for not gaining much ground though. He seemed more willing to just bash into someone... which to be fair is his game... but patience is something he's going to have to learn. I don't understand why Kamari Pleasant was named the starter? Davis and McGrew do everything he does but better IMO. Too many guys are back there carrying the rock... go with 3 backs, 2 of them get the bulk of the carries and the third gets 5-8 in the game. 4 guys doesn't let any of em get into a rhythm. Didn't think I'd see this many fullback dives every again in college football... but it was actually a nice little wrinkle.
WR: C-
That was some ugly WR play, at least from a pass catching standpoint. Jones lets a midget body him on what should have been an easy TD. Puka and Bynum both had significant drops on key drive-extending catch opportunities. Odunze played like a freshman... was in position for a TD catch himself but the moment seemed to big for him. In all, I'm not sure the play calling did the wideouts any favors, but it's not like they were gaining much separation at all which is alarming considering the talent we believe we have at the position. I thought Bynum looked the best of the bunch. He was great on the jet sweep and had some nice YAC on a couple receptions finishing with 2 carries for 33 yards and 4 receptions for 66 yards... some nice AP yards there. Was cool to see McMillan get in there... question is: what must Spiker and Osbourne be thinking when 2x true freshman are getting chances over them... man what a waste. I thought the WR blocking was outstanding. Aside from a hold, Jones earned his keep out there and so did the other wideouts... sprung a lot of runs.
TE: B
Thought the tight end blocking was out of this world. Saw Otten mauling guys out of the play all night. That said, in an explosive "pro-style" offense... you'd better get the tight ends involved in the passing game off play action when the D is selling out so hard on the run. That didn't happen at all and I actually saw a number of plays that looked like they were designed for a QB rollout to the TE but the TE got washed out of the route. 1 catch from the TE's for 3 yards isn't going to cut it.
OL: B+
No sacks allowed and only 2 TFL's is a great start. Thought the OL looked confident, cohesive and authoritative in the first half and then maybe let up a little bit in the second half... which could have also been adjustments by OSU's D. Wattenberg seemed to handle the center position just fine. MJ Ale looked great as a puller on multiple runs. Curne/Kirkland seemed to handle the tackle positions just fine. Bainivalu is the only guy that I caught a couple times getting washed out of the play. Despite not allowing a sack, I thought the pass blocking was only so-so... didn't seem like Morris had much of a pocket and he had to retreat laterally several times to avoid pressure. But a good first game overall for the bunch.
Defense:
Defensive Interior: D
That was rough. Massive, gaping holes allowed all night for the OSU backs to run on through. Taimani and Bronson left a lot to be desired. Bronson had just 1 tackle despite playing the majority of snaps... oof. Neither anchored the line well and were washed out of the play multiple times throughout the game. They were often left grasping for the ball carrier with an arm versus disengaging a block and squaring up a back. Aside from the gift 3rd and 4th down spots in the second half, the play here was largely embarrassing. There wasn't much interior pressure levied on passing downs either... just seemed like they were nothing more than bodies out there. Jacob Bandes got in for a couple plays and I thought he looked just fine... he was in on 2 plays on one of the rare 3 and outs we had. Curious if Tuitele or Noah might get some run soon... cause they can't have repeat performances like that going forward.
Defensive Edge: B
ZTF was in a world of his own out there. Looked absolutely masterful as an edge rusher. 2 forced fumbles, 4 solo tackles, 2 sacks, 2 TFL's... looked fantastic. Ryan Bowman on the other hand looked ordinary... nothing special about his play and he got absolutely smoked on misdirection plays. Don't know if you noticed, but the bulk of the runs OSU hit on went to his side of the field. He wasn't setting the edge at all and got washed out of SO many plays. Was cool to see Smalls get some run despite not doing much. Question for you guys: where was Latu? I heard coaches saying he's impressed... didn't see him in the game once... did I miss it? If that's the case, why the fuck not?
Linebacker: C+
Ulofishio was fantastic. Is he perfect? No. His gap discipline in the run game is an issue... but in coverage/play making ability he's an absolute stud out there. 10 tackles, 8 solo, 4 PBU's... man 4 pass break ups... that's outstanding. Love this kid. Jackson Sirmon is slow, not a sure tackler, and is often late to diagnose the play... why is he playing? Even better question, why is Cooper McDonald getting snaps before MJ Tafisi or Daniel Heimuli? Heimuli is a guy I was most intrigued by heading into 2020... instead we're starting unathletic, slow white guys next to Ulo. God knows why.
Cornerback: A
McDuffie, Molden, Taylor and Gordon are all very very good. Not sure I need to say much more. It's clear Molden is a Sunday slot corner and McDuffie is a future 1st or 2nd round pick. OSU's QB is a pile of trash... but it wasn't the corners allowing receptions when they happened.
Safeties: C-
Asa Turner disappointed in a big way. If Gebbia wasn't horrible, Turner allows multiple big gains, possibly TD's in coverage. He was slow and trailed the route almost every time the ball was thrown in his direction and he looked far from physical in the run game. Alex Cook was only average... hardly even noticed him out there... makes me wonder how a converted wideout beats Irvin, Williams or Gordon at the position. Thought the safety play left a lot to be desired... really no help on the 2nd level in the run game and their play in the pass game was bailed out by OSU frankly being shit.
Special Teams:
Kick Coverage: D-
What the fuck was that? What happened to Tim Horn's leg? Can he not kick it into the damn end zone any more? Some of the coverage gaffs were on his failures giving the returner a 10 yard head start to catch the ball and bolt up field. Aside from the final kick off in the 4th Q the kick coverage team was abysmal. Absolutely enormous return lanes for that little midget from OSU to run through... often times a tackler not being in position to hit him until the 30 fucking yard line. A team that's gonna try to win by its defense is going to struggle when you're gifting the opponent starting field position at the 50 on multiple drives.
Snapping: F
Get your shit together man. One horrific snap that led to a TD. Almost another bad snap that Porter saved... and high on a couple of snaps for field goals...
Punting: A
Aside from the stupid decision to not cover the bad snap in the 1st Q, Race Porter had a hell of a game punting. To corral the second bad snap and get such a great punt off was class. Had an awesome pin punt when the team needed in most.
Place Kicking: C
For fuck sakes Henry... you can't miss a 28-yard field goal man... it kept OSU in the game. You had a hell of a season last year... don't start this now.
Kick Return: A
McDuffie is far better than Fuller ever was and it's nice to finally have someone capable again in the return game. McGrew makes me feel like he should be a lot better here than he is... but he only had a couple opportunities... so we'll wait and see.
Comments
17 play drives and no points??
Get the fucking ball down the field.
52 rush attempts with a long of 27? Bullshit
It’s gonna be hard for the average fan to see improvement that shows up on the Scoreboard this year but it’ll be there. The reps Morris is getting this year will be evident in Spring ball when the QB competition really heats up with the arrival of Huard.
Pretty clear Lake is setting up a Championship run in 2022 or 23
Did Tuli get hurt? It seems like he hardly played
3rd offensive coordinator, still can't score in the red zone.
Defensive looks good on paper, but blows it when it matters (end of the first half, what a fuckfest).
Special Teams are special, on both ends of the spectrum.
That aside, i'm more or less of the same mind when it comes to the rest of the grades.
A lot of first game jitter shit and iver substitution at RB were the problems I sensed with the offense. The 1-2 at running back should be McGrew and Davis. Newton is what I've always said he is. Pleasant is a big back that doeant run like a big back.
Offwnsive grades from mainly listening:
Game plan: B...I love I formation. There should have been a couple of longer shots down the field on play action.
OL: C-...seemed inconsistent as usual and the fucking penalties... I think the lack of down field passing was more due to fear of Morris handling pressure than him making unforced errors.
RB: B-...McGrew is a fucking stud. He should be the guy most of the time unless Davis is too good to keep in the bench. The other two guys are fine backups.
WR: D-...Fucking shitshow. They still can't catch and still aren't translating all those awesome measurables and recruiting stars into impressive play.
TE: INC...Did they play? Maybe they blocked some?
QB: B...The play calling was awful conservative against a ahitty defense that stacked the box against an offense featuring more 4.4 receivers over 6' than I can even remember all the names of. Maybe it's because Morris can't handle more? Whatever. He seemed to be making the throws he was asked to.
The offense has been shitty for a while now and the loser mentality is still hanging over it. Escaping last night's mess might be just the kick in the nuts that gets it going.
Or not. It might be interesting though.
The OL was solid, especially given the experience we had out there. OSUs DL isn't scaring anyone.
TEs blocked pretty well, but didn't seem to be super involved in the passing game yet. Westover and Otton had a few eraser blocks that I saw.
RBs were:
McGrew A-
Pleasant B IMHO he looked like Lavon Coleman
Davis B could be higher but needed to see a bit more
Newton D+
WRs sucked. Part of it was the game plan, but the drops were inexcusable.
QB was a solid C. No mistakes, but no defense is going to be scared by what they saw. Morris looked like the ultimate game manager. That isn't a compliment, but I guess it's ok.
We need more explosive plays. I would trade a couple more 3 and outs for us taking more shots 15+ yards downfield. Teams are just going to stack the box against us, and our 2nd half ineptness was the result of that.