Buckeyes vs. The Fightless Illini

[furls]

This one should be a laugher. Operative words, should be. Never know with this year's edition of the Buckeyes.

I am going to guess that we get a completish effort for a 49-17 win.

I am interested to see Illini starting freshman MLB Mason Monheim. Kid desperately wanted an OSU offer but it never came. We got Luke Roberts, they got Mason Monheim, we'll see how that one works out.

Hopefully we see some competent passing today.

[FUDU]

41-3 Bucks.

[furls]

Oh good, the OSU offense from the Purdue game came today. I was afraid this game was going to be boring.

[FUDU]

Yeah and Beth Mowins to call this crap, lucky us.

[FUDU]

OK here comes 41 unanswered points.

[FUDU]

Although Hyde has come around a little he is not a good back for a read option run, he is more the traditional back in which he benefits from the designed handoff.

[furls]

I tend to agree, he is a good back, but not a perfect back for this O. I am not sure that Smith is really a great back for the Read Option as his big asset is his "suddenness" even more than his power and the RO takes way that suddenness some. Jordan Hall is a poor man's version of the right back I think. 'Zeke Elliot is the right guy IMO.

[furls]

Beth Mowins voice makes me want to shove broken beer bottles in my ears to make the pain stop. She sounds like a pre-pubescent boy. I don't mind female announcers, just female announcers that sound like teenage boys.

[FUDU]

Bryant has that same effect on my eyes, he always kills us.

[furls]

I have no idea how Bryant grades a champion each week. Every week he makes at least 1-2 head scratching plays and certainly leads the team in dropped in INTs.

[FUDU]

Nice freakn throw.

[FUDU]

Love that Miller took that run out of bounds.

[fairvis]

Caught them with their pants down on that wheel route. Hit Smith with that perfectly. Illini have no answer.

[fairvis]

Hyde may score 5 TDs today. Keep the rout on, boys. Interested to see Rod Smith and Dunn bowling over people in the second half.

[fairvis]

Was pretty sure that Smith got absolutely mugged there. Oh well. Can deal with 31-6 at the half.

[furls]

deleted double post

[furls]

Great block by Reid Fragel to set up the Miller TD. Great Block, sustained it for about 30mins. I tell you what, whoever gets Fragel in the 5th Rd of the draft is getting a steal. I think the kid ends up as a 10 year left tackle, they just need to coach him up a bit as this is his first go as an OL.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

If it wasn't for stupid mistakes, this game could have been a shutout.

Nathan Williams is good for one really dumb penalty a game, and so is at least 1 player in the secondary.

Is there anyone more elusive than Braxton Miller?

[fairvis]

The most dominated team to score 22 points.

Bucks were functioning in all facets today. Braxton looked good, and you could definitely tell he was looking more downfield today. Couple of real beauties in seam routes 15-20 yards down the field. Over 300 yards rushing, 200 yards passing. Hyde was in beast mode the entire time.

Rod Smith needs to develop stickum on those forearms. Too buttery right now. Has some serious potential when he learns to hold onto the rock.

[motherscratcher]

I worked most of the day, and when I got home I spent a few hours of daylight cleaning shit up outside. Finally came in a turned the game on. I was immediately treated by Beth Mowins voice and I started immediately mutherfucking the existence of the universe. My wife had no idea what had pissed me off. Thinks I'm a raving lunatic. She's right, of course.

That whole telecast was another abomination. Why is it so hard to know when the right time to run replays is? Or am I the only one who is driven crazy waiting for someone to show a replay of something that changed field position by say, 40 yards or so. Not that that's a big deal.

[motherscratcher]

I can't believe that was the same QB throwing the ball today. Those passes were tight ropes in stride. Braxton looked incredible today.

[leadpipe]

I worked most of the day, and when I got home I spent a few hours of daylight cleaning shit up outside. Finally came in a turned the game on. I was immediately treated by Beth Mowins voice and I started immediately mutherfucking the existence of the universe. My wife had no idea what had pissed me off. Thinks I'm a raving lunatic. She's right, of course.

That whole telecast was another abomination. Why is it so hard to know when the right time to run replays is? Or am I the only one who is driven crazy waiting for someone to show a replay of something that changed field position by say, 40 yards or so. Not that that's a big deal.

Beth Mowins has gotta be greeted several times a day with, Excuse me, Sir?

[peeker643]

I can't believe that was the same QB throwing the ball today. Those passes were tight ropes in stride. Braxton looked incredible today.

Looked like the same guy throwing it today as the guy I watched at Huber Heights. He can throw. He always could throw. But tweaks became overhaul and instincts became thoughts and natural became unnatural.

Get him right and leave him alone and very, very good things are gonna happen for that QB.
Love watching him play. Pryor may have been faster in a straight line but Miller is a ridiculously instinctive and gifted runner and will leave a far, far better passer than Pryor.

[e0y2e3]

Shush peeks, Braxton is better than Vick was at VT.

[furls]

I hate to be the downer here, but this is one of those games against an opponent so hapless that all the warts go away and your hope and spirits as a fan are renewed. This Illinois team is the worst team tOSU has played this year.

That said, the Bucks play up or down to the competition quite a bit, so we should see the good Buckeyes for the rest of the season. I don't fear Wisco at all, their O plays right at tOSU's strength in the run game. LB play has been much better and Boren will be an asset in that game.

scUM is a bit more concerning because only 1-2 guys get a shot at Denard on any given play and if they miss there is a good chance it will be 6. scUM's D looks pretty decent against the run too, so there is that as well, but I still think there is no way Meyer loses that game. I am just hoping he wins it by 500.

[motherscratcher]

Was Storm Klein on the field at all?

[danwismar]

Was Storm Klein on the field at all?

No, he did not play. Has a herniated disc and did not practice much at all during the week.

BTW, the official box score (which I always link in my game story, but is also available at the official site ohiostatebuckeyes.com)includes a full "Participation Report", with a list of starters and also anyone else who got in the game...this week's here....

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports ... llino.html

[furls]

I am just glad that Klein will be gone next year and that horrible option will be off the table. It is hard to believe what a difference moving our FB to LB has done.

Klein's high for tackles in a game this year, 7. Second highest number 3... let that soak in for a minute, our MLB was getting 2-3 tackles per game. Holy shit is that bad.

Stats for yesterday's game are not posted yet, but in the three games prior, Boren has recorded 8, 5 and 7 tackles. Laurinaitis averaged just under 10 per game in his 3 AA years. Shazier is averaging about 10 per game this year (9.8) and lately Shazier's play is as good any LB since Hawk (just the last 3 games).

[danwismar]

Stats for yesterday are included at the link above. Boren had eight total tackles (3 solo, 5 assists) and half a TFL. His solo tackle on Young, when he came inside out on a sweep down around the OSU 10-yard line on the second Illinois field goal drive almost surely saved a touchdown there. Several times on plays near the sideline, he sold out...diving at the feet of the Illinois runner to make sure they were going out of bounds and couldn't turn the corner or gain additional yards. Unreal effort all the time.

[peeker643]

Stats for yesterday are included at the link above. Boren had eight total tackles (3 solo, 5 assists) and half a TFL. His solo tackle on Young, when he came inside out on a sweep down around the OSU 10-yard line on the second Illinois field goal drive almost surely saved a touchdown there. Several times on plays near the sideline, he sold out...diving at the feet of the Illinois runner to make sure they were going out of bounds and couldn't turn the corner or gain additional yards. Unreal effort all the time.

Yep. Runs the line of scrimmage hard, sideline to sideline. Fun to watch. And no more undisciplined and out of control than Shazier.

Furls, I dig Illinois blows, but the mechanics and the stepping up and delivering a ball on the hands were better yesterday. All of it. The rotation, the trajectory were good far more often than not.

Now, maybe that's because guys were running free and Illinois didn't nearly kill Miller so he was comfortable (and that certainly makes it easier), but I thought that was his best game throwing the ball since he got here.

YMMV

[furls]

Nope he looked pretty good peeks. Definitely his best game throwing the ball regardless of competition. He was 12-20, but should have been more like 16-20 minus the drops. That throw on the fade made Galloway cringe, although Galloway rightly said that the entire execution was fucked (Thomas ran the route 4 yards out of bounds). That was the only decision and throw that made wretch.

Playing competition that bad makes all the ills go away, but he was better. Wisco will be a better barometer.