He’s been out or basically out all year
Yes and that’s why they’ve looked mediocre at best. Harrison is good but the unique threat potential they possessed of having two uncoverable perimeter studs never materialized. It’s such a huge drop off from having JSN / Olave / Wilson last year. I think most of their deficiencies (somewhat in ability but mostly in design & play calling) were getting covered up by the fact they had three #1 NFL WRs. This year, they struggled against the few good teams they’ve played and never looked particularly sharp, and I think a lot of the equity people were imagining was getting baked in from end of last year’s form and under the assumption they would eventually return to full strength.
1 Like
Their passing game is hilariously efficient still. Obviously having JSN would help, but OSU’s offense has been ruthless overall this year wrt passing.
I think OSU’s problem is that Day isn’t that great of an in game coach, and their offense is soft. Michigan was consistently able to put them in 3rd and 2 and 3rd and 3, which normally isn’t that great for the defense. However, Day’s offensive philosophy means they functionally a 3rd and 8 is the same as a 3rd and 2 because they can’t just run. In the Urban days, 3rd and 6 was an auto convert because they knew they could run for four yards every down.
OSU would be a lot better if he just never punted on 4th and 4 or lower.
I said it in advance of the Michigan game and it rings even more true after the Michigan game:
Football advanced stats overrate explosiveness and YPP averages and underrate consistency.
In a game where you are facing an opponent who is an equal match for you, the ability to get positive yards with consistency matters a ton. It’s a huge part of why Brady has been so successful over 20+ years in the NFL. He knows the checks to get into on 3rd and short or 3rd and medium, and has the accuracy to put the ball in the right spot to keep drives going.
We as informed football fans want to make fun of football luddites and their HURR DURR TOUGH YARDS but if you can gain 3 yards when the opponent knows exactly what play you’re running, that contributes to your success in a massive way at any level of football, and even moreso when you’re in a close game that will likely depend on 15-20 key plays that are the difference between drives continuing or giving up the ball.
5 Likes
See that’s the problem, they wouldn’t. Their short yardage offense has been terrible all year.
How the hell did Ohio State not win last year. Holy shit that offense.
O-JA-BO
1 Like
They’re still efficient because it’s all 5-stars and a #1 QB prospect but definitely worse than last year. Fewer attempts per game at lower comp%, YPA, and AY/A, and really feels like they need that extra dude to compete with UGA. The only analysis of 3rd down bucketed into yards to gain I could find is from last year, where OSU appeared to be particularly good if not elite on short to medium.
Day kept running smashmouth on 3rd and short and kept punting
Michigan run game - grind OSU to dust
OSU scored a lot and looked good. Just had to punt too many times.
1 Like
Jason Garrett a finalist for Stanford job. Would be his first college coaching job.
I can’t think of a time where someone who had a cushy lifestyle went to college football coaching and made a good run of it.
College football coaching is best done by the truly mentally ill workaholics who never stop recruiting.
yeah it’s such a different job than pro coach. seems 100x harder than NFL head coach. Just juggling so many more pieces and there’s no GM, the Athletic director might help with some stuff but most of those guys are just fundraising and the really good coaches won’t let them interfere. NFL coaches have way more support and fewer actual responsibilities.
depends, in the NFL players are more control over you cause they are paid more, this isn’t true at all in college, though now they just enter the portal
I mean urban meyer went from college god to holy crap he’s horrible in the NFL
Meyer sucked because he wasn’t capable of treating players on some sort of equal footing though. NFL job is easier because it has actual actual time off per every coaching gossip thing I’ve ever listened too.
Nick Saban says “hi” though he was really a college coach all along.
What is everyone’s thoughts on Deion Sanders at CU?
Obviously if resources are poured in and admissions requirements are eased there should be considerable improvement (hell, even with just cosmetic changes they should do better than 1-11).
On the other hand, the whole thing feels like a strategy that would have been done already if it worked. Sanders was a special player but it’s not as if there are no other former NFL players with flash and style.
I found the intro speech to the team pretty off-putting but that may be because I’m accustomed to crusty old white guy narcissist football coaches rather than brash, young-ish black narcissist football coaches.
I would love if it I was a Colorado fan.
I don’t know, Deion Sanders flash and style is all time in the NFL ranks. Plus in the portal world, recruiting prowess matters now more than ever. The days of spending a large amount of effort trying to find a diamond in the ruff doesn’t matter.
1 Like
This may be an awful take…
The teams Oregon had that were recruited in the badass uniform era but prior to Chip Kelly’s arrival were simultaneously a huge step up in recruiting rankings but a big step down and an inconsistent mess on the field.*
I’ve always suspected a connection. Recruiting rankings matter insofar as indicating a base talent level, but if you could also sort them by reasons for choosing a program I suspect you’d get a better correlation with results on the field.
*Full disclosure I also think every Duck uniform combo that isn’t the traditional green and yellow colors from the 90s are ugly as shit, and the Akili Smith/Reuben Droughns team from when I was in 5th grade is probably the sports team I’m most nostalgic over.
Those were the days …
I am wondering if we are on the edge of good college teams be entirely developed through the transfer portal and with little to no high school recruiting.
As for Deion specifically, if he brings in good coordinators the team could do fairly well. I think Mike Zimmer is going to be his DC.