2024 Ohio State Football

[smurray]

OSU needs a new DC. 13 play drive by Marshall and not even close to stopping the herd

A week off after only 2 games had the Buckeyes starting sluggish.

[cbolt]

Could have been a lot different heading into the first half had they not taken away that punt fumble. The defense was on the field a lot in the first half. They were sucking a lot of air on this brutally hot day! Seemed to get their second wind back in the second half.

[FIDO]

OSU needs a new DC. 13 play drive by Marshall and not even close to stopping the herd

A week off after only 2 games had the Buckeyes starting sluggish.

You are correct. I just.get a bit impatient

[Zahns Corner]

Well, 49-14 final. Several outstanding big plays overshadowed a rather uninspiring performance by the Buckeyes. Only real area of disappointment were the special teams.

After 3 games OSU has shown hints of being a national championship caliber team, yet they have room for improvement.

[Zahns Corner]

Ohio State (3-0) (0-0) vs. Michigan State (3-1) (1-0)


First conference game and road test for OSU. Bucks should cruise but Sparty has a dual threat QB that could be pesky.

[Bleeding Red]

Sparty is a bit improved this year. If OSU's defense can get a few quick 3 and outs, this game could get ugly quickly. If not, MSU has the talent to hang around.

I see OSU pulling away late. Not sure if OSU covers a 24 pt spread playing on the road but on the other hand they could jump on Sparty early and win by 40 lol.

[Zahns Corner]

Heads up, Sparty kick off will be 7:30 on Peacock for those inclined to pay an additional subscription fee.

[Zahns Corner]

#21 Iowa (3-1) (1-0) at #3 Ohio State (4-0) (1-0)


State will finally face an opponent that will test the Buckeyes on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Iowa can run the ball and defend the rush. The game might give us a clue if the Buckeyes are truly worthy of their ranking.

Game kicks 10/5 at 3:30 on CBS.

[Zahns Corner]

#2 Ohio State (5-0) (2-0) at #3 Oregon (5-0) (2-0)

Big match up this coming weekend. The Buckeyes biggest regular season threat in terms of opposing talent. Of course with expanded playoffs and no conference divisions, the game is not life or death for either team in championship implications. Still momentum is important going forward.

Ohio State enters the game as 3.5 points favorites. The game kicks 7:30 on NBC.

[Bleeding Red]

Iowa is better defensively than Oregon. OSUs defense is far better than any defense Oregon has seen.

The only team that can stop OSU in this game is OSU.

If the Bucks take care of the ball and dont turn it over, I like them by 14.

[Bird Dog]

Hard to believe Will Howard is the best Ohio State could find

[Tanks3232]

Ohio State made too many mistakes but all I can think about is how overrated Jack Sawyer and JTT are. Supposed to be these huge 5 star recruits and first round picks and just no show in every big game.

[cbolt]

There is no way they are winning a national championship with that hot garbage defense. 496 total Duck yards. How embarrassing. Add to the list Denzel Burke being overrated!

[Zahns Corner]

32-31 Oregon over Ohio State. Disappointing loss but entertaining game.

The more things change the more they remain the same.

Ohio State's defense's lack of pass rush allowed Oregon to sustain drives with explosive plays. It was not all on Burke.

Ohio State's offense again failed in the clutch with an opportunity to win the game on the last drive due to mental lapses by coaches and players. Reminiscent of Ohio State's losses to Georgia in 2022 and Michigan last year.

Take nothing from Oregon. They could have won the game 34-24 or more if not for some point after touchdown follies and a no call that allowed Ohio State's opening scoring drive to continue. The Ducks simply played with an ounce more intensity than the Buckeyes when it counted.


The Buckeyes can still rebound to win the Big Ten and play for a national championship. They have a bye week to lick their wounds and prepare for much improved Nebraska then a road trip to Happy Valley to face a team that will be in the top four rankings. A mission that may be complicated by a possible season ending injury to offensive tackle Josh Simmons.

Finally, OSU for whatever reason simply lacks leadership and focus on the biggest stages. That is on Ryan Day.




.

[cbolt]

Funny you mention the TTUN game last year, zahn. I couldn't help but think of that as Oregon was driving down the field, making first down after first down, bleeding the clock and making the Bucks burn up all but one time out for the offense to make a last-ditch attempt. Everyone wants to blame Howard for the boneheaded scramble, but the play that hurt worse was the penalty before that on Smith when they were already in field goal range. 15 yards and 10 more seconds off the clock was the nail in the coffin. I knew then a Hail Mary to the endzone was all they had. It was great game to watch though and it wasn't just pass defense either that was terrible. They give up 155 yards on the ground and didn't force any turnovers. UCLA is terrible and yet they managed to give up less yards against Oregon. Just a total collapse on that side of the ball! I hope it was a fluke. They looked like world beaters against some weak offenses leading up to this game, but they got exposed against similar talent. I thought the offense was pretty efficient overall, and kept them in the game, but penalties were a sore point on that side. Lots of work to do on the off week. PSU is looming for another biggie and maybe even Nebraska if the defense is that bad. We will see if they can rebound.

[Bleeding Red]

Knowles failed to put pressure on Gabriel and he toasted Burke over and over. Burke's draft stock plummeted.

Running a 4-3 defense is fine but never going to get to the QB without blitzing with a 4 man front against any good O line.

Give any top 25 QB that much time without being pressured and they will pick a good defense apart.

[Zahns Corner]

Funny you mention the TTUN game last year, zahn. I couldn't help but think of that as Oregon was driving down the field, making first down after first down, bleeding the clock and making the Bucks burn up all but one time out for the offense to make a last-ditch attempt. Everyone wants to blame Howard for the boneheaded scramble, but the play that hurt worse was the penalty before that on Smith when they were already in field goal range. 15 yards and 10 more seconds off the clock was the nail in the coffin. I knew then a Hail Mary to the endzone was all they had. It was great game to watch though and it wasn't just pass defense either that was terrible. They give up 155 yards on the ground and didn't force any turnovers. UCLA is terrible and yet they managed to give up less yards against Oregon. Just a total collapse on that side of the ball! I hope it was a fluke. They looked like world beaters against some weak offenses leading up to this game, but they got exposed against similar talent. I thought the offense was pretty efficient overall, and kept them in the game, but penalties were a sore point on that side. Lots of work to do on the off week. PSU is looming for another biggie and maybe even Nebraska if the defense is that bad. We will see if they can rebound.

I saw an interesting stat:

The number of times Buckeye top ranked opponents have punted in the second half:

Michigan 2021: 0
Michigan 2022: 0
Georgia 2022: 0
Michigan 2023: 0
Oregon 2024: 0

Admittedly I have not fact checked the OP, but my memory seems to support the numbers. If you hold the notion that defense wins championships, Ohio State will fall short again in 2024.

[Zahns Corner]

Knowles failed to put pressure on Gabriel and he toasted Burke over and over. Burke's draft stock plummeted.

Running a 4-3 defense is fine but never going to get to the QB without blitzing with a 4 man front against any good O line.

Give any top 25 QB that much time without being pressured and they will pick a good defense apart.

Mr. Red,

You always have a straight take on Ohio State football. In your opinion, is there any substance to the rumoured coaching conflict between Jim Knowles and Larry Johnson being part of the pass rush situation? The old if you have two defensive philosophies you really have none argument. Or is it sports writers trying to stir up controversy to get internet clicks ?

[cbolt]

Zahn, I was curious about that so I started by looking at the play by play of the Oregon game this year. Oregon punted on their first series of the second half. Still it's probably not far from the truth because it does seem like teams have dominated them in the second half.

[cbolt]

Zahn, here is a good article in regards to your question for red. Looks like Johnson is holding him back trotting out that four man front and not letting him use the jack. Day will have to shake things up eventually between those guys if he wants to keep his job.
https://www.landgrantholyland.com/2024/ ... owles-2024.