The Big Game: State vs U

[The_Swan]

@JohnT

By going to the NFL, failing at that, and then taking over a 2nd rate SEC team, like Vandy or one of those Mississippi schools.

Please.

<–Dawgfan

I’m a huge Dawg fan, and I have to say that he doesn’t frighten me nearly as much as a couple other SEC coaches. Strange, I know.

I haven’t said so in 15 years, but this might be the first time I like our chances in Jax next year.

[jsc1953]

@whole bean

you’re absolutely right, they should only have to get their asses kicked by UF once to lose it. given the performances of UF and UM post-season, I am truly astounded that we’re even discussing that craptacular match of number twos.

In hindsight, the Game of the Millennium on 11/17 between OSU and UM is looking more and more like a titanic collision between Bowling Green and Slippery Rock. Both schools overrated, and shown up in the bowls.

I have to grudgingly (Pac-10 bias showing) acknowledge that the SEC may have actually been as good as they tell everyone they are. While the Big East’s 5-0 bowl record is nothing to sneeze at, I think the SEC’s 6-3 had more quality wins.

[Ogre]

@Omniscient

Am I the only one who’s not overwhelmed with Florida’s performance? They played solid, mistake free football, but I’m not sure I give them all the credit for OSU’s poor performance.

OSU was totally and utterly inept. I’d say Tressel was soundly out coached, but that implies that he actually did some coaching. They didn’t make a single adjustment and I’m not sure I saw them come with a single new wrinkle in their game plan.

The Florida pass rush made some plays, but they didn’t dominate. Troy Smith often had insane amounts of time to throw, but Tressel repeatedly ran plays with only two receivers downfield. Hell, Illinois could have shut down that game plan. There wasn’t a single pass to a back out of the backfield or a screen pass or late release from a tight end. All classic methods to use a pass rush against itself and slow them down. I can’t count the number of times Smith should have broke the pocket and scrambled too.

I’ve seen these points in other places over the past few days, and I wanted to address a few of them. First, I don’t see how you can say Florida’s D didn’t play a lights-out game. Moss and Harvey sacked Troy 5 (5!) times, and forced an interception and a fumble because of their relentless pursuit. Those are BIG D-numbers. Hell, Troy had only been sacked 13 times during the regular season and these guys got to him 5 times in one game. That’s a monster pass-rush game.

Second, Moss and Harvey’s speed was extremely deceptive. Rarely did they come after Troy on a straight, balls-out rush off the snap. They were usually delayed blitzes that shaped up after the O-line was already tied down. True, in the cases where they came off the corners at the snap, the O-line still couldn’t block them very well, but I saw many plays where they simply hung back 2 seconds, and then shot the gap unblocked. A few times, Moss came off the corner and created an imbalance in the O-line as OSU tried to adjust and block. Harvey then had a wide-open shot at Troy.

There were a few times that Troy had a lot of time to throw, but the other half of it is that the Florida secondary blanketed the receivers all night long. There just wasn’t much to throw at. I think it was a major tactical mistake NOT to throw short slants and curls, but rather to try for the long ball (not that he even got many opportunities to try.)

I’m really not sure why Troy didn’t scramble more, or set up screens, unless he got rattled early by that sack on the first possession…but that doesn’t seem very characteristic of him.

The other thing I’ve heard is that Florida didn’t really do anything spectacular on offense. In fact, I believe FL did the most spectacular thing possible on offense. They gained 4 or more yards on virtually every play. Everyone likes to look for Big Plays on O, but really, if you’re moving the ball against a defense, not only do you not need them, you may not even WANT them.

I never played college or pro ball, but I spent years as a defensive lineman. If an offense rips off a huge play on you (long run or pass,) and scores as a result, it sucks, but you have a tendency to think of it as an aberration, a momentary breakdown in your defense. You adjust and, a lot of times, you compensate for it. However, it is SO much more demoralizing to a defense to face an offense that you simply can not stop. 3 yard run. 4 yard run. 6 yard slant that turns into a 12 yard gain. First down, time after time after time. You stay on the field with no relief, getting more tired and demoralized minute after minute as the offense slowly grinds you into a thin, watery paste. It’s very difficult to not start thinking of the offense as Unstoppable under these conditions, and of course, your opponent knows this and feeds off it.

It looked to me as if this is exactly what happened to OSU’s defense. Play after play, they looked right into Leak’s eyes and saw that he was calmly and passively managing the game. Quick runs off guard or tackle. Fast slants, curls, crossing routes. Just like that, Florida was picking up short yardage that was pretty easy to convert into a first down on third. To the guy in the trenches, it feels like Ypres, 1917. You fight and fight until you can’t stand up straight, and you don’t gain anything. Horrible feeling.

[Zakalwe]

Jesus, Ogre, those last two paragraphs had me tearing up.

[Ogre]

@Zakalwe

Jesus, Ogre, those last two paragraphs had me tearing up.

Keep it together, Zak.

As I said, I was a football player from ages 7 to 18. No college bowl, but I played plenty of games, and I am well-acquainted with that heavy, we-can’t-do-anything-right feeling. It’ll kill a defense.