COLUMBUS, Ohio — Three observations from Ohio State football’s 49-10 victory over Rutgers on homecoming at Ohio Stadium.
1. C.J. Stroud says he’s fine winning with the ground game, and for the most part, I believe him.
Yet even Stroud is prone to the occasional instance of bad judgment in pursuit of a home run in the passing game. It happened on the first play of the second half, resulting in his second interception in a span of 30 attempts after he threw none in his first 99.
Rutgers came out in Cover 2, keeping two deep safeties over the top of the defense. That’s more or less the approach it used all night. Stroud recognized the coverage right away, and even saw the nickel back carrying back in coverage as well.
Stroud said Emeka Egbuka ran a good route, though in truth whatever separation the receiver achieved was undercut by the two safeties closing fast. Those of us with an eagle-eye view of the proceedings saw quadruple coverage. I asked Stroud what he saw, assuming the coverage had been disguised or his view was obstructed somewhat.
Nope. He just thought he could snap a laser through that mix and into Egbuka’s arms. While OSU will gladly chunk out running game yardage when teams sag back, it can’t allow the defense to dictate everything. It still has to take shots, and Stroud decided to take that one.
“I thought I could fit it over his head and make a tighter throw,” said Stroud, who in retrospect said he should have checked it down.
“… I know that coming into the season, I knew I was gonna get a little bit of (Cover 2). In the first half; we didn’t do everything that we wanted to do, so maybe I just was trying to press a little bit too much. I’ve just got to be smarter.”
Stroud threads some needles. He zipped a ball to Marvin Harrison Jr. earlier this season that missed a defender’s arms by about a hair’s width. Often, it doesn’t look reckless or even all that risky. Stroud has matured into a cunning manipulator of defenses with a wide array of throws at his disposal.
So was this a case of the Heisman Trophy finalist testing his limits? Sort of. While Stroud said the checkdown was the more prudent choice, he also does not believe that throw is outside of his abilities.
“I’m never gonna put this team at risk trying to do something I don’t think I can complete,” Stroud said. “But I know for a fact I can complete that ball. It’s got to be a little better. I’ve just got to step into it a little more or something – I’m not sure.”
Which is what he can analyze in the film room coming off a 49-10 victory.
2. Whatever timeshare existed a couple of weeks ago at Will linebacker has ended somewhat abruptly.
For a couple of games, Steele Chambers started but Cody Simon played a more or less equal amount of snaps. The past two weeks, Chambers began to reclaim a larger share. Saturday’s performance – 11 tackles (two for loss), one quarterback hurry and an interception – may have solidified his clear hold on the job.
Day said both Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg are benefitting from simply being a year older and more experienced after many practices and games worth of snaps. Their awareness of what happens pre- and post-snap -- and of the concepts behind the decisions opponents are making – have helped both play faster.
Both, though, also keep thriving in from a Jim Knowles defensive scheme that keeps them on the attack, pressing the action. When Chambers first broke out of the running back room into the linebacker group, then-defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs described him as having a see-ball, get-ball approach. Knowles, though, has figured out the best way to apply that talent.
3. Jesse Mirco has honestly discussed how difficult it has been to learn the most subtle nuances of American football.
Ohio State’s Australian punter received another lesson Saturday night. Out of context, there is nothing wrong with the decision he made to keep the football and run with it rather than punt it away in the fourth quarter. He read the play correctly on his rugby-style rollout and did as he had been trained.
Had that happened in a more competitive game, or even earlier in this one, it would have seemed like a shrewd, savvy play.
In context, though, it looked like OSU was running up the score, when it was merely trying to end a game that was, for all intents and purposes, already over at 49-10.
Mirco probably didn’t know any better at the time, but he sure does now.
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