Keys to the Game – Illinois

The Buckeyes are 3-3 for the first time since 2004.

The Buckeyes are one loss away from having as many losses as 2004

The Buckeyes are one loss away from possessing their first losing record since 1999 when they lost their opener to Miami (FL). If you prefer not to count losing the opener, then it’s the first losing record since 1986 when OSU opened to two straight losses to Alabama and Washington.

One more loss would put this team the closest it has been to bowl ineligibility since 1999.

Those are pretty grim stats for a team as stocked with talent as this one.

It’s time for the Buckeyes to dig deep and find those inner reserves of strength that every coach in their career has instilled in them. These kids have earned the right to play for the Scarlet and Gray by being some of the best high school players around. They simply need to put it all together.

Of course, it takes time to get the team to understand what the coaches want to do. It also takes time for young players
to pick up what they need to do and where they need to be on the field. Thankfully, we saw the beginning of that in the first half against Nebraska, and then saw it slip away again. The players can’t let that get to them. They can’t let the stats get to them.

Normally, the only stat that matters is the “W” – the win. I would argue this year that the only thing that matters is to learn and grow every single game. If we get the “W”, that’s icing on the cake at this point.

So what do the Buckeyes need to do this week to take a step forward towards returning to their winning ways?

Offense:

Keep focusing on the run. This Buckeye team is obviously particularly good at running the football. Throwing still needs to be an important part of keeping the defense honest, but the running game has to be the primary focus.

More importantly, it may be better to hand off more frequently to Carlos Hyde than to Jordan Hall. Stats aren’t everything, but it’s apparent that Hall is having trouble coming out of the backfield. Putting Hall in the slot, and starting Hyde at runningback might utilize the offense’s strengths a little better.

Notice I said nothing about Boom Herron. Having him back will be huge, but he won’t start. It’s also a question as to whether or not he’ll need time to shake off the rust from his 6 game suspension.

Continue to confuse the defense. Illinois’ defense is one of the best in the nation this season, so it will be important to force them to be honest.

The OSU offense used a screen pass and a delayed toss to keep Nebraska honest. They also used counters, draws and quarterback keepers to attack the weak side and pick up healthy chunks of yardage. It was a surprisingly effective gameplan considering the way this season has gone, and one that looked like it would continue into the second half until Braxton got injured.

Keeping up with the standard strategies of forcing defensive players to “stay at home” will be crucial to winning this game.

Defense:

Improve the shuffling of defenders. One of the key factors leading to the OSU meltdown in Lincoln was the exhaustion that was evident in the defense. Part of that had to do with a lack of properly rotating in fresh defenders during the course of the game to keep from getting tired legs in the 4th. Obviously the other part had to do with the offense suddenly being unable to keep themselves on the field for more than 3 minutes during the entire last quarter.

Maintaining a good rotation against Illinois will not only help us late in the game, but also allow us to give solid playing time to some of the younger players. That kind of playing time aids development in big ways – the kind of development that in that past has led to the reloading of OSU team after OSU team.

Start forcing more turnovers. Buckeye defenses year after year pride themselves on being opportunistic, and being the opposing coaches worst nightmare by forcing as many turnovers as they possibly could. This team has repeatedly been on the verge of forcing some huge turnovers this season, particularly in the form of pick-sixes.

If this defense can start consistantly grabbing these turnovers, they can seriously improve the confidence of the team as a whole. Consistant turnovers could also take a lot of pressure off the offense at exactly the right time for them to really start to gel as a unit.

This is a critical game for the overall mentality of this team. A win against undefeated Illinois at their place could lead to better places than we currently think possible.

Don’t forget, there’s a lot more riding on this game than usual. Illinois is Ohio State’s first ever divisional matchup. If the Bucks can get through their division undefeated, they will still get a shot at the BCS.

I have to admit, it’s very strange to still be considering a BCS possibility with a 3-3 team.