TBBC has always been the best when it comes to round-tables, and I have had a lot of fun the past few seasons doing the fans interact giving our readers an opportunity to speak their minds! This weeks group is no different and always have a pretty respectable view of the Buckeyes. Welcome Jeremy, Ryan and Chris to this weeks issue!
Are you becoming comfortable with the notion that JT Barrett will be the featured player in this offense? Explain why or why not.
Jeremy – comfortable because he has shown he’s able to take over games and win them. But do I want to see him run so much? No. I don’t like a game plan that excludes the B1Gs leading rusher. And I think I’d be more comfortable if he trusted the receivers more especially Brown and Baugh on 50/50 balls
https://twitter.com/CBJFan92/status/787497983818493952
Ryan – He’s the leader of that offense, if not him to be the featured player, then who? Look, I’d probably follow JT off of a cliff. His control of the offense, his ability to read the defense and adjust, and his ability to break away and run are what makes him great.
https://twitter.com/BuckeyeRyan_/status/787488822896525312
Chris – I have absolutely no problem with Joe Thomas Barrett being the center of this offense. First off, he’s the quarterback and second, he is the leader of this entire team. Now, if by “featured” we mean “20 running play carries a game”, then yes I have a problem. He’s had enough injuries that almost every time he runs the ball or takes a hit, I cringe. Cardale and Tom Herman are not walking through that door and we cannot afford to lose J.T.
Almost the unicorn of B1G penalties… Holding on Wisconsin but not a lineman.
— Chris Drake (@chris_drake) October 16, 2016
The Silver Bullets got run over in a way we haven’t seen in quite awhile. This had to be expected with the youth across the front right? Why were you surprised by the results of Wisconsin’s running game and Clements success? Explain.
Jeremy – I was not surprised by the success of the run game given that Wisconsin has a good offensive line that has mastered the art of holding without penalties. Larry Johnson has done a great job with the guys we have and we are seeing some great plays from our line but there will be growing pains with such a young front.
Ryan – I was shocked. I thought towards the end and in OT the line stepped up and stopped the run, but the holes Wisconsin’s offensive line were creating were mind blowing. But, it’s youth, and youth matures. And with the constant rotation of players, they can mature and continue to rotate, which will cause havoc for o-lines down the road.
Chris – I was completely stunned. I did not see any way that Wisconsin would score more than 10 against a defense that I had watched very closely this season. I was really worried about how it would perform before the season but I quickly had my concerns addressed. Then Saturday night happened… There were enough instances of the D-Line getting absolutely man-handled that I am concerned again. I don’t think one game is enough to be concerned about based on how things went late in the game.
Everyone on social media had a tough night, At what point in the game did you throw your hands up or dig deep and believe in the Buckeyes? This can be two different times!
Jeremy – The fumble that wasn’t a fumble was when I thought the football gods were trying to screw us over. And if you follow me on Twitter you know I never give up and even posted about unfollowing the “sky is falling” crowd who conceded defeat at halftime.
Ryan – When Jazz Peavy (So jealous of that kid’s name) caught the TD pass, WIDE OPEN, I threw my hands up and yelled, “SERIOUSLY?!”. I never lost faith. You can’t. You have to believe in the team and believe in JT that he’ll make the right reads and get in the end zone.
Chris – I’m not going to sit here and say that I didn’t believe Ohio State was going to lose that game. When I see things happening that are way out of character for a team and fluke plays, I get worried about the Football Gods. Living away from Ohio requires preparation for leaving the house after an Ohio State loss. Nebraska is especially rough. Their program wants to be Ohio State so bad that they have begun to resent the Buckeyes. I began mentally making those preparations after the rain-induced interception. That convinced me that it probably wasn’t our night. Bash away for me not believing in the team, but if my thinking that the team will lose has any effect on the team actually winning, I probably have super powers and Ohio State has a coaching problem. The moment where I flipped the switch was Conley’s interception. Really felt like that was going to bring the team around.
(Bonus) – was this game more of a combination of Wisconsin having a really good night and the Buckeyes having a bad one or are they just that good? Why were they so successful?
Jeremy – Larry Johnson said it best after the game when he talked about heart. Wisky had great game plan but the heart of the Buckeyes showed and overcame the adversity and deficit to win a very big game. I think our secondary minus Conley had a pretty rough night and there were a lot of missed tackles which led to some bigger plays. And I think this was an example of our OC’s trying to be the smartest guys in the room with the game plan excluding Weber. I kind of expect urban to have something to say about that just like he did when Zeke didn’t get the ball as much versus sparty last year
Ryan – Wisconsin had the bye week to prepare specifically for this game. They had a plan, and they executed that plan. Their offensive line was creating holes and getting into the second level on almost every play in the first half. They exploited the youth of our defensive line for the majority of the game. Jazz Peavy (Who?!) stepped up and had a great game. He caught more passes in that game than he had all season.
Chris – Do not underestimate the power of the Bye Week and playing in an environment like that. Wisconsin is good enough without adding those variables. Add in the youth of Ohio State and you have a perfect recipe for cheese… errrr… a Wisconsin win. Oklahoma was a decent environment but they don’t have the Wisconsin fan hatred of teams that have actually won anything of consequence. I think that energy stunned the young Ohio State players. Once that wore off, they were fine and definitely played much better.
(Bonus 2) – Going into Happy Valley is never really easy and the fans up there will be on point. Has Norman and Madison prepared this young team for it and what’s your prediction?
Jeremy – happy valley will have the most fans of any game this year that we see on the road but they also are like the Norman crowd and can be taken out of the game real quick. . I don’t think this team is for one second intimidated by anywhere it plays. The defense just needs to fix it’s coverage issues and the basic fundamental of tackling. And if the offense is executing then I would expect this to be a 15+ point win
Ryan – Norman and Madison has prepared this young team, most definitely. Happy Valley is a hostile environment, regardless of if they are unranked or not. I think JT showed growth against Wisconsin to playing with loud crowd noise. No delay of game penalties this time, no wasted time outs, unlike the game in Norman. Ohio State will be ready, JT will be ready. It could turn into another slugfest. They’ll bring everything they have, but we’ll get the win. Urban will fix the defensive line issues, and hopefully, the WRs inability to create separation. We’ll be ready to make Happy Valley sad.
Chris – I doubt that after what these guys saw in Wisconsin, Happy Valley will do much to them. I could not be any less worried about Penn State. I was definitely more worried about Indiana and probably Tulsa than Penn State. 2 words: James Franklin.
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