Excellent analysis on the tOSU game.

Once in a while you have to lower the water to expose the rocks. The analysis of your faults/shortcomings is what will make you a better team.

Albeit painful to relive, this is exactly what is needed by Charlie and the Football Co. to get to the next level.

I’m already looking forward to this year’s follow up analysis of the 4 plays that helped ND kick the crap out of tOSU to win this years National Championship.

Great job, guys!
Powdermonkey | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 8:06 am | #

What a great series, Jay. Thanks for breaking the plays down and the valuable commentary.

Jay, would you consider reviewing the offense in the bowl game as well? I'm not looking for a similar examination of particular plays, but an assessment of what happened to the offense that night. I know the OSU defense was very talented, but I still don't understand why we put so few points on the board.

And, as we all know, CW took the blame for the loss. One of the things he said he would change next year (you got to love he assumes the team will be in the mix!) was the way he managed the team during their six weeks off. What could he have done differently that would have made any difference?

Thanks again for feeding my obsession with ND!

Milo
Milo | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 8:21 am | #

Bellissimo.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 8:22 am | #

Great analysis, guys. It's amazing what a TiVo, the Internet and a little ingenuity can do to help the summer doldrums (i.e., baseball season) go a little quicker.

Here's what I love about college football (and football in general). You never really know until the teams take the field. In this series, you've broken everything down, and we've discussed every flaw in the defense and how it can improve -- so, riddle me this, hotshot -- will the D get better this year? I dunno.

Who can answer these conundrums -- If CW's hallmark is preparation, why does the defense look lost in the 12th game of the season? Does the defense need to get faster this year to succeed? Which shortcoming is more acute and must get better now -- physical talent, or mental awareness? Does Minter need to change the scheme to fit his talent, or will another offseason in the system produce better results?

My bet is that the defense will perform much better this year than last year. But I only say that because I'm an eternal optimist. When push comes to shove, I have no freakin idea. Which is why I will tune in on September 2. And the 9th. And the 16th, and the 23rd . . .
Fitzwater | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 8:30 am | #

Well done, it still hurts, but the optimism for next year is some good medicine.
IrishHoffy | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 8:53 am | #

All of these plays with our defensive line getting dominated by the tOSU offensive line.

Actually, these picture show a pretty wicked hold at the end of the play to turn a long, long gain into a touchdown.
Moose Krause | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 8:53 am | #

The analysis here is incredible. I didn't find out about you guys until Keith posted the first part of the series on buckeyecommentary; but after I read the first one, I have come back to read more, even reading some of the other articles not involving the buckeyes. The only thing I'll mention about the series is the play before this Pittman 60 yard run. Jay mentioned it (Troy Smith escaping a tackle to find Gonzo), but if you get a chance to watch that play and the play where Smith escaped a Michigan tackler to, again, find Gonzo down field, it is scary how similar the two plays were. Some might call it luck, but I thought some of the early Vince Young plays were "lucky" too until I noticed how special of a player he was. Troy is not Vince yet, and I don't think he will be, but the future will only tell whether or not he is THAT good, or "streaky". No matter what, Troy is the only reason for the turn around we made after the Penn State loss, and he will decide this season how successful The Ohio State University will be this season.

One of my best friends is an Irish fan, so we had already talked about a lot of this and I gave him some-what of a hard time last January; but I wish you guys the best of luck this year. Besides the Texas and Michigan games, I really, really would love to see a rematch for this years fiesta bowl. Let's hope for an Ohio State-Notre Dame National Championship game.
Buckeye Steve | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 8:58 am | #

Great analysis.

What struck me was how Ndukwe ran himself right out of the play charging up the field so hard. On first down inside of two minutes you have to figure they are going to run and probably up the middle. Had they run a bootleg or end around to his side he would have looked brilliant. But the game situation dictated that was highly unlikely. Had he stuffed the middle as soon as he saw the run Pittman would have bounced outside and maybe one of the corners stops him for a few yards or he runs out of bounds.
PSUMike | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 9:11 am | #

In the final analysis, and CW taking the blame aside, OSU was the better team by far. O-line, showcase talent, play calling, all of it… It really shows how hard it is to go from a 7-5 team to a contender. I think CW took ND far beyond what could be expected given the three prior years of mediocre coaching received by these lads. To be only a few plays from undefeated is really remarkable when ND was a good five games from undefeated in '05.

Last, and this hurts, Cheaty McSweatervest is one of the top 1 or 2 coaches in NCAA football today. No doubt about it. He's the full package of recruiter, solid game planner, subtle adjustment maker and master eligibility enabler.

PS: Tell me why we can’t get Nevin a job at NBC producing the half-time highlights of each of the last ND games. Now that would be compelling television.

PSS: when you gonna break down the “Phantom Fumble and Clip” that Zibby returned for a touchdown.
Yago | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 9:13 am | #

Fitz - it seems you too may have been caught up in the CW wave. Everyone and they're grandmother (basically, ESPN) was stuck on the mantra that if you give Weis a week off, he can make magic (i.e. the Patriots super bowls), so who knows what he can do with 4 or 6 or however many you had off. But amidst all of this, apparently everyone forgot who was coaching on the other sideline. People tend to forget JT has 50 wins, a National championship, and three BCS bowl wins in his 5 year tenure at tOSU - I'd say he's proven he knows how to prepare a college football team (not to mention his multiple I-AA championships at Youngstown).

As for the defense, I wouldn't say they looked completely lost. The Holmes bomb...the safety was held up by play action, which can happen once in awhile. If no one ever bit on play action, no teams would bother running it (Oh and guys, if Santonio gave it 100% to finish out that run, Zibby doesn't catch him. Not saying he's not a fast kid, but Holmes is a burner). The reverse had a chance of being blown up in the backfield...but if it's coming down to athleticism between a track stud wide receiver and a defensive end, there's not much contest (it's happened before, OSU v MSU 2004 - you can have a good angle at Ginn, but he's fast enough to run 10 yards backwards and still hit the corner). The defense doesn't necessarily need to be more ahtletic and faster, but if there are discrepancies, that needs to be accounted for in the coaching and the system (i.e. bigger cushions, saftey over the top on any and all passing downs, etc).

Milo - as far as the offense goes, go back and watch the tape (I might have to as well, it's been awhile). But as far as I remember, ND's first drive utilized the run and play action very often and very well. You guys ran extremely well against the #1 rush defense in the country, marched right down the field, and scored a TD. You could tell we severely missed Bobby Carpenter outside on a few of those runs (like the TD run...not saying it would have changed anything, but that run was to his side I believe) I know that won't happen every series with our defense, but it worked the first time. It seemed as though toward the end of the game (2nd half) the run was abandoned, and the offense wasn't nearly as efficient. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong with this (if anyone has a breakdown of run v pass plays early and late in the game, maybe 1st half v 2nd), but being at the game, that's what I remember seeing.

Loved the frame by frame by the way guys, good work. (Just started reading this through Keith at BC)
Chris | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 9:20 am | #

Ndukwe is supposed to take on the FB, and let one of his teammates "fill" and make the tackle. He didn't run himself out of this play.

Had Talley engaged the LT, Crum would have been right there to tackle Pittman for a 2-3 yard run. That's what the defense wanted.
Michael | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 9:22 am | #

OSU Chris, I've wondered the same thing. Chances are that your D would've eventually clamped down on our running game, but I still cannot phathom why CW insisted on forcing the pass when Darius was having such success almost every time he touched the ball.
scott | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 9:48 am | #

Chris,

We've had a few repeated conversations about ND pretty much giving up on the run in the second half and its effect on ND's offense. I personally think Weis thought that with the way tOSU kept making big plays, he could possibly gain an emotional edge by throwing the ball around and scoring a couple of quick strikes. Earlier in the year ND had some success by suprising teams by coming out, no huddle, and constantly chucking the ball around (Michigan game on the first drive, second half of the MSU game, etc.). While it didn't work, I believe that was the thinking. In any event, ND (at the time) seemed to stand a better chance of winning a shoot-out than working the clock, since our D had already given up the first three massive plays.

Lastly, and I'm not attempting to whine and complain, but that last play looks like there is a bit of a clip. Oh well. Woulda, coulda, shoulda.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 9:51 am | #

I have a slightly different take on the Fiesta Bowl offense. I think CW was too slow in going to the no-huddle, for it was the no-huddle that produced our last two scores. I wonder what would have happened if he had switched earlier, perhaps in the middle of 4 consecutive punts.

Take a look at the play by play from UND.com and you'll see what I mean. The first drive was 3 run / 3 pass and resulted in a TD. The next five drives resulted in 4 punts and turnover on downs, and we were mixing in a healthy amount of runs but getting stifled (and sacked). We had a couple of key drops in there as well, and I give credit to the OSU defensive adjustments too.

Then midway through the 3rd we go no-huddle and really start moving the ball. Our 3rd quarter TD came on a drive of 9 passes and 1 run, and our 4th quarter TD came on a drive of 12 passes and 1 run.

So I don't think the run was "working" beyond our first drive, and I think Charlie was too slow in adjusting to OSU's defensive adjustments. Going to the no-huddle (and focusing on Shelton) gave Brady some blitz protection and really started moving the ball for us. But it was too little, too late.
Jay | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 10:15 am | #

I'll add another problem to our list of woes...Ambrose Wooden just couldn't get off the block by Ginn. A cornerback should never get physically punished like that by a wide receiver -- maybe by Orlando Pace, but not by a wide receiver.

As for the idea that our defense can get a little better, I was thinking about which of our likely defensive starters have "plateaued" and which have more sky before they reach their limit. Here's some pure sausage:

Zbikowski and Richardson: They played close to their plateau last year. I think they are both solid players, but I don't see them making huge strides in 2006.

Wooden and Ndukwe: Both are excellent athletes who saw their first significant action on defense last year. Ndukwe can work on speed by losing weight, and Wooden can work on strength. Both can work on communication. I see big improvement from both.

Abiamiri and Frome: With both healthy, I see a little room for improvement on quickness and getting to those mobile QB's. But, both are close to their plateau.

Laws and Landri: I think both are solid players. I don't think either will be markedly better in 2006.

Crum: He has some room to grow. He needs to become more disruptive. Now that he's "the man," I think he will seize the opportunity and have slightly better year than last year.

Other LB's: We'll be starting at ground zero this year with guys that have seemingly plateaued before they even got on the field.

Overall, I see a slight potential for improvement on pass rush, slightly larger potential for improvement on coverage by Wooden and Ndukwe, probably staying the same on run defense, and a fairly significant drop-off on linebacker play. The combination of the above could very well result in improved pass coverage but less successful run stopping ability. Against teams that like to run early on our schedule (UM & PSU), that could be a problem.
Andrew | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 10:56 am | #

I don't know if I would necessarily subscribe to the belief that any of our players have plateaued. You have to keep in mind that this was their first year under Minter, regardless of how many years they have been playing. I think there is room for massive improvement across the board, from the pass rush to the LBs to the secondary. For all we know, we could see a massive improvement in LB play this year, because while Mays and Hoyte will be sorely missed, some infusion by fantastic, more 'natural' athletes (for whatever that phrase is worth) like Mitchell Thomas and Vernaglia could use speed and athleticism to somewhat make-up for the lack of experience. It's all up to our coaching staff to find and utilize this.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 11:18 am | #

Andrew-

I agree with most of your points except one. You mentioned about the other LBs "guys that have seemingly plateaued before they even got on the field." I'm not sure if that's fair or even true. With the exception of a notoriously sloppy B&G game, we really have no idea how the LB corp will be. It is scary, but I don't think you can necessarily say that they have plateaued, especially since we have never really even seen them play. However, with that said, I don't think our LBs will be very good, but plateaued may not be the right word for that group. Sucks may be more fitting.
chris | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 11:26 am | #

Great series and analysis.

On the Pittman TD run, one might put more emphasis on our D shedding blocks. Not to be overly critical, but Richardson Wooden both were man-to-man on the outside, and Pittman had a very long run to get to the outside. So Richardson and Wooden had plenty of time to shed or at least get free of the blocks in order to make the tackle or at least make Pittman cutback, etc. And holding a block by a receiver downfield is the most difficult thing to do because (a) it is a receiver; and (b) you have to hold the block for an extended period. In addition to the problems on the outside, our blitzing safety might have been able to do a little better off the block from the FB once it was clear the play was a handoff to the RB.

It seems that at a minimum we have to do better getting off those blocks and make plays on the outside.
Lance | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 11:26 am | #

With regards to the linebacking situation, I'm reminded of a Rumsfeldism: it's a "known unknown".

Vernaglia? Brockington? Thomas? M. Richardson? T. Smith? Who the hell knows. Any speculation pro- or con- at this point (even in late July) is still way too premature.

One hope I have that no one's mentioned is that we find a solid 5th & 6th DB so we can play more nickel and dime. We rarely if ever went to a dime on defense, and finding another good DB (in addition to our regular nickel, Ferrine) will do a lot towards addressing "speed" perceptions (or misperceptions). Plus it will give us much more flexibility in the personnel packages we can show to an opponent.
Jay | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 11:33 am | #

One thing I will say, is if you look at the third frame from the end, on Ginn's block on Wooden, he has his hand up in his face mask.
Andrew mentioned this, and Wooden was trying all night, but it was going on most of the night. Ginn is not a good blocker as a WR, so if you look at a lot of the running plays where he has to block, you'll see a lot of grabbing and hands where it is a "no-no". Not that it's an excuse, but it's a little hard to do anything when someone can basically twist your head around and no one is calling it.
J | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 11:42 am | #

Oh man, another blown 3rd and LONG leads to a 1st down touchdown. Is there anything more heartbreaking?

Great job with the analysis, guys. Now that you're done with these four plays, I'd love to see others. I know it's a lot of work but there's still a lot of offseason to go here. Don't leave us hangin'. :o)
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 11:45 am | #

I'm surprised you did not add this theme to the wrap-up: Stop tOSU on 3rd and long and all of these plays never get a chance to happen. 3rd and 6,6, 9 and 11 on the 4 plays that preceed these long plays. Personally, the failures on 3rd and long are more disappointing than these long plays, and may have contributed to the over-anxiousness (e.g., blitzes, biting on fakes). Not that you need to do a detailed analysis of them too.
Jack from Berwyn | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 11:49 am | #

Ginn and Holmes had fistfulls of jersey on Richardson and Wooden.

Holding, 10 yard penalty...and we are still in the game, down by 7, with 1st and 20.
Jeff | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 11:50 am | #

Great job! From a Columbus Ohio guy of Irish descent with a kid at ND, this is the best Fiesta Bowl analysis I've seen.
And its good to see Sweatervest get his due. Everyone was saying give CW 6 weeks preparation and look out, but everyone forgot who was on the other sideline with 6 weeks to prepare.
Both teams should be excellent this year, a good fall for this fan.
Greg | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 12:01 pm | #

I'm not too worried about finding a dimeback. We've got two good backup safeties we could put in for over-the-top zone coverage on pure passing downs and the two frosh CB's coming in should be able to pick up enough of the D that their athleticism can get them through in a dime package.

As for the LB's, Hoyte and Mays were good guys, but a little more athleticism shouldn't hurt. Both were good run stoppers. Both were tough, smart, and liked to hit. Neither was very reliable in coverage against any kind of athletic TE or RB. The lack of experience and the fact that no one seemed to step up in spring are the biggest worries at that position for me.

I don't really think anyone on the defense has plateaued except maybe Richardson and Landri. All of the DB's, including Zibby, still have plenty to learn.
JohnWA | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 12:31 pm | #

The flag on the Zbikowski "incomplete pass" return was slightly more legitimate than the Rocket Colorado flag. About at the 30 yard line, one of the tOSU OL realized he was out of the play, and Ndukwe (I think it was him) ran into him from behind as he was trying to catch up and find someone to block. A cheap call, but semi-legitimate (it was a "block" in the back, but it was on a guy who outweighed the ball-carrier by a solid hundred pounds and was already 5 yards behind him and 10 yards further from the sideline, and had clearly stopped pursuit). You can see this just about to happen on the wide-screen high def broadcast. Also, when they switch to the shot of Z in the end zone, if you look upfield, you can see the guy just getting up.
gozer the traveller | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 12:33 pm | #

How much of a difference would Justin Tuck have made to the 2005 defense?

I'm sure he would have had more than 1 sack, which is how many he had for the Giants.
The Butabi Brothers | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 2:10 pm | #

Tuck would have been a huge addition to our defense. Can't blame him though. Nobody, save a few contrarians for the sake of being a contrarian, could have predicted the level of success that team achieved last year. We missed ya JT but we can't fault you.
MNIrish | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 2:32 pm | #

Oh man, why did you have to bring that up. I had completely forgotten that he passed up his senior year. Why did you do this to me Butabi?

MASSIVE difference I think. With no one to double team Abiamiri, he and Tuck would have went on a rampage. Statistically, any drive where a sack occurs have a drastically higher percentage of ending in a punt rather than points (I forget the actual nnumber, but it is flat out ridiculous, which is why so many NFL teams place such a high value on pass rushers). You'd have to think that with Tuck back ND would have had a significantly better pass rush, as well as more stalled drives.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 2:57 pm | #

Great analysis. I have to say, as a Buckeye fan, I was rooting for you guys all year long (Especially after you knocked out Michigan) and was screaming as loudly as I have for any regular- season OSU game for you to beat USC.

Seeing the third down conversion to touchdown pattern for the first time scares me a bit, since I don't think we can do that to Texas come September. In any event, there's no other team I'd like to meet in the NC in January than Notre Dame. Good luck guys.
Andrew | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 3:10 pm | #

Here are the 10 longest real TDs we gave up last year, if anyone was wondering:

Troy Smith pass complete to Santonio Holmes for 85 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.

Ted Ginn Jr rush for 68 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.

Drew Stanton pass complete to Matt Trannon for 65 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.

Antonio Pittman rush for 60 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.

Troy Smith pass complete to Ted Ginn Jr for 56 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.

Reggie Bush rush for 45 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.

Tyler Palko pass complete to Greg Lee for 39 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.

Trent Edwards pass complete to Justin McCullum for 38 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.

Reggie Bush rush for 36 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.

Trent Edwards pass complete to Mark Bradford for 27 yards for a TOUCHDOWN.

--

7/10 of those plays came in games we lost and two came from the stanford game, which we came pretty close to losing.
suave andrew | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 3:33 pm | #

Another question to ask regarding Tuck's presence is this: how, on God's Green Earth, was our defense such a turd sandwich in 2004 when we had both Tuck and Abiamiri?
Andrew | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 3:34 pm | #

There is actually a really simple, and truly honest and effective answer to that question.

The offense.

We have such short memories that none of us truly remembers, after one year of Weis, how TERRIBLE our offense was for the previous decade or so. Three and outs were quite common, so that 2004 defense with Tuck, Abiamiri, Zibby, Hoyte, Curry, Goolsby, Landri and Laws was pretty much on the field the whole damn season. That can make you one terrible defense.

This begs and interesting question. While its obvious that Time of Possession can drastically increase the performance of a defense, is there a high or low correlation of TOP to the play of the Irish defense last year?
Brad | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 3:40 pm | #

Brad - my first instinct is to say no, because we lost most of our games because (or mainly because) of the big plays. That throws off the the whole time of possession swing between the two teams.
suave andrew | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 3:47 pm | #

suave andrew -- don't forget the monstrous plays we gave up that didn't go for TD's:

The 70+ yard USC pass that took 5 years off my life.
The Stanford 70+ yard bomb.
I believe Syracuse hung a 50+ yard run on us as well.
Andrew | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 4:21 pm | #

Jay, great breakdown. Kudos to you and Blue Gray Sky.

Good luck this year. Let's make it a date to meet again in the National Title.
Keith (BuckeyeCommentary) | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 4:23 pm | #

Is anyone else concerned that our offense will NOT be as good as last year because Stovall is gone?

Mo' Sto' bailed us out so many times on one-on-one jump balls. Even when he didn't catch it, the defender had to mug him for a pass interf call that kept drives going. Let's not forget he practically destroyed BYU single handedly and he showed up the Shark in the Fiesta Blow (barf).

I am skeptical that McKnight will bring as many big plays. If we don't get a big TE threat going, I think we don't improve on yards per play.
ThE LoSt BoY | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 4:54 pm | #

Tuck probably slows down Ginn enough, and T. Smith doesn't get out of his grasp.

No hard feelings, it's tough to lose one of your best players before his eligibility is used up. Zibby will probably leave after this year (please stay Trevor and Ambrose).

But on the other hand, when players leave early it usually means they are darn good players. Meaning they have talent and probably have been well coached. Hopefully Charlie can develop players at a rate where they leave early more often than in the past and we just replace them with developed or incoming talent. (Reloading as opposed to rebuilding) Seriously, name a player that left ND early during Davingham. (That was good enough to consider the jump to the NFL)

I can only come up with Tuck and Jeff Faine.
IrishHoffy | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 4:55 pm | #

Andrew, don't forget that one against Michigan where one of our corners knocked their guy out at the 1 before Ndukwe recovered the fumble in the endzone. That was a long play given up by the defense but also displayed the underrated speed of our DBs.
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 5:25 pm | #

Outstanding analysis of the plays... very detailed and well written... Like I stated in another thread, I really do like this website (even though I'm not an ND fan) and plan on stopping by frequently throughout the fall. Good luck to your Irish in 2006... maybe our teams will meet again in the new year???
cvilleBUCK | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 6:46 pm | #

I understand holding can be a pain in the butt (watch the entire MSU OSU game, ohio state was getting mugged all day). but when you are getting worked by a 170 lb WR, you should not have any excuses. Great analysis btw.
john | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 7:22 pm | #

Mo Sto was good last year, but c'mon. Rhema was the leading receiver in '03 and '04, and, if I remember correctly, he was Quinn's #1 target until he got hurt in the Michigan game. Sure, Quinn won't be able to rely on tossing the ball 7' in the air and see who comes down with it, but Weis will figure out a way to get the ball to ol' #5. Who's going to replace Shelton is a better question.

I can't remember anyone who left early under Davieham other than Faine and Tuck either. That's scary.
JohnWA | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 7:44 pm | #

I worry less about McKnight than I do the third receiver: who will replace Shelton is an excellent question. Jeff S. will be hard pressed to put up last year's numbers - he will draw the opponent's best. Shelton was a great bailout target.

Question for the BGS crew (or anyone else): would we go more to a nickel situation this year for no other reason than to hide an inexperienced LB corps? We're also facing a lot of veteran QBs (does it seem like we facing more experienced qbs than any other team in the nation?)
Mike | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 7:55 pm | #

All I remember about McKnight is a flurry of dropped balls. :(
Notre Riffic | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 8:13 pm | #

Oops, maybe I should have typed 'dropped passes.' Oh well.
Notre Riffic | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 8:13 pm | #

For anyone out there who is worried about Rhema McKnight, think about this...

When was the last time you can remember that Rhema McKnight DID NOT have to go up against another teams No. 1 cornerback? With the attention that Samardzija will be receiving as the No. 1 threat this year Rhema, for the first time since early into his freshman year, will be able to go against No. 2's or safeties. Combine this with the effect that Weis had on Shark and Stovall's first years in his offense and you are looking at one big year for Rhema.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 8:30 pm | #

Its not exactly worriesome to me about who will replace Shelton, simply because he really didn't do much last year. His injury really made him a shadow of what he was 2 years ago, and his only real threat was the deep strike, which he had 0 of this past year. I have no doubts we will see increased production from the #3 spot, whether its Grimes or one of the frosh.

As for Rhema, he is going to have a great season. Very true he can't jump like Mo, but he definitely can stretch the field more (and is more "athletic" in general). With Shark and Mo, we essentially had two of the same receiver (a very good problem to have). This year with Rhema, we will have 2 different style guys, which is going to help a lot, I think.

Also, a very good point about Rhema going up against a #2 CB. Not only that, but Shark is going to draw a lot of shaded coverages and double teams. Luckily the fact that his strength is body control, route running, and hands makes it much more likely that he is still going to beat those types of coverage. Couple that with the fact that you are leaving a guy on Rhema without a lot of help, and that spells trouble for the other team.
IrishRugby | Email | Homepage | 07.25.06 - 9:33 pm | #

I apologize if this is redundant but the biggest thing I take out of these plays is the hustle of ZIbby. He isn't just running after the ball carrier trying to stay in the frame, he is running with the intent of ripping a head off, or better yet stripping the ball. He does this when the other 10 defenders have tossed it in and said "Yep, thats another 6 pts." This attitude will rub off on the rest of the D. Yeah our defense was at times (granted very inopportune (sp?) times) shown up and outplayed but I think they collectively forged an identity. The whole season was about Quinn and Co. With Zibby's offseason press and the consensus doubt surrounding this group's play, they will show up and prove to the country that they can play. Will they be a top 20 defense? Hell no! But they will not lose games by their play and the days of 50 and even 40yd+ plus plays against our 1st team D are over. Keep the heads up, we all watched this team and know what they can do. Eternal optimists rejoice!
Trying to see the sun in a clo | Email | Homepage | 07.26.06 - 12:19 am | #

Tressel's game plan seems pretty simple: pick on Talley and Ndukwe. They were at the point of attack on every one of these plays.
Moose Krause | Email | Homepage | 07.26.06 - 12:19 am | #

Moose, I dont think that last play was really picking on anyone in particular. Thats a play that was probably only designed for 7-15 yards max. Just a stoke of luck that all the ND backs happened to be lined up and blitzing at the right times. OSU probably ran that play 30 times in the season and that's the only time that happened.
cvilleBUCK | Email | Homepage | 07.26.06 - 12:53 am | #

Great analysis, guys.

I think Ndukwe had outside contain on the blitz...he seems concerned to overplay the block to the outside.

I think the defensive alignment depended on Mays to fill that hole. He's unblocked, and simply doesn't get there fast enough.

I agree on Wooden--he looked anemic in shedding the downfield block. He should be able to throw the receiver off him.
fnwchs | Email | Homepage | 07.26.06 - 1:31 am | #

If Ndukwe had contain, he still penetrated too far past the line of scrimmage opening up a huge running lane.

It was the 3rd and long conversions that really hurt the defense making them over-commit to things on the next play to try and gain the momentum back. I wondered throughout the game why Minter did not employ a LB to spy on Smith. Blitzing only plays to the strengths of a mobile QB.
Brian | Email | Homepage | 07.26.06 - 9:54 am | #

Rhema will be fine. 5 + 83 + 10 will give DBs nightmares. Carlson and Reuland (and I keep hearing Yeatman is a great surprise) will be a force at the TE spot. Like LBs on D, our 3rd and 4th WRs will need to step up this year (and for next).
IrishHoffy | Email | Homepage | 07.26.06 - 10:03 am | #

Actually, I think Reuland (though crazy talented) will have much less of an impact than you think. Marcus Freeman is going to combine with John Carlson for one hell of a tandem at the TE spot. Freeman has always had a great deal of pure athletic talent, but its never really been utilized.

Also, I wouldn't exactly call Yeatman a suprise at TE. The guy is built like a war-horse at 6'6" ~245, and has loads of talent as evidenced by the fact that he was a top recruit as an attacker in lacrosse. I may be incorrect on this, but I believe he was 2nd only to Reuland in the rankings of TEs coming out of California. I think the only reason that his recruiting hype died down was his insistance on playing lacrosse in college, which limited his recruitment due to the fact that their aren't many top flight football programs with good lacrosse programs (or any) as well.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 07.26.06 - 10:26 am | #

I'll take all the TE talent we can get. I'm always yelling for "Tight end over the middle" on crucial downs. I keep forgeting Marcus and I don't mean to.

Is there an updated roster with Frosh?

And ... going back to an earlier post of mine, seriously, anyone other than Tuck and Faine?!? A shiny new donkey to the first to name me another.
IrishHoffy | Email | Homepage | 07.26.06 - 10:56 am | #

Please don't say I'm copying if I break down a Bama game this way but you guys have set the bar. That's as in depth as I've ever seen on 4 induvidual plays. Great job fellas.
Cool Hand Mike | Email | Homepage | 07.26.06 - 11:09 am | #

Great commentary guys. I will agree with the others who stated that the 3rd and long conversions were more frustrating than these plays. I mean, those conversions paired with a long TD on the next play were just killer one-two punches. Tressel was very good at taking advantage of those conversions and exploiting the defense. I think that is a huge area that we'll need to focus on this season. Following through on third and long plays, and if the team happens to convert, we need to stay grounded and not fall off-tilt.

I don't know about anyone else, but I can't help that there is a small part of me that is a little aprehensive about this season. Maybe it's been conditioned from the Davieham era's, but I'm a little nervous that we'll fall back this year. I mean, this year, even more than last year is where CW needs to prove himself. There is a lot of hype going into this season just like there was after Willingham's first season. I just hope that CW does a better job of keeping our guys in check. I do believe that CW is the best coach we've had since Holtz and possibly has potential to be even better, but he needs to prove it this year. I might have to lay on the railroad tracks if we fall apart and have another 8-4 or 7-5 season.
ND101 | Email | Homepage | 07.26.06 - 11:21 am | #

Unlike Willingham, Charlie hasn't invited ESPN to follow the team around with cameras all season after one successful year. Big heads, pressure? A national program with cameras and exposure is more than enough every Saturday, but during the week is a bit much.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 07.26.06 - 11:25 am | #

No worries, ND101. While I agree that the Davieham era has conditioned us to fear the worst with hyped ND teams, I don't doubt CW will deliver. The only way we go 8-4 or 7-5 is if UM, MSU, USC, PSU, and GT all end up in the top 10 at the end of the year and it's Michigan v. USC playing for the NC. That or if AJ Hawk goes into a 'roid rage when Quinn takes the entire offense to see his sister and Hawk kills all our starters.
JohnWA | Email | Homepage | 07.26.06 - 11:35 am | #

haha John...

Regarding our receivers, I think David Grimes will step up nicely and give us a good #3. I hope Brady will get that deep in his reads, and not just zoom in on Shark and Rhema, trying to pass into difficult coverage. It would also be nice if our defense could take a little bit of pressure off the offense.
CS | Email | Homepage | 07.26.06 - 2:21 pm | #

Another guy I'd like to see get the ball is Don Juan Hord (and yes, D.J. does stand for Don Juan). Every single ND fan I could talk to was ecstatic two years ago when this guy came in going on and on about how great his speed was and such. While its obvious why he didn't play too much last year with all the great things our offense was doing, I'd love to see him get some balls. Thrown his way I mean.

Someone recently mentioned there was some kind of rumor that he was injured or something, but I never heard anything else about it. Any truth to that?
Brad | Email | Homepage | 07.26.06 - 3:28 pm | #

Hord apparently tore his achilles tendon (or something like that). Out for the year.
KL | Email | Homepage | 07.26.06 - 4:09 pm | #

need link to confirm injury
suave andrew | Email | Homepage | 07.26.06 - 6:50 pm | #

To those who worry about a dropoff between Stovall's prodcction last year and McKnight's this coming year: the only thing you've got to back that up is the question of McKnight's health. It's amazing how quickly some of you forgot that at this time last year, we were all wondering if Stovall could actually catch a ball, or if all his talent had been coached out of him. McKnight was the clutch player, and Stovall was the guy you couldn't count on. I'm not trying to knock Mo, he did great last year, and finally came into his own--but come on, people...Stovall was a huge disappointment for his sophomore and junior year, and then BOOM, was a stud. McKnight was actually the team's best receiver for those two years--assuming he gets healthy, why wouldn't he experience a similar boost in production?

Shame about DJ Hord--he's a fantastic 3rd receiver in NCAA 2007. Hopefully Grimes can step up, and maybe one of the frosh will come in on 4 WR sets, since I don't see Anastacio doing much.
Nate | Email | Homepage | 07.26.06 - 7:55 pm | #

I have a lot more respect for you guys now, you re-exposed yourself to the horror of the Fiesta bowl and then broke down the four plays that beat you. As a Michigan fan, I can safely say that there is no way I would go back and watch the alamo bowl again, yet alone break down Nebraska's key plays. Major props to you.
Aaron | Email | Homepage | 07.30.06 - 10:25 pm | #

To expand upon my previous comment, it sounds as though I didn't have respect for you at first but that's not how I meant for it to read. I've always respected your writing, but you've gone to another level of writing that few are capable of.
Aaron | Email | Homepage | 07.30.06 - 10:28 pm | #