Let's talk Ohio State
Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer gives us some good insight today on the Buckeyes.
* Is Braxton Miller ready for a game like this? Do you see Ohio State letting it rip with more option stuff to feature his abilities?
"Frankly, no. But only because I'm not sure true freshmen quarterbacks, in their second career starts, are ever ready to face any kind of decent defense, and I think Michigan State is quite a bit better than decent. Miller was here for spring ball, but he still talked during preseason camp about learning the playbook, and that is still a work in progress. I think he's a pretty sharp kid with solid mechanics and a good arm who played at a good high school program, and he certainly is a very good athlete with some shifty moves as a runner. He has a chance to be a great one as a sophomore, junior and senior. But he's not a freakish athlete like Terrelle Pryor was as a true freshman quarterback, so I think a defense that is able to contain his scrambling ability and limit the OSU running backs at least a bit, thereby making him throw, could make it difficult on him. I think he hesitates a bit when a receiver isn't wide open, as any young quarterback would, and his young receivers haven't been able to get wide open very much. I do think OSU will try to run him some, with some zone-read looks and a few quarterback draws, but he carried the ball 14 times in the first half last week, and that's too much if the Buckeyes want to keep him relatively healthy."
* Do you have a handle on this Ohio State team yet, after three cupcake wins and a bad road performance (which mirrors MSU, of course)?
"Nope, and I do think it mirrors Michigan State in a lot of ways. With an inexperienced quarterback and four key players suspended for the first five games, and ready to return next week, there was always going to be some idea of 'let's just survive the first five games and see what happens.' Once those suspended players return and Miller has more experience, we'll know a lot more about Ohio State. Throw in a big injury to starting defensive end Nathan Williams and the youth on defense, along with the suspensions, and it's hard to get a read on Ohio State right now."
* How does this defense stack up with recent versions at OSU, pretty close or a notch below?
"I think a notch below. The linebacker play hasn't been as good as we've seen, though their top LB, senior Andrew Sweat, might be healthy this week after battling nagging injuries for the first month. I think there are some good players, for sure, but 1 through 11, I don't think there is the consistency as a defense that we saw for the last six Big Ten titles, and that has shown up early with some problems with missed tackles."
* I see that you like Michigan State in this game. What if Posey, Herron, Adams and Thomas were playing? Would that swing it the other way for you?
"It very well could. But when you consider Posey, Herron, Adams, the Nathan Williams injury, the fact Terrelle Pryor is still supposed to be here and is an Oakland Raider instead, and that receiver Corey "Philly" Brown has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, though he could be back Saturday, that's a lot of missing talent. It would be hard for any team to overcome that against good competition. So yes, give the Buckeyes their best receiver, running back and left tackle, and it might change my mind."
* What's your assessment of Luke Fickell since he took over, and what's your percentage chance at this moment that he'll have the same job one year from now?
"I think he's done a solid job in a difficult spot. Without all the information in, I think it's hard to assess his chances. From talking with OSU AD Gene Smith in the past, it's my impression that he'd want to, in any coaching situation, do a national search. So I think that may happen regardless, with Fickell in the running as one of those candidates. It depends on what kinds of NCAA sanctions Ohio State gets, and how that affects the interest of other potential candidates as to what Fickell's chances are. I think there isn't a magic number of wins he needs this season, but I think it's important he shows every day how he he handles discipline, organization, running practice, managing a staff and motivating people, not just how he does on the sidelines on Saturdays."
* Since we're talking percentage chances, how about a number on Ohio State looking seriously at Mark Dantonio (if there is a search, of course)?
"My guess is no. I'm not sure, given what has happened with Jim Tressel, that Ohio State would be in a hurry to bring in someone from the Tressel tree of coaching, who is one of Tressel's closest friends. It's a strange relationship between Ohio State and Tressel right now, with the school embracing him (put up a wall of his accomplishments in the football headquarters) and pushing him away (hoping he absorbs most of the NCAA penalties himself), and bringing in someone like Dantonio would create an awful lot of Tressel talk. If they want a defensive-minded coach with a Tressel connection, they have that in Luke Fickell. If they go outside, I think it may be someone with a connection to Ohio State or the state of Ohio, but not to the Tressel era."
"Frankly, no. But only because I'm not sure true freshmen quarterbacks, in their second career starts, are ever ready to face any kind of decent defense, and I think Michigan State is quite a bit better than decent. Miller was here for spring ball, but he still talked during preseason camp about learning the playbook, and that is still a work in progress. I think he's a pretty sharp kid with solid mechanics and a good arm who played at a good high school program, and he certainly is a very good athlete with some shifty moves as a runner. He has a chance to be a great one as a sophomore, junior and senior. But he's not a freakish athlete like Terrelle Pryor was as a true freshman quarterback, so I think a defense that is able to contain his scrambling ability and limit the OSU running backs at least a bit, thereby making him throw, could make it difficult on him. I think he hesitates a bit when a receiver isn't wide open, as any young quarterback would, and his young receivers haven't been able to get wide open very much. I do think OSU will try to run him some, with some zone-read looks and a few quarterback draws, but he carried the ball 14 times in the first half last week, and that's too much if the Buckeyes want to keep him relatively healthy."
* Do you have a handle on this Ohio State team yet, after three cupcake wins and a bad road performance (which mirrors MSU, of course)?
"Nope, and I do think it mirrors Michigan State in a lot of ways. With an inexperienced quarterback and four key players suspended for the first five games, and ready to return next week, there was always going to be some idea of 'let's just survive the first five games and see what happens.' Once those suspended players return and Miller has more experience, we'll know a lot more about Ohio State. Throw in a big injury to starting defensive end Nathan Williams and the youth on defense, along with the suspensions, and it's hard to get a read on Ohio State right now."
* How does this defense stack up with recent versions at OSU, pretty close or a notch below?
"I think a notch below. The linebacker play hasn't been as good as we've seen, though their top LB, senior Andrew Sweat, might be healthy this week after battling nagging injuries for the first month. I think there are some good players, for sure, but 1 through 11, I don't think there is the consistency as a defense that we saw for the last six Big Ten titles, and that has shown up early with some problems with missed tackles."
* I see that you like Michigan State in this game. What if Posey, Herron, Adams and Thomas were playing? Would that swing it the other way for you?
"It very well could. But when you consider Posey, Herron, Adams, the Nathan Williams injury, the fact Terrelle Pryor is still supposed to be here and is an Oakland Raider instead, and that receiver Corey "Philly" Brown has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, though he could be back Saturday, that's a lot of missing talent. It would be hard for any team to overcome that against good competition. So yes, give the Buckeyes their best receiver, running back and left tackle, and it might change my mind."
* What's your assessment of Luke Fickell since he took over, and what's your percentage chance at this moment that he'll have the same job one year from now?
"I think he's done a solid job in a difficult spot. Without all the information in, I think it's hard to assess his chances. From talking with OSU AD Gene Smith in the past, it's my impression that he'd want to, in any coaching situation, do a national search. So I think that may happen regardless, with Fickell in the running as one of those candidates. It depends on what kinds of NCAA sanctions Ohio State gets, and how that affects the interest of other potential candidates as to what Fickell's chances are. I think there isn't a magic number of wins he needs this season, but I think it's important he shows every day how he he handles discipline, organization, running practice, managing a staff and motivating people, not just how he does on the sidelines on Saturdays."
* Since we're talking percentage chances, how about a number on Ohio State looking seriously at Mark Dantonio (if there is a search, of course)?
"My guess is no. I'm not sure, given what has happened with Jim Tressel, that Ohio State would be in a hurry to bring in someone from the Tressel tree of coaching, who is one of Tressel's closest friends. It's a strange relationship between Ohio State and Tressel right now, with the school embracing him (put up a wall of his accomplishments in the football headquarters) and pushing him away (hoping he absorbs most of the NCAA penalties himself), and bringing in someone like Dantonio would create an awful lot of Tressel talk. If they want a defensive-minded coach with a Tressel connection, they have that in Luke Fickell. If they go outside, I think it may be someone with a connection to Ohio State or the state of Ohio, but not to the Tressel era."
Well, he didn't bite on giving percentages, but terrific stuff anyway. Thanks, Doug. I hope some of you pay attention to the last item. Mark Dantonio is not going to be Ohio State's coach.
Also today:
* Barry Kiel and I argue over the Buckeyes' future.
* Sparty and Brutus are the featured bout in the Capital One Bowl's Mascot Challenge, and you can vote. Here's the Sparty video, and here's Brutus.
* Kirk Cousins is up for a prestigious scholar-athlete award.
* A lot of people have asked today about sending Delvon Roe a personal note. They can be sent to the MSU basketball office, 1 Birch Road, East Lansing, 48824.
* And here's the correct funeral information for MSU baseball legend Danny Litwhiler.
