9/24: Ohio State def. Colorado, 37-17

• 0311sdp

  Ohio State should win easily but after last week who knows, if Bauserman is the QB for most of the game he has the (lack) of ability to keep it close. I want to see what Miller looks like when he has the opportunity to play all the time, and not just thrown in here and there and expect him to do what your 5th year senior couldn't do. Fickell has already made an unrepairable mistake by not playing Miller from the beginning, so I think he sticks with Bauserman all season with Miller playing like he did against Miami. Sadly this will not work and it will be pretty much a wasted season for Miller and a losing season or near .500 for OSU, and no permanent head coaching job for Fickell. This was only one game but I think it was a preview of what will happen every time the Buckeyes play a decent team with Bauserman at QB. Everyone knew it from what we had seen from him in the past, the question is why can't the OSU coaching staff see it (you can't win with this guy) Do I think that they'll finish 11-1 if Miller is inserted in as the starter--no but if he had been from the beginning I think 10-2 or 9-3 would have been possible, now I think 7-5 or even 6-6 with a loss to Michigan looks more likely (losses this year if Bauserman is QB-1 Miami 2 Mich State 3 Nebraska 4 Wisconsin 5 Illinois 6 Michigan) Even with Miller at QB now with his lack of playing time early I don't think the Bucks can be better than 7-5 or 8-4 at best.
• georgemc80

  ^^^
  Sky falling?
  
  Let's see Michigan, Michigan St. and Illinois prove themselves prior to assigning the L
• FatHobbit

  

  georgemc80;904264 wrote:^^^
  Sky falling?
  
  Let's see Michigan, Michigan St. and Illinois prove themselves prior to assigning the L

  I agree, but Michigan and Illinois don't seem to be the guaranteed win I thought they were going to be.
• Tiernan

  scUM game is never a guarantee from either side of the stadium. As of today I'd have to give the skunkweasels the edge but fortunately there are 9 more weeks of CFB to be played before THAT game.
• stroups

  

  One thing that is really pissing me off is people booing at the game. Seriously, anybody who goes to a game and boo's college kids(and don't give me that shit about booing the coaches) should be punched in the face. It makes us look classless and I'm sure any recruits sitting in the stands will not be impressed.
• vball10set

  stroups;904518 wrote:One thing that is really pissing me off is people booing at the game. Seriously, anybody who goes to a game and boo's college kids(and don't give me that **** about booing the coaches) should be punched in the face. It makes us look classless and I'm sure any recruits sitting in the stands will not be impressed.

  reps....when I heard that against UT, I flashed back to when the crowd booed Boeckman, and I got pissed off all over again...give the kids a break, they're trying their asses off out there!!!!
• se-alum

  

  Information from today's Luncheon.
  
  http://the-ozone.net/football/2011/Colorado/twominutedrill_fickelltuesday.html
• LJ

  

  stroups;904518 wrote:One thing that is really pissing me off is people booing at the game. Seriously, anybody who goes to a game and boo's college kids(and don't give me that shit about booing the coaches) should be punched in the face. It makes us look classless and I'm sure any recruits sitting in the stands will not be impressed.

  It's pretty obvious when they are booing the kids vs the coaches...
  
  About the only time one should boo is when the coach won't go for it on 4th and short.
• dat dude

  Agree with much of what Duane Long has to say here: http://www.duanelongreport.com/duanelongreport/2011-articles/september/dont-mess-around-overhaul-right-now.html
  

  It is early but coach Fickell needs to make some changes and he needs to make them now.
  
  I refuse to believe this Buckeye team went from a top 25 team to one that is going to go 6-6 like many fans seem to think it will be. I absolutely believe this team should win at least 9 games and I think 10, or even 11 is realistic. I watched the talent on this team as high school players. There is plenty of talent. It just isn't on the field right now.
  
  Joe Bauserman came out in the Akron game with a performance that nobody outside of Bauserman and his family thought he was capable of. It looked to be a career changing game for him, and a program changing game for the Buckeyes. It is now looking like a once in a lifetime performance. He is getting worse. Toledo was the kind of game most of us expected out of Bauserman when the season started. I don't think anyone would have predicted that he could be as bad as he was against Miami. I have been trying to think back to the last time I saw a Buckeye quarterback be that bad. I would say Bauserman against Toledo would be the closest. We saw some bad games out of Steve Bellisari but I do not believe we saw Bellisari be as bad as Bauserman has been the last two weeks.
  
  Starting Bauserman was a great idea in theory. Let the freshman, Braxton Miller, work his way into the starting lineup at his own pace. Let his find his comfort level. Let him adjust to the speed of the game. The key to that working theory was that Bauserman may not be a game changer but he would at least not lose the game for the Buckeyes. He nearly lost the Toledo game and was very much the key to the loss to Miami. "Game managers" at quarterback still have to execute. i am still shell shocked at what I saw last Saturday night.
  
  Luke Fickell is no longer in a position to wait on Miller to get comfortable. I say Luke Fickell, not the Buckeyes, because Miller will be here next year. Unless the Buckeyes get something out of the quarterback position Luke Fickell will not be. I say that this team will not go 6-6. That is assuming the changes are made. I am still of a mind that 8 wins will come this way even with no changes because the Buckeyes will be a good enough running team and still a very strong defensive team, and this is a really down Big Ten this year, but 8 wins will not be enough to see Luke Fickell get the job permanently.
  
  I have been in Luke Fickells corner from the start. I remain in his corner. If the change in quarterback does not happen I will not remain in his corner no matter how many wins we might see. There is no argument that can be put forward for keeping Bauserman as the starter. Miller is going to make mistakes. No doubt about that. He will learn from them. Every game look for him to make more good decisions. At least with Miller we will see positive plays to offset the bad plays. With Bauserman we are seeing no plays.
  
  Quarterback is not the only position where this team can improve overnight.
  
  Carloe Hyde has been good. Better than fans have been giving him credit for. Jordan Hall is better. He is just as effective betweeen the tackles and is quicker. Hyde will still get plenty of carries. Right now the Ohio State offense is better with Corey Linsley in there. Marcus Hall is showing the rust. He too will get reps at both guard positions.
  
  Safety is the last line of defense. The free safety is the last man on the last line of the defense. There is just no way Ohrian Johnson is playing well enough to be the last man on the last line of the defense. I look to a play that I forgot to note in my game review.
  
  On the second touchdown for Miami, the quarterback looks to the flat and finds Tyler Moeller sitting there. He looks to his left and finds a wide open receiver. That is because Johnson has left that zone, for what reason I cannot tell you. He is a safety in the end zone. There is nobody behind him because there is nowhere to go. He is two strides from the backline of the end zone. He can't be reading the quarterbacks eyes because the quarterback is not looking in that direction.
  
  Safety is the same situation as at quarterback. Anybody is an improvement over what we have. It really can't get any worse. It is like being a car that is in the water and filling up quickly. You can't swim? You still need to get out of the car and try.
  
  I can see 8 wins with the current lineup. I know many who disagree with that. The bottom line is that is not enough wins for a contract extension. Make these changes and that contract extension is a mere formality. Don't make these changes, very logical and obviously needed changes, and it will be the proof that a search committee for a new head coach is needed.

• Writerbuckeye

  

  I don't agree with Duane on his bottom line: that if Fickell makes these changes and the team wins (let's say) 10 games, he's an automatic extension.
  
  I've seen Fickell under duress in the Miami game. I didn't like how he reacted; it was a sad reminder of how John Cooper used to choke up along the sidelines when he was in charge and things weren't going well.
  
  I want a coach who has it together and who can make the difficult decisions. Fickell has already shown me he's not capable of doing that. At least not yet.
  
  Ohio State is not his personal growth playground. It's not the place for coaches to learn on the job.
  
  When this season is over, I want OSU looking for a new head coach.
• Terry_Tate

  

  stroups;904518 wrote:One thing that is really pissing me off is people booing at the game. Seriously, anybody who goes to a game and boo's college kids(and don't give me that **** about booing the coaches) should be punched in the face. It makes us look classless and I'm sure any recruits sitting in the stands will not be impressed.

  100% agree. Bauserman sucks, but the guy has been waiting his time and is in college, even though he's 25. I'm ok with booing at NFL games, but booing a college kid who is trying his best is over the line.
• j_crazy

  

  jordo212000;903058 wrote:sigh.
  
  They should handle Colorado. But at this point, I don't know.
  
  If Bauserman was head and shoulders above Guiton and Graham, what does that say about their abilities? Yikes.

  
  I posted this during Toledo. Yikes indeed.
• centralbucksfan

  Writerbuckeye;904708 wrote:I don't agree with Duane on his bottom line: that if Fickell makes these changes and the team wins (let's say) 10 games, he's an automatic extension.
  
  I've seen Fickell under duress in the Miami game. I didn't like how he reacted; it was a sad reminder of how John Cooper used to choke up along the sidelines when he was in charge and things weren't going well.
  
  I want a coach who has it together and who can make the difficult decisions. Fickell has already shown me he's not capable of doing that. At least not yet.
  
  Ohio State is not his personal growth playground. It's not the place for coaches to learn on the job.
  
  When this season is over, I want OSU looking for a new head coach.

  This, and then some. But I also thought this after watching Fickell first press conference. I think he is a great guy, probably a very good defensive coach. But he was just not ready to make this jump to head coach at a place like OSU.
  I have also said Bauserman was not the answer. And if it were close, then you go with the youth and let him learn. Well, if Fickell can't commit to one of them, then its close. Play Miller and let him loose. He will make mistakes. But I think he will make plays as well.
  This team will get better. I was VERY impressed with Hall at RB. IMO, the kid looks like a stud. And in two games, OSU will get better by the addition of Adams, Posey and Herron. I said this team was a 3/4 loss team. Could be 4/5 after watching Miami game.
• se-alum

  

  [video=youtube;NO04VXBIS0M][/video]
• slingshot4ever

  I have no problem with booing them. For all the credit and accolades they get for playing well they deserve that criticism when they blow.
• centralbucksfan

  se-alum;904812 wrote:[video=youtube;NO04VXBIS0M][/video]

  
  Chill out. The sky is not falling. Some of us are just more realistic than others. It is what it is. This team is just not very good. Wisky and Nebraskra are going to beat us to a pulp. We are also looking at possible losses to Mich St., Illinois and yes, even Michigan.
• dat dude

  Writerbuckeye;904708 wrote:I don't agree with Duane on his bottom line: that if Fickell makes these changes and the team wins (let's say) 10 games, he's an automatic extension.
  
  I've seen Fickell under duress in the Miami game. I didn't like how he reacted; it was a sad reminder of how John Cooper used to choke up along the sidelines when he was in charge and things weren't going well.
  
  I want a coach who has it together and who can make the difficult decisions. Fickell has already shown me he's not capable of doing that. At least not yet.
  
  Ohio State is not his personal growth playground. It's not the place for coaches to learn on the job.
  
  When this season is over, I want OSU looking for a new head coach.

  I would agree with that. I don't think Fickell has a shot at retaining the position, either.
• Tobias Fünke

  

  I know this doesn't impact this week's game at all, but Posey was wearing a boot two days ago at the union, any reason for that?
• Writerbuckeye

  

  Tobias Fünke;905465 wrote:I know this doesn't impact this week's game at all, but Posey was wearing a boot two days ago at the union, any reason for that?

  I heard he was trying to coach up the WR's while he was suspended. I'm guessing he hurt his foot putting it up their backsides after that last performance (or rather lack of it).
• bigkahuna

  ^^Reps
• believer

  

  Terry_Tate;904733 wrote:100% agree. Bauserman sucks, but the guy has been waiting his time and is in college, even though he's 25. I'm ok with booing at NFL games, but booing a college kid who is trying his best is over the line.

  I don't think they're booing Bauserman...they're booing Fickell's decision to not play Miller.
• bases_loaded

  

  They are all adults. Boo away. Bauserman is a fuckin grandpa.
• OneBuckeye

  

  I think Braxton starts this game. If he comes out looking passible and is able to score on his first couple of drives Bauserman won't see the field again. (Wishful thinking)
• Terry_Tate

  

  believer;906367 wrote:I don't think they're booing Bauserman...they're booing Fickell's decision to not play Miller.

  They booed immediately after Bauserman threw one of his patented throwing it 20 rows into the stands throws.
  
  And even if they're booing Fickell's decision to not play Miller, isn't that still really booing Bauserman?
• bigkahuna

  Terry_Tate;906444 wrote:They booed immediately after Bauserman threw one of his patented throwing it 20 rows into the stands throws.
  
  And even if they're booing Fickell's decision to not play Miller, isn't that still really booing Bauserman?

  Yes.