OSU Plucks a Duck

SECond Class Football

Man oh man is Ohio State good or what? Like everybody else I watched the opening drive by Oregon and thought 'here we go', but it was all rope a dope. It's been a long time since I've seen a defense play that well.

If I told you pre-game that OSU would have four turnovers and still win the game you'd have gotten out the butterfly net. But the Quack Attack laid an egg in the redzone time and again. Buckeye running back Zeke Elliott (winner of GQ magazine's most "Well Coiffed" award) ran for about 250 yards and showed the lightening quick quack what speed really looks like. Backup to the backup quarterback Cardale Jones (winner of GQ magazine's "Nicest Ass" award) passed for another 250 yards and his arm keep the safeties honest, his feet the linebackers. Oregon didn't know whether to shit or wind their wristwatch.

My personal assessment of the game is this is what happens when you depend on a gimmick. Oregon, although very VERY good depends on their hurry-up offense. They want the play over and the ball snapped inside of 10 seconds, which of course stresses the hell out of defenses to call their own plays and get set up. Meyer took that away from them, and it was a BIG psychological blow to Oregon. In fact when the Ducks realized they'd have to square off and beat OSU head to head without benefit of this hurry up bullshit, then their confidence was rattled (to say the least). A hurry-up offense(?) why hell yes if it works. But when it doesn't work you had best be able to play smash-mouth football, especially against a team like Ohio State.

Big Ten 1   Everybody else 0