I want to know, honestly, how this happens.
How? How does our defense almost dominate in the first quarter, shut them out, force three and outs on the first two drives, and then just lay a complete egg in the second quarter, and allow 24 points in the second quarter?
How does our offense drive inside the OSU 30 on the first two drives, inside the ten on the second, and not have any points to show for it? How does this dominant offense have 7 points at halftime while out gaining OSU with 260 yards?
I'd honestly rather we were playing poorly than showing so much promise and just absolutely blowing it. I don't know what to say. I would think conditioning for the defense, because they are strong in the first and weak in the second, strongish in the 3rd and weak in the 4th. But Barwis is awesome, so it makes no sense.
I don't even know what to think about our offense. It's not that we can't move the ball, because jesus we moved the ball better than Ohio State did in the first half, but somehow we get in the red zone and turn into an inept, turnover prone shell of an offense. I don't get it.
I'm not ripping on any individual player, not any individual coach, I just want your opinion on why this happens. Every single game it's the same tired re-run of a game, where it looks promising after the first quarter if our offense gets going, then our offense doesn't get going and the defense falls flat and it's out of reach by the time the offense starts scoring.
Why does this happen?
EDIT: And now our offense, the only good part of our team, is looking like it'll finish the day with seven points. Sheer torture. I'm on the fence, leaning towards one more year for RichRod, but when the only above-average facet of this abysmal team lays an egg and scores seven points in 60 minutes.. This is the first time I've considered the fact that he might actually get fired. I don't want it to happen, but this one's tough to ignore.
November 27th, 2010 at 2:28 PM ^
Like any coach who used to play, he is competitive. How long before he says, "Screw it, we tried, I'm out?"
This can't be fun for him, either. As much as he tries to make himself believe it will be better, he's got to look at some of it and think, "no way"
November 27th, 2010 at 3:09 PM ^
There are more than two million reasons he won't quit.
November 27th, 2010 at 1:58 PM ^
You have to REALLY strain to consider this progress. However, I'm sure 90% of the MGoBlog community will, somehow, do so.
November 27th, 2010 at 2:49 PM ^
it's dick comments like this that got you to -104 points, right?
November 27th, 2010 at 2:01 PM ^
Waiting for the next famous phrase.....need to evalute the tape.......I guess because watching the team look inept once again on the field isnt painful enough....seeing the same players drop passes, fumble, not learn to switch hands when running.....not execute.....
sorry to say it, but a team does develop the mentality and personality of a strong coach.....unfortunately, they also will develop that personality when it is absent.
November 27th, 2010 at 2:03 PM ^
I'm surprised he's gotten so little action the last two weeks.
And this is about the sixth straight week that Fitz is listed as "probable," everybody gets excited, and then he's nowhere to be found. That's a big reason why I don't pay attention to the injury reports any more.
November 27th, 2010 at 2:03 PM ^
I also hate to say that almost everything Millen is saying at this point in the game is dead on correct.....everything that Spielman stated earlier this week is dead on......and everyone who wants to say we are making significant progress needs to really take a second and think through where we are.
As I say that we just turn it over on the first play of the 2nd half.
November 27th, 2010 at 2:05 PM ^
I want to know how that pick is not reviewed
November 27th, 2010 at 2:06 PM ^
WE WEre SUPPOSED TO WINNN!
UN ACCEPT ABLE
November 27th, 2010 at 4:00 PM ^
Can we please retire this idiotic "joke" already? We've clearly passed the point at which being unhappy about the RR regime is irrational.
November 27th, 2010 at 2:17 PM ^
I think it's funny that OSU is NOT bowl eligible. Oh wait, they only have one loss.
This game is all about experience vs inexperience. That's why we're losing.
November 27th, 2010 at 2:22 PM ^
I have no more left. I am going for a walk.
November 27th, 2010 at 2:26 PM ^
to getting shit-faced drunk.
I'm going the alcohol route.
November 27th, 2010 at 2:26 PM ^
This sad performance should make DB's evaluation painfully easy. Heeelllllooooo Harbaugh.
November 27th, 2010 at 3:11 PM ^
I'm fairly sure DB wants RR to stay another year...but I'm also sure he expected a slightly better effort than what has been done today. He's got a very difficult decision to make.
November 27th, 2010 at 2:27 PM ^
I am beginning to wonder if the spread works until the red zone, and then when there isn't as much space against a good defense ....
As for defense - OSU decided to start passing and we reverted to 3-3-5
November 27th, 2010 at 2:30 PM ^
This is laughable. Every other D1 team in Ohio would put up a better fight than this. Rivalry game? Where's the emotion? They are being out coached in every facet..
November 27th, 2010 at 2:38 PM ^
No, they're not being outcoached. Denard Robinson is fumbling, Roy Roundtree isn't catching the ball, Vincent Smith is fumbling, etc. That's not coaching. That's players being stupid/bad and not executing
November 27th, 2010 at 2:54 PM ^
At what point is it on the coaching, if it happens every game? Or offense has been turning it over like hotcakes and/or blowing drives every game since Indiana (including the two wins).
November 27th, 2010 at 3:17 PM ^
I can't find the wherewithal to blame it on Rich Rodriguez that Roy Roundtree suddenly got butterfingers today.
November 27th, 2010 at 3:20 PM ^
I'm not blaming Rodriguez either, but I can't find the wherewithal to say that even if Roundtree would have caught every single ball that the final score would have been much different..
November 27th, 2010 at 3:06 PM ^
Magnus - one game of fumbling and not catching here or there is a bad day / players not focusing. Three seasons of it?
November 27th, 2010 at 4:39 PM ^
So true. At what point is it just part of a team's DNA?
November 27th, 2010 at 4:02 PM ^
Couldn't disagree more. Turnovers are perhaps the best indicator in terms of coaching (after wins and losses). Well-coached teams secure the ball. Poorly coached ones give it up. One of the maddening things about playing Sabin or Tressel is how rarely their teams fumble.
November 27th, 2010 at 4:38 PM ^
Execution is a key part of the game, and under Bo, execution was not optional.
November 27th, 2010 at 5:16 PM ^
BO SCHEMBECHLER WOULDN'T HAVE ALLOWED TURNOVERS!!! RICH RODRIGUEZ LOVES IT WHEN HIS TEAM TURNS OVER THE BALL!!! ARGH!!!
November 27th, 2010 at 2:39 PM ^
meltdown. I find it hilarious that all this squabbling isn't going to make a difference. Save it for after the bowl and then we'll hash it out like civilized human beings.
November 27th, 2010 at 2:51 PM ^
DICK ROD SUCKS!
OSU LOOSE 7 YREAS IN A ROW!
HIRE JIM HABRARUGH!
/s
November 27th, 2010 at 2:51 PM ^
DICK ROD SUCKS!
OSU LOOSE 7 YREAS IN A ROW!
HIRE JIM HABRARUGH!
/s
November 27th, 2010 at 3:04 PM ^
Even then it still won't make a difference because I highly doubt DB will be consulting MGoBoard as he makes his decision.
November 27th, 2010 at 2:46 PM ^
I just can't wait to see what Freep has to say about us.
November 27th, 2010 at 3:03 PM ^
People still care about what the Free Press has to say?
...Really? Why?
November 27th, 2010 at 3:23 PM ^
Don't feed the trolls.
November 27th, 2010 at 3:02 PM ^
Good and great coaching staffs make adjustments. tOSU made adjustments and we either did not or could not.
November 27th, 2010 at 3:09 PM ^
This is bullshit. I hate being a sports fan sometimes.
November 27th, 2010 at 3:26 PM ^
I could only catch portions of the game on the radio while driving through Ohio for a wedding, but it sounds like a sloppy game by UM combined with the cold efficiency we expect from OSU. I hate to say it, but OSU has been a better program compared to UM since basically the middle of the decade (save for 2006, and even that might have been a bit of a abberation), and it is going to take another year or two for the talent levels to even out again. I hope and expect RR to be there for it, but today's game was incredibly hard to listen to, let alone watch.
November 27th, 2010 at 3:36 PM ^
Well let's see....
Maybe Ohio State has better players (I know, it's shocking).
November 27th, 2010 at 4:04 PM ^
We should totally fire our general manager.
November 27th, 2010 at 5:17 PM ^
Its called shit, and as you may have heard, it happens.
November 27th, 2010 at 7:44 PM ^
Funny how shit doesn't seem to happen as much to well-coached teams.
November 28th, 2010 at 11:52 AM ^
There's not a whole lot of time to coach them when they're all freshmen or sophomores.