As everyone has pointed out, OSU continues to be a big play team: they had TDs of 71, 70, 61, 56, and 38 yards - plus a 32-yard defensive TD. But how do they get big plays? And how do they ALWAYS have guys who are OH WIDE OPEN! Is it because of playcalling? Because they're stacked with talent? Because Minnesota's defensive is just bad? Probably all 3, but let's look at their touchdowns:
Miyan Williams 71-yard touchdown
This was a 3rd and 2 play in the 1st quarter. OSU has everyone setup tp the bottom of the screen, but the handoff goes off-tackle right . . . and there's no one there for Minnesota. The safety - for reasons known only to him - creeps up 1) as if Stroud is keeping, and 2) as if the safety would have any involvement in the play if Stroud did keep. Just a horrible WHAT ARE YOU DOING elementary blown assignment by the safety, which allows OSU to simply "Run Right" for 71-yards untouched with no one anywhere near him. Note that even if he is in the proper position, OSU has still isolated its superior athlete against Minnesota's athlete in a 1 v 1 proposition. OSU always gets the matchups it wants and sometimes defenses make it easy by inexplicably blowing the matchup.
Henderson's 70-yard touchdown
3rd and 5. OSU has 4-wide. Minnesota rushes 6, which means IN THEORY they can still match-up with OSU's receivers and the RB. But Minnesota's secondary is all screwed up because only 3 WRs are covered - the other WR and the RB are not. A safety has the bottom slot WR covered . . . but the Gopher who was supposed to cover the top slot WR is sprinting down to cover that bottom slot WR! This means both the RB and the top slot WR are OH WIDE OPEN - and it's lights out. It was going to be a bad result even if that DB had stayed put because no one was covering Henderson. Gus and Klatt DROOOOOOL over Henderson, but good grief this play isn't about him at all - it's about Minnesota's defensive gaffe and a good play call. I mean, Henderson is 25 yards downfield before a Gopher is within 10 yards of him.
Olave's 61-yard touchdown
Play-action rollout pass, but it's not like this was some long-developing play. Stroud gets the ball out in about 3 seconds. Yet Olave is absolutely wide open 20-yards downfield at the 40-yard line. Also wide open is OSU's TE who came all the way across the field from the top of the formation - he takes care of the first block (although that defender really took himself out). After that it was easy: the other OSU WR blocked his man and Olave casually ran away from the remaining defenders trailing him.
Wilson's 56-yard touchdown
1st and 10 play in the 3rd quarter. OSU only has two WRs on this play, and they both lineup on the right. OSU also has a TE run a route. That leaves 7 players to block (including the RB). It's a playaction, which sucks up a couple of the Minnesota LBs, but they wouldn't have impacted the play even if they weren't sucked up. We can't see whether the DB got sucked up by the playaction, but Wilson is OH WIDE OPEN with the DB eating his dust. Stroud has all day to line up and step into his throw and puts it right on the money - which he should with that much time and a player that wide open - but it was still a TD even if it wasn't right on the money. Is this talent, play call, or bad defense?
Olave's 38-yard touchdown
2nd and 4 in the 3rd quarter. This was not a play call TD, this was a talent/bad defense TD. Stroud again has lots of time, though a Minnesota player pressures him at the last second forcing a back-foot throw. Stroud impressively lofts it across the field just over a zone defender's head to Olave, who waltzes into the end zone. Note: Minnesota's 3 LBs plus a DB all bite on the play fake, which results in the LB being not quite deep enough to tip the pass. Klatt in the broadcast said this was a result of a defender being unable to stay with Olave on a crossing route when the play takes that long, but I disagree. This wasn't man-coverage, it was zone and the defender just couldn't get deep enough.
So by count, that's a lot of bad Gopher defense. It's also a lot of "the right play against the right defense" by OSU, which looked even better because Gopher defenders screwed up. Also, yes, OSU has VERY talented players who can actually execute these plays. To be sure, many of these are EASY plays and EASY throws, but how many times have we seen Michigan setup the perfect call only to inexplicably overthrow a pass or blow a routine block?
Miyan Williams 71-yard touchdown
This was a 3rd and 2 play in the 1st quarter. OSU has everyone setup tp the bottom of the screen, but the handoff goes off-tackle right . . . and there's no one there for Minnesota. The safety - for reasons known only to him - creeps up 1) as if Stroud is keeping, and 2) as if the safety would have any involvement in the play if Stroud did keep. Just a horrible WHAT ARE YOU DOING elementary blown assignment by the safety, which allows OSU to simply "Run Right" for 71-yards untouched with no one anywhere near him. Note that even if he is in the proper position, OSU has still isolated its superior athlete against Minnesota's athlete in a 1 v 1 proposition. OSU always gets the matchups it wants and sometimes defenses make it easy by inexplicably blowing the matchup.
Henderson's 70-yard touchdown
3rd and 5. OSU has 4-wide. Minnesota rushes 6, which means IN THEORY they can still match-up with OSU's receivers and the RB. But Minnesota's secondary is all screwed up because only 3 WRs are covered - the other WR and the RB are not. A safety has the bottom slot WR covered . . . but the Gopher who was supposed to cover the top slot WR is sprinting down to cover that bottom slot WR! This means both the RB and the top slot WR are OH WIDE OPEN - and it's lights out. It was going to be a bad result even if that DB had stayed put because no one was covering Henderson. Gus and Klatt DROOOOOOL over Henderson, but good grief this play isn't about him at all - it's about Minnesota's defensive gaffe and a good play call. I mean, Henderson is 25 yards downfield before a Gopher is within 10 yards of him.
Olave's 61-yard touchdown
Play-action rollout pass, but it's not like this was some long-developing play. Stroud gets the ball out in about 3 seconds. Yet Olave is absolutely wide open 20-yards downfield at the 40-yard line. Also wide open is OSU's TE who came all the way across the field from the top of the formation - he takes care of the first block (although that defender really took himself out). After that it was easy: the other OSU WR blocked his man and Olave casually ran away from the remaining defenders trailing him.
Wilson's 56-yard touchdown
1st and 10 play in the 3rd quarter. OSU only has two WRs on this play, and they both lineup on the right. OSU also has a TE run a route. That leaves 7 players to block (including the RB). It's a playaction, which sucks up a couple of the Minnesota LBs, but they wouldn't have impacted the play even if they weren't sucked up. We can't see whether the DB got sucked up by the playaction, but Wilson is OH WIDE OPEN with the DB eating his dust. Stroud has all day to line up and step into his throw and puts it right on the money - which he should with that much time and a player that wide open - but it was still a TD even if it wasn't right on the money. Is this talent, play call, or bad defense?
Olave's 38-yard touchdown
2nd and 4 in the 3rd quarter. This was not a play call TD, this was a talent/bad defense TD. Stroud again has lots of time, though a Minnesota player pressures him at the last second forcing a back-foot throw. Stroud impressively lofts it across the field just over a zone defender's head to Olave, who waltzes into the end zone. Note: Minnesota's 3 LBs plus a DB all bite on the play fake, which results in the LB being not quite deep enough to tip the pass. Klatt in the broadcast said this was a result of a defender being unable to stay with Olave on a crossing route when the play takes that long, but I disagree. This wasn't man-coverage, it was zone and the defender just couldn't get deep enough.
So by count, that's a lot of bad Gopher defense. It's also a lot of "the right play against the right defense" by OSU, which looked even better because Gopher defenders screwed up. Also, yes, OSU has VERY talented players who can actually execute these plays. To be sure, many of these are EASY plays and EASY throws, but how many times have we seen Michigan setup the perfect call only to inexplicably overthrow a pass or blow a routine block?
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