I actually think that Smith's distaste for the running aspect of the game is the most likely thing to cost them a game this year.
Nice showing for the Buckeyes and this season may not be over for the Lonhorns - it all depends on how far they drop. I hope it's not much so teams are encouraged to schedule these types of games, but they should have never moved up last week.
They dropped to 8th in the coaches poll, probably a couple spots lower than I would have thought. USC#2 and ND#3. Your fighting Irish looked awfully impressive, Bobby.
Not sure who said what, but definitely agree that Texas HAD to pound the runs and/or the slip screens to win this game. They had all SORTS of room between the tackles between OSU's d-line and linebackers almost every time they ran plays like that.
Ripping off 5 to 10 yards almost every time. McCoy is extremely inexperienced and I figured that would, or very likely could be the difference compared to Smith. They had room to move against the front 7, and were never really being blown out, and I believed they passed too much at certain times.
Even the 2 or so intermediate passes that McCoy completed were pretty shaky. Just kind of flung/floated out there and if a defender had just turned around, it would have been batted down, at least.
Very few of Smiths completions were in doubt, even with defenders in the area because he fires missiles in there. There was not one pass of his that whole game that even had a chance of being intercepted.
Not worried at all about OSU's running game. They will be good enough to supplement what will surely be a passy-happy offense.
I don't agree with Bobby that Smith's focus on the pass, rather than the run, will cost them a game. He makes 10x the amount of plays/completions after he *could* have run than it would have happened that it would have been better for him to run. If that makes any sense.
OSU's tackling was atrocious and if anything, this kicker will make things interesting in a game or two or even cost them a game. After 5 years of Nugent and Houston, we have become spoiled.
A couple other notes. Smith is a better passer than Young, period. Young is huge and a force, but as a pure passer? No way.
When Mack Brown was interviewed about using his challenge in about the first 2 seconds of the game instead of late in the game as he had said he would, he said, 'one of my kids said it was a bad call. It was a mistake.'
ONE OF HIS KIDS SAID IT WAS A BAD CALL? Yeah, probably the guy who fumbled it. Does he not have communication with his booth upstairs? WTF is wrong with him? I know you Texas guys always get on him and with things like that I can see why.
Whatever the case, as mentioned above by fellow Buckeye fans, we felt this same agony around this time last year. We can relate.
And also as mentioned above, after your win last year and your loss last year, you all have been nothing but classy.
There was no bigger Texas fan against USC last year and they came through brilliantly.
Unusual high-profile home and home match-ups like this are always great, no matter the teams.
Judge,
I'll find a hat link and post it here. Thanks, man.
