The Ugly, the Bad, and The Good: Ohio State Edition

I hate Ohio State games. A part of me gives them way too much credit on top of having enough typical Wisconsin fan in me that I want to give the players a participation trophy for just showing up. So you're analyzing a game with this fatalistic attitude can make finding the positives is a bit like searching for a needle in a haystack. Admittedly, looking at the game's stats might make it seem like everything took a nosedive, but there were a few silver linings in the chaos. You might have to squint a bit to see it but it’s there, and if you want a true measuring stick for the amount of progress you’ve made as a coaching staff in a short period of time the Buckeyes are a great barometer.

So I thought if I need to dig deeper to find that silver lining why not approach it in a different way? So I thought I would take a page from those great mystery writers of old and start at the end. State the obvious early, and build back up with the positive. So, here's the breakdown: The Ugly, The Bad, and a glimmer of what could pass for The Good from the Wisconsin vs. Ohio State face-off.

The Ugly - Our Receivers Still Pick the Wrong Time to Show They are Human.

These are Division One receivers; you would think by now the drops would go away. And I can hear the chorus of fans out there calling for either the receiver coach's job or Fickell or Phil Longo's job. Because if these receivers can't catch the ball, then they don't deserve to be on the team. Shut up.

They're kids; we need to remember that. And at the end of the day, sometimes kids make mistakes and they drop balls. However, there are too many of these drops happening at the wrong times. So that's not something a coaching point can fix. It's about digging deep and knowing that you're about to get hit or knowing that the team is on the line and I have to make a play, and you have to go out there and make a play.

The Bad - The Offensive Line is not Good, but Ohio State is Better

In my first draft this part was actually in the Ugly section, but upon reflection my point of view has changed a bit. Now let's be honest they didn't play great. Our "elite pass blockers" were still getting beat on the edge by athletes. Our interior linemen were still getting bullied. That's why I can't put this anywhere near the Good section.

BUT this week the difference was this had more to do with Ohio State's front 7 being significantly more talented than our offensive line, and despite the mistakes they played better than I expected. The mental mistakes decreased while seeing improvements in areas such as double teams on inside zone. It wasn't pretty (that's why I still put it in the bad section) but a very miniscule tiny step in the positive direction.

The Good - This Coaching Staff Will Not Quit on Their Players

The good of this game goes beyond Xs and Os. In games when you play against teams that you know deep down are better than you it can be hard to motivate the troops and keep their fighting spirit up. At no point during this game did I feel that the team or the coaching staff admitted defeat.

They called this whole game as if they were still in it and did so up until the end. Sometimes, when your players aren't making plays and nothing's going right, it's easy to throw in the towel and start thinking about next week, but that's not what this staff did. So did the players who came out and played hard. They made plays from the first quarter to the fourth quarter, and that's something to be proud of as a fan base and something to build on as a coaching staff.

The scoreboard still rules no doubt about it and it's the fundamental principle of the game. However a lot can be said about the progress beyond the numbers. It's easy to dismiss a loss, but if you widen the lens there's a bigger picture at play.

A single game isn't just a standalone event. It is a battle, which is part of a larger campaign (the season) that shapes the outcome of a war (program building). It's not just about that one game; it's about the journey, the evolution, and the those guiding the team toward hopefully a brighter future.

PLAY OF THE DAY - GREEN 164 X Under

note: terminology is my own and not an accurate representation of how Phil Longo calls plays.

13 yard TD pass to Will Pauling

Situation- 12:38 in the 3rd Quarter. 3rd and 8 from Ohio State's 13 yard line

Personnel- 11 personnel (Z Green, Y Nowakowski, H Pauling, X Williams, F Acker)

Concept- Toss Play Action with a Y Cross over an X Under

Progression - Y is slow playing the seem so only hit it if his defender bites, then read X to Y

Defense- 4-2 nickel with cover 1