Game Thoughts Oklahoma State

clonehome

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Especially when he could have ran for a first, that was brutal

But we have unlocked a play they call the halfback pass to the flat, if we can continue to run that, teams won't be able to just clog the middle. We are adapting a little. And yes OSU sucks.
Penn State killed Iowa tonight with the swing pass to the RB. They must have completed it 5 or 6 times for big yards. Definitely a must in any offense.
 

CloniesForLife

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Offense obviously still has a lot to improve on but I really liked a lot of what they did today. Rocco looks great and I think our strength is in our pass catchers. The run blocking is just atrocious so it's hard to judge the RBs too much but Sanders has the speed to bounce stuff outside and make something out of nothing.

Defense wasn't at their best but I think they will get things cleaned up. Take one of those big plays away and this game isn't even close.
 

deadeyededric

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Offense obviously still has a lot to improve on but I really liked a lot of what they did today. Rocco looks great and I think our strength is in our pass catchers. The run blocking is just atrocious so it's hard to judge the RBs too much but Sanders has the speed to bounce stuff outside and make something out of nothing.

Defense wasn't at their best but I think they will get things cleaned up. Take one of those big plays away and this game isn't even close.
I've never been concerned about a Heacock defense. Some have had more playmakers than others but always pretty consistent.
 

ZRF

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Random thoughts.

- Rocco was good.
- Noel held onto passes, made plays, and made smart decisions on returns.
- Eli Sanders has the best vision of all our backs. Made a great cut on one of his bigger gains and self-created the TD run when the line formed a pile. I think he should start.
- We didn't pass it enough but when we did the route trees were better. Utilized the middle of the field a bit more.
- Heacock was too vanilla on defense as we gave Bowman too much time. Fortunately he wasn't very good.
- Gerry Vaughn was brutal. Blindly crashed into blockers, gave up contain on the TD run, and doesn't use his hands when taking on blocks. And the penalties.
- Special teams were good.
- Campbell's game management was still atrocious (as illustrated by another poster).
- OSUs secondary was hilariously bad.
- We beat an FBS and Big 12 opponent.
 

SEIOWA CLONE

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I really don’t know how much of what we saw was improvement vs Oklahoma State being really bad. That is not a good football team and we struggled to run the ball, and uncharacteristically struggled on defense. Purchase in particular didn’t play well, and we’re going to need him against Oklahoma. The run game still wasn’t good today. We need to throw it down the field, and a lot. Regarding the OL, from what I saw today in both our game and theirs, OU’s DL will take our souls next week.
True, but OSU would beat Ohio that we played last week, they are like us struggling to figure out what they are doing.
I was disappointed that after we got up 14 points, that we stopped attacking on defense. We started to play passive defense instead of going after their QB. A player like him that cannot scramble, you have to blitz and keep doing it. He has played enough in 6 years to beat a prevent defense, and we gave him that chance.
 
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SEIOWA CLONE

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We will never be consistently good on offense until we figure out the Oline. It held us back even when Purdy and them were here. Makes you realize how good Breece really was getting the numbers he did with that line. And I'm speaking more specifically about run blocking. Why the hell couldn't we sustain those drives and wear them down at the end of the game today and just run the clock out? Why did OSU have a chance to tie the game at the end?
We can't run the ball because the defense knows we are going to run the ball and everyone is coming up on the snap of the ball to stop the run. Today was the first time that we used that against the defense. Why do you think our receivers were wide open? They didn't improve a bunch over last week, we started going against the grain, and throwing the ball, when the entire defense was thinking we were going to run again, and started moving forward, the moment the ball was snapped.
 

atlantacyclone

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The D took a huge step back today IMO. I don’t think that OSU is as good as anyone else we will face this season. Our passing game is good but the running game makes it tougher…Rocco reminds me of Purdy a little in the passing game but he hasn’t shown the ability to make tacklers miss and get that extra few yards on the ground…
 

MJ271

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I’m not usually this hard on the coaches, but I thought the players won today in spite of the coaching. We could/should have won that game by 2-3 touchdowns. It should never have come down to the last drive.

- At the end of the 3rd quarter we had 23 runs and 24 pass attempts. We were averaging 2.2 ypc at that point. We had 323 passing yards to 53 rushing yards at that point. To have that ratio of rushes to passes, with those results, with the game in the balance, is absolutely inexcusable

- I disagreed not going for it on 4th and inches late in the 4th up 14, but I understand why it was done. What’s inexcusable is to punt the ball with 20 seconds left on the play clock. Absolutely no reason to do that.

- Squib kicking it with 43 seconds left in the first half while OSU has 3 timeouts left. Bitched execution led to the kick going OB, but even if it hadn’t, that is way too much time when the opponent has 3 TOs to be squibbing. We gifted them 3 points.

- After OSU’s last TD, we absolutely have to play for a first down and even a couple. It doesn’t really matter if we make them use their TOs there. They’ll still get the ball back with 2 minutes which is plenty of time to score a TD. We needed to play that series to get first downs, not get them to use their TOs. We didn’t do that and they predictably ended up with plenty of time to match and score. Luckily the D held on 4th down.

Poor game management led to this being a 7 point win instead (and almost blew it) of a 14-21 point win.
I don't disagree on most of your points (though I think it's extreme to say those points are enough that the players won in spite of the coaching), but the bolded stat is incorrect.

There were 24 pass completions at the end of the third. There were 34 pass attempts, for a passing rate of about 60%. For some context, that passing rate (59.65%, to be exact), would've been 9th highest in all of FBS last year (source).
 

SolarGarlic

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The D took a huge step back today IMO. I don’t think that OSU is as good as anyone else we will face this season. Our passing game is good but the running game makes it tougher…Rocco reminds me of Purdy a little in the passing game but he hasn’t shown the ability to make tacklers miss and get that extra few yards on the ground…
We're down at LB and DE. I thought the lanky freshmen DEs added an element that we're not getting from Peterson, although I though he was better this week. Bacon should be starting at LB. Gundy's been a thorn in Heacock's side for years. They were really effective at baiting our outside contain to crash too early. We weren't disciplined at all out there, which is out of character. Our blitzes are still lacking. It was a little better today. Luckily Bowman is a bum. I'm not too worried about the D, but I was hoping for more from the young LBs this season.
 

t-noah

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What we learned…
1. opening up the passing game is a good thing.
2. OSU is really bad
3. Our running game still stinks.
4. OSU is really bad
5. our punter crashed back to earth when we needed some big punts.
6. OSU is really bad
7. There are at least 1-2 more teams we can beat this season.
finally…OSU is really bad.
You forgot something! And OSU is...

But what is going on with them to drop to this level in just 1-2 years? Are they not participating in NIL, players out of sync with Gundy, poor recruiting, back to the NIL?
 
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t-noah

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-offensive playcalling had some nice creativity today. a big step in the right direction. There were still some frustrating first and second down runs into piles, but the playcalling and game plan was a big improvement.

-75 Neal is just atrocious in run blocking. The whole line is bad but he is terrible in there. He looks lost and is slooowwww.

-Rocco is really good. OSU sucks, but I'm looking at the first 4 starts as a whole.
1) He sees the whole field (This is where he's a massive improvement from Dekkers)
2) He avoids pressure
3) He rarely makes a poor decision/forces a ball
4) He is incredibly accurate.
We can win with Rocco in the BXII.
Agree on 75. To think he is the best we have at such an important LT position. At this point they need to consider benching him. Anyone should be better. Play a soph or freshman. No loss. He is slow, out of position often and more porous than a sieve.
 
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t-noah

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BS

You’ve been watching too many years of guys being marginalized by this staff

There’s enough talent to have success against most Big 12 defenses if the staff isn’t incompetent
I tend to agree. The defense does it routinely. That should tell you something.

Create a scheme where the offense can be successful. That is largely on the coaches/coach. They were able to do that today, play around their deficiencies, and let some of their playmakers make plays in space. Rocco's great play helps a bunch. Don't contain him.

They just have to continue doing this in creative ways without run game support.
 

907CY

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This was the best game I have seen us play in about two years; at least the last part of the game was. Before that, we had three runs and a third-down prayer pass going. I thought Rocco looked calm and in charge during the final part of the game.
I am looking forward to the Oklahoma game. Miracles do happen now and then. 2-10 and working on it.
 

HouClone

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-run blocking horrible
-too many runs called
-Neal needs to be benched
-Mike Rose and Jake Knott eligibility are up but our LBs need to do better in pass defense
-Rocco was great
-Good to see more creativity. The flea flicker was a nice bonus but runner could have sold it better
-Noel and Jackson were great
-Nice bounce back game from Contreraz
 

stewart092284

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Happy with the win, and glad we threw the ball! I still don’t know how D1 scholarship players can be so bad at run blocking. It’s honestly perplexing
Yes and no. They're not great but they are also hand cuffed by a simplistic scheme. Like we essentially have 1-2 run plays that we run often, the QB never keeps the ball and we bring numbers into the box when we try to run - thinking we can out number people. The problem there is that you also bring more defenders into the box.

What'd I'd love to see is go trips or even just 2x2 and spread, then try to run without all the H's and TE's bringing extra LB's and safeties into the box. Make it a 6 man box instead of 7-8.

Also, I know Rocco is young and Kohl is younger. But if we're going to run zone the way we do, the QB run has got to be part of then game because essentially, that's how you slow down the backside crasher and remove a hat from the box. Right now, defensives have zero respect for the QB run, rightly so, and so in theory, are gaining a defender they would otherwise lose.


Yes, the OL is not going to win awards for its run blocking. That much is brutally clear. But we are also not helping them. So its a weak unit thats being put in tough situation and we see the results.

Honestly from the view point of the stands / couch I'd go

1) Sanders because of his vision and ability to pop one
2) Hansen - yeah, 2.5 isn't great but honestly his first two runs were good vision
3) Sama / Norton


I like Norton but he just seems to barrel into people like the proverbial bull in a china shop.



Also, I'd have to imagine Neal is benched as soon as Remsburg is available.
 

SCarolinaCy

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As I’ve thought about the game two things keep bothering me…
1. Purchase was really chewed up today. That was a surprise.
2. what was with the slide at the end of the game by Sanders? He Created a much tougher 3rd down (and maybe even could have picked up a 1st with some effort) by sliding well before contact.
Yes, he needs more football sense. Coach told him not to run out of bounds, at any cost.
 

SCarolinaCy

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Random thoughts.

- Rocco was good.
- Noel held onto passes, made plays, and made smart decisions on returns.
- Eli Sanders has the best vision of all our backs. Made a great cut on one of his bigger gains and self-created the TD run when the line formed a pile. I think he should start.
- We didn't pass it enough but when we did the route trees were better. Utilized the middle of the field a bit more.
- Heacock was too vanilla on defense as we gave Bowman too much time. Fortunately he wasn't very good.
- Gerry Vaughn was brutal. Blindly crashed into blockers, gave up contain on the TD run, and doesn't use his hands when taking on blocks. And the penalties.
- Special teams were good.
- Campbell's game management was still atrocious (as illustrated by another poster).
- OSUs secondary was hilariously bad.
- We beat an FBS and Big 12 opponent.
Liked Noel's punt returns. Often overlooked is the importance, of not muffing. The one where he ran up and full speed late in the game, maybe saving 20 yds of roll.