This game wasn't about coaching...

[VaNtyLion]

A few things were noticeable in the 2nd half but the biggest was what the losses of Bates and Buccholtz did to an already distinct edge OSU held in the trenches on both sides.

W/out Bates, the nice gains in the middle of the line went out the window. W/out Buchholz, the pass rush took a severe hit.

It's easy to say the staff got conservative but when you're having issues running the ball, blocking a ferocious pass rush and generating a pass rush of your own, your options are pretty limited. Team played their asses off but seemed apparent the extra legs from bye week were taking over in the 4th quarter too. Our guys looked pretty gassed.


OSU got a flawless performance from their 5th year senior QB, at home, after a bye week....and won by a single point. This loss stings but looking at both rosters on paper and seeing what we were able to do and what position we were in, I have a hard time seeing coaching and gameplan being a problem here. We are pretty well primed to play on this level for the long term, so not going anywhere.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

A few things were noticeable in the 2nd half but the biggest was what the losses of Bates and Buccholtz did to an already distinct edge OSU held in the trenches on both sides.

W/out Bates, the nice gains in the middle of the line went out the window. W/out Buchholz, the pass rush took a severe hit.

It's easy to say the staff got conservative but when you're having issues running the ball, blocking a ferocious pass rush and generating a pass rush of your own, your options are pretty limited. Team played their asses off but seemed apparent the extra legs from bye week were taking over in the 4th quarter too. Our guys looked pretty gassed.


OSU got a flawless performance from their 5th year senior QB, at home, after a bye week....and won by a single point. This loss stings but looking at both rosters on paper and seeing what we were able to do and what position we were in, I have a hard time seeing coaching and gameplan being a problem here. We are pretty well primed to play on this level for the long term, so not going anywhere.

 

[Victor E. Bell]

Penn State was outcoached, outplayed, and outmanned which is almost always the case against OSU. I would love to read a synopsis where this changes in the next 4 or 5 years.

 

[4INSBU]

I have bridge to sell you. All on coaches. Coached poorly.

 

[VaNtyLion]

Is the argument we should have been passing more? I can somewhat see that argument there but moreso in hindsight. I was screaming to milk the clock as the 4th was moving on...and replay showed the pass rush and press coverage really was not leaving a lot of open receivers.

On the D side, lack of a pass rush means everything. W/out Buchholz, Miller drew double team and our freshman trio of Simmons/Toney/Matos were having a hard go of things. Corners had their worst game in 2 years but still have to give a nod to Barrett for how he played.

 

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

A few things were noticeable in the 2nd half but the biggest was what the losses of Bates and Buccholtz did to an already distinct edge OSU held in the trenches on both sides.

W/out Bates, the nice gains in the middle of the line went out the window. W/out Buchholz, the pass rush took a severe hit.

It's easy to say the staff got conservative but when you're having issues running the ball, blocking a ferocious pass rush and generating a pass rush of your own, your options are pretty limited. Team played their asses off but seemed apparent the extra legs from bye week were taking over in the 4th quarter too. Our guys looked pretty gassed.


OSU got a flawless performance from their 5th year senior QB, at home, after a bye week....and won by a single point. This loss stings but looking at both rosters on paper and seeing what we were able to do and what position we were in, I have a hard time seeing coaching and gameplan being a problem here. We are pretty well primed to play on this level for the long term, so not going anywhere.

So, when you options are limited, you solution is to limit them further. Hmmm

 

[Nashville Lion]

To me their defensive line just took over...combine that with some bad playcalling in the last 5 mins and here we are....7-1!!!

 

[Player2BNamedL8r]

A few things were noticeable in the 2nd half but the biggest was what the losses of Bates and Buccholtz did to an already distinct edge OSU held in the trenches on both sides.

W/out Bates, the nice gains in the middle of the line went out the window. W/out Buchholz, the pass rush took a severe hit.

It's easy to say the staff got conservative but when you're having issues running the ball, blocking a ferocious pass rush and generating a pass rush of your own, your options are pretty limited. Team played their asses off but seemed apparent the extra legs from bye week were taking over in the 4th quarter too. Our guys looked pretty gassed.


OSU got a flawless performance from their 5th year senior QB, at home, after a bye week....and won by a single point. This loss stings but looking at both rosters on paper and seeing what we were able to do and what position we were in, I have a hard time seeing coaching and gameplan being a problem here. We are pretty well primed to play on this level for the long term, so not going anywhere.

Couldn't agree more. We don't like to admit it, but they're better than us. We have a lot of top end talent, but they have more of it...only so much scheming could overcome that. We're still trending up...with top 5 classes coming in, we'll win games like this in the not too distant future.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

To me their defensive line just took over...combine that with some bad playcalling in the last 5 mins and here we are....7-1!!!

Michigan by all accounts had as good or better defense than Ohio State. Not forcing Barrett to move at all for the most part in the second half was our undoing. We sat back and let him pick us apart. That's on the coaches.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Couldn't agree more. We don't like to admit it, but they're better than us. We have a lot of top end talent, but they have more of it...only so much scheming could overcome that. We're still trending up...with top 5 classes coming in, we'll win games like this in the not too distant future.

So how does Iowa State beat Oklahoma? Talent only gets you so far. Ask Brady Hoke or Jimbo Fisher.

 

[Lyons212]

Couldn't agree more. We don't like to admit it, but they're better than us. We have a lot of top end talent, but they have more of it...only so much scheming could overcome that. We're still trending up...with top 5 classes coming in, we'll win games like this in the not too distant future.

Exactly right, the overall talent level of the team needs to improve. Our 4th and 5th year seniors come from mediocre recruiting classes. Some of those guys have far exceeded expectations. Facing Ohio State, they are a team with top 5 recruiting classes every year, we are almost there.

Shame that we could not hold on, the blocked punt really hurt. Go back to 2012, we would all be ecstatic with the results of the last 2 seasons. Need to keep some perspective.

 

[ILLINOISLION]

Respectfully, unless you’re playing Kansas, it’s ALWAYS about the coaching.

It’s how you adjust to the game of injuries, of momentum, of good vs bad calls, a game of chess.

 

[Player2BNamedL8r]

So how does Iowa State beat Oklahoma? Talent only gets you so far. Ask Brady Hoke or Jimbo Fisher.

Fair point, and yes this one will sting for a while. How did we beat tosu last year? They're a great team that took a wild 4th quarter comeback to beat us by 1 point. Sucks for sure, but leaps and bounds better than any team we took into Columbus in a LONG time.

 

[MacNit07]

Michigan by all accounts had as good or better defense than Ohio State. Not forcing Barrett to move at all for the most part in the second half was our undoing. We sat back and let him pick us apart. That's on the coaches.

In case you didn't notice, when we blitzed in second half, they picked it up (fairly easily) and Barrett beat us

 

[LurkerLazarus]

Most of it was about coaching.

 

[robmontour]

Plain and simple you could see OSU wanted it more. You could see it in the body language on both sides of the ball after halftime. Two different speeches. I have seen it as a coach myself. It happens. Sucks but it happens.

 

[artsandletters]

No running game. Not complicated.

 

[MacNit07]

Most of it was about coaching.

When you are a 6.5 underdog on the road against probably the second most talented team in the country and your lose by 1 point with multiple chances to close out the game, I would say its about good coaching (on the balance)

 

[Player2BNamedL8r]

Most of it was about coaching.

Disagree...not saying it was a perfectly called game, but execution had a lot to do with it.

 

[VaNtyLion]

Respectfully, unless you’re playing Kansas, it’s ALWAYS about the coaching.

It’s how you adjust to the game of injuries, of momentum, of good vs bad calls, a game of chess.

Not all chess pieces are made equal though. OSU's edge in the trenches basically gives them a couple of extra queens on the board in a game like this with arguably our best two linemen out. Not like coaching can flip a switch, make an adjustment and everything is fine.

At home, the OL may have been able to settle more. On the road where you can't communicate as well? It's an issue...even w/out OSU's DL pinning its ears back

 

[ILLINOISLION]

Not all chess pieces are made equal though. OSU's edge in the trenches basically gives them a couple of extra queens on the board in a game like this with arguably our best two linemen out.

Unfortunately we were playing like we were playing checkers, not chess.

 

[Victor E. Bell]

When you are a 6.5 underdog on the road against probably the second most talented team in the country and your lose by 1 point with multiple chances to close out the game, I would say its about good coaching (on the balance)

Good then I expect a decisive win next year over OSU.

 

[doctornick]

It's certainly reasonable that "better" coaching could have led us to victory -- it was, after all, only a 1 point game which means a play here or there could have made all the difference. There's rational constructive criticism to be had.

But it's kinda silly to say that we were the victims of poor coaching or that they don't know what they were doing. Just the fact that were were in a position to win despite the talent disparity (especially in depth where some injuries really hurt us) and being underdogs suggests that the coaches did something right.

 

[basic blues]

Disagree...not saying it was a perfectly called game, but execution had a lot to do with it.

Execution may have cost us some plays early in the game but we still had an 11 pt lead and the ball with only 6+ minutes to go when our coaches shut it down. Those decisions were coaching decisions and they cost us th game....had nothing to do with execution at that point.

 

[LurkerLazarus]

Our coaches just got scared, the later it got in the game. Anybody could see it, including Ohio State.

 

[AWS1022]

Michigan by all accounts had as good or better defense than Ohio State. Not forcing Barrett to move at all for the most part in the second half was our undoing. We sat back and let him pick us apart. That's on the coaches.

Not being able to get off a block and giving Barrett an hour and a half to throw is not on the coaches, it's on the players. When we blitzed, it got picked up. I'm not sure why always blaming the coaches makes people feel better, but it most because it happens every time the team plays a close game or loses. Coaches don't forget how to coach from week to week. There are so many more factors going on in every game week to week, that to just blame it on coaches is simple minded.

 

[AWS1022]

Execution may have cost us some plays early in the game but we still had an 11 pt lead and the ball with only 6+ minutes to go when our coaches shut it down. Those decisions were coaching decisions and they cost us th game....had nothing to do with execution at that point.

Over throwing passes and dropping passes is not the coaches shutting it down. OLine man blocking air is not coaching. It's called players not making plays.

 

[Victor E. Bell]

Penn State turned them over how many times, plus got a gift special teams TD on the first play of the game. No excuses. If you would have told me that was going to happen I would have bet the farm on PSU. We don't have the horses to compete with OSU, pure and simple. Barrett was composing a manuscript in the pocket all night. Injuries or no. Some teams still make it happen on defense. We did not.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

In case you didn't notice, when we blitzed in second half, they picked it up (fairly easily) and Barrett beat us

I think the point of a blitz is to bring more men than they can block. If they're able to block six, you bring seven. And so on. And then force them to beat you in the air. If they did that, then yes, I didn't notice.

 

[LurkerLazarus]

What they changed when it was first and goal late in the game, was about coaching. Nothing else. They turned it up a notch to get there, and then inexplicably they dialed it back down and settled for the field goal. That's coaching.

 

[lockhavenlion3]

A few things were noticeable in the 2nd half but the biggest was what the losses of Bates and Buccholtz did to an already distinct edge OSU held in the trenches on both sides.

W/out Bates, the nice gains in the middle of the line went out the window. W/out Buchholz, the pass rush took a severe hit.

It's easy to say the staff got conservative but when you're having issues running the ball, blocking a ferocious pass rush and generating a pass rush of your own, your options are pretty limited. Team played their asses off but seemed apparent the extra legs from bye week were taking over in the 4th quarter too. Our guys looked pretty gassed.


OSU got a flawless performance from their 5th year senior QB, at home, after a bye week....and won by a single point. This loss stings but looking at both rosters on paper and seeing what we were able to do and what position we were in, I have a hard time seeing coaching and gameplan being a problem here. We are pretty well primed to play on this level for the long term, so not going anywhere.

injuries are excuses. it was all about coaching. miserable offensive approach in second half, and no defensive adjustments at half. running the rpo every down set on first down was a wasted down. throw the ball before everyone in the stadium knows you have to.
rose bowl redux.

 

[MacNit07]

Good then I expect a decisive win next year over OSU.

Then you are being unreasonable if you think you can mail order decisive wins over O$U. But we will have a great chance to win on our home field - that is for sure!

 

[Player2BNamedL8r]

Execution may have cost us some plays early in the game but we still had an 11 pt lead and the ball with only 6+ minutes to go when our coaches shut it down. Those decisions were coaching decisions and they cost us th game....had nothing to do with execution at that point.

But those coaching decisions were being made in part due to a lack of execution, esp up front. When Blacknall was tackled at the 6, I was thinking we'd settle for a FG...the way our OL was playing, we needed to score from a big play because we weren't going to drive their front 7 on a short field.

 

[Victor E. Bell]

Then you are being unreasonable if you think you can mail order decisive wins over O$U. But we will have a great chance to win on our home field - that is for sure!

OK.

 

[Player2BNamedL8r]

What they changed when it was first and goal late in the game, was about coaching. Nothing else. They turned it up a notch to get there, and then inexplicably they dialed it back down and settled for the field goal. That's coaching.

Because we didn't have the horses to beat them on a short field...they were better than us when we needed 6 yards than when we could spread them out.

 

[LurkerLazarus]

Nope, disagree. You think your blocking is suspect, and you try that stupid RPO at that point? Not working. Didn't work. It fooled nobody all night. Do something different. Bring Stevens in. Try the wildcat. If you can't block them, then you need to fool them. We didn't even try.

 

[ILLINOISLION]

Because we didn't have the horses to beat them on a short field...they were better than us when we needed 6 yards than when we could spread them out.

Come back with the play that McSorley scored on earlier in the game.....take the snap, follow Barkley to the corner. Run it three times in a row if you have to. Snap directly to Barkley and let him sweep it.

ANYTHING but a slow developing up the middle play.

 

[SharkBuck]

When the other team is at home, has better players, is coming off a bye, you suffer key injuries, and you come within one of winning, the coaches have done a good job.

 

[Lion8286]

Penn State was outcoached, outplayed, and outmanned which is almost always the case against OSU. I would love to read a synopsis where this changes in the next 4 or 5 years.

You're still a clown. My synopsis is that will never change.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

When the other team is at home, has better players, is coming off a bye, you suffer key injuries, and you come within one of winning, the coaches have done a good job.

When you have the best RB, QB, and TE in the conference, you shouldn't have to play for three points inside the 10. Good game though bruh.