College football is back, and we're so glad to be back here at Big
Ten Paradigm on the College Gridiron Coast to Coast Network. I'm Mark Rogers.
You can find me on a regular basis every day at the Voice of College
Football on YouTube. We've got channels representing the Big Ten at Ohio State,
Michigan, Nebraska, and Iowa, and weekly live shows representing all those teams.
Here on the College Gridiron Coast to Coast Network. You can join us
throughout the season each week talking Big Ten football. We last left you with
the thought that the Big Ten Conference was oh so close to being the very
best conference in all of college football. We've not been able to have that
discussion best conference in such a long time, probably too long for most of
you to even remember, or you weren't even watching college football. You were
probably crawling on the floor somewhere at home the last time that there was a
conversation of this type. The SEC has ruled the sport for a long long
time since the mid two thousands. But Ohio State, oh so close against
Georgia, Michigan, oh so close against TCU. Just think about how close
we came to an all Big Ten National Championship game. But the climb starts
again here in Week one, and it may involve another Big Ten member becoming
a member of that elite group of teams across America. We're talking about Penn
State. Penn State playing the only Power five opponent in week one. Is
we take you through what I would consider basically a nondescript Week one in the
Big Ten. Nothing was really learned about this conference. We can't really take
too much from it. But oh we've got a Week two coming. Penn
State is both of West Virginia rather in businesslike fashion. They led thirty one
seven, they pulled away. Drew Aller looked sharp to the point where he
was Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and certainly took that step way in
advance of Kyle McCord of Ohio State in regards to Big Ten five star quarterbacks
who are starting for the first time now. Drew Aller with more experience coming
into this season, having played more meaningful snaps against good opponents last season.
But Penn State delivers a statement at home against State decent will be kind West
Virginia team that's expected to win something close to what they did last year going
five and seven, so not a huge win for the Big Ten. Needed
to win that game. Penn State at twenty one point favorite covered the spread.
Actually on the final play of the game. I think James Franklin was
a bit annoyed that Neil Brown called a time out. Therefore he said,
you know what, let's punch it in and cover points. Perdue lost the
Fresno State. This was probably the most entertaining game of Week one in the
Big Ten, in the debut of Ryan Walters on the sideline and Hudson Card
at quarterback. Hudson Card played well. He's a much different quarterback than what
we saw last year with Eightan O'Connell and Ryan Walters. I believe is going
to be a much different head coach. Certainly his track record at his resume
much different than Jeff Brohm. He's a defensive minded guy, going to lean
more heavily on the run. Hudson Card, a running, dual thread quarterback
who threatens the defense on the ground, very much fits the Ryan Walters style
and it was working well. After a second half kickoff went the distance for
the Boilers, Boiler up twenty eight seventeen, but the Boilers blew it and
lost this one in a shootout. Forty two thirty nine Perdue goes on the
road in the Power five, and we'll get to the Week two match ups.
Luke Altmeyer, another first time Big Ten starter, the Old Miss transfer,
pulled out a fourth and long play on the final drive for the line
I to escape a game Toledo team. So Illinois staves off the upset and
defeats Toledo to start the season. Now the line I have a major test
on the road in Week two in conference play. Nebraska very much looked like
Scott Frost was still on the sidelines, blowing a touchdown lead with two minutes
left, fumbling on the final drive in which they could have put the game
away. Jeff Simms looked awful, the Georgia Tech transfer who was never an
elite quarterback. There never really a good quarterback there, but with better personnel
around him, with personnel around him that could match up better against the defenses
that he faces in the Big Ten, even though they're better defenses in the
Big Ten by and large than the ACC better coaching, there was hope that
Jeff Simms could be a better quarterback. He had a rough time at Georgia
Tech, and he had an especially rough time on this night against Minnesota's defense,
throwing three costly interceptions. And so Nebraska continues to trend under Scott Frost.
That moves into the Matt rule era. Let's not blame rule yet.
Cultures and habits are tough to change, and that Smatt rules first and foremost
priority to bring a winning culture to the Nebraska football team. Let's also understand
the Huskers were a seven point favorite on the road taking on the Minnesota team
that won nine games to pass two seasons, so a difficult place to play.
Minnesota tough, defensively, tough minded. Ethan kalki manis, of course,
first time starting quarterback at Minnesota, although he played extensively in relief of
tan Or Morgan last year. Ugly, ugly, Big ten Western Division game,
Minnesota win. It's a key game in the division. On the final
play of the game, thirteen to ten, Red Curs over Northwestern twenty four
to seven, and pretty much what we expected. I picked this game at
twenty four to nine. This one played the script. Northwestern could do nothing
on offense. Rud Curs offense was workman like. We'll give him that confidence
boost, Gavin Wimsad at quarterback and Red Curs just such a more advanced team.
And we can't say that for rud Curse on Red Curs behalf against anybody
else in the Big Ten, but against Northwestern this could be an indication of
what is to come for the Wildcats in a rough, rough supposed season.
Here d Curs wins at twenty four to seven at home on a Sunday in
the Big Ten on CBS. Ohio State over Indiana twenty three to three.
And how many teams get bassed for winning conference games on the road by three
scores. Well, Ohio State looked bad on offense for the most part,
couldn't run the ball consistently, Colemcord, couldn't find plays downfield. Marvin Harrison
and ameca Abuca, two of the best wide receivers in college football, only
five nondescript, non impactful receptions for a total of thirty six yards. More
to come on the Ohio State Buckeye situation, but the Buckeyes do win the
opener twenty three to three. The games are getting bigger and better in the
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Big and Big twenty think Smarter Ticket Smarter. Plenty of intriguing matchups in Week
two in the Big Ten as Wisconsin travels out to Pullman, Washington to take
on Wazoo. The Badgers were a big seventeen point favorite at home against the
Cougars. In twenty twenty two but red zone and turnover issues did in the
Badgers. They lost this one seventeen to fourteen. Tanner Mordecai, of course,
the new quarterback in a new offense with a new offensive coordinator in Phil
Longo, looked okay through thirty one passes. People had wondered the entire offseason.
Will this Wisconsin team be completely new on offense, speed and space,
throwing the ball all over the field air raid or would they be the old
Wisconsin big offensive line, big running backs pounded between the tackles. Well,
they are going to be both. Luke Fickle is too smart to try to
transition this roster and transition this offense immediately, so they're still going to rely
on what they do well and what their personnel is equipped to do, and
that's Braylan Allen and Chess Molusy pounding away for three hundred and fifteen yards to
lead this rushing attack to a thirty eight seventeen win over Buffalo. So expect
the concepts to develop in the passing game. There to be more passing as
there was in Week one, but still this team will win running the football,
and it's going to be an interesting test at Wazoo because Wisconsin's a better
football team. They're more physically talented and stronger football team. Six point favorite
at Wazoo, but a difficult place to play in Pullman, and they've got
the revenge factor if you believe in that. Purdue goes to Virginia Tech.
Of course, the Boilers again coming off of forty two thirty nine loss to
Fresno State. Virginia Tech won its opener against the old Dominion. Ryan Walter's
team looked good outside of the mistakes, really could move the ball against Fresno
State and make big plays. The defense has to get much better as they
go to Blacksburg, one of the more difficult places to play in all of
college football. Iowa goes to Iowa State in the Battle of the Psyhawk as
a four point favorite. Hawkeyes lost this game as a favorite last year at
home ten to seven, and in true Iowa fashion, scored its only touchdown
off an interception brought back inside the red zone. Kay McNamara, of course,
making his Hawkeye debut, looked really good in the first quarter, leading
two quick touchdown drives, and this team will rely on McNamara a running game,
of course, with Caleb Johnson only running for about three yards per carry,
so couldn't move the Utah State defense in a ten point win twenty four
to fourteen. Now, Luke, Lasche and Eric all provide the best tight
end duo in the conference, and Iowa will rely on the tight end.
Big surprise there again, it's Iowa. Iowa State Cyclones coming off a win
over Northern Iowa as a seven point favorite, won that game thirty to nine,
only produced two hundred and fifty yards of total offense. Doesn't bode wealth
to them moving the ball and scoring against against this Iowa defense. The over
under is thirty six. Here's part of our discussion with Corey Brata from The
Hawkeye of the Storm and lead by Stevenson from Widewright Natty Light earlier this week
on Hawkeyes Live. The facts are that both offenses did suck last year.
That's a fact. Okay, Well, you can find data that proves that.
However, nobody's gonna argue with that. Yes, However, let's also
look at the facts that Iowa upgraded at quarterback. Okay, they kind of.
I mean, he got three quarters of one right now, he's pretty
hurt. He played Kirk today just ruled out QBI sneaks and bootlegs, which
is like, what I mean, that's that's what he was. And what
are you guys gonna call him third down now that you can't QB sneak.
He was asked about it specifically, and how do you so just because he
says that, I know, but I think that's sort I mean, he
looked he played like he was hurt. He looked I thought he looked hurt.
I mean he was. He's nursing a quad. I don't think he
He's not a guy who's gonna run away his field anyways. Anyways, I
will got a better QB, no doubt. No, I'm not only say
comparing. I'm just saying the fact of the matter is Iowa State lost their
QB and they're debuting. We're not sure that's a bad thing. Just it
may not be. It may not be, but they certainly didn't bring in
a guy like Kid McNamara with his resume. They didn't. Not the Kid
mcmara is some elite guy who's gonna be drafted tie. But I'm just saying
in general, sure I didn't. I was playing experience. Yeah, yeah,
Iowa lost their best offensive player in Sam Laporta. But they arguably did
not take a hit in that category at all because they have no pun intended
Eric All and Luke Lache. You could argue they didn't really take a step
back at receiver at all, even though they were bad last year. They
they I think they anything. They upgraded it based purely on availability and health.
And then I look over at the other side of Ia State and you
know, I was States lost. They're running back their quarterback they've lost,
isn't Remsburg is out right, he'll be back mid season. But he's out
for this. Yeah he's not playing Saturday. Yeah, he's out Saturday.
So I'm just saying, in general, I understand where you're coming from.
The offenses have sucked, but there is reason for Iowa fans to think that,
despite Brian Farrens's shortcomings, that it could be a decent enough offense.
And I'm not talking about top fifty offense. I'm talking like top eighty.
Yeah, both teams are right now are striving to have a acceptable offense.
That's that's the fight. So you're you're correct. So Iowa, Iowa has
probably more knowns on offense, is maybe the best way I would describe it.
You guys, Kay McNamara has a fairly known quantity. He's not gonna
win your games. He's gonna manage it and he's gonna he's gonna be just
fine doing that. Eric All seems to be a pretty good tight end.
We'll see. And then Caleb Johnson has he's he's talented, but he's not
really producing right now. So we're gonna we'll see what happens with that.
But you know, so there's but I would say Rocco's played one game.
He looked fine, he looked he looks plenty of solid playing one game,
but we haven't seen a ton out of him. We saw Cartavious Norton Abu
Sama take some carries and he looked really good. But they haven't taken a
lot of carries. And we saw a couple we called saw a couple of
young tight ends take you know, make some really nice plays. Well they
haven't. You know, they've only caught a couple passes of peach uh Bramer
only caught one coup, a one thirty six yard pass, you know,
So there's just not a lot there. The in my assessment that's obviously biased,
but like I would argue that when pieces start coming together, I would
sate ceiling it is probably still higher than I would just based on the talent
on the roster and the athleticism on the roster, because I would say it's
roster is like the offense is pretty consistently more athletic just I was as more.
I was usually a little bit stronger, and it does things a little
bit different. But you know, the talent on the roster, for I
would state lens to a potentially higher ceiling. It's just that there's more volatility.
It's just less likely to reach that ceiling, just because it's really really
young. There's a new offensive coordinator, there's a new offensive line coach,
there's a new They've re arranged basically everything except the tight ends room essentially,
so there's there's a lot more volatility, but there's a higher ceiling. So
it's it's tough. It's really hard to evaluate what Iowa State's offense actually is
because they in the limited snaps they took on Saturday, they looked fine.
They weren't great, but they weren't terrible by any stretch. And but it
was against an FCIS n FCS team a good FCS team, but an FCS
team. So but again, we don't know that they're good FCS. We
we don't know, I mean the program, we don't. They're they're generally
a good program, like they're they're they're in the A tier of the FCS.
And I'm not saying that to take a shout out. I say,
I think they are probably probably going to be a good FCS programs you usually
are. But I'd also say the same thing about Utah State. We people
assume that they're just going to be crap, and that I was, you
know, when scoring twenty four on it they might be good. We do
We don't think they got a chance being pretty good. They one eleven games
two years ago. We'll find out, Yeah, well we'll find out.
There's I mean we yeah, there were literally enough in the season where we're
doing a lot of projecting just based on the talent that's on the roster,
what we know, the few things we do know about the teams where you
really have to take make a lot of assumptions just because we're this early in
this season. But you know, like I said, I think I was
floor is probably higher on offense because just generally speaking, their offensive line place
typically more solid. They've probably they've got a more experienced quarterback, and they've
got a more established running background, like they know who they're given the ball
to. How did the Iowa State tackles look? Uh, you're like the
offensive tackles. Yeah, Like the offensive line was they were fine. They
weren't like, they weren't, you know, world shattering or anything like that.
I think they were fine. What I saw was a lot of good
body positioning, they were Like, the technique wise, they were good.
I think they were. They had some it seemed like they had some stuff
that they were still kind of trying to sort out from as far as assignments
to go and stuff like that. But I think a lot of it was
a lot of stuff that I think we'll get cleaned up week one to week
two with some game film. But the what I saw last week was some
good foundational pieces. If that make like, if that's met me make sense
for Remember, they're they're they're kind of their their technique is good. They're
they're trying to make sure that everyone's always in the right spot type of thing.
So it's it's a work in progress. Well, leave you know I
love you, but I just don't see how I was state consistently is going
to be able to move to football against I mean I could say the same
thing about Iowa, though, I mean I would say. One thing we
did learn on Saturday is that I would say it secondary might be better than
we thought it was. It was, it was unbelievably good. Yeah,
I'm I'm thinking we're going to see a score like either twenty eighteen or twenty
nineteen. Nobody's scoring twenty in this game. No way this is gonna do.
This is gonna be a this is gonna be a hor No, no,
no, no, no, no. Last year, No, the
year twenty eighteen o eighteen was thirteen to three, right, yeah three h
I think I'll say I'll say a score at touchdown, but like and then
in I think any more like last year, like a ten seven, thirteen
seven type of thing. Twenty nineteen was eighteen to seventeen something in that neighborhood.
Yeah, I agree, And I the reason I say, in an
awful game, I have not been this confident, Mark, even though I
love you, know, I high on Phil Parker, always been high in
Phil Parker's defenses. Who wouldn't do. Yeah. The reason why I I
struggled to a for CEO scenario in which i State scores like like leave,
I said, you know twenty or more is I look at what Nevada or
from Nevada Utah State was able to do. And I'm talking about spreading them
out. How is Iowa State going to spread Iowa out? They are loading
up tight ends, which which they see in and I was defense season in
practice every single day, they're loading them up on tight ends. They have
not shown any ability to get the ball down the field. They've got a
quarterback with a I was strongest position on the field. Is that defensive line.
You got a quarterback. Couple couple of things here. I don't think
they they They chucked it down field a few different times. And actually Rocco's
only two incompletions came on like fifty yard bombs that were about six inches passed
the receiver's hands. I mean they were they were they were trying to stretch.
I was defense out because the way you beat I was secondary age and
make them you make them defend deep. And they connected with the tight end
on the thirty six on a thirty six yard passed. They were this close
to connecting on a couple other fifty yard bombs. I mean they were,
they were they were pushing the ball down the field more than definitely more than
when Tom Manning was offensive coordinator, and just more than we've seen them in
general. And I think part of the part of the kind of the hate
I hate the word at the phrase X factor, but it's kind of an
important thing about here too, is I would say, does have a new
offensive coordinator, and they didn't show a lot last week. One thing we
did see a few things that are different. The thirty six yard passive Ben
Bramer came on a play action from under center actually, which is a one.
It's easier to do play action from under center because it's just more of
a run tell. So it's it just looks better as a play action to
the defense more likely to bite on it as a defensive player. And we
just saw we I think we saw some more creative passing schemes, but everything
was super super vanilla because one because it was a thousand degrees outside, so
nobody was doing anything. But too just there's a lot of there's a lot
there's part of the unknown of this team is what the scheme looks like,
the xos and nose of it too. And right now Kirk has like almost
no almost no film on what the new offensive coordinator frywa State is trying to
do. So that's that's an important thing here too, is I mean,
they've got the athletes to spread Eyle out. One of the new guys I
think is going to get more snaps on Saturday is Bennyigoya. He's from Nebraski's
six four and he has a clocked time as a true freshman as a four
four flat at six four at the forty inch vertical. He's an unbelievable athlete
and he's he's right now. He's probably more of just a vertical threat right
now. But that's a guy that if you want to try to really make
eye will defend deep, you can send him. You know, I agree
with you on that. I would State's chance in this game is going to
be attacking DeShawn Lee's side of the field because, like I said, and
I brought up twenty nineteen, that was the double pass and that was to
DJ Johnson's side of the field, and DJ Johnson hadn't played and was I
think in for Matt Hankins or Bojimudi or one of those guys in nineteen it
was out. So that's gonna hurt. The Jamara Harris thing is gonna hurt.
If Jamari Harris was playing Saturday healthy, I would probably give Iowa State
like a ten percent chance of winning. I probably bumped that up to like
twenty five percent. And this is that's a home game. And I'm not
trying to sound pompous, but I just I think I think you're probably over
valuing the stuff whatever we did see out of Iowa's offense last Saturday, and
under value I would say it's defense a little bit like I would says defense
as every bit as good as ilas it doesn't force us me turnovers as Iowa's,
but as far as just stopping offensive things, it's every bit as good
as Iowa's when which is a compent to both because both were like top five
defenses last year. I mean, right now, the home of defense in
college football is the State of Iowa. Good. Iowa State's defense is every
bit as good as I was defense, no question, no question, no
question, yeah, no question. I would say it's got the better secondary,
the linebackers are probably a push. And then and then the then the
Iowa defensive line is probably maybe a little bit better in a minute, wait
a minute, a minute better secondary. And then what'd you say after that?
The linebackers are probably a push. Linebackers are a push. And then
I would say I was probably maybe an I will slight Iowa lean on the
defensive line. I mean nobody. I don't think either team is particularly far
ahead at any position, especially especially not on defense. I would say,
just a little bit more heavy in the secondary, and I was, it's
a little bit more heavy upfront. That's part of this is we're just going
to be we're I mean, we're, we're, we're splitting hairs at this
point. We're also just saying our opinions of what we think, you know,
because we have none of this has been proven yet. But I have
a hard time thinking that I would State's d line line is very good,
dude. So okay, here here's the staff for you on last week against
you and against you and I. But actually they were extremely good on offense
last year and they have a very good quarterback in ther Day. But last
week against you and I, they forced on they forced havoc on thirty two
percent of plays, which is a tackle for loss, a sack, pass
break, up, interception on thirty two percent of plays. They did something
crazy like that's that's not nothing. I mean, that's they were. They
were generating a ton of pressure out of a three man front, and they
had the linebackers were getting in. Miles Purchase had a sack. You two
interceptions out of a state out of a sophomore safety. I mean, obviously
it is easier to generate pressure when you know your opponent is gonna throw the
football because they're behind. Obviously we recognize that, right So you and I
was sax. A lot of sax came in the first half though, Okay,
oh so yeah, that could be true. I'm just saying I always
got a lot more known commodities on the defensive line and depth than and I'm
not I'm not gonna I'm not gonna concede the death point non commodities. I'll
come see depth. I won't concede though, you won't can see depth,
No, I see. We played thirty five guts last week and twenty seven
recorded. It's that I would say, it is like that's their thing.
Undep. I'm talking about they played thirty seven guys on defense. Yes,
okay, yes they did well. First of all, it's a big difference
playing guys and I'm actually playing and meaningful snaps. So how many of those
guys were actually playing when the game was in doubt? I think, Look,
I'd break it down and play by play. I mean, but twenty
seven of them recorded as stat And actually one thing, one thing that's of
note here too is that Iowa State is not terrible on special teams. For
once they recorded, you know, they had one hundred and seventy four all
purpose you know of non offensive yards yet last weekend, which is big because
that's one place that I would say has lost big time the last well Matt
campbell Ara basically is getting pounded on special teams where they just keep losing the
field position bad and they have to make it up on offense. They had
two punt returns yesterday and they averaged thirty yards of return on two punt returns,
and they had had a couple of decent kick returns and obviously had the
two interceptions. Iowa State did a good job and actually trying to create yards
in special teams last week and they're they're trying to do it, which is
great. That put them in good field position. The actually the second punt
return set up a fifty five yard made field goal from Chase Contreras. So
that's a special team's point if that's that is a classic Iowa three points right.
There is a long point return into a fifty five yard field goal to
close the half. If there's ever a more classic Kirk Fern's way to score,
I don't know what it is. My favorite game of the week might
be Illinois at Kansas. I've been talking this game up the entire off season
as an under the radar non conference game to watch on a Friday night.
Jaitlyn Daniels in question as quarterback at Kansas, has been cleared to start one
of the most exciting players in all of college football. Jason Bean is his
backup and former starting quarterback and a really good starting quarterback in his own right,
but Jaylen Daniels just brings a completely dimension, different dimension to the offense
as a dynamic player. Devin Neil, one of the best running backs in
the Big Twelve, faces and presents a challenge to the Illinois defense. Great
defensive line front. Of course, for the LINNI in front seven, they
lose their players in the secondary and that showed up at times against Toledo as
the line I almost didn't come back to get the victory. Intriguing matchup the
LINI a bit of an underdog at Kansas on Friday night, and the game
that everyone's talking about because of Colorado and Dion Sanders Buffs hosting Nebraska corn Huskers
coming off that game we outlined against Minnesota four point dog at Colorado. So
the preseason offseason lines for this game were Nebraska as a fairly substantial favorite from
anywhere from four to nine points, but because of Nebraska looking lethargic and pitiful
on offense against Minnesota and Colorado coming out with that surprising when at TCU as
a three touchdown underdog. If you did not see that game. Travis Hunter
might be the most skilled and just flat out the most dynamic and player in
college football. He played one hundred and forty one snaps. Can he keep
that up? Probably not long term, but can he duplicate that with the
help of what's going to be a raucous crowd. So normally I might think
there would be a letdown in this position. Colorado comes out. They were
geared up to play on the road, nationally televised Fox, Big noon kickoff
at TCU, playing a team that went to the National championship game last season.
So they get the win, They're sky high. They come down the
next week, typical trap letdown game. However, did you see the spring
game at Colorado? And now this team is won a game coming off one
and eleven Dion Sanders and all that promise. Sixty eight new transfer players,
eighty eight total players new to this program. That crowd, that atmosphere is
going to enter gized this football team. Styles of play is going to come
into motion. Here. We've got Nebraska. They want to limit the number
of plays. They want to take the air out of the football, squeeze
the clock, rely on the Big Ugly's Anthony Grant and Gabe Irvin at running
back. Irvin looked good against Minnesota. Grant had the fumble that probably cost
them the game on the final drive of the game. Facing hitter Sanders,
who was remarkable in his Buffalo's debut, setting the school's all time passing record
with five hundred and ten yards. You've got Horn and Weaver at wide receiver.
In addition to Hunter, they had four receivers at clips one hundred yards,
including the back out of the backfield, Dylan Edwards. Ty Robinson will
miss the first half. On defense for Nebraska pass rush that was better than
we've seen in five or six years. But again Robinson, because of a
targeting foul, is going to miss the first half of this game. We
sat down with Justin Adams postgame hosted The Voice of College Football to discuss Nebraska
Colorado. The major issue, the timing of the turnover became the storyline,
and I think that's what's sustracting a lot of people from the overall play of
the game and stuff like that. But the turnovers, we're pretty bad sims.
You know, his interceptions were terrible. And then Grants, the timing
of Anthony Grants, and then the question that it raised as to why Anthony
Grants in the game there when he's had fumbling issues all of all camp.
And then so that stuck out in our mind, and that stuck out in
a lot of people's mind when trying to assess how the game went. And
I think all of our focus came down to that. Just the timing of
that turnover and it's it's it's it's all emotion. And when they asked Rule
about it, he said that he was playing the best in that play all
throughout, you know, camp, and every time they would run it he
was doing he was having the most success. So they're they're even detailing down
to you know, which players having more success on the play, which to
me, I like that takeaway more than I'm concerned about the takeaway of the
timing of the turnover. It but it is this eight hundred pound gorilla on
our back that the national conversation won't let off of us until we start,
you know, pulling off a couple of these close wins, and not only
that, but having a couple maybe come from behind or somewhere we have to
make a big play, you know, to end a game into one score
game in the fourth quarter. Yeah, like I said, just kind of
takes away from the actual storylines of the game justin I think part of this
is that some people can't look at the context of the situation. So you've
got a camp of people that think, as soon as a head coach takes
over a program, every thing that's happened in the past is dismissed. It's
a fresh news start. Nothing transfers to their program. And then there are
other people that think that this culture, this whatever it is, just kind
of stays and neither to me is true. You know, it lies somewhere
in the middle. It's a process. Matt Rules taken over a program,
and he's taken over a lot of players that are used to losing games.
That doesn't mean they're bad players. That doesn't mean they're bad people. That
doesn't mean that they haven't worked hard, but they need to be taught how
to win. Now does he snap his fingers and get that done? Well,
he came very close to doing it against a good opponent that usually wins
eight or nine games and is at home. So you know, people aren't
really enamored with thirteen to ten because it was an ugly game, but they
did take in the moral wins. I know you're not into I'm not into
and so forth, but you have to understand there has to be a process
and progress made. And so there's a little bit of both. This is
Matt Rules program. It is a new program, but he's dealing with players
that mostly played under Scott Frost and he's trying to instill a different level of
attention to detail, poise, execution, confidence, all those things, very
much to your point of how it's how it's half and half, okay,
Scott Frost. You know with those players, they have built these bad habits,
the players that have been with him for years. These it's almost like
coaching bad habits and the players. And I can use kind of coach boxing,
so I can use kind of a boxing example here, But it's if
you come in and you have a background and some other striking let's say muytai
where your stance is a little different and stuff like that, it's going to
be harder to unbreak those bad habits so you can learn the proper good habits.
So when you're coming in from a program that has built up a ton
of bad habits, it's going to take even longer, and it's going to
be much harder to coach those things out of those guys, especially when it's
been coached over them for four or five years. And then finally, our
look at the Big Ten here on Big Ten paradigm on College Gridiron coast to
coast focuses on Ohio State and Youngstown State, Okay, not going to be
a game, yes, but it's all about the quarterback position. In the
offensive line at Ohio State, Kyle McCord looked hesitant, made some poor reads,
some bad decisions, didn't look convicted throwing the football downfield, didn't look
confident throwing the ball down field. Devin Brown was supposed to be given meaningful
snaps, but the Buckeyes didn't pull away until late into the third quarter,
so Devin Brown only really had one series, didn't throw a pass until late
in the ball game, the last ninety seconds. So Ohio State in the
quarterback situation that has to be figured out and has to be developed because the
Buckeyes were lying the passing game. They've got the best swide receiver room in
all of college football. They always throw it, throw it well, throw
it as well as anyone, and they need that component. We discussed it
on this week's Buckeye Live with Steve Hellwagon, Kevin Noon, and Tony Gerdeman.
Yeah. I think it was a tough day obviously for Ohio State offensively,
and that began with comm accord at quarterback twenty of thirty three. He
made some good throws he missed on some other throws and some other reads and
just kind of an up and down day and where Ryan Day had hoped to
get Devin Brown into the game as well. The way the game was going,
where it was seven to three late in the first half, Indiana made
a just an amazingly galactically stupid decision to go for it on fourth down with
about a minute and a half to go, instead of putting the ball inside
the ten yard line and going into halftime trailing seven to three, they gave
Ohio State good field position. The Buckeyes went down and kicked the field goalds
ten to three. But the Buckeyes really didn't put this game away until late
the third quarter early fourth quarter, and so it was a fourth quarter game.
The plan to rotate quarterbacks was scuttled because Ryan Day was simply just trying
to get out of Indiana with more points than Indiana. Indiana had one of
the worst offenses that we're going to see, and I made this comment on
our radio show this morning. The defense played out standing, but let's don't
crown them just yet, like we tried to crown them last year after they
rolled through the murderers row of notating Rutger's Northwestern Iowa, Indiana, who none
of which could get a first down, and you thought we've got something with
this defense. The defense actually looked and felt a lot better. The offense,
back to the initial question, did not look and feel a lot better.
It was three steps backward from what we've seen Ohio State put on the
field in recent years under Ryan Day. Some of that was Kyle McCord.
A lot of that was the offensive line running game that was just stop and
start all day long, and a lot of reasons, a lot of things
that go into this. So it's back to the drawing board. I think
for Ohio State offensively, as they go into Week two against Youngstown State,
a team you know that they should beat. The two previous times they played,
it was thirty eight to six, forty three to nothing. So figure
it's going to be in that realm, so to speak, and High State's
got to get back to being a little bit more consistent on offense and show
that they're competent. I think competence would be a first a good first step
for the d State offense. Dare a dream. You know what what Kyle
McCord did. I'm just looking at I jotted down his the distance the ball
traveled through the air on all thirty three of his passes, and in the
first half he only had two passes that went only had like two or three
passes that went beyond ten yards until the final drive, the final minute when
they're throwing, you know, trying to throw into the end zone there,
and so it was a lot of short passing for him. He got more
courageous and more adventurous in the second half, but twenty of his I think
twenty of his thirty three throws were under ten yards through the air, and
so that gives you an idea of the I think one the lack of time
he had to throw at times, perhaps just the lack of patience first start,
since twenty twenty one, we know Ohio State runs a lot of slowed
developing routes, long developing routes because they like to go downfield, so you
have to stay in there and you have to wait for it. And you
know, he was doing a lot of short passes, like eleven of us
thirty three passes where four yards are under or under four yards, so that
they're they're going to throw some short stuff with the screen. But then in
the second half he got You saw him going down field more and he was
I believe ten of sixteen for one hundred and forty five yards in the second
half, not including the Marvin Harrison touchdown they got removed, so he was
more comfortable in the second half. I think Ryan Day needs to get more
comfortable with him in terms of the play calling, and I think everybody needs
to get more comfortable with the offensive line, including the offensive line. And
I think it was disappointing that Matt Jones and Donovia Jackson neither one of those
two guys graded out a champion. Those are veterans, they are returning starters.
They should have played better than they did. So you know, we
could talk about and we will talk about Josh Simmons, But the fact that
those two guys were weren't able to get any kind of push or enough push
or create enough holes for the running backs. I think that's it's not concerning
yet because as Ryan Day said, everything is fixable, but that is that
was surprising that they weren't able to be more forceful. But it only takes
one week link in the offensive line to kind of screw everything. But I'll
stop there. I'll let Kevin talk and then eventually we'll start talking about the
defense again. Yeah, sorry, I'm late. I did a software update
and I was logged out of everything, so I was trying to find passwords
to get here and get on the show. At risk of repeating things that
both Steve and Tony said, It's kind of a bit of a chicken or
egg situation. Is it a case that Ryan Day is not comfortable with Kyle
McCord to call certain plays? Is that a case of Kyle McCord is not
comfortable with Ryan Day or the offense to make certain passes. I think everybody
probably was not very comfortable with the overall performance of the offensive line. You
have quite you know, honestly, the top two receivers in the nation and
Marvin Harrison Junior and Ameca Buca and you get what five total receptions there?
I know Marv was targeted eight times. I mean, obviously he had the
one play where he was sort of kind of forced out of bounds but didn't
fight hard enough to get back in or whatever that was that took a touchdown
off the board. First starts, our first starts, and we can sit
there and look back to Akron in twenty twenty one and say, well,
kamacord has already played a game. Well, yes and no. So I
went back and I looked at some numbers of quarterbacks in there in their first
start, and you know, we're not too far out of line. And
generally from game one to game two, we're seeing about a sixty eight percent
increase in completion percentages. So if we take that in the middle, suddenly
Kyle McCord is a sixty seven percent completion rate, which is still a little
south of the seventy that Ryan Day would like to have his quarterbacks at,
but I mean is certainly better. There were a lot of things that needed
to be addressed in that game. But the good news is, to steal
a line from somebody who spent some time in Columbus, the best part of
being one and ozero is the opportunity to go to and Oh and ask Plympton
what it's like to play a conference game on the road, and you know
you're gonna you're gonna get a very different tone coming out of that sleepy little
town in South Carolina. Thanks for joining us right here in the Big Ten
Paradigm, our first edition for twenty twenty three, right here on the College
Gridiron Coast to Coast Network joined College Gridiron Coast to Coast for podcasts covering the
landscape of college football, and of course, join us every day at the
Voice of College Football. We'll see you next week. Enjoy the games.