Request for OSU UFR. Willing to donate.

Submitted by Rafiki on December 1st, 2019 at 8:34 AM

Would really like a UFR of yesterday’s game. I know the tradition is to not do one cus BPONE but I think some analysis would help readers of the blog. It would help me and I’m sure I’m not alone. I know it wouldn’t be pleasant to make (and probably not read at points) but understanding what happened once people aren’t emotional would help. This blog gives great analysis which helps frame losses. Well the past 4 years we’ve gotten no analysis to explain the biggest and most important loss and that probably doesn’t help ppl think rationally. 

A UFR would also give indications about players and the team next year. I know ppl are tired of “next year” but unless you win the NC at some point every team’s season become about “next season.” 

If it takes some donations to get them to do it I’m in. 

Everything below is kind of snowflakey so ignore it if you want. Or read it, downvote me and yell at me about a shitty post or that this should’ve been a snowflake. First post so I’ll take my lumps. 


 

Re Brown: Id like to see if the problem this year was schematic or based on players. He’s been good but he does deserve scrutiny and analysis of this game would give insight. Getting rid of him could hurt recruiting especially in the transfer portal era but if a UFR shows he’s been really bad then it may be time. (Hate lose DHill to the transfer portal cus Brown left and it would look bad after deciding not to promote Mattison.) I suspect Mettelus and Hudson would be sore spots on this years UFR and possibly ones from past years. Maybe getting rid of them alone will make a difference. Mistakes by them accounted for at least 21 osu points. 
 

And that I think goes to one of Browns biggest issues: his rotations. We saw no Josh Ross yesterday. Last year Gil rotated with Ross despite being noticeably worse. Hudson and Mettelus have 4 star back ups but we haven’t seen them this season. Even in big wins they were out there late. I wonder if this drives recruits away once they’re here (Myles Sims Keith Washington and other DBs. Solomon too maybe? But he had issues before he was on campus) and doesn’t give young guys experience. It also means that when they play poorly in big games there is nobody with game experience to replace them or at least spot them for some plays so they can be coached up or pressure them to improve or stay sitting. Loyalty to seniors is good to a point and at BC Brown may not have had a choice. But this isn’t BC talent wise. 

mGrowOld

December 1st, 2019 at 8:39 AM ^

Just follow @jdue51 on twitter.  Right now he's posting replays and analysis on WTF happened yesterday and he's the guy Brian posts on his Monday wrap up.

You're not getting an OSU UFR.  Sorry.

I should add though i completely agree with your questions and would love to know the answers too.  I think it might be time to move on from Brown too.  

jdib

December 1st, 2019 at 8:41 AM ^

I don't think much analysis was needed to know most of the battle was won in the trenches.  Their O-line created huge gaps to wear down our undersized D for Dobbins to run through and allowed them short pass dump-offs and homerun pass plays.  You can see how many big plays they had.  We also had some big plays that exploited their nickelback situation when Wade was out for them.  Bottom line was simply we shot ourselves in the foot too many times with turnovers and unforced errors like the jumping offsides on the punt that would have stalled their drive but instead they ended up getting a TD. This game was a shoot out and they hardly squandered their drives as much as we did.  

Blue_Bull_Run

December 1st, 2019 at 8:46 AM ^

Pretty much this. OP is is pain (like all of us) and thinks that the UFR can provide logic to why we lost, and presumably, he further thinks that once he understands the logic, he can begin to renew his hope for next year. 

OSU beat us in the trenches and no scheme was going to overcome that.

Then again, if his donation is big enough, this site might be able to handle gameday traffic. Plus, maybe its time to break tradition! 

M-GO-Beek

December 1st, 2019 at 8:58 AM ^

Hinton got a ton of run yesterday.  Would be good to know if that was "earned" or if maybe there was an injury that kept others off the field.  I don't think I saw Dwumfor even once, but very much could have just missed him.  Regardless, would be interesting to know how Hinton graded out. Saw one nice play in the backfield, but also thought I saw him get washed out...a lot.

MJ14

December 1st, 2019 at 9:34 AM ^

Hinton played well. Lot to look forward to next year. But yes there were a few times those guards got a good hold of him. Not surprising as he is a freshman and usually guards that are seasoned and good talents will get the best of them. But you can see Hinton has game and he made some plays. 

WWTSD

December 1st, 2019 at 10:32 AM ^

So that play was something I figured would be mentioned alot here and watching it live it looked real late.

But, per the guy above @jdue51 has a lot of plays on his feed and this is one.  I watched  it over and over and the snap came just a hair after the clock hit zero.

Considering it is one officials job to watch the clock and when it hits zero look down to see if the ball was snapped, he would not have seen a delay of game because  of the slight delay in looking down at the snap.   He would have seen the ball in motion.

scfanblue

December 1st, 2019 at 8:58 AM ^

Don Brown needs to retire. The game has left him and he is too stubborn to realize it. He plays the wrong players and has very little rotation. The very conception that a freshman cannot play over a Senior is 1980’s bullshit and frankly our head coach fosters the same thing. Gattis had a great plan yesterday that scored 27 points and possibly more without the miscues against the best defense in college football. There are NO excuses on defense. In two games against Ohio State, Don Brown has schemed his way to 1,114 yards and 118 points. My hope is that Gattis doesn’t leave. 

Rafiki

December 1st, 2019 at 9:11 AM ^

These aren’t the teams RR or Hoke were playing. 3 of the osu teams Harbaugh has faced have had 2 of osu’s all time rushers. These have been some of the best osu teams of all time. 
 

Re Brown: it’s not just freshmen he refuses to rotate. The players behind Mettelus and Hudson aren’t only freshmen. 

LickReach

December 1st, 2019 at 9:40 AM ^

what about just plain discipline?  Why are captains trying to untie shoes in the middle of the most important game of their lives?  Why are there sweatshirts with a former coach printed?  Wtf is Cam knowingly committing that penalty?  I love the idea of fostering identity but maybe we need a taskmaster like that shithead who left us for Maryland.  

Another thing is these student athletes probably would not benefit from more coaching turnover.  

AreYouNew

December 1st, 2019 at 9:21 AM ^

Your best bet is asking Seth, Ace or a poster like Space Coyote to do it. Brian is arrogant, ungrateful and emotionally unstable. He'd have no qualms about taking your donation and continuing to half-ass his work.

Swayze Howell Sheen

December 1st, 2019 at 9:41 AM ^

Username kind of checks out.

Of all the stupid things said in the fallout after a loss, saying that Brian is "arrogant, ungrateful and emotionally unstable" is pretty dumb.

The guy writes hundreds of thousands of words each year on UM football, and is probably one of the most intelligent commentators on sports there is. We are lucky to have him. 

AreYouNew

December 1st, 2019 at 9:34 AM ^

No, the Bahamas tournament guaranteed you will be getting plenty of basketball content from Mr. Cook this winter. If it was a team struggling for a tournament bid, he would be ignoring them.

MJ14

December 1st, 2019 at 9:56 AM ^

I wrote out a long message but it didn’t save. Basically beat in the trenches and they exploited JM, who is a good safety, with average coverage skills. OSU has elite receivers that most teams don’t have so they’re able to exploit JMs coverage skills with quick skill position guys. 
 

Michigan was in a zone on one of the plays that JM got beat on. Michigan has recruited guys like Mazi, Hinton, and Hill to fix the issues they have on the line and secondary. But unfortunately they just weren’t ready yet to go against an established elite team. OSU is a team that you have to play almost perfect to beat. Or get momentum going your way. 
 

I know people point out Iowa and Purdue beating  them, but they don’t get OSUs best effort and again momentum is huge in college football. Michigan will always gets OSUs best game plan and effort. It’s just the way it is. The scheme wasn’t terrible but OSU knows how to hit weaknesses.

MJ14

December 1st, 2019 at 11:53 AM ^

You are only the 100,000 person to point that out. Literally not even Alabama’s defensive coordinator, when they were running with the best defense in the history of college football, made every stop. It’s not bad scheme to call a bad play. If you don’t understand the difference, I can see why you’re so mad. Scheme vs play calling one defensive play that didn’t work is not the same thing. It was not a good choice. You can go to every game in the history of football and find a badly called play for every team in every game. So thank you for pointing out the blitz on 2nd and forever. You and literally 90% of the fan base. 

BlueMan80

December 1st, 2019 at 10:23 AM ^

Brian needs to do a UFR as part of our "break the curse" movement.  Until one fully confronts their problems, they will never heal.  We need to see the stark naked truth about how OSU exploited our defensive weaknesses, yet again.

kevin holt

December 1st, 2019 at 10:54 AM ^

Agreed. I thought last year it might happen since the UFR got a sponsor. It would definitely help and would allow for full-season UFR stats. I think he might actually do it this year TBH; he was much less optimistic about our chances so maybe it doesn't hurt as much (it does)