....Couldn't agree more. A quick glance at 48-3 and you would think this was a total domination.
But if you watched the game, you were probably grumbling "How the hell doesn't Ohio just blow these guys out ... they're awful" and for 2.5 quarters that's the way it felt.
Maybe that's just Ohio's style this year ... scuffle early ... wear teams out ... and land the knockout blows late.
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Think of it like the boxer, who goes to the body in the early rounds. Not much seems to be happening, but the other boxer is absorbing a lot of punishment, and eventually it shows.
Of all the Ohio games I've seen, this game was by far the most like the old Nebraska games when Solich was there with Osborne. The style in those days was to pound at teams, wear them down, run them side to side with options and reverses to tire them out. You would get a preview of what was to come in the late minutes of the 2d quarter, when the other team would start to run out of gas, but they would rest a bit during halftime. It wouldn't last long, though. Mid-way through the third quarter, the other team was done, and the end result was a total destruction.
That is exactly what Ohio did to Kent Saturday. In a very workmanlike performance, they wore Kent down, and put their best drive together late in the second quarter, though it ended with a field goal. Kent didn't recover much in the 3rd quarter, and Ohio just took them apart, scoring easily on four consecutive possessions until they put in the reserves.
[QUOTE=bshot44]...
But I agree ... I don't think Toledo will put up 3 points for 2.5 quarters. That has the potential to be a track meet. And if Ohio can't keep up, they might get left in the dust.
Yes, this strategy can get messed up if a team falls behind too quickly. The defense has to hold things together until the offense takes it's toll. Toledo should be a tired team, playing 3 games in 11 days, so I tend to think it will work on November 8, but it will be another matter altogether in the MACC, if Ohio faces them again. For that reason, I'd rather see Ohio face NIU.
Edit - Before someone jumps on me, no, I'm not saying this Ohio team is on the same level as those Osborne teams, only that they play with the same physical style.
Last Edited: 10/23/2017 3:00:31 PM by L.C.