Well each situation looks a little different so it’s not systemic, it’s random. Stuff happens.

He's annoyingly practical when it comes to non-conference games. If he doesn't think they can win the game, he'll shut it down. He's probably right to do it, but as a fan it can be frustrating to watch the Louisville or Kentucky games or not use timeouts on Saturday when one wacky play and you're right back in it.

He does play the percentages, though, and his teams do tend to finish strong, so who am I to question it.

Now that's a different take. I had to read it twice, because I'm so used to reading things like "We ran the ball twice. A more aggressive coaching staff would have tried to throw it".

I don't think it was just a matter of showing up. I think that with Rourke having a strep throat, that limited the play calling somewhat. If he's not 100%, you aren't going to call his number much (QB draws, options, etc). On the whole he played fine, but he didn't have that extra special mode that makes him a special QB, no escapes, no making great things out of nothing, and the result was that the offense just looked vanilla.

The defense played hard, and played much better in the second half. They need to continue to improve, and I think that by the end of the year they won't be giving up many points at all.

Aggressive in regard of taking a 4 down approach rather than one low probability toss into the end zone and settling for an easy FG with an extra set of downs potentially in front them.

I completely understand this feeling. Ohio's games can be very frustrating because we are just about there but dont get it done.

Pitt was very good especially on defense but this is another one we let get away. We have to find a way to start winning these. There are really no more moral victories here if Ohio is going to move to the next level.

When I watched the Pitt game for the second time, its a game we could have won but didnt, despite the sacks by Pitt or the general offensive ineffectiveness. What happens in the power 5 games we play close but lose is we fail to execute. In the first half, we had a ton of plays where the right offense or defense was called, where most Ohio players did their assignments, but there is an execution failure which just kills us.

In the first qtr, Pitt is driving but we drop an interception at the goal line. Pitt gets a FG. With Pitt backed up to its own one yard line, we call a play with a nice stunt, coverage holds, and we miss a tackle in the endzone for a safety: Ohio -2 points.

We didnt get the safety but we did get Pitt to punt and now we have great field position. Of course, a 20+ yard return is brought back by a hold but that wasnt the only issue. We start driving down the field and throw an 8 yard pass to an open Ohio WR but it is thrown too high-incomplete. We move in field goal range, just inside the Pitt 30. In a rare mis-execution of the read-option, the ball is pulled instead of handed off: Pitt clearly had the QB covered on the end of the line. The running back would have minimum gotten back to the LOS but likely a 5-7 yard gain. Instead, the QB is tackled for a 4 yard loss. Next play, false start. now we are out of fg range. Next play, ball is overthrown. Punt instead of FG attempt.

No one can say what would have happened with the momentum of the game if Ohio stops a drive in the redzone by interception, gets a safety, then scores a make-able FG or touchdown in the first quarter?

Later in the game, QB drops a perfect pass to an open WR in the endzone and it is dropped. we settle for three instead of seven.

Between the missed int, the missed tackle for safety, errors which took us out of FG range, and the 3 instead of 7 due to the dropped pass in the endzone, we are talking about a 12 point swing in Ohio's favor right there. At least a 9 point swing because the FG was not a gimme.

And this is with a QB who clearly was not himself.

It's always something...but in the end, it's pretty much one thing. We don't have the depth to hang with P5 schools. We might have the first string to hang with them, but if we're down a player or two, it becomes quite a large task. On Saturday, it was our most important cog that caused us to struggle. If our stud QB can't play to the top of his ability, we are out of luck. Good news is that it was against non-conference and hopefully he can mend before the games that matter take place.

Iowa State has a 1 for 1 with Ohio. They put 60k in the stands but are traditionally a lower tier P5. Virginia Tech was a 2 for 1 with Ohio but we bought it out. Boise State got Florida State to do a 1 for 1 but that remote school has 37,000 seats. I don't think its reasonable to expect a 1 for 1 in Athens but a 2 for 1 with a mid tier P5 is the dream.

Quit? Sorry, that's bull's shite.

The buyouts were the work of Kirby Hocutt. Ohio I can tell you has way more revenue than prior to Frank though it has tapered off the last couple of years. Ticket prices are triple than pre Frank and there was no OBC. The buyouts were more about Hocutt wanting his stamp on the program and Solich wanting to ease up the schedule than money. As it stands the money games we have now paying out around 750k including travel costs and the 400k-500k we are paying FCS schools its break even. Go the 2 for 1 route and its one payday of 750k then an even exchange of money for the final 2 games.

I hate to tell you, but every play snapped from the 3 has Endzone coverage. Every single play. So your complaint is invalid based solely on your lack of knowledge

The 2:1 is like a 1:1 + payday game. The paydays don't come with the big 1.5 million payouts but they do come with some money. The bigger school makes out by not having to write two payday checks but only 1. For the scheduling of the 2 for 1 it can be done many years in advance in a way where it can work within the home-away structure of the OOC schedule.

Alabama and South Florida have a 2 for 1.

2023 @USF (Alabama paid $400,000)
2024 @Alabama (USF paid $400,000)
2026 @Alabama (USF paid $1,000,000)

https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/2019/06/how-alabamas-2...