If you're like me, you're excited to see any kind of football this time of year. Unless you're following the XFL or USFL, mid-April is largely a "dead period" in terms of on the field action, so when I got a chance to head down to Columbus yesterday with friends, I was excited to see my first glimpse of the 2023 Ohio State football team!
The official attendance for yesterday was 75,422. Three quarters of the way full. It amazes me how many people come down to the Horseshoe for what's essentially a glorified practice between the offensive and defensive units with a modified scoring system. (Three points for every three and out forced by the defense, two for each sack, and a point each for forcing the offensive unit to punt).
There were definitely both good and bad things that I took from the spring game. The defense really seemed to be getting after it! Even though it was a practice, and they weren't allowed to sack either Kyle McCord, or Oregon State transfer Tristan Gebbia, that didn't cause anybody to slow down. They still brought the juice!
In terms of the quarterback battle, I wasn't overly impressed with either McCord or Gebbia, and highly touted recruit Devin Brown didn't play because of a finger injury. It was a mixed bag under center yesterday. McCord seemed more accurate than Gebbia, but Gebbia looked like he had a stronger arm and much better mobility, even though both need to work on their accuracy. Some Buckeye fans might be panicking about the state of the quarterback room right now, but I refuse to get overly excited or panicky until we have McCord, Gebbia and Brown all in the mix, and we're able to see what all three can bring to the table when they have a few more weeks of practice under their belt.
Nonetheless, there were a few solid catches, Marvin Harrison Jr. did Marvin Harrison Jr. things, and freshman Carnell Tate made a spectacular catch for one of the Scarlet team's touchdowns, even though the defense (Gray team) won 40-31.
Overall, as I expected, this team is definitely a work in progress. It's easy to forget that even though Ohio State is a very talented team the vast majority of the time, even the Buckeyes need to work out the kinks, iron out the issues, and sharpen up. The team I saw yesterday, and the team that will face Indiana at home on September 2nd to open the season will be markedly different. That's almost a guarantee. The three new offensive linemen will have more time to work together between now and then, and Devin Brown will return from his injury, and give us a clearer picture of who will start under center in 2023.
Aside from all that, let's take a look at what went well, and what could have gone better.
The Good
Energy was never a problem for either the offense or defense. Whenever someone got the chance to showcase what they could do, they weren't going half speed, even if it was a practice session. Energy and effort are two things that cannot be coached or taught. They can be brought out by the right motivation. But the right players already bring their best effort. Or they would not be playing for Ohio State.
I want to see more out of Carnell Tate though. I really liked him. If the kid continues to practice and play like he did yesterday, he may be in the receiver rotation with Marvin Harrison Jr., and Emeka Egbuka. I want to see if he's capable of being a true deep threat. A legitimate deep threat makes Ohio State's offense even more dangerous and explosive than it already is. And a deep threat wideout could be one of the missing pieces to a National Championship puzzle.
I remember several years back, when Devin Smith was Ohio State's go-to guy when it came to deep passes, and he could catch just about anything thrown his way. Whether that included beating the nation's fastest defensive backs, or getting behind the secondary for absolutely beautiful and spectacular catches, Devin Smith certainly led the receiving room for the 2014 Ohio State football team. And all that team did was knock off Alabama and Oregon to win the National Championship! Hopefully Tate can be this team's version of Devin Smith.
The Bad
The offensive line was definitely shaky yesterday. But that's to be expected when you're replacing three different starters who have the potential to be high NFL Draft picks. I expect the offensive line to be much improved by the time the season kicks off. But we must still be patient with them.
The only thing that really drove me crazy yesterday was the play calling. The check down and screen pass plays were called over. And over. And over again. Maybe Coach Day wanted to work on that play a lot. But I thought Ohio State should've let it fly. It's a practice, and not a high-pressure game situation like in the regular season or the College Football Playoff. There aren't any high stakes here. I would've liked to have seen them try to open up the offensive play calling a lot more.
But all in all, it was a fun day down in Columbus with friends, and I can't wait to see how Coach Day and his staff continue to grow, mold and shape this team, so they can truly compete at their absolute best, and chase the 2023 National Championship!
GO BUCKS!
Picture Credit: thespun.com
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