I don't think he ever had big RB or FB at UF. He used Tebow and his TE/HB's as the big RB's. The RB's were smurfs, very fast smurfs for sure.
Good news is tht we are 2-0. Bad news is that we cannot continue to have Braxton Miller carry the entire offensive load. With Hyde being injured today, we have no extablished tailback. Jordon Hall should be back next week, but will be a bit rusty I am sure. Our improvement between week one and two was not evident today.
Much better opponent today. I see flashes of brilliance but still early and way too inconsistent. The offense will come along, tho Hyde's injury is a problem. Defense continues to confound....again too many blown coverages, missed assignments. That group should be much farther along.
Gators here would know better than me, but I think you can count on Miller continuing to be the focus of the offense. Can you name any great Gator RB's under Meyer? They mostly were little fast guys. Alex Smith was the focus at Utah, although I admit I don't remember enough about them with Meyer to say he didn't have any RB's to speak of that were taking a load.
Terry, Granted Urban did not have many punishing tailbacks. Our problem now is that we have three injured tailbacks and one brand new freshman! Miller simply can not carry the entire load rushing.
How are your wide receivers? Meyer has a way of using them to run the ball. Percy Harvin would have more running yards than most of our running backs.
Bill, it would be fair to say that we don't have any Percy Harvin's in this group....it is not one of our strengths.
BT or Don, do you know the status of Rod Smith, RB from Ft. Wayne? Is he one of your injured RBs? I saw him as a HS freshman and knew then that he would be D-1 material. Of course, staying healthy is necessary to make an impact.
Sid, The only thing I can add to Stu's reply is that Rod Smith has a tendecy to fumble the ball on occasion, a no no!
Sid, by all accounts Smith is a physical specimen and has all the tools to be successful....that said, he's had two new and completely different offenses to master and appears to be struggling with the change in systems. We need to him "get it" as he can be a difference maker especially if anybody goes down...
Thanks, guys. It happens all the time at all the elite programs. A HS phenom must adjust to the speed and mental and physical requirements of the college game to be successful. I like the comment in the article Stu cited, which said in essence that the running part is easy, and the rest - blocking, reading defenses, understanding passing routes, etc. - separates the starters from the reserves.
Today's game with Cal should see a number of balls in the air for California. Our secondary will be tested all day. Jordon Hall returns and Dunn should see more action due to Hyde's absence with an injury. The game probably will not match expectations for either team when scheduled originally, but that is often the case anyway. Game will be carried locally here on ABC. Go Bucks!
Interesting to see how our offense, sans Hyde, matches up with a very aggressive defense....they'll spend a fair amount of time in our backfield, but I expect alot of big plays as well.... Sid, the Indy kid Smith will get some xtra work today in Hyde's absence. We are very thin at RB and his primary competitor will be a true frosh, talented but raw. This is a big opportunity for him to show...I expect him to do well. If we don't do a better job pressuring the QB and maintaining discipline in coverage, we'll have our hands full....
That was an interesting game to watch, Cal looking undersized compared to Ohio St somehow managed to stay in the game. Meanwhile Ohio St. looking like men vs boys had some incredible hits on the Cal team but Cal would just jump back up again... Congrats Bucks
Thanks Ralph...I thought we had put them away early, but they were a tough bunch and made it much more interesting than I would have liked..... I continue to be underwhelmed by the defense....I thought they were going to be better than they have showed. Apparently we're just not very good. At some point you just gotta quit making excuses for'em. Much better pressure on the QB today, but poor tackling almost cost us the game. Offense continues to be a work in progress....flashes of brilliance followed by a complete train wreck. If we can get some consistent execution they can be explosive.... Sid, I couldn't have been more wrong about Smith and the frosh RB....neither played a snap. First game back for injured SR Jordan Hall I expected him to play no more than 30% of the downs.....he played 'em all. Guess he's OK, which is a good thing.
Never take any thing for granted! Cal played a good solid game but mistakes and penaltie hurt. We committed far more penalties that normal. Miller still having some problems adjusting to Meyer's offense and looked more comfortable when he was handling the ball more. As Buckeye Terry said, work in progeress. Defense looked steller at times, but terrible on tackling at other times. I will take the win and home for some solid improvemnt prio to mmeting Sparty the end of the month. Ralph, thanks for the congrats.
Good win for you Buckeyes. Cal gave you all you wanted, but you guys made the plays in the end. That fake into the line then the pass over the top by Miller is classic Tebow. Also on that last TD pass, having a QB like Miller forces the defense to worry about him breaking one and that safety bit when he shouldn't have and the WR walked it in after the easy toss.
I've never been one of the people who thinks Cal should fire Tedford, until now. That was a fun game. Ohio State is growing, they're a fun team to watch.