OSU v. Iowa: OSU Offensive Review

The Iowa victory was a classic example of Tressel ball.  Not in the sense of an over-reliance upon the I-formation run game--OSU made a conscious choice to largely eschew it.  Instead, to me, Tresselball means that when the going gets tight, Tressel narrows down the playbook to what he believes his team can successfully execute and gives his team the best chance to win.  In the second half, OSU used a few simple plays, featuring an extensive amount of bootleg and rollout passing sprinkled with the drop back and spread-option run game.  Despite the numerous mistakes throughout the game in execution, this mixture provided a Jim Tressel led OSU team the opportunity to win (again).  In the process, it leaves little doubt that this is a Terrelle Pryor-centric offense and he is the guy the coaches are going to rely upon even more heavily when the offense needs to make plays.

The Ohio State and Iowa 2-Step

The Ohio State game plan was clearly to force Iowa to spread their linebackers in space.  The OSU play-calling largely moved away from the under center I formation run-game. Boom Herron had 20 carries, but that stat is misleading.  Of his 20 carries, 10 were either on the last drive to end the game, or in short yardage or goal line situations.  This became more pronounced in the second half, where only 2 I formation run plays were not in such circumstances.

In its place,  the OSU game plan did a nice job attacking the Iowa defensive schemes, particularly their cover-2 coverage.  Indeed, many of the OSU miscues in the forms of drops and interceptions came because OSU had so successfully attacked the Iowa cover-2 safeties with hi/lo pressure that the safeties got themselves out of position jumping crossing routes , leaving the deep vertical routes open--the same open routes that OSU could not convert.

OSU featured a large percentage of 'open-I" sets, with 3 wide receivers.  Iowa responded by remaining in their 4-3 under, but simply walking their Sam backer out to the twins side.  This allowed to get OSU favorable match-ups both for running in the box and attacking in the pass game.

OSU generally only spread more from there, including numerous five-receiver sets.  The Iowa response, as expected, was simply to continue to spread further.   With five wide receivers, Iowa placed every linebacker outside the tackle box, essentially assuming their cover-2 drops pre-snap. 

The one wrinkle Iowa presented OSU was more cover-1 robber defense then you may expect.  This was particularly noticeable on third down, where Iowa in several cases caught OSU expecting cover-2.

Iowa also played an inverted cover-2 against OSU's favored I-twins formation.  In essence, the twins side corner and safety switched responsibilities, with the twins-side corner assuming deep half responsibility, and the safety over the slot playing the wide side flat.  This allowed Iowa to maintain seven in the box, cover up OSU's twins wide receivers, and roll the coverage to the twins side to defend plays such as the Dave roll out, while maintaining cover 2.  This, in all likelihood, is why OSU favored the 3 WR I formation sets.  By adding an extra receiver, OSU got to trade out both a linebacker and safety from the line of scrimmage, a favorable trade.

The OSU Vertical Stretch

I have previously discussed this year how OSU favors a horizontal stretch pass game that creates advantageous match-ups in the underneath zones.     With a cover-2, 5 under, it is harder to find such match-ups.  OSU thus turned to a different tactic , using vertical stretches to hi/lo the two deep safeties, with the goal to open crossing routes underneath the safeties who were pulled deep. 

By vertical stretch, I mean the goal is to put a defensive back--here a safety--threatened both underneath and deep, so that he is pulled in two directions and is wrong no matter what.  This was clearly the game plan. OSU built from three basic concepts:  the 'drive' shallow cross concept discussed previously;  a 'dig' concept, also known as the 'NCAA pass' (because it is so common) (see the vertical stretch a safety is placed in between no. 1 and 2),

and a three-vertical route where Sanzenbacher had the option to break the route off underneath the safeties.

OSU placed these basic concepts within 4 and 5 wide receiver packages.  This permitted OSU to send 2-vertical routes, and then bring the dig or drive combo underneath the dropping safeties.  Here below is the drive combo in such a package.

For example, here, OSU ran two deep verticals with Saine running a wheel route, opening up a deep dig route for Devier Posey.

Here was the drive route combo OSU repeatedly ran.

Unfortunately, OSU's vertical stretch plan worked almost too well.  Multiple times the 'vertical' run-off routes became open because the Iowa safeties jumped the crossing routes.  But when the opportunities presented themselves, OSU's secondary receivers either dropped passes or Pryor threw a late interception across his body.  The scheme was well designed; unfortunately the execution was sometimes lacking.

The Second Half:  Back to Basics

Perhaps because of this, OSU pulled back in the second half to a group of plays largely based around Terrelle Pryor's legs.  There are two ways to look at the second half play calling.  On the one hand, it seemed like a disjointed group of plays that were not so much related to each other but instead the handful that Tressel felt most comfortable that his team could execute.  The flip side is that this grab bag actually resulted into a nice run-pass balance predicated heavily on play-action.

OSU did not completely abandon the vertical stretch game they featured in the first half.  Instead, it became subservient to getting Terrelle Pryor out of the pocket running and passing.  OSU in particular featured the bootleg game.  OSU booted from both under center and shotgun, but their favorite second half play was just the quick boot off of the zone read fake where they got three levels on the flood route. 

OSU ran this play six times in the second half.  OSU also prominently used the speed option and fake speed option.  To me, this is the OSU coaching staff's ultimate fall back play with Pryor.  In multiple situations--including the 4th and 10 pickup--this was the play OSU went to.

The common theme between these plays is two fold.  First, it shrinks the field for Pryor, giving him easier reads right in front of him.  As DiHard on the Ohio State 'Ask the Insiders' Scout Board discussed, Pryor was inconsistent in his decision making in the advanced, vertical, first half attack.  This gave him easier reads and also safer passes to complete.  Second, it puts him in more of a run-pass option.  He was too hesitant to scramble in the first half, and this forced his hand.

From there, OSU sprinkled in their choice plays from both the shotgun and the I.  When dropping back, they continued to run the drive combo frequently.  This was helpful as Iowa often switched to man under cover-2 in the second half.

OSU also used their preferred run plays from both the I and shotgun, namely isolation from the former, and inverted veer and zone read, from the latter.  In the end, the mix of bootleg and play action passing from both the I and shotgun, mixed with their bread and butter run plays, was enough to make a second half difference.

The Terrelle Pryor Roadshow

I frankly have a difficult time giving a definitive read on this game. OSU again went away from running the offense through the I formation run game, which I previously thought increased OSU's chances of success.  However, it is difficult to argue this caused problems against Iowa.  OSU never truly attempted to base the game plan around this option, so its hard to to know the counter factual.  The OSU coaching staff may have correctly diagnosed that Iowa was far better against the run then the pass, so they wanted to attack Iowa through the air, particularly by pulling back Iowa's safeties and attacking Iowa's thin linebacker corps underneath.  I think this was conceptually correct and had a nice strategic design.

However, OSU had difficulty executing.  This is where OSU's lack of receiver depth hurt.  OSU's goal was to get Posey and Dane open on the crossing routes.  But Iowa of course knows this also.   So the Iowa safeties would jump these routes, leaving Corey Brown or Washington open vertically.  This did not result in big plays, however, only missed opportunities.  One benefit to the second half use of the flood route was the re-emergence of Stoneburner as part of the game plan.  It is a shame he has had the ankle issue all year, because he is a legitimate threat and should be a bigger part of the passing game over OSU's third and fourth options.

What is also clear by this point is when the chips are down, OSU is going to rely on Terrelle Pryor.  The coaching staff became more and more TP-centric as the game went on.  To be more specific, Tressel  & co. increasingly rely upon TP's legs in both the run and pass game.  This was the common theme that tied the second half play calling together.  It is hard to argue with this philosophy, as TP is the best play maker on offense.  He is the most talented player with the biggest upside.

The result, however, can be disjointed.  The disjointedness arises from Pryor's inconsistency.  TP can press--several times during the second half he made poor reads in the run game, or left passes to open receivers at their ankles.  However, TP also makes plays that others cannot make.  The 4th and 10 play is the most obvious example, but this happened throughout the game.  I thought Pryor did a far better job running north and south with authority against Iowa, which was crucial for keeping the chains moving.  When Pryor gets his legs going, it opens everything else up for him and the team, which is likely why the coaches continually want to put him in different positions to run, whether on called runs or pass plays.  Even if a few of those plays result in no yards, he is also a home run threat and once a defense has to contend with this threat they quickly get pulled out of position from everything else.  At this point in the season,  there is little doubt that this is Terrelle Pryor's offense, and everything is going to be based around him.