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Topic: Sprague injury

Topic: Sprague injury

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Robert Fox
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Sprague injury

Posted: 11/25/2015 10:56:52 AM

I wanted to hear the announcers make some comment about Sprague's injury, but got nothing. From the way he hit the ground, it looked to me like a possible concussion--really slammed his facemask into the turf.

Again we had multiple injuries last night: Sprague, J Johnson, Sebastian Smith?, Trent Smart, others?

L.C.
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/25/2015 11:07:53 AM

I agree that Sprague's injury looked like a concussion, so I knew he was done for the day. Hopefully he'll be back by the bowl, though. I liked the play call, just not the execution. Cope was a QB in high school, so I know he can throw the ball better than he did on that play.

As for other injuries last night, I know Jovon Johnson was hurt at one point, but came back, and Heitzman was also hurt I believe, and others that I thought I saw hurt at various points were Purdum, Cope, and Reid. It was a very hard hitting game on both sides. They get a lot of time off now to heal, though, before the bowl.

Go Bobcats!

Last Edited: 11/25/2015 11:15:48 AM by L.C.

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Mark Lembright '85
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/25/2015 11:28:07 AM

Not that it makes a huge difference but whomever Ohio plays in a bowl, Ohio will have at least 3-4 more days of rest. Unlike the vast majority of teams, Ohio's regular season is now over, so Ohio gets an extra couple days of rest (and enjoyment of Thanksgiving at home with their families). Again, it's not the biggest advantage in the world but an extra few days of rest for Ohio compared to its bowl opponent can do nothing but help.

Deciduous Forest Cat
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/25/2015 11:29:32 AM

I had no problem with the double reverse pass but I don't agree with sending sprague out of his comfort zone when we're already down one quarterback. Also disappointed in what it meant for the offense. I saw a QB who was really finding his groove - dude can't catch a break. Windham managed the game admirably but also seemed to be floating and telegraphing some passes that could have been picked. I think with Sprague in, we probably find the endzone twice more.

A-townBound
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/25/2015 11:29:43 AM

For what this is worth, I think he will be OK.

JD tweet - https://twitter.com/jdsprague3/status/669380753298481153

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Robert Fox
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/25/2015 11:45:58 AM

Deciduous Forest Cat wrote:

I think with Sprague in, we probably find the endzone twice more.

Agree with this too. I thought Sprague looked focused, accurate and FAST! Really hurt to seem him go down. But, Windham proved he's capable as well. Had a lot of poise, and seemed to provide leadership in the huddle.

Pataskala
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/25/2015 11:51:39 AM

I thought the wind blew the pass behind Sprague. We had the wind to our back and it was swirling a bit. The ball seemed to drift.

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Jeff McKinney
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/25/2015 12:27:26 PM

Windham did a good job.

We can't have it both ways. Posters want more diversity in offensive play calling so when it's done we can't complain if a player gets hurt, right?

ou1982
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/25/2015 8:07:33 PM

i thought the play calling was excellent. best since the bowl game for TT's final game. If that pass was on target, sprague walks in for a TD. i've complained for so long about horrible play calling, it was fun last night thinking we weren't always going OJUTM.

Mike Coleman
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/25/2015 11:05:37 PM

Looked to me a wrist injury on non throwing hand. He grabbed for his wrist when down.

L.C.
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/26/2015 12:06:46 AM

ou1982 wrote:

I'd agree that I have liked the play calling lately, a lot. It has seemed much more predictable, systematic, and focused lately, without the usual total randomness which sometimes make the offense seem disjointed and erratic, and makes drives hard to sustain. The plays called lately seem to make more sense, and set up other plays, and also seem to keep in mind the down and distance, with the result of more sustained drives, and better ball control.

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

bobcatsquared
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/26/2015 4:00:48 AM

Anyone notice how every offensive lineman came over to JD while he was on the turf at the end of that play? Thought that said a lot about how they felt about him.

Last Edited: 11/26/2015 4:01:44 AM by bobcatsquared

Monroe Slavin
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/26/2015 4:57:34 AM

Play-calling works a lot better when we start the right guy. Why AJ doesn't have 50-100% more carries than he has is a mystery. All he does is perform.

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Bcat2
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/26/2015 8:09:24 AM

Monroe Slavin wrote:

Play-calling works a lot better when we start the right guy. Why AJ doesn't have 50-100% more carries than he has is a mystery. All he does is perform.

The use of #45 is addressed in the most recent Messenger article. Also some tidbits about how impressive are his 140 yards and the team's over 200 rushing vs NIU.

http://www.athensmessenger.com/sports/ohiouniversity/bobc...

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men." JFK

WoodyHaha
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/26/2015 9:55:43 AM

Monroe Slavin wrote:

Play-calling works a lot better when we start the right guy. Why AJ doesn't have 50-100% more carries than he has is a mystery. All he does is perform.

I think it's a mystery to most as to why you are not making half a mill or more a year coaching college football......you do so well sitting in your arm chair at home.

L.C.
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/26/2015 10:36:50 AM

Monroe Slavin wrote:

Play-calling works a lot better when we start the right guy. Why AJ doesn't have 50-100% more carries than he has is a mystery. All he does is perform.

It's only fair to point out that BEFORE the game you were arguing that AJ should not start, and should get less carries, while Irons should be the main back. I look forward to hearing your position on these two backs in the games ahead, since I expect they will share time for the next two years, along with Papi White and Dorian Brown, of course.

Myself I would say that play calling works a lot better when the offensive line is doing a great job, and while it had a lapse in a few games in the middle of the year, the offensive line played very, very well down the stretch, and especially against NIU. In saying that, I'm not taking anything away from AJ, who also did a great job. The offensive line made the holes, and AJ made NIU pay.

Last Edited: 11/26/2015 10:39:42 AM by L.C.

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

Monroe Slavin
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/27/2015 3:20:48 AM

Yes, I said that IRons should start.

BUt if we're not going to play him or are not able to play him, then it should be...should have been...OUellette.

The article that Bcat2 pointed to basically stated that we wanted to save OUellette so that he didn't get worn down. Dumb. Watching last year, there was no evidence that he wore down. And not using our best (in the coaches minds, apparently) vs. Beefs, WMU, BG--great plan. Not that we'd've won those games, but going into the critical stretch of MACC-potential games with a plan NOT to use what OUellette does, well, I've got to think that we got thank you notes from opponent D-coordinators.

Bcat2
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/27/2015 8:17:41 AM

Monroe Slavin wrote:

Monroe. Me neither. I do not get what Arkley was presenting. You know sometimes we get what we get and just have to puzzle over it. I expect the players reading that will be scratching their heads and going, "What?".

"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men." JFK

allen
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/27/2015 8:40:16 AM

AJ should start because he averaged less than 5 yards a carry at Northern Illinois. Even though, he is slower and smaller than Irons, AJ should start. We owe it to him. We can save Irons for 2020.

Last Edited: 11/27/2015 9:26:56 AM by allen

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ou79
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/27/2015 8:41:28 AM

I also was confused after reading that article.

Last Edited: 11/27/2015 8:42:58 AM by ou79

L.C.
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/27/2015 11:06:42 AM

Monroe, one thing I find odd is that on defense you always emphasize the importance of BIGMANZ, but for some reason overlook their importance to the offense, a place where they are even more important. BIGMANZ make up 2-4 of the eleven defensive players, about a quarter of the defense, but on offense they make up six of the eleven players, more than half, so they are twice as important to the offense.

No offense is going to succeed without some success up front. The offensive line did not get the job done against WMU or Buffalo, but they really turned thing around the last few games, and they played an outstanding game against a very good NIU defense.

To compare running backs you can't just look at yards per carry. In some plays the running back gets hit immediately, while on others he gets a 3 to 5 yard start before he reaches a defender. To compare running backs, which one gets more yards after contact? Which one evades more defenders? Those are the things that the coaches are going to rate the running backs based on, as well as on blocking, of course.

The fact is that all of Ohio's running backs were very good this year. When Ohio's running game was not working it was not because of the "wrong back", but because the offensive line was a work in process. I was extremely impressed by the progress that the line made this year between the beginning of the year and the end. I admit that I was skeptical of Johnson the way the line started, but he has turned me into a believer. He did a neck of a job this year.

Think back to the line play, not just against WMU and buffalo, but also against the likes of Akron, SLU, and Minnesota. Ohio's running game was rough even in those wins. Now compare that to the last four games, during which Ohio's running game was extremely successful, regardless of which back was in.

The dramatic improvement in line play between the start of the year and the end of it really has me looking forward to a great year next year. When the offensive line is doing its job, suddenly the play calling also looks better, too. Then the OC can undertake to systematically attack and destroy a defense, rather than just using crazy randomness to try for individual successful plays.

I think that next year is going to be really good, especially the offense. I believe it will be Solich's best offensive year at Ohio, and the key will be the BIGMANZ that make the Qb look all-MAC, the RB look like a sure NFL prospect, and the OC look like a suddenly enlightened genius.

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BillyTheCat
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/27/2015 11:23:21 AM

AJ is a well rounded back that is very good at blocking, especially blitz pickups, has his assignments down, and runs with a good low pad level between the tackles and is always going downhill. You never see AJ take what looks like nothing and reverse field and try to make a big play (which often results in a loss) out of nothing. Instead he takes the nothing, gets down hill and makes the most out of every carry. The kid is a football player!

OhioCatFan
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/27/2015 12:50:02 PM

BillyTheCat wrote:

+1

Plus Frank says he's just about the most coachable player he's ever had and is a real TEAM player.

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Monroe Slavin
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/27/2015 5:25:53 PM

LC--BIGMANZ is a basketball concept, not a football one.

Running back is the simplest position to analyze. You needn't get into the o-line doing this or not doing that. You can just watch and know their quality pretty much irrespective of the line. Speed, power, shiftiness, etc shows. Then, add in a bit re ability to catch and block.

If Irons wasn't going to start, there's no reason it shouldn't have been OUellette all year. All he does is perform.

To slightly re-phrase, it was coaching bonehead to not have had OUellette featured a lot more this year (Irons, also).

Would we have beated Beefs, WMU, BG? No. But playing OUr best guys (if behavior is not bad) seems pretty basic.

Last Edited: 11/27/2015 5:26:10 PM by Monroe Slavin

L.C.
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RE: Sprague injury

Posted: 11/27/2015 5:53:15 PM

Monroe Slavin wrote:

LC--BIGMANZ is a basketball concept, not a football one.

You're the one that brought that concept, repeatedly, to football, not me. It's certainly far more applicable to the offensive side of the ball than defense, however.

Monroe Slavin wrote:

...Running back is the simplest position to analyze. You needn't get into the o-line doing this or not doing that. You can just watch and know their quality pretty much irrespective of the line. ...

This is not one of your more enlightened statements.

�We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.� ― Epictetus

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