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My car's thermometer showed 55, and it felt that way. Still I watched a snowball being made and it got bigger as it rolled down hill. I was sitting with friend and classmate John Edwards, a former Bobcat footballer. When with about 3:30 to go in the 2nd qtr and no score Ohio had the ball 4th and 1 just inside WMU territory, I expected a punt. Heck, we've all seen Coach Solich order punts when Ohio had the ball on 4th and 5 or so INSIDE the opponents' 40. When hesitation followed, I turned to John and said, "Looks like Frank is going against his conservative tendency." Then I saw Oulette running onto the field and I thought, "Uh oh. This doesn't look good. If we don't make this," I said to John, "it could turn out to be the decisive moment." I saw a snowball being formed. Then I saw the formation and said, "Western's DC must be screaming,'shoot the gaps.'" Which of course is precisely what happened. That snowball grew larger and rounder. WMU has a short field and capitalizes. Kicks off. Three and out. Long punt return. (Where was the Ohio player who had lane responsibility on the student side?) Moments later it's 14-0 and the snowball is rolling fast. I don't know that I've ever heard a coach acknowledge that a single play during the first half was the game's decisive play. But, yes, I do believe that that play - play call - decided the game. Yes, we can point to injuries to Poling and White and Wells' ejection as debilitating losses. But what I found shocking was the second half crumbling. On another thread this evening, I read several BA'ers averring that Ohio's D didn't quit. Sure, it's harsh to accuse any players of quitting. But that's what I saw, and it shocked me. Why? Because starting with late last season, I saw this gang of Bobcats having the requisite toughness to hang tough no matter the adversity. Earlier in this post, I used the word crumbling, and I'll stick with that as an accurate characterization. Can Ohio regain that toughness starting next week? Can the Cats look at the loss of Poling, arguably the D's best, and White, doubtlessly the O's most explosive component, and still take the game to the Bulls? Tonight I find myself doubting they can do it. In the end, I saw Ohio outcoached, outexecuted and outdesired. The outcoaching wasn't limited to that decisive play. Let me ask: How many times did Ohio run 2- to 4-yard pass routes when 5 or more yards were needed? 6? 7? 8? More? Once or twice and I could fault the receivers for shortcutting assigned routes. But when such routes were run repeatedly, even if not called by Coach Albin, it still rests on the coaches to insist that receivers run the planned routes. I heard that this was Ohio's worst loss at Peden since 1990. 25 years. May it be another 25 before another such debacle. http://www.facebook.com/mikejohnson.author Back to Top ou79 General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Post Count: 660 Status: Offline     RE: 55 degrees but a snowball    Posted: 10/17/2015 9:41:17 PM  +1 Well stated Mike! Back to Top Casper71 General User Member Since: 12/1/2006 Post Count: 3,031 Status: Offline     RE: 55 degrees but a snowball    Posted: 10/17/2015 11:06:25 PM  Agree 1,000,000% with that play being decisive Back to Top allen General User Member Since: 1/24/2006 Post Count: 4,635 Status: Offline     RE: 55 degrees but a snowball    Posted: 10/17/2015 11:13:36 PM  great summation Nobody despises to lose more than I do. That's got me into trouble over the years, but it also made a man of mediocre ability into a pretty good coach. Woody Hayes Back to Top bshot44 General User Member Since: 2/12/2012 Post Count: 2,211 Status: Offline     RE: 55 degrees but a snowball    Posted: 10/18/2015 8:41:51 AM  Dead on. Back to Top MonroeClassmate General User Member Since: 8/31/2010 Post Count: 2,102 Status: Offline     RE: 55 degrees but a snowball    Posted: 10/18/2015 8:57:30 AM  I disagree completely. Muffing a punt vs OSU or CMU at Homecoming are decisive plays in a game. Going four and out at mid-field in a scoreless game where neither offense has found its footing may be a turning point but not a decisive play. The odds are had OHIO punted it and downed at the 1, WMU would have just added 50 yards to their total run stats considering 7 straight TD drives. In the what-if category, why wouldn't a dropped bomb or one barely out of reach in the scoreless match be as equally as decisive? There is no snowball when a team is bigger, faster, quicker and wants it more than the other team. Give WMU their due. In two years, one at home and the other away, they have proven that OHIO is not their equal. No turnovers in a 49 point showing is absolutely amazing. The Western team on the field is what Solich would like to have on his side. No razzle dazzle; efficient and seldom passing coupled with smash mouth running. On the defensive side, db's and linebackers that give NO cushion (our guys except for the bombs were covered like gloves). And a D line that stops the run, isn't fooled with an option and makes tackles. The only thing Western wasn't good at was putting pressure on our QB--mostly had ample time. Back to Top ou79 General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Post Count: 660 Status: Offline     RE: 55 degrees but a snowball    Posted: 10/18/2015 9:32:50 AM  I assume any coach would love to have a team that executed like WMU did yesterday. The point is it is not just one play, it is the same old crap every year against teams that have even a little heart beat. With 10 1/2 years into this system, is it wrong to expect a little more than what we witnessed from the Cats yesterday? Last Edited: 10/18/2015 9:34:50 AM by ou79 Back to Top Mike Johnson General User Member Since: 11/11/2004 Location: North Canton, OH Post Count: 1,730 Status: Offline     RE: 55 degrees but a snowball    Posted: 10/18/2015 9:35:24 AM  MonroeClassmate wrote: I disagree completely. Muffing a punt vs OSU or CMU at Homecoming are decisive plays in a game. Going four and out at mid-field in a scoreless game where neither offense has found its footing may be a turning point but not a decisive play. The odds are had OHIO punted it and downed at the 1, WMU would have just added 50 yards to their total run stats considering 7 straight TD drives. In the what-if category, why wouldn't a dropped bomb or one barely out of reach in the scoreless match be as equally as decisive? There is no snowball when a team is bigger, faster, quicker and wants it more than the other team. Give WMU their due. In two years, one at home and the other away, they have proven that OHIO is not their equal. No turnovers in a 49 point showing is absolutely amazing. The Western team on the field is what Solich would like to have on his side. No razzle dazzle; efficient and seldom passing coupled with smash mouth running. On the defensive side, db's and linebackers that give NO cushion (our guys except for the bombs were covered like gloves). And a D line that stops the run, isn't fooled with an option and makes tackles. The only thing Western wasn't good at was putting pressure on our QB--mostly had ample time. On BA I don't expect everyone to agree with me - which is a central reason why I enjoy BA. Indeed, in my leadership positions, I encouraged discussion, debate and disagreement, believing that they enrich thinking and lead to better decisions. Back to the 4th and 1. I applauded the decision to go for it. It was sending in Oulette to run from the ensuing formation that had me concluding it was the decisive play. My guess? When the Cats lined up to run that play, they knew their chances of succeeding were slim. In other words, expecting failure. Had the Cats successfully converted on that 4th and 1, I tend to think we would have seen a vastly different outcome. http://www.facebook.com/mikejohnson.author Back to Top Cats-22 General User Member Since: 9/30/2006 Post Count: 370 Status: Offline     RE: 55 degrees but a snowball    Posted: 10/18/2015 11:00:57 AM  ou79 wrote: I assume any coach would love to have a team that executed like WMU did yesterday. The point is it is not just one play, it is the same old crap every year against teams that have even a little heart beat. With 10 1/2 years into this system, is it wrong to expect a little more than what we witnessed from the Cats yesterday? Marshall only has one loss this year (to Ohio). This was a bad game but, IMO your post over-generalizes a little. Ohio's won a lot of football games in the past 11 years. What probably concerned me the most about this game, which Mike alludes to, is that the coaches seemed to have no answer. This came through in Solich's comments after the game that he didn't know what caused the breakdowns on defense. We need to get to the point that the coaches see what's breaking down right away and can coach the players to fix it immediately, before it happens again 3-4 times for 50 yards each time. Last Edited: 10/18/2015 11:16:48 AM by Cats-22 Back to Top ytownbobcat General User Member Since: 8/7/2006 Post Count: 1,253 Status: Offline     RE: 55 degrees but a snowball    Posted: 10/18/2015 12:10:55 PM  Oulette take the hand off and runs total upright into a wall of players. I would prefer Donovan Brown in that situation because he stays low and has a slashing style of running. But that was only a small reason for our loss. I think we could have had a couple of touchdowns early if Vick was on target. In my opinion he overthrew at least 6 open receivers in the first and second quarters. One was a sure TD bomb to Papi. Back to Top Mike Johnson General User Member Since: 11/11/2004 Location: North Canton, OH Post Count: 1,730 Status: Offline     RE: 55 degrees but a snowball    Posted: 10/18/2015 12:23:11 PM  ytownbobcat wrote: Oulette take the hand off and runs total upright into a wall of players. I would prefer Donovan Brown in that situation because he stays low and has a slashing style of running. But that was only a small reason for our loss. I think we could have had a couple of touchdowns early if Vick was on target. In my opinion he overthrew at least 6 open receivers in the first and second quarters. One was a sure TD bomb to Papi. Agree that those early long-throw misses could have been game-changers. http://www.facebook.com/mikejohnson.author Back to Top Monroe Slavin General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Location: Oxnard, CA Post Count: 9,121 Status: Offline     RE: 55 degrees but a snowball    Posted: 10/18/2015 1:14:44 PM  I definitely agree with Mike Johnson that there are key, turning-point moments. That 4th and 1 play seems to fit. Because it spoke a lot about what each team was about. We brought in a guy cold (why he didn't start is a mystery) and it was rather obvious that he'd get the call. Ohio predictability. WMU saw it, stopped it....And both sides knew that Ohio had nothing on offense that WMU couldn't stop. It gave WMU ease. Where's the band?! WHERE"S THE BAND?! DesignspiritUSA.com The Pets On The Go Collection of pet gear travel bags The Holiday Tote Bigg Bagg Collection--over-sized, reversible, extra pockets; now love carrying packages as much as you love shopping! Back to Top perimeterpost General User Member Since: 7/6/2010 Post Count: 3,165 Status: Offline     RE: 55 degrees but a snowball    Posted: 10/18/2015 1:32:00 PM  Let me give you another scenario- Ohio is 6-2(3-1) and in a must-win game to get keep their championship hopes alive. Down 7-3 to start the 3rd quarter Ohio gets called for a safety on the 4yd line. Over the next 10 quarters Ohio is outscored 114-13 and they lose their last 4 out of 5. You can argue whether or not that safety was a decisive call or not, but you can't argue that in hindsight it was the turning point. Clearly the failed 4th and 1 was the turning point in yesterday's game, I just hope that it doesn't carry on past that one game. MY STATE. MY TEAM. Back to Top SBH General User Member Since: 12/20/2004 Post Count: 4,096 Status: Offline     RE: 55 degrees but a snowball    Posted: 10/18/2015 1:41:04 PM  It seems like every year we read about Frank visiting other schools/coaches to consider new ideas. Unfortunately, the one change he apparently has been unable to consider is the people with whom he surrounds himself. No team with Tim Albin as OC will ever win a conference title. Back to Top Showing Replies:   1 - 14  of 14 Posts Jump to Page:   1 View Other 'Ohio Football' Topics                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               WHO'S ONLINE There are 172 Active Visitors on BobcatAttack.com 171 Guests 1 Registered User:   GraffZ06 There are no other users looking at this page.

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