Howdy everyone! - Printable Version

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Howdy everyone! - Cowboy2 - 12-05-2011

OSU fan here.  I'll be perusing (not trolling ) your board up until our game so I thought I'd stop in and introduce myself.  I'm pretty sick to my stomach that we got passed over for the MNC game, but I'm looking forward to playing Stanford.. a team that we've been compared to all season long it seems.



Just to give you a rundown of our team, there are a few misconceptions about our team, especially our O.  It's not the "air raid" offense everyone thinks about when the think of Holgorsen, meaning we don't push the rails and try to hit receivers running outside the numbers or split the safeties too often.  We will do it to keep a defense honest, but it's not a staple.  In fact, you will notice many of Justin Blackmon's (if I say JB that's who I'm referring too, just FYI) routes are drag routes that undercut the linebackers dropping off into coverage.  With the drag routes and 10-15 yard out routes OC Todd Monken will push the edges and try to get our speed guys around the corners in less-than conventional ways.  With any luck it widens the defenses and allows our running backs to gash the interior through the 2nd or 3rd gaps in the line.  This system is to stress the linebackers and prevent them from "roaming" around and throwing off our timing (much of our offense is predicated on timing- a lot like Oregon's).



We also do have a power run formation despite our spread offense look, but it's rather unusual.  Last season, our OL coach Wickline and OC Holgorsen brainstormed the "diamond" formation, basically an inverse wishbone.  You probably have seen it played this year by other teams, but OSU runs this formation to perfection.  Lined up, it looks like this:



We have this formation with two different personnel groups.  The first is our "power" formation, two fullbacks flanking the QB (in the pistol set) with one of our runningbacks set 2 yards back.  The second is our "flex" set, where we have one RB deep set, another RB on one side and our more atheletic fullback (Kye Staley) on the other.  This allows a lot of versatility in both the running and passing game.  This formation does a marvelous job at stressing the defense, though it does it's best job in the red zone, particularly 5-10 yards from the endzone.  Here you can see the reaction from the defense from our 31 yd line.  The LB's group together and the safeties split wide to cover the outside receivers.  This is actually pretty sound defensive coverage (I believe they held our RB to a two yard gain on this play) but they got pretty lucky here as one of our OLineman missed the LBer.  This formation is to do two things and Brandon Weeden calls the play when he sees the defensive formation.  The first thing he looks for is the safeties, if they are lined up out wide (like shown above) he will call a run play.  If they line up inside of 10 yards from the LOS or line up inside the hash marks to cover the run, he will call a pass (JB is lined up on the strong side nearest the sideline Tracy Moore on the weak side).  If Weeden does call a run play, he chooses which run play to best expose the interior of the defense.  Weeden's flexibility with the play calling makes this formation difficult to defend.  In the redzone, our power formation is tough to deal with because we will motion one of the full backs to the side the play will be run, and then pull the guard as well on occassion which gives up 5 guys creating a lane for our running back to dash through. 


Our defense is no secret, we live off of the turnover.  The philosophy is simple, the more plays an offense runs, the higher the probability they will turn it over.  If we can force teams to have to have 12-15 play scoring drives, we have more of an opportunity to steal a possession.  We do this by playing Tampa 2 coverage as our base defense.  We do get creative on defense (we have a "star" linebacker position that we drop into coverage almost at the safety level and bring blitzes from different secondary positions) but you will see that we will give you the short stuff and take away the deep play.  This may actually play into Stanford's hands offensively, but I'm not sure.  The only Stanford game I saw was the Oregon game.  I think we can expect our DC Bill Young to leave our outside linebackers alone in man coverage to cover the two tightends Stanford will use and let our extra defenders either drop into a zone or blitz off the edge.  Our outside linebackers are both athletic (one has 3 picks the other has 2- one pick six) and we will try to capitalize on their athleticism.  The running game of Stanford scares me, but it's more conventional than most of the offenses we've seen this year so I'm not sure how our defense will respond to it.  It will be the match-up I watch with the most intrigue.

X's and O's aside, I'm looking forward to the game!  I think this is the most intriguing match-up of the bowl season (screw the rematch, I'm not even going to watch it-- I've got a paint drying event to watch that night).  Hopefully we will see a good, injury-free game.  I'll stick around here as long as I'm welcome.  Should be a fun month!  Thanks for listening.

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Re: Howdy everyone! - washingtonismoney - 12-05-2011

Thanks for the comments. Actually Stanford used the diamond formation to good effect at times--even threw in an option variation (with two running backs being the option guys rather than the typical QB-RB option stuff).

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Howdy backatcha - Redrum - 12-05-2011

A lot of Stanford fans were rooting for Oklahoma.  Nothing personal,  it's just that we owe those guys for a Sun Bowl where we had to play with our QB, Luck, on the bench.    Also, to be honest,  we match up better against them now that Broyles is out. 

Our problem is opponent speed.  Our only loss this season was to an Oregon team that depends on speed to make its offense go.  It was not pretty although we might play them closer if we played again.  Well...maybe.  Anyway,  OK St.  has the kind of team we struggle to contain.    We won't shut you down.  Our game has to be ball control,  long drives,  no turnovers.    If we do that,  you guys east of the Rockies might get a new appreciation for Stanford and Pac-12 football.  I watched a lot of Stanford games after 10 p.m. Central.  Party time by then on any self-respecting college campus.  Also, you never in your wildest dreams thought you'd be playing us,  bet you haven't seen a lot or even any of our games.

The best part, for us, is a lot of key players can get well in a month's time and that will mean a lot to our offense.  Our offense playbook, per the coach,  was 30% built around 3-tight ends.  In the latter part of the season there were times when two starting TEs were out hurt or we were playing w/  one and a half  TEs due to injury.    Anyway,  with luck (little L)  both our defensive backfield and our receiving corps should be nearly full strength.  I like games where different offensive and defensive schemes are matched against each other.  This will be one of them.

One funny note:  We have a poster by the name of CowboyIndian.    "Indian" because he went to Stanford when our mascot name was the Indians...before we got all politically correct.  But the best part is...he REALLY IS a cowboy.  Runs them on his ranch in N. Calif. and buys and brokers them all over the West.  Don't mess with him.  Betcha there are a lot of "Cowboys" at OK St.  who don't know which end of a cow is which.

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Re: Howdy everyone! - Griffins78 - 12-05-2011

Thanks for the detailed and helpful insight into OSU. It helps to make the game even more interesting and enjoyable. I certainly can't provide you anywhere near as much detailed a description of our team.

The BCS system is screwed up. Michigan vs. VT in the Sugar Bowl is an embarrassment and shows that it's just about money and influence. Not about playing the best football.

I would agree that this is the most interesting match up of the BCS with big implications - although I'm interested to see how Oregon and Wisconsin do too. Hope it is a great game.

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Re: Howdy everyone! - JohnR34231 - 12-05-2011

Ball control, long drives, no turnovers. And maybe hit our fast tight end long when the opposing defense gets lulled to sleep.

That's our mantra.

It seems to work against just about everyone except the Ducks.

Hopefully, OK State won't turn out to be the other exception.

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