Overall Defense: C- … Untimely Penalties let the game slip away in first half before firming up in 2nd half.
DL run: B+… Largely effective plugging up run lanes with occasionally getting pushed back. OSU’s big runs were largely great individual efforts by their RBs
DL pass rush: D+ … Pass rush nonexistent except for the 4th quarter.
LB: B- … Too many missed tackles. Couple of blown coverages on TE. TJ was great today. JGW went down to what looked like a serious knee injury. Overall did a good job in pursuit.
DB: D … Lack of size/speed exploited by taller&faster OSU receivers. A few blown coverages. Couple of dropped interceptions could have turned the game. Safeties were good in run support

Special Teams: A … Very good. Hadden made his FGs, got a touchback. Kick coverage forced a fumble. Punt block got UH’s 1st blocked punt since 2012. Harding was busy and most punts were effective. Teams have yet to figure out how to return his punts.

Coaches: B … Yes, you heard me. B. Chow and Wynn opened up the playbook as expected. Remember, coaches aren’t the one throwing the ball; Chow looked like he was going to pull the plug on Woosley, but the patience turned out to be the right move. They stuck with Woosley with just long enough for a rally. Going to the bullpen is unlikely to produce a 23-0 run; Going for the FG (good) to close the gap to two scores in 4th quarter vs going for 4th down; Clune was able to make the proper adjustments to contain the fly sweep and screens that burned UH the first time OSU called them; Demo gets a thumbs up dialing up a punt block and getting close to another. I though Wynn called an ok game but Woosley just couldn’t execute.

Mannion was an outside Heisman hopeful last year before his OLine broke down with injuries and OSU started to lose games.

—

I was hoping Woosley could just be steady, but now I think he’s let the door open for Graham of Higgins to get more reps. I think in-season QB controversies/competitions are a counter productive use of practice time. Instead of expanding the playbook and adding new schemes and wrinkles, you’re now having to split reps with the QBs knowing that you can’t implement as much new material when you’re also having to reevaluate the QBs.

Woosley was flat out awful today. Chow and Wynn called a very conservative game vs UW and Woosley did well early, but became inaccurate as the game wore on. For today’s game, it appeared to me that Wynn gave Woosley more freedom to throw down field. Woosley was lucky to only end up with 1 INT tonight. There were far more forced throws into coverage and the accuracy just wasn’t close all night. He was sailing deep throws 10 yards over, missing screen/flare throws (which are basically extended handoffs), and throwing behind receivers on just about every throw over the middle. Worst of all, and I’m sure Wynn will point out in film study, Woosley was not seeing open receivers loose in the secondary. Woosley better step up his game or else losing to Northern Iowa is a real possibility. QB is the weak link on offense based on my observations the first two games.

UH’s depleted WR corp doesn’t have any breakaway speed, but they were getting open on the intermediate routes. Problem was, Woosley wasn’t finding the open guy. He’s just a little too slow on his progressions. On multiple occasions on rollouts, he has his underneath receiver open, but waits too long to make throw and then the receiver runs out of room to turn the catch upfield. Kemp is a tall and fairly athletic WR, but he needs to improve vs bump’n’run coverage. He had a size advantage vs the CB when matched up 1-on-1 but he often can’t break free when the CB engages him. Kemp did have a beautiful double move to get wide open and should have been a TD, but Woosley’s errant throw took him out of bounds and went down as another frustrating incomplete pass. Of the many inaccurate throws, the one that sticks out was the failed 2pt conversion. The perfect play was called and executed well until the throw was low and behind and took the WR down short of the goal line.

Pedroza is a solid WR. He’s not going burn anybody deep, but he’s a reliable WR like his predecessor Billy Ray Stutzman.

OLine had a little tougher time protecting Woosley this week vs last. OSU did their homework with the film and didn’t allow Iosefa to get loose very often. For the most part, the OLine did ok, except for some penalties.

The refs were terrible. UH were fighting more than just OSU as just when UH makes a stop, the yellow rag was their to bail out the Beavs. We will all complain of the obvious bad calls, but I think the roughing the punter no-call was the call that made Chow to blow up on the refs at halftime. Chow had every right to be mad because Harding could have been seriously injured when the OSU slammed into his legs and no penalty called.

I will say that the officiating did even out as UH benefited from a few big penalties on OSU in the 2nd half, but UH’s penalties were much more costly as they led to 10points when they had OSU stopped when the game was still close.

In the end, UH made too many self inflicted mistakes to win. Iosefa’s fumble souring a quality opening drive, and un-timely penalties really hurt UH again. OSU is the more talented team and proved that tonight.

I’m still positive on the outlook once UH gets to MW play as nobody in the MW has close to the talent UW or OSU have. UH was suppose to be 0-2 and they are, but UH was by no means physically dominated or blown off the field. It was still only a 8 pt loss and another spread covered (barely). The DLine for the most part was solid vs the run. #28 is a heck of a RB for OSU. Most of his big runs were all him making guys miss. The only concerns I have with the D is lack of consistent pass rush (was better in 4th quarter) and lack of size/speed at CB.