Ohio State, Missing Suspendees, Fall in Miami

Paul Smith - View From the Midwest

Sunday, 25 September 2011 13:50

The then-No. 17 Buckeyes brought a wary approach to the Miami Dolphins' monument to architectural humdrumness and had few answers to the "U's" aggressive game plan from the start.

At Columbus the year before, Miami basically brought its special teams and seemingly left the offensive and defensive units at the airport as Terrelle Pryor, now pacing the San Francisco 49ers sidelines, Herron, Posey and friends took turns chewing up the Hurricanes inside, outside and every other side of the field.

With talented, but inexperienced Joe Bauserman at the controls, the Buckeyes never did get a whiff of the end zone. Miami's stifling defense sent an unmistakable message that OSU may be in for its least productive season in half a generation.

When "relief pitcher" freshman Braxton Miller, his first throw resulted in a tipped interception. In all, the Bucks completed 4 of 18 passes, 2-for-14 for Bauserman, in a thoroughly-descriptive 24-6 schooling by the 'Canes.

"We shot ourselves in the foot; we didn't execute, plain and simple," Bauserman told The Columbus Dispatch's Bill Rabinowitz. "We didn't see a bunch of crazy coverages or a ton of blitzes. We just didn't execute."

This was to be the early-season truth-test, to find out just where the Bucks might land, given Miami's unquestioned talent level and, despite booster-driven scandals that have the "U" in as deep doodoo as the OSU, a readjusted attitude with a talented rookie coach in Al Golden, who had turned Temple's program around.

Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, now even the home game with Colorado carries with it some doubt.

The 'Canes got the early, unmistakable jump with two first-quarter touchdown passes from multitalented Jacory Harris to Allen Hurna that capped long drives. But the warning sign should have come on the game's first offensive play, a 54-yard bolt, nearly unmolested, by Lamar Miller.

The Bucks put together some semblance of a running attack with promising Jordan Hall picking up 87 yards in 14 tries and Carlos Hyde gaining 54.

But there was no mistaking the many missing ingredients needed for a key road win.

"It's hard to point a finger at just one thing," interim coach Luke Fickell told Rabinowitz, after suffering his first loss after two opening victories. "(The ineffective passing game) is one thing we'll definitely look at. We thought we had some experience up front at stopping the run and we didn't do a great job at that, too."

After the Harris-Hurna combo jump-started the 'Canes in the first quarter, Miller did much of the rest, winding up with a career-high 184 yards that accentuated Miami's diverse offense and wore down the Bucks' defense.

"We can't have those big plays like that against a good team and expect to come back," linebacker Etienne Sabino said. "We have to tackle better and be sound in our assignments."

There will be plenty of trying assignments ahead. Wisconsin, which will be just below the nation's elite all season, possibly breaking into the B.C.S. bowl conversation before most of the leaves fall. At Nebraska, which is coached by Bo Pelini, Ohio State Class of '81, enough said. And, of course, at Michigan, which hasn't beaten the Bucks since barely after Bill Clinton left the White House.

Exhale. Let's face it, going in, Fickell, the players, beleaguered hierarchical figures President E. Gordon Gee and Athletic Director Gene Smith knew the adversity would come in waves.

"I think we've got to do a great job...figuring out how to move forward, figuring out how we need to move forward and where our focus is going to be with the guys we have and how we can get the ball into different guys' hands and what we can do to be successful," Fickell told The Dispatch's primo columnist, Bob Hunter.

How much easier done than said could play the prime role in determining whether the "interim" label will be removed from Fickell's title and provide a clearer picture to the newest chapter in the long, storied history of one of college sports' most visible organizations.

About Paul Smith

Paul Smith covers the Big Ten, Notre Dame and the rest of the national college football scene with his View From the Midwest.

About Paul Smith

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