I saw better linemen, on both sides of the ball. Bigger and stronger across the board. As they say, that's where this game was decided, just like in Orlando last time we played.
Miami's speed on offense was terrifying and I was in full bed-wetting mode in the first quarter. Same thing in the B1G championship game: OSU gashed us with big plays and speed to take an early lead.
We adjusted and slowed down the Buckeye offense and still kept it close with a chance to tie at the end.
The difference was your DL compared to OSU's. The Cane's DL is big but you could see them wearing down as the game moved into the 3rd quarter, and they were totally gassed by the end of the game. OSU manhandled our OL. It's a miracle we kept that game close. On the other hand, I think Urban Meyer knew he could take his foot off the gas offensively and wisely played it safe. JT Barrett could rely on his defense and be a game manager, which is probably what he's best at.
I know it's a pain in the *** to have an opposing fan come over to your board after a heartbreaking loss, but from my point of view your area of greatest need going forward is your DL.
And I'd add that, as always, Notre Dame is overrated. Nevertheless your brutal ND smackdown was quite enjoyable.
OSU was able to stay in their base defense and still get consistent pressure on our QB whose biggest weakness is footwork and lack of pocket awareness. You guys had to load the box all night, and failed to totally shut down our run game, and also struggled to consistently hurry our easily panicked QB. And your DB's were on an island all night long.
Hornibrook's a work in progress, but give him a little time, man coverage, plus normal down and distance and he's pretty good.
