This article is part of our The Spread Offensive series.
I've been to The Horseshoe. The home of the Ohio State Buckeyes. A concrete cathedral of college football. It is not a pleasant place to play as an opponent. Even if you can't stand Urban Meyer, Jim Tressel or the bravado that comes with playing at THE Ohio State, you've got to respect the history of the structure itself.
It is indeed shaped like a horseshoe. It's not just a clever name. Opened in 1922, it now seats nearly 105,000 people. It is considered the fifth-largest non-racing stadium in the world. Upon first inspection, I was struck by how immense the actual, physical building was. Huge columns, grand archways. It seemed fit more for a gladiatorial battle than a pigskin game on the gridiron. When you walk inside, there are actual columns in the way of certain seats. I should know because I was sitting behind one. It reminded me of Fenway Park in that regard. Archaic yet homely; out-of-date and yet intimate at the same time.
That intimate feeling, despite being surrounded by concrete on all sides, creates an interesting juxtaposition. The sound carried much better than I anticipated. On third down, a gong goes off, signaling the crowd to rise as one and cheer as loudly as they can. I was surprised at how loud the stadium got. I have not been to every stadium in college football, but perhaps no scene is quite as intimidating.
I'm describing this scene not to marvel at the wonder of THE Ohio State University or their fans. In fact, my friends and I were taunted and even had beer dumped on us during our brief stay in Columbus. Par for the course, really. No, I'm setting up the scene to make the point of how impressive it was for Michigan State to beat the Buckeyes on their home turf this past Saturday. It's a huge home field advantage.
On the whole, I do not take much stock in home field advantage. I think it is overblown, not only in betting but for the actual results of the games as well. But when I was at OSU, I couldn't hear myself think. I couldn't imagine having to execute in the rain, with backup quarterbacks, in that environment.
Yet that's just what the Spartans did. Of course, Michigan State had perhaps the perfect team to snap Ohio State's winning streak. The Spartans are predicated on defense. And with quarterback Connor Cook sidelined, the Spartans mostly ran the ball on offense. It was a grind-it-out affair, perfect for the conditions and the personnel. Ohio State had been sputtering on offense this season, failing to find a groove behind Cardale Jones or JT Barrett. What was once considered a great problem to have, two quarterbacks both capable of carrying a championship team, has devolved into a puzzling, oftentimes anemic offense. OSU has looked sluggish on offense in nearly every game this season, failing to find a rhythm no matter who lined up under center. This was never going to be a high-scoring contest.
Perhaps that is why Ezekiel Elliott was so pissed off after the game. Losing is never fun, particularly when you have become accustomed to the opposite. 23 straight wins overall, 30 straight conference wins. It must be nice to forget what losing feels like. I should know; being a sore loser used to be my specialty.
Elliott's outburst and frustration at his lack of touches may have been ill-timed, but he was not wrong. He had just 12 touches, his fewest of the season, Saturday against the Spartans. Elliott had rushed for at least 100 yards in each of the first 10 games of the season. Against MSU? Just 33 yards on the ground. Of course, the stout Michigan State defensive front needs to get some credit here, but the fact remains that Elliott, a Heisman candidate, did not really even get a chance to impose his will on the opposition. In an offense that has struggled all year to pass the ball, perhaps missing deep threat Devin Smith even more than anticipated, quarterback JT Barrett finished with three more carries than the Buckeyes' stud running back.
Let's go back to Elliott for a second. Over the last two seasons, when he receives at least 20 carries, the Buckeyes are 14-0. Much was made of Cardale Jones and his unlikely championship run at QB last season, but it was Elliott who received 76 carries in three games to spur the Buckeyes to the CFP National Championship. All Elliott did with those carries was rush for a staggering 696 yards and eight touchdowns.
On the lone scoring drive of the first half, the Buckeyes muscled up for a 10-play drive, resulting in Elliott punching the ball into the end zone for a touchdown. Eight of those plays were carries by Elliott. Yet he only touched the ball twice in the second half. Curious, to say the least.
To his credit, Meyer agreed with his star running back, at least in terms of the play calling. Meyer thought the timing was wrong. Elliott has since apologized for his outburst. But I'm going to go one step further. It was the correct time, too. I don't think there was any need for Elliott to apologize. The Buckeyes were set up to fail. Meyer should be held accountable.
I have no problem with what Elliott said. He's 20 years old, he was frustrated with the loss, and he did not feel as though the coaching staff put the team in the best position to win. He wanted the ball, he didn't get it, and as a result the team suffered its first defeat in almost two full seasons. He was right; Urban Meyer and the rest of the coaching staff got too cute when the game plan should have been simple. This is something that is prevalent at all levels of football: overthinking. The Seahawks throwing the ball in the Super Bowl instead of handing off to Marshawn Lynch comes to mind immediately. No, what Elliott said needed to be said, not just for OSU's sake, but also for football as a whole. This was not Dez Bryant cursing out the media or Latrell Sprewell choking his coach. This was just Elliott voicing his displeasure with how the offense was run. Just because he's a college student doesn't make his point any less valid, or make him any less entitled to voicing his opinion.
The opposing argument is that these type of feelings should be kept "in-house". But what if the coach isn't listening to you? Elliott also said that he went to Meyer DURING THE GAME and asked for more touches. Clearly his coach didn't listen. Even if Meyer is not calling the plays, he is the head coach. He is the one ultimately responsible. Sometimes, the coach needs to be put on blast as well. It is not any sign of disrespect, at least not what Elliott did. Sometimes, the coach needs to know his players aren't happy. Particularly if the coaches aren't listening. Many will say Zeke did not address his concerns in the appropriate forum. I believe it was the perfect forum. When emotions are raw, that's when the truth comes out. Elliott had the guts to say what everyone else was feeling, despite his history of success with Meyer. I think we all need a dose of honesty and a lesson in common sense now and again.
