Clik here to view.
Jordan Hall and the Buckeyes cruised to a victory over San Diego State on September 7, 2013 (Photo: 10news.com)
DraftBrowns.com Staff Writer: Justin Higdon
Week Two of the college football season saw Ohio State visited by an outmanned San Diego State team that wasted no time in giving its starting quarterback the hook after a shaky start. The game took an interesting turn when Braxton Miller was knocked out of the game with an injury, and the Buckeyes’ backup, senior Kenny Guiton, made his presence known to the scouting community. Here is a look at how some of the NFL Draft-eligible players fared on that Saturday in early September.
OHIO STATE
#13 QB Kenny Guiton
- Looks comfortable on the option pitch to freshman RB Dontre Wilson for an easy TD
- Sharp throw to WR Corey Brown on a slant but short of a first down
- Looks very comfortable on read option plays
- Play action pass to WR Devin Smith for a short gain on a swing
- Nice deep ball to Brown for a TD – delivered despite taking a hit
- Stands in and finds Smith on an out for a first down catch on third down
- Fakes the give on the read option and keeps for a first down carry – athletic runner
- Looks smooth running option and read option – hides the ball well and has very good timing
- Leaves one short for Smith on a go and it gets picked off on a terrific one-handed INT
- In a good rhythm hits the TE on a swing and the Smith on a quick hitter
- Takes it 44 yards for a TD on a QB draw
- Well-timed option pitch to Hall for a big gain close to a TD
- Hits Spencer on a quick pass but play is negated by a penalty
- Misses Smith on a deep ball down the left sideline – not really close
- Keeping his eyes downfield on a pass play where he is flushed to the right sideline but gets forced out of bounds – late hit negates the loss
- Passes to Wilson on an out but short of the first down on third down
- Next play keeps on a read option
- Hits Brown for a TD pass – great adjustment from Brown on ball thrown behind him between two defenders
- Runs for another first down on a keeper – needs to think about sliding on some of these carries
- Throws short to Smith on third and eight
- Keeps on fourth and two and gets stuffed
- Throws behind the WR and almost gets picked
- Swing pass to Smith results in a tackle for loss
- Rolls right under pressure and throws it away
Overview: This was the most extensive action Guiton had seen in his college career up to this point, and he responded with 152 yards passing and 83 rushing. He connected on two passing touchdowns, and broke off a long run for another score. Guiton showed few signs of rust, looking poised and smooth running the offense, and minimizing his mistakes. He followed this performance with a pair of strong starting turns, but this was the game that turned the seldom-used reserve into a draftable, NFL prospect.
#10 WR Corey Brown
- Hurry up play – catches a WR screen and fights for tough yards – not going down easily
- Makes the grab on a slant but short of a first down
- Gives a little push to separate on a nice deep ball from Guiton for a TD
- Drops a pass on a sideline out
- Terrific adjustment on a TD – twisting to make the catch on a ball thrown behind him between two defenders
Overview: Brown did drop a pass, but more than made amends with his acrobatic touchdown catch. He displayed speed, hands, toughness and veteran savvy in this game. He continues to look like a solid, mid round receiving prospect.
#9 WR Devin Smith
- Hauls in an out for a first down catch on third down
- Underthrown on a go route that results in an INT
- Throws a good block downfield on a 44-yard TD run by Guiton on a QB draw
- Drops a pass
- Makes a juke after a short catch and picks up a few extra yards to get close to a first down
- Overthrown, and he apparently missed the route because he got chewed out by Urban Meyer after the play
Overview: It wasn’t the best game of the junior’s career. The drop and the bad route overshadowed the fact that Smith had a team-high seven catches in the game. His key block helped spring Guiton for a long rushing touchdown, and he was missed deep at least once.
#2 RB Jordan Hall
- Short carry up the middle
- Shows burst on a short read option run for a TD
- Takes a well timed option pitch for a big gain close to a TD – just missed scoring on the dive
Overview: Hall was held to about four yards per carry outside of his 25-yard gain on the option. He saw a light load in the second half with the game well in hand.
#12 CB Doran Grant
- Gets an INT on a poor pass into traffic
- Terrific pass breakup coming over the top in the end zone right before halftime
Overview: Grant came away with the second interception of his college career, and broke up a pair of passes. He isn’t as well known as his teammates in the secondary, but the junior has shown steady improvement so far this season.
SAN DIEGO STATE
#40 FB Chad Young
- Monster blitz pickup on the linebacker – pancaked him
- Powers for a short first down run
- Makes the catch in the flat for a short TD catch – only TD of the game for SDSU
Overview: Young’s blitz pickup and touchdown were about the only highlights for the Aztecs on offense that afternoon.
Miscellanea:
- Ohio State’s starting QB Braxton Miller took a hit after standing in the pocket and delivering a pass to the tight end. Then, after running for a first down on fourth down in the red zone, Miller took a big hit and lost his helmet. He also injured his knee on the play, leaving Guiton to play the rest of the game, and start the next two contests against Cal and Florida A&M.
- Buckeyes senior guard Marcus Hall was flagged for two false starts and an illegal-hands-to-the-face penalty on the day. Senior receiver Chris Fields also drew a couple of flags on the day – one for holding, and one on a facemask.
- Junior defensive end Steve Miller used a quick, inside pass rush move to sack the Aztecs’ quarterback. Later, Miller also made a stop to force a punt after a short pass on third down.
- Ohio State junior cornerback Bradley Roby made his first appearance of the season, and Aztec QBs mostly steered clear of him. Roby did deflect a pass on a cornerback blitz and also combined with Ryan Shazier to make a stop on a wide run to the left side of the defense. Junior running back Rod Smith also played in his first game of the season, and scored on a short touchdown run to put the Buckeyes up 35-0.