Foster Outschemes Tom Herman...But, Just Barely
This was a masterful gameplan by Bud Foster. Bud went into this game fully understanding that his secondary is the strength of his defense and would match up well in man to man coverage against a Buckeye receiving corps that, while talented, lacked an elite playmaker that could beat the Hokies by himself. He further realized that his down linemen had the speed and athletic advantage over the Buckeye offensive line. The offensive line for Ohio State has size, for certain, but would they have the technique and the strength to beat Bud's group of seasoned performers? Even the linebacking corps, which received some criticism in the first game (unfairly, I might add) was going to be a strength in this game as Bud had already decided he would scheme for those guys to do what they do best: blitz the quarterback and use their speed and athleticism to contain the Ohio State rushing attack. Bud would unveil a gameplan that would allow his linebackers (and Ken Ekanem) to play in space and would rely heavily on the stronger, more experienced players like Maddy, Marshall, and Nicolas to occupy the blockers along the line of scrimmage and beat double teams.