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Ross Fulton

Articles: 36

Fulton Analysis: Not Quite There

The Ohio State offense largely moved the football successfully against Oregon—but left too many points on the field to overcome the Buckeye defense’s inefficiencies and playing from behind in Ohio State’s 35-28 loss. Operating from their odd 2 and 3 man fronts, the Ducks used a game plan that many Buckeye opponents have featured against …

Ohio State football defensive lineman Javontae Jean-Baptiste

Ohio State football defensive lineman Javontae Jean-Baptiste

Fulton Analysis: Longstanding Shortcomings

Longstanding shortcomings in scheme and execution within Ryan Day’s Ohio State defensive system came to fruition against Joe Moorhead’s heavy run-pass option scheme in Ohio State’s 35-28 loss to Oregon. There may not be a college defense that runs less coverages than Day’s Buckeye defense. As off-discussed, Day prefers pre-rotated safeties that places one safety …

Fulton Analysis: Uneven Performance

Ohio State fought through an uneven performance on both sides of the football before pulling away with a 45-31 win against Minnesota. On offense, Ryan Day and Kevin Wilson used heavy amounts of trips and/or unbalanced formations—likely to cause confusion and/or outleverage the Golden Gophers’ two-high, split safety zone schemes (featuring heavy amounts of quarter …

Ohio State Buckeyes football Craig Young

Ohio State Buckeyes football Craig Young

Analyzing the Bullet Position

After a porous showing against the pass for much of last season, the Ohio State Spring Game demonstrated that the Buckeyes do not plan to make significant changes to their base coverage schemes. But they did make one significant personnel change within that scheme—forgoing playing an outside Sam linebacker in favor of a hybrid linebacker/safety …

2021 National Championship Game Justin Fields

2021 National Championship Game Justin Fields

Fulton Analysis: Couldn’t Keep Pace

An Ohio State offense that needed to keep pace with Alabama largely lost any chance to do so with Trey Sermon’s opening play injury in the Buckeyes’ national championship loss. Ryan Day’s offensive system is predicated upon the wide zone stretch play. Although the aim point of the play is the inside leg of the …

2021 National Championship Game Alabama passing Mac Jones

2021 National Championship Game Alabama passing Mac Jones

Fulton Analysis: Death By A Thousand RPO Cuts

A short-handed Ohio State ran into a buzz saw in its 52-24 national championship loss to Alabama. The Buckeyes’ defensive scheme was a poor matchup—schematically and personnel-wise—for the Crimson Tide’s RPO-heavy offense. As previously discussed, Ryan Day utilizes a variant of Pete Carroll’s NFL scheme. The defense generally plays a coverage where the safety is …

Steve Sarkisian Alabama

Steve Sarkisian Alabama

Fulton Analysis: Breaking down the Alabama offense

Despite operating the number one SP+ offense (an advanced statistical measure of efficiency—Ohio State is number two), Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian does not utilize a bevy of plays. Instead, he operates a few schemes that build off of, and are centered on, one core concept—the run-pass option. With an RPO, the quarterback reads a …

Fulton Analysis: Targeting the Alabama defense

It is unlikely that there is a defensive scheme that Nick Saban, at some point in his career, has not used. Traditionally known as a 3-4 coach, Saban and his Alabama defensive staff had adapted to the spread era. Against Ohio State’s spread set, Alabama will likely primarily play a 4-2-5, with the nickel (what …

Fulton Analysis: Hemming Clemson In

The Ohio State defense played effectively against Clemson by making critical adjustments within their defensive philosophy to slow the Tigers in the Buckeyes’ 49-28 Sugar Bowl win. Except on third downs and late in the fourth quarter, the Ohio State defensive staff did not play nickel against Clemson’s spread sets. Instead, the Buckeyes remained true …

Jeremy Ruckert Ohio State Buckeyes Tight End

Jeremy Ruckert Ohio State Buckeyes Tight End

Fulton Analysis: How the Ohio State offense kept Clemson guessing

Ryan Day and his staff came out with a plan to target both the play calling system and the structure of Brent Venables’ Clemson defense in Ohio State’s 49-28 Sugar Bowl playoff semifinal win. As was much discussed leading into the game, the Clemson staff has a reputation for stealing play call signals. At a …

Fulton Analysis: Looking at the Clemson offense

Like its defense, the Clemson offense has maintained continuity in its offensive system that began with Chad Morris https://matchquarters.com/2018/12/01/the-morris-clemson-offensive-system/ since the Tigers’ rise to national prominence. Although both Clemson and Ohio State would be considered “spread” offenses, there are significant differences. Ryan Day effectively utilizes a pro-style offense from the shotgun; principally based around the …

Fulton Analysis: Attacking the Clemson defense

Perhaps no current college football defensive coordinator has had more sustained success than Clemson’s Brent Venables. Although Venables came to the Tigers known as a four down, cover 4, match quarters coach, he has long since moved to mixing a variety of single high and split safety—primarily zone—schemes from both odd and even fronts. For …

Football Uncategorized

Fulton Analysis: Running to win

Ohio State’s passing game inefficiency and questionable strategic decisions against a stellar Northwestern defensive gameplan kept the score closer than necessary in the Buckeyes’ Big Ten championship win. Last week, I outlined Northwestern defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz’s cover 4 defense, how successful Ryan Day and Ohio State had been against that coverage, and mused that …

Justin Fields Ohio State Buckeyes Football Quarterback

Justin Fields Ohio State Buckeyes Football Quarterback

Fulton Analysis: Bending

The backbone of Northwestern’s success under Pat Fitzgerald has been the Wildcats’ defense and this year is no different. Led by defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz—who announced this week that he is retiring after 13 years as the Northwestern defensive coordinator and 51 years of coaching following playing on Bo Schembechler’s 1969 Michigan team—the Wildcats are …

Fulton Analysis: Getting Back to Basics

Despite being short-handed, Ohio State had perhaps its most complete game of the season in its 52-12 win over Michigan State. Reflecting his background under Nick Saban and Kirby Smart, Mel Tucker’s Spartans primarily played cover 3 Rip/Liz—meaning that the weakside safety would come down into the box at the snap to add an additional …

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