Sure, it may seem like there is something wrong with the Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Bradley Roby, especially since he gave up 207 yards receiving and a touchdown to the Wisconsin Badgers receiver Jared Abbrederis on Saturday night. Giving up that many yards to a receiver he’s covering is very unlike Roby. It’s not all his fault, though. Buckeye fans should not give up on Roby so quickly; there’s nothing wrong with him. There are good reasons why Abbrederis was able to excel against the star cornerback, and it’s not just because he’s a star receiver. Ohio State went into the Wisconsin game with a different game plan for their defense, and that’s something that greatly affected Roby.
Roby’s performance in the Wisconsin game was not up to his own standards, but it was not entirely his fault. Head coach Urban Meyer admitted that their defensive game plan to stop Wisconsin’s rushing offense put Roby in a difficult position. The plan worked for Ohio State, though it caused Roby to be all alone trying to cover Abbrederis. Coaches said Roby had good pass coverage against Abbrederis, considering the circumstances, and his ten catches came from perfect passes by Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave, not from a lack of pass coverage by Roby.
The reason Roby’s struggles have received so much attention is because the Wisconsin game was not the only game that Roby struggled in this season. He also struggled against the California Golden Bears, but not for the same reasons. Roby admitted that he was rusty against Cal, since it was only his second game of the season after serving a one-game suspension.
Ohio State coaches are giving Roby plenty of credit, saying he played well despite the circumstances he was facing in the Wisconsin game. They are not going to give up on him because they know what he is capable of doing. They have faith in him and fans should too. He will show everyone what he is capable of soon enough and fans will wonder why they ever doubted him in the first place.
Jenna Aquino is a Big Ten Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow her on Twitter, “Like” her on Facebook, or add her to your network on Google.
