All of the man-beater stuff he was running early Saturday had guys with plenty of separation. Hank missed too many throws. If he had connected on more (not all) of them, it probably would have forced them out of Cover 1 and opened up the run game.
Ball control doesn’t matter as much against an offense like that with one of the best college WR of all time. The difference between making them go 60 or 85 yards is almost meaningless. We were going to have to score 24+. I think the plan he had to do that was sound.
In regards to downfield routes, they obviously take more time and it’s harder to beat OSU CBs on go balls than the intermediate rub routes that were getting guys open. Potential for yards after the catch were there.