SB Nation - Brandon Saine

Ten Buckeyes submit NFL Draft paperwork

Mocking Dan — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:03:27 -0000

The Associated Press is reporting that 10 Ohio State juniors submitted paperwork to gauge where they might be selected in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Head coach Jim Tressel wouldn't say which players submitted paperwork, but he did say they were all starters.

That would include defensive ends Thaddeus Gibson and Cameron Heyward, linebackers Ross Homan and Brian Rolle, cornerbacks Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrence, tailback Brandon Saine, wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher and offensive linemen Bryant Browning and Justin Boren.

"I've gotten a little bit of an early indication and shared it with the kids," Tressel told the AP. "We tried to do that before they went home for Thanksgiving. The NFL was good and got us some early things (so) that way the kids could get home and talk a little bit with their folks."

Clearly the two most intriguing players on Ohio State are Gibson and Heyward. Gibson, who has four sacks, projects as a 3-4 outside linebacker because of his agility and size. For those same reasons Heyward is considered one of the best 3-4 defensive end candidates in the nation.

Heyward leads Ohio State with 5.5 sacks this season and has been impressive against the run.

After the defensive linemen, Boren looks like he is the most ready for the NFL. A transfer from Michigan, Boren is a powerful and nasty interior lineman. He is Ohio State's best run blocker and would be one of the first three or four guards taken.

Saine had somewhat of a breakthrough season with 926 rushing yards, but should return to Ohio State. As it stands, he would likely be taken outside of the top 100 picks.

Sanzenbacher is an intriguing player. He has shown flashes of being a very good receiver this season with 27 receptions for 506 yards and six touchdowns. His hands are solid and he runs good routes. But he only topped 100 yards once in 2009 and had just four catches over the final three games of the year.

Still, Ohio State has a good history of putting out NFL talent at wide receiver. While Ted Ginn and Brian Robiskie haven't had the success some expected, Brian Hartline and Anthony Gonzalez have exceeded expectations.

The remaining players should return to Columbus for another season. They all look like they have pro potential but are raw – particularly the defensive backs.

If College Football Had a Playoff: #9 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ #8 Ohio State Buckeyes

Jeremy Mauss — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:00:19 -0000

Continue the new break out hit of the season "What if College Football had a Playoff' returns for game two of the playoff. Before we get to game two the winner of game one was an expected blowout by Alabama soundly defeating Troy to move on to host the winner of this game.

Now this matchup features two completely different styles with Georgia Tech who runs a triple option and is taking that game to the 'Shoe in Columbus to face the 'we wanna be spread but really a smash mouth football team' Ohio State.

The Ohio State defense is very good but the question has always been the speed of their defense (or lack of speed). Speed and assignment defense is what Ohio State would need to do to try to stop the Georgia Tech option. Last year LSU shut down the Tech option with their speed and Ohio State is a bit behind in their speed then LSU.

Ohio State really wants to pound the ball has the wild card in Terrelle Pryor who is a so-so passer but if the Buckeyes use roll outs and move the pocket that will help use his abilities rather then to just drop back and throw.

Just because of the contrasting styles this should be a very good game. To give some help to those who are not sure who would win I turned to What if Sports to simulate this game.

What if Sports has Ohio State winning a close game 35-31, but Georgia Tech had a 31-20 lead going into the fourth quarter before allowing the Buckeyes to score 15 points to their zero to loss the game. The decision here is for the fans to vote to see who moves on.

Check back daily at 12 PM eastern time to vote for the next matchup, and voting is only for 24 hours. As they say in Chicago vote early and vote often.

Ohio State Stats

Passing

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
Joe Bauserman	5	30.0	6	19	31.6	124	24.8	6.5	0	0	9	10	2	1.1	0	-	-
Terrelle Pryor	12	93.0	144	258	55.8	1828	152.3	7.1	16	10	142	707	58.9	5	7	-	-

Rushing

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
Joe Bauserman	5	9	10	2	1.1	0	0	0	0	0	0
K.C. Christian	2	5	14	7	2.8	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bo DeLande	1	3	5	5	1.7	0	0	0	0	0	0
Joe Gantz	2	4	6	3	1.5	0	0	0	0	0	0
Daniel Herron	9	139	558	62	4	7	8	48	5.3	6	1
Jermil Martin	3	11	84	28	7.6	1	0	0	0	0	0
DeVier Posey	12	2	19	1.6	9.5	0	52	727	60.6	14	7
Terrelle Pryor	12	142	707	58.9	5	7	0	0	0	0	0
Brandon Saine	12	131	694	57.8	5.3	4	15	165	13.8	11	1
Dane Sanzenbacher	11	2	8	.700	4	0	27	506	46	18.7	6
Ray Small	11	4	40	3.6	10	0	15	175	15.9	11.7	0
Lamaar Thomas	9	1	6	.700	6	0	1	10	1.1	10	0

Receiving

		Receiving
	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD
Jake Ballard	9	13	126	14	9.7	0
Zach Boren	3	4	23	7.7	5.8	1
Duron Carter	6	13	176	29.3	13.5	1
Daniel Herron	9	8	48	5.3	6	1
DeVier Posey	12	52	727	60.6	14	7
Brandon Saine	12	15	165	13.8	11	1
Dane Sanzenbacher	11	27	506	46	18.7	6
Ray Small	11	15	175	15.9	11.7	0
Jake Stoneburner	2	2	30	15	15	0
Lamaar Thomas	9	1	10	1.1	10	0

Kicking

		Field Goals								PAT
	G	0-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	FGM	FGA	PCT	XPM	XPA	PCT	pts
Devin Barclay	4	-	-	-	-	-	4	7	60.0%	12	12	100.0%	24
Aaron Pettrey	9	-	-	-	-	-	13	19	70.0%	28	29	100.0%	67

Georgia Tech Stats

Passing

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
Josh Nesbitt	13	83.0	73	153	47.7	1689	129.9	11	10	4	259	991	76.2	3.8	18	-	-
Jaybo Shaw	4	-50.0	1	2	50	18	4.5	9	0	1	12	51	12.8	4.3	0	-	-
Tevin Washington	1	100.0	1	1	100	21	21	21	0	0	6	40	40	6.7	0	-	-

Rushing

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
Anthony Allen	13	61	597	45.9	9.8	5	5	112	8.6	22.4	1
Lucas Cox	3	9	31	10.3	3.4	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jonathan Dwyer	13	221	1346	103.5	6.1	14	3	25	1.9	8.3	0
Stephen HIll	8	5	84	10.5	16.8	1	6	137	17.1	22.8	1
Roddy Jones	11	53	345	31.4	6.5	3	0	0	0	0	0
Preston Lyons	11	30	139	12.6	4.6	1	0	0	0	0	0
Jonathan Malone	1	1	5	5	5	0	0	0	0	0	0
Josh Nesbitt	13	259	991	76.2	3.8	18	0	0	0	0	0
Embry Peeples	11	28	143	13	5.1	0	8	244	22.2	30.5	1
Jaybo Shaw	4	12	51	12.8	4.3	0	0	0	0	0	0
Quentin Sims	1	2	19	19	9.5	0	0	0	0	0	0
Orwin Smith	11	5	26	2.4	5.2	0	2	26	2.4	13	0
Demaryius Thomas	13	1	3	.200	3	0	46	1154	88.8	25.1	8
Tevin Washington	1	6	40	40	6.7	0	0	0	0	0	0
Richard Watson	4	9	37	9.3	4.1	1	0	0	0	0	0
Marcus Wright	11	32	190	17.3	5.9	3	0	0	0	0	0

Receiving

		Receiving
	G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD
Anthony Allen	13	5	112	8.6	22.4	1
Jonathan Dwyer	13	3	25	1.9	8.3	0
Stephen HIll	8	6	137	17.1	22.8	1
Daniel McKayhan	2	1	18	9	18	0
Tyler Melton	4	5	46	11.5	9.2	0
Embry Peeples	11	8	244	22.2	30.5	1
Orwin Smith	11	2	26	2.4	13	0
Demaryius Thomas	13	46	1154	88.8	25.1	8

Kicking

		Field Goals								PAT
	G	0-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	FGM	FGA	PCT	XPM	XPA	PCT	pts
Scott Blair	11	-	-	-	-	-	14	19	70.0%	43	44	100.0%	85
Chris Tanner	3	-	-	-	-	-	0	1	0	14	14	100.0%	14

via l.yimg.com

Poll

Who wins the matchup?

Georgia Tech

120 votes

Ohio State

62 votes

182 votes | Poll has closed

Your 2009 offensive Bammy Award winner is...

Sam @ WWAHT — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:00:25 -0000

Before the season, I decided to come up with an award to help commemorate the contributions (or lack thereof) of one Bam Childress in the following way:

I'd name [this] award for a guy who, for four straight years at Ohio State, overcame overwhelming preseason hype spurred by mesmerizing spring game and practice performances to.... do next to nothing in the regular season. I decided that this award would go to those "other", non-headliner guys at the skill positions - not Pryor, Herron, Posey etc. - who actually deliver on preseason hype, unlike the award's namesake.

Thus, the Bam Childress Award was born. With so many new faces on offense as well as defense, I decided to split the award up into offensive and defensive categories with nominees from both units.

The offensive nominees (along with my preseason thoughts on their chances) were...

Dane Sanzenbacher

I have my concerns about Sanzenbacher - to wit, his size, and his penchant for exposing himself to the big hit - but I am still as high on him as I was when I wrote this back in May:

He doesn't have elite speed, but he's still dangerous in space with his athleticism and ability to make defenders miss (jukification?) and will eventually grow into the role of the reliable third down option for Terrelle Pryor.

Since then, opinions of Dane have gone through a bit of an evolution, with Kurt Coleman at one point considering him potentially the guy:

"Dane is the guy, any way he has to, he's going to get it done, he's going to get the first down," Coleman said. "I think Dane is coming in being the No. 1 receiver, but DeVier is definitely that deep threat, that guy you always have to have someone guarding."

In camp, "Sanzo" (or, as I call him, "Bloody Sanzio") has struggled with injury and hasn't made a massive dent in the depth chart, but most still consider him to be, at the very least, the probable number two behind Posey. What he brings to the game is not all the different from what Anthony Gonzales brought to the team in 2006: a player who's willing to go across the middle and make the tough catches in heavy traffic on passing downs, even with his lack of size. He will be critical to Pryor's development as a quarterback, and he just might be the most likely breakout player at his position this year.

Official WWAHT Breakout Year Hype-O-Meter: 8 Bam Childresses out of 10

Brandon Saine

Probably the guy that most needs a breakout season, he's going to have to earn it while sharing duties with Boom Herron. Saine came to OSU as a football player who happened to play track, but has spent most of his time looking like a track guy who happened to play football; nursing injuries, avoiding hits, and generally struggling massively as a spell back behind Beanie Wells. This spring, I liked what I saw:

Saine has looked a bit more confident, abandoning his fear of hits and hitting the hole (TWSS) with tenacity, quickness and excellent vision.

Reports from practice on Saine are few and far between, but there was this from the jersey scrimmage:

Brandon Saine didn't get a lot of work, and was 5/20.

So the Saine Hype Train that was steaming along early in the spring appears to have slowed down just a bit, but last I checked, Tressel still plans on rotating Saine with Herron, and since the spring game was the closest thing he has seen to genuine game action since early last fall and he looked excellent in it, I'm not too worried. It's hard to have a "breakout" year as part of a rotation, but I think all the things he brings to the table as a runner are different enough from Herron that he'll continue getting reps throughout the season. 700 yards on the ground may not be out of the question.

Official WWAHT Breakout Year Hype-O-Meter: 6 Bam Childresses out of 10

Ray Small

I know, I know: everyone says this is his year, ever year. This year might be the least likely year that the Motormouth will break out, in fact. But I'm still holding out hope. Tressel apparently is too:

Senior Ray Small, who started the month in Tressel's doghouse again, got plenty of time running routes and returning punts (his job a year ago) Wednesday. He appears to be back in the mix.

Small's recruiting numbers were not excellent without reason: the potential is still there. He has shown how dangerous he can be in space. He also knows that this is his last shot, and he hopefully knows that outside of that punt return, he will be most remembered for this:

Which is not ideal. If these facts, along with all the (somewhat deserved) hate from the fanbase, serve to motivate him just a bit, he might end up partially redeeming his checkered (to put it lightly) career.

Official WWAHT Breakout Year Hype-O-Meter: 5 Bam Childresses out of 10

Taurian Washington

Deacon of the Church of Latter-day Bam himself, Washington has blown up in two straight spring games - catching 8 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns in the past two years. He would have 9 for 226 had a flag not taken away a 63-yarder in the 2008 edition of the game. Sounds like a star in the making right? I give you his career regular season stat line:

G Rec. Yards Avg. TD Rec./G Yards/G

6 3 46 15.33 1 0.5 7.7

Somewhere, Bam Childress knows that he still has a good man spreading the word and doing his work in Columbus. After this year's electrifying 92-yard spring game performance, Washington finds himself again down on the depth chart, presumably behind Posey and Sanzenbacher. There were previously rumblings that he may get looks in the slot should Ray Small find trouble yet again.

Official WWAHT Breakout Year Hype-O-Meter: 5 Bam Childresses out of Ten

G	Rec.	Yards	Avg.	TD	Rec./G	Yards/G
6	3	46	15.33	1	0.5	7.7

Duron Carter

Reports from practice and the scrimmage have been almost exclusively praise for the scion of Cris Carter. Assuming Ohio State mostly operates out of 3-wide sets this year, Posey, Sanzenbacher and Ray Small all have a considerable leg up on Carter when it comes to playing time. He's too big to play the slot and not quite a burner. One way I could see him having a breakout season is if he's deployed mostly in red zone situations, where defenses would have to work just a bit harder to cover him as they field as many linebackers as they can to stop the rushing attack. They just might not be able to cover someone with his size and speed.

Official WWAHT Breakout Year Hype-O-Meter: 6 Bam Childresses out of 10

with honorable mentions Jake Stoneburner

A converted WR at TE is always an exciting prospect, but to buy the notion that 2009 is Stoney's breakout year is to buy that a) he'll make the transition gracefully as a redshirt-freshman, b) Ohio State starts making a serious effort at utilizing the tight end in the passing game and c) he actually catches anything as the second tight end provided that b) actually happens. Thus, he just remains a darkhorse.

Official WWAHT Breakout Year Hype-O-Meter: 3 Bam Childresses out of 10

and Jaamal Berry

Berry has bounced back excellently from his June marijuana arrest, impressing in camp before succumbing to injury and struggling in the scrimmage. He wasn't here for the spring, so it's safe to say he's a bit behind. Nevertheless, he's the fastest back on Ohio State's roster, and probably the most dangerous in space. But I have my doubts: see here and here on why I think he might struggle.

Official WWAHT Breakout Year Hype-O-Meter: 4 Bam Childresses out of 10

And the winner is...

First, some notes on those who didn't win:

Berry redshirted due to recurring injury problems
Stoneburner ended up getting treated just like every other TE in this offense, sadly, with 2 catches for 30 yards on the year.
Duron Carter is a beast, but only caught 13 balls for 176 yards in OSU's hamstrung passing offense.
Ray Small had an excellent year on special teams, but again was mostly an afterthought in the OSU offense.
Sanzenbacher had a rip-roaring start to the season, catching multiple long bombs in the game against Toledo, as well as an excellent 50-yarder against Southern Cal, but cooled off in Ohio State's finally three game stretch, just as the winner was getting heated up.
Taurian Washington flamed out after the first week - in true Bam fashion, no doubt - following a few dropped first down passes against Navy. As Deacon in the LDCOB, you can't say he isn't incredibly poious
So your winner is, who, unlike the trophy's namesake, followed through after a preseason of massive hype, is....

Tailback Brandon Saine! When the running attack needed a spark - which, after the Purdue game wasn't all that often, though this guy still contributed - Brandon Saine provided it, and was absolutely key to this offense throughout the year. His scoring runs against Michigan and Iowa were the stuff dreams are made of, and his game-sealing TD catch against Penn State capped off the best big game win this program has had since Texas '06. His success this year sets up, provided he stay injury-free, the potential for a massive senior year in what will hopefully be the most dangerous backfield in America, combining the size and power of Saine and Herron with the darting moves of Jaamal Berry and Jordan Hall. Watching his play this year, it's tough to not get excited for next. Congrats on finally arriving, "Brand: Insane."

All-Big Ten Awards Announced, Swept Once Again By Toto

Oops Pow Surprise — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:00:45 -0000

by Charlie Neibergall - AP

about 1 month ago: Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz looks on during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Northwestern, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009, in Iowa City, Iowa. Northwestern won 17-10. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

View full size photo »

Good news, everyone!* The Big Ten announced its picks for the all-conference teams. Naturally, the offensive and defensive player of the year are both Terrelle Pryor. Okay, not true; he's not even honorable mention.

But there's plenty of actual good news. First, the devil media named Kirk Ferentz coach of the year, and here he is reminding them that they can go suck it and he hasn't forgiven them for the slights of the regular season.

Such language, Kirk!

As for the players, here's the link to the voting results. The media named Bryan Bulaga to the first team on offense, while the second team featured four of his friends from the line: Rafael Eubanks, Dace Richardson, Kyle Calloway, and Tony Moeaki.

On defense, the first team had a little more Iowa representation; Adrian Clayborn, Pat Angerer, and Tyler Sash all received their no-brainer merits. On the second team, Brett Greenwood and Amari Spievey. Iowa put eight players on the media's honorable mention team: Ryan Donahue, Broderick Binns, A.J. Edds, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Karl Klug, Daniel Murray, Adam Robinson, and Ricky Stanzi.

Not surprisingly, the coaches had a slightly higher opinion of the Hawkeyes; here's the link to their voting results. Bryan Bulaga was named their offensive lineman of the year(!!!), an award the media doesn't give out. Bulaga is joined on the first team by Moeaki and Richardson, both of which are worthy selections. Calloway and Eubanks didn't make the second team--not sure why on Calloway--but Derrell Johnson-Koulianos snuck in on a three-player tie for second-team WR.

On defense, the coaches agreed with the media in putting Sash, Clayborn, and Angerer on the first team roster. They also added Amari Spievey; as coaches, they're more likely to know that the reason Spievey didn't have a ton of picks wasn't that he's not good at football, but that there's just no hope in throwing at him; Spievey was a machine this season, and we're starting to lose hope that he's got more than one game left in an Iowa uniform. A.J. Edds is the lone Hawkeye on the defensive second team.

For honorable mention, it's as follows:Christian Ballard, Kyle Calloway, Ryan Donahue, Brent Greenwood, Karl Klug, and Adam Robinson.

Full All-BXI teams and a few thoughts are after the break.

MEDIA

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
QB	Daryll Clark, Penn State	Mike Kafka, Northwestern
RB	Evan Royster, Penn State	Brandon Saine, Ohio State
RB	JOHN CLAY, Wisconsin	Ralph Bolden, Purdue
WR	Tandon Doss, Indiana	Blair White, Michigan State
WR	Keith Smith, Purdue	Zeke Markshausen, Northwestern
C	Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State	Rafael Eubanks, Iowa
G	Justin Boren, Ohio State	Jon Asamoah, Illinois
G	John Moffitt, Wisconsin	Dace Richardson, Iowa
T	Bryan Bulaga, Iowa	Kyle Calloway, Iowa
T	Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin	Dennis Landolt, Penn State
TE	Garrett Graham, Wisconsin	Tony Moeaki, Iowa
PK	Brett Swenson, Michigan State	Stefan Demos, Northwestern

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
DL	Adrian Clayborn, Iowa	Jammie Kirlew, Indiana
DL	Brandon Graham, Michigan	Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State
DL	Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue	Cameron Heyward, Ohio State
DL	O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin	Jared Odrick, Penn State
LB	Pat Angerer, Iowa	Ross Homan, Ohio State
LB	GREG JONES, Michigan State	Josh Hull, Penn State
LB	Navorro Bowman, Penn State	Sean Lee, Penn State
DB	Tyler Sash, Iowa	Brent Greenwood, Iowa
DB	Donovan Warren, Michigan	Amari Spievey, Iowa
DB	Sherrick McManis, Northwestern	Brad Phillips, Northwestern
DB	Kurt Coleman, Ohio State	David Pender, Purdue
P	Zoltan Mesko, Michigan	Jeremy Boone, Penn State

COACHES

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
QB	Daryll Clark, Penn State	Mike Kafka, Northwestern
RB	Evan Royster, Penn State	Brandon Saine, Ohio State
RB	John Clay, Wisconsin	Ralph Bolden, Purdue
WR	Eric Decker, Minnesota	Tandon Doss, Indiana*
WR	Blair White, Michigan State	Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Iowa* Keith Smith, Purdue*
C	Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State	Rafael Eubanks, Iowa* Joel Nitchman, Michigan State*
G	Dace Richardson, Iowa	Jon Asamoah, Illinois
G	John Moffitt, Wisconsin	Justin Boren, Ohio State
T	Bryan Bulaga, Iowa	Rodger Saffold, Indiana
T	Dennis Landolt, Penn State	Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin
TE	Tony Moeaki, Iowa	Garrett Graham, Wisconsin
PK	Brett Swenson, Michigan	Stefan Demos, Northwestern

POS.	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
DL	Adrian Clayborn, Iowa	Jammie Kirlew, Indiana
DL	Brandon Graham, Michigan	Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State
DL	Jared Odrick, Penn State	Cameron Heyward, Ohio State
DL	O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin	Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue
LB	Pat Angerer, Iowa Linebacker	A.J. Edds, Iowa
LB	Greg Jones, Michigan State	Ross Homan, Ohio State
LB	Navorro Bowman, Penn State	Sean Lee, Penn State
DB	Tyler Sash, Iowa	Donovan Warren, Michigan*
DB	Amari Spievey, Iowa	Sherrick McManis, Northwestern*
DB	Brad Phillips, Northwestern	Brandon King, Purdue*
DB	Kurt Coleman, Ohio State	David Pender, Purdue* Jay Valai, Wisconsin*
P	Zoltan Mesko, Michigan	Jeremy Boone, Penn State

Okay. While we're quite happy that Bulaga got such high accolades for the season, we can't be alone in thinking that he was hardly the best lineman in Iowa City, much less the Big Ten. He was either on the sidelines or out of sorts for the majority of the season, and we still haven't seen the elephant-tusk-covered road grader from last season on display. He totally would have deserved a preseason OL of the year, but his performance over 2009 didn't merit such superlatives.

This is hardly a new development from these postseason lists, however; generally, the lists are crafted off of the preseason lists, and anybody whose knee blew out with more than four games left was excised and replaced by someone else. After all, Bulaga was only a second-team All-BXI player last season, even though he was by far the best lineman on the team in 2008. Seth Olsen, meanwhile, had the good fortune to be a first-teamer to start the year, so he was on the first team after 2008, despite a relatively blah senior campaign; we'd have put him about fourth on the list of Iowa linemen for 2009, behind the two bookends at tackle and Rob Bruggeman at center.

Essentially, Bulaga won the award in 2009 for his play in 2008.

At the end of the day, this comes down to stats; there aren't any for linemen, despite the ill-fated attempt to get the "pancake" introduced about a decade ago (for this, we blame Orlando Pace). It's assumed that linemen are sure things, and that as long as they stay healthy, the narrative has stayed true. After all, without stats, most scribes have no time (or no idea) how to watch linemen individually.

Frankly, though it's a subjective stat, we'd love to see how linemen grade out per play (remember that Blake Larsen famously graded at 100% during his senior season at Atlantic; lord, had those knees survived...) Without having the means to undertake such an activity ourselves, we'd imagine that if you graded each Iowa offensive lineman, Kyle Calloway or Dace Richardson would probably be at the top.

If they're not, which is possible, then it would probably be the guy who didn't even get an honorable mention: Riley Reiff. He was stout in relief of Bulaga--hell, we're pretty sure O'Brien Schofield would not have batted Reiff around like a catnip mouse, unlike some Iowa linemen--and he basically forced his way into the starting lineup even before Big Dace went down. But since he wasn't even a projected starter, to say nothing of a preseason honoree, Reiff didn't have much of a chance for postseason mention. Shame, really; dude is legit, and he hasn't even filled out his frame yet.

As for the skill players, it's a little disappointing that Stanzi only made one honorable mention team. But we get how that can happen. Spievey only making second team in the media is flatly ridiculous. If he'd put together that same season in an Ohio State uniform, he'd be getting All-American talk.

Other than that, we don't have a ton of beef; Stanzi killed himself by leading the conference in interceptions when he went down to injury, and the rest of the offensive skill players were far too inconsistent or hurt to merit much consideration. Jeremiha Hunter not getting any honorable mention love is a little disconcerting, but the BXI was lo-ho-hoaded at linebacker this season; we're not quite sure whom we'd place him above. He'll get some love in 2010 if he stays healthy. Also--given the play of Jeff Tarpinian in relief--if Hunter stays healthy between now and next September, there's no position battle at weakside backer next season, right?

So, all in all, a fair list, even if the voting on offensive linemen is basically a year behind schedule. It's a year behind for everyone else, after all. Anybody else that you folks think got shafted? Did Marvin McNutt deserve a nod, or is he still a year away from recognition?

*/Farnsworth'd

The Obligatory Predictions Competition - Week 12

Law Buckeye — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:48:22 -0000

It's hate week. It's also the last chance you'll have to pick Big Ten matchups before the bowls.

1. No. 10 OHIO STATE at MICHIGAN, 12:00 p.m. EST (11/21), ABC

GRAHAMFILLER10 predicts OHIO STATE by 14

Vegas seems to understand the possible game flow here. Law Buck wrote two articles, one decrying the death of UM and one giving the Wolverines hope for Saturday’s showdown. These contrasting perspectives will do fine in tracing Ann Arbor's emotions. The Wolverines can score points against top defenses (28 versus Iowa, 24 versus Wisky), so the zone read runs could be effective enough to keep UM in the game. But the Buck’s give up points grudgingly and Pryor has been less mistake prone of late, signifying that the better team should run away. I’ll be holding my breath in the first quarter, hoping for a close contest.

LAW BUCKEYE predicts OHIO STATE by 10

If you try to tune into this game, but think you're watching Nebraska don't be confused. It's just Ohio State, ~~participating in a Nike promotional stunt~~ paying homage to the 1954 National Championship team by wearing these modern classic threads. It might be an unintentional hubris, treating an away game with its biggest rival like a fashion show, but these Buckeyes have plenty of motivation. They have the chance to become the first OSU team ever to beat the Wolverines 6 times in a row.

I've already outlined what Michigan needs to do to stay in this game. But what do I really think will happen? A scarlet inside and out rushing attack -- featuring an edge scouter (Dan "Boom" Herron), and a pile pusher (Brandon Saine) -- that rushed for over 200 yards against Iowa, will sustain Ohio State drives. We'll also see a great deal more scripted runs for Terrelle Pryor, who can afford to earn a few bangs and bruises with a 41 day layover before the Rose Bowl. The Achilles Heel for the Wolverines is undoubtedly linebacker play -- which means if the Buckeye offensive line is getting holes, you'll see a gluttonous Ohio State team tear off yardage in chunks.

Michigan plays inspired, and keeps the lid on the pot for the first half, but eventually its offense wears down and makes mistakes. It's going to be another long winter in Ann Arbor.

Go Bucks!

2. MINNESOTA at No. 13 IOWA, 12:00 p.m. EST (11/21), ESPN

GRAHAMFILLER10 predicts IOWA by 10

I love this Iowa team, all blood and guts and with their backups playing above their skill level. I dislike this Minnesota team with its lack of offensive cohesion and weak offensive line. We saw what Vandenberg can do with the help of McNutt. We also saw what the Mini offense can do against South Dakota State (zero touchdowns).

LAW BUCKEYE predicts IOWA by 55 14

It's easy to forget if you're talking to a Penn State fan entertaining BCS at-large ambitions, but Iowa is without question the second best team in the conference, and they're a lot closer to the first, than the third. James Vandenberg's valiant efforts in Columbus came up just short -- but that doesn't mean that he'll shrink from the occasion to blast a few pesky rodent rivals. Iowa runs and passes at will on its way to a blowout.

3. No. 16 WISCONSIN at NORTHWESTERN, 3:30 p.m. EST (11/21), Big Ten Network

GRAHAMFILLER10 predicts WISCONSIN by 10

Well, if Hmlee was going to have her heart split in two pieces by this matchup, it mine as well be over two improved squads having solid years. I have a growing respect for the Wisconsin defense and it’s linebacking corps…I also have no idea who will block O’Brien Schofield.

LAW BUCKEYE predicts WISCONSIN by 10

The Badgers have rushed for more than 200 yards in three straight games. But don't forget that Scott Tolzien threw 4 touchdown passes in last week's victory over Michigan. Northwestern is vulnerable to the rush, having given up 212 yards to the Illini last week in a closer-than-it-should-have-been win. Wisconsin gains momentum on the ground before blowing the game open in the air.

4. PURDUE at INDIANA, 3:30 p.m. EST (11/21), Big Ten Network

GRAHAMFILLER10 predicts PURDUE by 7

An early theme from the Purdue side of things was that if Purdue was a 5 win team and battling to get in a bowl against Indiana, there was no way they would lose. Well the pressure is off for both squads and it will probably result in these effective passing games running roughshod over the horrendous defenses. I loved how Purdue played on the road in East Lansing, but I also respect the fight that Indiana has put up in almost every single conference game. Purdue hasn’t been stopped of late and Bloomington doesn’t afford that much home field advantage.

LAW BUCKEYE predicts PURDUE by 7

Anyone who requires proof that the Big Ten is up in stock need look no further than the Boilermakers and the Hoosiers. These perennial cellar-dwellers have provided to be dedicated and dynamic gunners, with colorful offenses and inspired defenses. Purdue is the slightly better team, and has two more conference wins to prove it. They'll get their fourth Saturday. Neither team will go bowling, but both should keep their heads high -- there's promise for the future.

5. No. 14 PENN STATE at MICHIGAN STATE, 3:30 p.m. EST (11/21), ABC

GRAHAMFILLER10 predicts PENN STATE by 10

I love Michigan State’s linebacking corps, but their pass defense has been shredded weekly this Fall. How do they slow Daryll Clark with limited pressure from the front four? They don’t. Elliot, Tolzien, Weber, Kafka…all had huge numbers against the staid 4-3 of Narduzzi.

LAW BUCKEYE predicts PENN STATE by 10

Both these teams have been major disappointments in 2009, although one still stands to earn an at large bid to the BCS. Penn State will be without backup tailback Brandon Beachum, and wide receiver Chaz Powell when they enter Spartan Stadium, a place where they're four of six all time. Michigan State, meanwhile is 2-0 in November, on the hands of senior receiver Blair White. If the Nittany Lions can't get their act together on special teams, the Spartans just might be able to pull the upset, but ultimately, Daryll Clark gets in rhythm, and Penn State carries the day.

27-24: Ferentz's Lament

Oops Pow Surprise — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:54:59 -0000

There was so much about the game that swung the momentum one way or another--Trey Stross single-handedly (or two-handedly, whatever) killing two Iowa touchdowns, a missed field goal on each side of the ball, big plays by James Vandenberg and Brandon Saine, whatever. It was a 12-round fight, and all the usual suspects of a titanic fight were there.

But when it comes to what the game hinged on, it was both coaches' decisions not to press to get into field goal range at the end of the game. Tressel's was, well, vintage Tressel: ball at the 18, under 3 minutes to go, and it was just dink dink dink until 4th down and a punt.

Ferentz's decision, however, was a little more curious. Iowa had the ball at their own 32 with about 50 seconds left and one timeout remaining. Seeing roughly 15 defensive backs in the game, Ferentz called a run to try to sneak a decent gain in on the soft OSU defense; it failed, no gain, and Iowa took no more snaps before overtime.

The thinking, we assume, is that the only way Iowa would lose in regulation is by getting aggressive with the pass, and Ferentz avoided that. He probably did not foresee, however, that Iowa's offense would travel backwards 16 yards in overtime before a doomed heave-ho on 4th and 26.

Indeed, the worst series of the game by far could not have come at a worse point in the game; after that, Tressel was as likely to call a pass as he was a backwards punt.

And thus, Iowa's shot at the Rose Bowl ended not with a bang, but a whimper. That, above all else, will likely be Kirk Ferentz's lament tonight.

-----

Here's your open thread for the night. Play fair, no slurs, and don't fight with your own. This loss feels like a kick square to the dick, and nobody's happy about that. Let's start from that premise and keep it cool from there.

Around the Big Ten, week 10 (and a look at IU's non-conference opponents).

John M (The Crimson Quarry) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:26:10 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

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I missed a week on this feature, but the Big Ten featured a pretty competitive slate of games. Four of five conference games were decided by a single possession.

Ohio State 24, Penn State 7: The biggest matchup of the week was the most lopsided of the conference games. Ohio State dominated the Nittany Lions at Happy Valley. We Will Always Have Tempe has kind words, somewhat, for the Buckeyes' Pennsylvania-bred quarterback:

This is Terrelle Pryor's signature "Terrelle Pryor" win. He was not amazing. For an entire half, he wasn't even particularly good. But on two out of three instances when Ohio State badly, badly needed him to just be a competent quarterback, he actually did it. Against an excellent defense, no less. He nailed that bomb to Posey perfectly, did an excellent job of hitting his checkdown on Brandon Saine's receiving TD, and he juuuust overshot Sanzenbacher before the half. There were arm punts here and there, but the fact that they didn't land in the hands of some greedy DB has to count as some bit of progress. Overall, I don't think you can deny that he did the best job yet in his young career of "managing the game", as the cliché goes.

Black Shoe Diaries has harsh words for the Penn State staff:

What kind of big play were you hoping for, Joe? Were you hoping Evan Royster could run over right guard for four yards instead of two? Were you hoping tight end Mickey Shuler was going to turn that five yard pass into a seventy yard touchdown? Please don't tell me you were hoping the special teams were going to bail you out sooner or later. You can't return fair catches for touchdowns, you know. It's not hard to figure out what went wrong on Saturday. Ohio State kept pinning the Penn State offense deep. The special teams couldn't buy them any room. Joe didn't want to take chances, so he played it safe by running right into the teeth of the Buckeye defensive line. Then they kept giving Ohio State the ball at midfield which allowed them to take some chances on offense. Once the Buckeyes got the lead, they shoved the dagger home. Or arm-punted it home. Whatever. Joe Paterno got suckered into playing Tressel Ball, and he lost again.

Northwestern 17, Iowa 10: I have always liked Iowa, and I root against Northwestern because if IU can be better than anyone in the Big Ten, it's Northwestern. But after last week, it felt really good to see the luck run out on those frauds. Sippin' on Purple puts it in perspective, or refuses to:

I'm still letting this one sink in. It's not every year you even get to play a top five ranked team, let alone beat one. I mean, at NU, it's not every half-century you beat a top five ranked team. So, just enjoy this. Take all your nonsense about "this season is still kind of disappointing" and "oh, but the refs jobbed Iowa!" (yes, they did) "but Stanzi got hurt!" (first off. kid threw a pick too. and four in a quarter last week. maybe he hits djk on that long ball, but, the dude's not johnny friggin unitas. and second off, every team deals with injuries. we're dealing with them too!) and just take a few seconds, minutes, or hours to think about how great that win was for NU.

Black Heart Gold Pants thinks it was fate:

This loss was as ironic as it was inevitable. You may or may not remember Northwestern's 1995 season, in which they (however briefly) metamorphosized from perennial Big Ten doormat to Rose Bowl participant on the back of, among other people, Nagurski and Bednarik Award-winning linebacker Pat Fitzgerald. You might also remember that Northwestern team, undefeated in conference play after surrendering no more than 20 points to any Big Ten opponent, folded like a house of cards against Southern Cal on New Years' Day, losing 41-32. There was one key element missing from the Northwestern defense on that fateful day: Fitzgerald, who broke his leg against Iowa on November 11 and missed the rest of the season. Northwestern would again take a share of the Big Ten crown in 1996, Fitzgerald's senior campaign, but was relegated to the Citrus Bowl. Fourteen years ago, Fitzgerald's Rose Bowl dream was effectively dashed with a leg injury. In the second week of November. Against Iowa.

Purdue 38, Michigan 36: The Boilermakers won in Ann Arbor for the first time since 1966. Oddly enough, Danny Hope decided to use the momentous occasion to settle scores during the postgame handshake. For those who missed it, a Michigan player acted like a dick in the Notre Dame game and was suspended for it. A Purdue player acted like a dick against Northern Illinois, taking a cheap shot after the final gun. A few days later, Rick Rodriguez acted like a dick, begging for a suspension for the Purdue dick. The Big Ten imposed a (deserved) suspension. Weeks later, after a historic win, Purdue coach Danny Hope decided to act like a dick, introducing Purdue's dick player to Michigan's dick coach. In summary: Michigan's players are dicks. Michigan's coaches are dicks. Purdue's players are dicks. Purdue's coaches are dicks. In other words, nothing new. About that historic win, here's Hammer and Rails:

Indiana continued its fall from an almost certain bowl, losing 31-28 to Wisconsin to drop to 4-6. My wife's Hurricanes rolled at home against Virginia 52-17. Navy gets its second win in two years, both at Notre Dame Stadium, beating the Irish 23-21. That makes Jimmy Montana 1-2 against the vaunted Midshipmen after his predecessors were 43-0. So how is that Heisman campaign, Jimmy? The six BCS conferences (and maybe TCU and Boise State) now have $14 million reasons to thank Navy.

Yep. Obsessing about IU and Notre Dame in a post ostensibly about Purdue's first win at Michigan in 43 years. He does mention Purdue later in the post, but priorities are priorities.

How did Maize-n-Brew handle the loss?

Despite a 14 point halftime lead, Michigan allowed 21 unanswered points to Purdue en route to a heartbreaking 38-36 loss. Well, "heartbreaking" probably isn't the proper word. "Maddening" is. Despite throttling the Boilermakers in the first half, the Wolverines allowed poor play and decision making to cost them a game they should've won. There's little more to it than that. We can go into great detail about the colossal pooch screwing that occurred when Michigan fumbled at its own 19 yard line. Or about the 91 yard drive immediately following Michigan's follow up score. Or the blown onsides kick. Or the inexcusable screw up that allowed a 54 yard touchdown on a play action pass. GaaaaaaaaaaaH!

Illinois 35, Minnesota 32: The Illini, who seemed to hit rock bottom with blowout losses to IU and Purdue, have bounced back, somehow, and won at Minnesota. Hail to the Orange:

As I have said before, this team, win or lose, is always exciting to watch. Saturday's game against Minnesota was, of course, no exception. It had everything from INTs for TDs, blocked punts for TDs, missed field goals, injured quarterbacks, freshman heroics and an onside kick for good measure. Illini season tickets should come with a free case of TUMS. The first half could not have gone better for the Illini (scoring-wise at least) The Illini take an early lead with an 80 yard TD drive and a pick 6 from everyone's new favorite player Terry Hawthorne. Then there is the injury to Juice, making way for the other freshman savior du jour to come in and lead the Illini to a half time lead of 28 to 7.

The Daily Gopher:

Illini QB, Juice Williams went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter. At the time Illinois held a 7-0 lead, which soon grew to 14-0 before redshirt freshman Jacob Charest took over and led the Illini offense to a 35-25 win over the Gophers. Charest was poised and elusive making a handful of clutch plays when Illinois most needed them. On the other side of the ball, Adam Weber returned to his 2009 form going 5/17 in the first half for 74 yards and a pick-6. In typical Weber fashion he managed to play well at times going 9/14 in the second half for 147 yards and a TD. Along with improved accuracy he converted a 3rd & 19 and a 3rd & 24. But playing well (not great, but well) for 2 quarters isn't going to get it done.

Michigan State 49, Western Michigan 14: The Only Colors was happy to have a relaxing Saturday:

This football season has been a season to remember for all the wrong reasons. There was the onside kick recovery against CMU and the game-killing interception against Notre Dame when a field goal would've sent the game to overtime. There was the curb-stomping Wisconsin gave and the slant Iowa ran with two seconds left. Most recently, there was the kick return to start the Minnesota game and one of the most improbable incomplete passes/laterals/touchdowns I've ever seen. The only key play that's gone MSU's way this season was the Caper run in OT to win the Michigan game. For all of these reasons, that's why few things felt more refreshing in the past few months than an old-fashioned butt kicking. Which is exactly what Michigan State did yesterday, eliminating all modicums of suspense and causing me to name an article after a Mary J. Blige album.

Non-conference:

One of IU's non-con opponents, Western Michigan, played MSU (see above).

Akron 28, Kent State 20: The Zips finally got a I-A win, and it was a pretty good one. Kent was 4-1 in the MAC before losing to Akron.

Miami 52, Virginia 17: The Cavs are 3-6, and Al Groh is toast.

Kentucky 37, Eastern Kentucky 12: The Colonels lost another to a BCS conference opponent.

Linebacker Who?

Law Buckeye — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:03:34 -0000

On Saturday, I left the creature comforts of the village by the Olentangy with friends and a fiance in toe, to head to State College for Ohio State's showdown with Penn State. What follows is a brief re-count of our trip to Penn's Woods.

11:46 a.m.: We leave Columbus late after sitting for the morning MPRE exam. Things started an hour and four minutes behind schedule, resulting in a stressful change of vehicle in front of M's carriage house. She greets us with a box of fresh pastries from a local French bakery. I change into my uniform: the Nike "Tressel" sweater-vest, complete with a Brooks Brother's undershirt and grab a cranberry scone. We point the navigation to State College, PA, and learn that our projected arrival time is 5:04 p.m., some ninety minutes after kickoff. We're down, but we're not out. We've got a perfectly good second half to live for.

12:45 p.m.: Barreling down I-70, we learn -- first over the radio, and later from a phone call from Graham, that Iowa's Ricky Stanzi has gone down whilst rolling out on a naked bootleg against Northwestern. The prognosis is negative.

3:01 p.m.: The sky is blue as we bolt through a tunnel into downtown Pittsburgh. There's an unexpected commotion near Heinz Field, and we remember that there's another team in Pennsylvania that owns a one-loss record. Alas, we have bigger fish to fry.

3:34 p.m.: With kickoff looming we scan the AM dial desperately for some resemblance of a broadcast. Finally, we hit an undulating signal from a local Happy Valley station. The signal rate drops in and out, replaced by a unrelated jazz overture. Ohio State returns the opening kickoff to the 25 and it's on.

3:49 p.m.: Terrelle Pryor skips through a fold in the pressure and burns Navarro Bowman for a 7 yard rushing touchdown. I smack my knuckles on the sunroof in jubilation. After the Buckeyes force Penn State to another 3 and out, I declare to my passengers that we've come to play. We're weaving through orange foothills and soft mountains, the open landscape punctuated by power lines. It sounds like Ohio State's defensive front is having a field day with the Nittany Lions, a fact that makes me swell with hope. An embarrassingly partisan radio announcer admits another Ohio State 12 yard gain.

4:14 p.m.: Graham Zug knifes through the Ohio State secondary for a 31-yard gain setting up a goalline standoff that ends when Daryll Clark holds the ball across the hash on fourth down. I get a text immediately from a friend's girlfriend that the score is suspect. We hold our breath, as the announcer concedes that "It's a close call." The ruling on the field is confirmed. It's a tie game, and I immediately second guess Tressel's decision to punt from the 29.

4:59 p.m.: With less than 3:00 minutes to play in the second half, and the Goodyear Blimp hovering like a winged seraph on the horizon, M announces that she has to pee. We swing into a local Outback Steakhouse to do the deed. The hostess comments on our choice attire, but lets us in. Ohio State forces a Jeremy Boone punt with approximately 2:10 left. I put my hands in my pockets, convinced we're headed to half up by three.

5:11 p.m.: Just off the exit we get our first glimpse of Beaver Stadium, a spaceship-like fortress nestled in a pastoral embankment beside the interstate. The sun is glancing off the mountains, painting the landscape in a brilliant orange halo. We swing into a non-permit space in the grass beside a local Hospital and bundle up as the clock expires on the first half. We march off through farm land for the quarter-mile walk to the stadium.

5:19 p.m.: We check in on the north end and are greeted by a labyrinth of steel buttresses and concrete. The sounds of the marching band move through the portals as we shuffle for the ramp to head to the upper deck. I'm trying to be objective here, but I've got to say, the traffic management of this stadium sucks. We've forced to zig-zag back and forth through the packed concourse, smashed between iron girders and chain link safety fences. The air is sweet and stale with sweat and hot dog buns. We earn our way to Section NKU, and finally, break out into the open space. Beaver Stadium is alive with madness, a white brimmed monster of hollow sound and fury. We climb up to the 92nd row and are greeted by the familiar faces of friends. I survey the twin-press boxes, and the natural grass surface. A colleague hands me a Camel Pak filled with rum and tells me to "Bite and Suck." I do, and am warmed to the core. The steel bleachers move with the swell of anxiousness.

5:39 p.m.: The second half kicks off and it's us against the whiteout. We hold the Nittany Lions on another series and I comment to a friend about the play of linebacker Brian Rolle. "He's everywhere," my friend responds. Ohio State gets the ball back and after a string of rushes and an incomplete pass pins Penn State at their own 13. "Ten points," says my buddy "won't be enough to win this." I agree without hesitation. Turns out, we were both wrong.

6:17 p.m.: Pryor steps up in the pocket, turns his shoulders and heaves a "Hail Mary" up into the sky. I immediately go numb -- wasn't it Woody Hayes that said only three things can happen when you throw the ball and two of them are bad? The long ball floats and bobs, as a free safety and cornerback close on the left side of the field. DeVier Posey waits and STEALS THE PASS AT THE LAST SECOND, I jump with estranged joy as Posey darts through the secondary and INTO THE ENDZONE. We roar from the high decks, trading high fives and singing low taunts of elation. We're up 10 points, and for the first time I think we just might have the game. The thought is electric. Our D is back on the field and they're playing off the momentum, dancing jigs behind the line of scrimmage. Beaver Stadium belongs to us.

Happy Valley Indeed...

6:27 p.m.: And just like that Ray Small blows through another leaky Nittany Lion coverage scheme for 45 yards back to the Penn State 47. Jeremy Boone makes a killer knee-cap tackle that saves the touchdown. Pryor takes the reins again, and after a short handoff and incomplete pass we're facing 3rd and 11. The student section is re-energized after the Buckeyes call a timeout, and I let doubt eclipse my mind for a brief second as we line up 4 wide. Pryor moves forward on the keep, and as he charts the open space to the left hash I see an outside linebacker is keyed in on the play. Pryor glides, flashing his trademark motionless moonwalk, and beats the defender to the sideline for the first down. Seven plays later we're in the endzone, after Pryor dishes the ball to a leaping Brandon Saine. It's right in front of the visitor's section, and we go nuts as Penn State fans fill the aisles. Confident in the seventeen point lead I throw out a few hypothetical titles for this article to a friend, including the admittedly insensitive: "You Are...Losers."

Ultimately, "Linebacker Who?" sticks.

7:01 p.m.: After an Ohio State interception, and the usual clock-killing pleasantries, I wait for the clock to hit zero before snapping the iconic scoreboard photograph.

That would be this one...

7:25 p.m.: We file out of the stadium, singing "We don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan." (Love it or hate it, Ohio State is probably the only fan base that would rip Rival A, after beating Rival B). With the advice of a few helpful locals we wonder over to College Avenue, the backbone of a handsome New England downtown with shops, restaurants, and (of course) bars. We wait in line for a table at Bill Pickles Tap Room, a game day oasis with tudor-stylings, plentiful LCD feeds, and craft-beer by the pitcher. I drink a Leinenkugel's, and scarf down a soft pretzel, while we draw envious stares. The locals are friendly, even concilatory, and it's clear everyone is all in for the Big Ten.

11:48 p.m.: With designated driver M at the helm, we hop into the car and head east to Altoona -- the nearest available lodging. We buy a six-pack of Yuengling from a bowling-alley bar, and settle down at a local inn, strangely complacent with the Big Ten championship just a week away.

Happy Valley indeed

Sam @ WWAHT — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:41:18 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.

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Mea culpa: I didn't really think we had much of a chance. The mismatches seemed to be few and far between, but the one that seemed to matter most - the Buckeye offense versus Penn State's defense - was in Penn State's favor by such a wide margin, I thought it invalidated the overall evenness of the two teams.

I was wrong. And I couldn't be happier about it.

There's so much credit to give to so many different people, I'm not sure where to begin. Who thought we wouldn't turn the ball over once, against one of the ballhawkin'est defenses in the country? Who thought we'd total 200 yards rushing against far and away the best rushing defense we've played all year? Who thought we'd have any sort of passing game whatsoever?

I imagine a few of you über-homers out there thought we did, but going into this game, what exactly did you base that on, you mad bastards? I submit that it was absolutely nothing, other than mindless faith in your team. Well, you were right this time.

The Good

- First things first: I have to give it up for the playcalling, but can I at least only do it in isolated instances? It's not like anything between the field goal drive and Pryor's first passing TD was revolutionary. What was new and interesting wasn't executed right in the first place. Didn't even look practiced. But outside of that? It was the best-called offensive gameplan since.... Happy Valley 2007. Hey, Penn State, can we trade stadiums?

- This is Terrelle Pryor's signature "Terrelle Pryor" win. He was not amazing. For an entire half, he wasn't even particularly good. But on two out of three instances when Ohio State badly, badly needed him to just be a competent quarterback, he actually did it. Against an excellent defense, no less. He nailed that bomb to Posey perfectly, did an excellent job of hitting his checkdown on Brandon Saine's receiving TD, and he juuuust overshot Sanzenbacher before the half. There were arm punts here and there, but the fact that they didn't land in the hands of some greedy DB has to count as some bit of progress. Overall, I don't think you can deny that he did the best job yet in his young career of "managing the game", as the cliché goes. For once, he didn't force anything. Had those first down drops been brought in by usually-surehanded Devier Posey and Duron Carter, it might have been considered the unquestioned best performance of his career.

- I thought the Ohio State offensive line did an excellent job, considering, in both pass and run pro. Even without JB Shugarts, they made the Penn State front four largely irrelevant for much of the game. I was not expecting Ohio State to gash PSU like they did, and the line played the biggest part. It's not like Herron was having the greatest day seeing the holes that developed, but the Buckeyes were still able to pick up 4-5 yards on the ground consistently enough to take pressure off of Pryor. These guys deserve all the crap they've gotten these past few years, just as much as they deserve the bulk of the credit for today's offensive success.

- The defensive line has completely recovered from the Purdue loss. Cameron Heyward might have made himself a 1st round pick this year with the job he did today. That sucks, but it's tough to deny that he looked like the best player on either team today. I feel like a complete jackass for suggesting he move back to DT over the summer. He's an excellent strongside DE.

- I thought Herron and Saine both finally lived up to the hype, even if it was only in fits and starts. Both looked far quicker against Penn State than they have at any time this year. Hope Herron can get healthy in time for Iowa, but I wouldn't count on it.

- I think it's safe to say Ray Small, while not living up to expectations by any stretch, isn't quite a bust. First, he saves our bacon against Ohio U, and today, his punt returns changed the dynamic of the whole game. I can't help but wonder what might have been if the dude had kept his head straight for his first three years in Columbus.

- I thought Devin Barclay looked calm, cool and collected in such a raucous environment. He's no Mike Nugent, and probably not even Josh Huston, but he came up pretty big in his first road start.

The Bad

I can't believe this, but this is going to be rather short.

- Let's not make Jake Ballard block anybody the rest of the season. Dude just can't do it. Relying on him to stop a DE is like asking a paraplegic to stop a freight train. It's just not fair.

- Graham Zug getting loose in the secondary so consistently was worrisome. Seemed like he was the only reason Penn State was driving most of the time. Luckily, this was mostly a first half problem, and seemed to get sewn up fine after that.

- I still consider anything-and-short automatic for most teams against our defensive interior. Our DTs are good, but they just can't push the opposing interior back in these critical situations. Not with any consistency anyway.

The Downright Confusing

- The Wildcat was deployed in the first half at the most confusing time possible, and was appropriately stuffed. It was deployed in the second half, and worked. What? Did Jim Tressel really wait nine games to use this? I suppose this is more ammo for the "he's holding stuff back" crowd, but man, this was shocking. If we're going to use it again, let's put someone back there who might actually be a threat to pass at some point (Posey? Some former high school QB?)

- I don't think Penn State fans repped particularly well at all. Booing their own team, leaving early when the game was still technically in doubt.... not pretty. I'm not enough of a jackass to make any grand proclamations about their "classlessness" or something, but... I was disappointed. For the record, I don't think any fan should ever boo their own team.

- I guess we didn't need it that much in the end, but the lack of play-action is perplexing. Especially when we're running on almost every first down.

If you read the live thread, you'll remember me saying that Purdue changed my entire perspective on this season. Well, this is just as much of a gamechanger. While it doesn't wholly make up for the Purdue loss, it shows us definitively that things are actually trending up, the offense is getting better, and this defense is more than a beneficiary of having played bad offensive teams. Remember that one maxim about Jim Tressel teams always getting better? I'm close to rechristening it The Grand Theory of Ohio State Football in post-Cooper Era. Today was about as much proof as one will ever need. Still, Iowa, even without Ricky Stanzi, will be no slouch, and Michigan is Michigan. Ohio State will have to guard against a letdown in both games. The road to Pasadena is winding, if not particularly long. I guess I can't blame you for smelling roses after today's game. Let's just hope the team isn't quite yet.

On disappointment and frustration

Sam @ WWAHT — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:15:14 -0000

More photos » by Jay LaPrete - AP

about 1 month ago: Ohio State's Jim Tressel coaches against New Mexico State during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009, in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State beat New Mexico State 45-0. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

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Ha-ha! Listen to this idiot. Boy, this guy must feel like a total jackass:

Thus, with a win in Ann Arbor, this theoretical Ohio State team finishes the season at 8-4. The Outback bowl, and a chance to redeem the season (and in some small ways, the program) with a New Year's Day victory over an SEC squad, both beckon. Keep in mind this is the worst case scenario*, but that even with Pryor injured, I still think Ohio State ends up in a bowl. The Motor City bowl, perhaps? Who knows. I'd rather not think about it.

Of course, the Motor City Bowl is now the even-more-humiliatingly-titled Pizza Bowl, and, after an expected loss to USC and a shocking fall to Purdue, Ohio State stands at 7-2. With games at Penn State and against a top-5 Iowa squad looming, 8-4 is a very real possibility. Having seen the depths this team can reach at Purdue, I also feel very confident in saying that 8-4 is far, far from what could have been a genuine worst-case scenario. Still, that provides little solace to a fanbase that has been clamoring for changes for a few years now, and that's wholly understanble.

I bring this up because, up to this point, I haven't considered 2009 any sort of massive disappointment on the whole. Have you? In my mind, I expected 9-3, 10-2 at the most, but I never for a second convinced myself that I should be OUTRAGED if the Buckeyes somehow fall short of either record. Personally, that's just how I root. My philosophy regarding sports fandom is relatively simple: if at any point, the net gains in happiness your team provides you are outweighed by net losses in happiness, sanity, whatever, then for your own good, you just have to divorce yourself of your passions. I personally believe that the outcome of a game between 18-22 year old kids should only affect your emotions for a few hours, perhaps a day at the most, but no more than that. This has been decried by many as emblematic of a lack of passion. Personally, I'd just rather not consign myself to forcing my mood to reflect the state of my football team. I think most relatively-sane people would agree that this is a reasonable principle to live by.

I suppose I should first delineate between what I mean by "disappointment" and what I mean by "frustration". I think disappointment is inevitable for many Buckeye fans, if only because many of them are conditioned to believe that any year in which Ohio State is not noticeably nationally relevant (i.e. in the BCS top 8) for the entire year is an unmitigated failure. I, like Jim Tressel, feel sorry for these folks, because they just aren't going to be happy very often (though, technically, they should be fine and dandy given the frequency with which we make BCS bowls, but that's another story). These people especially won't be happy watching a team that has spent much of the year with just three starting seniors (all on defense) work out the kinks. I know these people, but I'll never even begin to understand them, so I don't bother with trying to convince them anymore. They're not going away. There will always be, for lack of a better term, idiots.

But "frustration" is an entirely different concept. I think there are very few fans in America who aren't at least a little frustrated with some aspect of their team, in every sport. Some call it "nitpicking"; I'm thankful we're at least given something to discuss. If everything is hunky-dory, I'm out a job. Frustration itself is just a small part of fandom. There's always something that you think needs work, and in the case of this particular Buckeye football team, a whole lot needs work. Yes, we can attempt to restrict our frustration to the offense, but the defense too has had its lapses in giving up key drives and scores (though, if we're honest with ourselves, we realize the offense's ineffectiveness has quite a bit to do with that). But in a strict sense, defensive breakdowns are relatively infrequent compared to those of the offense's, which are laid bare for all to see in basically every game This year has been - and I don't think anyone will argue with this - a frusrating one for Buckeye fans. I can hear Michigan fans screaming at the top at the top of their lungs: "you don't know frustration yet", and they may be right. Fact is, as good as this Ohio State offense looks in fits and starts against bad teams, it looks bad to about the same degree against almost every other team, and far more frequently. There are just a lot of things that aren't clicking, and it seems like most of them should be by this final three game stretch. That's what is frustrating. I hesitate to say the unit is not progressing, as I think the rushing attack has improved, I think Pryor's mechanics are improving in subtle ways, but I'm not sure these particular improvements completely mask the other deficiencies. Personally, it's shocking to me that Ohio freaking State has one 100-yard performance from a running back at this point in the year.

Which goes back to why I made that prediction in the first place: obviously, I based that prediction on a core set of assumptions, and one of those assumptions is that "We're Ohio State; we run the ball well, even if it's all we do well." Sounds pretentious, even arrogant. It was.

There are numerous things on which we may place the blame for this offense: the offensive line, the backs, Jim Bollman's very existence... the list goes on. At times, it seems like Brandon Saine wouldn't see the Red Sea parting before his eyes, and Daniel Herron has been banged up for most of the year. Now, these last few games, the attack seems to have come alive, but these two performances came against the 89th- and 107th-ranked rushing defenses. Against Purdue, the country's 88th best rush D, the Buckeyes came away with mostly nothing. Now, most of that can be explained away by Ohio State inexplicably abandoning the run after Purdue showed signs of life, but holes that should have been there, at least in the early going for Brandon Saine, frequently weren't. That is, for lack of a better term, ridiculous. What use is a "power running" team that can't run the damn ball? Two tights, between the tackles is our bread-and-butter folks, whether we want to admit it or not. It's what we do, and until this year and outside of 2004, we did it unlike almost anyone else in the country. The inability to establish a consistent ground game has shaken the offense as a whole to its core, and has put a lot of unnecessary weight on Terrelle Pryor's shoulders.

Is the year as a whole disappointing? No, not yet, and I don't think it realistically can be considered one if Ohio State wins two out of three down the stretch. But there are undeniably aspects of this team that are wholly frustrating in and of themselves. The running game is not just a part of it, but the biggest part. The most worrisome thing to me is that I can't think of a reason for this attack to struggle. Brandon Saine is not chopped liver, Boom Herron was big-time in limited time last year, and the freshmen are clearly quite talented. This might be the deepest set of backs Jim Tressel has coached. Up front, Justin Boren and Michael Brewster are solid, but not dominant. Browning is a far better guard than he was a tackle. So what the hell's wrong? Is it horses, or is it something endemic in the scheme? Not being a coach, I don't have the answers. I've previously stated that I still have faith in Tressel to put things together by the end of the year, as he always does, and I still do. But it's looking like it'll take one of the bigger miracles of his career to get the ground game up to speed to win both at Penn State and against Iowa.