SB Nation - Lamaar Thomas

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

Corey Brown (not that Corey Brown), come on down!

Sam @ WWAHT — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:00:34 -0000

Last night's game clearly had a better effecting on the recruiting process than the doom-and-gloomers would have you believe, as Pennsylvania athlete Corey Brown has committed to play for Ohio State:

Four-star wide receiver prospect Corey Brown has issued a verbal commitment to Ohio State.

Responding to a text message asking if he had committed to the Buckeyes sent by BuckeyeSports.com, Brown said, "Yea I did."

The 5-11, 180-pound athlete was in attendance for OSU's home game against USC. He had previously narrowed his list to five schools: OSU, Miami (Fla.), Pittsburgh, Rutgers and West Virginia.

Brown is, by all indications, one of the top athletes in the 2010 class. Rivals opines on his skills:

On the Hoof: Has a thin build similar to that of a cornerback. He will probably max out at 190 pounds before his career is over and will remind fans of Ohio State's Lamar Thomas. His lower body is more developed than upper body at this time.

Needs Improvement: Needs to add size and strength, especially up top. He will need to work on his route running and catching the ball away from his body. There are also some questions about his durability.

Most Impressive: He is naturally fast and explosive. He can hit his highest gear very quickly and can really ride out. Brown is a versatile player that could play numerous positions.

Conclusion: His speed and versatility will allow him to excel as a return man early on, while he works his way into the starting rotation as a receiver or all-purpose back. If he can stay healthy expect him to be a difference-maker during his collegiate career.

Brown has been timed as low as 4.45 in the forty, and his explosiveness is lauded by both Scout and Rivals. ESPN, drop some epinions, baby:

Brown is a wonderful athlete blessed with speed and change-of-direction skills. He splits duties at running back and wide receiver, but his speed, build and ball skills will land him at wide receiver at the next level. Has adequate height and a lean frame. Displays explosive speed and quickness both off the line and with the ball in his hands.

So, yeah, clearly "explosion" is the key word to use with Brown. He's a speedy, lean athlete who needs to put on some muscle. In other words, he's Lamaar Thomas redux.

Highlights?

Highlights!

There are also highlights on his ESPN page, for those who want more.

My thoughts: While he isn't Seantrel Henderson, Jordan Hicks, or Lamarcus Joyner, Corey Brown is still a solid get for this class. The class had been light on genuine offensive speedsters - James Louis is really the only guy - and Brown can help in a few key areas for the Buckeyes. The depth at RB and WR is already solid, but Brown, like Louis, can separate himself from the pack with his game-changing speed. Here's hoping he comes along as a WR much faster than Lamaar Thomas. This kid could be returning kicks as a true freshman. Whether he makes a signifcant impact on the stacked WR and RB situation remains to be seen, but he definitely has the innate talent to do it, and the offers prove it. Brown had offers from just about everyone: the Big Three in Florida all made offers, as did Alabama, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Illinois and Penn State. Some solid Big East and ACC programs - Rutgers, West Virginia, and Boston College also showed interest. UF especially went hard after Brown, for some interesting reasons:

Many of the nation's top programs are chasing after Brown. Currently, the defending national champion Florida Gators are recruiting him the hardest, selling him on a role in their offense similar to the one played by Percy Harvin, who left Gainesville early and was a first-round pick by the NFL's Minnesota Vikings.

But then, it's not surprising the Gators want Brown badly. Head coach Urban Meyer said shortly after he arrived in Gainesville that he wanted to have the "fastest team in college football." Watching Florida play last season, few would argue that the Gators are at least close to reaching that goal. Also, given his versatility, a Harvin-type role seems ideal for Brown.

Could it be that Tressel is considering using Brown in some of the same ways?

Corey Brown, I'm glad to say that you are now one of us.

Fe Fi Fo Fum: Tyrone Williams commits

Sam @ WWAHT — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 22:43:21 -0000

Cleveland Shaw wide receiver Tyrone Williams is a Buckeye:

Imagine 6-6 quarterback Terrelle Pryor throwing lob passes to 6-7 wideout Tyrone Williams in the back of the Ohio State end zone. Buckeyes fans can begin the fantasy now.

"He's the best quarterback I've ever seen in college and he's really fast, too,'' Williams said. "I looking forward to catching balls from him.''

Williams, a 6-7, 215-pound wide receiver at Shaw High School in East Cleveland, made an oral commitment to Ohio State on Saturday.

ESPN rants and raves about the kid's big-play ability:

Williams is a mammoth wide receiver prospect that in all likelihood will end up out-growing the position and become an H-back/receiver hybrid. He possesses a huge wingspan, rare height and deceptively good straight-line speed given his size. Looks like a power forward and uses his frame like one to gain position. He possesses excellent athletic ability and can hit top speed quickly off the line and is a bigger vertical threat than you might think.

Highlights?

Highlights!

My thoughts: Williams is a pretty big (no pun intended) get for this class. While Ohio State is deep at WR, it's also aging: when Williams steps onto campus in the fall of 2010, Dane Sanzenbacher and Taurian Washington will be seniors, DeVier Posey will be a (potentially NFL-bound) junior, and Lamaar Thomas will be entering his third year as a Buckeye. Certainly, Duron Carter, Chris Fields and James Jackson provide some youth to the corps, but that doesn't necessarily make WR less of a position of need for 2010. Williams gives Ohio State something it lacks (outside of Carter) in terms of size; Washington, Bloody Sanzio, Thomas, Jackson and Fields all check in at 6'2" or shorter, while Carter, Posey and Williams all check in at 6'3" or greater, with Tyrone an unheard-of-for-WRs 6'7". He looks like an ostrich running with the ball in his hands, and should provide an immediate red-zone impact as a freshman. The recruiting gurus are universally rather high on him: Rivals, Scout and ESPN all have him tagged as 4-star prospect, and his offers - from West Virginia, Michigan State, Cincy and Illinois - seem to back that up.

But I know what you're thinking: the dude is 6'7", apparently a competent wide receiver, and he runs a legit 4.5? How the hell is he not entertaining offers from Florida, USC et al.? Well, the consensus is that he's rather raw as a pass-catcher, and he was hindered by a leg injury last year: competing in just four games, he made 11 grabs for 372 yards (an average of 33 per catch) for 8 touchdowns. Those stats are eye-popping for a four-game stretch, but it's quite possible that other schools cooled on him with the injury. If he gave them any indications he's a solid Buckeye lean, even more schools may have backed off. Regardless, I'm sold on him as a solid WR prospect and not a project guy with excellent size and speed but rock hands. He's a welcome addition to the 2010 class.

You want bearded ladies and dancing midgets? You get bearded ladies and dancing midgets, damn it. Tyrone, you are officially one of us.

Post-scrimmage ramblings

Sam @ WWAHT — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Terry Gilliam - AP

Brandon Saine will need to step up in a big way for the Buckeye offense to thrive in 2009

Browse more photos »

News of the Ohio State offense's continued struggles in the preseason intrasquad jersey scrimmage has created both a little bit of excitement at the defense's prospects and apprehension over the offense's. As has been the case since for a few years running, the defense showed up and played marvelously. In 2007, this heralded the arrival of a dominant, number-one ranked overall squad that held conference opponents to an average of slightly less than 13 points per game. In 2008, the offense couldn't reclaim the Scarlet jerseys, and as we saw throughout the season, it was at least partially of its own doing, rather than the defense's dominance. In 2009, the defense managed to retain its jersey, despite a surge from the offense later in the game. What does this scrimmage mean for this year?

Well, luckily, a few key players didn't see any action: Austin Spitler and Justin Boren both sat out the game with injuries, and so did Lamaar Thomas, Lawrence Wilson, and Jake Stoneburner. To say the squad was at full health would be lying. But you already knew that. Bullet time!

Much is being made of the struggles with the running attack outside of Herron, but reports from the scrimmage seem to agree that the line has improved its run-blocking over what we saw in the Fiesta Bowl. This is actually a pretty big development: in the first half of the Fiesta Bowl, the line did quite well for itself against a very talented Texas front seven that would end up third-best against the run nationally. In the second half though, Texas adjusted, and largely limited the Buckeye rushing attack outside of Herron's late TD run that put the Buckeyes ahead. (*sniff*) It's important to note that this all went down without the best blocker on the line. A healthy Justin Boren could make this one of the more devastating rushing attacks in the country.
While the blocking improved, the stats may not necessarily show it: While Herron was running free with 10 carries for 53 yards, Saine and Berry combined for 9 carries and 25 yards. Berry had all sorts of problems, conjuring up premature worries of another four years of Maurice Wells' dance-and-drop routine. Remember what I've said about him in the past: he will struggle mightily if forced to play a Beanie Wells/Maurice Clarett-type of game. If the staff uses him in ways similar to the way it handled the undersized Antonio Pittman, he will flourish. If not, expect to see more stat lines like that this year.
Ken Gordon noted that three different guys got beaten on the six sacks, ("without the benefit of replay", however) and two of them were back-ups. One, unfortunately, was senior OT Jim Cordle.
Jordan Hall, another smaller back, impressed, and he's a bit more in the Pittman mold than Berry as a runner. I'm not sure he'll contribute much this year, but it's definitely a good sign for the running game post Herron/Saine.
Pryor and Posey have developed a bit of chemistry, which is very good news, as Pryor seemed to lack it to at least some extent with his receivers last year. That it's Posey is even better, because he's got the most potential out of this entire crop of WRs
That Ohio State gave up one of its touchdown to Rocco Pentello running the Navy offense would be worrisome if it didn't seem like so much of a fluke. Not to make excuses, but Pentello is a pretty stellar athlete: he received an offer from Cincinnati and heavy interest from Michigan State and West Virginia before getting the Buckeye offer. He's a legit FBS defensive back running a pretty tricksy offense, and he has experience at QB. It's not a good thing he scored on a 33-yard run, but it's also not all that surprising.
Pryor's no-contact jersey was sort of a big deal; he was essentially forced to remain in the pocket, and that just isn't his game right now, no matter how much he may think otherwise. Without it, we probably wouldn't have seen quite so many sacks.
The underwhelming passing totals are a good sign that the downfield passing game simply isn't there yet. Passes into the flats were a surprisingly common sight, but they weren't netting much in the way of yardage. Good news: Pryor has begun hitting the slant consistently, even in the face of pressure. He isn't hitting anyone 30 yards downfield, but right now, it's the small things, and I'll take it.
Something that few people are talking about in the wake of the apparent offensive anemia is the very real possibility that the defense may just end up being an even better unit than it was last year. They were without Austin Spitler and Lawrence Wilson - one starter and one probable major contributor - and they clearly dominated most of the game. Brian Rolle looked great, flowing to the ball and attacking like a veteran. Ross Homan looked solid, albeit in limited action. Cameron Heyward notched two sacks before rolling his ankle. This front seven may actually end up competing with Penn State's as the conference's best when all is said and done, and that is a huge helping hand for this young offense as they continue to grow and progress.

Bucknotes is a bit relieved

Sam @ WWAHT — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:21 -0000

Another shorter entry today; a piece about the competition at tackle and the Preseason Blogpoll Ballot Top-5 a bit later on

80 Reasons to Love the Big Ten - Nos. 26 - 22 - The Rivalry, Esq.
Number 26: Eddie George. Fine series by the guys at Rivalry Esq. I suggest you read up.

An early look at the Ohio State Buckeyes. - The Crimson Quarry
Indiana SBN blog the Crimson Quarry does a brief preview of Ohio State and concludes that they will be dominated again. While it probably won't be as thorough as the Troy Smith years, it'll help speed Bill Lynch along into his early retirement.

New Orleans Saints rookie defensive back Malcolm Jenkins puts his versatility on display - NOLA.com
Jenkins is playing both safety and corner in practice, and while it's likely he'll eventually stick at safety, he's turning heads as a corner, and that's against a pretty potent Saints offense in practice.

Scout.com: Thomas Hoping To Flash This Season ($)
Perhaps I'm being too much of an armchair coach, but I think getting the ball into Lamaar Thomas' hands in any way possible will greatly improve the offense's chances of success; not because he's our best receiver, but because outside of Pryor, he might be the best athlete.

OT Henderson selects his five official visits - ESPN
Seantrel Henderson will be stopping by for the USC game. You thought it was a big game beforehand? Now the staff has to impress the number one offensive lineman in the entire country, according to both major recruiting services. Hope they thrive on the pressure.

BuckeyeXtra - The Columbus Dispatch : Linebacker who?
Good piece on the talent glut at linebacker; with a good, if not easily quotable statistic:

According to Rivals.com, Spitler was the lowest rated of the eight coming out of high school. He was 48th nationally among inside linebackers in 2005. The rest were in the top 17 or better for their specialty. Sabino was No. 1 among inside linebackers in 2008.

Navy takes one mid-ship (Blogging the Buckeyes)
.... and Navy's starting nose guard has been dismissed from the academy. Not that I was ever intimidated by the Navy defense.

USC Trojans' top OL Kristofer O'Dowd injures knee in scrimmage - ESPN

At USC, yeah, there's depth, but all these injuries have to take a toll on them eventually, right? Right? The depth is disgusting, but dude: they're mortal. Jacquizz Rodgers decreed it from on high.

A Way Too Early Look At The 2009 Schedule - Week 8 - Ohio State

GopherNation — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:45:49 -0000

More photos » by Terry Gilliam - AP

Probably more fans here for the spring game than will bother to show up for the Gopher game!

Browse more photos »

Let me start this schedule preview with a bit of final Jeopardy, I'll give you the answer followed by the question...

The Answer: USC, Texas and Minnesota

The Question: Who are the only three teams to score 21 points on the 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes?

Now on to the preview...

The Gophers have the incredible misfortune of getting to play Ohio State in Columbus in back to back seasons. This wouldn't have been the worst year to play the Buckeyes at home considering they lose about half of their starting lineup and we are a fairly experienced and a relatively talented team. Clearly this is a conspiracy by Jim Delaney and the Big Ten bigwigs to keep the Gophers down and make sure Ohio State gets itself back to the BCS for yet another chance to redeem itself. Honestly though, I'm not trying to say that on paper these teams are relatively equal and a home game gives us a great shot at winning. Regardless of the venue we are likely to lose to OSU the majority of the time. I'm just saying a home game moves our chances of winning from 8% to maybe 18%. We'll get to the outcome later, lets take a look at the Buckeye's.

Once again I took the easy route and had a local blogger answer a few questions for me regarding his favorite team. This time I went to Sam at We Will Always Have Tempe to help me out.

TDG - The Buckeye's are replacing 10 starters plus their K and P. We all know that Ohio State reloads, but that is a lot of quality and quantity to replace. What, in your opinion are realistic expectations for the 2009 Buckeyes?

WWAHT - Well, Ohio State has just finished racking up two excellent recruiting classes, so the talent level is actually roughly the same; that being said, the overall level of experience has taken a bit of a hit. That being said, with this schedule and in this Big Ten, anything less than 9-3 would be a disappointment..

I'm assuming 9-3 would mean a losses to USC, @ Penn State and...Minnesota (?). Sorry, with fall camp starting this week I am a little drunk on the kool-aid. Crazier things have happened and that is a lot of experienced snaps to replace but I'm not that delusional. Ohio State is replacing a number of very big names on both sides of the ball. Offensively they basically bring back their QB and most of their OL. In my book those are the key positions in college football so if you are only going to bring back 5 starters on offense those would be the ones I want to bring back. Defensively they lose some big names at all position groups. As Sam points about above they do have some very talented kids stepping in to fill the shoes of Chris Wells, Malcolm Jenkins, James Laurinaitis, Marcus Freeman, etc. But one has to expect that regardless of how talented these guys are there will be an adjustment period and likely a small step back.

It will also be interesting to see how things go on special teams for the Buckeyes as they are replacing their P and their K. That is often overlooked but should also contribute to OSU coming back to the entire Big Ten pack in 2009.

The Buckeyes on Offense

TDG - Offensively every skill position player is being replaced, with the exception of Pryor. Is this going to hamper his growth, or at least his numbers, as he moves into his sophomore season as the most experienced skill position player in the backfield? Also talk about Dan Herron and what you expect out of him.

WWAHT - I don't think it will hamper his growth one bit; in fact, I expect his numbers to improve as the offense improves. Pryor has far more chemistry with the younger skill position players on the team, and I think the offense will jell much more easily as a result. Dan Herron will be the focus of the running game, and I expect him to put up monster numbers; think of him as Antonio Pittman with a nasty streak.

I think I worded the question wrong. I wasn't implying anything would prevent Pryor from improving, but not having other known commodities (mainly Wells) around him means defenses will be keying on him more than they did last year. So maybe he still improves but I'm wondering if his numbers will improve significantly.

I also really do not want to forget about Dan Herron here, he does concern me. I seem to remember when Wells was on the sideline, Herron didn't exactly offer a reprieve for the Gopher defense.

Overall, would any of you be surprised to know that the Buckeye offense actually finished 9th in the Big Ten in overall yards gained? They were the antithesis of the Gopher offense. OSU finished 3rd in rushing offense and a dismal 10th in yards gained through the air. The Gophers were the worst rushing team in the conference and finished 4th in passing. One would expect that Pryor will be better equipped to throw the ball in the Big Ten, but once again the OSU ground game should be the heart and soul of their offense. Fortunately I feel as though stopping the run will be a strength of the Gopher defense so maybe (just maybe) we can slow down their rushing attack this time around and force them to throw it.

Catching the ball will be a handful of names less familiar than Robiskies and Hartlines we often heard last season. The spring depth chart has sophomore DeVier Posey (former 5-star recruit) and junior Dane Sanzenbacher listed as the top two receivers. Senior Ray Small is also a returning contributor who had 18 catches last year but is a no show for fall camp due to academic issues. Of course some younger guys will likely be a factor this season (Taurian Washington, Lamaar Thomas and true freshman Duran Carter).

Those receivers could be very talented but if you are going to stop the Buckeye offense, you better start with the ground game. Herron is likely going to step into the starting role and will be a top 5 Big Ten back, plus you have the always dangerous Pryor. Basically I would expect the Buckeyes will move the ball about approximately the same clip as they did a year ago. Where they may struggle is putting points on the board with so many new skill position players. In 2008 the OSU offense was 9th in total offense but managed to finish 4th in points scored. I'm going to make an assumption that this was largely due to the experience of the offense and the very good defense putting the offense in great position to score without having to consume more field then they had to.

The Buckeyes on Defense

Speaking of that defense, what is this unit going to look like with three All-Big Ten players, including the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, gone? Sam gives us a position group breakdown...

TDG - Defensively, can you give me a small paragraph on each position group (DL, LB, DB)?

WWAHT - If the defensive line can find some modicum of consistency on the interior, it'll be one of the best units in the Big Ten. Thaddeus Gibson will be one of the more feared pass-rushers in the country, but he needs help. Look for Dex Larimore to develop into a very good run-stuffer.

The linebacking corps may be 2/3rds new, but Austin Spitler has seen so much time backing up James Laurinaitis it's like breaking in a second-year starter. He isn't very fast, but he hits hard and excels at play recognition. Tyler Moeller is the other new face here (ed note: Moeller was recently injured and is likely out for 2009), a converted safety who many remember for chasing Pryor down in the open field during the spring game. He's a little small for a Big Ten linebacker, but he'll terrorize offensive tackles with his quickness on the blitz. Lastly, Ross Homan is a true junior and possibly the second-best defensive player on the team.

The secondary is breaking in a new starter - Andre Amos - but overall, looks to be a solid unit. The two safeties have around four-and-a-half combined years (that "half" being Russell's solid redshirt freshman debut that ended in an injury at Iowa in late September of '06) of experience under their belt and could end up being one of the better tandems in the country. Opposing quarterbacks should avoid Chimdi Chekwa - or as I call him, "Chex"- at all costs.

So the secondary should be really good, while the D-line and linebackers break in some newcomers. Iowa and Ohio State are the only two teams who gave up fewer than 300 yards per game and less than two TDs per game in 2008. As mentioned Ohio State does lose a few key members of that imposing defense so I think it is save to assume they won't be quite as dominant this time around. What does that mean though? It means Ohio State may not be brilliant defensively, just very good. This side of the ball has ranked in the top 15 nationally five of the last six seasons, so one has to expect this unit will be very good once again.

What to Expect

TDG - Clearly Ohio State will be favored and favored heavily to win. If these teams played all 12 games in Columbus the Gophers would maybe win 1 out of 12 times. Paint me a scenario that could potentially play itself out where the Gophers go into Columbus and come out with that one win.

WWAHT - I think the key to the Gopher's chances will be Simoni Lawrence. He's your leading returning sacker and was also 2nd in TFL in 2008. If he can provide adequate pressure on Terrelle Pryor, the Ohio State offense will be at least partially stymied. Offensively, Minnesota has to consistently get 4-5 yards on the ground on first and second down. It absolutely has to find a way to do this, because if it gets into the 3rd and long situations, Thad Gibson will have his way with the Minnesota offensive line.

Lastly, Adam Weber can't turn the ball over. At all. The Minnesota passing attack may have go into the box; whenever Weber doesn't see an open man on his first few reads, he needs to tuck the ball in and scramble for whatever yardage is available. If these three factors converge on that fateful day, Minnesota will probably find itself victorious. And you will find me hanging from the rafters.

So you are saying there's a chance. Sam seems like he might take a Gopher win kind of hard, not to worry though, it's not like the blogging world would miss one of 328 Ohio State blogs (just kidding, I'd miss my SBN brother).

I think that Sam is dead-on (pun intended) when he says Simoni is a key, probably more so in this game than any other. He has to be able to contain Pryor or we will see the Buckeyes run up and down the field at will (again). The rest is pretty obvious. Run the ball well on the road and don't give the opponent any turnovers.

I'm not going to convince you that we are going to win this game. While I feel our chances are better this year than they have been in the last few years, chances are still pretty slim. We have an experienced offense with at least a couple serious weapons. We also have an experienced defense that should be pretty good against the run (at least inside the box) and pretty good against the pass. But Ohio State is Ohio State and we are playing at Ohio State.

Unfortunately this is a game where if we can be competitive most of us will be relatively pleased. I know that comment leaves me open to criticism that how can we ever expect to be great if we accept moral victories. And while I agree with that, I open myself up to further criticism if I say we are going to win this game. Because while we want to be competitive with the Ohio State's of the world, right now it is nothing but hope that should tell you otherwise. At some point I want this game to be viewed with the Gopher's chances being at least 35-40% on a regular basis. We aren't there yet, this team could surprise and this could end up being a game we look forward to, at this point I'm expecting a loss and hoping for the best.

Minnesota - 24
Ohio State - 31

what say you?...

Poll

How will the Gophers fare in Columbus (AGAIN, thanks a lot Mr. Delany)?

Ohio State dominates

73 votes

Ohio State gets caught looking ahead (to New Mexico St) but eeks out the W

28 votes

Minnesota wins a close one and riots ensue in Dinkytown

26 votes

Minnesota dominates in a perfect day of football

1 votes

128 votes | Poll has closed

The pads... they are a poppin'

Sam @ WWAHT — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:00:12 -0000

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am"

Today heralds the coming of the real most wonderful time of the year: fall practice is in session, starting spots are up for grabs, and football season is mind-bogglingly close, like a hobo waiting to shank you in the night. Only, an awesome hobo whose shank brings countless hours of watchable sports television. I wouldn't watch an hour of a Cleveland Indians baseball game if you put a gun to my head, but San Jose State-Fresno State at two in the morning? SIGN ME UP, HOSS. Bid adieu to your significant others for about four months or so, ladies and gents: football is officially here.

At Ohio State, it's a season of renewal. Camp should be an interesting one; Ohio State replaces all of its skill position starters, breaks in two new linebackers, as well as at least one corner, and will be looking to find a DT that can approximate the consistency of Nader Abadallah. The legends - James Laurinaitis, Malcolm Jenkins, and Marcus Freeman, are gone - and they will be missed. But the Terrelle Pryor era is just getting started, and competition in camp is pretty damn fierce with so many spots up for grabs. Let's briefly review some of the key position battles heading into fall camp.

Left tackle - This one is coming down to Mike Adams and Andy Miller. Miller has got seniority on Adams as a redshirt-junior, and as a converted tight end, he's probably the more athletic of the two. However, Adams is the one who came in with the all-world recruiting hype, and an inability to secure a starting spot over a former TE is a bit worrisome, to say the least, for a kid who was considered the next Orlando Pace coming out of high school. Both are expected to bring a bit more of a "finesse" approach in pass pro, as opposed to Alex Boone, who blocked with all the finesse of elephant sex.

Right guard - While left tackle is probably the most important battle on the line, right guard might be the most interesting. It's possible that the most experienced player on the line - Jim Cordle - may get crowded out. I don't think that's likely, however, as his main competition is none other than Bryant "El Matador" Browning. Browning has been mercifully moved over from tackle to a position he's probably better suited for with his size and speed (or lack thereof on the latter). That this is even a competition, however, shows that Browning may have made some offseason strides. Ohio State does have the luxury of some veteran Plan B's here; both Connor Smith and Evan Blankenship could provide some quality depth at all three interior positions.

Right Tackle - In the spring, Cordle moved over to right tackle, but apparently, JB Shugarts is now the frontrunner to start. The other star tackle prospect in the '08 class, Shugarts may be the most athletic lineman Ohio State has, and he apparently plays with a bit of an edge - something this line needs. Shugarts' backup just might be Jim Cordle, who'll probably rotate over in the event of an injury.

Wide Receiver - After DeVier Posey, things get eeenteresting. I'm going to assume, for simplicity purposes, that if Ray Small remains on the team, he'll find a starting spot in the slot. But he sounds like he's in pretty deep this time. My guy, Dane Sanzenbacher, is probably the frontrunner at split end. If Ray Small is truly done, then Taurian Washington will battle with the younger guys: James Jackson, Duron Carter and Lamaar Thomas, all of whom could be dangerous weapons at that particular position.

Left cornerback - Most have Andre Amos penciled in as the starter, but apparently Devon Torrence is making the senior corner's life interesting. Amos has overcome constant bouts with injury to get where he's at, but Torrence is a converted wide receiver and two-sport athlete with very soft hands who showed more flashes in the spring than what's expected of a back-up. This isn't quite the fiercest of battles, but Torrence is definitely someone to keep an eye on throughout camp.

Defensive tackle - The main competition here is to see who's going to complement Doug Worthington. Worthington has his spot locked up as a big, quick, and most importantly experienced interior guy, but Todd Denlinger and Dexter Larimore are in a fight to the death. Or, at least to the Navy game. I personally think Larimore has the upper hand, as he was pretty solid backing up Nader in the latter stages of 2008.

There are other minor positions up for grabs - nickelback against non-spread teams (Hines has it locked down against the Penn States and Illinoises of the world, but against Wisconsin et al., they might be looking for someone else), and punter has a bit of a battle between John Thoma and Ben Buchanan, but that's really it as far as the most important positions go. Personally, I'd expect at least two of these rotations - corner and defensive tackle - to end in some form of rotation.

Know thy Opponent 2009: Ohio State Buckeyes

BoilerTMill — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:56:05 -0000

Every Big Ten team wants to be Ohio State. The Buckeyes have won at least a share of the last four Big Ten championships. They have played in a BCS bowl seven of the past eight seasons. They have also won 44 straight games against teams that did not finish in the BCS. Their last loss to a team that didn't play in a BCS bowl in the season of the loss came against Purdue in 2004. They are only 3-8 against BCS participants in that time, but no other program can boast their success against everyone but the best. For example: the sainted Florida Gators led by Christ Tebow have lost 3 games to teams that didn't play in the BCS, two of them at home, in Tebow's time alone. Ohio State gets the job done all while not throwing a fit about Terrelle Pryor not being a unanimous choice for first-team all-Big Ten.

It is not likely that we are going to break that streak. First of all, if we do beat Ohio State I'd like to think we are good enough to beat everyone else on the schedule and go to the BCS ourselves. Secondly, we're not that likely to beat Ohio State anyway. Of course, that was the general consensus last season. It was our only sure loss going into the year, but if we had any kind of an offense that day we probably would have won in Columbus.

2008 Record: (10-3, 7-1 Big Ten)

Bowl result: Lost to Texas 24-21 in Fiesta Bowl

Blog Representation: We Will Always Have Tempe, Buckeye Battle Cry, Eleven Warriors, Men of Scarlet & Gray, Buckeye Blog

Series with Purdue: Ohio State leads 37-12-2

Last Purdue win: 11/13/2004 at Purdue 24-17

Last Ohio State win: 10/11/08 at Ohio State 16-3

Unlike the SEC, the Big Ten doesn't throw a hissyfit when a very good player isn't a unanimous selection for something. God forbid people actually exhibit independent thought, especially when it comes to coaching and the SEC.

Last Season for the Buckeyes:

Ohio State was 10-3, played in a BCS bowl, and had a disappointing season. Very few schools can say that. They were 10-0 against teams that didn't play in the BCS, but 0-3 against those that did. It was supposed to be a national championship season. The defense was senior-dominated. Beanie Wells was one of the nation's best running backs. Terrelle Pryor came into his own as a true freshman quarterback. Instead of being a dominating force the Buckeyes were a little softer than expected. Ohio gave them a surprising scare in the non-conference season. USC won by a large margin. A 3-point escape from a night game in Madison wasn't a surprise, but scoring only 16 points with no offensive touchdowns against Purdue a week later was.

If you take away USC's return trip to Columbus, the non-conference schedule is pretty soft. Ohio State hosts New Mexico State and Navy and has a "road" game against Toledo that will be played in Cleveland. That game will likely be 80% Buckeye fans, but I am sure Toledo will enjoy the gate receipts. The Buckeyes get another virtual home game at Indiana in early October when thousands of Buckeye fans will sell out the renovated Memorial Stadium for IU's newest media guide aerial photo. At least the reconfigured stadium will have an early all-red look. Their first true road test will be their game with us at Ross-Ade. Judging by the number of sell out fans we had two years ago it could be another home away from home for them. I was embarrassed to years ago when we did nothing to stop them from doing O-H-I-O in the round, so hopefully Purdue fans won't sell out again.

It is very realistic to think that Ohio State could be in the driver's seat for the national championship game again if they beat USC September 12^th because only a road trip to Penn State will be extremely difficult from there.

Ohio State offense:

It is Terrelle Pryor's time to shine. He no longer has a 1,200 yard rusher in Beanie Wells to take the pressure off of him. He also lost his top two receivers, so he will be the most experienced player returning on offense. Of course, he is a great talent to build around. Pryor only started the final 10 games of the year, but ran for 631 yards and six touchdowns. He completed 100 passes for 1,311 yards and 12 touchdowns against four interceptions. The four interceptions is a very good number for a true freshman quarterback in this conference. If he can improve on his passing numbers and get them over 2,500 yards or so the Ohio State offense will be very good.

As Sam from We Will Always Have Tempe mentioned, the key to his success will be the offensive line. Sam mentioned how Ohio State's offensive line has lacked consistency, and last year's Purdue game was an example of that. I feared that the Buckeyes were going to run for 400 yards on us, yet Ryan Kerrigan had a career day and both Wells and Pryor struggled to find running lanes. That line gets an interesting upgrade at left guard in former Michigan player Justin Boren. Boren was at the center of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry when he left the Wolverines and stated that their values had eroded. Even at 6'3, 315 pounds I doubt he'll feel comfortable when Ohio State travels to Michigan in November. Michael Brewster, Bryant Browning, Mike Adams, and Jim Cordle are all linemen with great size, but all but Brewster will be playing in a different slot on the line. Things also could get worse with the loss of all-conference left tackle Alex Boone. The shifting along the line is supposed to generate more consistency, but there is no guarantee in that.

Dan Herron is the most experienced running back left. He ran for 439 yards and six scores despite missing three games a year ago. One of those missed games was the Purdue game. He is a quick running back that has made it a point to improve upon his between the tackles skills. Brandon Saine will also take on part of the load left by Wells' departure. He also missed the Purdue game last year, but had 20 yards on 6 carries two years ago against us. His freshman year in 2007 was easily his most productive season.

Much like us, there isn't a lot of returning experience among the receivers. Ohio State has more talent, however. Dane Sanzenbacher (21-272-1) has the most in game experience, but he may be passed over as a starter by DeVier Poser (11-117-1) and Ray Small (18-149-0). Ohio State does not use its tight end much, but Jake Ballard (5-73-0) is a reliable option. Taurian Washington, Lamaar Thomas, and Duron Carter (son of hall-of-famer Chris Carter) could all emerge as productive targets.

It seems to me that we can make Ohio State one-dimensional like we did last season when Pryor threw for just 97 yards against us. There isn't much proven production here, but there is plenty of raw talent. We have to maintain the same level of defensive intensity because points will once again be hard to come by against Ohio State.

Ohio State defense:

It really hasn't mattered who has played defense for Ohio State in the last two games against them. We only managed a late, meaningless touchdown in 2007 and a school-record 53-yard field goal last year as our only points in two games. Most of that defense is off to the NFL now, giving us some hope that we can score some meaningful points.

First, our offensive line has to keep a pretty good defensive line from getting to Joey Elliott. Thaddeus Gibson led the team with five sacks last season and should be even better this year. Cameron Heyward, son of former NFL-player Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, will play at the other defensive end position. He is decent, but hasn't been a pass-rushing terror. Tackles Dexter Larimore and Doug Worthington both have plenty of size to handle the running game by themselves. That will be critical, as the linebackers are not nearly as experienced as last season.

Ohio State has always had fantastic linebackers. James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman were the latest in a long line last season. Ross Homan is the only starting linebacker with much experience. He had 67 tackles with a sack and two fumble recoveries. Etienne Sabino, the player that returned a blocked for a punt for a touchdown in last year's game, could see time at linebacker along with Austin Spitler and Tyler Moeller. Brian Rolle will also factor into the rotation. It's Ohio State, so you know you're getting 220 pound linebackers that have tons of talent no matter who is in there. All this group truly lacks is experience.

The secondary lost a future NFL starter in Malcolm Jenkins, but it is still very good. Chimdi Chekwa had a career day in 2007 against us and he has now evolved into the top cover corner. Safety Kurt Coleman and his team high four interceptions returns as an anchor in the backfield. He also had 78 tackles and a sack to showcase his versatility. Andre Amos will likely man the other cornerback position, but freshman Corey Brown could factor in on nickel packages. Brown may also end up on offense as a wide receiver. Senior Anderson Russell is the likely starter at the other safety position and he has plenty of experience in nickel packages.

When I look at this defense I see that we might be able to have a bit of a running game against the Buckeyes for the first time in years. We have a maddening tendency to completely abandon the running game against them, yet Kory Sheets ran for 67 yards in last year's game. That was against a better defensive front seven as well. If we can be patient and generate something on the ground we could have a shot in this game.

Ohio State Special Teams:

Poor Chris Summers never had a chance at the 17 second mark here.

The Buckeyes consistently have some of the best placekickers in the conference and this year will be no different. Aaron Pettrey handles long field goals and was 7 of 8 with a long of 54. Ryan Pretorius handles the shorter kicks, but has 50 yard range. He was 15 of 19. Ohio State settled for 27 field goals against 38 offensive touchdowns. That shows they did have some trouble finishing drives off, so we can play this to our advantage.

We also must watch out for their punt return game. The block and score was a huge difference maker last year. Ray Small is also an excellent punt returner who took one back all the way and had a 15.2 yard average per return. Lamaar Thomas is the top kickoff returner at 21 yards per return. As bad as our coverage was last year our best bet is to kick away from Small.

Ohio State must find a new punter with the departure of A.J. Trapasso. John Thoma must replace a guy who downed 21 punts inside the 20 and had a better than 41 yards per kick average. Pettrey is known to use his big leg on kickoffs to force multiple touchbacks per game.

Intangibles:

I would honestly say the intangibles are in our favor. We have played Ohio State extremely well over the past decade given the circumstances. They have been the dominant team in the conference while we have seriously threatened for the conference crown just once since 2000. We didn't play Ohio State in four of coach Tiller's 12 seasons, but we won twice and lost twice in either the final two minutes or overtime. Only the 2001 game was really a blowout. I can't explain why we play them so well, but I will take it.

That certainly does not guarantee a win. This is likely the team with the most talent we will face all year. Only Oregon and possibly Notre Dame can match them on that level. Of course, we will have played both of those teams to this point. Because of that, we will have a good idea of how well this team reflects coach Hope's new attitude. We are getting a fair amount of respect in the Ohio State blog world. Eleven Warriors agrees that there are a lot of new faces, but things can't be much worse.

Game Outlook:

I still maintain that we are going to pull of one upset this year that few people expect. I have already predicted that it will be Oregon, but Ohio State or Notre Dame are much more likely. Notre Dame will not be a BCS team, contrary to what the media thinks, and Ohio State is a team that we played very well against last year. All we need is a similar defensive performance and for our offense to show up. By this point in the year we'll have a good idea of how well that offense is performing as well.

That being said, Ohio State is still a team that knows how to win no matter what. They take care of business against the bad, mediocre, and even the good, yet struggle against only the elite. We are not the elite. We will only win this game if we stay committed to the running game, our pass defense causes turnovers, and we contain Pryor. If Elliott throws 60 times it won't be pretty.

Prediction: This will likely be what we're used to with Ohio State. We keep it tantalizingly close, but fail to get enough offense mostly because of Ohio State's very good defense. The turnovers will likely be even, but Ohio State will do something with the ones they cause. I'll agree with Sam's prediction in his first look at us. Ohio State 23, Purdue 13

Ohio State "Sizzles" in Scarlet/Gray Game in Front of All Time Largest Spring Crowd

Law Buckeye — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 22:04:23 -0000

Having just returned to the creature comforts of my Victorian Village apartment from the 85 degree hot box on the banks of the Olentangy, I thought I'd give a quick sketch of this afternoon's Scarlet & Gray game; one of six Big Ten spring contests today.

The Best Damn Fans in the Land. An all-time record breaking crowd of 95,722 braved the blue skies, and 85 degree temperatures to pack the hot box Horseshoe to within 10,000 seats of capacity -- toppling Alabama's 2007 mark (92,138).

Pryor the Passer? No kidding. After a 2008 season saved by his gazelle-like glides to the outside, Terrelle showed he's come quite a way in the offseason. Standing firm in the backfield, Pryor routinely relied on his legs to evade pocket collapses, before planting his feet, turning on his hips, and delivering surprisingly sharp spirals to a number of incipient targets, like Taurian Washington (4 catches, 92 yards, 1 TD), who pulled in a 44-yard touchdown completion.

In just two quarters of play Pryor was 13-18 racking up a career high 191 yards in the air for the Gray. Sure, it was against a mixed first and second string defense, but his progress can't be discounted.

Courtesy: OhioStateBuckeyes.com

Shake and Bake. This team is athletic and (gasp!) quick. There's a noticible difference in explosiveness, particularly:

Sophomore WR Lamaar Thomas, who handled kick return duties for the Scarlet. Although Thomas bobbled two easy catches early on, his presence on special teams was powerful -- his small figure (5-11, 186) allowed him to knife through coverages in a seemingly invincible canter.
Junior RB Brandon Saine (55 yards, 6 carries). Saine, who enjoyed an outstanding freshman debut -- only to wallow through injuries in 2008, appears to be back on his feet -- taking his first carry from scrimmage 17 yards untouched into the Scarlet secondary.
Senior WR Ray Small (4 catches, 72 yards, 1 TD). After dropping his first attempt -- to the frustration of the crowd -- Small was elusive and decisive on skinny post routes. His best reception, a 43 yard touchdown grab, was fluid and balanced. Small seems to be in much better control of his body than last season.

Still, not everyone showboated. I came away a little disappointed with:

Sophomore WR DeVier Posey (5 catches, 46 yards), who failed to support a struggling scarlet pass game. While he pulled down several short slants from Second String QB Joe Bauserman, he was often outpaced in traffic, losing tight throws off his hands.
Junior Thaddeus Gibson, who led a scarlet defensive line that was ripped open more than once, providing easy daylight for Dan Herron and Brandon Saine. Although, to be fair, Gibson did step up in the third-quarter, assisting in several tackles for losses.

Where Have You Been? Fifth-year senior RB Marcus Williams (94 yards, 6 carries).

Overall, this was a surprisingly encouraging performance for the new Buckeye offense. After watching three different receivers (James Jackson, Ray Small, Taurian Washington) amass over 50 yards, and one more come close (DeVier Posey), I'm cautiously optimistic that this team might have the receiver corps to present a more dynamic attack.

A pass presence would be a Godsend, as the running corps continues to look solid -- although predisposed to the outside lanes.

(More on this when I drop Ohio State's 2009 Spring Preview installment later this week).

Ohio State vs. Penn State Post-Game: It Could Have Been Worse

Sean — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 02:28:57 -0000

On the one hand, the Buckeyes lost, and that sucks. On the other hand, the betting world thought the Buckeyes were a little bit worse than the Nittany Lions, and it turns out that was accurate. It's disappointing, because it felt like the Buckeyes could (and maybe should) have had this one, but you can't get too angry about a close loss to one of the top teams in the country. At least I can't. Your mileage may vary.

Honestly, this was probably for the best for the Big Ten. Hopefully PSU can win out and make it to the national championship while the Buckeyes win out and make it to either a BCS bowl or the Capital One Bowl. It's not as good a scenario as "the Buckeyes defeat Penn State and Terrelle Pryor leads them to the first of four consecutive national titles," but it's better than nothing.

On to the bullet points, the lazy writer's best friend:

I've heard talk again of bringing in Boeckman for more snaps, or how Pryor shouldn't have been named the starter. I gotta say, I think that's crazy. Pryor completed 64% of his passes and pretty much outplayed Daryll Clark, the best QB in the Big Ten. Sure, the fumble was incredibly costly, but it wasn't necessarily an awful decision to take the ball outside there. He had one guy to beat for a touchdown, and that one guy made a great play. He's going to do things like that because he's talented enough to pull them off, and if we're going to proclaim him the best thing since sliced bread when he turns those plays into 190-proof awesome, we've got to accept the times when it doesn't work out. The pick at the end of the game wasn't a great decision, but I think Pryor might have had a touchdown had he gotten the ball to the back of the endzone. I'm not going to defend the play, but it wasn't an awful decision. Besides, what in Todd Boeckman's career has convinced you that he could do better? He's a better pure passer, sure, but he has a tendency to commit costly turnovers himself, and given the offensive line's performance, Boeckman would have spent more time being pummeled by Penn State's defensive ends than actually, y'know, quarterbacking. At least Pryor could buy time with his feet.
I must be getting old, because I felt worse for Pryor after the game than I've ever felt for an athlete I don't know. Usually I'm right there with them, like "Yeah, this really sucks, doesn't it?" But this time, I just felt bad for the kid. He puts more pressure on himself than any athlete I can remember. I don't know if it's a good thing or not. I guess it's preferable to an athlete that doesn't care at all, but he can't keep taking all the blame for losses without going crazy. Trust me, I'm a psychiatrist.*
I'm easing my way into the "Bollman must go" camp. I'm not usually the guy advocating kicking coaches out, especially since it's not that uncommon for them to do like Heacock did this season and turn a team performing below average into a bunch of badasses by means that we as casual fans can't entirely understand, let alone anticipate. However, under Bollman's watch, the offensive lines have been pretty consistently unimpressive. It doesn't really show in the draft, since the Buckeye o-line does pretty well there. But in the big games, they seem like the weak point (PSU, USC, LSU, and Florida, off the top of my head). The Buckeyes recruit reasonably well at o-line, and they send their share of guys on to the NFL. I don't know what's going on in between points A and B, though. Is there anyone out there with some knowledge about offensive line play that cares to offer some insight? I can say things like "they're underachieving," or "they look slow," but if anyone has something deeper, I'd be happy to hear it.
On a related note, I don't really blame the playcalling for the loss. I'd have liked to see more of the pistol offense, but then, I always want to see more of the pistol. I thought the run game was a little predictable; every time the Buckeyes lined up in an I-formation, a run up the middle was virtually inevitable. These weren't dumb ideas, though. The execution just wasn't there. Look at Penn State at the end of the game: everyone in the stadium knew they were going to run, but they executed well, and had success. Beanie just had no room to run, and while he occasionally made something out of nothing, not even he could make a successful game out of what he was given. He still managed a nice stiff arm at least once, though.
I get more and more impressed with the defense each week. Ross Homan is going to be great before he's done. Thaddeus Gibson seems to have singlehandedly turned the defensive line from underachieving to good. Malcolm Jenkins may be the best defensive player in the country. The guys we expected to be good are good (like Laurinaitis and Freeman), and the guys we worried about are impressive (like Chekwa and Hines). I hope they get matched up against a good offense in the bowl game, just to see if they're as impressive as I think they might be. Should they then get shredded in said bowl game, I will then demand we become the Georgia of the Midwest and refuse to leave Big Ten country under any circumstances.
A few weeks ago I wondered if poor coaching was behind the crappy kick returns. Surely such a wide array of players can't all be bad at returning kicks, can they? Turns out they can. Lamaar Thomas is singlehandedly making the kick return team competent. Coaching can only be blamed inasmuch as they didn't play him sooner. It feels like it's just a matter of time before he breaks one.
Speaking of returns, a message for Ray Small: you do not have to insert drama into punt returns. It's fine to just catch the ball. You don't have to make catches while falling backwards or try to return kicks when you're milliseconds away from decapitation. I know you're one of the better return men in the country, but can't you just simplify things? Make an easy catch, then run forward. Call for a fair catch if you're about to be decapitated by a gunner. It will lengthen my life and yours.
A question for anyone that was at the game: How was the crowd? It seemed pretty loud on TV, but so much of that depends on where they point the mics. For example, one was near the Penn State section, which would have led a casual observer to assume Ohio State fans do that wordless singing of "Seven Nation Army" thing after every. single. play. I, being knowledgeable about such things, realize that in fact it is Penn State fans that do that after every. single. play. Anyway, the crowd seemed loud and into it, even if it didn't seem to faze the Nittany Lions too much. Any thoughts from anyone that was present?

In general, what are your feelings about the season now? Disappointment? Anger? Indifference? Irrantional exuberance?

*No I'm not.