SB Nation - Aaron Pettrey

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

Nitt Picks Is Asking "What Streak?"

Kevin HD — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:45:22 -0000

More photos » by Pat Little - AP

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At least it's not a pizza bowl. The Big Ten is officially in Texas to stay. It's the Dallas Football Classic in the recently rejected Cotton Bowl (Stadium):

Following is the four-year schedule (selection placement shown for the Big Ten and Big 12 excludes BCS selections):

January 1, 2011 - Big 12 (#7) vs. Big Ten (#6)
January 1, 2012 - Conference USA vs. Big Ten (#6)
January 1, 2013 - Big 12 (#7) vs. Big Ten (#6)
January 1, 2014 - Conference USA vs. Big Ten (#6)

(Should an "at-large" selection be required, Conference USA will provide a back-up team in years 2011 and 2013, and the Big 12 will provide a back-up team in years 2012 and 2014.)

Why aren't bowls doing more of this? Alternating with CUSA isn't much of a draw, but it would be a lot more fun to see the Capital One Bowl rotate the #2's around, and we might finally get to see a regularly scheduled decent matchup in a bowl game with someone other than the SEC or Southern Cal.

The (fake) streak is on the line. 11W wrote an entire post about Penn State ~~without making a joke about soiled pants. Congrats guys~~ (never mind, I missed the photo caption) (better luck next year):

If the Buckeyes want any shot of making the Rose Bowl and winning a fifth straight Big Ten title...[LOLZ -ed]

If you are not a fan of Tressel punting on 4th and 1 from the opponent 37 yard line, you will not be happy in the coming weeks. If JT was conservative with his play calling when Aaron Pettrey was healthy, imagine what it will be like this week with either an inexperienced Barclay or Buchanan at the helm.

You've seen it in the stats: this game is likely to mirror the offense hating ways of the 2008 contest. A year ago, scoring went like this: a QB sneak for a touchdown and field goals of 31, 41, 26 and 25 yards. That's it. Not the kind of game you want to break a kicker in on. Especially if he was one for three in last weeks exhibition.

Stop it. I feel like I've been hard on Rittenberg lately, I think he does a good job, but give it a rest already:

When scanning the BCS standings, it's pretty easy to formulate a one-sentence summary for each team to this point in the season.

Examples: [...]

Then you get to No. 11 Penn State. What do we really know about this team?

What do we know about a team with this schedule: LA-Monroe, Wyoming, Texas Tech, UTEP, Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri, Oklahoma State?

Or this one: Rutgers, SE Missouri St., Oregon State, Fresno State, Miami Ohio, South Florida, Louisville, Syracuse?

The schedules are so watered down anymore, only teams with preconceived "identities" can really "prove" anything. See: Texas, Florida and Alabama as the only three teams anyone cares about even though they aren't the only undefeateds.

Even if Penn State wins this weekend, which is no guarantee, what will we know then? Will a home win over a (then) three-loss Ohio State team change the rhetoric? Probably not.

There is still some question. He might not be around to see it, he admits as much, but Wanny had a little chat with Joe Paterno about renewing the rivalry and told a reporter his thoughts on the reality of the situation:

Do you want to play Penn State every year?

"We [Pitt, obviously] need to be playing Penn State. I was on the job about a month and I talked to Coach Paterno about it. It probably won't happen until he retires and I understand that. It's his prerogative. But it'll happen. Maybe I won't even be here, either [when it happens]. We should play each other. It's a great, great national [emphasis HIS. -ed] in-state rivalry. We should be playing each other. There is no question about that. There probably isn't anyone who would disagree with that."

In scores of other games. Some in-house stuff, DA Madeira gets Pwned!...In Defense of Statistics is back...and maybe this is a little much.

Wrap-Up: STANZIBALL STANZIBALL STANZIBALL

Kevin HD — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:00:32 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

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Ohio State 45, New Mexico State 0

I would normally leave this game out, but seeing as it's Hate Week (BSD: Where It's Always Hate Week (R)), this seems like a good place to start.

The Vegas outcome of this game is hilarious: OSU was favored by 44 points with the total set at 48.5. Any time the spread is 70-80% of the total, you're going to get a lot of parlays. This was over 90%. Yet the strategy would have failed miserable.

Defense continues to prove Ohio State's strength. They gave up just 62 yards of offense and 2 first downs, although to a team that hasn't scored over 20 points all season even against WAC defenses. The Buckeyes rank 2nd in just about every major defensive category, right behind Penn State.

Even for a blowout, some Buckeye fans weren't feeling the kind of comfort these types of games are supposed to provide:

Truth is it is difficult to get any kind of feel from this game because there was really no offensive rhythm established. Ohio State made lots of big plays due to their superior athleticism, but didn't look that efficient on offense, despite winding up with 559 yards. Pryor was able to turn some broken plays into long runs in the first half, but hit less than 50% of his passes, and nearly threw a couple pick sixes.

And then there is this little bit of research from G-M in the fanposts:

In yesterday's EPIC SHOWDOWN of two of college football's elite, Ohio State's starting place kicker Aaron Pettrey suffered a knee injury, causing him to most likely miss the rest of the season. The back-up, a former MLS (What?, oh yeah, major league soccer) player Devin Barcley stepped in, going 1-3, making his only kick from 29, and missing from 36 and 47. With two of the Big Ten's top defenses meeting next week, a kicking matchup may decide the game. Oh yeah, and Toilet Paper got pulled at half time too, with him being described as "banged up". He was seen limping, and most likely has a lower body injury. Just saying..

Also: Tressel called an onside kick in the 2nd quarter. Just saying...

Iowa 42, Indiana 24

Ah yes, this game. You've seen the replay 1,000 times so I'll spare you the details, but somehow Indiana was unable to capitalize on six turnovers or overcome one of the most pathetic applications of instant replay I've ever seen. They go home blown out, not even covering the spread, on a day that should have been one for the Hoosier history books. The final score made it look easy.

The fear of Iowa getting away with three quarters of struggle and five Stanziballs never would materialize, though. It's been on constant replay from the WWL and likely makes permanent the idea that Iowa won't be able to jump Texas of Florabama if the three end undefeated.

Oh, and the disrespect:

But ask yourself this: Is there any doubt which team is better, has played better, and has played better competition? If Iowa were to meet Oregon on a neutral field next week, who would be a double-digit favorite?

Considering Oregon is a 5 point favorite against freaking Stanford this week, I'll suggest that maybe you rephrase the question.

Illinois 38, Michigan 13

The ultra-start of Tate Forcier has officially come to a crashing halt with the entrance of Big Ten defenses not named Indiana. His QB ratings since that game (not counting Del. St.): 126, 73, 76, 150. While the 150 against Illinois looks good, and he did vastly improve on his sliding completion percentage, he also gave the ball away twice and was 0-3 on 4th down conversions.

Forcier did, however, break his streak of throwing at least one interception in every Big Ten game.

And look! Good Juice! Eight for 11, 123 yards, 1 TD, zero picks, and 97 yards rushing.

Predictably, there is total meltdown. Mgo put up some type of point restriction yesterday in an effort to keep only the upber-addicts talking, and MnB, well:

First off, apologies for the deleted threads, basically there was nothing of value being stated in the most recent one, and the game thread had digressed to caps-lock explicatives from yours truly, and really, there's just not much to gleam from that is there?

Which is both kinda of sad but also hilarious. Having to delete posts on your own site because of your own comments is...uncomfortable.

Minnesota 42, Michigan State 34

I can't pretend to have watched a second of this game, but I'll start the recap with a question: Michigan State, how do you give up 42 points to a team that (even with these stats) ranks in the 100s in total point and total yards offensively?

The Only Colors has your Monday morning rant, and draws this conclusion:

So it's not as if the coaching staff didn't have sufficient evidence going into Saturday's game that running the ball up the middle in short-yardage situations wasn't likely to be a successful endeavor.

Apparently they tried anyway. Sounds fun.

Adam Webber, with Decker unavailable, threw for 416 yards and four touchdowns.

My favorite stat? The two teams combined for 230 yards in penalties.

Wisconsin 37, Purdue 0

With an offense as dysfunctional as Ohio State's it was only a matter of time before they dropped one to a lesser team. How Purdue was able to be on the better end of that, though, I don't understand. Purdue's two passers combined for a 2.5 ypa average (!!!). They were 2 for 16 on third downs and had three turnovers.

And the things is: Wisconsin hasn't exactly played the cream of the offensive crop, and they still rank in the 40s and 50s nationally in major defensive categories.

Just Golden

Sam @ WWAHT — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:21:15 -0000

More photos » by Jay LaPrete - AP

about 1 month ago: Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2) steps up and into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown run against Minnesota during third quarter action in their NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009, in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State wide receiver DeVier Posey blocks Minnesota cornerback Marcus Sherels, right, for Pryor. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete )

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Touchdown passes are good for the soul. They're also good for sophomore quarterbacks who had yet to prove they could play consistent football against a live, non-MAC, non-Illinois defense. Terrelle Pryor was far from perfect today, but if you watched the game, you couldn't help but feel good. Yes, there were blown coverages. But there had been blown coverages before this season, and Terrelle couldn't hit the gloriously open man to save his life. Today, he did, and as sad as it may be, that's most of the progress I was looking for.

The first half was a tad agonizing, to put it lightly. The Ohio State offense was just misfiring, rather than out-and-out failing to establishing anything resembling a consistent drive. DeVier Posey dropped two touchdown passes. The offensive line looked lost, though it didn't feel like anything new. The defense was inches away from forcing Minnesota into three-and-outs, just like it was against Purdue for 90 percent of the game. In the comment thread, I noted:

Seems like the offense is more misfiring than anything else today, rather than out-and-out failing to achieve anything resembling consistency. I know how this sounds, but we’re inches away from 28-0 and next-to-no complaining from the peanut gallery. Two dropped TD passes, and a third that was just thrown behind the receiver and picked off. We’re sustaining drives, Pryor is hitting open men, he’s running when nothing else is available, and Saine looked good before the injury (concussion?).

In the second half, the agony would mercifully end.

For the first time this season, it actually felt like the miscues from the first half were corrected and produced noticed results in the second half. Posey's case of the dropsies? Gone. Offensive line? Vaguely competent. Defensive line, which was decidely lackluster in the first and second stanzas? Reinvigorated. It was a bit shocking, given that this coaching staff's calling card lately has been bashing its head into walls until they break. The stark difference between the halves? It's tough to deny that lot of it resulted from coaching. While we won't be eating crow about the offensive staff anytime soon since it's Minnesota, it would be shortsighted to not give the staff credit; yes, even Bollman and Siciliano.

The Good

- Terrelle Pryor finally earned his way into this category today. The stats aren't all that sexy: 13 for 25, 239 yards, two touchdowns, and one pick that would have been a touchdown if it had been better placed. In another first for this season, Pryor ran with confidence (!) and, after the first half, was fully willing to absorb hits if it meant extra yardage. Not to sound like a complete blowhard, but can anyone deny he played angry today? Excellent performance, and just what he needed to bounce back from Purdue. Also awesome? 104 yards on the ground at a 7 yards-per-carry clip.

- Jordan Hall. When Saine went down with an injury in the 2nd, I'll admit, I started dialing up the local noose store, just to see if they shipped in bulk. Either Ohio State was going to burn Berry's redshirt and risk further injury, or Jordan Hall was going to have to manbeast his way into full-time, every down status. I had completely forgotten about one Jermil Martin, but more on that in a minute. Hall looks excellent for a freshman, and I've already thought up a nickname: "Baby 'Tonio", as in Antonio Pittman, who he's looking more and more like with each carry.

- Speaking of baby running backs, how about Jermil Martin? His long TD run was Beanie-esque, bowling over defenders and dragging fools into the end zone. I half-expected him to get up and rip his jersey in two, but he didn't. I'm still praying to gods I don't even believe in that Saine is fine, but it isn't the end of the world if he's out for next week.

- I can't go without mentioning Posey, of course: 8 catches, 161 yards, two touchdowns. Two dropped score prevented him from having the mother of all monster days, but as the object of Pryor's stare-down desire, he's doing quite well for himself.

- Welcome back to the category, defensive line, though you technically didn't go anywhere since I was too busy ranting after Purdue to categorize your performance. Five sacks on the day was excellent, especially considering two of them came against the annoyingly-elusive Marqueis Gray.

The Bad

Well, not a whole lot was legitimately bad, but there were some minor issues that better teams than Minnesota will take advantage of.

- Aaron Pettrey. His struggles continued, but were prettied up a bit by a late, long field goal to make it 38-0. Why is he missing short-yardage field goals? The first was from a tough angle, granted, but he was automatic in '06 from almost any distance. He was supplanted last year due to Pretorius' strong leg, not because the South African Sensation was particularly accurate. Wazzup?

- This is a stretch, but I was a little surprised by the intermittent success Minnesota had on the ground. As the conference's worst rushing offense, I didn't expect them to get over 75 yards. Instead, they had the best day on the ground of any Ohio State opponent all year, exceeding Wisconsin and USC's mark of 118 yards by five. I'm not sure what to think. I could chalk it up to the front seven having a bit of an off day in that respect, but I hope the team doesn't. There are a few things to work on before the trip to Happy Valley.

- I don't think the secondary had the best day. Most of Weber's incompletions resulted directly from enormous pressure from the DL. Back-up Marqueis Gray had a surprising amount of success through the air and on the ground, making DBs miss and forcing them to bite hard on a few different play-action passes. They were by no means awful in holding Minnesota to 163 yards through the air, but a better quarterback will make Ohio State pay if it fails to bring enough pressure, just as Joey Elliot did.

- Perhaps Tim Brewster will fall back on the "getting our offense some late-game practice excuse", but scoring a TD against the back-ups to prevent the shutout was lame.

The Downright Confusing

- Well, at least the offensive line didn't make the bad category again, as its play improved after the first drive. Pryor was only sacked once, and the OL directly benefited image-wise from Pryor making far better decisions under pressure than he did in West Lafayette. All that said, they opened some gaping holes for Martin and Hall, and outside of "False Starts" JB Shugarts, they trimmed down on the penalties.

- Is it some sort of ritual for Minnesota kick returners to muff the kickoff? How many different times did that happen today?

- Coleman's missed tackle on Gray's 25 yard-run in the first quarter was surprising, but he redeemed himself on yet another brilliant pick.

While this wasn't quite the perfect way to bounce back from Purdue, I think both units got a good bit of confidence playing a Minnesota team that, in the end, might not be as good as its record indicates. Most importantly, Pryor gave his critics plenty of crow in showing that he can be terrific when he puts it all together. While I don't think he needs any more confidence (dude is downright arrogant at times, which is fine, as long as he backs it up), a game or two to get his head right is just what this team as a whole needs. This was an excellent start. While New Mexico State won't mean jack for Happy Valley, another good game under his belt may slow the game down for him just enough to keep the Buckeyes mighty competitive on November 7th .

Just another B-Town Beatdown

Sam @ WWAHT — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 03:02:20 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

2 months ago: Ohio State wide receiver DeVier Posey (8) celebrates with quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2) and offensive lineman Michael Brewster, right, following a 23-yard touchdown-reception by Posey during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Indiana in Bloomington, Ind., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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For the third straight week, Ohio State leaves a a quickly-decided victory with more answers than questions.The team certainly feels like it's improving week-to-week, like I (and really, any half-way competent observers of OSU football) thought it would. But, of course, not everything is getting better all the time. Injuries are piling up, and that's worrisome. Even so, there are areas that still need work, but I think it's becoming clear that they're narrowing by the week.

The Good (this is a long one)

- Brandon Saine. I'm a Brandon believer now (if you're wondering about the 60's vibe so far, it's just working so I'm rolling with it). The carries should be divied up 50-40-10 Saine-Herron-Hall from here on out. Saine showcased an entire repertoire of skills we badly need in the backfield, and has earned himself the starting nod.

- It almost doesn't need to be said: the defensive line. Even with the loss of Larimore, they dominated in the trenches and rendered the tricky IU pistol null and void. Rob Rose had a massive game for a reserve, forcing both a safety and a sack. John Simon? Never looked like a freshman. First half defensive game ball to ~~Turd Durlinger~~ Todd Denlinger for the game-changing pick that ended a promising IU drive. All this being said, it will be interesting to see how the post-Larimore DL looks against a more competent rushing attack in Wisconsin. Losing Larimore will matter eventually, for reasons of simple depth and stamina.

- Eeeeeeevil Jim Tressel. At the time of this writing, with 4:56 left in the fourth quarter and a 33-7 lead, Ohio State was still passing (a pass which resulted in a pick, of course). There are two plausible reasons for this: 1) Tressel doesn't want another gimpy RB getting banged up late in the game, and 2) he didn't like what he saw from Pryor in the first 56 minutes of the game, which is understandable: there was a lob here, an arm punt there, and of course, that final. Nevertheless, Tressel Ball wasn't nearly as ubiquitous in the second half as you'd expect.

- Sanzenbacher, Carter, Posey and Small caught everything thrown to them, even when Pryor left them out to dry.

- Terrelle Pryor, but just barely. He's here for those 3 TDS, each of them solid throws to open guys. The second half was a little brutal, with the pick, and the requisite arm punts. He also made mostly good decisions when he kept the ball, and again ran with some noticeable determination that we didn't see against Navy and USC. He wasn't a worldbeater, but he was more than solid, so he gets the nod.

- Let's give some credit to JT (or is it Hazell?) - the playcalling has been decidedly less caveman predictable the past couple weeks. We're operating mostly out of the 'gun, we're utilizing read-option, misdirection, and play-action, and it's giving opposing defenses a lot more to prepare for than off-tackle left, off-tackle right, pass. Sure, it usually feels like all they're doing is saying "uh, take the ball and run Terrelle", but it's working, and on that note, credit also goes to...

- The offensive line. Outside of one sack in which I don't think anyone blocked anybody, the problems with opposing pass rushes have been mostly non-existent the past two weeks, and they're no longer getting pushed around in critical 3rd/4th-and-short situations. Shugarts struggled at times, but he was no Bryant Browning '08.

The Bad

- Bill Lynch Tillering the affair by scoring a meaningless TD before the clock expired in the second half. I dug his flip-out against Michigan, but screw that guy. In the face.

- Is Aaron Pettrey on meth? Dude could probably drill 50 yarders while using crutches but apparently can't hit a chip shot FG when the game was still sorta in doubt? Anyone else a bit anxious about him kicking in front of the White-Out?

The Downright Confusing

- Where was Brandon Saine in between the first and third quarters? Was he gimpy too? ~~Should I be stockpiling food and supplies~~ How much food and supplies should I stockpile if he comes up with a hammy next week?

- This punt return game needs some life. I know Small was ridiculous last year, but right now, it seems he seeks out a cloud of opposing players and just hopes he can move them when he hits them. Thomas looked good on kick returns, so I think he'll be next in line if Small continues to underwhelm.

- I know the offense put up 31 points, and I've been raving over just about everything and everyone, but our drives take forever. This helps us in low-scoring games in which TOP is as crucial as it gets, but against faster-paced teams with talent (i.e. not Toledo) and competence (i.e. not Illinois), it just might come back to bite us. The quick-strike attack that put us up 17-7 was gorgeous, but I feel safe in saying it had a bit more to do with Indiana's secondary flailing about than OSU's tempo. In one of these breather games, I'd just like to see a competent two minute-drive in a pressure situation. This is a minor quibble, but one I feel is worth mentioning.

So, Pryor's "key stretch" got off to a fairly good start. For increasingly common portions of the game, he looked like a quarterback, which is, after all, what I wanted. Next up is 5-0 Wisconsin, and they might be one of the least-impressive 5-0 teams you'll ever see: they've yet to beat an FBS opponent by more than 8 points. Regardless, they're unblemished, their offense is clicking (though, again, they seem to be racking up the purty stats against mostly bad defenses), and their defense is intermittently average. It could be our biggest test between here and Happy Valley though, and it's coming alarmingly early in the aforementioned stretch. The Badgers typically play us tougher than anyone else in the conference outside of PSU and Michigan, and I don't expect that to change, even with Bielema as incompetent as he clearly is. Thankfully, the rushing game Death Star is fully operational, and, as far as we know, the defensive line hasn't lost a step without Larimore. That should be enough to keep the Buckeyes ahead of the Badgers.

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