Face it, we are a passing team.  I think the UI game was Pryor's best performance.  Granted he could have read a book with all the time to throw, but he made some nice decisions, didn't have to scramble and was very efficient.  Most importantly, he didn't need to use his legs to win the game.  Look for him to have to do that to beat UW this weekend. 

This is the time of the year when Tress usually starts to adapt his teams to their yearly strengths.  It's obvious that he has become pass oriented.  He's found a way to utilize Saine as a receiver and it just creates nightmares for opposing defenses.  He's also looking to get Boren and the tightend more into the game.   When Stoneburner returns, it should pay dividends.  Our Oline is far better at moving back for pass blocking then for pushing off the line of scrimmage.  I still think you can't win a Natty without a running game (or win the Big10) and it's going to bite us sooner or later. 

Our defense shut down a really good UI offense.  The corner were especially impressive as they UI aerial attack is one of the best in the country (to date).  You just get the feeling that it's going to be hard to score on them.  They are still weak in the middle of the field, so we can't get too confident.

I'm looking at this Saturday as defing the rest of the season for us.  I don't know if we have enough on Offense to win this game, as UW will look to dominate the time of possession with their running game.   I expect this to be a low scoring affair.  Special team play may kill us this weekend, so pray for no let downs.

Technorati Tags: Aerial Attack, Best Performance, Big10, Boren, Buckeyes, Camp Randall, Decisions, Dissapointment, Dividends, Heading, Legs, Line Of Scrimmage, Night Game, Nightmares, Oline, Possession, Running Game, Team Play, Tightend, Wisconsin Team

That said, this year's team my actually be slightly worse then last year's.  We've lost defensive linemen as well as our safeties.  Our receiving corp is depleted with the surprising losses of Carter and Thomas and our running game has depth, but no special backs.  The strength of the team will remain the defense and all of our hopes on offense lie with Pryor.

The problem and solution is that all of our hopes lie in the mind and ability of Pryor.   I'm guessing that we lose one game this year because of lack of discipline on offense.  He'll have another Purdue game and, since our backs are average, we'll have no one to bail him out on offense.  Therein lies the problem when all of our offense really keys on Pryor.  

There does appear to be some encouraging (or discouraging) news in the announced two deeps for Thursday night's game.  Many freshman are showing up.  This bodes well for our future, but doesn't say much for some of our middle classmen. 

In any event, my gues is we go 11-1 (with a silly loss to someone like Purdue) and are on the outside looking in again on the Natty.  I also think Pryor will have another disappointing season making him one of the biggest busts in OSU history.  Here's hoping I'll be eating some crow in 4 months....

Technorati Tags: Bigg, Buckeyes, Deeps, Defensive Linemen, Discipline, Freshman, Greener Pastures, Gues, Hype, Impressions, Offseason, Purdue Game, Purdue Games, Rose Bowl, Running Game, Safeties, Terrelle Pryor, Thursday Night, Troy Smith, Usc

A few comments about last week's victory are needed.  Iowa's strength all year has been their Line play, so a close game was completely expected.  Every team rises to play us and, yes the Iowa freshman QB played lights out for most of the game.  In the end, he is a freshman and they paid for it.  I am not sure why so many people are disgruntled about going to the Rose Bowl and winning the Big 10.  Yes Tressel played conservatively and he had some good reasons.  The running game was strong again which is very surprising.  Pryor didn't have to make any big decisions and that is the key point.  Did you really want to see Pryor chucking the ball all over the field against the Iowas defense?  Did you really want to have Pryor run the 2 minute drill at the end of the game (have you forgotten the USC and Purdue debacles at the end of the games or the practice 2 minute drill against Indiana where he threw a pick in the endzone)?  I think Tress knew what he was doing when he opted to go into OT and then opted to kick the field goal.  The game shouldn't have made it to OT and probably wouldn't have if not for the Iowa kick off return and tipped ball which Iowa caught. 

We really need to celebrate what we have which is a winning coach and, yes, we will start winning these big games again.  It really comes down to player execution.  Tress does play the odds and he does win 0.800 of his games.

UM has a lot to prove this weekend and still has the best offense in the league.  If our offense doesn't show up to play then we could be in for a lot of trouble thiw weekend.  We shoudl never sleep on UM.

Go Bucks!

Technorati Tags: Big Games, Buckeyes, Champs, Distraction, Endzone, Execution, Field Goal, Freshman Qb, Hub Bub, Key Point, Michigan Game, Odds, Ot, Purdue, Rose Bowl, Running Game, Some Good Reasons, Throw Back, Uniforms, Usc

I'll start with the Defense, since that is the easiest to cover.   They were flying all over the place and really dominated a very good Toledo offense.  The Toledo QB couldn't get any rhythm and their running game was nonexistent.   Overall, I've been really impressed with the play of our corners over the last few games.  They performed much better then I expected.  The D line is ferocious this year and I retract any earlier comments about them being a weakness.

It's broken record time.  Our offensive line is yet again offensive.  We have let inferior teams D line push us around.  We have no game up the middle and we lack a decent running back to compensate for this atrocity.  This seems to be a staple for any Tressel team I can think of in years past.  The only logical solution is to lose Bollman.   This guy is worthless and Tress has to get rid of him.  We have recruited some of the best O linemen in the country the last few years and have nothing to show for it.    There is no reason why we shoiuld be performing so poorly on offense other then we do not have a good ground attack and it starts at the the point of attack.  Even supposedly revamped this year and leaner and meaner we seem to be same old same old.

Pryor seemed shaky in his decision making until he finally tucked it and ran it for 44 yards in the 3rd quarter.  I think that really enabled him to take control of the offense and make better decisions.  This game had to be a confidence builder for him and hopefully he can blossom from it.   I still think he is thinking too much and needs to just relax.

Bottom line is we will not win any championships until we have a balanced offense.  Pryor has shown he can not shoulder the responsibility for winning games for us.  We are basically a one dimensional team with some "X" dimension sprinkled in.  We can pass the ball and have that Pryor "X" dimension for when things breakdown.  Until we can establish a running attack which starts with the O line, we will be beatable by teams with disciplined defenses because they just need to shut Pryor down and get in his head.    Unfortunately, I will probably be cutting and pasting this last paragraph for each of my posts for the rest of the year.  In fact I've probably already been doing this as this is a broken record.

Illinois always gives us fits and as long as Ben  and Juice are healthy we could be in for a long day on Saturday.  Illinois had a bye week, so they'll be ready to give us something special.  Hopefully the Troy Smith version of Pryor shows up and not the Steve Bellisari version.

Technorati Tags: 3rd Quarter, Array, Atrocity, Buckeyes, Confidence Builder, Control, D Line, Decisions, Games, Ground Attack, Heart, Linemen, Logical Solution, Offensive Line, Qb, Record Time, Rhythm, Running Game, Staple

I usually only pay attention to NFL combines about as much as I enjoy watching paint dry.  There really isn't anything to get excited about.   I did notice though that all of these stellar Buckeyes have underachieved.  Wells, Laurantis and Jenkins all seem to be performing below there levels.    This concerns me about their conditioning and drive to be the best they can be.  Throughout this last year we expected much out of a senior laden team and they performed below expectations (not that a 3 loss season is sub par, but we did make it to the Natty the prior 2 years).   I just wonder about their conditioning programs and how this may have affected their ability to excel this year.  I seem to remember Boone saying after the USC debacle that what was all the offseason conditioning about if they couldn't show up to play. 

Moving forward, we will be having a rebuilding year.   We addressed all of our needs in the recruiting process and will ahve a young talented team.  Prior will be the center of the offense, but we'll have to wait to see who else if anyone emerges.  The O-line will be solid with great depth from our last two years of recruiting.  The defensive line will now be a strength for us and all indications are we will reload at linebacker.  The secondary will need to establish someone as a shut down corner. 

All in All, this is the time of the year when you just start couting the days till next year.

Technorati Tags: Blog, Buckeye Football, Buckeyes, Debacle, Defensive Line, Doldrums, Fiesta Bowl, Great Game, Hiatus, Nfl, Offseason, Random Thoughts, Recruiting, Shut Down, Talented Team, Usc

Granted it was against Northwestern, but they were a top 25 team.  Northwestern tried initially to do the same thing that Penn State did to us which was make Pryor beat you with the pass.   However, this time he delivered some incredible passes showing how much of a dual threat he is.  Could it be that Pryor is just now getting acclamated to the college game or just that Tressel decided that we had nothing to lose and just let it all hang out.   Either way the results were impressive.

The O Line played pretty well, but again there weren't huge holes for Wells to run through.  This week, though, Wells created something out of nothing.  Where was that against Penn State as well?   There were enough incredible plays between Wells and Pryor that I left the game scratching my head.... what could we have been if these two played like this the earlier part of the year?

The Defense had some issues with the mobile QB, but it still was a dominating performance.   

Way too many personal fouls by seniors who should have known better.  I guess they needed to vent their frustration?!?

All in all, we still have a shot at the Big Ten title thanks to Iowa and a shot at a BCS bid.

Technorati Tags: Buckeyes, College Game, Dominating Performance, Dual Threat, Frustration, Heck, Holes, Nice Game, Penn State, Personal Fouls, Qb, Seniors, Something Out Of Nothing, Wow

1. Offensive Line was offensive.   Granted their were some plays where I saw holes big enough for a Mack truck to drive through (and Pryor optioned not to give Wells the ball), but there were too many missed blocks.   Rehring in particular looked bad.   The line has been shifted around a lot this year due to poor play and the lack of cohesion is evident from these switches.   To make matters worse, super freshmen Shugarts and Brewster are out for the next few games at least (Shugarts for the year probably). 
2. No spark in the offense.   Neither Pryor or Wells had good games.   We're basically down to Wells as the only productive back.   Please keep Mo Wells out of any more games.   He is worthless.   Hopefullty Saine (hamstring) and Herron (concussion) are able to come back.   But neither back has wowed me this year.   Pryor is showing that he is a true freshman.   I was hoodwinked into thinking he was Superman, but he is Superman with a conscious.   He's just thinking too much on the field.  He's a perfectionist and that has kept him from being anything but perfect.   He just needs to commit and not second guess it.  If he continues to play this way the next few games, we'll be stuck with Boeckman (and he has no problem chucking the ball into double coverage).  I swear I saw the slightest smirk on Boeckman's face when they pained to him during Pryor's troubles against Purdue.   I'm still waiting for the spark from a speedy receiver.  Bottom line is either you have speed or you dont and, folks, we ain't got it.
3. Defense finally played like the defense we've been expecting all year.   Maybe the light finally turned on for the D Line and we have turned the corner.   If so, then we will have a good couple of games.   Unfortunately, I think it's not.   We lost Wilson for the season.   With Rose filling in the gap, you can expect that light to dim significantly.  We'll need the same performances out of the secondary we just saw for the remainder if the year to have any hope of coming out of the next 2 games alive.   We also need to hear more from Lauranitis.  He has to show he is top 5 draft pick in these next few games.

This is the hump.   Our last two ranked opponents are before us and if destiny has us repeating for a third consecutive National Championship loss, then we have to rise against MSU and PSU.   If, somehow, we beat MSU convincingly and beat the media favorite Penn State, then the country will once again be forced to acknowlege us.   It makes no sense that we are consistently top 5 recruiting class year in and year out and not have the ability to simply reload.

Technorati Tags: Boeckman, Bottom Line, Buckeyes, Cohesion, Concussion, D Line, Double Coverage, Freshmen, Good Games, Holes, Last Game, Mack Truck, Offensive Line, Perfectionist, Purdue, Shugarts, Smirk, Superman, Switches, True Freshman

In the end, making Pryor the starting QB is the correct thing to do.  We needed a spark and a leader and it appears he is providing on both fronts.   There will be some bumps (hopefully minor) along the way, but the dividends will be huge (in possibly 1 year).   Pryor teamed with a healthy Wells will be an unstoppable duo in the backfield.   We should get use to the large yardage on the ground amassed by them.    Just think about it, in their respective recruiting years, both Pryor and Wells were the #1 recruits in the country and McDonald's all Americans.  The main question is whether we will develop a passing game.  Pryor has shown incredible arm strength so far, but needs to use it.   Additionally, we hear players (Wells in particular) ranting and raving about what he brings to the offense.   I don't recall comments like this from players regarding Boeckman.

It's apparent that the National media needs much convincing before they will back the Buckeyes.   This year may very well be lost.   If we can play well and beat Wiisconsin at Camp Randell that will go a long way to helping us.   Of course, with the National media gooing over Penn State, it would be nice to beat then at our place if they remain undefeated.

Technorati Tags: Arm Strength, Backfield, Big Games, Blogs, Buckeyes, Camp Randell, Dividends, Gooing, Lost, Mcdonald, Passing Game, Penn State, Qb

Beanie Wells was all we had going for us coming into this game.   While I believe he wouldn't have made a difference, just his presence would have helped to keep them honest on the defensive side.  The whole soap opera before the game really helped to pin USC's ears back and drill us.

While it appeared that at least the officials were making bad calls equally between the 2 teams, out penalties always appeared at critical times.   Just scoring an initial TD would have lifted the team.

Face it our lines on both sides of the ball have let us down the last 3 years.   We've looked slow and overpowered in each of these 3 games.   I strongly think we need to make some changes in the line.  

Boeckman looked out of place the entire game.   He is definitely a pocket passer and looked awkward and confused when moving out of the pocket.   Sure he made some bad decisions, but it wasn't like he had anytime to throw.   Pryor was the better option here because of his elusiveness.   I am amazed at how poised he looks in the pocket and he literally glides when he runs the ball. 

The coaching let us down once again.   I remember when we first got Tressel, i was so relieved to see half time adjustments on both sides of the ball.  This is something Cooper couldn't do to save his life.  Now it just seems that Tressel is duped by these other coaches and refuses to change his game plan.   This also goes for Heacock on the Defensive side.   The Oline play disturbs me so much that we really need to make a change on the top.

Now we face a national bias against both the Buckeyes and the Big Ten.   Nearly everyone outside of Big 10 country doesn't even think we belong in a BCS game.   This, of course, is ludicrous.  However, this might as well have been 2 losses for us.   We face an upward battle.

How do we get back into the good graces of the National media?   We have to change something up and be a power house on offense.   We have to be making sick plays which get shown on sports center every week.   We can do this by inserting Pryor, getting Beanie back and shaking up the starters at other positions.   If Pryor looks as good as advertised, there isn't a Defense in the country which could stop a Wells/Pryor backfield.  

I think Tressel has lost this team and needs to re-establish their respect.   Without some swagger, we'll continue to lose the big game.   There is so much talent on this team, we ave to find a way to get back into it.   It's still September, so an awful lot can happen.  

GO Bucks!

Technorati Tags: 3 Years, Abysmal Performance, Bad Decisions, Boeckman, Buckeyes, Critical Times, Ears, Game Plan, Games, Heacock, Losses, National Bias, National Championship, Presence, Qb, Soap Opera, Stupid Mistakes, Td, Time Adjustments