It’s like deja vu all over again.
Preseason, I asked the question, “With an inexperienced defense, is Tresselball dead?” I think we got our answer yesterday.
While the rain really seemed to take the punch out of the Buckeye offense in the first half, the defense stepped up keeping Penn State out of the end zone and holding them to 3-14 on third down conversions for the day.
The defense also shut down Penn’s passing game keeping them to just 54 yards in 10 of 17 attempts and forcing three interceptions.
It was also good to see a repeat of last year’s four man rush. If we can put that kind of pressure no the qb with only four players, that makes it awfully difficult to find an open man.
And we had at least one moment of true Tresselball with a punt to the 2-3 yard line. Unfortunately, Penn was able to push out and give themselves some room. A nice Penn State punt saved what could have been a messy situation for Penn.
But oh, it was nice to see that again. With a developing defense it is just a matter of time before punt once again becomes an offensive play. Yesterday’s “inexperienced defense” will only get better. Combine that with a Troy Smith/Ginn/Gonzo/whoever offense and you’ve got a dangerous team.
In true Tressel ball style, the same commentators who were praising the Ohio State offense pregame were questioning the number 1 ranking post game. In case you missed it, as soon as the game ended, ESPN/ABC went “back to our studio in New York” and Doug “I’m famous for one play” Flutie who instantly said that Ohio State did not play like a number one team.
Your right Doug. We didn’t run the scoreboard to 50 points like your beloved USCs or former Miamis. And yeah, it was a defensive struggle until the third quarter. However, never in the game did it feel like Ohio State was on the ropes. The Buckeye’s were in control. You can win with defense and still play like a number one team.
These of course are the same commentators who are right now writing about what a great team Notre Dame is and how great teams make great comebacks. I believe Corso was even talking about ND playing in the BCS Championship game. Please.
Watch Notre Dame’s ranking jump because Michigan State absolutely fell apart. The guy that sits next to Corso and Herbstreet (what’s his name again) said it best when he asked, “How much of this is Notre Dame playing great and how much is it Michigan State being Michigan State.
Next week, Iowa in Iowa. Anyone remember what happened in 1985? I’ll write more later..
