The Buckeye Blog

Yeah, it’s the wrong OSU but did anyone think that Oregon State, coming in to last night’s game with a 1-2 record, would take down the mighty USC? USC, who after decimating Ohio State, who received all but a few of the #1 votes in both polls, basically ended their championship run for the second season in a row to an unranked team.

Not only that, but by the end of the first half, Oregon State was up 21-0. They came in confident and as opposed to the Buckeyes, they looked aggressive from the start. The OSU offensive line was able to push the USC defense enough to give Oregon running back Jacquizz Rodgers the chance to put up 186 yards — the most USC’s given up to an opponent since they met Vince Young in the 06 BCS Championship.

If this had happened any other season, I’d be screaming and yelling about how media darling USC has no business getting the high ranking it gets year after year. I’d be furious at commentators like ESPN’s Mark May who I’m sure by next week will be making a case for USC getting to the BCS title. But as we all know, I can’t. The Buckeyes missed their opportunity to knock USC out of contention so somebody else did.

Granted, USC probably was as psychologically prepared for this game as they were against the Buckeyes it is frustrating to see that Oregon State could expose weaknesses that the Buckeyes could not. Also makes you wonder how much USC needs an extra week to prep combined with a huge home field advantage to win the big games (last night’s loss was on OSU’s home field).

What does this mean for Ohio State?

For the sake of playing with a hypothetical, let’s say that Ohio State had beaten USC and USC went on to lose their second game to Oregon State. Do you think the Buckeyes would still have a clear shot to the BCS? Would the Ohio State second guessing would come rushing back once again? Even if we went undefeated, would we need to prove ourselves deserving of a championship shot against a one or possibly even a two-loss SEC team? Doesn’t matter, just a hypothetical to consider.

Bring on Penn State!

What does matter is that there are suddenly a couple of very big games on our schedule. Penn State beat the snot out of Oregon State early this season running up a score of 45-14. And suddenly, the pundits have Penn State on a national championship run with Wisconsin getting secondary attention.

Is there anyone out there in Buckeye Nation that doesn’t like the potential of this? Penn State plays Wisconsin (currently ranked 9/8) at Wisconsin. If they take down the Badgers and come into the Shoe unbeaten, they should be ranked in the top five. That means for the third year in a row, Penn State go up against the Buckeyes with all their delusions of grandeur in tow.

For the past three seasons, Penn State has nurtured a world of false hopes only to find them splattered against the reality that is Ohio State. Last year, their beloved “White Out” was of no use and the year before that, the only member of the Penn State team to see the end zone was Coach Paterno as he ran through it on the way to the bathroom.

It’s a situation I truly enjoy. Unlike the out of conference teams we struggle against, Tressel has Penn State’s number. By then the Pryor/Wells show should be in full swing and Penn State will not have their so highly valued home field advantage. Bring it on I say, bring it on.

So, theoretically, there is a way back to the BCS Title. A commanding win over both Wisconsin and Penn State would at least give us a point of contention. Unfortunately, the fact that we lost and lost big to USC won’t be forgotten but by beating Penn State, we’ll have at least beaten the team that beat the team that beat USC.

And as they say, it’s always better to lose early in the season than to lose late.

Before I go any further dear reader, in the sake of full disclosure, I want to let you know that this is a sponsored post. However, considering the nature of the subject, it is something I would have written about sooner or later anyway.

Coach Tressel is once again in the running for the Liberty Mutual, Coach of the Year award. According to the award’s website, “The award recognizes the college football coach in each NCAA division that best demonstrates sportsmanship, integrity, responsibility and excellence,” and “…truly focuses on a coaches actions off the field as much as on it.”

Regardless of how we feel about Tressel’s play from the sidelines lately, there is no question that Jim Tressel fits the criteria above. Since his arrival at Ohio State in 2001, not only has The Vest raised the bar on what Buckeyes now call a winning season, he has raised the bar as to what we expect of our Ohio State players both on and off the field.

Unlike so many other coaches out there, Tressel understands the importance of tradition at Ohio State and uses it to build character into his program. Don’t believe me? Just watch a stadium turn silent after a big win as the players form in front of the band to sing Carmen Ohio. Just thinking about it after the 2006 win over Michigan or the 2003 BCS Championship win over Miami is enough to give me goosebumps if not bring tears to my eyes.

Unlike so many college football programs out there, Ohio State runs a clean game and there is no question that Tressel sets the bar high. This past quarter, 53 Ohio State players earned 3.0 grade point average or better and eight of them earned a 4.0. And as much as it hurts sometimes, Tressel will often place the needs of the individual above the need to win. The Beanie Wells injury is the perfect example. Another coach might have played Wells going into a game like the USC game. It’s obvious Wells wanted to play. As much as it hurt to see Wells watch from the sideline, you have to give Tressel credit. He did what was best for Wells — regardless of the cost to the win/loss record.

But I’m preaching to the choir. Buckeye fans and the rest of the college football world know what Tressel has done not only for Ohio State but for college football as a whole. He has set a precedence in sportsmanship, integrity and leadership that is hard to match.

So, with that said, step up Buckeyes. Get out there and vote for Coach Tressel for the Liberty Mutual, Coach of the Year. You can vote daily and votes will be tallied through the end of the season.

The winning coach will receive $50,000 to donate to charity and a $20,000 grant to donate to his school’s alumni association for student scholarships and activities.

For more on Coach Tressel’s philosophy, check out www.coachtressel.com.

As of Tuesday, the bookies are giving Ohio State 17.5 point spread over Minnesota. Considering that Minnesota is 4-0 going into the Big Ten opener, a record that quadrupled their total number of wins during the 2007 season, that might seem a little generous.

The Gophers have put up some decent numbers on their way to the Big Ten season. They have the fourth highest turnover margin in the country capitalizing on 13 turnovers while only giving up 2. They rank 11th in the nation in pass efficiency and 17th in the nation in kick off returns.

Granted, their schedule hasn’t included any USCs but they have taken on some interesting second tier teams including Bowling Green which had an impressive 27-7 win over Pittsburgh. This team has a confidence that we haven’t seen from the Gophers in a long time. And there is no question turnovers and the play of quarterback Adam Weber have had a big impact on that confidence.

So, what do the Buckeyes need to do? Put Weber on his heals early and force a couple of turnovers. This shouldn’t be a problem for the Ohio State defense except that the gophers tend toward that pesky spread offense. The Buckeye D will need to be aggressive and attack early. A couple of good sacks early, especially one that forces a turnover, should be enough to bring the game under control.

Offensive turnovers are something the Buckeyes will need to be aware of. All indications in that dept. would point to the fact that Pryor pretty much the quarterback at the moment is a good thing. He is moving well, seeing the field and creating the opportunities that prevent turnovers.

The really big news is that at today’s press conference, Tressel said that Beanie is “probable” for Sat. While we’ve heard talk like this before, it sounds as though the main adjustment at this point is not playing injured but playing with a heavier shoe designed to provide better protection.

A Beanie/Herron/Pryor running game with combined with developing Pryor passing game and yeah, that spread isn’t looking too bad.

(The Daily Gopher has a nice breakdown of the 2008 Gophers vs. the 2007 Gophers.)

Well, although I was forced to listen to the game over the internet, I’ve been able to piece together enough of the Troy State matchup to do a little post-game analysis so here we go.

What did we learn last weekend:

• Tressel is willing to make important changes on offense and it looks like Pryor is the future of the Ohio State quarterback position. Pryor’s passing skills were impressive and he is taking the time to get the looks. His ability to move yet keep his look down field is providing second and third passing opportunities. Very mature for a freshman. If he can do this now, just think what he’ll be able to do as he continues to grow.
• This has got to be tough for Boekman. No question he’s a team leader and he is definitely in a slump. He’s played better in the past and he still can. However, the pressure has got to be huge. When you’re competing as hard as he is for a chance to play, there is no room for error.
• Any fan who booed Boeckman should be banned from the Shoe. As I said before, he’s under enough pressure and he’s a team leader. Booing will only turn the players the fans. He knows which way the wind blows - he doesn’t need the fans to remind him.
• How about punter A.J. Trapasso! He was dropping them around the five like it was old-school Tressel ball. How I yearn for the old days when the punt was an offensive play and we saw hints of it last weekend.
• The defense started slow against the spread and although the got it together in the second half, it still is a point for concern. Against a high caliber team, you don’t get a half to get it together. Play like that against a high caliber team and we go into the half in trouble. Against a high caliber team, we don’t have the second half advantage of depth and the ability to just wear them down. How much was good spread defense and how much was attrition.
• Kurt Coleman made some impressive interceptions. It was good to see the turnovers

Finally, the win over Troy State puts the tragedy in the Colosseum behind the Buckeyes. It puts them back in the game mentally and there is no question Pryor’s play is a big part of that. It’s good to see that Tressel made the necessary change.

Although now that I’ve finally got the BTN, I was forced to to pay five bucks to listen to the game over the internet. And while I didn’t see the game, I do know this — Terrelle Pryor took all but something like two snaps? And I also know that Pryor broke the record number of touchdown passes for an Ohio State freshman. And it also looks like he can throw the ball down field, not to mention the fact that he can run.

So what did we learn from today’s game?

Until I have a chance to find video and watch it for myself, please fill me in in the comments below.

(Big Ten Network Coverage Map)

I was planning on writing a post today about how much I loved the Big Ten Network because after a year of dreaming about it, I woke up the other morning to find it on my Verizon Fios channel line up.

However, with friends gathering at my house to watch the game, I dial in the new HD T.V. to find Purdue /MU in place of my beloved Buckeyes. Yes, I live in MD, one of the few states in throughout the country not to get the Ohio State game.

Even worse, in the past, even if the game was not available on my local cable, I could always find a sports bar to watch the Buckeyes play. Today however, it looks like I’m screwed. I may be destined to listen to the online broadcast.

Fall is the lonliest time for a Buckeye ex-pat.

I’ll leave this one to you but this is what we’re up against. Yep, those are members of the Troy State football team — granted it’s a couple of years old and all.

If just three weeks ago, anyone had told me that Troy might prove to be a difficult game, I would have laughed you off the blog. Two weeks later though and here we are with a number of questions to ask?

Q: Can our offensive line give Terrill Boeckman(*) the pass protection he needs?

A: Got me.

Q: Can our defense handle Troy’s no huddle offense?

A: Who knows?

Q: Will the Buckeyes be able to regroup after such a devastating loss last weekend?

A: I have no idea.

Q: And finally, will the leaders on this team be able to realign their national championship goals in order to do what needs to be done?

A: Maybe?

And that’s what this weekend’s game is all about. The Buckeyes have a lot to answer for this weekend and their performance on the field will either reinforce the chants of “Over-rated” we all heard coming from the LA Colusieum and the rest of the college football world this weekend or prove that this team still deserves to be in the hunt for at least a BCS Bowl appearance.

According to Tressle, Prior will see more playing time. At Tuesday’s press conference he said it would be something like 50/50. For Boeckman, this is everything. If he is going to play a quarterback role on this team, he needs to prove he can do it. If he doesn’t perform, he’ll be watching most of the rest of the season from the sidelines.

And dont’ think for a moment Troy doesn’t smell blood. They are used to playing the big game in the big stadium and if it wasn’t for hurricane Ike they would have already faced off against LSU. If ever there was an opportunity to kick a giant when they’re down, this is it.

Watch the second quarter of this game. If the Buckeyes start to struggle, as they so often do, then this will become a war of attrition and it will up to the depth of Ohio State to wear down Troy in the second half. Outlasting them may equal a win but it will be an ugly win at that.

However, if the Buckeyes can go into the half with a commanding, and I mean very commanding lead, then maybe it will be the shot in the arm this team needs to pull themselves back into the position we all want to think they can be in. However, anything but a blowout and we may be looking at a very long season ahead.

* You like that? I just coined it myself.

(Even without power, The Eggman goes above and beyond for you, loyal reader)

Yes, that’s it. The Buckeyes got their asses handed to them by the University of Spoiled Children. There is no DOG (God Spelled Backwards). Please. To prove this point, he smote us down with 75 mile per hour winds, knocking out power in Columbus until this Sunday (September 20th). What’s worse is all the AEP (American Electric and Power) trucks are rolling south to help LSU and Florida fans bring their satellite dishes back on-line at their squalid red-neck hovels while we cut down trees and take 7 days of cold showers. And, their illiterate smack will be backlogged on our email whenever we come back online. Then, we’re on the defensive. It’s tough when you start a sentence with, “We do not suck!”

To make another point, I’m sitting at a Starbuck’s for coffee and Internet — which is against my constitution because I think they and Juan Valdez are in it to take over the world. And, what am I wearing? A friggin’ The Ohio State University long-sleeve T-shirt like some Betty that’s serving penance doing a 7-day walk of shame. And, a black 2002 National Champions hat… Why do we take this abuse? You know it has to do with the Buckeyes. We know the Browns, Bengals, Blue Jackets all suck. See a pattern? They all have a similar letter in them which is in the same word as (B)ullshit.

Maybe Zeus is trying to tell us something, here. He should have at least thrown some lightening bolts to get it over with so I don’t have to do yard work or listen to the missus bitch about needing batteries, food, water, darkness and clean whitey tighties. Okay, the last one is my grievance. The least she could do is go down to Turkey Run Creek which flows from the OSU Golf Course behind our house and pound my underwear on some rocks with some Tide. Then I can take a camera phone picture with what little batteries I have left and broadcast the image across the ailing Buckeye Nation to make everyone realize that “It’s not all that bad.” But, I digress.

There’s a bunch of crying going on in Columbus – finger-pointing at it’s worst. Here’s the Top Ten why the Buckeyes are victims:

10. The dumb-ass from the Geiger Administration scheduled our 3rd game at the Los Angeles Coliseum making us visitors in a hostile environment, which we rarely win against USC. Jet lag and glitz take their toll… Woody would have crapped on this boner!

9. USC had a bye week to scout us like LSU and Florida had more than a month in the BCS Championships to perforate the OSU Neanderthal defense and stultify or fat-ass Big Ten lineman (not the kind from AEP that are MIA, BFD, and NFW. We need and miss them).

8. Beanie Wells is hurt. You’ll have that. But, what about our all senior team and All American line? Yes, the one that OU (Ohio University) stuffed and man-handled.

7. Maurice Wells, should have transferred when he threatened to because that dread-lock wearin’ wuss can’t run between the tackles. Cut your hair and let our freshman “Boom” Herron go where the Buckeyes like to run, Up the Gut, Baby!

6. Our kicking (not “Special”) teams have stunk up three games in a row, with 3 missed PATs in the last two and one missed chip shot field goal against USC. Yes, I’ve won four of eight quarters in football pools. Thanks to you dorks, I’ve got two weeks of lunch money for the babies, a pedicure for mama, and beer money for The Big Kuhuna. Guess who? I bet the average student on the Oval wondered who the two goons were snapping the ball in the rain and darkness 24/7 last week. If you didn’t guess, it’s the snapper and the holder — the guys people seldom remember or draft, depend on and ridicule as I am when they screw the pooch.

5. Our wide outs aren’t as impressive as we’d like to think. I’d give them a B- not and A grade. Hartline is a smart receiver that’s good at going over the middle. Kind of a Brian Brennan possession receiver. Robiskie has smarts also and more speed. Neither are a threat. Whomever we try as our third receiver, Ray Small or Brandon Saine (Mr. Ohio) aren’t working out as the legendary “Bam” Childress (Mr. Ohio) hadn’t either. The complete “air” package has a flat.

4. Both Freshman DeVier (someone please provide an interpretation – like French word for “The Man”) Posey and Thomas are burners like Santonio (Spanish word for “From Miami with three kids, leaving for the NFL early – doing quite well for the Steelers) Holmes was. They put the fear of DOG in the Bucks D during Spring practice and have blown away DBs when the get to play. Didn’t see ‘em against USC though. Derrrr. Our bad. Stick with what’s not working is what I always say. Really. Einstein’s definition of insanity is “Solving different problems the same way ending in the same result.” You lose! OSU should give me a sideline ticket to every game, a red “not hit” jersey, and a rolled us newspaper so I can whack Tress when a play doesn’t work. We can call the experiment “The Eggman’s DOG.”

3. Offensive play calling. When something doesn’t work, you try something different until it does and conversely, when something does work you do it until “they” stop it. Remember Charles White from USC? Coach McKay called it “Student Body Right.” He ran it all day and won. Remember when we were 12 points up on Texas when we had a great running game, then threw three passes and out to give the ball back to Vince Young so we could kiss or collective asses good-bye? My friends and I all remember sitting in the stands screaming “Run Forrest, run!” to no avail… You know what I’m saying here, Dr. Skinner. A monkey will try to grab a banana until the shocking quits. Or something like that. You see how easy it is to get confused, and I’m not making $2 million a year to f-up.

2. Coaching. Today our red-vested savior threw Boekman under the bus. It’s rare, which means Coach T is pissed, saying that the “Interception was solely the Quarterback’s fault… that he failed his “quick read”… blah… blah… and game the game multiple times… that Terrelle Pryor will share 50% time against Troy (who just might beat us). The gist is that Tressel would rather sack the QB than his stodgy, flat-earth coaching staff. Totally classless, yet imperative to quell the blame game. Joe Pa would never do that, just quietly change staff until it works. PSU is a force to be reckoned with this year.

1. It’s The Buckeye Nation’s fault. It’s our fault for feeling bad when we’ve been in the BCS Championship 3 of 6 years winning 1. Bite me, cry babies. Alabama, Colorado, Miami, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A &M, UCLA, Washington, etc. are programs that have gone south. What about Michigan? It could be worse.

I’m going to go make some sandwiches for the tree workers with unrefrigerated, 4-day old lunch meat. Maybe that’ll make me feel better… MyEggs are spoiled.

Coming off the big loss to USC, the Buckeyes are still favored over Troy by 21 points. Unless we see some big changes in both the offense and defense, that might be too high. It’s not that I’m concerned about Ohio State winning this game, I am concerned that Troy is going to make it tough.

Take a look at Troy. They have been lining up tough schedules in an effort to get recognition in the national spotlight. This is some small time team that will be overwhelmed by the Ohio State crowd. The Trojans have been through this before and the loss to USC should only get them fired up and build their confidence.

Likewise, unless the Buckeye offense can seriously pull themselves together, taking on an extra 21 points might be something of a challenge. Vegas has the over under at 45 and although I’m not a betting man (honest, I just follow the spreads), an under bet may be safe. Watch out though, Troy has speed and unless our defense can find the aggression they once had, this could be a dangerous game.

Tressel changes thinking on QB situation

At yesterday’s press conference, Coach Tressel expressed his concerns with Todd Boeckman’s play. While Tressel is always one to stick by his players, he did express some unusual disappointment in Boeckman’s turnovers among other things. Check out this passage from the press conference:

REPORTER: Have you lost any confidence in Todd Boeckman or is he not being put in a position to succeed because of the offensive line play or none of the above?

COACH TRESSEL: Or none of the above? You know, I think, like I told the team when we met on Sunday, or Monday, I guess it was, what we have to work on is what we are doing in the game of football that we need to do better. No one has changed any thinking about who they are. Now, is it disappointing that we had a couple turnovers? Absolutely. Is that a problem? Yes. Do I think he’s capable of not having those turnovers and doing what we need to do? Yes. Are some of those things in part because we weren’t as good as we could have been on the offensive line? Yes. We weren’t as good as we could have been out wide? Yes. And everything in between.

Before the season started, Tressel was sticking by the idea the Boeckman would be the starting quarterback. The plan was that Terrill Pryor might get some snaps but Beockman was the man. After last weekend though, the tune is starting to change. Tressel said yesterday that we’d see a qb rotation of about 50/50. That’s a big step for traditionally conservative coach.

I don’t think there is any question that Pryor is ready. He performed well in one of the toughest environments he may face in his college football career. He also showed leadership on the sidelines as he was fired up and emotionally into the game. He has a way to go but this kid is good. I only hope we can keep him more than a couple of seasons.

One of the biggest problems with increasing playing time for Pryor (which was brought up in the press conference)is that Boeckman is a team captain and leader on the team. Now, you’ve got a freshman bucking for his spot. This is the time to truly test Boeckman’s leadership and it’s got to be tough. If however, Pryor proves to be the winning combination the Buckeyes need, then there is no greater role Boeckman can play as a leader than to step aside and do what’s best of the team. Not only that, but he’ll need to show his upper classmen that playing Pryor is the right thing to do. I don’t know if I could do it if I were in his position but what a test of character and leadership if he can.