When asked at yesterday’s press conference if Wells would be ready to play Saturday against USC, Coach Tressel responded, “Yeah, uh-huh.” He went on to say that on Wednesday, he would do a lot of “football things without people around and then tomorrow be actually in the fray.”
And I think that’s about all Tressel should give us on the Beanie Wells situation. All signs are pointing to a healthy Wells ready to return. Last week we heard that he was walking without the boot waving to reporters and then his mom came out and said that he would be ready to play against OU.
If you take a look at Tressel’s comments recently, there is still a sense that he is holding something back. Not only with the Wells situation but also about Terrell Pryor. According to the Columbus Dispatch, on Saturday, Tressel said that Pryor would have, “opportunties.” He said that the only thing that holds a freshman back is if they don’t understand what the team is doing but he added that Pryor understands the plays. Therefore, he’ll have “opportunities.”
Does this mean we’ll see the Pryor/Wells ground attack we’ve been waiting for? It is the exact formula the Buckeyes need against USC. A healthy Wells and a talented Pryor will force the USC defense to stop the run. That open’s up Robiskie and Hartline giving Ohio State the full force attack that it will have to bring to USC. If the offensive line can get the jump on the USC defense (as opposed to what they did against OU), then they can give Pryor(?) the time he needs to let the play develop and we may actually have a game on our hands. The defense claims they’ve been watching the films from LSU last year, specifically Glenn Dorsey, and now understand the value of attacking the man in front of you. Has the offensive line been paying attention?
More and more I’m thinking that the OU game was a fluke and that the Buckeye’s were looking past OU to the big game on the horizon. How could they not? This was the biggest game OU has seen in years. Rarely do they get a chance to perform on a national stage or against a top ranked opponent. Even a decent showing gives them some serious mileage. For the Buckeyes however, this game was standing in the way. You know that everyone on the team just wanted to get past it and prepare for what is probably the biggest regular season game on the college football schedule. They’ve even said as much.
And don’t think for a minute that their isn’t at least a little sandbagging going on.
Small says it’s about class
The LA Times is reporting that Ohio State receiver Ray small has in effect, “called out” USC. However, if you look at what he actually said, let’s just say that USC is searching pretty hard for some outside motivation.
According to the Times report, Small told reporters in Saturday’s post game conference that he saw the difference between Ohio State and USC on recruiting trips. After seeing the pregame preparation of both teams, he felt that Ohio State just had more “class.” Here’s what Small had to say:
“As I took my visit to USC, I’m like, ‘How are they successful? They’re not even serious about the game,’ ” Small said. “Before the game, they’re all going crazy. Me and [Buckeyes defensive end] Rob Rose was on the visit and I’m looking like, ‘Wow.’ And then the coach said, ‘You better get out of here. It’s ’bout to get hectic.’
“And then I come [to Ohio State] on the visit and before the game, it’s all quiet, everybody getting taped, coaches talking. It’s the total opposite…Here at Ohio State, they teach you to be a better man,” Small said. “There, it’s just all about football.”
According to the LA Times, Small added, “it’s a class thing.”
I would say that Small summed it up pretty well. If this is what passes for smack talk coming out of Ohio State, then yea, I would say it is a “class thing.” Just the fact that USC this is the best USC could get pretty much tells the story.
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