Ohio State vs. Troy; Point spread and the two QB system

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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.