Rose Bowl Final Thoughts

I was in Columbus earlier this week and happened to catch our friend Rob Harley on CD 101. Rob may have summed it up best when he said that everything there is to be said about the Oregon/Ohio State matchup was covered the the week after the game was announced. With 300+ comments on this blog, he’s probably right. Even so, Rob manage to find some good talking points to fill the spot and I’ve got enough left to fill one last post.

So with that:

Laurinatis and Hartline Weigh In
I got an email this morning from Kirk Reynolds who’s latest projects include Playmaker Mobile. Playmaker Mobile interviewed former Buckeyes James Laurinitis and Brian Hartline about the Rose Bowl. Here’s what they had to say:

Laurinitis

Masoli concerns me. He is a true dual threat. He can run, he’s got speed, good shakes and he can throw. Plus he can run you over. He really is perfect for that system. They have two good running backs in Blount and LeMichael James, but if you focus too much on stopping them you lose site of Masoli.

Larry Grant went to San Francisco City College and has been telling me about Masoli, because they played together. If he wins that game against Stanford he deserved to get his name in the Heisman talk. He’s that good. He’s not a prototype so he flies under the radar a little, but next year, he’ll have an opportunity to be one of the guys being talked about.

The key to this game is making Oregon one dimensional, take away that zone read. You have to stop their running game and turn them into a passing team. If you don’t stop the run against Oregon you have no chance of slowing that offense down.

Joe Bauserman is crucial. He’s got to give the defense good looks. He’s got good speed and good shakes so he can emulate Masoli, but you still have to stop the real thing. It won’t be easy, but that’s the key to the game.

The Rose Bowl is a dream come true. The two goals you set out to accomplish are to win the Big 10 and play for the National Championship. If you don’t make the BCS game then you better win the Rose Bowl. National Championships are almost how you’re judged now at Ohio State. We’ve had so many Big 10 championships that the fans expect that. As a team, you want that black and white picture hanging on the wall in the Woody Hayes Center and the only way to do that is win the national championship. If you don’t get that you better win the Rose Bowl or else you’re really just another team at Ohio State. Any time you lose a bowl game it just leaves a sour taste in your mouth and takes something away from the season. So there is a lot riding on this game.

Interesting point about Bauserman. Made me take a second look. You forget that even the guys who don’t play on game day are a crucial part of the team.

Hartline:

Terrell Pryor has had some ups and downs. From an outsider’s point of view he has been at his best when the passing game comes to him. It seems like they were doing some things, kind of forcing the passing game early on and that took him out of the comfort zone. When he starts making plays with his feet, getting outside of the pocket he seems to get a little more comfortable. He’ll be the key to the game. Getting him comfortable, letting his legs get moving, getting him outside the pocket, those things will get the passing game going.

Oregon’s defense runs well so I don’t see Ohio State getting those big momentum changing plays in the running game. They’ll make some plays, but I think the big plays, the game changing plays are going to have to come through the air so I think it will come down to how well Terrell plays. He’s got receivers. Posey and Sanzenbacher have been making plays all season and they’ll have to do it again when the plays present themselves against Oregon.

We have a great defense at Ohio State and I think the defense will keep the game even keel so it will really be decided by which quarterback and which offense executes the best. Masoli runs it very well and both guys have good arms. I don’t want to put too much on one kid, but if Terrell is playing well, making plays with his feet and limits mistakes I think Ohio State will be very tough to beat. If he plays well the rest of the team will finish it.

Ohio State will win. I think it’s going to be a tough game, but getting to the Rose Bowl after three Fiesta Bowls in four years will be very motivating. I’m sure it will be motivating for Oregon too, but I just feel it’s Ohio State’s time. Getting to California will be an eye opening experience for Ohio State. It’s a big year for the Big 10. We have to have a strong showing and make a stand.

Pryor as the X factor…go figure.

Oregon and the Quick Snap
One of the many Oregon fans who have visited this blog in the past month called me out because I hadn’t addressed Oregon’s hurry up offense (Tony in Beavertown?). In the past couple of days both Ivan Maisel at ESPN.com and Ken Gordon at The Columbus Dispatch have also brought up the quick snap.

Maisel points out that even though the Oregon offense scores an average 37 points per game, they only hold the ball a mere 26:58 per game. Gordon adds that 38 percent of Oregon’s scoring drives this season took less than two minutes off the clock.

Gordon goes on to point out that even though Oregon plays fast, they only average about five more plays per game then Ohio State’s opponents so far.

Defensive endurance may be a factor on both sides of the ball. In Oregon’s case, they will need to deal with the physical aspect of the Buckeye offense. For the Buckeyes, their ability to recover quick and contain the option will be crucial. Masel reports that Oregon loves the challenge of grinding it out. According to Gordon, the Buckeyes have focused on endurance training since bowl selection. Doug Worthington stated that there has been a significant improvement in the huff and puff factor during the past month.

“They’re Big, Really Big”
The Oregon offensive line noticed something those of us in Buckeye Nation have been saying for some time — these Buckeyes are huge. Oregon offensive linemen Carson York told the Oregon Daily Emerald,

“Our team, there are some big guys, but most of the guys are pretty normal-looking dudes. At least we think so, being around each other, but when we go out in public we’re giants…I saw all those Ohio State guys at Disneyland (on December 26, for the first Rose Bowl press conference), and there is not a small guy on that team. Every guy just seems big. I don’t know if they have 70 lineman or what. I don’t know if they left the DBs or wide receivers at home, but I didn’t see them.”

It’s important to note that York is 6-foot-5 and weighs 285 pounds.

Others agreed with York who added,

“It’s not really something that we’ve dealt with all year, just within the Pac-10…I think Purdue is probably the closest in size that we’ve dealt with, and Ohio State’s a step up.”