The drop to number five doesn’t really mean anything. USC is still number one in the AP so it will all sort itself out next week. But Saturday’s game — yeah, I’m a little concerned.
Maybe the Buckeyes were looking past OU to the biggest game of the season. Maybe Tressel was sandbagging (Did you see Mark May’s post game comments on ESPN? If Ohio State was playing the hustle, it worked.) Maybe the Buckeyes just weren’t prepared to play without Beanie — he was acting healthy all week so maybe psychologically, the offense just wasn’t prepared.
Whatever the case, let’s hope we see a different Ohio State take to the field in California.
Personally, I don’t know what to make of this. The offense looked absolutely horrendous up until somewhere in the third quarter. The offensive line got pushed around by a much smaller Ohio U defensive line. They couldn’t even drive them back one yard on a fourth and one conversion. It wasn’t until late in the game that the Buckeye offense started to look somewhat decent. The question is, did the Ohio State offense step it up or did they finally wear down the OU defense. No question, OU defensive players were panting pretty hard by the fourth quarter. You won’t get that luxury against USC.
Could the defense miss any more tackles? And do you think for a minute that USC quarterback Mark Sanchez won’t be able to scramble better than an OU backup quarterback? Sure, the Buckeyes forced turnovers but don’t count on any gifts against SC. USC will make it much harder for the Buckeye defensive players to find themselves in the backfield. When they get there, they had better make the tackle.
Ohio State’s biggest weakness in this game was on the front lines. They didn’t protect the quarterback and once again, anything that even looked like a spread offense was giving the Buckeyes fits. OU will look like a Pop Warner team compared to what SC will bring next week. The Buckeyes have the talent but Brain Hartline pretty much summed up the feelings of all Ohio State fans when he said (Columbus Dispatch):
“It’s more of a humbling experience,” Hartline said. “But every year it happens, and I’m sick of being humbled. I don’t know why, it doesn’t make sense. I don’t see another top-five team doing what we did today.”
Game Highlight: Chris Spielman’s commentary from the sideline. Unlike another certain ESPN commentator, Spielman let his Buckeye loyalty show through. He expressed the frustration of every Ohio State fan watching the game. No question Spielman calls a much better game from the sideline and I’d be happy with him there every game.
Most annoying moment(other than how Ohio State played): Mark May’s post game comments. May was practically drooling about USC. If it were up to him, he would have just called the game a USC win right then and there on the spot–save Ohio State the mileage. It was good to see Lou doing his best to straighten him out. Yes, I get frustrated that Herbstreet keeps his Ohio State passions to himself (at least on ESPN). Call it professionalism. I just wish May could demonstrate just an ounce of that professionalism. I’m not sure what sort of man love May has for USC but it is constant. I would understand if it was University of Pittsburgh but then again…
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First, I agree totally with your analysis and I think the “sandbagging” and “looking ahead” theories are wishful thinking. OSU took a dump on the field on Saturday and it didn’t smell like roses. The portent doth not bode well for this Saturday night.
I love Spielman’s commentary but he looks away from the camera too much–he needs to be coached on that.
And you’ve gotta love Lou Holtz’s comment: “If I was a bartender I’d only sell you one drink.” Classic!
I like the way Spielman was looking away from the camera. It showed an intensity and true interest in the game. You could see that unlike so many commentators, he had a vested interest in the outcome.
He’s a Buckeye and he let it show. I like that.