Spring in the Shoe

A sun drenched Ohio State Horseshoe took on a record crowd of 95,722 fans to show-off the Ohio State Buckeyes to the nation. The score might have reflected an unbalanced contest in the Gray’s favor, but I don’t think that bothered any of the fans there. Dawning the shorts, tank-tops and sandals (Tressel even chose clothes for the weather putting on the Hawaiian Ohio State shirt) you came with sun tanning lotion and a curiosity that you didn’t have the past three seasons. It is not a scary feeling, but a charged feeling of nervous energy walking into a party and saying, “I wonder who we are now?”

The entire country is asking the same question. After watching two national championship trips end in disappointments and watching last year’s Buckeyes loose to 3 different national championship contenders (USC, Penn State, and Texas) the view beyond Ohio is not suppose to a favorable one, but if anyone part of that view watched ESPNS’s top plays on Saturday they saw the pretty 44 yard rainbow pass thrown from Terrelle Pryor to an open Lamar Thomas in the corner of the end zone maybe they will become as curious as the rest of us. Below are some other observations and highlights that showed up like blooms in spring.

Quarterbacks. We might have not gotten to see Pryor for as long as promised, but we saw what we wanted to see, an athlete that has improved from just being a running quarterback to a complete player. Terrelle Pryor showed a live-arm with better accuracy, that when given time he will hit seams and plays that will make highlight reels. His instincts might always slow down his release, but he showed more confidence in looking over a defense and letting it fly. Joe Bauserman was 10-21 and showed confidence throwing into several tight windows. Jason Siems finished 2-5 for 21 yards and had good poise for being the third string quarterback. Terrelle Pryor has made it hard to recruit some of the top Quarterbacks in the nation that want more playing time, but Pryor’s size and strength should protect him. When you are as big as some linebackers playing quarterback you are hard to bring down.

Running Backs. Brandon Saine is back looking faster and more determined displaying a majority after a season troubled by a hamstring injury that should make him a threat to defenses in the Big Ten. His 6’1” frame and 217 pounds should be more rugged this year. When we first met Saine we were introduced to a versatile back with a lot speed. This year I am hoping to see a complete versatile back that can be a threat to burst through the middle or catch the 5-yard dump off and turn it into 10 or more. Boom Herron was steady playing for the scarlet team that looked like it had the better O-line for the run. Both of these backs together in the backfield will create a diverse offense. The depth at running back for Ohio State is always deep. History draws running backs to the Buckeyes. I saw 5 backs play in the game the biggest highlight coming from Marcus Williams for the Gray who finished the game with 98 yards on only 7 carries the most which came on his first that was a burst out of the backfield. Probably the best run-blocking of the game was given to Williams on that play when he slid out from behind the line and into one of those holes that he dreams of in his sleep.

Wide Receivers. They are who we thought they are!! Too put a spin on the too-famous a quote from Dennis Green. We thought they were talented and they proved that they are and they should continue to prove it in the fall. Devier Posey enters his sophomore season as a 6’3” 205 pound imposing giant that should make corners start to shake when they see him line up across from them. The most impressive thing about him is his hands. He just snags the ball out of the air whenever he wants with perfect form (I think everyone wanted to see Pryor and him on the same team, we will have to wait). Lamar Thomas might have given a fist-pump when he got put on the same team as Terrelle, but he also knew he have to show up and he did, getting behind the defense to catch the opening TD of the game. I was worried about Ray Small and so was someone else, because after dropping a pass and looking a little shook up the Gray team ran an onside-kick play and recovered the ball. This let him have one more shot (some people just need a second chance) and he took advantage of it. Catching an underthrown ball from Pryor he showed who he was with an ankle-breaking fake and an appearance in the endzone at enof the first-half.

Defense. The Ohio State moniker might be a little concerned that Terrelle Pryor put up 191 passing yards, but then again he is on our team. The Ohio State University is Linebacker-U (I am not sure what the course numbers are though). The lineage is lengthy and drooled over by the NFL if you are patient you will be rewarded. Tyler Moeller should be rewarded for not just tackling Pryor on his first jaunt out over the line-of-scrimmage, but also for chasing down the longest run of the game from behind. The defensive backfield looked shaky, but in the spring Wide Receivers have the advantage early so I wouldn’t be concerned right now. The Gray did get an opportunistic interception late. Turnovers are often a specialty of the Buckeyes defense and the depth at linebacker should create lots of blitzing opportunities.

Offensive Line. This might have been the biggest surprise in the entire game. I saw plenty of penetration by the defensive line like a lot of fans did, but there was a certain physicality out there by individuals that was not there last year. The leader has got to be Justin Boren the Michigan defect that will be interesting to watch when it is time to play Michigan and the crafty Rodriguez. He is like having an NFL veteran on the college level. He is exactly what Ohio State needed on the O-line this year a leader that has it out for that team up north should provide our line with nasty instincts it needs to compete this fall.

All in all it was a beautiful spring day for the Buckeye fans that could enjoy working on their tan while watching their beloved Buckeyes. The highlights should be good memories to keep all of us happy for the next couple of months before July (that is about the time I get really antsy for football). I’ll continue to give some highlights in these dry months ahead, trying to keep my excitement in check for the upcoming season. Though if you feel like I do right now you can say it with me…”Bring on the Trojans!!”

Big Ten Pick’ems – The reigning champion speaks

In 2007, the Big Ten Bloggers had a friendly little game of prognostication. A Pick’Em contest, run admirably by Tom, (the Blogger Formerly Known as Gopher Nation) who has a nifty new site over at The Daily Gopher.
Last year, there was a two-way tie for the championship between the aforementioned Tom and yours truly. [...]
Continue reading at The Buckeye Battle Cry

Big Ten prime-time TV schedule released

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
The Big Ten has released its 2009 TV schedule for prime-time football games, which features 14 contests during the first eight weeks of the season. As stated last week, the Big Ten has a policy preventing conference games from being played at night in November unless they take place indoors. 
Here's the full rundown with TV for the games:
Sept….
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Diamond Report – April 7

Junior center fielder Michael Stephens went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in Ohio State’s 3-2 win over Minnesota on Saturday. (OSU Photo)
Ohio State, ranked No. 22 last week, dropped out of the latest college baseball polls after losing three out of their last four games, including two contests in a three-game series against Minnesota [...]
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Illinois moves Fresno State game to Dec. 5

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
Head coach Ron Zook sort of let this slip out during Tuesday's news conference, but Illinois' home contest against Fresno State has officially been moved from Nov. 21 to Dec. 5. 
The Illini will wrap up Big Ten play Nov. 14 against Northwestern and then have an open date Nov. 21 before visiting defending Big East champ Cincinnati. The…
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BASE: No. 18 Buckeyes Drop Contest to Marshall

Marshall rolled into Columbus and defeated 18th-ranked Ohio State, 14-3, Wednesday afternoon in front of a crowd of 595 at Bill Davis Stadium.
Continue reading at Ohio State Women’s Basketball Headline News

Taking two of three to start Big Ten play

Sophomore starting pitcher Dean Wolosiansky went seven strong innings to get the win on Friday. (Matt Barker Photo)
Over the weekend, the now 18th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes baseball team ventured over to State College, Pa., for a three-game series against the Penn State Nittany Lions, winning two out of the three contests to start Big [...]
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MBK: 2009 NCAA Tournament Ticket Information

Tickets for first-round contest vs. Siena go on sale Monday
Continue reading at Ohio State Women’s Basketball Headline News

For Bowden and Paterno, The Great Race Is Over

Pack up the tents and put the elephants back on the train. The circus that has been the Jo Pa and Bowden race is now over. Bobby Bowden has lost.

As the author, let me say that I have bias both pro and con for each of the contestants. I have played a round of golf with Bowden, and we talked about how he almost became the head coach at Alabama. You’ll never meet a friendlier fellow.  I like…
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Ohio State Vs Wisconsin: Craig’s ATS Breakdown and Winner

Craig Trapp from CT Sports Picks is happy to announce a special March Madness Free Bracket Challenge. The winner will get 0.00. Contest is sponsored by CT Sports Picks.com and cbb place.com, so make sure you check back over the weekend or sign up for Craig’s Newsletter and he will send you details this weekend!!

Ohio State vs Wisconsin -1.5
Ohio State and Wisconsin are both solidly…
Continue reading at Bleacher Report – Ohio State Basketball

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