Blame Tressel For Lack Of Ohio State Offense
October 28, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment
COLUMBUS, Ohio — What’s brewing today with the 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes …
BUCKEYES BUZZ: Scoring points has never exactly been a specialty of Jim Tressel-coached teams.
The Buckeyes have not scored an offensive touchdown in nine of his 98 games as head coach of the Buckeyes. In other words, a little more often than once a season Ohio State fails to score an offensive touchdown.
This becomes even more obvious when you consider that the Buckeyes have failed to score a touchdown on offense in three of their last seven games (USC, Purdue, Penn State).
Who calls the plays for the Buckeyes? Tressel does. Even though Jim Bollman, the line coach, has the title of offensive coordinator, there is no dispute that Tressel really calls the shots on offense.
So if you don’t like the play-calling or personnel when the Buckeyes have the ball, don’t go putting “For Sale” signs in Bollman’s front yard. The offense is Tressel’s baby.
BIG TEN HONORS: Taking Big Ten player of the week honors on Monday were …
Michigan State QB Brian Hoyer (from North Olmstead), who completed 17-of-29 passes (58.6 pct.) for 282 yards and a season-high three TDs to lead Michigan State to its first win at Michigan since 1990. The senior quarterback added a 24-yard reception and surpassed 200 passing yards for the third time this season and the 11th time in his career.
Penn State LB Mark Rubin, who had a career-high 11 tackles and made the play of the game when he forced a fumble in the fourth quarter, which the Nittany Lions turned into the game-winning scoring drive to remain undefeated and stand alone atop the Big Ten standings. Rubin is a senior safety who had nine solo tackles.
Wisconsin P Brad Nortman, who averaged 51.7 yards per punt and placed three kicks inside the 20-yard line in a victory over Illinois.
STAT OF THE WEEK: The six points by Ohio State in the loss to Penn State was its fewest in a home game since 1982.
NO OSU HONORS: Ohio State’s coaches usually select their players of the game each Monday. There were no selections by Monday evening. A team spokesman said perhaps the honorees would be released on Tuesday.
GENTRY NOMINATED: Injured Ohio State walk-on P/WR Tyson Gentry has been nominated for the FedEx Orange Bowl/FWAA Courage Award, to be announced at the end of the season.
Gentry, a senior from Sandusky suffered partial paralysis after he was injured during a spring practice in April 2006, but he has remained a valued member of the team.
He was asked to help out as a receiver on the scout team. During a scrimmage, he suffered a broken C-4 vertebrae in his neck after catching a pass.
“I remember catching the ball and going a few steps to turn up field, and the ball started to slip,” Gentry remembered. “And I think I looked down to go to grab it, and just the way I was dragged to the ground – it wasn’t even a hit, just throwing me down to the ground. I think the way my head went down, it kind of went to the side and that’s pretty much how it happened.”
After several surgeries, Gentry has movement in his head and shoulders, and partial movement in his arms.
He continues a rigorous therapy regimen and has seen progress, regaining some feeling in different areas. Using a motorized wheelchair, Gentry continues as a member of the team, attending meetings, practices and games. He is still listed on the team roster.
Gentry, whose father also played at Ohio State, will be honored along with other Buckeyes seniors at the final home game against Michigan on Nov. 22. He is on track to graduate with a degree in speech and hearing science next spring. His goal is to earn a master’s degree and become a speech therapist.
The Courage Award was created by ESPN The Magazine’s senior writer Gene Wojciechowski, also a member of the Football Writers Association of America. Writers from the FWAA vote on the winner each year. The requirements for nomination include displaying courage on or off the field, including overcoming an injury or physical handicap, preventing a disaster or living through hardship.
MOVING ALONG: ESPN’s College GameDay, which was on hand in Columbus on Saturday, will move on to Lubbock, Texas, this week for No. 1 Texas at No. 6 Texas Tech.