Ohio State vs. Texas: The Fiesta Bowl Preview

So, the big game is almost here. If you ask most people, they’ll tell you they shouldn’t even bother playing this one. Just give the victory to Texas and spare the Buckeyes another embarassment. The game is still going to be played, though, and a Buckeye victory wouldn’t be the strangest thing to happen in college football. In fact, it would be the continuation of a trend. The last time the Buckeyes were expected to get crushed in a Fiesta Bowl, things went well. So let’s take a look at this year’s version of the game.

Ohio State Defense vs. Texas Offense
What does Texas do well? Um, everything? 35th in rushing offense, 10th in passing offense, 2nd in pass efficiency, 9th in total offense, 4th in scoring offense. You can point out that these numbers came against the defense-deficient Big 12, but still, that’s pretty good. Colt McCoy is the leading rusher at just 48 yards per game, but the ground game as a whole gets the job done. They don’t exactly have to carry a lot of weight with the Texas passing game. They get a shade under 300 yards a game through the air, and McCoy doesn’t make many mistakes, throwing for 32 touchdowns against just 7 interceptions. Slot receiver extraordinaire Jordan Shipley is the leading target at 81.83 yards per game, but Quan Cosby is just behind him at at 79.33 yards per game.

How can the Buckeyes stop the Longhorns? That’s the big question, isn’t it? Nobody’s really stopped this offense. A start would be pressuring McCoy. The Longhorns do only an average job of protecting McCoy, giving up 1.83 sacks per game, 57th in the country. You might think that’s because they pass so much, but they’ve only attempted 389 passes, well behind the Texas Techs (662 attempts) and Houstons (610) of the world.

They also need to stop the run. That doesn’t seem to fit with the image of Texas having a high-powered aerial attack, but Texas has rushed 479 times and passed 389 times this season. Some of that’s certainly because Texas has played with a lead so much this season, but I think it also represents that they don’t neglect the  ground game. Woody Hayes used to focus on stopping the best part of an opponent’s offense, saying “make them beat us left-handed.” I don’t think you can stop Texas’s passing game entirely, so this is more a case of “don’t let them beat us with both hands.”

One thing the Buckeyes can do that few other teams can is cover Jordan Shipley with a quality corner. Donald Washington would be a starter were it not for his season-starting suspension, and if the coaches are smart, they’ll put him on Shipley, not Jermale Hines or (please please please not) Anderson Russell. Washington is good enough to contain, if not stop, Shipley. Slowing down one of Texas’s primary weapons would go a long way toward stopping their offense.

Ohio State Offense vs. Texas Defense
What does Texas do well? Stop the run. They’re second in the country in rush defense, giving up 73.58 yards per game. Big 12 teams love to pass, true, but that’s impressive. Texas also does a great job getting to the quarterback. They get 3.67 sacks per game, tops in the country. Since the Bucks are 82nd in the country in sacks allowed, that’s cause for concern.

How can the Buckeyes attack the Texas defense? Well, they’re certainly going to test that rush defense. This Texas defense hasn’t seen a running back like Beanie. It’s not inconcievable to think that the Buckeyes can succeed where others have failed against this defense and move the ball on this defense.

But it also looks like this defense can be had through the air. They’re 108th in pass defense, giving up 266.33 yards per game. They’re also 60th in pass efficiency defense. Two factors mitigate that: opponents are usually passing to try and catch up, and they play in the Big 12, where everyone throws a lot. Still, those aren’t good numbers. We won’t see the Buckeyes slinging the ball all over the field, but it’s likely that they’ll try to catch what looks to be a vulnerable secondary in a mistake from time to time (the rumored plan of having Boeckman and Pryor on the field at the same time may be part of that). The important thing will be to get the ball out of Pryor’s hands quickly. Texas DE Brian Orakpo, as the sack numbers above indicate, is not just a product of hype, and against OSU’s rather lackluster o-line, could have a field day. On the other hand, Pryor’s mobility could help slow down the Texas pass rush.

Prediction? Pain. Always, pain. Dunno for who, but for someone. Hopefully not us.

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Dave’s IMO: Sneak Peek at 2009 for Ohio State Football

David Thurman (4:46 pm)

Is it too early begin thinking about the 2009 Buckeye football team, just a week removed from “The Game”? Of course not!

At least if you are an obsessed Ohio State fan like me, and you are probably are if you’re reading this column! So let’s take a look at a projected roster and a way-too-early prediction on next season’s record:

QB: Terrelle Pryor starts and with a month of bowl game practices and a full spring to work on mechanics, he might become a true superstar. Behind him is a talented but unproven commodity in Joe Bauserman.

HB: Dan Herron looks ready to be a big-time player, and with Jaamal Berry and Carlos Hyde on the way, this may be tailback by committee. There’s no Beanie (who will definitely go pro) but this group might cause big problems for defensive coordinators.

FB: Lots of youngsters like Martin, Boren, and Homan will throw their names into the hat, and Brandon Saine may play some at fullback as well, providing a pass threat out of the backfield. Truth is, though, I see a lot of ace formation in 2008.

WR: Brian Hartline (complaining aside) is an excellent big-play receiver who can catch the tough passes, too, and hopefully he will return for his senior year. Dan Sazenbacher is quickly becoming a fan favorite with his hands of glue and his willingness to take the big hit.

Beyond those two, Ray Small might finally shine if he can get his act together off the field, and DeVier Posey got some helpful experience this year and has the tools to be special. Plus, don’t discount Lamaar “Flash” Thomas, Jake Stoneburner, or the four incoming freshmen. Once again, this is a good if not great group.  

TE: I love Jake Ballard, and like most Buckeye fans think he has been underutilized. However, behind him there is no experience and either Nic DiLillo, who redshirted this season, or incoming freshman Reid Fragel, will have to step up quickly, at least to block!

OL: Possibly the biggest question for 2009 is can a line that loses three senior starters get better? I think the answer may be yes.

Obviously, Alex Boone will be missed, though he never maximized his immense talent. I’m not sure that Steve Rehring or Ben Person will be, since they often whiffed on blocks and had trouble remembering the snap count.

Here’s who I am betting on when we open up next year against Navy: J.B. Shugarts (LT); Jim Cordle (LG); Mike Brewster (C); Justin Boren (RG); Bryant Browning (RT). Personally, I would prefer Browning at guard, and if Mike Adams comes on, that might happen.

Beyond those six, only Conner Smith has much experience, and if Marcus Hall commits, he might see some immediate playing time.

In my opinion, the line will be about equal to this year, unless a new coach is hired to teach better fundamentals and put a fire under the big guys.

Overall, I think the offense scores more points due to the progression of Pryor, and the fact that the play calling almost has to get more creative without Beanie.

DL: The weakest link in 2008, the line did get better as the year went on, and I look for more improvement in 2009. At end, Gibson is ready to become dominant, and Nathan Williams might be special, too, if he can gain a little bit more strength to go along with his quickness and tenacity.

Lawrence Wilson will probably return, and he is solid, and Solomon Thomas is making strides. The player that really causes me consternation is Rob Rose, who I thought would be a superstar.

He’s not, and probably never will be, but the light may go on for him in his senior season. This could be a really good group.

At tackle, we still need some big, mean run-stoppers but have a good group returning in Cameron Heyward (could 2009 be his year?), Dexter Larimore and Todd Denlinger. I am also excited to see Garrett Goebel get his first snaps next year.

Of course, I am not discounting the possibility of Melvin Fellows or Johnny Simon making a big splash. Regardless, the line will be improved from this year’s version and that is a good thing.

LB: Saying goodbye to James Laurinaitis and buddy Marcus Freeman is tough, because they made a lot of tackles in their career, and provided plenty of highlights. But the cupboard is not bare. Ross Homan was finally healthy in ‘08, played well, and could move to the middle.

Austin Spitler has waited his chance, and is a good run stuffer, but may lack the speed to play every down. Of course some Florida seed is waiting in the wings, in the person of Etienne Sabino and Brian Rolle.

Both are hard hitters, and I project Sabino as a sure starter and future star. Beyond those four, are two guys who can play outside linebacker or nickel back in Tyler Moeller and Jermale Hines.

I love Hines, who is listed as a safety, and was also impressed in Moeller in the last two games of the season. Of course, all of these guys know there will be a fight with potential superstars Dorian Bell and Storm Klein among four incoming linebackers in the class of ‘09.

Plus, don’t forget Andrew Sweat, who was too good to redshirt this season, as the real Linebacker U keeps churning them out! Personally, I think this group will give up a few more big plays than the past couple of years due to inexperience, but may be better in coverage and against the spread, due to increased speed.

I hope Heacock doesn’t put Homan and Spitler on the field together, however, or the speed factor goes out the window. My early prediction is Sabino, Homan, and Moeller in the opener.

DB: There is a lot to like about this group, but the loss of Malcolm Jenkins is a tough pill to swallow. He ranks up there with Shawn Springs and Antwon Winfield in my book, and will be missed.

The starters seems obvious; rapidly improving Chimdi Chekwa and Donald Washington at cornerback, and ready-for-prime-timer Kurt Coleman and Anderson Russell at safety.

Washington worries me a little, since he seemed to digress after his off-the-field problems which sent him to the doghouse, but he has plenty of talent and experience (supposedly he he is contemplating going pro which would be a big mistake).

Losing 2007 recruits Eugene Clifford and James Scott thins the ranks at corner, where healthy Andre Amos would help, but some believe he may leave school.

At nickel, the aforementioned Hines us a hitting machine, and I love his nasty attitude. Further depth will come from Aaron Gant, and there is plenty of room for redshirts like Travis Howard and Orhian Johnson to get into the rotation, but they may be quickly passed by the boatload of talent Tressel has recruited this year.

A guy like C.J. Barnett may see the field immediately due to lack of numbers here. On paper this is the strength of the ‘09 defense if everyone returns, and should make passing a dangerous proposition for the opposition.

So, the defense should be about equal to this year’s squad if some leaders emerge from the senior class to fill the shoes of Jenkins and Laurinaitis.

What about special teams? A Tressel led team never considers this an afterthought, and with departure of Trapasso and Pretorius some might be concerned, but not me.

I think Pettrey is a superior kick to Pretorius right now, and feel confident that either Jon Thoma or Ben Buchanan can be a solid punter. Long-snapper Jake McQuaide did a nice job this year and he has two years of eligibilty left.

As for returns, I think we may have two special players in Ray Small and Lamaar Thomas, and once again, if Small doesn’t get in his own way, he might put some real fear into opposing punters in ‘09.

Well, that’s a look position by position but what about the final record? My way-to-early prediction is 11-1 in the regular season with a loss coming to USC (home) or Penn State (away).

We could easily lose another one, as upsets happen with young teams, but I am optimistic, at least for now, with months to go before I start worrying!

What do you think? Let us know, as we all gaze into the looking glass wearing our Scarlet and Gray-colored glasses!

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Buckeyes make it 5 straight over TTUN

The Seniors have had some ups and downs this season. That said, they are now the first class to play part to beat Michigan 5 consecutive times… a feat heretofore unaccomplished.  Further, they left no doubt by turning 4 unanswered touchdowns to blast Michigan en route to the 3rd biggest margin of victory for the Buckeyes in the series’ history.  The 35 point difference in the 42-7 victory surpasses the 1934 result for third all-time (behind 38pts in 1935 (38-0) and 36pts in 1968 (50-14)).  While Michigan State did us no favor in helping secure the Buckeyes the automatic bid from the Big Ten to the Rose Bowl, the Buckeyes may be in a good position for an at-large berth in the BCS.

The game didn’t exactly play out like I had anticipated a Buckeye rout being.  Indeed, Ohio State’s offense had been unable to sustain drives in the first half.  Beanie kicked off the scoring with a 59 yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter on a 1 play drive.  On Ohio State’s next drive, Beanie converted a 3rd and 1 and Jake Ballard caught a ball on 3rd and 4 to give the Buckeyes a new set of downs.  After Ballard’s catch, and with the Buckeyes behind down and distance at 2nd and 12, Pryor found Brian Hartline deep for a 53 yard touchdown pass.  Two Michigan drives later, Brandon Minor and company had thrashed through our defense on a 14 play 65 yard drive to cut the margin to a single touchdown.  That’s how it stood at intermission with Michigan receiving the ball.  The Wolverines, 20.5 point dogs entering the game, couldn’t feasibly ask for more going to intermission against a team that outmatched them badly at every position.  Even better yet, they would be getting the ball to start the second half.

Fortunately, the second half is where the rout kicked into full gear.  Though the Wolverines’ first drive of the second half moved the chains 4 times, the offense stalled and a Zoltan Mesko punt eventually pinned the Buckeyes within their own 10.  The Buckeyes wasted no time in getting out of the shadow of their own end zone.  A pitch left to Beanie moved the Buckeyes 42 yards to near midfield.  The next play, a Boom Herron scamper, principally behind Alex Boone, put the Buckeyes in the end zone.  The two big plays were shade of Beanie and Pittman in 2006.  A Nathan Williams’ penalty was pivotal on Michigan’s next drive.  Though the roughing the kicker penalty extended Michigan’s drive, it appears that Nathan Williams actually succeeded in roughing up the punter.  Hell, if you’re going to get the penalty, it’s best to do some damage… in for a penny, in for a pound.  After exchanging punts, Michigan’s next drive ended with a low, line drive punt from Mesko that was returned 80 yards by the recently reinstated Ray Small to the Michigan 8 yard line.  Terrelle Pryor found Brian Robiskie in the end zone on the first play from scrimmage for a 28-7 lead.  After a 4 and out and short punt, Dane Sanzenbacher’s 35 yard catch and Boom Herron’s 19 yard touchdown run eventually pushed the lead to 35-7.  Michigan fumbled the kickoff return, allowing The Todd some playing time.  The Todd wasted little time, finding Brian Hartline in the end zone, setting up the final margin at 42-7.

The regular season fell short of expectations, but the Buckeyes did finish out strong.  The 42-7 demolition of Michigan gives the graduating redshirt seniors like Marcus Freeman and Nader Abdallah 5 gold pants over the Wolvereenies and a share of a Big Ten title, their 4th straight.  It also guarantees the Buckeyes their 4th straight 10 win season.  Empirically, this senior class will go down as one of the most successful in program history.

Offense

Terrelle Pryor clearly didn’t have his best game, and this was most evident in the first half.  Pryor began the game with a nice 3rd down conversion, but threw a very errant pass to Stevie Brown that was almost returned for six.  As it was, the Buckeye defense held and KC Lopata missed a field goal.  Curiously enough, I think that very same exchange is from the game script last week for the Wolvereenies against Northwestern.

Pryor struggled with making pre-snap reads.  On one 3rd down play in particular, Pryor failed to even acknowledge a defender who was lined up on the line of scrimmage pre-snap.  As it unfolded, said defender — name escapes me — came from Pryor’s blindside unimpeded and sacked Pryor.  3 of Ohio State’s 8 first half drives ended in Pryor sacks by Brandon Graham, Brandon Harrison and Tim Jamison respectively.  The first drive was Pryor’s interception and the last of those 8 drives was a QB sneak to take the Bucks into the intermission.  2 of the remaining drives were touchdown scores.  Naturally, the number of sacks Pryor took this game — a staggering total of 8, 3 by Tim Jamison — showed up in Pryor’s rushing total for the game.  He finished with -7 rushing yards total for the game.

Elsewhere, Pryor struggled with putting the right amount of air on his passes.  With the way that the Buckeyes’ pass protection held up and with how open our receivers were getting against a not-so-good secondary, it was clear that Todd Boeckman would’ve thrived in this year’s Ohio State-Michigan matchup where he struggled so mightily last year.  More than a few passes looked like wounded ducks; more than a few where misthrown, costing the Buckeyes a deep gain and probable touchdown.  The Buckeyes have the benefit of playing in a January bowl game this year and I’m hopeful that this can get ironed out before then.

Beanie and Boom Herron played a leading role in opening things up for the Buckeyes offense this game.  Indeed, with Headcase Pryor on display as opposed to Road Game Warrior Pryor, their performance was necessary.  Beanie ran for 134 yards on just 15 carries, having been sidelined early in the second half for an undisclosed injury probably related to being upended on a rushing play in the first half.  That said, his 134 yards was good enough to make him just the sixth Buckeye to have back-to-back 1000 yard rushing seasons in the program’s history.  Further, it’s his 3rd straight Michigan game where he had a long touchdown scamper, no doubt etching his place in Buckeye lore as one of the all-time great Wolverine killers.  Beanie also passed Keith Byars for 4th all-time in Buckeye rushing on the touchdown play in question.  Boom may have just announced himself and his intentions to be the next great Buckeye back this game as well, shades of Beanie in 2006.  Boom finished the game with two touchdowns and 80 yards on 8 carries.  Should Beanie go pro after this season, the Buckeye ground game looks to be just fine.  Elsewhere, the rout got so bad that the Buckeyes put in Marcus Williams, a walk-on from Ironton, OH, at the end of the game.  He is, by my account, the Buckeyes’ 5th string tailback and proof positive that the Buckeye staff really did their best to empty their bench and spread around some playing time.

Pryor didn’t exactly have the greatest day passing (5/13, 120 yards, 2 TDs 1 INT), but I thought the receiver corp — to a man — played outstanding this game.  Jake Ballard’s drop of what should’ve been a touchdown that was, by the grace of God, not ruled an interception is the only chink in what was otherwise a stellar performance all around.  Brian Hartline led all performers with 2 catches for 71 yards.  Both of his catches were touchdowns.  Brian Robiskie got on the scoreboard in 10 minutes into the third quarter, finishing with 2 catches and 54 yards.  Dane Sanzenbacher (2/49) had two memorable grabs, his first good for a first down and his second coming on the play that Pryor miraculously kept alive.  It eventually resulted in Boom Herron’s second touchdown run.  Jake Ballard had one grab, which set up a first down and, two plays later, Hartline was in the end zone.  Maurice Wells rounds out the performance of the receivers, catching a screen from The Todd for no gain in garbage time.

I’d be remiss without mentioning the offensive line, but their performance was streaky.  Bryant Browning didn’t help things any.  Michael Brewster didn’t have a much better game than he had against Illinois.  They were facing the strength of Michigan’s defense and were eaten up on some plays.  Beanie’s touchdown run came from some good blocking, but even better playcalling to catch Michigan overloading on Alex Boone.  Boone, to his credit, was the best player on the line today.  Jim Cordle was responsible in large part for Beanie and Boom’s big gains on the Buckeyes’ first drive of the second half.  Fortunately, the Buckeyes have a month and a half to smooth out whatever needs fixin’ on their unit.  I don’t know who we’ll get in a bowl game (likely candidates include: Alabama, Florida, Georgia Tech, Georgia, among others…), but whoever it is will probably eat up our offensive line if they don’t improve over the break.

Defense

There are lots of superlative to spread around for this defense.  Minus one drive, and the early stretches of the second half, the Buckeye defense absolutely dominated the Wolverines offense.  Granted, the Wolverines offense isn’t very good… at all… but a domination is always nice.  Michigan’s first 5 drives were 3 and outs.  It didn’t get too much better as Michigan finished an absolutely obscene 1-17… let me repeat that: 1-17 on 3rd down conversions this game.  Yes, that’s a 3rd down conversion rate of ~6%.  Michigan finished with 198 yards of total offense, though most of it came in the second and third quarters.  Michigan had only 28 first quarter yards and 17 fourth quarter yards.  That’s domination, holmes.  Michigan did thrive in the second and third quarters, largely because of two factors.  First, Nick Sheridan, for a stretch, made the Buckeyes pay for selling out on the screen.   Sheridan’s pump fakes drew the defense to the screen, opening up the deep option for some big gains.  Second, Brandon Minor pounded the Buckeyes for a period, finishing with over 77 yards on 14 carries and Michigan’s lone touchdown.  Curiously enough, I don’t remember Minor’s number being called after Michigan’s second drive of the second half.  In lieu of the punishing Minor, Rodriguez went with freshman Michael Shaw.  I was more than happy he did, but still don’t know why he did.  If it was an injury to Minor, I don’t remember seeing it.

Most of my remarks will be glowing accordingly.  The defensive line shined today.  The trio of Heyward, Abdallah and Worthington rocked Michigan’s offensive line, creating all sorts of havoc for Nick Sheridan.  The trio finished with 17 tackles and 4 TFLs.  Heyward (6 tackles, 1 solo) tallied the lone sack of the group.  Abdallah (5 tackles, 1 solo) had two TFLs on the game.  It seems like this group — and Abdallah in particular — have really put it together in recent weeks.  The coming out party seems to have been the Purdue game.  Granted, this unit did wear out in the final minutes against Penn State, but they seem to be playing at a much better level than they were to begin the season.  Abdallah, of course, gets to take 5 gold pants with him as he finishes his Buckeye career.  Nathan Williams also almost had a safety in the 4th quarter.

James Laurinaitis had your usual ho-hum 10+ tackle day, finishing with 12 tackles (4 solo).  It was just another day at the office for the former Butkus and Nagurski Award winner.  He also had one sack on the day, good for a 4 yard loss.  Marcus Freeman joined Laurinaitis in the party, contributing 7 assisted tackles.  Further, he also registered 2.5 TFLs and had a fumble recovery on the Odoms special teams boner in the first quarter.  Both Laurinaitis and Freeman were everywhere today.  With only so much tackles to go around, Ross Homan was the odd man out.  He only had 2 tackles on the day.

The secondary is crucial to stopping a spread offense team.  Often times, they find themselves isolated, in space, and being responsible for a play from the offense going for no gain, or for 40 yards.  They were up to the task today, though.  Kurt Coleman led all players in the secondary (and was 2nd on the team for the day) with 10 tackles (5 solo).  1.5 of those were TFLs good for a loss of -7 yards.  Malcolm Jenkins contributed 5 tackles (1 solo).  His one pass break-up, pictured to the right, was a necessary one.  It came on a 3rd and 7 on the Wolverines’ 2nd drive of the 3rd quarter.  Jenkins was actually beat on this play (zone coverage that Mathews outran) and had to make up ground to prevent what would’ve been a big gain, a certain first down and probable touchdown.  A lot of the tackles were taken up by the front 7, but a few other notables got in on the action.  With Jermale Hines sidelined this game, Tyler Moeller saw plenty of action at the “star” position, viz, nickelback.  He had 3 assisted tackles, with one of those being a TFL.  Donald Washington and Anderson Russell both had 3 tackles.  Shaun Lane had two tackles and forced a fumble on special teams.  Chimdi Chekwa had 2 solo tackles.  Again, kudos all around.

Miscellany

• The Buckeyes win 5 straight in this series for the first time ever.  The longest consecutive win streak for either side is Michigan’s 9 consecutive victories (1901-09).  I think we can pull that off.
• I’m not a fan at all of either team, anywhere, allowing its players to go to midfield and jaw and shove the opposing team.  As Gabby noted, it wasn’t that ridiculous this game, but it did get a little bit nasty in Louisville.  These things are tinderboxes, so why risk getting a player suspended?
• On a similar note, the chippiness this game was something I haven’t seen since 1997.  Laurinaitis got into it with Michigan’s center in the second half.  Malcolm Jenkins threw down a guy on Michigan’s first drive.  Again: this was really, really tense.
• The margin of victory for Ohio State was third best in series’ history.  There was a point in the game when The Todd was in there where I thought we could set the record.
• The pushing and shoving by one of those Michigan players (Charles Stewart) and the coaching staff was an absolutely strange sight to see.  Just surreal, I don’t recall ever seeing that before.
• The attendance was 4th largest in Ohio Stadium history.

• This senior class has won 43 games and lost only 7.  The 43 victories is tied for most over a 4 year stretch.  A victory in the Bowl Game would make them, empirically, the best senior class in program history.
• The tone for this game was set in a place where I wouldn’t have thought to predict it: special teams.  Every hit on special teams for Michigan’s hapless return team seemed to be bone-jarring.  Further, Nathan Williams’ roughing the punter penalty seemed to do damage to Michigan’s best offensive player.  It may have been responsible for the usually outstanding Mesko’s low, line-drive punt to Ray Small, which set up the 80 yard return.
• Bucknuts has pictures… lotsandlotsa pictures.  A lot of them are from the Senior Day festivities and are worth looking at.

• William Gholston, cousin of Vernon Gholston, was apparently in attendance.  I’m still trying to gather information about what other recruits were in attendance.
• It’s fun to pick on Michigan now, but I still think Rodriguez will get Michigan back to some kind of national prominence.  I’ve been saying that all along, though I definitely won’t go so far as to EEEEEE BARWIS and predict offenses consecutive national championships and offenses that score 50pts a game.  That said, this game showed to me how really behind the curve Michigan is.  They’re further behind the curve than I could’ve imagined.  They’ll get better next year — they almost have to by default — but there’s still a long way to go.  As we saw today, getting the right quarterback for Michigan, and one that they’re expecting to get, is necessary.  But it’s going to be hard.  Michigan fans are expecting that Michigan’s lore will get them a better recruit at the position, that is: a Pat White without the noodle arm.  Yet, a Pat White w/o the noodle arm might be hard to get as he might be wanting a more conventional offense so he can end up in the NFL… and might end up going to a place like Ohio State and becoming the first freshman quarterback to beat Michigan in the program’s history.  I’m sure when Rodriguez finally gets that quarterback, he’ll work wonders with him.  That said, it’s going to be a hard get for Michigan on the recruiting trail.
• JB Shugarts saw the field at right tackle.  Andrew Sweat also saw some action at linebacker.
• The nature of the blowout allowed the seniors to go out on top with token gestures.  Laurinaitis led the team in tackles, Boone was the best lineman on the day, Todd got a touchdown pass, and Robiskie had a touchdown grab.  The only thing missing in terms of the symbolic-ness was a Maurice Wells touchdown.
• Yes, this is a rebuilding year for Michigan, but at least this game went a long way in telling those 1991 and 1993 games to suck it.  Welcome to the 1990s, Michigan.

Fun w/ Pictures: How Firm Thy Friendship…

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Final Big Ten injury report: Week 13

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Courtesy of collegeinjuryreport.com and some of my own research.

ILLINOIS (at Northwestern)

• QB Eddie McGee, toe, probable
• LB Martez Wilson, out, suspension
• DT Josh Brent, knee, questionable
• RB Mikel LeShoure, jaw, questionable
• FB Rahkeem Smith, suspension, questionable
• S Garrett Edwards, shoulder, questionable
• OT Ryan Palmer, foot, questionable
• CB Miami Thomas, knee, out (season)
• DT Sirod Williams, knee, out (season)

INDIANA (at Purdue)

• RB Zach Davis-Walker, thumb, questionable
• S Jerimy Finch, ankle, questionable
• RB Bryan Payton, ankle, questionable
• CB Richard Council, knee, questionable
• LB Will Patterson, knee, questionable
• CB Richard Council, knee, doubtful
• OL Andrew McDonald, undisclosed, questionable
• S Nick Polk, knee, out (season)
• TE Brian Zematis, ankle, out (season)
• S Austin Thomas, knee, out (season)
• OL Dennis Zeigler, knee, out (season)
• CB Chris Phillips, knee, out (season)

IOWA (at Minnesota)

• OG Andy Kuempel, muscle pull, doubtful
• OL Wes Aeschliman, hip, out (season)
• S Harold Dalton, suspension, out
• TE Tony Moeaki, leg, questionable
• OL James Ferentz, suspension, out

MICHIGAN (at Ohio State)

• WR Zion Babb, dismissal, out (season)
• RB Sam McGuffie, shoulder/personal, questionable
• OT Stephen Schilling, knee, questionable
• RB Carlos Brown, foot, questionable
• WR Junior Hemingway, mononucleosis, out
• QB Steven Threet, shoulder, doubtful,
• LB Kevin Leach, ankle, questionable
• T Mark Huyge, ankle, out
• WR Terence Robinson, knee, doubtful
• S Brandon Smith, appendix, out (season)
• G Cory Zirbel, knee, out (season)

MICHIGAN STATE (at Penn State)

• WR Keshawn Martin, undisclosed, questionable
• CB Chris L. Rucker, leg, questionable
• WR Mark Dell, knee, questionable
• S Roderick Jenrette, personal, out (season)

MINNESOTA (vs. Iowa)

• WR Eric Decker, ankle, probable
• S Kyle Theret, leg, probable
• LB Lee Campbell, questionable, hamstring
• RB Duane Bennett, knee, out (season)

NORTHWESTERN (vs. Illinois)

• DT Corbin Bryant, knee, out (season)
• LB Malcolm Arrington, knee, out (season)
• QB Mike Kafka, concussion, probable
• DE Vince Browne, knee, out
• RB Omar Conteh, knee, out (season)
• TE/FB Drake Dunsmore, knee, out (season)
• DE Rejaie Johnson, shoulder, out (season)
• RB Tyrell Sutton, wrist, out
• CB Justan Vaughn, shoulder, out (season)

OHIO STATE (vs. Michigan)

• WR Ray Small, suspension, questionable
• CB Jermale Hines, leg, doubtful
• OL Ben Person, leg, out
• OL Connor Smith, undisclosed, questionable
• DE Curtis Terry, undisclosed, out (season)
• OL Mike Adams, ankle, out (season)
• OL J.B. Shugarts, shoulder, out (season)
• DE Lawrence Wilson, knee, out (season)
• CB Andre Amos, knee, out (season)

PENN STATE (vs. Michigan State)

• DE Josh Gaines, ankle, questionable
• OL Ako Poti, knee, out (season)
• DT Devon Still, ankle, out (season)
• RB Brent Carter, knee, out (season)
• OL Doug Klopacz, knee, out (season)
• DE Jerome Hayes, knee, out (season)

PURDUE (vs. Indiana)

• TE Kyle Adams, knee, doubtful
• LB Jason Werner, back, out
• OL Justin Pierce, groin, questionable
• OT Sean Sester, knee, probable
• G Eric Hedstrom, knee, probable
• QB Joey Elliott, shoulder, out (season)
• T Garrett Miller, knee, out (season)
• RB Jaycen Taylor, knee, out (season)

WISCONSIN (vs. Cal-Poly)

• T Eric Vanden Heuvel, foot, probable
• WR Kyle Jefferson, concussion, out
• TE Lance Kendricks, leg, out (season)
• WR Maurice Moore, leg, doubtful
• TE Travis Beckum, leg, out (season)
• DE Brendan Kelly, thumb, out (season)
• CB Aaron Henry, knee, out (season)
• DE Kirk DeCremer, back, out (season)

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Personnel updates from around the league

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Update your depth charts, people.

NORTHWESTERN

Backup quarterback Mike Kafka is expected to be fine for Saturday’s regular-season finale against Illinois after sustaining a concussion in the win at Michigan.

The news isn’t so good for defensive tackle Corbin Bryant, who will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury that will require surgery. Junior Adam Hahn, a two-year starter at defensive tackle, will get the start against the Illini.

OHIO STATE

Junior wide receiver/punt returner Ray Small might be able to play Saturday against Michigan (ABC, noon ET), head coach Jim Tressel said today. Small has been suspended for the last two games for repeated violations of team rules. After the suspension, Small’s father told several media outlets that Ray would have a chance to return for the Michigan game.

Tressel expects running back Chris “Beanie” Wells to be fine for the game after the star junior tweaked his hamstring on a highlight-reel leap over Illinois’ Donsay Hardeman in Saturday’s win. Nickel back Jermale Hines (leg) is the only Buckeyes player to miss the game because of injury.

WISCONSIN

Sophomore wide receiver Kyle Jefferson likely will miss Saturday’s game against Cal-Poly after sustaining a concussion in the win against Minnesota. This comes as no surprise, as Jefferson was briefly knocked unconscious and taken from the field in an ambulance.

Badgers head coach Bret Bielema expects starting right tackle Eric Vanden Heuvel (leg), starting safety Jay Valai (shin) and backup running back Zach Brown (ribs) all to be available for Cal-Poly.

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Buckeyes clear their last pre-Michigan obstacle, 30-20

It took the Buckeyes awhile to finally put the game away, but a 4th quarter touchdown drive to pad the 2nd half lead to 17 was eventually the game sealer in Ohio State’s 30-20 victory today in Champaign.  With it, the Buckeyes exact some much needed revenge on the Zookers for last season’s upset in Columbus and add to the woes this season for the Illini.  The Illini, last year’s Rose Bowl representative from the Big Ten, is now 5-6 and a road loss to Northwestern away from becoming the first Big Ten team to play in the Rose Bowl one year and finish under .500 the next (Michigan 1965).

Turnovers were the story of the day for the Illini.  Juice’s first play from the Illini’s first drive from scrimmage resulted in a fumble and Terrelle Pryor rushing touchdown.  Later, Malcolm Jenkins blocked his second punt of the season, which was good for a safety and 9-7 lead.  The ensuing short kickoff set up the Buckeyes at the Illini’s 3 yard line and the Buckeyes made good for yet another score — this one on the ground by Beanie.  Later, a certain scoring drive for the Illini was ended by a Kurt Coleman interception.  The ensuing Ohio State drive ended with a Dane Sanzenbacher touchdown.  After taking a 23-7 lead (later a 23-13 halftime lead), the Illini were unable to play catchup.

But controlling for those mistakes, our defense was absolutely torched by big plays in this game.  Juice Williams had 193 yards throwing and two TDs (1 INT), though more than one of those TDs and 50 of those yards came on Ohio State’s obligatory garbage time touchdown drive on defense.  The Illini’s production on the ground was even more embarrassing.  The Illini used a balanced rushing attack from Juice and the two tailbacks (Dufrene and Ford) to rack up 214 yards rushing.  In total, the Illini outgained the Buckeyes 455 to 354.  Still, the Buckeyes won were it counted most, I guess.

Offense

Terrelle Pryor had an outstanding game, though most of his production came on the ground.  His 13 carries for 110 yards was good for second best on the team, behind you know who.  Further, like the Northwestern game the week before, his big plays were absolute backbreakers for Illinois’ defense.  His touchdown run came on 3rd and goal at the one.  His 20yd touchdown throw to Dane Sanzenbacher on the Buckeyes’ 4th offensive series came on 3rd and 5.  Lastly, on the Buckeyes’ first series of the second half, Terrelle Pryor gained 18 yards and a first down on 3rd and 13.

Of course, there’s not a lot to read into the Buckeye passing game because the Buckeyes ran 52 times, allowing Pryor only 10 passing plays.  The casual Buckeye fan would see that disparity and assume only the most banal, stubborn playcalling — an observation without a lot of validity.  What made the rushing game work was some creative misdirection and playcalling by the coaching staff.  The second down call near the goal line on the Buckeyes’ first scoring drive was a shotgun QB off-tackle run with Beanie as lead blocker.  The eventual touchdown was a misdirection fake dive to Boom Herron (I believe) that set up Pryor’s bootleg and walk into the end zone.  Further, the QB draws were an uncommon wrinkle in the Buckeyes’ rushing attack and we saw them a lot this game.  The end result: a lot of rushing plays that worked precisely because the Illini hadn’t seen them before.  It doesn’t hurt to have a guy who runs like a gazelle for a tailback and a guy who runs like an armoured personnel carrier for a tailback.

Also helping the Buckeye rushing attack: the offensive line.  The offensive line didn’t dominate this game, but it did much more than it did against Northwestern the week earlier.  Instead of piling up yards in spite of the offensive line, Beanie was the beneficiary of some blocking up front with Alex Boone looking to be most productive member of that unit.  The running lanes were definitely there, but I still saw some things that worried me.  For the first game this season (perhaps with Penn State as an exception), it seems Michael Brewster was pushed around a lot this game by the Illini’s tackles.  Brewster had been a reliable and consistent performer on the line this season after having been thrown into the mix following the USC game.  He is a freshman and I’m sure that it’ll be learning experience in the long run.  But for this game, it seems like players like fellow freshman Corey Liuget got the better of him.  Steve Rehring has also been slow to pull on plays.

Beanie was exceptional this game, though his fumble to end the Buckeyes’ first drive of the game cost Ohio State at least 3 points and came at a time when most of us were sick to our stomach over the performance of the defense.  Earlier that drive, though, his hurdling of Donsay Hardeman was nothing short of divine.  As it was, he played a leading role in adding to Ohio State’s outstanding 305 yards rushing on the game with 24 carries, 143 yards and a touchdown.  Boom Herron, while not quite Beanie, came in when it looked like Beanie may have tweaked his hammie (oh please no).  He doesn’t have that “Jim Brown incarnate” quality to him, but Boom added 29 yards rushing and showed why Ohio State’s rushing attack should be in good hands should Beanie choose to go pro after this season.

Pryor completed 6 of what was only 10 passing attempts on the game, good for 49 yards.  Ergo, there’s not a lot of superlative to hand out to the receivers.  Hartline was the busiest when his end-arounds are also considered.  He did have a drop, though.  Dane Sanzenbacher led all receivers with 2 catches for 22 yards and a touchdown.  20 of those 22 came on the touchdown reception.  He also took more shots this game, and I’m sure he can’t wait until the Michigan game is over in order to use the month-long layoff to unscramble his brains.

Defense

There had to have been over 20 missed tackles by the Buckeyes this game, and a lot of that was responsible for extended Illinois drives and even touchdowns.  It was far and away the most frustrating element to the defensive performance this game because there was still pressure exerted on Juice Williams (or the backup McGee) by the defensive line.  Yet, the defensive line itself appears to be a mixed bag.  I think they did a great job in getting penetration to take away the interior on rushing plays.  Where rushing yards were piled up on the read option  from the snap — and there were lots of them — the responsibility mostly appeared to be missed tackles or over pursuit by the linebackers and defensive backs.  Further, some of the bigger plays by Dufrene, the Illini’s leading rusher on the game, came in the first drive where the Buckeyes looked totally confused (sigh…) by the no-huddle hurry-up stuff by the Illini.  In terms of Xs and Os, the interior of that line did its job in defending the read option and forcing Juice to keep it.  Heyward led all players in that unit with 7 tackles (2 solo).  Nader Abdallah didn’t have a huge game, but I thought he played well (2 asst tackles and a fumble recovery).

That said, pass rushing still leaves a lot to be desired and that’s where I think the defensive line struggled the most this game.  Juice Williams was sacked only twice, with one of those being a split sack by Worthington and Laurinaitis.  In passing situations, the defensive line was unable to get to Juice with a 4 man rush.  Where they were able to get to him or force him out of the pocket, they were unable to tackle him.  I hate to say it, but in these situations, the defensive line looked… yes… slow.

I don’t know what to make of the linebackers’ performance, collectively at least.  Laurinaitis was second on the team with 8 tackles (5 solo, including the shared sack with Worthington).  He also stripped one of the Illini tailbacks (Jason Ford, I think), though that ball was recovered by another Illinois player on their first drive of the second half.  In short, Laurinaitis had yet another of his workman-type effort games.  The guy gets dogged on by other Big Ten fans, and sometimes by our own fanbase for falling short of AJ Hawk-level expectations, but Laurinaitis is always working, always thinking and always doing.  I’m not sure what to make of the performance of Freeman and Homan.  Freeman was third on the team with 8 tackles (4 solo), but it seems that missed tackles haunted him.  I wonder how much he’s really hindered by his bum ankle.  He did force the Juice fumble in the first quarter, though.  Homan (2 tackles, 1 solo) only had his name called once, but it was off a delicious Juice sack for an 8 yard loss.  It wasn’t necessarily Homan’s spectacular play there, but just a great playcall by Heacock.  Heacock sent both Laurinaitis and Homan on a blitz, with only Illinois’ center there to pick his poison.  He went with the award winning linebacker, giving Homan a clear shot on Juice.

The secondary certainly got a workout with all the missed tackles.  Kurt Coleman, strong safety, led all defenders with 11 tackles (6 solo) and came up with the fortuitous interception to end what was otherwise a very promising drive for the Illini.  Tyler Moeller certainly caught the eye filling in for the injured Jermale Hines at nickelback.  His 7 tackles (5 solo) were good for 4th best on the day for the defense.  Further, he came on more than a few blitzes, finishing with two TFLs.  Moreover, while Freeman actually jarred the ball loose, Moeller gets the stat for the forced fumble in the first quarter (see above picture).  Elsewhere, Malcolm Jenkins showed that, in spite of just 2 tackles on the day, his 3 pass breakups and blocked punt will underscore why he probably won’t regret coming back for his senior year.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

• I hate Michigan.  I hate Michigan with every aching muscle in this tired body of mine.  That is the real enemy; this is the primary objective.  With Illinois out of the way, I now have 6.5 days left in this all too short week to explore the depths of my soul and fully grasp, as a guy who now owns a blog, the menacing specter that the very existence of this haunting, holistic apparition that we label “Michigan” poses to my very essence… to my very being.
• It’s odd that we haven’t called on Nathan Williams or Thaddeus Gibson much the past two games.  Instead, Abdallah, Heyward and even Worthington have been getting the recognition in that unit.
• For the second straight week, the Pasch-Ware coverage of an Ohio State game has been somewhat frustrating.  Most importantly, I don’t care to watch some low income nobody among the Illini fanbase cooking some kind of “food” contraption while a costly holding penalty gets called on an Ohio State lineman and I don’t get to hear who it was.
• On the topic of Ware, his “Ware It Out” segment on the BCS was also cause for consternation… at least when you consider how he comes off in his comments to be overly critical of Ohio State getting any kind of perceived preferential treatment over Utah or Boise State in at-large selections.  True, it would not be fair for Ohio State to get any kind preferential treatment by virtue of marquee value or travel considerations because that would corroborate my observation that the BCS is a glorified country club.  But in the same breath, while Andre Ware doesn’t want Ohio State getting that preferential treatment, he also wants the Big 12 and the SEC to get 3 teams in each?  He did say that.  There’s two ways to interpret that, and Andre Ware is free to own up to any one of them: A) Andre Ware is against Ohio State getting an at-large bid [fair enough] and is couching this viewpoint in an inconsistent logic or B) Andre Ware is an idiot.
• We’ll all have to watch to see what comes from the Beanie and Abdallah injuries.  We’ll watch with baited breath if Beanie pulled a hammie while I think Abdallah went down with a cramp.  His injury didn’t look too serious.
• The Illini certainly were chippy this game.  More importantly, they still lost.  Suck it, Vontae Davis.
• On Beanie, part of me really wishes he would go pro after this season.  It’s not for fear that his injury problems might hurt us next year and throw off our offense, just that with how fragile the big backs are in the NFL, I’d hate to think him feeling he had to come back would result in another injury that could compromise his draft stock or, worse yet, his career.  If he decides to go pro after this season and secure his money, I don’t think any Buckeye fan would blame him.  I certainly wouldn’t.  Instead, I’d fondly remember one of the best tailbacks of my generation and one of the all-time greats in Ohio State history.
• I’m hoping the Illini were taking notes on how the game ended.  More importantly, an important conference road win doesn’t have to be celebrated with by a flag-planting ceremony at midfield.  Did you see that, Ron Zook?  I’m hoping you did.
• With Penn State winning today against Indiana, the Buckeyes can hope for no greater than a shared conference crown.  Either Penn State or Michigan State will finish the season with only one conference loss.
• Illinois finishes up next week at Evanston… a game that Mike Kafka may not make on account of a concussion suffered against Michigan today.  A loss would make them bowl ineligible.
• More news and notes to be found here.  Such as: Dane Sanzenbacher’s TD catch was the first of the season and only the second of his career.  The first of his career came against Youngstown State last year, his first career game.

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Buckeyes’ Small remains suspended

Posted by ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg

Ohio State junior wide receiver and punt returner Ray Small remains suspended for the second straight week for repeated violations of team rules. But head coach Jim Tressel reiterated Tuesday that Small could return to the field before the end of the season.

Small’s father, Ken, had told several media outlets that Ray would be suspended for last week’s game at Northwestern and Saturday’s trip to Illinois (ESPN, noon ET) but may return for next week’s regular-season finale against Michigan.

Small is still tied for second on the team in receptions with 18, but quarterback Terrelle Pryor seemed to get more receivers involved last week at Northwestern. Wide receiver Brian Hartline had two receptions for 90 yards, and tight end Rory Nicol hauled in his second touchdown pass of the season.

Buckeyes defensive end Thaddeus Gibson practiced Tuesday after aggravating a sprained ankle against Northwestern. Defensive back Jermale Hines (leg) didn’t do much Tuesday but could return to practice today.

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Can Ohio State Silence The Roar Of The Nittany Lions?

Game Nine: Penn State Nittany Lions

Location: Ohio Stadium (Columbus, OH) 8PM EST, ABC

Head Coach: Joe Paterno

Penn State Players Who Were Recruited By Ohio State: CB A.J. Wallace, WR Derrick Williams, LB Navorro Bowman, FB Michael Zordich, LB Chris Colasanti, DE Devon Still. Other Penn State players who either had interest in Ohio State or Ohio State was preliminary pursuing are LB Andrew Dailey, QB Daryll Clark, and RB Brandon Beachum (all three are Ohio natives).

Penn State Rushing Offense vs Ohio State Defense: Penn State’s rushing attack relies on RB Evan Royster. While Penn State will run some option with QB Daryll Clark, Royster leads the team with 893 yards and a 7.7 ypc average. Backup Stephfon Green does not receive nearly the carries Royster does, but has even better speed in the open field.

Last week against Michigan State, Ohio State effectively shut down Michigan State’s Javon Ringer. It would not surprise me if Ohio State sold out against the run on Penn State, trying to force Penn State to win with the passing game. Ohio State is ranked 1st in The Big Ten in rushing defense.

Slight Edge: Penn State

Penn State Passing Offense vs Ohio State Defense: QB Daryll Clark has three very good targets in WR Derrick Williams, WR Deon Butler, and WR Jordan Norwood. Throw in TEs Mickey Shuler and Andrew Quarless, and you’ll see why it is so difficult to defend Penn State’s spread offense. Clark is mobile enough to buy time in the pocket, can scramble for positive yardage, and his receivers are difficult to defend one on one in the open field. Clark is ranked second in The Big Ten in passing efficiency.

Even with the inherent risks of playing man coverage, I look for Ohio State to put Malcolm Jenkins, Donald Washington, and Chimdi Chekwa into one on one coverage assignments in an effort to slow down the Penn State attack. Ohio State’s defensive backs, especially Kurt Coleman, have demonstrated a knack for opportunistically creating turnovers. I would also not be surprised if Jermale Hines is used as a spy on Daryll Clark, in an effort to minimize Clark’s effectiveness as a scrambler.

Edge: Even

Ohio State Rushing Offense vs Penn State Defense: Look for Penn State to put eight men in the box to shut down the Ohio State rushing attack. Penn State is second in The Big Ten in rushing defense (behind Ohio State) and is always one of the most physical teams when it comes to defense.

RB Chris Wells should look for at least 30 carries that will be hard-fought throughout the game. QB Terrelle Pryor will probably have a spy assigned to him by Penn State, to minimize his outside running capabilities. If backup RB Boom Herron can spell Chris Wells throughout the game, Ohio State will be in much better shape. Ohio State should look to struggle with the running game at first, and it will be important for Ohio State to stay patient with the running game as the game proceeds.

Edge: Even

Ohio State Passing Offense vs Penn State Defense: Ohio State continues to struggle with its passing game, ranking 11th in The Big Ten. Conversely, Penn State ranks as the top pass defense in The Big Ten, providing Ohio State with a tremendous challenge. It will be important for Ohio State to effectively mix play-action passing in on first and second down to effectively combat what will probably be an eight-man front by Penn State. Penn State’s front four, led by DE Aaron Maybin (10 sacks, 14 TFL), will provide a stern challenge to Ohio State’s offensive line all game long.

It will not surprise me if QB Terrelle Pryor runs several waggle or bootleg plays that may not gain a great deal of yardage, but will put Ohio State in 2nd and 7 or 2nd and 6 type scenarios. These open up the playbook, versus the 2nd and 10 or 3rd and 10 challenges Ohio State will want to avoid at all costs.

Edge: Penn State

Special Teams: Considering how Coach Tressel emphasizes special teams, it will not surprise me if Ohio State’s punting and kickoff teams avoid returner Derrick Williams at all costs. Considering Williams’ abilities to take a kickoff or punt the distance when he receives it, it would be better for Ohio State to kick high and short on kickoffs, while also directionally punting deliberately out of bounds to eliminate Williams’ effect on the return game.

While many/most Ohio State fans groan about Ohio State’s ineffectiveness in the red zone, Ohio State needs to end each of its offensive series with points. This is the type of game where PK Aaron Pettrey, who is traditionally the “long” field goal kicker, may be getting more opportunities than usual.

Edge: Even

Intangibles: Penn State has not won in Ohio Stadium since joining The Big Ten back in 1993. With an 8pm kickoff, fans will have many hours to prepare for what should be one of the best games of the year.

While Penn State has looked impressive this year in its victories, what is the signature win for Penn State this season? Is it Oregon State, who later defeated USC? Is it Illinois, who are now 4-3 on the season? Believe me, I know that USC thrashed Ohio State, but I believe Ohio State is better tested going into a game such as this than Penn State.

If Penn State wins this game, they are still in the hunt for The BCS Championship Game. If Ohio State wins this game, they are still in position to win the outright Big Ten championship and go to The Rose Bowl. With those factors taken into account, it seems as though the pressure is more on Penn State versus Ohio State.

Slight Edge: Ohio State

Prediction:

In order for Ohio State to stay in this game, Ohio State needs to do three things: 1) Get a lead early and maintain it. 2) With the lead, the crowd should be in it to make things challenging for Penn State to hear, and 3) Capitalize on turnovers. If Penn State jumps out to a big lead, it will take the crowd out of it and put pressure on Ohio State offensively.

As much as my head wants to pick Penn State, I am going to go with my heart and the home crowd on this one.

Ohio State 24, Penn State 21

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Buckeye’s Win Sets Up Penn State Showdown

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The Big Ten race now focuses on Ohio Stadium next Saturday. 

The Buckeyes pieced together their performance of 2008 in marching to a commanding lead at Michigan State and taking a 45-7 victory.

It sets up a showdown against Penn State next week in a matchup of the Big Ten’s remaining undefeated teams.

The Buckeyes broke to an early 21-0 lead mostly thanks to the work of freshman QB Terrelle Pryor. He rushed for an 18-yard TD to open the scoring, followed by a 7-yard TD pass to Brian Robiskie. The most spectacular play was a 56-yard pass from Pryor to Brian Hartline, as he leaped between and bounced off of two defenders and was tackled just shy of the goal line. 

Chris Wells scored on the next play to make it 21-0 OSU with 2:44 still to play in the first quarter.

Wells added a second touchdown run the second quarter, a 12-yard dash that featured a ferocious stiffarm.

But OSU’s defense proved equally impressive, forcing 4 turnovers. The final two turnovers proved costly — Malcom Jenkins’ sack of QB Kirk Cousins forced a fumble, which was snatched by Thaddeus Gibson and returned 69 yards for a touchdown.  

In the final seconds, nickelback Jermale Hines returned another MSU fumble for a touchdown.

Stay tuned to NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for the latest Buckeye Nation news and information.

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