Does Pryor make the line look better? and other Spring Game tidbits

The Ohio State offensive line has gotten mixed reviews for its Spring game performance. While it paved the way for even walk-on Marcus Williams to bust a big run, the units combined gave up 10 (!) sacks in the game, four allowed by the Gray team and six allowed by the Scarlet. Terrelle Pryor was sacked three times, but only once after the non-contact jersey was taken off. Leadfoots Joe Bauserman and Justin Siems got rocked seven times.

So does Pryor make the line look better? The spring game…
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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!!”

Penn State guns for repeat in the Big Ten

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — When searching Penn State's roster for an authority on the program's rich history, center Stefen Wisniewski is a pretty good place to start.     Rich Kane/US PRESSWIRE   Stefen Wisniewski leads an offensive line that loses three of its five starters from last season.
His dad Leo…
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Leaner and stronger, Netter anchors ‘Cats line

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
Northwestern offensive line coach Adam Cushing recognizes that Al Netter still has "a million miles to go" in his development, but the sophomore left tackle has physical tools to get there.
"He has the pro body," Cushing said. "He's got the ability, no doubt, with the way he's built."
Molding that body has been the…
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Penn State Blue White Game Preview of the Offensive Line

Penn State lost three first-team All-Big Ten offensive linemen after this past season. Today, we continue our position by position breakdown, leading up to this weekend’s Blue White Game.

The offensive line is probably the toughest position to evaluate, even for the professional scouts. There are no stats in the box score, nothing to go by. But that doesn’t mean we can’t look at which guys…
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Passion for game drives Penn State’s Odrick

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
Jared Odrick had kept his cool through the first few weeks of spring ball, but during team drills last Monday, he lost it.
Penn State's offensive line was practicing a protection scheme where the center immediately moved over to help a guard double team a defensive tackle, in this case, Odrick. The center normally makes a check at the line before…
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Jim Cordle Moves Outside but Expects More Movement

Jim Cordle Moves Outside but Expects More Movement

Jim Cordle moves to the tackle position this spring as Michigan transfer Justin Boren takes over at the left guard position and Bryant Browning switches from right tackle to right guard. This could be a temporary position for Cordle as right tackle JB Shugarts is still recovering from shoulder surgery this spring and could take the position during fall camp. And the coaches are looking to rotate the offensive line often in the spring to find the best line-up possible for the fall.

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Scrimmage, draft thoughts

A few things to think about on a dreary, rainy Monday in central Ohio: — It’s time to officially be concerned about Ohio State’s offensive line. I know, I know, probably half of the 12 sacks they surrendered in Saturday’s…
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Hawkeyes offensive line on the uptick again

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
Mention the 2007 season to Bryan Bulaga, and the Iowa left tackle contorts his face in disgust.
A number comes to mind.
"Forty-six," Bulaga said. "We try to forget it."
Iowa's offensive line allowed 46 sacks that season, which placed 114th out of 119 FBS teams.
Any line can have an off year, and there were certainly…
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Last line of defense

Notes and quotes from a Tuesday evening of interviews with defensive backs and their coaches, as well as a “bonus” tidbit from an offensive lineman: — While it’s true that four of OSU’s five “starters” return (counting nickel back Jermale…
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