Clash of the brothers, and other stories

April 22, 2009 by feed · Leave a Comment

A few short out-takes from an evening of linebacker talk….sort of makes you want to go put on eye-black, you know? — Ross Homan, fourth-year linebacker, and Adam Homan, freshman fullback, met for the first time in practice yesterday. Ross…
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Filed Under: Football
Tagged: buckeyes, Ross Homan

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

December 2, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment

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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Filed Under: Big 10
Tagged: Alex Boone, Anderson Russell, austin spitler, Ben Person, Brian Hartline, Bryant Browning, Cameron Heyward, chimdi chekwa, Dan Herron, dexter larimore, Donald Washington, Florida, Jake Ballard, james laurinaitis, jermale hines, Jim Cordle, justin boren, kurt coleman, Lawrence Wilson, Malcolm Jenkins, Marcus Freeman, mike brewster, Nathan Williams, Ohio, Ohio State, Ohio State Football, penn state, pettrey, ray small, Rob Rose, Ross Homan, Solomon Thomas, Steve Rehring, terrelle pryor, todd denlinger, USC, Winfield

"Blitzing" The Ohio State Buckeyes On Their Defensive Schemes

December 2, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment

OneZuke18…why don’t the Buckeyes blitz more? OneZuke18…I just got done watching X-SEC team vs. Y-SEC team, and they just bring the pressure every down, why don’t the Buckeyes do that more? Fire Jim Heacock! Enough of the zone coverage! I just don’t understand…

Well have no fear BuckeyeNation! For OneZuke18 is here to bring clarity to your defensive philosophical concerns!

Why don’t the Buckeyes blitz more? Its a combination of things actually.

First of all, Jim Heacock isn’t Fred Pagac or Mark Dantonio. So if that is the style you are looking for, then you are going to want to get rid of Jim Heacock. Heacock, despite what everyone thinks however, does like to bring pressure. He just seems to be a bit more calculated and cautious about doing so.

Unlike the 2002 National Championship teams and some of the great teams in the 1990’s under Pagac and Dantonio that just brought waves of pressure and brought it from everywhere on the field, Heacock tries to mix his fronts, fake blitz, and coverages as well. Heacock’s thought being eliminating the big plays, and getting more aggressive teams to make mistakes by making them sustain drives.

Once again, its a different philosophy, if you prefer Dantonio and Pagac, you’re not going to be in favor of Jim Heacock.

Another reason the Buckeyes limit the amount of pressure is the inability of the front 7 to get to the quarterback consistently. Football starts and ends up front at the line of scrimmage and neither the offensive or defensive lines have played up to par. Take a look at some of these numbers…

2008 Ohio State Defense:

-52nd in the country in sacks (7th per game in the Big 10)

-64th in the country in tackles for loss (8th in the Big Ten)

As a defensive coordinator, if you can’t get consistent pressure on the quarterback, you can’t blitz with as much frequency, and it limits what you can call and when you can call it. And as you can see in the numbers above sacks and tackles for loss are two of the biggest indicators that dictate that thought.

My question to you the reader, would be do you think that Jim Tressel, Jim Heacock, and Luke Fickell don’t know these numbers? Don’t you think they see the game film, practice film, and know from those things what they can do effectively as a defensive unit, and what they can’t?

I’m not apologizing for Jim Heacock here, don’t misunderstand the point of this article, because regardless of what the problems are with this defense are…I don’t like the philosophy or the recruiting of overall talent across the board on this defense. But that leads me to my point…

The recruiting on the defensive side of the football must be addressed. Because there is a clear problem from this authors perspective. When you have numbers like the ones I pointed out to you earlier in the article, there is a problem, and you have to look for a solution.

Why don’t the Buckeyes attack more like say…an SEC defense? Because they don’t have the talent in the front seven to do so currently. Take a look at the starters/players currently getting a lot of playing time, name one player in the Buckeyes front seven that SCARES YOU as a pass rushing threat? If you came up with a name, please comment on the message board and inform me, cause I couldn’t come up with anybody.

Take a look at the front four, there isn’t a Will Smith, Vernon Gholston, or even a Quinn Pitcock who you point to as an offensive coordinator and say, “that guy commands a double team, WE MUST ACCOUNT FOR HIM.”

In addition, look at the “strength of our defense”, the linebackers…I think they are athletic, and I would agree that they’re the strength of the team. But what are their individual strengths? James Laurinaitis’ strengths are his ability to drop in pass coverage, read and diagnose, and being a solid tackler. Marcus Freeman’s has terrific athleticism, and his pass coverage abilities.

And Ross Homan is generally regarded for his ability as a strong tackler and his knack for filling hard in run support. The common trait missing in all of these is their lack of pass rushing/blitzing skills. There isn’t a blitzing linebacker out of this current starting group, no A.J Hawk, Matt Wilhelm, Bobby Carpenter, or Andy Katzenmoyer out of this group that seems to have the knack of rushing the quarterback.

You can look no further than the recruiting of the front seven as to why these current issues exist. How do the Buckeyes address this? Well it depends on who you talk to…some people feel it falls solely on Jim Heacock since he is the defensive coordinator and his style of defense doesn’t seem to rest well with many in BuckeyeNation. I would to an extent agree with the masses. But I think it goes further than just that surface explanation.

The root of the problem as I see it, is the lack of size at the defensive tackle position to recruit from in Ohio. And like it or not, but the primetime states to recruit impact defensive tackles is in the southeastern part of the country, Texas, and California primarily.

Look at Marvin Austin, Marlon Favorite, Tyson Jackson, DeMarcus Granger etc…all from those aforementioned areas. The Buckeyes HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO PULL KIDS FROM THESE AREAS TO MEET THIS NEED. Its paramount to them evening the gap between us and the Florida’s Texas’, Oklahoma’s, and USC’s of the world. Because that is where we are losing these bowl games folks, on the offensive and defensive lines. And if you’re wondering why we have trouble with spread offenses…this is a big reason as well.

Tressel and the staff have tried very hard to correct this situation through recruiting in 2008 and continue to do so in 2009. Hopefully, they will start hitting on some of these targets, so the defense can become a little more aggressive, and start to resemble the Silver Bullets again.

As always thoughts and comments are welcomed. If you liked this article, check out my others, and become a fan! Thanks.

O-H!

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Filed Under: Big 10
Tagged: acc, Big Ten, buckeyes, Florida, Hawk, james laurinaitis, jim heacock, Jim Tressel, Marcus Freeman, Mark, Mark Dantonio, Ohio, Ohio State, ohio state buckeyes, Oklahoma, Ross Homan, SEC, spread offense, Texas, USC, vernon gholston

Buckeyes make it 5 straight over TTUN

November 23, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment

Michigan did win the Little Brown Jug earlier this season, so they at least have something to cry into…

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.

Brian Hartline with one of his 2 TD grabs on the day

Offense

Terrelle Pryor gets his first pair of gold pants

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.

Boom Herron breaks away on his first touchdown run

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

Brandon Minor… awwwww, pobrecito…

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.

Malcolm Jenkins breaks up a pass intended for Greg Mathews. On the play in question, Jenkins was beat on a third down play and his recovery prevented a big play.

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.

Nathan Williams will eat your soul

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.

The O-Zone is putting this logo on a t-shirt. Spend money accordingly.

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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Filed Under: Football
Tagged: acc, Alabama, Alex Boone, Anderson Russell, bcs, Big Ten, boeckman, Brandon Graham, Brandon Minor, Brian Hartline, Brian Robiskie, Bryant Browning, buckeyes, chimdi chekwa, dane sanzenbacher, Donald Washington, Florida, Georgia, georgia tech, Illinois, Jake Ballard, james laurinaitis, jermale hines, Jim Cordle, Keith Byars, kurt coleman, little brown jug, Malcolm Jenkins, Marcus Freeman, Mark, Michael Brewster, Michigan, michigan state, nader abdallah, Nathan Williams, nick sheridan, northwestern, offensive line, ohio stadium, Ohio State, penn state, purdue, ray small, Rose Bowl, Ross Homan, spread offense, terrelle pryor, todd boeckman, vernon gholston, wolverines

Spencer’s OSU-Michigan report card

November 22, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment

OFFENSIVE LINE

When you’ve got three running plays of more than 40 yards, you’re doing something right. Alex Boone and Jim Cordle, in particular, opened some nice holes over the left side. Michigan’s defensive line showed flashes of living up to preseason expectations, but over-pursuit hurt them all year on big plays. For the most part, the Buckeyes did a good job of keeping end Brandom Graham in check. He had two tackles for loss after having entered the game ranked among the national leaders in both departments.

GRADE: B

RUNNING GAME

The one-two punch of Beanie and Boom delivered the knockout punch in the third quarter, with Chris Wells and Dan Herron gaining 49 and 42 yards on back-to-back plays for the touchdown that put OSU in front 21-7. Wells opened the scoring on a 59-yard romp, his third scoring run of more than 50 yards in his three games against Michigan. Good thing Wells was his usual self in this rivalry because Terrelle Pryor labored for much of the game. But, hey, he’s the first freshman quarterback to direct a victory in the history of this series.

GRADE: A minus

PASSING GAME

Maybe his hands were numb from the cold, but it took some time for Terrelle Pryor (5-of-13, 120 yards) to warm to Saturday’s task, especially when throwing the ball. His best pass of the day, a 54-yard touchdown bomb to Brian Hartline, came at the expense of Stevie Brown and atoned for the pick Pryor threw to Brown on the fourth play of the game. It would have been a pick-six if not for Pryor knocking Brown out of bounds at the 13. Michigan ended up missing a field goal. It was nice to see Brian Robiskie catch a touchdown and Todd Boeckman throw one in their final home game.

GRADE: B

DEFENSIVE LINE

The Wolverines had some success attacking the left side of OSU’s front, which is surprising because it was manned for the most part by Thaddeus Gibson and Cameron Heyward, the Buckeyes’ two best linemen. But Michigan couldn’t sustain anything. The OSU defense forced eight three-and-outs. Heyward and Dexter Larimore had sacks and Nader Abdallah, who has been playing the best ball of his career in recent weeks, had two tackles for loss.

GRADE: A

LINEBACKERS

James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman couldn’t have scripted a better final home game for themselves. Laurinaitis again was atop the tackle chart with 12 stops, including a sack. Freeman made seven tackles, two for losses, broke up a pass and recovered a fumble. The Buckeyes spent most of the game in the nickel, meaning Ross Homan spent most of the game on the sidelines. That’s unfortunate because he’s probably no worst than the fourth-best player on defense.

GRADE: A

DEFENSIVE BACKS

For the first time in four years, the Buckeyes won the turnover battle, but that was because of two fumbled kicks by Michigan. The secondary didn’t come close to a pick, but Nick Sheridan’s passes weren’t good enough for even the opposition to snag. Sheridan finished 8-of-24 for 87 yards. Safety Kurt Coleman seconded James Laurinaitis in tackles with 10.

GRADE: A

SPECIAL TEAMS

Back from a two-game suspension, Ray Small’s 80-yard punt return set up the touchdowns that made it 28-7. If it were up to his delusional daddy, Ken Small, he would have had Ray run right through the end zone on that return and into the NFL. In the battle of two of the nation’s best punters, Michigan’s Zoltan Mesko had a decided edge over A.J. Trapasso. The latter launched more wounded ducks Saturday than he had all season. Mesko deserves some sort of purple heart after being called on 12 times.

GRADE: B

COACHING

Jim Tressel holds such mastery over the Wolverines that self-inflicted wounds can’t even hurt him. His failed fourth-and-2 pass play set Michigan’s only scoring drive in motion. If you don’t question the decision to go for it, you at least question why Beanie Wells wasn’t on the field and why Terrelle Pryor threw such a low-percentage deep ball to Brian Robiskie. Other games might have turned on that sequence of events, but after closing within 14-7, the Wolverines woke up and realized Tressel still owns them.

GRADE: A

— Compiled by Jon Spencer

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Filed Under: Football
Tagged: A.J., A.J. Trapasso, Alex Boone, bcs, beanie wells, boeckman, Brian Hartline, Brian Robiskie, buckeyes, Cameron Heyward, chris wells, Dan Herron, dexter larimore, james laurinaitis, Jim Cordle, Jim Tressel, jon spencer, kurt coleman, Marcus Freeman, Michigan, nader abdallah, nick sheridan, offensive line, OSU, ray small, Ross Homan, terrelle pryor, Thaddeus Gibson, todd boeckman, wolverines

Ohio State-Michigan Position Preview: Defense

November 21, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment

Defense

The defense was supposed to be what each team hung its hat on throughout the year. Defense was supposed to keep the Wolverines from being awful, and defense was supposed to lead the Buckeyes to a National Championship. Missions unaccomplished.

Ohio State wasn’t able to stop USC, a common theme for Big Ten teams, and Michigan hasn’t been able to stop, uh, anyone not named Minnesota.

Defensive Line

If there’s one place the Wolverines could have the edge, it’s the D-line. I think they are good—that’s what I’ve been told, at least. The Buckeye defensive line has actually turned up the tempo and started to affect games, rather than watching like the rest of us.

During last year’s dreary game, Michigan’s defensive line caused Todd Boeckman to have a dreary day passing the ball while seemingly forgetting about Beanie Wells. For all the hype, Ohio State’s defensive line has the numbers on their side.

Linebackers

Ohio State has the star power…and production. While you may feel the Ohio State defense has performed below expectations, Michigan should be in the negative.

James Laurinaitis has turned in a good season leading the Buckeyes, maybe not OMG!? A.J.HAWK-good, but good enough. Marcus Freeman has been playing at less than 100 percent, which has shown by his awesomeness in one game and his lost puppy dog look in others. Ross Homan has stepped up admirably, while he probably will always excel more against the Wisconsins than the Floridas of the world.

To be honest, all I know about Michigan is Obi Ezeh. Then again, all I know about him is his name.

Secondary

Let’s face it: The Big Ten isn’t the Big 12 in terms of QB play and passing yards. That’s like realizing the world is round and Charlie Weis is fat.

Intangibles

If there’s one thing that jumps out about Michigan, it’s probably the football, because a Michigan player can’t hold on to it if Nick Sheridan thought you were on his team. In a rain-soaked loss to Notre Dame (THAT Notre Dame), Rod’s boys managed four LOST fumbles and two INTS. That doesn’t even include the other times they dropped it on carpet and got the ball back.

Ohio State, on the other hand, has everything to play for and can’t (absolutely not, will not do it, no way) handle a loss to this Michigan team.

Michigan

They are like a tiny little mouse backed into a corner. They will bite, scratch, and probably give you rabies. They will do whatever it takes to try and beat Ohio State. I fully expect Michigan to come out ready and try. Sure, the season is a loss with a capital SUCK, but they haven’t beaten Ohio State in four consecutive tries.

I expect Michigan to take cheap shots and talk trash. It will basically be Illinois x10. Rich Rodriguez will let them, because that’s what he does. This is no longer a classy bunch like Desmond Howard and Braylon Edwards…never mind.

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Filed Under: Big 10
Tagged: A.J., acc, beanie wells, Big Ten, boeckman, buckeyes, charlie weis, Desmond Howard, Florida, Hawk, Illinois, james laurinaitis, Marcus Freeman, Michigan, Minnesota, nick sheridan, notre dame, Ohio State, Rich Rod, rich rodriguez, Ross Homan, todd boeckman, USC, Wisconsin, wolverines

Spencer’s OSU-Northwestern Report Card

November 10, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment

JON SPENCER’S OHIO STATE REPORT CARD

OFFENSIVE LINE

Don’t be fooled by the 421 yards of total offense. Ohio State’s attack was all about Beanie Wells and Terrelle Pryor making something out of nothing. Pryor did his best work when flushed from the pocket, and Wells’ 55-yard touchdown run came on tremendous second and third effort after he appeared to be stopped for a loss. The OL is what it is — which isn’t very good. It’s foolish at this point for us to think it would suddenly become a cohesive unit.

GRADE: C minus

RUNNING GAME

Take away his brilliant breakaway and Beanie Wells mustered only 85 yards on 27 carries. Part of that was the line and part of it was Northwestern selling out on the run. “Pass first, run second” is totally against Jim Tressel’s nature, even with 10 defenders in the box, but at least Terrelle Pryor had that mind-set when the pocket broke down. His most effective legwork came when he got out to the edge, kept his eyes downfield and bought time for his receivers to get open for big plays. His 21-yard gain on a third-and-16 broken play enabled him to throw the first of his three TD passes.

GRADE: B

PASSING GAME

It was nice to see that the Brians — Robiskie and Hartline, especially Hartline — are still alive and well. Robiskie, who had the team’s lone TD catch in the previous four games, caught a pair of scoring passes. Hartline had catches of 44 and 46 yards to set up a pair of TDs which almost matched his reception total (three) over the previous three contests. Pryor’s arm strength wasn’t a question despite 25 mph winds, and he showed remarkable poise in stepping out of a sack and firing a 6-yard TD to tight end Rory Nicol. All of the aerial heroics, however, masked poor pass protection.

GRADE: A minus

DEFENSIVE LINE

Across the board, this was easily the front four’s best outing. With a nagging ankle injury limiting Thaddeus Gibson, the team’s best pass rusher, everybody else seemed to step up their game. Tackle Cameron Heyward had a sack and forced a fumble that was recovered by sidekick Doug Worthington, setting up OSU’s final TD. True freshman Nathan Williams, an undersized end out of Washington Court House, had back-to-back sacks, and fifth-year senior tackle Nader Abdallah had the best game of his career with eight tackles, two pass breakups and a sack.

GRADE: A

LINEBACKERS

James Laurinaitis put a bow on the defensive effort with his fourth-quarter interception, redeeming himself for the personal foul that contributed to Northwestern’s only touchdown drive. The Buckeyes overcame quarterback’s Mike Kafka’s 126 yards rushing by dropping him for 43 yards in losses. With former Ohio Mr. Football Tyrell Sutton sidelined (ankle), Kafka basically was the Wildcats’ entire running attack. He fell well short of the 217 yards rushing he had last week at Minnesota. Ross Homan and Marcus Freeman made 13 stops between them and accounted for two of OSU’s seven tackles for losses.

GRADE: B plus

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Mike Kafka’s passing numbers were decent (18 of 27, 177 yards), but the secondary did a nice job of keeping everything in front of them. Anderson Russell made nine tackles and recovered a fumble caused by Malcolm Jenkins, setting up a field goal. Kurt Coleman had one of OSU’s two personal fouls on the Wildcats’ only TD drive, but played a solid game overall with seven tackles and a sack.

GRADE: A minus

SPECIAL TEAMS

The only play worth talking about was A.J. Trapasso’s fake punt in the fourth quarter. Flashing his old tailback form from high school, Trapasso made some nifty moves for a 9-yard gain and the first down. Up 31-10 at the time, TV analyst and former Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware questioned the sportsmanship of the call, which led to a touchdown. There’s criticism you don’t hear too often: Jim Tressel being too aggressive with his play-calling. Northwestern’s longest return on eight kickoff returns was 24 yards.

GRADE: B

COACHING

Jim Tressel probably won’t get a Christmas card from Pat Fitzgerald after calling for that fake punt up 31-10 or allowing Todd Boeckman to throw deep up 38-10. The cameras caught Tressel grimacing after Boom Herron scored on a 16-yard run on the game’s final play, but if that’s the way he truly felt he should have taken a knee. In this case, Tressel has nothing to apologize for. An offense that has failed to score a TD in three games this season should take ’em any way they can get ’em.

GRADE: B

— Compiled by Jon Spencer

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Filed Under: Football
Tagged: A.J. Trapasso, Anderson Russell, andre ware, beanie wells, Cameron Heyward, Doug Worthington, james laurinaitis, Jim Tressel, kurt coleman, Malcolm Jenkins, Marcus Freeman, Mike Kafka, nader abdallah, Nathan Williams, pat fitzgerald, rory nicol, Ross Homan, terrelle pryor, Thaddeus Gibson, todd boeckman, tyrell sutton

Specner’s OSU-Northwestern Report Card

November 9, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment

JON SPENCER’S OHIO STATE REPORT CARD

OFFENSIVE LINE

GRADE: C minus

RUNNING GAME

GRADE: B

PASSING GAME

GRADE: A minus

DEFENSIVE LINE

GRADE: A

LINEBACKERS

GRADE: B plus

DEFENSIVE BACKS

GRADE: A minus

SPECIAL TEAMS

GRADE: B

COACHING

GRADE: B

— Compiled by Jon Spencer

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Filed Under: Football
Tagged: A.J. Trapasso, Anderson Russell, andre ware, beanie wells, Cameron Heyward, Doug Worthington, james laurinaitis, Jim Tressel, jon spencer, kurt coleman, Malcolm Jenkins, Marcus Freeman, Mike Kafka, nader abdallah, Nathan Williams, pat fitzgerald, rory nicol, Ross Homan, terrelle pryor, Thaddeus Gibson, todd boeckman, tyrell sutton

Buckeyes pound on some nerds, win 45-10

November 8, 2008 by feed · Leave a Comment

Not Walter Sobchak, but still classic

The Buckeyes put enough of a second-half beatdown of the Wildcats that would have Coach Harris pleased. Unlike his Adams College Atoms, we did not have our asses whipped by a bunch of goddamn nerds.

That’s not to say that the 45-10 victory over Northwestern today was a cakewalk. Far from it. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that winning this game by such a comfortable margin was probably reducible to luck. The Buckeyes found themselves behind down and distance often in this game. 1st and 10 became 2nd and 9 and eventually 3rd and 14-16. Yet, the Buckeyes made good on 8 of 13 third down conversions in these incredible holes to put themselves in a position to win. The Buckeyes struggled with Kafka’s running early into the game and the offensive line was lucky enough that Northwestern’s defensive line got more tired than they did. The Beanie 55yd touchdown was, as Gabby indicated, the sexiest you will ever see awful offensive line play look. The Buckeyes kept digging their own graves on offense, but somehow leaped out of them. How this happened over and over again for the Buckeyes is probably best chalked up to luck, with some moderate doses of tactical brilliance.

…and this post has already jumped the shark…

The first drive of the game was a microcosm for some of the problems I’d see the rest of the game. The Buckeyes didn’t pass on first down until 6 minutes left in the second quarter. They didn’t start doing it in earnest until late in the second half. But on that first drive, the predictable playcalling for Beanie created 3rd and 8 initially, where Pryor hooked up with Robiskie for a first down. After moving the sticks, the Buckeyes found themselves at 3rd and 16 after two rushing plays, after which Hartline inexplicably popped open for a 44yd gain to the Northwestern 9. The Buckeyes eventually took a 7-0 lead.

However, Northwestern took the ball right down the field for a touchdown of their own as a response. It was during this drive that Northwestern’s offense looked like the Tim Tebow-led Gators from last year. Yet, after some consternation of some poor tackling, lack of discipline (4 penalties) and the inability to contain Kafka that eventually resulted in knotting up the score at 7, things largely settled down. Both sides exchanged punts afterwards, giving the Buckeyes the ball at their own 28 yard line. The same execution issues haunted the Buckeyes again, but they came through on a 3rd and 10 with a 22yd pass to Rory Nicol. After a Cordle false start, the Buckeyes went off left tackle again with Beanie. It was looking to be a busted play again, but Beanie eluded a few tackles and was in the clear for his highlight 55yd TD run. The only thing any offensive lineman did on that play was Alex Boone, who gave Beanie a little push right as he was breaking free.

Eric Peterman fumbled on the second play on Northwestern’s ensuing drive, setting up a Buckeye field goal to take a 17-7 lead. Still, it looked like Beanie’s touchdown run had awoken the offense. After Northwestern’s next drive ended in a punt, the Buckeyes began their next series at their own 10 yard line. It was here that the playcalling was mixed up a bit for our amusement. Terrelle Pryor threw deep for Robiskie on first down, to no avail. After a 2 yard rush by Beanie, Terrelle Pryor hooked up with Dane Sanzenbacher on 3rd and 8 for 14 yards and a first down as Pryor kept the play alive. After another incomplete first down pass and a 3 yard loss by Beanie, Terrelle Pryor scrambled 15 yards for a first down on 3rd and 13. On the next two carries, Beanie gained 8 yards to set up a 3rd and a short 2 at midfield. Alex Boone, however, wanted to show a Northwestern defender how manly he is, was flagged for unneccessary (and unbelievably idiotic) roughness to push the Buckeyes back to 3rd and 16. Terrelle Pryor bailed out Boone by rushing for 21 yards and a first down. The rest was academic. Boom Herron took the next two carries for 18 yards. Pryor capped off the play with a touchdown strike to Robiskie and take a 24-7 lead into intermission.

In the interest of brevity, I’ll move on to superlatives without going over much of the second half. Suffice to say, things got a lot worse for Northwestern after the second half resumed. The Buckeyes added 3 touchdowns while Northwestern could only take the second half kickoff for a field goal. The Buckeyes won big, even experimenting with home run balls up 3 touchdowns in what I hope was a means to impress the Orange Bowl Committee members on hand to watch the Buckeyes play.