The Collision at the Coliseum was more like a fender bender.
It was just a lot of Hollywood hype. The A-listers on the sidelines made it interesting, but the two teams on the field pretty much performed the way we thought they would.
Even Buckeyes fans, some optimistic prior to kickoff, mostly resigned themselves to another lackluster performance after being highly ranked and the inevitable sneers from their SEC brethren.
Were the Trojans that good, or were the Buckeyes that bad?
Maybe the teams' reactions to the game are a telling sign. The Trojans were kicking themselves over some lost opportunities, while the Buckeyes were looking ahead to nine more games to play. One wants to get better—the other is in denial.
Make no mistake: The Buckeyes are a very good team. But they are as predictable as their coach, and therein lies the problem.
Methodical, plodding, clock-chewing drives with no deep-threat bombs are Tressel's meat and potatoes. Rarely is anything spicy served up.
Contrast the two coaches' personas, and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Jim Tressel's "safe" attire includes gray pants, starched shirt, and a vest. He's a serious coach with a furrowed brow of concern on his face at all times. Old school—like the Buckeyes' offense.
Pete Carroll, on the other hand, wears a pair of khakis and a coach's shirt with his longish, unkempt hair carelessly waving in the wind. He's smiling, chatting with his players, and genuinely "into" the game. His offense is almost an image of himself: free flowing, unpredictable, and devil-may-care.
Within two minutes of the first quarter, the inevitable happened. Three yards and a cloud of dust. Nothing has changed. Time has stopped.
The Buckeyes didn't open the playbook and instead bored us to death. Twice, the Buckeyes were facing big third-down conversions, and twice, Tressel opted to hand the ball off to keep his team within field goal range. Better to play it safe.
Their lone scoring drive took almost two-thirds of a quarter and after 17 plays, only got them three points. "I'm glad we got out of there with three, but when you're that close, you have to get seven," said Buckeyes receiver Brian Hartline.
Indeed, Brian.
The Ohio game last week was no fluke. The Buckeyes weren't keeping it simple to avoid showing USC its hand. They only have one hand and cannot deviate from it: Grind it out and take the ugly win.
The problem for Tressel is this: He has a classic pocket passer in Boeckman, but his O-line isn't built to handle the speed of more athletic, attacking defenses, like those from the SEC or Pac-10.
It's vanilla vs. Cherry Garcia ice cream.
Spin it all you want, but the Buckeyes' clinging to traditional football is there for everyone to see. While Boeckman was taking five-step drops to find open receivers, Mark Sanchez was hurling his body at James Laurinaitis to make a block for one of his teammates.
Would Boeckman ever do that? Against a Nagurski Award winner?
While coaches don't like their quarterbacks to play risky, the players will tell you differently. A QB who takes a hit for their team is their hero. He's one of them, not the guy who wears a red "don't touch me" jersey in weekly scrimmages. He's a gamer—he's a risk-taker. He wants to win.
Enter Terrelle Pryor.
115 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment
Lou Vozza 9 months ago
Hmmm. I think the problem is deeper than that. We are seeing a broad trend here. First Notre Dame, then Michigan, now OSU. Cold weather schools. The talent is migrating to warm weather conferences. Once upon a time, premier players had to go to a Notre Dame to get national exposure. Now they can stay close to home and not live for 4 months a year in an ice-box without sacrificing anything.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
Maybe, but I find this interesting- the last time the Bucks and the Wolverines played in snow was in the 50's. I don't think the weather is a factor, although Florida or Cali might be tempting for someone living in the UP.
I think the systems being run by the elite high schools are the reason for FBS schools changing their offenses to faster types. The spread is a popular scheme - it doesn't get used in the NFL often - but is reigning supreme in college football.
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J.C. Ayvazi 9 months ago
Your theory is countered by the fact Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame's starting QB, is from the celebrated Oaks Christian High of Southern California.
It is simple mathematics. There are far more high caliber players than scholarships available at the warm weather schools. There can also be family considerations (following parents, grandparents) and scholastic opportunities that only certain schools may offer.
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David-S Serdinak 9 months ago
I believe it to be many factors....OSU is in the Big Ten. It's not, nor ever has been, a flashy, spread conference. Weather does get bad here late in the season so you need that 3 yards and a cloud of dust mentality. It doesn't seem to do well in the sunshine against a wide open USC or great SEC team. Still, OSU wins their conference, beats Michigan and makes the school and conference a ton of money. Success is relative.
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Ryan 9 months ago
Weather isn't a factor. RichRod is pulling in talent from Cali and Florida on a consistent level, and that's just the beginning. Michigan is taking their lumps this season, but will be a team to watch in the very near future.
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Nick The Only 9 months ago
Now that Tressel has Pryor, he should bring in an OC who runs a spread offense to utilize Pryor's talents.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
I totally agree Nick. But it takes years to get the right players to run a spread. See Michigan for proof.
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Chris Flanagan 9 months ago
Yeah I go to Mizzou, Brad smith was a good quarterback but couldn't distribute the ball. Enter Chase Daniel who has been in the spread offense his whole life and our team gets a lot better really fast. You have to find the players that fit your system.
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Tim Seeman 9 months ago
so is anyone pumped for OSU-UW in madison in a couple weeks? no? that's weird...
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
Wisky fans are!
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Tim Seeman 9 months ago
yeah that's true...i am...i'm afraid they're too high in the polls, though...the badgers are more comfortable at about 15 or 16 and playing in the capital one bowl...but i was afraid that fresno was gonna get em, so what do i know?
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L.J. Burgess 9 months ago
I'm pumped, so's my guy if UW loses...
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Lou Vozza 9 months ago
Lisa. I don't think playing in the snow, I mean living through the cold Northern winters.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
OOOOHHH. Ok. But still....I don't think that changes anything. In the sixties and seventies no one minded living in the Midwest and playing football. Now they do? Maybe they do...today's athlete is more spoiled. I think they just go to which conference gets the most spotlight so they can get more press from the scouts.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
OOOOHHH. Ok. But still....I don't think that changes anything. In the sixties and seventies no one minded living in the Midwest and playing football. Now they do? Maybe they do...today's athlete is more spoiled. I think they just go to which conference gets the most spotlight so they can get more press from the scouts.
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Donald Fincher 9 months ago
You're wrong here Lisa and Daryl is right. It used to be for a kid to be seen by his family, his high school friends, etc. was to stay close and go to the most prominent closest school. That's because up until the 1980's, there was only one game per week broadcast nationally. It was called the ABC "Game of the Week." So, if you didn't get on tv but twice per year and you went to school 800 miles away (such as an Ohio native going to Florida for instance), no one you knew ever saw you play. That's all changed with the fact that nearly every game of any significance is now on tv and, if you happen to make a big play, it will play on highlight loops all Saturday. Now kids can go anywhere. In recent years, the internet has allowed kids to gain exposure no matter where they play too.
Make no mistake. Kids that are 18 love seeing hundreds of college girls every day wearing short shorts and tank tops. When you visit schools where that happens 10 months a year (Miami, Southern Cal, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Georgia, Texas), it's certainly more appealing than visiting a school where it only happens during summer recess (Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Syracuse). So if a kid can see all that eye-candy and still be seen, noticed, and followed by those back home that he wants to impress, that player is all over it.
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Nick The Only 9 months ago
Donald hit the nail on the head.
It is no coincidence that many of the schools with the hottest co-eds also have very successful sports (football and basketball) programs.
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Ryan 9 months ago
This ideam is severely flawed. Some of the top prospects in the nation go to "cold weather" schools like OSU, Michigan, Wisky, Notre Dame and Penn State. The weather doesn't have nearly the bearing that everyone thinks.
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Gray Ghost 9 months ago
Congrats on the win! I felt that Tressel made a mistake keeping Boeckman behind center. Pryor has the ability to widen the field, and made Boeckman look pedestrian in comparison. USC looked good.
The season is early. I am not ready to hold the coronation just yet. Good article!
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
Gray-
It's too bad the Sun Devils lost to UNLV, because that probable win for the Dawgs will get diminished by some. I, however, think if the Dawgs beat the Devils at home, it's a helluva win and should keep the BCS voters happy. The Devils are a good team, and not sure why they played poorly. Good luck against them...I hope you beat them good!
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Sam Wenk 9 months ago
You have some amazing writing talent, and I'm not just saying that to be nice. Fox is lucky to have you under contract. This is one of the most professional articles I've ever read. Great Job!
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
Wow Sam, thanks. I appreciate that.
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Lou Vozza 9 months ago
"In the sixties and seventies no one minded living in the Midwest and playing football. Now they do?"
TV has changed. You may not be old enough to remember, but there used to be only one game televised on national TV every week. Top young players who wanted national exposure had to go play for the "storied" national powerhouse programs. Now everyone can get on national TV, yes even Fresno State.
I think these programs are going to become like Cal, able to compete for the top spot now and then if they get lucky with a few players or a coach. The days of perpetual dominance are over. Also, 97% of the top talent now are African American teenagers, many from the South. I think they are more attracted to local schools, where they are closer to home and family.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
Well that is an excellent point. I agree with you about the television monopoly on Michigan and Ohio State. ( I wasn't born then so I didn't realize that!)
Nice job!
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Kristin Hamlin 9 months ago
Yeah I agree---very good writing skills. Impressed
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Ryan 9 months ago
Daryl has summed it up best.
With the burst in southern talent, most of these kids want to stay near home. Schools from the north still snag great players but have to focus on the talent in their own neck of the woods even harder.
Still, there are too many factors to say why kids definitively pick a place unless they say. Education, location, system, comfort level, campus features, etc, etc etc. Too much to factor in.
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Sue M. 9 months ago
I have to agree with Sam, your writing is very impressive. Fox is lucky to have such a talented writer. Great article, I enjoyed reading it! Keep it up.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
Thanks for the kind words Leanna. Again, sorry for your team's loss. Win outright and you can come to Pasadena for the Granddaddy of them all. Drinks are on me!
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Michael Cline 9 months ago
Lisa, good article. I'm looking at Tressel as the problem as well. 35-3 doesn't make any sense at all. A Sundae would be great, but I think the players need something a little stronger. :)
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Gray Ghost 9 months ago
Lisa, I was rudely interupted (by a call to lunch) in the middle of my last comment, so I wanted to finish my thought so as not to deprive anyone of my wisdom........... that was a joke, why is there no one laughing?
Great statement: "While coaches don't like their quarterbacks to play risky, the players will tell you differently. A QB who takes a hit for their team is their hero. He's one of them, not the guy who wears a red "don't touch me" jersey in weekly scrimmages. He's a gamer, he's a risk-taker. He wants to win."
And, again, you are right that CFB has changed to an extent. The "three yards and a cloud of dust" mentality does not just make for boring football, but it makes for few points on the board. That won't cut it with todays high-powered scoring machines.
As for the Dawgs: It was a tough win. Glad to get out with a "W". No excuses. Time will tell. We peaked last year as the season went on. Hopefully................
Anyhow, this article was exceptionally written, and was better post game analysis than anything I heard by the big boys on TV. Great stuff! ***** POTD.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
Thanks Gray! And beat Arizona State...I want them whimpering when they come to the Coliseum! Please beat them bad.
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Robert 9 months ago
Wow. That was one of the worst matchups between top 5's ever.
USC is definately worthy of Number 1.
Ohio State, you better focus on winning the Big Ten.
Oh, and cross your fingers...
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Gil HHH 9 months ago
I called it that USC would win by at least 14pts and instead won by 32 pts. I can't believe that OSU did not score a touchdown.
Non PAC 10 teams have trouble defending the USC offense b/c it requires a defense to focus on all players because they utilize every eligible receiver on the field. USC is also one of the very few teams in the country that relies on the fullback for offensive support (e.g. Havili).
I think the problem with OSU is that they don't have any offensive weapons. The receivers are weak and the offensive line is not strong. The only good weapon on OSU are the running backs but if they're not on their "A" game the game is over b/c the QBs can't make plays.
T. Pryor is young and he's the future of OSU but he won't be able to succeed until they get some great deep threats.
As a big USC fan I felt bad for T. Boeckman b/c he will get a bad rap some of it deserved but his offensive line was awful against USC.
Lisa-how are the UCLA faithful treating Coach Neuheisel for the UCLA humiliation? It looks like the USC monopoly continues in LA.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
I dont think it was Boeck's fault. The play calling was not aggressive enough, hopefully most Buckeyes fans will see that.
As for UCLA, I am pretty sure they have had ample warnings about praying for a 5 win season. While they expected to lose, I don't think they expected to be humiliated like that. But they just have too many holes to patch up. Last year was the year they should have been gone to the Rose Bowl with the talent they had....hence, Dorrell's termination.
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Long John Silver 9 months ago
Lise
may be you and i are from different planets
when the Buckeyes throw in a lackluster perf - thats when the partaaay starts for us !
liked this one, esp this line
They also need some hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts and a cherry on top of that scoop of vanilla.
cheers -
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sven ghali 9 months ago
The Trojans made Tressel look worse than Willingham, except the Sooners were busy redefining Ty's misery.
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Tim Seeman 9 months ago
well to be fair...washington wasn't ranked fifth in the nation like ohio state....washington's supposed to get pounded by oklahoma. they expected that. ohio state expected to compete with usc...
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
Ouch. That was brutal! I like Ty..great coach. It sucks to be a Husky fan rght now though.
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Sue M. 9 months ago
Lisa-
I hope that all of the players and coaching staff have learned a lesson from last night's game. Hopefully they can prepare themselves to be ready to actually play a game. They didn't show up to play yesterday at all. That's one of the key points; you've got to show up to a game to have a chance at winning.
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Iceman 9 months ago
That is why i find big ten games so boring and dull. the "3 yards and a cloud of dust" playing style is the same throughout the big ten. Except for penn state, they look good this year. that is the only reson why i love teams like Florida, Oregon and Usc. they take risks and spread the ball around. watching percy harvin dance throu defends is so much cooler than watching bennie wells pound throu the hole for 4 yard at a time.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
frsity-
Joe Pa is spreading a little love around by implementing the spread! You gotta love that! And Percy is like watching a video game..he's got ball bearing hips! :)
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Chris Schmidbauer 9 months ago
First off let me say as a former part of the Ohio State football program, I tae my hat off to USC. They give us just a plain butt kicking. They are going to be a real challenge to any team, yes even those schools in SEC.
The problem I have with your argument is simply that you can not insert Terrelle Pryor into the fold and suddenly you have xanadu on offense. Not going to happen. Tressel is in a catch 22. He's damned if he plays Pryor and he's damned if he doesn't. Todd is not the athlete Pryor is, I get that. But I have seen so many can't miss players, miss and miss bad. I can name a litany of players who were all stars in high school and were a mere shadow of their own hype. Am I predicting that outcome for Pryor? No way, but you assuming simply playing Pryor would've meant the offense starts moving the ball is short sighted. Pryor made great plays, but sooner or later, USC was going to key in on the whole QB Draw offense. USC would eventually get wise to that, which then means you let Pryor pass. Pryor demonstrated on the two or three throws I have seen, that he gets antsy and throws at best a average ball. You may not think Boeckman throws a good ball but it is better than Pryor's. So if Pryor throws an interception, much like Boeckman did, then everyone asks why would Coach Tress have put such an inexperienced player in the game, in such a crucial situation? Whether Buckeye fans or the media (not just you) crave to see Pryor play, at the end of the day, the coaching staff sees Todd Boeckman as the Buckeye's best option. It's not because Coach Tressel wants to be conservative on offense in lieu of beating USC.
Plus let's be realistic, I did not see an offensive line that deserved any praise for its performance last evening.
Unfortunately I don't think anything would've stopped USC last night. They flat out dominated every aspect of the game, no questions asked.
But if, as you put it, "The public wants excitement in bowl games, not a dull, boring offense. The ugly win has now been officially redefined as "an overrated team's lucky win. When Temple and Buffalo provide more entertainment than a Big Ten superpower, change is needed," then college football is in trouble. I'm not sure I think a major qualifacation for the BCS title should be an exciting offense.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
Chris-
First off, my hat gets tipped back to you for being part of that program. You have my respect.
I do understand what you are saying about Pryor, and yes, it looked like early in the second half, the D adjusted to Pryor. (Carroll is a great half-time adjuster)
However, I still think they under-utilized him. He added an element that was missing.
While I don't think excitement should be part of the BCS title game's qualifications, money is the sole reason why it exists. Get two exciting teams in there and watch the money roll in. USC vs. Florida, Florida vs. Oklahoma, or Florida/USC against Mizzou would be a great game. And lots of money would be made.
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BabyTate 9 months ago
Very good work here Lisa. You have told a tale wrapped around a ballgame.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
Thanks BT! :)
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Joe G 9 months ago
Tressel will adapt, he always does. I seem to remember him running a more wide open offense when he had the more mobile Troy Smith under center. Better receiving options back then, too.
But not much he could do against USC last night. The Trojans are indeed that good.
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Jeff Little 9 months ago
Excellent article, Lisa. I echo the comments of BT and outstanding read. The outcome didn't surprise me but you captured the bigger issue.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
Thanks. I predicted 42-19, and envisioned the Bucks with 4 FGs and a grabage TD against the SC scrubs in the 4th. I know Tress takes the guaranteed points, and figured four FGs. I was not surprised at the domination, but was surprised at the 3 points. That one shocked me.
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Steven Resnick 9 months ago
I'm just glad to see that Ohio State got crushed!!!!!
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
Lemme guess...Michigan fan? ;p
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Mark Rupert 9 months ago
The state of Ohio State is the same as it has been for the last three years.
They have been overrated by a bias media and exposed by a quality team, only they faced one before they could run through a very weak Conference schedule. At least the OS fan's won't have to suffer through a even bigger loss in another MNCG.
I feel OS biggest problem is they don't face enough competition on a regular basis, The SEC Champion is better perpared because of the Competition and OS is less prepared for a lack of it. Okalahoma is another example, look at their recent history.
They both get good recruits every year, as good as any program in the Country. Competition breeds a winner.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
In other words....Speed kills. That's my issue. They have to adapt to speed by getting faster, more athletic linemen, not 300 pound sand bags. That was a veteran line SC's young O-line faced, and they were getting turned around. If it weren't for Freeman and Laurinaitis, the score would have been more embarrassing.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
In other words....Speed kills. When a conference 's competition doesn't offer up speed, you get bogged down. That's my issue. They have to adapt to speed by getting faster, more athletic linemen, not 300 pound sand bags. That was a veteran line SC's young O-line faced, and they were getting turned around. If it weren't for Freeman and Laurinaitis, the score would have been more embarrassing.
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Lou Vozza 9 months ago
Mark said
"The state of Ohio State is the same as it has been for the last three years.
They have been overrated by a bias media and exposed by a quality team, only they faced one before they could run through a very weak Conference schedule. At least the OS fan's won't have to suffer through a even bigger loss in another MNCG.
I feel OS biggest problem is they don't face enough competition on a regular basis, The SEC Champion is better perpared because of the Competition and OS is less prepared for a lack of it. Okalahoma is another example, look at their recent history.
They both get good recruits every year, as good as any program in the Country. Competition breeds a winner."
That sums it up exactly. There are too good arguments against the North/South weather theory. 1. OSU and friends always rank high in the recruiting rankings and 2. they put just as many guys into the pros. Here's a rebuttal. Maybe it's not stars 1 through 6 that separate the teams, but grunt guys 7 through 50, or whatever. In other words, depth. I've heard that said about the speed issue ie that a few guys on OSU have speed, but on a good SEC team, everybody's got speed.
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Jim Graham 9 months ago
Ironically, OSU's entire program is engineered for Big 10 domination, and yet this makes them almost incapable of success against elite teams from other conferences. Meanwhile, a team like Michigan gets it's butt handed to it by OSU and the turns around and dominates Tim Tebow and Florida in a bowl game. Kind of odd....
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L.J. Burgess 9 months ago
OSU looked timid after the Trojan's first two drives...like they knew what was coming.
Like a deer in da headlights...they weren't even in shock post game so...sad.
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mike otworth 9 months ago
We all know that Jim Tressel has many laudable qualities and attributes. He wins most of his games, runs a clean program and continues to bring top talent to OSU. That said, the football Buckeyes are now like the girl who looked cute in the dimly lit bar, but in the light of day you want to hide your eyes. For the third time in three tries, the Buckeyes have not only failed, but failed miserably against elite competition. If you look at the number of players that OSU sends to the pro ranks, it's hard (if not impossible) to conclude that the problem involves inferior talent. That brings you to the logical second possibility.....coaching. Again, in total, Tress has a envious record. But there is that recurring problem of getting trounced with all the marbles on the line. I attended the last two national championship games, and any non-biased observer would readily conclude that Ohio State was outcoached on both sides of the ball. This shouldn't be surprising when you consider that OSU doesn't have an offensive coordinator, and co-defensive coordinators Fickel and Heacock are nowhere near as highly regarded as the man they replaced (Mark Dantonio). Dantonio was noted for his halftime adjustments , and for getting players to play up to their ability. The current regime is now noted for getting scorched in big games despite having notable talent on the field. They were no match for Bo Pellini last year in the NC game, and the Tressel/Bollman combo continues to get badly out-schemed on the offensive side of the ball. The Trojan defensive players were even commenting to reporters about the fact that they didn't see a single thing that they didn't expect, and Mark Sanchez noted that the same plays that they've been running in the past worked like a charm against the Buckeye defense.
In spite of the undeniable success that Tressel & Co. has had in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes are now considered to be "perennial pretenders" by a national football audience of fans and media. Coach Tressel needs to take a hard, serious look at how his team has achieved this dubious status. And he needs to not let his loyalty to his current staff cloud his judgment as his considers how he is going to rectify what has become a chronic problem that is preventing his teams from reaching the pinnacle of success in college football.
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mike otworth 9 months ago
And Lisa......Boeckman in the pocket is essentially a cowering statue. NO TEAM would win a national championship with him as quarterback. As the LSU fan in front of me commented at the NC game last year, "That ole boy of yours looks like he might pee his pants"........that pretty much sums it up. -No pocket presence, no moxie, to swagger, no mobility, no big time wins with TB under center.
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J.C. Ayvazi 9 months ago
Once again Lisa provides B/R an excellent article.
Would you agree the BSC format has made it next to impossible for a ball control running team to succeed since, no matter how successful, they don't play a sexy high scoring type of game?
Isn't that kind of sad that some of the attributes that first made the sport popular is now relegated to the bargain bin?
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Steven Resnick 9 months ago
Nope. I hate Michigan! But I love when Michigan beats Ohio State. I wish it was Appalachian State that beat Ohio State instead of Michigan. Ohio State plays a bunch of pansies for most of the year and expects to win a national championship because they blow them out. Now they just played a team with tons of talent and they got whooped like they should be!
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Thomas 9 months ago
The Trojans played well and Ohio State didnt. plain and simple. Good article as always Lisa.
TL
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Roy LaFaver 9 months ago
Lisa, I think you touched on the problem but came up with the wrong conclusions. Boeckman is more than a pocket passer. I wish he had come to LSU. One thing for sure, Les Miles would not have singled out one play, throwing his quarterback under the bus. OSU was fine. They were running the ball well and beating up the SC defense. They stalled and settled for field goals twice while SC put up 14. At that point, Tressel's sweater got too tight, and he changed the game plan (that's the predictable part). The SC defensive coordinator picked up on it right away and the beat-down was on. Tressel cannot take a punch, and that was the problem, not Boeckman.
I'm sure Pryor will be a good QB, but SC handled him with ease. What they could not handle was the offense firing off the line and big backs pounding on them with a smart quarterback who possesses great touch when it's needed (when the D-line is not murdering him). Tressel relieved USC of the burden, and that was it. I cannot believe he went on camera after the game with those comments about his team. Nobody loves to see the Big Ten get kicked around more than I do (Pac 10 as well). But those were quality football players wearing white, and all they needed was a coach with cajones. The OSU linebacker with an unspellable name handled the media with a dignity his coach lacks.
It is a shame to see Boeckman singled out in this loss. I'm SEC to the bone and Tigers always, but I felt bad for the guy when the LSU linebackers were pounding on him in New Orleans. Tressel did the same thing there, and I'm grateful to the guy, as I'm sure all knowledgeable USC fans are grateful. But it's a shame quality ball players take the wrap for bad coaching.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy OSU is out of the picture, and now I just need to see SC get drubbed to insure the SEC champion makes it to the big game because it looks like at this point Oklahoma is a lock. The Missouri offensive and defensive lines won't be able to handle those guys, and I don't see any other Big 12 team hiding in the weeds.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
I disagree on the predictable part. Tress didn't change the game plan...that's part of his being predictable.
The problem is, USC adjusted to his game in the second quarter, and when the Bucks couldn't score, Tress DIDNT change his game plan. OSU is not built to play catch-up football. They can't adjust.
There was absolutely no change between the first quarter and the fourth, and if anything, the fourth was more safe.
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Mark Rupert 9 months ago
J.C. If anything, the BCS has over rewarded a ball control offense, OS. in spite of not being sexy.
The BCS and the Media that decides who gets any chance to play for MNCG gave OS more of a chance than any other team could have hoped for. They got destroyed two years back to back in the highest profile game, and were again set up to start the season like few teams could even hope for.
Remember the system is political, if you don't start out ranked very high your chances are not very good for making the big dance, OS had their chance for three years despite the last two.
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mike otworth 9 months ago
Roy: Boeckman is more than a pocket passer? Is there another Boeckman that I don't know about? If it's Todd Boeckman you're talking about, he hasn't played a decent game since Penn State last year. He's immobile and panics with pressure in his face. If you are an LSU fan, you know that Matt Flynn had pressure in his face at times in the NC game last year. But he (unlike Boeckman) did what you expect a Senior QB to do at a big time program.....elude the initial pressure and get the ball down field. Boeckman chronically throws the ball late, and the coaches have been unable to correct this. While it's true that predictable play calling and a plodding o-line have contributed to his woes, he is in no way the scapegoat that you suggest.
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Roy LaFaver 9 months ago
Have you seen games where Peyton Manning was under relentless pressure? I have, and he didn't fare any better than Boeckman. Manning is best when the defense cannot tee off on him, and so is every other quarterback. Boeckman has good play-pass skills. He hides the ball well when he keeps it, and he carries out a pass fake well. The only time he has problems is when Tressel aboandons what he has trained his team to be. The game had all the appearance of a squeaker even after USC went up0 14-3. The OSU offensive line and the running backs were doing a great job, and all they lacked was imagination in the red zone. So why do you abandon the game plan that early in the game? Boeckman was hitting his short passes, and the USC defense was on its heels. The linebackers were being forced to make tackles 5 yards down field, and they were tired after the first two OSU drives. So, if Tressel had held his water and did what he trained his team to do he might have lost by a couple of touchdowns. No shame in that. Or the USC front seven might have caved during the second half and it might have been a game.
If Tressel was so sure Pryor was the answer, why didn't he just sit Boeckman for this game. What kind of confidence builder is it when he runs a freshman in every other play as if he could catch the USC defense off guard? Did Tressel think they would mistake Pryor for Boeckman? What kind of coach decides its a good idea to run options and sweeps with a freshman when he is facing some of the fastest linebackers in the country?
No, the answer was counters and off-tackle runs with short play-pass action to keep the linebackers honest. I've seen Boeckman when OSU stays true to their nature, and he is a solid QB. He's smart and he has good feet. But when Ali Highsmith is coming down on top of him like a ton of brickws, he gets rattled. Imagine that.
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daniel cox 9 months ago
lisa, great article. and congrats on the writing gig. we should all be so lucky--or in your case, talented. much like the usc win, luck has little to do with it.
osu showed a little of that overrated tag on saturday. the absence of wells had something to do with that poor offensive performance, but even with him in the game, the difference would not have been that tremendous. usc was prepared to stop wells.
i thought tressel would do something out-of-the-ordinary and perhaps pull wells out of his pocket to energize the team. after hearing the reports that wells was begging to play, i was convinced we'd see him in the second half. will osu fans be irritated if he plays next weekend? the thought being that if he's okay by then, he was probably near-enough okay to play on saturday.
i do agree somewhat about the cold weather vs. warm weather argument. and certainly the idea that players don't have to go to the traditional powerhouses to get the exposure they want--see south florida for that (another warrm weather school).
tressel needs to go forward with pyror--he'll reignite the fan base and move the program forward--into this decade perhaps.
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Nino Colla 9 months ago
Tressel has mastered the Big Ten, for now. He's got the talent to dominate it.. The problem is he hasn't really gotten the necessary pieces to compete with the big boys. In this day and age you need an athletic Quarterback(why wasn't he playing Terrell Pryor when he went down 21-3?) and as they call them, game breakers..
How many of those game breakers does USC have?
That is what is separating OSU from the likes of USC, Florida, LSU these past few years.. USC had em Saturday, LSU had some, but let's not kid ourselves, they had a deeper defense than OSU did, and Florida certainly had em.
Ginn is gone, Holmes is gone, they've never really had a Joe McKnight in their backfield. Chris Wells is fast and a great overall running back, but he isn't that McKnight type of player, and even if he sort of was, OSU still needs a few more to compete.
These past two games especially.. OSU has a good defense, but the other teams have deeper ones. I don't think many people heard of Ricky Jean-Francois, yet he comes up big in the Title game. Where was that player for OSU? Yes, we know about Marcus Freeman, Laurinitis and all that jazz, but no one in that defense that we haven't heard of has stepped up.
Tressel has to catch up to the likes of USC if he wants to compete with them in terms of what type of talent he is bringing in. He's bringing in good players, for the Big Ten, but he isn't bringing in the right good players. This isn't a "oh the Big Ten is slow" thing either.
Is it any mystery why Illinois was able to score points against USC last year and why OSU couldn't even muster a measly touchdown? Mendenhall, Williams, Benn.. Illinois had game breakers.. OSU has Terrell Pryor and they didn't use him as much as they should have, not that it would have mattered anyway.
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Kent Moore 9 months ago
Nino,
I think any team in the country would take a healthy Wells over a healthy McKnight?
Wells is a game breaker! He was the only one that should up at the LSU game 140 yars against that defense! That's talent.
McKnight is great too. No disrespect to him. But I think Wells is a better overal back, when healthy. But the thing with Wells is that he is rarely healthy and that could be a problem when NFL teams look at him. If he wasn't injury prone and had a great year this year, he would be a top 3 pick easily.
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Nino Colla 9 months ago
No question.. But that's all OSU has.. They've got Beanie Wells.. I'm not saying McKnight is better than Wells by any stretch.. But OSU lacks Joe McKnights..They have a Beanie and that's great.. But how many Joe McKnights do they have? How many game breakers do they have at receiver? None that I can count..
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Kent Moore 9 months ago
To be quite honest here...OSU needed this humiliation.
The program is in serious need of an overhaul. The times are passing the buckeyes by. The "3 Yards and a Cloud of Dust" Era is long gone. Sure it worked for Woody in the 60's and 70's but players are changing. You can no longer have 325lbs linemen on your team (In college. NFL is a differenst story). College teams are now being built around speed and power. Not by how many steaks you can eat at one sitting. The SEC and other schools around the country are ahead of the curve. Michigan will soon get there which is hard for me to take because that will mean OSU will start to lose to those guys again. There are several things I witnessed from the game and several conclusions that i've come to.
1.) Regardless of the outcome of the season, Pryor should start immediately. He is the future of this program and only has 2 more years after this one until he can bolt for the NFL. Tressel needs to take advantage of him while he is there. The analysts were even saying that when Pryor was on the field, the OSU bench was completely empty. That should tell you that the players are ready for him to step in.
2.) The same goes with the rest of the freshmen talent OSU has. The seniors should be benched for at least the first half of the next game to show them that this kind of performance does not go unpunished. Let the freshmen get a some time with Pryor. That is the team of the future.
3.) Some heads need to roll. Tressel is getting dangerously close to being compared to Cooper. Cooper had the talent but couldn't get past Michigan. Tressel has the talent but can't get the team prepared for the big games. Some assistant coaches need to go and the sooner the better. I foresee some big changes happening come January.
4.) The Elementary playbook needs a serious upgrade. The most laughable playcall was "The Boeckman Option." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? You have Pryor!!!! why is a slow Boeckman running an option! And why did they run it when Pryor ran it the play before and only got 2 yards??? HORRIBLE BALL MANAGEMENT! Regardless of what people say, OSU has speed (except on the lines). But when you have terrible playcalling, you get exposed.
5.) Conclusion 1: I bet a lot of seniors are questioning returning for another year. Their draft stock just took a serious blow.
6.) Conclusion 2: OSU's season is not over. But do I want them to win the Big Ten now? I'm not sure. What will that say about the conference? "The team that got demolished by USC is the Conference Champion?" Will that bring more criticism from the media or not? I don't know.
7.) Conclusion 3: OSU should not be even in consideration for the national title this year. Please, for the love of all things pure, two teams need to stay undefeated! I love OSU, but if they get back into another championship game, it will be an absolute nightmare for their credibility. Please OSU, just stay away for a year or two. It is okay to go to the Rose Bowl or Captial One Bowl. Learn from your mistakes, rebuild, retool, reinvigorate the program, and then show your face again.
It was a side day for all Buckeye fans...lets just hope the team can pool through and make the best of this season. The season does not have to be a total loss.
Great Job USC....you guys look amazing. I would love to see you all play an NFL team just to see what the score would be.
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Kent Moore 9 months ago
A "side" day???? What???
SAD day. haha.
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Michael Oleszek 9 months ago
I was downright shocked that tOSU didn't get beat worse. It was evident from the first touchdown that they had no clue how to stop USC. The slot receiver ran a post rout drawing the safety coverage, while the outside receiver ran a go route against single coverage. That's football 101, and tOSU couldn't stop it. The Buckeyes may be in for a long season.
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Kent Moore 9 months ago
I agree Michael.
The only reason USC didn't score more was because of the time of possession. OSU had the ball twice as long as USC did because their drives down the field took about 30 plays. USC took about 4 plays to move down the field and score.
I think some credit needs to be given to the defense. They did somehow hold USC to 2 touchdowns in the second half.
OSU looked completely dazed.
What do you think of USC? You think Florida could match up well with them?
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Michael Oleszek 9 months ago
To be honest, that was the first time I had watched USC this year in something other than a highlight package. Obviously USC is very imprssive on both sides of the ball. Florida still has loads of inexperience on defense, giving USC's offense the edge. Florida's offense has a ton of weapons, but so does USC's defense. It would be too close to call. The better questions are: How would USC do in the SEC, or How would Florida do in the Pac-10??
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Kent Moore 9 months ago
I think the PAC 10 is on the same down slop that the Big Ten is. USC is in a class all their own. Then it falls off dramatically. No doubt the SEC and Big 12 are the top conferences. But I really think the conference talk is blown out of proportions. Take WVU. They come from the "weakest" conference and yet they have knocked off Georgia and Oklahoma in bowl games. USC comes from a "weak" conference but ends up blowing everyone away. There should be less focus on conference strength and more emphasis on team strength. Right now the 3 teams I would be scared to play if I was any team are:
USC
Oklahoma
Missouri
Those 3 teams are handing out beatdowns. The Florida / Georgia game should be great, but i think a Missouri / Oklahoma game would be a more hyped game right now.
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Michael Oleszek 9 months ago
I don't think Missouri could hang with the 4 teams in front of them.
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Kent Moore 9 months ago
The way Georgia has been playing right now, I think Florida will handle them easily. I'm feeling a Florida / LSU SEC Championship. Don't know what each team's record will be but that's my gut. I think right now it is USC / Oklahoma in the NC.
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mike otworth 9 months ago
Roy, I've seen every game that Boeckman has started, many of them in person. He's not awful (he led the Big Ten in passing effeciency last year), but he has no moxie and no pocket presence....period. When his primary receiver is open and he has ample time he does fine. If the play breaks down or he has pressure in his face.....forget it. He looks like a scared kid. EVERYONE OSU plays now stacks the box to stop the run, and then in obvious passing situations, they bring the heat against Boeckman. USC did the same with a predictable result. Pryor wasn't ready to run the full offense, otherwise, he would have played most/all of the game. And FYI, with four starters on his O-line out and constant pressure in his face (he was knocked down several times), Manning did just fine yesterday.....OSU grad Anthony Gonzolaz had 9 receptions.
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mikez Z 9 months ago
One problem with evaluating Boeckman for those of us who only see him on tv is that we cannot see the whole play. Why is he unable to find an open receiver? Are they covered? Why is there no safety valve available? I noted the OSU defense getting pressure on Sanchez a number of times where he merely dumped the ball off short. It usually didn't pick up much but he wasn't taking a loss and putting his team in a big hole either. There are times where it is obvious Boeckman has held the ball too long but there are many other times I don't see a receiver within 20 yards. Isn't anyone on this team capable of reading blitz and adjusting the play? If not, can't the coaches plan for it? Where are the quick slants? Does this team ever throw to the tight end? Is there a tight end that has hands or are they only good for standing in the way of the defense? Although I am not a big fan of Boeckman I think he is taking more heat than he deserves.
In short, where are the safe short, quick passing plays that may only pick up 5 or 6 yards but can also turn into touchdowns if the defense makes a mistake. Like USC and most SEC teams do. OSU seems to like pass plays that take a lot of time to develop and the time frequently isn't there. Slow plays add to the perception of a slow team.
In both the LSU and SC game there was some of this early when they were successful and had the defense off balance, but then they seemed to vanish the minute the Bucks fell behind.
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Don Bradner 9 months ago
very good article. I especially enjoyed the un-biased writing. As an upset buckeyes fan, I have to agree with what you said. It became quite obvious that Boeckman was not nearly what we needed and Pryor was. I cant wait to see Pryor play every down and silence the buckeye critics.....for a few minutes.
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Rob Williamson 9 months ago
Lisa, great piece....but you don't need me to tell you that. You have nailed it. Last year's National Championship game should have showed OSU the best they would get from Todd Boeckman. Now you bring in a playmaker in Pryor. If I am a defense I am going to pin my ears back when Todd drops back because I know he can't burn me with his arm or legs. You do not lose anything by putting Pryor in there. It just doesn't make sense to me that he wasn't given a bigger role Saturday besides those idiotic QB draws. You aren't going to scare anyone with a draw. The pressure is when an athletic QB has the ball in open space with the threat of run and pass. The only difference in the QB draw and having Pryor line up at Tailback is the handoff. USC's defense is too quick to be fooled by that crap. This coming from a Penn State fan.
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Rob Williamson 9 months ago
Lisa,
Piece was a bad choice of words. I meant piece as in "piece of work" or article. I clarify in case it may have been taken wrong.
Rob
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Michael Shibley 9 months ago
Great article as always Lisa,
I love reading message boards a few hours after a game...because people are still writing on pure emotion and not thinking clearly.
It is all FIRE TRESSEL!!! HE IS A BUM!!! followed by many misspellings and bad grammar.
A few things really became clear to me after the game:
Ohio State is still a good team and will probably win the Big Ten and go to the Rose bowl and maybe get the win since they won't have to face an SEC team or USC, since the Trojans will probably be in the BCS Title game.
I would not pull the trigger and start Pryor yet. He may have worlds of talent but he is still too green. If you start him it will be like when Vince Young was a freshman and sophomore...great talent but will make too many mistakes. If you start Pryor now, they won't win at Wisconsin or Penn State. I would keep starting Boeckman because he will win you the games, but I would like to see more and more of Pryor.
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Justin Goar 9 months ago
a few things should be pointed out:
1) OSU has great recruiting classes, i'm not worried about their quality of athlete but maybe the type of athlete. they need more speed on defense. every time they got beat by florida, then LSU someone said it was a speed issue then everyone in the country started comparing 40 times and such and said that it was a myth. maybe now that a pac 10 team has beaten them down as well, maybe there's some credibility to this.
2) tressel has faced meyer, miles, and carroll in three games and looked completely out coached in all three. when you realized that some of his bigger wins have been over lloyd carr and larry coker, you may need to raise an eyebrow.
3) putting in an offense around pryor is the direction they need to go.
4) No one should give USC a much of a fight until they get to miami.
good read and congrats on the win.
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mikez Z 9 months ago
Justin, you may or may not be right about speed. But I do know that they do stack up favorably in the 40 times throughout. Also, after the LSU game at least one of the LSU players stated that OSU was as fast as anyone they had played. That would include all those fast teams in the SEC.
Every sack is not a defensive tackle/end running past a blocker. Sometiimes it's missed assignments or just raw numbers. On one play the review clearly showed that USC faked blitz and one of the OSU blockers bit at it and left a clear path. Any team's defensive players are fast enough to get the quarterback when they can run to him in a straight line untouched, especially when the receivers are running routes 25-30 yards downfield.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
Agreed, and apparently Tress will give Pryor 65% of the reps vs Troy. Wow...good for him. Thanks .
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Jack de Lowe 9 months ago
The things that many of you have commented upon are all factors, but the bottom line is that management should get much of the reward as they should get much of the blame. The last 2 years, USC has recruited for the players that would fill the voids they had. The classes were ranked anywhere from 5th to 10th, but it appears they got the guys they needed. This is a credit to Coach Carroll and his staff.
I've commented on several previous articles about USC that the new and very young offensive line would determine what kind of season USC would have in 2008. I think we've seen that the Trojans have come up with exactly the right formula and the only thing that appears on the horizon that can stop them is themselves.
Congrats to Coach Carroll and his great team.
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Lew Wright 9 months ago
Hey Lisa,
Once again you've captured the color of a game through an insightful post-mortem.
Watching your game, my game and the UW/Oklahoma game, there was a cliche from drivers ed days that kept coming to mind...."Speed Kills"
Well done my friend. Well done.
Lew
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
Thanks Lew...sorry about the state of your Cougs. At least UCLA will probably be worse than the Cougs. There's some solace, right?
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Lew Wright 9 months ago
UCLA might be comparable to WSU this season, but I'm not blind enough to say that the Cougs are a better team. It's a matchup where possibly both teams could leave the same field with a loss. Yes, neither team seems to have bottomed out...a scary concept.
On the bright side of things for Bruin Nation, their coach is a snappier dresser than Coach Wulff for Washington State.
Reaching?
Oh yeah.....
Lew
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Isaac Luber 9 months ago
I have to disagree and say Ohio State is overrated. As you know in the National Championships the past two years, Ohio State comes out strong, then just gets blown out. This was their chance to redeem themselves and they blew it. All they had to do was keep the game relatively close and they would be a credible team again. If you check out any of my articles on Ohio State you will see why they are overrated. Ohio State is not a very good team.
USC is a great team, but they have yet to prove how great. That may have to wait until the National Championship, with the weak Pac-10 schedule USC has this year. Even the ranked Pac 10 teams are pathetic.
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Chris Schmidbauer 9 months ago
Saying a team like Ohio State has no credibility from a guy who roots for a team that hasn't had any credibility since 2000 is hysterical. Maybe if your team hadn't played Coastal Carolina, Oregon State, and Syracuse and I might be a tad more apt to take your comments seriously. But you don't have any room to talk on credibility when since your team over the past two seasons has laid a gigantic egg when facing a tough opponent (ie. Michigan, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan State all last season).
Plus since 2001 your team is 2-5 against Ohio State. So what does it say that Penn State has been beaten five times by an overrated football team since Jim Tressel has been head coach? Plus Ohio State has won the Big Ten four times since 2001 when PSU has won one Big Ten title, which was shared with those overrated Buckeyes. Don't start degrading other teams til you look in your own backyard.
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Isaac Luber 9 months ago
I never said anything about Penn State in my comment. I never said they weren't overrated. I never said the Big 10 wasn't an overrated conference. I knew OSU would be crushed, that's all I was saying. I knew that the hype was fake because OSU is overrated.
Second of all, the 2005 Big 10 title shouldn't have been shared. The Michigan game was a cheat; the refs obviously were paid off or something. Before you say that it wasn't a cheat and I'm just pissed that they lost that game, I'll tell you what happened. Every play that Michigan wanted to review was reviewed, like a fumble that got overturned. Penn State wanted to review a fumble by Mike Hart, he clearly fumbled, but the refs would not review the play. On the last drive, a Michigan receiver caught the ball clearly out of bounds on 3rd down. Once again, the refs refused to even take a look at the play! Then, they added two seconds on to the clock for no reason. This allowed Michigan to call a pass with one second left that ended up being a touchdown. Penn State beat Ohio State that year, so PSU should have won the conference hands down with or without the Michigan cheat because they won the head to head game against Ohio State.
Finally, all the losses last year were basically Morelli's fault. Against Illinois, Morelli threw 4 interceptions and fumbled once in the second half. Those turnovers were all in Illinois territory, when we were going to score. Michigan was just pathetic. Our running was good, but Morelli couldn't make a throw so we became one dimensional and Michigan was able to squeak by us. Ohio State was a pathetic performance by the whole team. Michigan State was the inability for Morelli to step up in the second half and the collapse of our defense. I don't want to say that we were good last year, but we could have been if Devlin or Clark were playing instead of Morelli. We could have won at least 3 of those games we lost last year.
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Isaac Luber 9 months ago
Also, PSU has had credibility in 2005, and they won there bowl game. They showed that they were a real good team. They should've been playing for the Championship, but that's a different story.
Also, Ohio State has no credibility because they blow it in every big game they play! At least Penn State wins its big games. I'm not talking about conference games because all the teams know each other too well. I'm talking about non-conference games and bowl games.
Also, we beat those three teams by an average of like 40 points. The closest game was beating Oregon State by 31, and it should have been 38 but we had our 5th string defense in that allowed a touchdown in the fourth quarter. If I remember correctly, Ohio State barely beat Ohio. They should have lost, but Ohio committed 5 turnovers. The only reason OSU won was because of how sloppy Ohio played! Even your receiver Brian Hartline said that they should've lost and that he didn't even know how they were able to win that game. If you want credibility, beating your cupcakes is a start!
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Chris Schmidbauer 9 months ago
"Also, Ohio State has no credibility because they blow it in every big game they play! At least Penn State wins its big games. I'm not talking about conference games because all the teams know each other too well. I'm talking about non-conference games and bowl games."
Seriously!?!? That's your argument back. So by your logic if Ohio State went 4-8 then it would be ok because they would win all of their non conference big games and conference games don't count? Give me a break. I won't even get into your alleged cheating scandal against Michigan. Plus look at 2006 non conference schedule ND 41 PSU 17. There is a big game PSU choked. 2004 against Boston College BC 21 PSU 7. Wow another big non conference game the Nittany Lions lost.
Plus you can speculate all you want about Morrelli not playing and if this guy played then we would've won...that's not what happened and bottom line is I could say the same thing about Ohio State's losses in big games like if beanie played last week we would've won or if ted ginn played the whole game against Florida we would have won. But I don't because I can speculate all I want but at the end of the day we got spanked and I will admit it.
"Also, we beat those three teams by an average of like 40 points. The closest game was beating Oregon State by 31, and it should have been 38 but we had our 5th string defense in that allowed a touchdown in the fourth quarter. If I remember correctly, Ohio State barely beat Ohio. They should have lost, but Ohio committed 5 turnovers. The only reason OSU won was because of how sloppy Ohio played! Even your receiver Brian Hartline said that they should've lost and that he didn't even know how they were able to win that game. If you want credibility, beating your cupcakes is a start!"
This is again poor reasoning. We did win our cupcake games. So maybe we didn't blow them out but it wasn't how bad of a beating it was that you referenced it is a win. If you want to say PSU has proved anything by winning against Oregon St. then you are delirious. I am not saying OSU has proven anything either but you can't have it both ways.
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Isaac Luber 9 months ago
I didn't say conference games don't count, they usually just aren't "big" games because the teams always play each other. When I said beating the cupcake, I didn't mean almost have them win. A cupcake should not be beating a "powerhouse" in the fourth quarter. Ohio only lost because they played sloppy and had 5 turnovers, shouldn't it have been that Ohio State barely won because they played sloppy? You're bringing up games from years ago, I'm talking about the last couple of years, when they blew it in both National Championships. If OSU is going to be in a National Championship for two or possibly three or more years straight, they should probably...WIN ONE OF THEM!
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Chris Schmidbauer 9 months ago
When you get there we'll talk.
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Isaac Luber 9 months ago
ok...so we'll talk at the end of the season because this year PSU's going all the way. No loss to Michigan this year, Wisconsin will be no contest, we've got Illinois at a night game whiteout, and Ohio State...well...then we'll see how overrated they are. That game will either tell us Ohio State is very overrated if we blow them out, or only a little overrated if its a close game either way.
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Chris Schmidbauer 9 months ago
your comment made me smile. thanks i was in need of a good laugh
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Isaac Luber 9 months ago
HAHAHAHAHA! You can laugh now...but you'll see.
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Kent Moore 9 months ago
Isaac,
You say OSU is not a good team...so what does that make Penn State?
OSU has beaten Penn State 12 out of the 23 times they have played each other.
So if OSU is not a good team...does that make Penn State a horrible team?
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Isaac Luber 9 months ago
12 out of 23 is half. That makes OSU and PSU basically even. This year PSU will beat Ohio State anyway. Ohio State will never recover from this loss. It was their one chance to prove that they weren't overrated and that the two National Championship blowouts were bad games. There was no excuse this year. No Ted Ginn injury factor, no 57 day layoff, just a massacre. If Ohio State does recover, it won't be until after this season... they are completely demoralized.
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WVU Fan 9 months ago
Ohio State's play calling was almost as bad as WVU's versus ECU. I do not understand conservative play calling when you are losing. You are going to lose anyway, so open up the playbook and atleast give yourself a better chance at scoring. It doesn't matter if you lose by 3 or by 30, a loss is a loss! WVU punted the ball with 4 minutes left in the game. They were down 24-3, and they were on the ECU 40. Unbelievable!
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Larry Sigurdson 9 months ago
Hi Lisa,
Great article about a difficult problem. Believe you're right about it being not just an Ohio State problem but a Big Ten Conference problem. You could just as easily be describing Michigan, or Michigan State, or Wisconsin or even the ultimate independent Notre Dame. Same problem all--Old Style, traditional football.
As for the NFL not going with the spread offense, I think we'll see that it's just a matter of time. The fans will demand it as they get used to seeing it on Saturday and wonder why the Pro's are getting so boring.
Good job as always. And yes, Fox is lucky to have you.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
Thanks Larry....and we are lucky to have you!
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Kristofer Green 9 months ago
Lise,
Got to agree with everything you said. From what I saw Saturday night, Pryor made quicker decisions, got rid of the ball quicker, made the defense second guess what was going to happen, and seemed to be a beter leader than Boeckman. Did you see him on the sidelines? When Todd Boeckman was in the game the defense locked in and knew exactly what was going to happen. When Pryor was in the game, especially in the first half, there were more opportunities for the offense to move.
Tress needs to hire an offensive coordinator. A real offensve coordinator. Tress needs to be the next coach to give up play calling duties and focus his energy into the rest of the team. They are way to predictible in every facet. Change is needed.
Congrats to your Trojans. They are for real. I don't know that there is another team that can beat them. I hope they get to the NCG, because if OSU happens to win the Big Ten, no way do I want to see them again in the Rose Bowl.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
k-
The Trojans locked down Pryor in the second half, but he definitely shows promise for the Bucks. If Tress doesn't change his O soon, Pryor will bail. They have to update their schemes more. They were so predictable, even the Trojans commented that they did exactly what they thought they would.
The Bucks have tremendous talent. They need to exploit it more.
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Roy LaFaver 9 months ago
Lisa, where would Pryor go? He had an offer from Michigan, which is trying to build an offense tailor made for the guy, and Michigan boosters have deep pockets just like their Ohio brethren. Penn State was drooling over the guy, and he didn't even consider his home team. He could have gone to a number of schools that would groom him well for the NFL. No, he bought in to OSU for reasons known only to him and his family, knowing all along they have never operated the kind of offense he is geared for. And that offense didn't look too comfortable with the option stuff. I think he's a square peg wedged in a round hole, and I don't see him pulling free. I'm sure he will build stats over the next couple of years, beating up on Big Ten opponents, and perhaps that is the reason he chose OSU in the first place. Going some place like Auburn can get a guy killed, and maybe he knew that as well.
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Saraswathi Siriginia 9 months ago
Nice read again LH, looks like it is bumper season in college games
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
Haha, no doubt Sarah!
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Gerald Ball 9 months ago
Lisa:
I honestly have to disagree with you. Whenever a run - oriented team (whether ball control or option) gets blown out by a pass - oriented team, everyone says that it is because their offense is outdated and needs to change. But what about when a run oriented team blows out a pass oriented team? (Yes, it does happen ... Ohio State versus Washington State in 2002, the year Ohio State won the national title.) Or what about when pass oriented teams blow out pass oriented teams? USC is going to win their 8th conference title in a row this year, and I have yet to hear anyone say that anyone in the pass happy PAC 10 needs to change their philosophy.
By the way, Ohio State does have a vertical passing offense. Haven't you seen all the WRs that OSU has sent to the NFL? The issue is that OSU's vertical passing comes off play action. In order to run play action effectively, you either need a very good tailback or a run - pass threat at QB. Boeckman is not a run - pass threat. That meant that Beanie Wells' getting hurt removed any chance that Ohio State had of competing with USC. With Beanie Wells' playing, it is a completely different ball game. Boeckman, who is limited as a passer, would not have had the pressure of sustaining and completing drives himself, and Ohio State's offensive line, which is built for run blocking and not pass blocking, would not have been under all that pressure from that NFL front seven. Beanie Wells plays and there are fewer key penalties and turnovers. USC still wins, but Ohio State makes it a lot more respectable. It is amazing that everyone takes for granted that Oregon would have kept rolling over people had Dennis Dixon not gotten injured (one ESPN columnist claims that they would have beaten OSU for the national title), but Ohio State, a run - oriented program, loses their best tailback since Maurice Clarett and Eddie George and everyone is like "so what."
Still, it is amazing. Ohio State loses big to USC, Florida, and Ohio State, loses close games to Texas and Penn State, but beats everybody else, and everyone says that they need to change their system. USC loses to 4 - 8 Stanford last year and 6 - 6 UCLA the year before, and 8 - 6 Cal 4 years ago, and no one says that they need to change a thing.
By the way: let me point out that Ohio State's WRs don't scare anybody either. Small, Hartline, Robiskie ... these aren't the 3 NFL first round draft picks that Troy Smith was throwing to in Santonio Holmes, Ted Ginn, and Anthony Gonzalez. Ohio State's problem isn't that they need to change schemes. It is that they need better and more talented players for their scheme ... better RBs, QBs, and WRs. Maybe recruiting Pryor will lead to better skill players coming to Ohio State. Still, the fact that Ohio State is not in Texas, Florida, or California and therefore unable to count on being able to stockpile Parade All Americans on offense is precisely why they should keep doing what they are doing. I will give you a comparison: had Mitch Mustain transferred to Ohio State, he'd be starting right now. Meanwhile, at USC, word has it that not only is he is not even 2nd string, but THIRD STRING behind Aaron Corp as well. The rest of college football can't pretend as if they have USC's players, they have to win with what they can recruit year after year, and Tressel is doing that as well as any QB in college football.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
gerald-
USC is not a pass happy team. On the contrary, they run 50% pass, 50% run. They run a pro-set, not a spread, or WCO.
As far as Beanie Wells out, and hence, the play-action couldn't work.....are you saying the Bucks only have one back that can run out in the flat and catch a seven yard pass? I don't buy it for a minute. You have TEs, running backs, full backs who can all catch a ball. Stanley Havili, SC's FB (!), caught a TD pass off of a helluva fake hand-off from Sanchez.
It's all about the QB selling the fake, a line that can give him at least 3 seconds, and some depth in skill positions, all of which are sorely lacking at OSU. The offense has to get more creative.
The USC players all said the same things" we knew what to expect and they didn't deviate." That's a telling sign, is it not?
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Buck Phan 9 months ago
OSU is in great shape, the team and the program have never been better. One championship since 1968, we are not a national power, so lets win the Big Ten.
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Lisa Horne 9 months ago
Roy-
He would go the the SEC. I'm sure Urban would love him....Timmy will be in the NFL after this year!
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