Creature Vs. Creature: How Ohio State Can Lose to USC on Saturday

There is no doubt about it.

To many, this article may seem pointless.

How can Ohio State lose to USC?

Are you kidding me? Ohio State is going to get creamed by the Trojans...or will they?

Fellow Bleacher Creature Paul Peszko and I have teamed up to tell you how each of our teams can lose, but that doesn't necessarily mean we think they will.

Ohio State has undeniably come up short in big games the last few seasons, but the Buckeyes have the talent and the coaching to compete with anyone in the country—but only if the team can stay out of its own way.

Silly penalties, personal fouls, turnovers, and self-destruction have spelled disaster for the Buckeyes in a list of games with scores that read like an obituary.

Each season brings new challenges, and every year the Buckeye Nation gears up for the national spotlight games that always litter the Buckeyes' schedule.

This season the amp-up to the game has had a decidedly different tone. One of worry instead of hope. One of dread instead of swagger. One where even the most die-hard fan is wondering if the Buckeyes will finally get out of their own way.

If the Buckeyes can't get it done this time and another morbid game is added to the list—well, then the country and the reactionary media will once again feast on the Buckeyes' failure.

And Jim Tressel and Ohio State will have no one to blame but themselves.

So how can the Buckeyes lose to the Trojans?

The offensive line troubles seen against Navy continue.

Though Tressel would have you believe otherwise, it is hard to imagine the Buckeyes truly viewed the Midshipmen as anything but a warm-up for the main show.

That being said, there is no reason a service academy should outmuscle a major power school like Ohio State at the line of scrimmage.

Terrelle Pryor's mobility can and will disguise a breakdown here and there, but if the quarterback is running for his life instead of running to make a play, the Buckeyes will have squandered an advantage that has long plagued the Trojans: the mobile quarterback.

The Trojans contain Pryor.

From Dennis Dixon and Vince Young in recent memory to Ell Roberson and Bryan Randall in the past, mobile quarterbacks have long been USC's Achilles' heel.

Pryor has the ability to wreak such havoc: In last season's meeting, Pryor was 7-for-9 passing for 51 yards and had 11 carries for 40 yards rushing in limited action.

This season, USC will undoubtedly be keyed in on the sophomore. The plan will be to take away the run option and make Pryor beat them with his arm. This is where that line play comes in.

If Pryor is forced to run laterally or, god forbid, backwards to escape the poor play of the offensive line, the speed of the USC defense will eliminate the big play ability of the Buckeyes' best offensive weapon.

The defensive front cannot pressure the Trojans into difficult third down situations.

Co-defensive coordinators Jim Heacock and Luke Fickell will undoubtedly load the box to stop the run and force USC's freshman quarterback Matt Barkley to beat them with his arm. But that cannot be the only option.

Simply stopping the run won't be enough. The Buckeyes must get consistent pressure from the front four on first and second down to force the Trojans into difficult third down situations, which will give the Buckeyes an advantage on the blitz.

If the defensive line cannot get any push and force Barkley to make decisions a little more quickly than he is comfortable with, the Trojans will have no problem moving the football.

The Buckeyes don't adjust.

A knock on Ohio State in big games the last few seasons has been the Buckeyes' inability to adjust during the game. This phenomenon was in full effect during last season's beatdown in the Coliseum.

However, the ability to adjust is something the OSU coaches possess (if they can let go of their stubborn commitment to the "plan.")

Having a game-plan is one thing, but sticking to it no matter how the game is progressing is frustrating at best for fans. When something isn't working, you have to try something else.

It's called having a plan B, and if the Ohio State coaches come into to this meeting with only a "plan A," it will be a long day for the Buckeyes.

Tressel is conservative and obvious in his play calling.

At one time, Tressel was considered one of the best play callers in the country, willing to make changes to exploit the talent on hand.

In 2006, Tressel deployed three, four, and sometimes five-receiver sets to spread the opponent out. With dual-threat quarterback Troy Smith pulling the trigger for the Buckeyes, the options were endless, and the Buckeyes offense was one of the best in the country.

Pryor is not quite the polished passer Smith was at this point, and big plays in the passing game will most likely have to come from play-action, which Tressel will certainly set up with his patented power runs early in the game.

But this is clearly Pryor's offense, and all signs point to Saturday as the national coming-out party for the raw talent that made him such a coveted recruit.

USC will presumably use loaded fronts with man coverage on the outside, including a spy for Pryor, to try to slow down the offense. This means OSU could go to the basic zone-read, something Tressel used with great success with Smith and last season (in limited use) against the Trojans.

The run-pass option or speed option employed with great success during the Smith years would also be a way to counter an aggressive USC front that could be prone to overplaying the quarterback.

The Buckeyes (and their coach) don't play with a killer instinct.

Though confidence is waning around Buckeye nation, there is no reason why this Ohio State team cannot compete against college football's finest. The talent is evident and abundant, but the team (much like their coach) seems to lack a killer instinct.

It's called swagger, and the Buckeyes simply need to show it more, whether Coach Tressel likes it or not.

Stats don't lie.

When the Buckeyes are in "killer mode," even in recent years, they are unstoppable. The problem is that Tressel doesn't always show that side, and consequently his players seem to follow that lead (one reason for the Buckeyes' fourth quarter collapse against Navy.)

When Tressel goes for the jugular, his team responds. Since 2001, when the Buckeyes score 30 or more points, the team is an astounding 70-0.

So for you Buckeye fans who are sick of all the negativity and want to finally see your Bucks prove their worth, this is how the Buckeyes can lose it...but you already knew that.

Let's hope Tressel and company know it too.