Indiana Recap: Clint Eastwood Style

Dave Thurman (12:00 PM)

Ohio State rode a dominating first half to an easy victory over Indiana that wasn't as close as the final score.  It was fun to watch up until the break, and then got really boring in the second half. 

In fact, it seemed like the game would never end, as the fourth quarter drug on and on.  Rather than try and give a play by play summation, I want to borrow from one of Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns and talk about "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."

The Good

The first half offensive attack - Tressel has been criticized for being too conservative, but came out with a good, diversified attack that featured Brandon Saine and Terrelle Pryor running the ball, and lots of short and intermediate passes (yes, you read that right)! 

After Indiana scored a touchdown in the second quarter to cut the OSU lead to 10-7, the Buckeyes came out with a reverse on the kickoff, and then scored in three plays.  It looked like they meant business, and was quite impressive.

The offensive line - In the first half the young line did well, and it was great to see second year players Brewster, Shugarts, and Adams playing well, along with true freshman Marcus Hall, who tasted his first action of the year and looked just fine. 

Anderson Russell - Time to give props to the punching bag who I have criticized along with nearly everyone else.  In Coleman's absence he had 6 tackles (tied for team high), a fumble recovery and an interception.  Nice game for Russell and it must have felt really great. 

I was also happy for Rob Rose who turned in another excellent performance in what is becoming a fine senior year for him. 

The Bad

Aaron Pettrey - I love this guy and he has an incredible leg, but he missed a couple chipshots from 35 and 29 and that will beat us later in the year if not corrected.  It's like he struggles to concentrate and follow through on short kicks and it was frustrating to say the least.

Kickoff coverage - Pettrey's kicks weren't particularly deep and ex-Tarblooder Ray Fisher nearly took a couple to the house.  It wasn't pretty and needs to be cleaned up this week.

Second half intensity - I know the game wasn't in question, but it is disappointing to watch a dominant team put it on cruise control and not execute, which was true of the offense in the second half.  A couple late turnovers took points off the board for the Buckeyes, and made it possible for Indiana to score a touchdown as time expired.

The Ugly

Injuries - Everyone is worried about Dex Larrimore who suffered a knee injury in the first half.  He is needed to stop the run against Wisconsin and it looked pretty serious.  It's being called a sprain and I imagine he'll be out a couple weeks minimum so it's not good. 

I also saw Brandon Saine come out after catching a long pass in the fourth quarter and it looked like he might have twisted or tweaked an ankle.  That's not what the Bucks need with Herron still hobbled.  

Starters playing late in the game - I know Tress wants to build TP's confidence and have him work on technique but it opens the door to injury.  If Saine is hurt it's because he was playing late in the game with a 33-7 lead, and if Pryor got injured in that kind of situation it would be tragic. 

As it is, Pryor left us with bad taste in our mouths after what was a fine performance, as he fumbled and lost 21 yards, followed by an interception, on his final two plays of the game.  Truth is he should have been on the bench at that point!  (Equally as ugly was Bauserman fumbling a poor snap by Sika with a couple minutes left opening the door for IU's late TD!)

The Funny

Okay, I added a category, because I couldn't stop laughing at Bill Lynch in the first half as he ranted, raved, and screamed at the officials repeatedly.  I guess he was trying to channel his inner Bob Knight, but whereas the General looked intimidating when he was mad, Lynch just looked funny!

Well, bring on 5-0 Wisconsin who always comes with a physical attack.  Here's hoping our guys heal up and get ready for a war!