5 THINGS OHIO STATE MUST DO TO WIN THE BIG TEN

5 THINGS OHIO STATE MUST DO TO WIN THE BIG TEN:

After their shocking loss to Purdue, Ohio State needs to win their last three games against arguably the best teams in the Big Ten if they wish to win their 5th straight Big Ten title and another trip to a BCS Bowl game.

Here are the five things they need to do win at Penn State, at home against Iowa and in Ann Arbor against their arch rivals.

1.  NEW MEXICO PRACTICE:  See their up coming game against New Mexico State as a "in game" practice.  The Aggies offense ranks very low against OSU's highly ranked defense.  New Mexico State also gives up 40 points per game, since Tressell's arrival OSU is undefeated when scoring 30 or more points. In other words this should be an easy blow out.  So... this game is an opportunity to sharpen up their offensive plays, have Pryor improve on his basics, and allow starters, namely running backs to get healthy again.

2.   TERRELL PRYOR BASICS:  If OSU is to get their 5th straight Big Ten Crown, Pryor will need to improve on all of his basics;  Stepping into his throws, avoid staring down receivers, making better reads, getting rid of the ball sooner and running more decisively. That seems like a tall order, but we've seen occassional good throws from him all season and know what he can do with his legs, once he's had some initial passing success.

3.  OFFENSIVE GAME PLAN:  The cry coming from The Buckeye nation has validity when it comes to Ohio State's vanilla offense.  The reality is that my son's 8th grade Jr. High Football team ran a more complex offense then The Buckeyes did against Purdue. OSU will need to score more points if they wish to run the Big Ten table.  Draws, screens, reverses, fades, counters all seem foreign to The Buckeye's Offensive brains. Ohio State fans saw a more complete offensive package against Minnesota and it showed with Ohio State ringing up over 500 total yards of offense.  Should Saine and Herron get healthy, coupled with a comprehensive open game plan against stout Lion and Hawkeye defenses, Ohio State will have a SHOT at winning those games. The young OSU Offensive line will need to be more physical and make fewer mistakes in louder venues than West Lafeyette in weeks to come.  Should OSU's offense have frequent and consistent three and outs, things may get out of hand, because too much will be asked of the Defense. What about OSU's Turnover problems, especially in West Lafayette?  That was more of a by product of Terrell Pryor's poor play and a simple offensive game plan exploited by Purdue than anything else.

4.  DEFENSE REGAIN ITS SWAGGER: That's right, OSU's Defensive Line has not been as dominant the past two weeks against the Boilers and Gophers.  Additionally, there is a disturbing trend of successful passing against The Buckeye's untested secondary.  Wisconsin and Purdue Quarterbacks had decent success passing the ball.  Against Minnesota,  Decker too found success, what would of happened should he had remained healthy the entire game?   One can guarantee that more accurate passers from Iowa and Penn State will exploit that hole until OSU's Defense shuts it.  Balanced offenses from The Nittany Lions and The Hawkeyes may prove very problematic for Ohio State.

 5.  NOT SO SPECIAL, SPECIAL TEAM PLAY:   Usually a staple of Tressell's teams, the special teams need some improvement.  In close games, close field goals may be the difference and OSU's FG kicker Petry has missed many of his close FGs, however, interestingly he's very accurate over 40 yards. The unsung play against Purdue was when The Buckeyes began turning the tide, narrowing the lead to 26-10, then a poor kick off was returned close to the 50. Following a successful first down and QB scramble, the boilers nailed a long field goal to regain their two touchdown lead over OSU. This had a huge impact as OSU could of narrowed the lead to 5 instead of 8  when they scored on their next drive.  The special team play of Small also is a consderation, as his kickoff return against The Badgers nearly sealed their fate and his punt drop against Purdue was costly.

5 things OSU must do to close out the season with wins, gain a Big Ten Title and send Tressell to a BCS Bowl he's never been to yet coveted by The Buckeye nation, The Rose Bowl.  From this vantage point is seems a tall order and many would say the odds aren't in their favor!   Time will tell!