Buckeye faithful optimistic after Marshall Blowout

Oddly, Ohio State took care of business against an inferior opponent the week before a big game.  Over 500 yards of offense, touchdowns before field goals and passing before running.  The Buckeye faithful are quietly thinking…who kidnapped Jim Tressel, and how much money will it take for them to keep him all season long? 

All kidding aside, was the offensive firepower a sign of things to come in 2010, or were the Thundering Herd so bad that almost any play would have worked? A little bit of both, but there are legitimate reasons to be excited. 

First, the offensive line looked mature and dominating.  Led by the Killer B’s – Brewster, Boren and Browning, the line pushed Marshall’s defense around the entire game. Adams and Shugarts played well, and now appear ready to go the distance.  Additionally, Zach Boren’s play at full back is outstanding.   

The big uglies are ready to open holes and max protect all year long.  The key is keeping them healthy. 

Second, the skilled positions took control early in the game.  Posey, Sanzenbacher, Saine, Herron and Stoneburner were all legitimate threats that kept the Thundering Herd defense off balance. 

The depth on offense looked good too.  This is an area that Tressel may not have had in the past, or was less confident in the past.  Hall and Berry looked explosive coming out of the backfield, and Brown, Schwartz, Fields and Washington were solid at WR.  They’re playing time will obviously diminish as the season progresses, but it is nice to know they can provide good relief to the starters when needed. 

Third, Pryor has command of the offense.  Last year, he cut his teeth with his skill players.  Last night, Pryor was playing ahead of the game.  His confidence in the line was evident, and he was patient in his reads and distribution. 

All of this was against a defense that was vastly undermanned, but the small things were there.  No turnovers, dominant blocking, attitude, scoring when it mattered, speed and a sense of urgency.  In previous seasons, the offense did not look this efficient so early in the season.  All looks promising…but

History suggests that Tressel’s offense will not be extraordinarily productive.  Coach Tressel has never had a top twenty offense in his tenure. In fact, the Buckeyes have only been in the Top 50 in total offense just twice under Tressel, 32^nd in 2005 and 26^th in 2006.  Considering the Big Ten titles and BCS Bowl games that the Buckeyes have won/played in over the last nine seasons, the lack of offense is pretty astonishing.

Additionally, the Big Ten is loaded with defensive talent.  Iowa and Wisconsin have elite level defenses that will pose problems for the Buckeyes.  Purdue and Penn State will also have stingy defenses.  It is reasonable to assume that these games will be challenging, and the offense will not be so explosive. 

Fortunately, the Buckeyes will likely get a stiff test next weekend against Miami.  No one really knows if the U is back to their old form yet, but if the Buckeyes put up the same kind of numbers against the Hurricanes as they did last night, OSU fans can be certain the team is ready for another championship run.