Family Feud is a feature in which Dave and Drew throw around their opinions, which many times are quite the opposite of one another's, on various Buckeye football subjects. This edition takes a look at where the team stands as they prepare for their three final games.
1. Are the Buckeyes Legit at 8-1?
OSU had done most of their damage against poor and mediocre competition. How good do you think this team really is?
Drew: I don't think there has ever been a Tressel team that has beaten up on poor competition like this year's squad. Yet, two poor showings on the road against Illinois and Wisconsin (loss) have left us all with questions of where this team actually stands.
The Miami (FL) win felt really good at the time, but since then we have seen how mediocre they, along with the rest of the ACC, really are. So, at this point I have to say this team is good but not great.
I want to hope this team is still special and they just got caught sleepwalking at Camp Randall, but until they head to Kinnick Stadium to take on Iowa, no one really knows.
Without injuries I doubt we would even be having this debate, but as we all know that is part of the equation for any championship run. Considering the injuries, I think Tressel's play-calling will dictate whether they overcome them or not.
Against tougher competition he can't be overly conservative and bottle up the offense, I just don't think the defense and special teams are going to win the tight games on their own. He will have to open things up and use his offense to control the tempo of the game, and honestly there aren't any offenses in the Big Ten that can hang with OSU when Tressel actually lets go of the reins.
Dave: I hate to agree with you but there is no way anyone can proclaim the 2010 Buckeyes a great team at this point. It is the anti-Tressel squad in many respects.
Normally his good teams win the close games but don't overwhelm weak competition. This year they are killing the lower echelon teams but 1-1 in close games.
Also, usually Tressel teams depend on defense and special teams to win. This year's group is riding the back of the offense and the question is can Pryor and company get it done in a tough environment against a quality opponent?
So far the answer is no.
The Iowa game is a chance at redemption. However, JT will have to open things up if they are going to win that game, and Pryor can't afford any silly interceptions. If they come out of Iowa City with a "W" we can start calling this team a success.
2. Deep in the OSU Trenches
Against Wisconsin, OSU was exposed in the trenches on both sides of the ball, but has appeared to regain their swagger in recent weeks. So, do the lines have what it takes to beat Iowa and lead the Buckeyes to a BCS Bowl?
Dave: I am starting to think that the offensive line is getting in a groove like they did after the Purdue game a year ago. They have been pretty good in pass protection most of the year, but seem to be doing a better job in opening up holes.
It helps when you have a confident back like Boom running behind them, and honestly some of their early-season problems were due to running backs (especially Brandon Saine) doing a poor job of hitting the hole. Shugart's foot injury worries me, but hopefully he can gut it out down the stretch.
As for the defensive line I never bought into the hype that they were going to be better than last year. I did, however, think that Melvin Fellows would emerge, and that the depth would be decent. In truth, outside of Hankins, it is nonexistent.
To beat Iowa they will have to reach down deep and play their best game, and they also need Heacock to dial up some blitzes like he did last week at Minnesota.
I think the only thing that will keep this unit afloat in big games like Iowa, is Pryor running the ball again to keep defenses off balance.
3. D-line Sack Woes...Is it Scheme, Poor Play or a Little of Both?
Drew: It's a little of both. The defensive line has been in the face of quarterbacks all season long; they just haven't done a great job of finishing the deal. We have seen way too many missed tackles on quarterbacks this season.
With that said, teams have done a great job of getting the ball out quickly against the Buckeyes. The defense hasn't seen a lot teams that wanted to sit in the pocket for great lengths of time and go vertical, but rather play-calling designed around short and intermediate passes.
The two teams that did try to complete such a feat, Miami (FL) and Minnesota, were the two games where the defensive line did the best job of being in the quarterback's face.
The other thing we can't forget though is that while the front four hasn't done a great job of getting to the QB on their own, they haven't had a lot of help either. Not only is Tyler Moeller out, arguably the best pass rusher on the team, but the Buckeyes don't spend a lot of time blitzing.
As they proved against Minnesota when they want to bring the heat, rather than playing "bend but don't break," the defensive line looks a lot better.
Dave: More than anything I think it is on the players themselves.
I thought coming into this year that Cameron Heyward would be a beast, but in truth he is a nice player with great versatility but not a super pass rusher. This year facing more double-teams and without Gibson across from him, he has struggled to get to the quarterback. He does get some pressure regularly but can't finish the job.
Nobody else on the line has the skills to be a great pass rusher, either, which keeps the Silver Bullets from getting to the quarterback as much as we would like.
If you ask me, there are a number of guys on the line who simply haven't progressed as expected. Are they lazy or have they failed to be coached up? I'm not sure I have the answer.
I do agree that we need to blitz more, as Rolle and Homan have the ability to create havoc (especially the speedy Rolle). Sending a corner or safety on occasion is great as well, because pretty soon the opponent gets confused and the linemen start missing assignments.
The secondary is walking on thin ice, namely at safety, and, as Minnesota proved, the Silver Bullets appear to be vulnerable down the middle. Can they hold up for this crucial three-game stretch?
Dave: I think the safeties will be exposed by Iowa and Michigan for sure. Against the team from up north, the offense should score enough points to cover it, but this may be a huge problem against the Hawkeyes.
Losing Barnett, Moeller and Bryant has been a killer, and Orhian Johnson has been a disappointment. I think Gant has done pretty well considering the fact that he wasn't really in the two deep to begin the year. He plays the run well, but struggles some in coverage.
No doubt, Ricky Stanzi will light up Ohio State unless there is a good pass rush, aided by some timely blitzing. The Silver Bullets must stop the run, get Iowa in 3rd-and-long situations, and get in Stanzi's face.
Hopefully the bye week will give the safeties time to work on their pass coverage skills, but even if they progress some, this will be an issue.
Drew: Yes, the safeties are going to cost the defense some big plays down the stretch. Orhian Johnson hesitates a lot in coverage and doesn't really bring the kind of physicality we are used to on an OSU defense.
While I have been surprised at how well Aaron Gant has stepped in, there still is a reason he hasn't seen the field in five years with the team. I would feel a lot better about Gant playing back there if he had someone else besides Johnson alongside him.
They key for the final three games is going to be stopping the run to help these guys out. If the front seven can hold their own against some solid running teams, and make them one-dimensional, it will go a long way in hiding the secondary.
If not, it could be a long three games, as OSU has shown how vulnerable they are to the play-action pass.
5. Will Daniel "Boom" Herron Keep Rolling?
Drew: I expect Boom to continue his pace, but he will have a tough outing against Iowa. I think Penn State and Michigan have little hopes of hanging with the OSU offensive line, who dominated them in the trenches this time last year as well.
Iowa will be a different animal, as they have done a solid job shutting down running backs all year long. They even held John Clay under 100 yards, which isn't an easy feat, as we well know. That game will be as much about Pryor's legs as Boom's.
Overall though, I think he finishes strong and even gets named a second-team Big Ten performer.
Dave: Boom has always been a guy you couldn't help but cheer for, but he has taken his game to another level of late. Even against Wisconsin he did a nice job that largely went unnoticed.
While I don't expect a 100-yard game against Iowa, I do think he will have more success than what you are forecasting. The line and Boom are on the same page, and confidence is a big factor.
My hope and prayer is that Saine only touches the ball as a receiver in the final games. And, hopefully Pryor's quad will be sound down the stretch allowing him to be a major factor in the running game, too.
The OSU QB has become somewhat of a forgotten man with the emergence of players like Cam Newton, Andrew Luck and Denard Robinson. What grade do you give him thus far?
Dave: Cam Newton is on a different level than anyone else at quarterback this year, but after him, I think Pryor is as good as any QB out there.
His harebrained interceptions frustrate me, but he is passing at a high completion percentage, throwing a bunch of touchdowns, and helping the offense put up the best numbers in the Tressel era. Of course, when healthy he does a fine job running the ball, too.
I confess that I have been amazed at the progression of Robinson, but still think he is a run-first quarterback who isn't ready to get it done against quality opposition.
Guys like Stanzi and Luck are excellent quarterbacks with slightly different games than Pryor, but I wouldn't trade him for either of them. After last year's Purdue game, I thought Pryor would never develop into the passer he has become, so I have been pleasantly surprised.
Although his statistics are good enough for an A, I will give Pryor a B because he could not make the big plays when needed against Wisconsin. Yes, he was hurting, and he didn't get as much help as he needed, but in crunch time he threw some really ugly balls. I think he can upgrade to a B+ or higher with a strong finish and three wins.
Drew: I have spent some talking about this, as I think Pryor is one of the most overly criticized players in the country. I realize much of that comes from being a No. 1 recruit, but I still don't understand why people don't give him more credit for the season he has been putting together.
Just for comparison, let's look at him next to Ricki Stanzi (Andrew Luck would be another good comparison), who seems to be a media darling, especially on ESPN.
Pryor has more passing yards (1,997 to 1,922) and more touchdowns (20 to 19). While Stanzi has thrown fewer picks and has a higher passer rating (180.3 to 165.2), Pryor still ranks sixth in the national in that category. Not to mention that Pryor uses his legs a lot (463 yards, four TDs), which is something Stanzi has done none of.
If all that doesn't still convince you, how about the fact the Buckeyes have a better record thus far.
So yes, I hope more people recognize what Pryor is doing. Is he still inconsistent at times? Yes. Should he win the Heisman this year? No. I still give him an A- this season for his major improvement and leadership ability.
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