Ohio State Football: Breaking Down the Buckeyes in the Sugar Bowl vs. Arkansas
Considering past history, it's hard to imagine a BCS bowl season where the Ohio State Buckeyes don't make an appearance.
And for the sixth straight season, Ohio State finds itself in the Sugar Bowl playing against one of the big surprises of the season, Ryan Mallett's Arkansas Razorbacks.
After going 11-1 in a much tougher Big Ten, the Buckeyes certainly earned their way into a BCS bid whereas they seemed to coast through a weak Big Ten in past years.
But this matchup will certainly be a huge test for OSU, as they have not faced as prolific and pure a passer as Mallett since facing Philip Rivers and N.C. State in 2003.
Going into this matchup, here are 10 keys to watch for if Ohio State can finally shake the SEC jinx.
1. Terrelle Pryor Must Elevate His Game Once Again
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Although he did not receive Heisman votes, Terrelle Pryor had by far his best year as a Buckeye.
Pryor threw for over 2,500 yards and had 25 TD passes compared to just 11 interceptions, while maintaining a strong 65.8 completion percentage.
It's hard to deny that Pryor has grown up quickly since his Rose Bowl performance over Oregon, but he will need to top that.
And if he can rise to a level above where he has played, especially if he is at 100 percent like he was at the start of the season, Arkansas' defense will have their hands full.
2. Boom Herron Must Help Ignite the Running Game
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After the first few weeks of the regular season, the Buckeyes were having major problems running the football, which was a shocker to most in college football.
Luckily for Jim Tressel, he found his guy in Daniel "Boom" Herron, who has wrestled away the top back job decisively.
Herron's stats for the season would make him highly coveted in college football fantasy leagues, rushing for 1,068 yards and 15 TDs.
His ability to hit the hole with authority makes him very dangerous, including two games of over 175 yards rushing against Penn State and two weeks later vs. Michigan to finish off the season.
Herron will need to be strong against an underrated Arkansas front seven to take the pressure off of Pryor.
3. The Front Seven Must Get to Ryan Mallett and Hit Him
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Without a doubt, Ryan Mallett will be the best QB Ohio State has faced this season as far as being able to beat teams with his rocket arm.
But Ohio State's front seven will need to be active and try to get pressure on Mallett, which surprisingly has not been an easy thing to do for this group.
After breaking out as a unit in 2009, the OSU defense only registered 19 sacks. Whether that was a matter of losing talent or offenses game-planning to get the ball out quicker could possibly explain the surprising sack drought.
The important thing for the OSU coaches to do will be to mix up the looks of the front seven to try to confuse Mallett and send people from different places.
If OSU can do that with their front four and get help from the linebackers, they could take a lot of pressure off of a battered secondary.
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4. The Safeties Have To Avoid Giving Up the Big Play
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The safety position for Ohio State has been depleted tremendously this season, with stud DBs C.J. Barnett and Tyler Moeller suffering season-ending injuries during September.
Considering the arm of Mallett and the big-play ability of WRs Jairus Wright and Joe Adams, S Jermale Hines and Orhian Johnson will need to be at their best all day long.
The good news for Ohio State is that DBs Chimdi Chekwa, Devon Torrence and Travis Howard are more than capable at the corner position to make space small for opposing WRs.
But Ohio State has shown the susceptibility to give up big passes, especially in games against Minnesota and Iowa.
The front seven and the play of the corners can allow the safeties to be opportunistic and get some takeaways, but expect Mallett to fire away early and often at Nos. 7 and 19 in the silver helmets.
5. Mike Adams Must Be Ready To Protect Pryor from the Blind Side
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It took blue-chip T Mike Adams a while, but he has finally become the type of left tackle that has helped round out Ohio State's offensive line.
The most highly-heralded member of the Brew Crew of 2008, Adams, a native of nearby Dublin, was rated in the top 10 in most recruiting services right behind Pryor.
But after two seasons where he failed to have a major impact, Adams has stepped in and done a spectacular job protecting Pryor's blind side all season long.
And he will have a tough test lining up against talented DE Jake Bequette, a guy with a great mix of power and speed that has helped anchor a Razorback defense, which has 37 sacks on the season.
Adams, C Mike Brewster and company will need to be at their best to win the battle up front, which can help Pryor and the run game tremendously.
6. Get More Great Returns from Jordan Hall and Jaamal Berry
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One thing that has helped Ohio State make a quantum leap in offensive production has been the spectacular play from young RBs Jordan Hall and Jaamal Berry in the return game.
Berry and Hall, who combine to help OSU average 26.9 yards per return, good for No. 3 in the country, have explosive speed to go with great vision, which helps shrink the field for Pryor and the offense.
Hall recorded the only return TD for Ohio State this season against Michigan, and Berry has enough burst to get big yards in a hurry.
Though OSU has only had 35 kickoff returns all season, the youngsters have had a huge impact on special teams, something that Tressel hoped for when he put them as the main returners.
This maneuver was a great decision by Tressel going away from his usual philosophy of more experienced runners, and it has paid great dividends for OSU.
And against an Arkansas ranked No. 111 in kick return yardage allowed, this could be a huge advantage for the Buckeyes in New Orleans.
7. Make Ryan Mallett Beat You by Himself
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This might be the most dangerous and insane goal for Ohio State to want, but given the last few games for Arkansas, this might be the best defensive option for OSU.
Ryan Mallett's best friend in 2010 has to be RB Knile Davis, who emerged big time for Bobby Petrino's Razorbacks, rushing for just under 1,200 yards and 13 TDs, including going over 100 yards in five of his final six games.
Other than Wisconsin, Ohio State has done a good job at shutting down opposing running games.
But this is a different animal since Arkansas can use Davis' running to set up a deadly play-action attack.
If Ohio State can stop Davis using just four or five players, then they can get to work confusing Mallett and trying to create takeaways.
8. Do Not Get Intimidated by the SEC Jinx
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Ever since Jim Tressel came to Ohio State in 2001, he has gotten an edge over everyone except the SEC, where he is winless in three tries, including national title losses against Florida and LSU in consecutive years.
The worry for Ohio State is that these problems cannot become a mental issue, where they don't feel they can do it after only winning one SEC game in their long, illustrious history.
Half of football is mental, and staying mentally tough against an SEC team that has gone through the ringer like Arkansas has is the biggest test for OSU.
Luckily for OSU, they have had some tough games of their own, coming back against Miami, Penn State and Iowa.
They know how to battle in tough games, but they need to get away from a mental illusion that beating an SEC team is not an impossible task, because the rest of the Big Ten has not had as much of a problem with teams from that conference as OSU.
9. Conservative Play-Calling = Not Smart
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Considering the type of offensive ability that Ohio State has showcased all season long, going into a conservative shell against Arkansas would be a bad omen of things to come.
Too often Tressel's offensive game plan is conservative where he has relied on out-talenting teams, which works against the less-talented teams on the schedule, but not against tough teams like Arkansas.
He will need to be aggressive as he was in the Rose Bowl against Oregon, where the best defense in games against good offenses might be to keep scoring to put pressure on the other team.
To do that, he will need to put trust in a (possibly) 100 percent healthy Pryor and let him work his magic once again.
If OSU ventures into Tresselball if the game is close, don't expect Ohio State to pull it out given its recent history in big games (Texas/USC, 2009).
10. Pryor Must Use All of His Targets Effectively
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The biggest reason for why Pryor has been very successful this season has been his ability to make use of his multitude of targets and help them make big plays.
Namely, WRs Dane Sanzenbacher and DeVier Posey have been the biggest deep-threat options for Pryor, and he must go to them with effectiveness.
The other targets in the offense, including WR Corey "Philly" Brown and TEs Jake Stoneburner and Reid Fragel, must also be involved as well in the passing game.
But the trick for Ohio State will be to keep the defense from leaning toward one side of the field and keep them off balance.
If they do so, they can come out of the Superdome with a huge win over an SEC opponent.
This article is featured on The BCS Blitz. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @bielik_tim.
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