The Weekend That Will Be: Ohio Open Thread

Notes, analysis, and musing for the game this weekend:

Who will handle the kickoff return this weekend?

With Chris "Beanie" Wells sidelined, Brandon Saine and Dan Herron are sure to see more carries. Will they remain on the kickoff return team?

Initially, I would recommend relieving them of that duty and putting Lamaar Thomas and Maurice Wells back there. Against Youngstown State, the Buckeyes only had one kickoff return—the opening kickoff, no less—so they did not receive much practice, anyway.

I can see each side of this issue. Leave them back there: The Buckeyes have to get better at returning kicks and changing return men each game is not going to help that. Replace them: Saine and Herron, however, have an increased role to play, both against Ohio and on a going-forward basis, and we do not need them getting injured on a kick return.

Posey climbing the charts

No freshman not named Pryor did more in the first game to support the hype than DeVier Posey. It will be interesting to see if that trend continues. While continuing to prove his mettle to the coaches, Posey gets a chance today to prove himself against a closer critic—his older brother, Julian, a cornerback for Ohio University.

Speaking of Pryor...

...will the coaches expand the playbook for him this weekend to give Southern Cal another package to prepare for? Or, will coach Jim Tressel keep it under wraps until next week? There are benefits to each scenario, and my guess is that it depends on what Pryor is comfortable running. Since Pryor looked extremely comfortable last week, I expect a few new wrinkles today.

Will there fewer substitutions this week?

The Buckeyes made copious substitutions in Week One, but I would look for fewer this week. The Bobcats are a step up in competition, albeit slight, and the Buckeyes want to get more continuity with their units. I think the wholesale offensive line change will not happen quite as early this time around.

The job opening at fullback is closed

After all the talk of Curtis Terry moving to fullback, Brandon Smith seemed rather settled at that position last Saturday. We assume he will continue to be the man in-front-of-Beanie/Saine/Herron/Wells. 

In case you are wondering, the Buckeyes ran 35 plays with a fullback for 215 yards, an average gain of six. Overall, Ohio State ran 74 plays for 495 yards and a 6.7 average.

Still no word from Tressel...

...on whether he is going to take our suggestion and place Pryor on the field-goal unit as the holder. I initially wrote that in jest, but the more I think about it the more I like it.

There is downside, namely that Pryor botches the hold and blows the attempt. I understand that Pryor is trying to digest the entire playbook, get adjusted to life away from home, and preparing for a new academic environment, so adding a duty he has never had before might seem like piling on. 

But if he can learn those other responsibilities, what is one more?

Bring back the swinging door and make it a borderline offensive play. I just keep imaging a key field attempt in Madison where Pryor takes the snap, bootlegs right, and turns up field for a huge first down. This is Tressel’s chance to be a trendsetter.