Ohio State Football: 11 Resolutions for the Buckeyes in 2011
Another year in college football is days away from ending, and the calendar is about to flip over into 2011.
And looking back at the year that was for Ohio State, it started with a big win over Oregon in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day, and ended with Terrelle Pryor, DeVier Posey and the other suspended Buckeye players making a public apology to Buckeye Nation.
Now comes 2011, where Ohio State starts off with the Sugar Bowl on January 4 against Arkansas, then faces an eight-month question about how the team will respond without the five suspended players, whether or not any of them stay in Columbus.
With an uncertain future looming, here are 11 resolutions Ohio State has for 2011.
1. Find a QB to Start at Least the Beginning of the 2011 Season
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It's no secret that Terrelle Pryor's experience as a starter, 30-4, will be missed in the first five games of the 2011 season, if not for the entire year should he go pro.
It's no secret either that OSU does have plenty of capable candidates for the starting job.
However, it's tough to find any fan who thinks Joe Bauserman should be starting, given his accolades.
Instead, the favorites to fill in for Pryor's big shoes would be backups Kenny Guiton and Taylor Graham. Don't count out freshman QB Braxton Miller either, as he will enroll in January and be able to go through spring practices with the football team.
But OSU should expect a candidate for the starting gig to emerge from spring football, or the 2011 season might not get off to a great start.
2. Stay Healthy Next Season
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Tyler Moeller, Corey Brown, Ross Homan, C.J. Barnett, Christian Bryant and Dorian Bell.
All six of these players missed significant time during the season with injuries, which hurt Ohio State big time defensively, especially against Wisconsin.
With a surprisingly large amount of injuries sustained in 2010, the Buckeyes should hope to maintain a relatively clean bill of health next season.
3. Don't Wait Until October to Run the Football Effectively
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As explosive as Ohio State's offense was in the first month or so of the season, one surprising problem was their inability to run the football.
Pryor threw the ball and ran it pretty well in combination, but RBs Dan Herron and Brandon Saine struggled tremendously.
But as the season rolled on, the running game improved greatly, especially with Herron emerging as a strong No. 1 back.
With Herron suspended, and possibly leaving, and Saine graduating, OSU will need to rely on an inexperienced, but talented, group of backs anchored by Jordan Hall and Jaamal Berry to get the big yards to help an undermanned offense out.
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4. Sack the Quarterback More
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As good as the Ohio State defense was this season, the one thing they could not do was sack the opposing QB.
Whether it was because of opposing game plans or underachieving across the board, the Buckeye defense just could not bring the QB down.
They created a high amount of turnovers, but they only had 18 sacks on the season, down from 31 in 2009.
So with DT John Simon returning and DE Nathan Williams likely to return for his senior season, they will need to be the guys to put major pressure on the QB in 2011.
5. Find a Receiver to Replace, Then Complement DeVier Posey
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With Dane Sanzenbacher graduating and DeVier Posey serving his suspension, Ohio State has a major hole in the receiving game to fix.
Their two most likely replacements for the starting jobs for the first five games, Corey "Philly" Brown and Chris Fields, combined for just ten catches and one TD in their respective careers.
While Jake Stoneburner should return at TE, whoever starts at QB needs a receiver to step up as the temporary No. 1 and still be able to be productive as the No. 2 when Posey returns.
If they can't, then the OSU offense will have major problems.
6. Get Ready for a Physical Pounding in 2011
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The loss to Wisconsin completely derailed Ohio State's national championship hopes and almost killed their chances of playing in a BCS bowl game.
If they want to get back there in 2011, they will have to go through Michigan State, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Penn State.
So, this team will need to become more mentally tough and be able to man up, especially in the defensive front seven throughout the season.
Without Ross Homan and Brian Rolle next season, the defense will need more aggressive, physical personalities to amp up the intensity to stop the power running game.
If they can't find that, they may have a tough time stopping teams like Wisconsin next year.
7. Somehow Replace Chimdi Chekwa in the Secondary
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Of all the seniors of the class of 2011, possibly the most unappreciated player of the group may be CB Chimdi Chekwa.
A second-team All-American this season, Chekwa has been a fixture of the OSU defense all four seasons and has developed into one of the most underrated DBs in the country.
He has the athleticism and intelligence to stick with his receiver and cut off his production.
With him and Devon Torrence both graduating, it will be up to junior Travis Howard and, most likely, FSU transfer Dionte Allen to start at corner.
Those two will need to mesh quickly to keep the Silver Bullet defense rolling into the new year.
8. Keep Working at Forcing Turnovers
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The turnover is one of the biggest plays in football, and not many teams capitalize on them like the Buckeyes. Just ask Penn State who led OSU at halftime and lost after throwing two INTs for touchdowns.
The Buckeyes defense has been one of the most opportunistic groups in the country in the past few seasons, and 2010 was no different.
With 29 takeaways in 12 games, Ohio State has been shown the ability to take advantage of teams' mistakes and turn them into big points.
They will need to do that once again with some question marks across the roster, thanks to the suspensions.
9. Make Travel Arrangements to Indianapolis on December 3
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With the division of the Big Ten beginning in 2011, it's not surprising to think that OSU is a favorite to come out of the Leaders Division (name possibly pending) and play in the Big Ten's first conference championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
If they do, they will likely face either Nebraska or Michigan State, teams they will have already played in October.
Luckily for Ohio State, Pryor and company will be back for the Nebraska game, but they will miss the Michigan State game barring a successful appeal.
But what is important is that if Ohio State gets past Wisconsin and Penn State, they should have no reason to not punch their ticket to Indy. And with both teams coming to the Horseshoe, they will likely be favored to get the job done.
10. Protect the Shoe at All Costs
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For all of the legal troubles the Buckeyes will have to deal with for the first chunk of 2011, they do have one big thing going for them, the powers of their division must go to Columbus.
Wisconsin will go to Columbus against an OSU team that will be out for blood, Michigan State comes to town for the first time since 2007, and PSU goes for a second straight season in a weird scheduling change.
All three teams will be playing on New Year's Day, and all three will have huge roles to play in the Big Ten in 2011.
With the only tough road games being at Nebraska and Michigan, the road to Indianapolis will go through the Horseshoe.
11. Please Don't Get into More Trouble with the NCAA
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This is a no-brainer, but it needs to be reemphasized given the events not only at Ohio State, but at different schools in the country this season.
Given the circumstances of the suspensions, OSU can't afford to risk their future further with more problems like the ones that shook the fanbase a week ago.
If they can stay disciplined, the program will be fine for the year after the five players will have graduated.
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