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2007 tOSU Football Season Discussion (merged)

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CPD

COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER
OSU's title game hopes dim, not dead


Monday, November 12, 2007Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
It's . . . of the Week, the best of a weekend that was. Where it's OK to wonder why Illinois isn't 11-0.

Game of the Week
Illinois 28, Ohio State 21:


What's that? A faint flicker of hope? Here's all Ohio State needs to get back into the top two in the BCS and into the national title game:
BCS No. 1 LSU to lose to No. 9 Georgia in the SEC title game Dec. 1. Possible.
BCS No. 2 Oregon to get upset at 4-6 Arizona, at 5-5 UCLA or at home against 6-4 Oregon State. Best shot is the rivalry game with the Beavers, who started Cal's downfall earlier this year.



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MJ

Buckeyes not out of it yet
JASON LLOYD, Morning Journal Writer
11/12/2007




COLUMBUS -- National voters had been waiting for their opportunity to drop Ohio State. Yesterday they got it and, to the surprise of no one, took full advantage.


The Buckeyes' flickering hopes of returning to the national title game were almost certainly extinguished yesterday when both polls dropped them from first to seventh following Saturday's home loss to Illinois. As a result, Ohio State is also seventh in the BCS this week, behind the same teams it trails in both polls.

The Buckeyes went all the way to the back of the pack, behind all the other one-loss teams except for Arizona State, which was never considered a serious threat in the first place. Sometimes teams that suffer their first loss this late in the season don't fall very far in the polls, but that's not the case for the Buckeyes.

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is it just me, or did the staff really go away from the offense they'd been running the entire season in the last two weeks? the silver package has all but disappeared and has been replaced by a 2003-esque I-tight/5-wide either/or proposition... maybe Tressel was trying not to show TSUN too much, but i think that the offensive gameplan really bit us in the ass against the Illini. it looked just like last year, when J Lehman said afterward that they knew exactly what was coming... the only difference is that this year we were down 7, not up 17...

as for the defensive side of the ball, on other sites there is much moronic yammering about the staff not putting in the right game plan, and griping that we were in a soft zone too much, but i would beg to differ. IMHO, the weakness of this defense is the line, which was young to begin with and has been pretty much banged up all year. Rose, Denlinger, Rose, Wilson, Larrimore all have been banged up and missed games... it all starts up front after all. does any one REALLY think that the coaches thought that Larry Grant was our best option at DE against the Illini? or maybe that they were forced into that situation by a lack of viable bodies...?

as for the soft zone bit, i'm not sure what game they were watching. we blitzed the hell out of Illinois. unfortunately, it was usually from the wrong side... and our safeties bit WAY too hard on the ball fakes. you have to play assignment football to stop the option, and they were just too aggressive on the backside because they were trying to overcome the issues on the front four...

or maybe i don't know what the hell i'm talking about. i really hope the DL guys can get healthy this week...

edit: one more question for you coaching types. when we're lined up I-tight, and the lone corner is playing off and looking in, why for the love of the football gods don't we ever audible to the quick pass out to that lone receiver? isn't a one-on-one open field situation the kind of matchup that an offense wants? it doesn't have to go to the house either. it just needs to pick up 5-7 yards. the safeties have to back off, and that opens the running game... we only took one shot that i can recall on a playaction from the I-tight (the missed deep ball to Ballard), and that's just not enough to keep the defense honest...

i guess what i want to know is, is it really worth it to take that second receiver off the field to bring in another blocker when all that does is force the defense to bring that 9th or 10th guy into the box? how do you run against that? on the stat sheet we rushed for 5 yards a pop. take away Beockman's 68 yards on his scrambles, and we rushed for 112 on 28 carries...

oh well...
 
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DDN

Bucks still have chance to get back in BCS picture

By Marc Katz
Staff Writer

Tuesday, November 13, 2007
It has been assumed that Ohio State is officially and unequivocally done as part of any national football championship consideration following Saturday's loss to Illinois.
Well, hold on a moment, even though that weak nonconference schedule and a less-than-stellar Big Ten certainly puts the Buckeyes in jeopardy.


You do not play Youngstown State, Akron and Kent State and start flapping your gums over how good you are. Winning those games, however, can earn a top ranking if everybody else is losing.



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MJ

Not over yet?

Former Ohio State coach Earle Bruce, who addresses the players every week of the Michigan game, isn't ready to rule the Buckeyes out of the national title hunt -- going so far as guaranteeing LSU won't be there at the end.

Ohio State is ranked seventh this week and needs plenty of help to dig its way back up to No. 2. Bruce said it's possible.

''I guarantee I know one team that's not going to be in there. Figure that out,'' Bruce said.

At first, he hedged on naming the team before hinting, ''It's a place I hate to go.''

Bruce often talks about Ohio State's trip to LSU in 1987, which ended in a tie. He wasn't a fan of anything about Baton Rouge, particularly the Tiger fans.
 
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ABJ

Ohio State notebook


Tressel backs system even after fumbled replay call He's also kicking himself less each day on decision to use timeout late in game
By George M. Thomas Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Wednesday, Nov 14, 2007
Many Ohio State fans remain livid at what happened on the end of Daniel Dufrene's 80-yard run on Illinois' opening drive. As he was being tackled, it appeared Dufrene fumbled the ball into the end zone, where Ohio State recovered.
Had that been the case, it would have resulted in a touchback and turned over the ball to the Buckeyes' offense. Coach Jim Tressel said that play never got a review by the replay crew because of technical difficulties. The coach said he still has confidence in the system.
''Quite honestly, from where any of us were, that was a long way, that was 83 yards away or whatever that was, so none of us were that sure exactly what occurred,'' he said '' And we have faith in the system.
''Sometimes the system isn't perfect, but you know I'm not a replay guy to start with, because it's not comprehensive. But the replay system we have, we have faith in and go from there.''

Tressel outcoached?
Tressel found himself facing scrutiny for using a timeout on Illinois' final, time-killing drive when the Illini had fourth-and-inches and were prepared to punt. With a couple of his players still racing off the field, he called a timeout. That gave Illinois the time to regroup and reconsider the decision.
The result: Illini quarterback Juice Williams picked up a first down.
Tressel said he initially beat himself up over the call.


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Mel on the Bucks

Patrick (Alexandria): Why should I care about Ohio State and Michigan? They're two average teams in a below average Big 10.

Mel Kiper: They're not average teams. OSU is well above average team. Don't take shots at OSU. They're a very good team, don't comdemn them because they lost a game. Are we going to condemn LSU? Oklahoma? Last time I checked, Illinois is much better than Cal, Kentucky. OSU's loss, granted it was at home, was to a team that's pretty good. A reason to watch this game is because it's for the Big Ten championship, a trip to the Rose Bowl. And there will be plenty of players playing in the NFL next year. Look at OSU, they have some outstanding players on their teams.
Click to expand...

ESPN.com: SPORTSNATION - Chat-18069(Insider)
 
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CPD

BUCKEYE LEAVES



Monday, November 19, 2007

A second look at what's left from Saturday's game:
As proudly pointed out by Jim Tressel, Ohio State is the first team to win three straight Big Ten titles since Penn State joined the league in 1993. The last team to pull it off was Michigan, which won five straight between 1988 and 1992. The last time Ohio State achieved a three-peat was during its run of six straight titles from 1972 to '77. And according to OSU historian Jack Park, Buckeyes right tackle Kirk Barton is almost certainly the first OSU player to start in four straight wins over Michigan.
No sense looking back too much on a dreary yet dominant win, so let's check back in on the national championship hopes for Ohio State, No. 5 in the BCS ratings released Sunday. The losses by Oregon and Oklahoma obviously helped, with a Big 12 representative no longer assumed to reach the title game. If Oklahoma beats the Missouri-Kansas winner in the Big 12 championship, which is quite possible, no Big 12 rep will go to New Orleans. I still think Arizona State needs to lose to USC on Thursday, and I think the Sun Devils will lose. That would leave West Virginia or LSU needing to lose for Ohio State to back in.




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Dispatch

Ohio State football
Bowl-bound fans making plans for, uh ... someplace

Monday, November 19, 2007 2:36 AM
By Suzanne Hoholik


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
bandroses200.jpg
NEAL C. LAURON | DISPATCH
The Ohio State football team, its fans and, yes, the band might be headed to the Rose Bowl. Or maybe not.




Even though Ohio State beat Michigan on Saturday to claim the Big Ten championship, there's a lot more football to be played before the Buckeyes know their bowl game. A trip to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl? A shot at the national title in New Orleans?
Local travel agents say interest is high, no matter which destination. The Buckeye faithful can put deposits down now to secure spots on charter flights to southern California or Louisiana.



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Dispatch

Rest will aid OSU's title shot effort

Monday, November 19, 2007 2:32 AM
By Ken Gordon


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




In the moments after their emotional win over Michigan on Saturday, Ohio State players were not talking much about the possibility of getting into the national title game. They had simpler, more immediate needs.
"A long nap on the bus," linebacker James Laurinaitis said.
The weary band of Buckeyes returned home with a Rose Bowl in their pocket and a fair shot of trading up for more.
Ohio State finished its regular season 11-1, making it one of just six major-conference teams with one or no losses. Oregon and Oklahoma lost last week, propelling Ohio State to fifth in the Bowl Championship Series standings released yesterday.



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DDN

Buckeyes hoping for some upsets

Roses are nice, but Ohio State is eager for a second straight trip to the national championship game.


By Doug Harris
Staff Writer

Friday, November 23, 2007


Ohio State football players are giving their bodies a break over Thanksgiving weekend, but their minds will be as engaged as ever.
The Buckeyes could be only a couple of upsets away from playing in the national title game for the second year in a row, and linebacker Marcus Freeman and his teammates will be riveted to their TV sets to see what the future holds.

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Dispatch

College football | BCS
Buckeyes in great spot to pick up pieces
OSU likely to climb if Missouri or West Virginia fall
Tuesday, November 27, 2007 3:20 AM
By Ken Gordon


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
boomersooner200.jpg
Fox Sports
Fans of Ohio State football might want to think about jumping aboard the Oklahoma Sooners' bandwagon this weekend.


Ohio State sits in a comfortable position heading into this weekend's college football games, mainly because voters like the Buckeyes, and the Bowl Championship Series system likes voters.
If either No. 1 Missouri or No. 2 West Virginia loses Saturday (to Oklahoma or Pittsburgh, respectively), the Buckeyes should easily slide into the national championship game regardless of who wins behind them.
So says BCS analyst Jerry Palm, who runs the collegebcs.com Web site.
"I don't see any realistic scenario where Ohio State would get jumped," Palm said.
Mainly, that's because the Buckeyes are a strong No. 3 in both the USA Today and Harris Interactive polls, receiving some first-place votes. Because of that support, Palm does not see another team capable of a big enough boost to climb all the way to No. 2.

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