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2008 Football Rumblings

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Dispatch

5 key factors

Saturday, November 1, 2008 3:21 AM
By Ken Gordon


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
With the Buckeyes on a bye week, a look at what they need to do over their final four games (including a bowl):

1. Discover an identity

Coach Jim Tressel mentioned this week that his offense still lacks an identity. It appears quarterback Terrelle Pryor is most comfortable and best suited to run the read option, relying on his legs and those of tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells to set up the pass. The Buckeyes should quit worrying so much about opposing defenses and just do what they do.
2. Stay aggressive on 'D'

The defense has found a groove after starting the season inconsistent, in large part because it has attacked more often. That has helped it thwart three different offenses over the past three weeks: Purdue, Michigan State and Penn State. Keep it up, and by all means, defensive end Thaddeus Gibson should never leave the field.

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Dispatch

Report card

Saturday, November 1, 2008 6:26 AM




When Buckeyes run

GRADE: C

With tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells and most of the offensive line returning, Ohio State was expected to dominate. The rise of running/throwing freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor should have enhanced things. Instead, Wells' foot injury early in the season blunted the running game for a while, and he and Pryor have been hit-and-miss as tag-team partners while being hindered by inconsistent line play. With a 168.7-yard average, the Buckeyes rank sixth in the Big Ten.
When Buckeyes pass

Grade: D

It's misleading to look only at the Buckeyes' national ranking (107th) because they just aren't throwing often. A better statistic is passing efficiency, in which they are a middling 52nd. Pryor, who has six touchdown passes vs. three interceptions, has been careful with the ball, but the bottom line is Ohio State has not consistently threatened anyone downfield. The receivers have had some issues with drops, as well.

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Dispatch

Rob Oller commentary: Enjoy the break from title game

Saturday, November 1, 2008 3:21 AM

By Rob Oller


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Rob_Oller_11-01-08_T5_DFB7J5M.jpg





The rest of the nation has forgotten about Ohio State, and not just because the Buckeyes have today off. Turns out the bye week doubles as a goodbye.
The Buckeyes are no longer relevant to the national championship chase and are receiving the attention of a third-party candidate, which has advantages if the overdone election polling that goes into the Bowl Championship Series standings has you screaming, "Enough."
If so, you undoubtedly will approve of this message.
For nearly three years, OSU fans have stressed over rankings, computer points and whether Team A can upset Team B so that the Buckeyes can finish in the top two and play for the national championship.
No need to do so now, which is wonderful in a "glass half-full" kind of way. Rather than focus on such polling factors as strength of schedule, margin of victory and quality of win, which tends to create angst, the rest of the season can be spent in enjoyment of watching the maturation of Terrelle Pryor and the development of an offense that seems stuck in puberty.

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Dispatch

College football
Here are bowl possibilities for OSU
Buckeyes likely to play in a marquee game if they win final games
Saturday, November 1, 2008 3:30 AM
By Ken Gordon


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


With six weekends of regular-season college football remaining, counting today, two things are clear about Ohio State's season:
One, the Buckeyes (7-2) will not be playing in the national championship game unless two asteroids hit the earth, wiping out the Southeastern and Big 12 conferences.
Two, if they win out, they are a virtual lock to play in a Bowl Championship Series game.
This is because of the way the BCS is set up, and in particular because of the rule that no more than two teams from a conference can get BCS spots. It means there's an excellent chance that a 10-2 Ohio State team -- even if it does not play in the Rose Bowl -- will get an at-large BCS bid ahead of, say, a two-loss Georgia, Florida or Oklahoma State.

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Dispatch

In the spotlight: offensive, defensive lines

Saturday, November 1, 2008 3:01 AM
By Tim May


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
OFFENSIVE LINE

The most consistent thing said about Ohio State's offensive line play this season has been its inconsistency.
One moment, the group blows open a hole for tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells on a slant over the left side. The next, it lets an inside defender come free to send quarterback Terrelle Pryor scrambling.
It has coped with a shakeup brought initially by a foot injury to senior left guard Steve Rehring in a 35-3 loss at Southern California. After some shuffling, the starting lineup has settled into
senior left tackle Alex Boone, junior left guard Jim Cordle, freshman center Michael Brewster, right guard Rehring and sophomore right tackle Bryant Browning. Senior Rory Nicol and junior Jake Ballard are the tight ends.

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Dispatch

Ohio State football
Inside the Beat: Hitting the homestretch

Monday, November 3, 2008 12:45 PM
By Ken Gordon and Tim May


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH


Each week during the Ohio State football team's season, Dispatch OSU football writers Tim May and Ken Gordon engage in a give-and-take that brings readers "inside the beat" of Buckeyes football.



With Ohio State off this past weekend and the weather cooperating, it was likely a time for Buckeyes fans to catch up on the "honey-do" lists and maybe watch that classic Texas-Texas Tech game. As OSU returns to action this week at Northwestern, we take a look at what lies ahead:

GORDON: Before we turn to this week's game, Tim, I find it interesting that with all this talk of a lack of national respect, Ohio State is the top-ranked two-loss team in the nation -- ahead of teams from the vaunted Southeastern Conference such as Georgia (7-2) and Louisiana State (6-2). If the Buckeyes win out, they will easily be ranked somewhere in the 5-10 range and be looking at a BCS bowl berth. It looks like the lack of respect for the Big Ten might end up costing Penn State more than Ohio State, as the Nittany Lions slide out of the top two in the BCS standings. Voters don't see the victory at OSU as a "big" win, even though the Buckeyes were ranked ninth nationally at the time.

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