A few post-game thoughts....
1. A lot of talk that this was Pryor's best game yet. Now, I don't know if I'd go quite that far, but he did have an excellent performance, particularly in the second half when he showed poise and a command of the offense, and made some nice decisions - a couple of the scrambles along with the TD pass to Saine and the outlet pass to Boren were good examples. Another stepping stone to that "next level" that we've all been waiting for....
2. If you read the Penn State boards, it's obvious that many Nit fans still have unrequited man crushes on Terrelle Pryor, as there is a ton of hatred that could only come from spurned lovers. Well, Nitwits, I guess that you should be happy that we're stuck with Pryor for the next two years, especially because you've got so much proven quarterback talent on your roster.
3. Question: When's the last time that an Ohio State defensive lineman had 11 tackles, 3 TFL's, and 2 sacks in one game? Answer: Last night, by Cameron Heyward. Before that, I couldn't even begin to guess, but it's probably been a while. Simply put, Cam played like a man possessed, probably by the spirit of Reggie White, because that's exacty who he looked like out there when he was pushing around the PSU offensive linemen like they were on roller blades.
4. Speaking of Heyward.... Remember that Cameron's father, Ironhead, played for Pitt, so some of that Panther hatred for Penn State must have been instilled in "little" Heyward from an early age. It sure showed last night.
5. At the beginning of the season, the conventional wisdom was that Thad Gibson would have a breakout year, become an All American, and be a first round draft pick next spring. Well, Gibson has had an outstanding campaign so far (33 tackles, 10.5 TFL's, 4 sacks, 2 FF, 2 FR), but Heyward has played at an equally high level (36 tackles, 7.5 TFL's, 5 sacks). Both Heyward and Gibson should earn All American honors this season, but since neither had a lot of preseason hype, and each is overshadowing the other right now, my guess is that neither one will get a tree in the Buckeye Grove this year. But I'm sure that they'll forget about such indignities when those seven-figure signing bonus checks come in.
6. If Ohio State beats Iowa next week, then the Buckeyes will go to the Rose Bowl. Even if Ohio State should somehow lose to Michigan in the season finale, the Buckeyes would own all of the tie-breakers with wins over the other two-loss teams (Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin).
7. If the Buckeyes win out, then they would capture their fifth straight Big Ten title, and their third outright title in four years. When was the last time that Ohio State accomplished those feats? From 1972 to 1977, the Buckeyes won six straight conference crowns ... and they won outright titles in 1954, 1955, and 1957. Which raises the following question: Is Ohio State that good, or is the Big Ten that bad? Either way, let's just enjoy it while it lasts.
8. Before last night, when was the last time that the Buckeyes beat a team ranked higher than they in the AP poll? Well, that would be November 20, 2004, when an unranked Ohio State team upset #7 Michigan, 37-21.
9. Ray Small had a couple of long punt returns yesterday, but he missed a chance at the Buckeye record books when his potential 92-yarder was derailed at the halfway point by the Penn State punter, who made a touchdown-saving tackle in the open field. I'm sure that Ray's teammamtes won't let him forget about that one any time soon....
10. The officiating was pretty lousy last night ... maybe the Big Ten picked up a few refugees from the SEC or something. Anyway, the phantom PI, the phantom touchdown, and the phantom helmet-to-helmet didn't hurt the Buckeyes in the long run, and the homers even called a couple of holding penalties against Penn State.
11. Speaking of the officiating, Michael Brewster apparently got a celebration penalty after the Buckeyes' final touchdown when he gave the Penn State fans the throat slash signal. IMHO, it was worth the 15 yards ... I just hope that he gave the sign to these cro-mags:
12. Finally, if your fans feel the need to stage an "[insert team color here] out", then you are a second class program ... and if your fans think that it's cool to wear tee-shirts mocking an opposing player who is better than anyone on your roster, then you are a third rate program. Hello, Penn State! Welcome to big time!
