The reports of the demise of the Ohio State Buckeye's 2008 football season have been greatly exaggerated. Since noon on Saturday, September 6th until now, the predictions by the national media and Buckeye fans for this campaign's outcome have changed from National Championship contender to hopelessly outmatched in LA. Has one of the most talented, experienced, and well coached teams in the country become an anemic, overrated pretender in just six days? It would be foolish to say that about any team. There are many reasons that such thoughts are illogical.
The game against OU is not an indicator of how OSU will play against USC. I'm not going to pretend that there are tons of positives to be taken from that game. It was ugly, plain and simple. If the whole sample size for this roster was one game, we would have every reason to be pessimistic, but it is not. For the most part, this team has played together for 15 games, of which they won 13. That includes games where Beanie played injured, barely played, or did not play particularly well. The few personnel losses from last season have been filled with capable replacements (I would say the biggest loss, at this point, was Barton). This is over %90 of the roster that played in the BCS Championship game nine months ago. They return with another year's worth of experience, a purpose, and have taken it upon themselves to spend the off-season preparing for a title run. Every team has at least one bad game per season. I doubt we will see a repeat of last Saturday's performance.
There were some positives from the OU game, mostly on the defensive side. The turnovers were the big story. The back seven finally got the bricks-for-hands monkey off their backs, and turnovers tend to beget more turnovers. There was a good amount of pressure from the D-line, although it didn't have the intended effect. The injury of Theo Scott may have actually been a blessing for OU. He was the better QB, and a good scrambler, but seemed to be more commited to a pass first mentality. His efforts to stay in the pocket (or close by) were rewarded with a trip to the locker room. Boo Jackson, by comparison, was content to bug out at the first sign of pressure. This led to some improvised runs and break downs in coverage, once the WRs broke off their routes. The lack of contain was worrisome, but Sanchez is not a scrambler. If the DEs can get similar penetration against USC, he will not be grilling steaks in the pocket. The Buckeyes have managed to play shut out D in 7 of 8 quarters, so far. The O certainly did not turn any heads Saturday, but came to life when they needed to. The coaches knew that OSU would win the game on depth alone, and they called a game that asked for little more. The gameplan was geared toward winning man to man matchups, but poor execution kept output low until OU's lack of depth became a factor. The benefit of that strategy is that USC has little idea of what to expect. I'm not sure if I agree with that strategy, but the results remain to be seen.
Beanie is not OSU's only chance for a win. He is undoubtedly the best player on the offense, and could play a huge role in the game if he plays, but there is no such thing as a one man football team. In terms of his particular position, the cupboard is far from bare. None of the other three have distinguished themselves as playmakers of Beanie's caliber, but they are all capable of making contributions. As long as they can gain positive yardage and limit the number of 3rd down and longs, we will be in good shape. Hopefully, the O-line will rise to the occasion and open up holes that Buckyle could run thru.
Throughout Coach Tressel's tenure, there have been players who had been unheralded, only to step up their game when the team needed them most. Troy Smith, Will Allen, James Lauranitis, Brandon Joe, Chris Gamble, Nick Mangold, Santonio Holmes, Antonio Smith, Jonathan Wells, Malcolm Jenkins, Donald Washington, Vernon Gholston, and many others, were relatively unknown players who were pressed into service, and managed to play their way into Ohio State History. Any player on any team can be a hero in any game. OSU has, perhaps more than any other school, a stable of players who, up to this point, have not had the chance to make a game changing play, but are ready and willing to do so.
I, for one, believe that Beanie will play on Saturday. The progression of events, I think (hope), supports that theory. If his injury were one that had any possibility of worsening thru activity, the med staff would never have let him walk with a boot on 8/30, walk (and jump) without a boot on 9/6, run sprints on Tues., or run contact drills on Wed. He tested it out, and on Thurs., it was too sore to practice on. If there is no pain on Fri., he can test it a bit, on Sat. morning test a little more, if he feels comfortable with it at game time (perhaps with some meds), I'm sure he will go. Whether he will start, or be able to be a major contributor, remains to be seen, but there's no reason to write off the game, either way.
USC's performance against UVA is not an indicator of how they will play against OSU. The Trojans certainly made mincemeat of the Cavaliers, but the Cavs were not only playing against a team that outmanned and outclassed them, but against themselves. A combination of poor offense, poor defense, and poor field position put UVA in a 21-0 hole before the 1st quarter expired. I think it's unlikely that OSU will put themselves in a similar position. For one, Coach Tressel's teams rarely lose the field position battle so badly. USC showed it's ability to manufacture sustained drives, but OSU's D is in another class altogether. Also, I doubt that Coach Carroll will decide to challenge the OSU D as he did Virginia's. Surely, he will be as aggressive a play-caller as we will face all year, but he also knows that protecting the ball against such a talented D could be the difference in the outcome. UVA had it's chances to capitalize on Sanchez's mistakes, but could not convert. OSU has the players to make him pay for his mistakes. There lies one of the factors which may decide the game. USC has immense talent (although I'm not sure it superceeds that of OSU), but much of it is unproven to this point, especially on the offensive side. The featured players for USC's O have never seen a defense close to the level of OSU's. Malcolm Jenkins did not cease to be the #1 CB in cfb since Sat. Nearly every school would love to trade one or both of their CBs for Washington or Chekwa. The experience gap between the OSU D and USC O may be the biggest mismatch of the game. There is a chapter in Coach Hayes' book You Win with People!entitled "The Defense Wins the Upsets". An OSU victory will be considered a huge upset, and the defense is capable of making it happen.
OSU's performnce in the last two NC games is not an indicator of an inability to win big games. Before the 07 Fiesta Bowl, OSU had a reputation of a big game team (4 straight bowl wins), and Tressel that of a great big game coach. A horrible performance in one game, and a loss to a superior team do not erase the accomplishments of the past. The idea that those are the only big games OSU has ever played is as manufactured and illogical as the SEC speed myth. Forget the UF game. Any players on the current roster were underclassmen for that game. The LSU game was not an embarrasment. The one thing to take from that game is that we cannot afford to commit foolish penalties against a quality opponent. If anything, the difference in that game was the disparity of experience that mirrors the OSU/USC matchup.
The sports media machine has used all of these arguments to conclude that OSU has no chance against USC. None of those arguments will matter when the ball is kicked off. The game will be decided by the young men who committed to represent their respective universities on the football field. You can bet that the people who put the least stock in the prophecies of sports writers will be donning their road whites and silver helmets Sat. night. For all Buckeye fans who find themselves pessimistic about the game, face the facts. In the event of an OSU loss, you will be just as heartbroken if you cheer your heart out or sit back with your arms crossed. Don't let the doomsday predictions of ESPN hacks damper your game day exuberance. Wake up with the expectation that the Buckeyes will play the game of their lives. Play the fight song LOUD. Don your favorite lucky Buckeye gear. Enjoy the company of those friends who you rarely see anymore, but always on game day. Reminisce about all the great Buckeye victories you've seen together. Raise a toast to friendship and Buckeye Pride. When the teams line up for the opening kickoff, take a buckeye nut, rub it over your heart, give it a kiss, and prepare to lose your voice cheering on the men who will spend the next three hours playing their hearts out for the Buckeye Nation.
Go Buckeyes!!!
Wow. Awesome post general. 
