Game Thread Ohio State 3, Southern Cal 35 (Sept. 13)

[OregonBuckeye]

Not fun to look at but this is a pretty badass pic than sums up the night. It seems like just yesterday it was our D doing that.

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

See you in 14 days!

HB

Great quote from Buffett in your sig, that I think sums up the current state of our offense, but I have a feeling you won't be back in 14 days.

 

[Captain Hindsight]

You've really got to hand it to USC. They came out ready and fired up and just dominated both sides of the ball. I think that Pete Carroll's loose and laid-back attitude is what Ohio State could use right now. I'm not bashing OSU. They have always and always will be my team. However, they have lacked the intensity that they have thrived on since Tressel got here lately. Losing Beanie was a huge blow, but the offensive line has just struggled lately. I really don't think he would have been much more effective than Boom and Zoom were tonight.

I also love Tressel and he is the perfect coach for this university, but I feel that his return to extremely conservative play-calling shows a lack of trust in Boeckman. He would never admit it, but I just have a feeling that this could be a huge reason.

This team had a poor game, but that is okay. USC is the better team. They are a well-rounded team, but OSU is a better team than they showed tonight.

And to end on a positive note, Pryor showed tonight that he will be good over time. I felt that he should not be played tonight too much, but I was wrong. This guy is the future, and OSU will be a top-tier program for many more years to come.

 

[WaitingforKickoff]

I thought you were going to bed.....

Just gotta say goodnight to the crowd first....

 

[bukIpower]

they lost to Kansas state and texas am Oregon... I don't know how impressed I can be with that Texas team from 06'. Good win but not great because we didn't beat Texas at their best and that game was at home and at night too. Hopefully tons of USC players go pro next year because man they are talented.

"LONG DONG" hahahaha.. you know what I mean Pheasant.

Like I also said this week I was worried with out our talent is used to how USC's talent is used. Man USC just knows how to properly incorporate EVERYONE into their offense were as we run a certain style and just try to plug people in.

My top 5 programs though would go (IN ORDER)

1) USC
2) LSU
3) OSU
4) Florida
5) Texas

I would put OSU at fifth but Florida/Texas sometimes don't even make a BCS bowl. Which sucks for florida cuz of their conference. It's not like I think we're not a top DONG anymore but rather we're starting to slip because the big ten is just not preparing us what so ever.

 

[bukIpower]

and how did Patrick Swayze get onto the field?

 

[jwinslow]

Great quote from Buffett in your sig, that I think sums up the current state of our offense, but I have a feeling you won't be back in 14 days.

I spotted him 2 extra on the house. It's a shame what adversity reveals.

 

[1926Buckeyes]

I see your point, but your expectations are incredibly inflated. If you had to pick the 5 best programs since 2000 who would you go with? I would put USC, LSU, tOSU, Texas and Oklahoma. Of those teams only 1 has 2 national championships...one has 1.5 and the rest have 1. Every one of those teams has lost at least one WTF? game in a year they were good, or even Elite (see USC last year).

I'm not happy with the way the game was played, but I see more of a problem with the O-line than with the defense. Malcolm Jenkins played with fire and nastiness tonight, and so did several others. They were playing a great team and getting zero help from the offense, so the result wasn't shocking. I only put 21 points on the defense (7 directly to the offense and at least 7 more indirectly), and if you had told me Friday the Bucks D would only give up 21 to USC I would have been very happy about it.

The first point you make is a good one and one that many people still need to think about. THe problem is that everyone is fearing that this is going to be a long term issue with Tressel and that OSU will slowly fall off the map as an elite team. Will that happen? I don't know, but I hope not and with a talent like Pryor and some other kids that are at OSU and coming in, it shouldn't.

Other than that, I don't know what to say about the D. Yes, teh O continues to give them bad field position on key drives, but it's really depressing to see a D with so many seniors and so much experience continue to get gashed by toss plays and get beat in coverage again and again.

THen again, it is annoying that many continue to talk about blitzing over and over again even though it hasn't worked in the past two big games. I'm just not sure what to say. Don't know if another coordinator is needed, or better players or what. Something has ot happen though because OSU could possibly face one fo these high octane offenses in a bowl game because I doubt the Pac10 will send 2 to bCS: Oklahoma, Missouri, Florida, USC,

The only good thing is that USC probably has the best O in the nation besides Oklahoma and OSU won't have to face it every week. I will be disappointed if USC loses a game or averages less than 42 points this season. I also look for Sanchez to throw for 3,300yds and 36tds. Right now their O is a machine.

 

[614]

No more Tressel ball

 

[Gandolf]

Great Post. When I saw that post by Gandalf saying OSU is a laughing stock, I thought Gandalf was a freaking idiot. And yes, you made some good points to some of the babies on here... OSU is a top 10 program in everybody's minds... everybody's minds... even the media, even the SEC fans... even the USC fans. If you guys don't think you are a top 10 program, you have issues (like this Gandalf guy think OSU is a laughing stock). If you aren't proud of being a top 10 program, you have issues. Yes, it would be better to be #1, but if you stay in the top 10 as long as you guys do (and really you guys are more like top 4-8), you will get those times at #1, just like y'all did when y'all upset a much more talent Miami team earlier this decade (I was rooting for you guys that whole game, and so was the rest of the USA).

I said that OSU is a laughing stock, whether deserved or not. Personally, I think they get a bad rap but the fact remains that few people outside of Ohio think they can hang with the big boys outside of the Big 10. If this makes me a "freaking idiot" as you put it then I guess so be it. In terms of not being proud of being a top 10 program, we won't be once the new rankings come out. We will have to earn that back, which I think we will over time. So far we've outclassed Youngstown State, had a close call with Ohio U, and got stomped by USC. No one can make a credible case for us currently being ranked in the top 10 for this season.

 

[jwinslow]

No more Tressel ball

What well-conceived insight.

Because the offense Todd ran looked just like the Tresselball that Krenzel made famous. They didn't run anything tricky or out of character. Most of all, they certainly didn't make unprecedented substitutions at the most dangerous position to substitute.

Yeah, it was just the same ole tresselball.

 

[614]

What well-conceived insight.

Because the offense Todd ran looked just like the Tresselball that Krenzel made famous. They didn't run anything tricky or out of character. Most of all, they certainly didn't make unprecedented substitutions at the most dangerous position to substitute.

Yeah, it was just the same ole tresselball.

I think it was pretty clear we had the talent to go toe to toe with these guys, but the playcalling and the execution was horrible. This conservative BS has got to go and we've got to be allowed to let the guys who have the ability play to their strengths.

If it's 3rd and 11, you ARE allowed to throw the ball, and no not just screens. If its the opening drive of the game, you ARE allowed to throw the ball instead of running sneaks or handoffs the whole time. If Pryor is in (which he should be from now on), you ARE allowed to call actual passing plays instead of relying on him to run every down.

This conservative play calling was pretty awesome and all when Tressel first came in and we executed everything near perfectly and other teams didnt know how to gameplan for us, but those days are long gone. For whatever reason the players cant focus as well as 4 years ago, and the rest of the nation already knows our tendencies. If I can sit with my friends and pretty much script every single play we are going to run, you dont think other teams defensive coordinators can do the same thing??? This style is old and outdated and needs to be tweaked majorly.

Take some chances Jimmy... so what if bad things happen, it cant be any worse than what we've been seeing out of these guys recently.

 

[Sportsbuck28]

I think it was pretty clear we had the talent to go toe to toe with these guys, but the playcalling and the execution was horrible. This conservative BS has got to go and we've got to be allowed to let the guys who have the ability play to their strengths.

If it's 3rd and 11, you ARE allowed to throw the ball, and no not just screens. If its the opening drive of the game, you ARE allowed to throw the ball instead of running sneaks or handoffs the whole time. If Pryor is in (which he should be from now on), you ARE allowed to call actual passing plays instead of relying on him to run every down.

This conservative play calling was pretty awesome and all when Tressel first came in and we executed everything near perfectly and other teams didnt know how to gameplan for us, but those days are long gone. For whatever reason the players cant focus as well as 4 years ago, and the rest of the nation already knows our tendencies. If I can sit with my friends and pretty much script every single play we are going to run, you dont think other teams defensive coordinators can do the same thing??? This style is old and outdated and needs to be tweaked majorly.

Take some chances Jimmy... so what if bad things happen, it cant be any worse than what we've been seeing out of these guys recently.

You have to call a conservative game when your QB has no time to pass... USC had 2-3 people in Boeckman's face every time he dropped back, and when he was in the game they pinned their ears back and threw everything but the kitchen sink at him.

And one thing I noticed was that Todd was trying to force the ball to his receivers on short passes... that pick six to Rey was a victim of the tip but he still forced it, and hell one of the first few plays to Robiskie on a short curl was nearly picked.

 

[MaliBuckeye]

I hear you, but...

I see your point, but your expectations are incredibly inflated. If you had to pick the 5 best programs since 2000 who would you go with? I would put USC, LSU, tOSU, Texas and Oklahoma. Of those teams only 1 has 2 national championships...one has 1.5 and the rest have 1. Every one of those teams has lost at least one WTF? game in a year they were good, or even Elite (see USC last year).

I wouldn't include the Sooners on this list. Since winning the championship in 01 (before us), and beating a WSU team in 02 (who was only there by default), they've lost four straight BCS games, including two championships. They've also been a part of one of the biggest upsets in college football history (though not the biggest, right Mich1gAAn?) and one of the biggest choke jobs last year.

I would add, though, that they don't get the same vitriol that tOSU does, even though we have a much better BCS record.

And now, I return to my attempts to ignore my cell phone in Southern California.

 

[jwinslow]

Yeah there's no point in even trying to hold a discussion if you're going to blatantly ignore, or not even realize, all of the different looks they ran out there early in the game.

If I can sit with my friends and pretty much script every single play we are going to run

BS. You called all of those rolled pockets, fake shovel passes, misdirection looks, and pryor literally rotating in every other play? Not buying it.

Pretending like he was just calling the same old plays as always is beyond belief.

I think it was pretty clear we had the talent to go toe to toe with these guys

There was NOTHING clear indicating that where it mattered, in the trenches. Sometimes the other team is just better.