Taylor Mays is scaryI think we're all in agreement that there's a pretty good chance Tressel could have his best Buckeye team this fall. No apparent weaknesses. Yet, will his best be enough to topple the premier team of this decade, in their place?
A veritable Florida State of the aughts, the Trojans are so consistently good that whenever there's an uncertainty about who should start as the preseason #1 team in America, USC is thrown in as part of the top cluster.
Sure, Southern Cal only returns 11 starters from a team that was supposed to win it last year, but that's all good -- the last four recruiting classes were ranked 1st, 1st, 2nd and 8th on signing day.
We'll break this game down in due time, but over the course of this summer, these five things keep popping into my head and scaring the shit out of me:
1. Taylor Mays
USC's free safety is gigantic for his position at 6'4" and 230 pounds. Oh, did I mention that he's run a 4.25? He's a Pryor-like superfreak on the defensive side of the ball. The Trojan secondary isn't expected to be quite as good as it was last year, but Mays may be the best defensive back in the nation. Think Sean Taylor. But Bigger. And hunting Boeckman ducks.
2. Rey Maualuga & Brian Cushing
The West Coast version of Laurinaitis and Freeman. But bigger. Maualuga passes out pain and Cushing has earned all-conference nods at two positions. The loss of Rivers is not insignificant, but the fact that the Trojans are well positioned to take on the strength of the Buckeye offense should give pause.
3. Those Running Backs
When most teams spell their workhorse, the drop-off in talent is evident when the backup takes the hand-off. When USC spells a running back, the guy getting the carry was likely the nation's top-rated running back at one point in high school. Johnson, McKnight, Gable, Tyler -- the Trojans are loaded. Granted, USC's line shouldn't be as good as its been in recent years, but with that kind of depth, the Buckeye defense can't afford a play off.
4. Pete Carroll & His Gigantic Big Game Gonads
Pete's the one coach that's pretty hard to hate. Chill guy, good with the players and absolutely money in big games. Since he's turned around USC, the only big game he's lost was to arguably the greatest college football talent of the last quarter century. And that was to prevent his team from three-peating. While his teams drop the occasional game to inferior competition, they simply do not lose big games. And the game on 9/13 is a tad big.
5. Will Ferrell
I haven't trusted that guy since Elf.
What's at the top of your nightmare list for the USC game?
Comments
I will be in attendance at the USC game and obviously want to see the Bucks on top but at worst want to see a close battle between two powers...getting blown out after making the treck to LA is my worst nightmare...with our experience, adrenaline in the big game, and success against texas on the road at night two years ago, I think the Bucks come out on top.... staying with USC's athletic play makers catching the ball is defniitely a worry too as Kurt Coleman and even the Animal got burned by LSU Te's in the NC game
My nightmare is USC 42 OSU 14, and we have to listen to 10 more years of the Bucks don't deserve to be rated in the top 5. If that score happens then we won't be allowed anywhere near the national championship game even if SEC teams have 2 losses. This is the biggest non-conference game I can remember, bigger than Texas was, and bigger than anything in the upcoming future. This is the year that tOSU was supposed to be in it, not last year, so they have to focus and beat USC.
I'm worried about the team's emotional state and how they will respond to potentially being down in a hostile environment. If USC goes up double digits, I think I'll hang myself.
My nightmare is depending on Todd Boeckman to win this, or any other game. I know he was a first year starter last year, but his regression throughout the year worries the hell out of me. He's the kind of guy that seems to fall victim to quicksand and this game is going to need a cool operator at QB. Hopefully Beanie and the defense will keep it close, but if not we're in trouble.
How has USC escaped any punishment for Reggie Bush and OJ Mayo? That baffles me. Bush took over $250k from an agent, and what USC didn't notice? Please. Pete Carrol looks the other way, but he knows what's going down. It's a shame that the MSM ignores it. You know that wouldn't be the case if were happing at OSU.
#4 has me very concerned. It seems like the coaching is a deciding factor when you have teams with similar talent levels. I was worried about Meyer before the Florida game and less concerned about Miles last season, but Carroll really is $ in the big ones.
You always have a sense before their big games that something is going to happen quickly in their favor. Two recent games I remember thinking that were Nebraska (in Lincoln) and ASU (at Sun Devil Stadium). The media hyped both games up and USC just came out smokin'. Those are not great teams, but USC was on the road and Pete at home in this one is even scarier.
Agree. Petey will have no problem having this team up for the game. Like Tonsil's said hopefully the defense can keep them from blowing up out of the gate.
What is the opening line going to be? USC -4?
[...] to 11W's early look at the game: Eleven Warriors ? How Good is Good Enough? __________________ We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of [...]
I agree with the fast start by USC aspect. I don't think OSU's players will be "intimidated" by the Trojan's speed and mystique, but he USC jumps out to an early lead, it could spell doom.
OSU's players are tons of 4th and 5 year seniors, they will not be intimidated by USC;
I'm sure they won't love the environment, but these guys have a goal... and they'll go through hell to achieve it.
This will be the first game since their '06 (2005 season) Rose Bowl loss to Texas that the opposing team, The Buckeyes, can match-up with USC's talent. Pete has won big games, but has always had more horsepower. This will not be the case on Sept. 13. This game is as epic as it gets.
As in any big game, it will be won in the trenches. Whoever does a better job getting to the QB will probably come out on top. I think the Bucks might be a little better equipped to do so without too much blitzing. If USC has to blitz their LBs we have to be good on the hot read (Beanie taking on Maualuga in blitz protection should make this game M for mature just for the pure violence).
This is probably the best case scenario for Ohio State going in after USC has to replace 11, including a QB. But its still a coin flip.
Expect the YSU and Ohio scrimmages to be boring and much closer than they should be (+20 instead of +30). Tressel is not going to show Carroll ANYTHING in those first two games.
Why should we be worried? We have beanie wells, pryor, and saine in our backfield. Can USC take a play off with beanie or saine? Can they forget where pryor is on the field for a second and not give up big yardage? No. Does our defense play fast this year? Do we bring the Silver motherfunking defense back this year? I think so. I also think that lil animal and jenkins didn't come back to get their asses handed to them by USC. A USC team that is down and has to replace many 1st round guys.
Bottom line is Ohio State needs to get that swagger back on defense. Remember how hard those guy would smack Miami receivers that would come down with the ball? If our defense plays like that USC will be the ones with nightmares.
My nightmare is Beanie hooking up with Kim Kardashian the night before and catching an STD.........A close second would be OJ being anywhere near the stadium................
I don't fear USC's talent, though I do think they're deeper than OSU in some key spots (how that's possible, considering the same scholarship limit, is beyond me).
My main concern is Boeckman. If he throws ducks - as the post noted, above - OSU is screwed. Royally screwed. I have a hard time believing that Chris Wells will lay 100+ yards on USC, in their own stadium, so the game really pivots on whether Boeckman can hit his seams, and make quick reads to effective dump routes.
USC 34-21, I think, but I hope OSU waxes them. I just don't have much confidence in Todd Boeckman to carry them through a big game.
Joe Fox, no more posting when your coming down from being high or are hung over.
For some reason, I'm confident about this game. I wasn't confident about LSU, I wasn't confident about Texas either time we played them, but I was confident about Florida. So, take that as you will, I guess.
The last two seasons, USC's offense hasn't been high-octane, a 550+ yards/game of misdirection/play action madness, it's been, well kind of pedestrian. And that was with a five star, Pride of the Program-quarterback in John David Booty and Dwayne Jarrett, a legend, suiting up for the first of those seasons. So I think USC's offense next year will be more of the same, perhaps a little worse with the mostly-new OL and new QB.
The defense will be a killer. Cushing, Maualuga, and Mays are likely first-rounders and I'll be honest, I don't see a Jim Tressel offense putting up any more than 20 on them. So in the end, it's gonna be up to our own defense to win this one for us, whether it's with turnovers (you know, you can catch the ball when you play defensive back. Just FYI for everyone that isn't named Malcolm Jenkins) or simply pressuring Sanchez every single down and dominating the line of scrimmage.
It'll be no prettier than 20-14 Buckeyes. Someone tell me the last time a Carroll offense was held under 20 points. I don't think it's happened since 2001.
i'm not scared of their LBs because i'm fairly sure beanie wells isn't scared of their LBs. the only linebacker i've yet to see take beanie on at full steam and bring him to a total stop was j lehman, and let's face it, that guy had some kind of crazy chuck norris esque usa all the way flag waving ancient voodoo mysticism about him that allowed him to do unreal things.
beanie wells on the other hand is a runaway freight train from hell, and no amount of freakish LBs are going to prevent him from getting his yards.
what i AM scared of is the same thing you guys are scared of; boeckman can be a huge liability sometimes. i mean, he's got an arm and is actually deceptively quick on his feet for his size, but his already too high INT numbers were helped by about 4 or 5 drops by DBs in the first five games or so. he has GOT to stop underthrowing his passes, and Tressel needs to stop telling him it's okay if he does so. he had also better start checking down before he throws the ball, nothing infuriated me last year more than his failure to do that.
also they lost to stanford last year
as scary as they're supposed to be, as evil an empire as pete carroll has created, as huge as their LBs are, just remember that one fact.
they lost to fucking stanford last year.
at home.
Losing to Stanford at home is only marginally more embarrassing than losing to Juice "40%" Williams at home, in my book.
But I agree with basically everything else you said.
illinois still had mendenhall (who put up 155 on USC in the rose bowl btw) and also weren't 41 point freakin underdogs. plus juice had a career day and the zooker came up with a clever offensive game plan involving the TE's to get around our defense (which would then be exploited again by LSU)
the talent gap between us and illinois was NOTHING like the talent gap between USC and stanford
USC does like to lose the games they shouldn't, but the original post is correct. They win the big ones and usually with ease.
Say a prayer for Boeckman.
Boeckman is the only thing scaring me right now. The rest of the team matches up. And that o line at USC is greeeeeen.
The most terrifying thing about USC-Ohio State? How about our Bucks not fielding a defense that gives any other look besides a soft zone? I wake up in cold sweats at night screaming, "SWITCH TO MAN COVERAGE, DAMMIT! JUST ONCE!" The most nightmarish thing that can happen is for Ohio State to have survived the debacle in the desert and the asskicking by LSU, but still refuse to accept the fact that a soft zone will not stop teams like that. Regardless, USC will score, and they'll get yards that it looks like they don't deserve, and they'll get first downs in critical moments. But OSU has to change it up, give a different look, blitz a safety, something other than what they did in those two championship losses.
That, and Todd Boeckman not throwing INTs.
If we lose, it's really over, and it's back to the drawing board for next year (perhaps fire the D-coordinator). A team's reputation cannot survive 3 straight seasons without a true marquee big-time win (it's a fact that people already don't respect the Texas or Michigan games in 06). This game carries with it the same "must win" aura that the 1995 Buckeyes had going into their game with Notre Dame. It's time for the embarrassment to end. Our fans deserve it.
GO BUCKEYES! O-H!!
Still blows my mind Maiava breaking his thumb punching a ball loose in the endzone, they study ball holding. Booty threw for 633 yards against Illinois and both Sanchez and Mustain have stronger arms. Illinois didn't run anything new it was all on film. The key for USC will be replacing Ellis and Jackson on the DL. Spicer and Griffen could be key there adding to a suffocating defense that sets up scoring opportunities. We all know they'll have the best linebackers in the nation this year. Tressel just hasn't won many games lately when faced with similar physical talent and a decent coaching staff. seems like he's in over his head now without a great supporting staff. You guys are right about Heacock's soft zone crap. Top on the nightmare list is Boechman getting pummeled and the ducks he tosses up.
"(OSU-USC) It’s probably the last football game we’ll ever get to see before the United States gets blown up by the Islamists under Obama. I — I would like to see Ohio State slaughter USC"
http://dottingthei.com/index.p...
This guy is confident. Personally I can't sleep thinking about the game
My biggest nightmare is Heacock being our defensive coordinator in a big game like this. If he sits us back in a zone again, he needs to lose his job. Sure, he wins a bunch of B10 games, but we don't need someone to win small games. OSU needs someone that can win big games like this with creativity and confidence in their schemes.
Someone tell me the last time a Carroll offense was held under 20 points. I don’t think it’s happened since 2001.
UCLA held them to 9 points in 2006. Arizona held them to 20 points in '06 and '07, and Oregon held them to 17 in '07. they are no longer the juggernaut they were in '04 and '05...
*wink*
[...] The Buckeyes will beat USC and go on to play in a third-straight MNC game. I’ve swung from nervous as hell about USC earlier this summer to feeling stupidly confident, as of late. Both defenses will bring [...]