The line opened at 8.5. And then quickly jumped to 10. Just a mere 27 days from our annual bowl drubbing, I guess.
I'm certainly not going to come anywhere close to predicting a Buckeye win. I think they can beat Texas, but it will take a perfect game and this Ohio State team has only been able to put those together against teams that haven't gone 11-1 with a win over the nation's top team. Can they do it? Who knows, but a closer look at the numbers gives me that glimmer of confidence.
The Education of Terrelle Pryor
After seeing limited action in the first three games of the season, Pryor got the keys for the start against Troy. Three hours and four touchdown passes later, jaws across Columbus were still being picked up from floors. After throwing for another touchdown and rushing 8 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns against Minnesota the next week, we're thinking the rest of this season is going to be cake.
He is (becoming) who we thought he wasThen came the proverbial midseason swoon. In his next four conference games, against Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan State and Penn State, Pryor passed for just one touchdown while accounting for two on his feet. There was the game-winning option in Madison, but that came at the end of an average performance at best (15 rushes for 20 yards). And then, of course, there was the fumble against the Nittany Lions.
We took all of this in stride -- he was a freshman, learning on the job, after all. Maybe there would be further bumps in the road? Do the Illini have Ohio State's number?
But then a funny thing happened. Pryor and the team received a bye before traveling to Evanston and the staff spent considerable time tweaking his technique and mechanics. In a stiff wind, he responded with his best passing game of the season by going 9/14 for 197 yards and three touchdowns. Add another against the Illini the following week (which also featured his first 100-yard rushing game) and two more passing touchdowns against Michigan in the finale and you end up with post-footwork instruction numbers that look like this: 20/37 for 366 yards, 6 touchdowns and only one pick.
Tressel mentioned the fact that the bye provided the first real opportunity for Pryor to study his own film after being focused on opponent film for the previous nine weeks. Now just imagine how much of a step forward the Big Ten's top-rated passer will likely be making after more than a month of this work.
Richard Dent and Mike Singletary
Note quite. But the play of Texas end Brian Orakpo and linebacker Sergio Kindle have been nothing short of dominant this season. Orakpo, the 2008 Nagurski winner, is 2nd in the nation with 10 sacks. Kindle is 3rd, with 9.5 from his backer spot.
Those two have powered a Longhorn defense that's 1st in the nation in sacks (44) and 2nd in rushing defense, giving up just 73.6 yards per game on 2.79 per tote. When it comes to rushing the ball against this team, it looks like you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.
But if you take a closer look and realize that the NCAA counts sacks as rushing yards (and attempts), Muschamp's defense has allowed 1,237 yards on 273 true rushing attempts. That's a more pedestrian 103.1 rushing yards per game and an average of 4.53 per rush.
If you similarly back the sacks out of the Buckeyes' numbers (24 for 178), they have yielded 1,201 yards on 353 attempts, or a measly 3.40 yards per carry. And this is playing in a conference that features two of the top three backs in the nation and four of the top 25. Granted, Ohio State only had to face two of those top four rushers (Ringer and Royster), but that's twice as many elite backs as the Longhorns have faced this season.
The 317 pre-sack rushing attempts Texas faced was by far the fewest of any FBS team. This is a team that's not conditioned to face a pounding rushing attack and that's mostly a function of playing in a pass-happy Big 12. The conference's only elite back would be Oklahoma State's Kendall Hunter and he's good, but when you stop to consider that Kory Sheets would be the Big 12's second most prolific back, it kind of puts things into perspective.
And how did Texas fare against Hunter? They snuck by 28-24 in their closest win of the season and Mr. Hunter racked up 161 yards on 18 carries. He's listed at a generous 5-8/190 -- Beanie Wells he is not.
Simply put, the running combo of Wells and Pryor has a real chance to do some damage against this defense. And most importantly, keep the Colt McCoy and that offense off the field.
Think Getting Pressure on McCoy Will be Important?
The Longhorns put up points at a Tecmo pace -- 11 games with at least 30 on the board. In fact, even when they drop a game, they're good enough for 33.
There's a good reason why and that reason goes by the name of Colt. He also may also be lugging a Heisman into the game if that matters (actually, we'll take any curse help we can get). But as any superstar quarterback will tell you, if you pressure them, they're not likely to light you up. Just ask the New York Giants.
The good news is that McCoy can be reached. Texas gave up 22 sacks on the year, which in itself is a low number, but when you compare it to similar conference teams with comparable offensive systems, looks high all of a sudden. Texas Tech gave up just 12 sacks, while the Sooners did even better, allowing only 11 sacks in 13 games.
Oklahoma and Tech have fantastic lines, but 22 sacks in a quick-release offense does give hope. For perspective, consider that Notre Dame's offensive line gave up two fewer sacks on the season and Penn State allowed just 12 (the Buckeyes got one of those).
Will it be easy? Of course not, but the emergence of Nathan Williams, Abdallah and Gibson is happening at the right time.
Putting it All Together
So what does this all mean? Well, the key to any type of victory hopes lies right in the middle of the trenches. If the Buckeyes come to play on both sides of the line and bring that clichéd Midwestern smash mouth football to the field, 10 point spreads get smaller quickly.
It won't be easy. Alabama, with better lines on both side of the ball tried to do that to Florida and things didn't exactly work out. But if the Ohio State defense can come up with some turnovers or get some key stops and the offensive line and running game dictate play on the ground, we could be in store for that old time feeling. You know, being in a good mood during the second week of January.
Comments
The problem with the Bucks when they get into these games is they forget how to pay Big Ten football. They try to spread things out and stop running the ball with their massive O-line. I still say the Florida game would have been different, if after Pittman ran his TD in and the defense forced a 3 and out, if the Bucks would have run Pittman down their throats again, instead 3 incompletes and punt. Last year too much was put on Boekman when Beannie was running wild. Texas is not big they are built for speed on defense and our O-line needs to come in fired up and just kill they guy accross from the. Mark May "Terrell Pryor can't have 90 yards passing and 70 yards rushing if tOSU wants to win this game." Well I say if Beannie has 200 yards rushing and TP has those numbers with a few TD's the Bucks have a chance, and that is all I want.
First
I think it depends on how well Heacock prepares his defense for this passing attack more than anything. I don't care how bad defenses are in the Big XII, putting up the numbers that Texas has is very impressive. We haven't seen anything like it... not from PSU, USC, Illinois. You pretty much nailed it though. Key factor is to pressure McCoy. Let's see Moeller, Freeman, Coleman, Lil Animal raise hell in the backfield. I have a good feeling Beanie will get his, as Texas hasn't faced a back like him. I really hope he can get his feet in those normal cleats by January because he is a lot more agile in them and has that extra burst.
lets play a drinking game...you have to drink as many beers that night as the vegas line for the game
I agree that Ohio State out thinks itself in these games. Last year LSU could not stop Beanie. He ran for that huge touchdown and it was like the stopped giving him the ball. I say go to the well until it's dry then make adjustments. It's not a problem to run the same play over and over again as long as it's working. Isn't that pretty much how they beat Miami in the Championship. Didn't Krenzel just keep running it up the gut and the defense that won about 30 games in a row looked like chumps.
I don't care how vanilla, boring it is, if it's working keep doing it! I do like this match up. Texas is great and if OSU can smack in them in the mouth on national TV it will help this program's image immensely.
Texas will want to dictate tempo and Ohio State will want to dictate tempo. Whoever wins that battle most likely wins the game.
OSU hasn't faired well versus the "spread." Texas' version of it is very dangerous because McCoy makes great decisions and has the feet to make you pay if the pass isn't there. Texas also has a great receiving corp. I suspect Quan Crosby will be back for the bowl game and that gives them four legitimate scoring threats at WR. The critical factor for the OSU D-Line won't be pressure so much as contain. The OSU back seven will be the best Texas has seen all year. If we cover well and the D-line keeps McCoy between the hash marks they're going to struggle. They're RBs scare no one, but must be accounted for none the less.
I agree, when OSU is on offense, run Beanie and Terelle, chew clock, move the chains...good ole Big Ten offense. The longer McCoy is on the sideline the better OSUs chances are. Any turnovers could be deadly.
Jose:
I have said the exact same thing over and over since the Florida game.... why the hell did they stop giving it to Pittman when he scores and makes it 21-14...... keep feeding it to him and get the pressure off Smith... get field position and make them go the length of the field instead of half-court football all nite long.
Still scratching my head on that one, and Beanie last year was a bit of a replay although there were way too many defensive errors and special team mistakes last year. The blocked punt attempt was huge.... we get that and score and its a 7 point game.. instead we barely miss, the drive stays alive and they score making it a 21 point game--momentum killer.
Gotta start fast (like the past two BCS games), but keep the momentum. Keep the pressure up and hit like and SOB all day. Texas doesn't play physical defenses.... and they will have trouble with 2 mobile Half-Backs all day if we give them the carries (Pryor, Wells, Herron)........
If Ohio State can run on Texas and stop their passing game, then the Buckeyes could pull off the upset.
Can someone pass these notes to the Vest? Why go away from the run? It was quite obvious Beanie was unstoppable in the MNC last year but they stopped feeding him. IMHO we gave that game away.
Agreed 100% guys. Beanie is the key. They are going to stuff the box early, but *gasp* a screen pass or WR screen or, I know this sounds blasphemous, but a TE pass to the flats a few times will get those safeties back off the line, and then the Beanie show can begin. Texas is studying the PSU game tape like crazy right now. You know it, I know it, and Tress HAS to know it. PSU stuffed the box and stopped Beanie, we just did not adjust. I really think that the WR reverse option we ran against scUM will work well against Texas. Get them to over-persue Pryor a few times to the weak side, then hit them hard with the end around for 15-20 yds.
Oh, and Robo and Hartline need to learn to hold their blocks better downfield, because Texas is built around speed and can catch our backs downfield. Well Herron. Beanie will break a facemask if he is taken head-on. Man, im gonna miss that SAoJ.
Dont forget ski, Herron can pack a punch to for not being any bigger then he is. He doesnt have the SAoJ but he can lower his pads and lay a good hit on a defender when he has to. Hell I remember during a game when he ran over boone because his fat ass couldnt get out of the way.
Quick release of the ball is needed as well... 1-2-3- go. Flat, screen or 1-2-3 no receivers... run, terrelle, run. Take 3 yards and play the next down. time of possesion will be a key also... keep the Horns O off the field... wear out their D.
For everyone that thinks not using Beanie was the problem vs. LSU...please watch/check the play by play of the game. They did give it to him. Penalties, a blocked FG, Boeckman int., and 3-4 rushes by Beanie that went for 3 yards or less is what you will find. After that, Bucks are down 31-10. You pretty much need to pass a bit more at that point.
LSU outplayed Ohio St.. Gameplan was just fine. The talent/execution was not.
It's so easy to blame the coaches on everything, sometimes though...you just get beat.
Just a follow up...11 rushes by Beanie went for 3 yards or less. Hardly unstoppable.
I do agree to a point. But I believe at the beginning Beanie had 3 or 4 big runs, including the touchdown, then they abandoned the run. When they came back to it, LSU had made adjustments. My point is, who knows maybe you stay with it he breaks another long one off, and the momentum is on your side. I'm not blaming the coaches, and I'm not saying LSU didn't make adjustments, what I am saying is they hadn't adjusted their defense before OSU left the run to get cute and have Boeckman well be Boeckman.
I hope to see an offense like the one we had in the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame. That was a balanced attack, which is what we'll need. As Jason accurately states above, we have to trust that the coaches are really working on Pryor during this break to develop his passing abilities. While the Horns haven't faced the run attack which we posses, if they know its coming every first and second down, we'll be climbing uphill all night.
I agree Dan. The offensive game plan(I still question the zone defense) was excellent against LSU. The mistakes are what killed the Bucks against LSU. Once they were down, they had to put the ball in Boeckman's hands and we all know how that worked out.
Mistakes are what scare me to death in this game. The question that none of us can answer is how will TP react. He has all the physical tools but does he have the mindset. Can he read the Texas defense? Will he and his receivers read the same thing? I for one would prefer a 30% to 70% run to pass ratio. I do not want TP to have to win the game. By running the ball this limits his chances of making a huge mistake and keeps Colt McCoy on the sideline.
Lets face it he is only 19 years old. He has never played in a bigger game. He didn't look good against TTUN and that was a big game.
I just hope the veterans can make up for any mistakes. This did not happen last year, mostly because there were no seasoned veterans.
TP is a winner, not doubt about it, but he is not perfect. He is going to lose games along the way. He will not go 35-1(I think my math is correct) as a starter. The chances of the Bucks going undefeated in the rest of his career are slim to none. Even the great QBs of history have lost 2-3 games.
If they beat Texas, I would love to see that OSU swagger after the game. Remember when the Bucks beat ASU in the Rose Bowl? After the game John Cooper essentially told the world we'll play and beat Florida Anywhere anytime. Would they? Who knows?
Also, when they beat Miami, Tressel said we've always been know for The best damn band in the land, and no we have the best damn team in the land. I'm not saying call out the champ and say we are better, or proclaim we are the best, but I would love to see some of that we are THE Ohio State arrogance back into this team. I think it would be tremendous for the fans and the players. Even though recruiting has been great, there are some big fish out there and if you have a coach and team up there with that mentality, it does help with recruits.
I want to be the program everyone hates, but not because they think we are the over rated buckeyes. I want them to hate because we are THE Ohio State. That's a hate out of respect for the program.
Tressel ball is a proven effective method, but you need the O-Line to make it work and Ohio St. hasn't had that this year.
The defense will play well and Texas will score its points, the problem is we have to match them.
It's very simple, Block, Run, Win. Vanilla offense works!!!!
I just don't see the "abandoned the run". Unless you are thinking they should have just ran the ball every down. I don't see how that would have worked. LSU would adjust immediately to that. Bucks had a chance to go up 17-10 or at least 13-10, but the dropped TD pass and blocked FG ruined that. From there, Beanie rushes for no gain or one yard...or there is a penalty, and you're in third and long. Next thing you know, LSU has scored 2 more TD's.
I want to be the program everyone hates, but not because they think we are the over rated buckeyes. I want them to hate because we are THE Ohio State. That’s a hate out of respect for the program.
Brian,
Every team is overrated in someones eyes. Fact is, we are Ohio State and we are always relevant in the CFB discussion. Everyone knows we are one play or one player away from greatness, that is why eyes are always on us. Besides, the only people who hate are the fans whose teams aren't as historically excellent or in the discussion year in or year out.
Its easy to say Florida has great players because of where they are located, but the thing people can't figure out is why a cold-weather, relatively small town like Columbus can attract the top talent from around the nation year in and year out.
Its that uncertainty and mystique that make people hate.
Its because if you wear the Scarlet and Gray, you are part of something much bigger than most other schools have to offer and no one can ever take that away or figure out why that is.
My whole point is, when I watched that game, I thought my goodness Beanie was tearing it up and they just quit going to him. I agree the reason the lost was the mistakes. Don't drop a wide open TD, don't miss INT's I get it. I just believe that sometimes, not just in that game, they go away from what is working and forget to return back to it. I can't cite every instance in games, but I don't care if it's the exact same play 10 times in a row, if it's working, do it.
To the other person's point. I agree Tresselball is good. It's worked well, and it's great going to the BCS every year. I'm not going to counter with anything. It's not always the system it's the pieces in it. I totally agree, the only thing I see is sometimes they get away from what seems to be working. I know you can't continue to call the same play over and over for the whole game but do it untill the stop you.
Ugh, guys, all the memories are flooding back into my head. STOP IT ALREADY! LOL
Iball, I understand the tradition that is OSU football, and I know why the players go there. I don't care if Florida is warm, have you ever been to Gainesville? You can't be right in the head for wanting to spend four years there lol. I love in KY, and even though the last few years they haven't been great, no one in their right minds decides to want to live in Lexington, it's all about wanting to be in that tradition rich program.
I just want to see it in the players again, that we know we are Ohio State and that makes us better than your team. It used to be obvious on the field as well as in interviews. The last few games I've seen it. I just thought this years team may have lost that mentality.
They lost that for sure. A bit of that goes to Tress tho. Great man he is, but not one for grandiose behavior. That is good and bad. I think that it takes away from the old intimidation factor, but at the same time at least we are not fielding players from Thug U in Scarlet & Gray either. Double-edged sword my friends
Don't forget a couple little facts.
1) Texas hasn't played a defense with a pulse all year. The best scoring D they have played is Oklahoma who is averaging giving up 24.5/game and rank 57th. They have played 8 games against teams ranked lower than the worst D we played all year (Michigan at 80th), Fla Atl - 85, UTEP - 111, Rice - 112, Colorado - 83, Arkansas - 92, Baylor, 85, Kansas - 87 and A&M - 114.
And although they have good Run D stats, they only played 3 teams with a rush Off ranked in the top 50 (Oklahoma - 19, Baylor - 25 and Okie st - 7). In 2 of those 3 games they gave up over 200 yards rushing and 2 rush TDs.
As for the sacks, that's also a function of it being a pass happy league. Teams attempted to throw the ball 510 times vs Texas and they got 44 sacks or 1 every 11.6 passes. By contrast teams threw 406 times vs Ohio State and we got 24 sacks or 1 every 16.9 passes. What this means is had Texas only faced 406 pass plays they would have had only 35 sacks rather than 44. Still more than us, but not quite so bag a margin.
The flip plays out as well. Their rush D stats beside being slightly inflated due to the sacks also looks good due to the simple lack of runs. They only faced 273 true rushing atts, or 22.75/game where OSU faced 353 or 29.42/game. 7 carries at 3 YPC is 21 more yards Texas has also giving up 7 Rush TDs in only 273 atts or 1 every 39 carries while OSU has given up only 6 in 353 carries or 1 every 58.8 carries.
Texas reminds me of us in 2006. A team that has racked up great stats and wins against teams with lousy D's and only a few good running teams. We saw the results of our O when we played a D with a pulse. I for one look for similar results form them in January. The key will be can we move the ball consistently. If we can we can win.
Philly the numbers man!
Good call dude. I think our D prevails
couldn't have said it better myself Phil.... very well done.
For anyone who feels determined to watch the aforementioned game, here ya go:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/7354...
Raise your hand if you think Jim Heacock is going to call half as aggressive of a game as Charlie Strong did in 2006 yep okay that's nobody we can forget about 2006 comparisons now.
2006 Florida comparisons, anyway. We do not have that pack of fuck lions the Gators called a defensive line. Texas' offensive line has dealt with better pass rushers in both Oklahoma and Tech. They are lean and mean, not fat and arrogant like the 2006 tOSU line (and team in general at that point)
whats going on pogue
People are underrating Texas like our last two bowl opponents, that's what. Keep in mind I like this match-up, but we can't let our heads get too big on Texas' meh defense and supbar running game.
I agree Pogue. Good thing none of us are suiting up right? LOL
BuckeyeCic- I clicked your link and immediatly regretted it.
I believe that 100%. I believe their subpar rushing attack still managed over 2000 yards this year. I also believe McCoy lead the team in rushing. That can be good and bad. Everyone is basing everything on skepticism. We are already 10 point dogs. I wouldnt be surprised if that number got higher. I am very nervous about this game. Its a game I really believe we can win. But, this is a team that when faced with controversy hasnt performed well. I am hoping that changes January 5th. But, I will not be holding my breath either.
Tressel wont approve my eligibility....
Texas's offense is all run through basically one guy. Stop that guy, you stop Texas. Problem is, said guy has been unstoppable all season except for one half against Texas Tech
I actually like Colt McCoy being called "the Colt McCoy". Sounds like a magical pistol from a cheesy Western or something.
You know, I used to hate Texas but I have found myself really respecting them this year. I like Mac Brown, and Colt Mc Coy seems to be a really good person on top of being a good football player. Now, after getting the shaft, the team has handled it with class. I'm kind of respecting this program now.
That being said I want to stomp their A's into the ground in Arizona.
Hey guys, I like the optimism and I am more optimistic about this match-up than I would be against Alabama in the sugar or GA in the cap one, but the truth is, we do not have the O and D lines to play with really talented teams. The simple fact is, until we get better on the lines we are likely going to get beat.
I will be rooting like hell and always believe my bucks have a chance, but for those that think that Texas will not have faced a D like ours are kidding themselves. They will have faced better D lines and they will certainly have faced better Offenses than ours (about 8 or 9 of them)
This is a game we can hope to win, but in all honesty, I cannot wait until we get better lines, then we can actually compete in the BCS games.
I just have to say this for those that think our D will tough for texas: remember what USC's O did against our D .... texas' O is twice as good as that USC team. And last I looked, every elite team we have played over the last few years scored at will against us.
I am Jim Tressel. I had to finally come out. I will take all of your advice and use it the game! Who wants to see Boeckman and Pryor on the field at the same time???
Well Jim, I originally thought it'd be interesting to see Henton and Pryor on the field at the same time, but that ship sailed a long time ago.
USC's offense is far more balanced than Texas'
If Tress really did put Boeckman and Pryor on the field at the same time then he would be thinking outside the box. I wanna see this OSU football team act like Florida did in the 06 NC game. Why? Because when you play like your pissed off you play fast, you play no holds barred and you play with athleticism and enthusiasm. I wanna see Thad Gibson come around the end and hit McCoy so hard he barely gets up the next play. I wanna see Jenkins throw a blitz and cause a fumble, I wanna see Hines get a pick off and ruin McCoy's day. You see when OSU installed Hines in the Nickel it allowed 5 DBs to man cover an receiever while there was a 4-5 man rushing attack. The thing is Hines can slide in and out of LB and CB easily. If OSU can run the Nickel D like that effectively and come up with an out of the box offense that Texas didn't even study cuz they didn't have the film to do it then its Ohio State's game. I say if OSU doesn't come out playing as a completely different team this time around then Bollman or Heacock's jobs are in jeopardy. We want to win a bowl game and we want to win one NOW!
Mea Culpa if it was already reported, but Butkus Award won by Wake Forest LB Curry. Rey finished second, JL finished 3rd.
I DEMAND NOTHING SHORT OF A TRIPLE REVERSE DOUBLE OPTION SCREEN FLEA FLICKER TO TODD BOECKMAN IN THE BOWL GAME OR HEACOCK AND BOLLMAN ARE BOTH FIRED.
I din't say beating texas would be easy or even likely. But given that almost all of the Big 12 has failed to play against a D anywhere near as athletic as out back 7 are, I thik we can cause some problem for them. The only other team they faced that was a run dominant team was Okie St, (who had a terrible D ranked 72nd in scoring and 77th in Pass Eff D). They lost 28-24 running for over 200 ayrds, scoring twice on the ground and they generated 2 TO's and even though they gave up over 500 yards of offense they generated over 400 themselves. Had they had any defense at all they would have won that game. That is the template for OSU, Ran the ball, control the clock, create a couple TO's and hold Colt & Co to under 400 yards Total O. If we do that,,,not huge stretches for this team, I think we win a close game say 28-24 or 31-28.
Can the perception get any lower than right now for Ohio State? If we get blown out is it possible for people to have a lower opinion? I hope the guys aren't thinking about this because it doesn't matter. I hope they play loose and aggressive, not uptight and hesitant. I just hope I don't see more of the same :(
The other running team they played was Baylor... http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/...
Even Baylor manage 270 on the ground.
Yea and 21 points to their 45 haha. I just feel like these guys are going to do it this time. I hope this turns out to be a classic.
Note to JT:
One definition of insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results".
If you guys win I think it's going to have to be on Pryor's feet. If you watched the Baylor and OSU games against TX, you'd see that all those rushing yards you're talking about came from mobile quarterbacks making plays ( sometimes HUGE plays ) with their legs while the defense was tied up with recievers. Or OSU's speedy back taking to the outside.
I know Beanie is good, but I don't believe he'll be able to run up the middle. Our front seven don't really let that happen, they're really talented, experienced and well coached. You can talk about how bad our D's stats are, but we've faced 4 ( or more? ) top 10 offenses, and anyone who does that will not have the best stats.
TCU ( #2 defense ) held OU to 35 points, the same point total that we did. I think that's about the best anyone can do against that offense, and should put our defense in a little better light. It's the best defense in the Big 12, even though that's not saying a lot.
You'll have to put up 30+ points on the board to top whatever Colt is able to manage. He's broken the QB efficiency record and could thread a needle with that ball. If you can hold Colt & co. under 30 points, that's a real defensive effort.
We need to play the young and fast WR against Texas if they are to gives us respect in the passing game. I was at the LSU game and their corners owned Robiskie and Hartline. They were so much faster that they just "manned" up on them and the LSU pass rush was tremendous. Tom Brady couldn't have won that game for us with the line and WR getting fllat beat on every play. All LSU had to stop was Beanie. Beanie was the best player on the field but that is all we had. Robo, Hartline and Dane are 3 possession WR and not very scary.
Good point Blade. The biggest disappointment for me this season was that Taurian Washington didnt get much action. Granted, it was situational, but watching him reel in 2 LONG TD bombs in the spring game was awesome. I really was looking forward to good things outta him. Hopefully next year, but Tress has shown that early in bowl games he will use a formation not used all year with different personel. EX: When Saine ran that wheel route against LSU in the MNC Game last year. What a great play lining him up as a TE off the line and sending him on the wheel route. Totally alone down the sideline because nobody expected him to break off the line when we were in the Power I formation.
Flash Thomas, Washington & Posey have BLAZING speed. The future looks bright at the WR position and as TP progresses....oh man. Our Offense might be our best assett next year as opposed to the D, which has been the staple of this team for the last 6-7 yrs.
Texas Fan - If those are the keys to the game, I definitely think we can be competitive.
Blade - I don't know if we really need to focus on who our WRs are. Remember we are a run-first team. Hell we are a run-second team. Our offense offers a completely different look than the one vs LSU, and it's mainly because of Pryor. I think the key factor for our WRs is their hands (I'm talking to the Brians) and the ability to get open for a scrambling Pryor.
[...] I’ve been optimistic since this game was announced, based mostly on the assumption that Pryor would be taking a huge step in his Buckeye career. He struggled a bit early against Michigan, but has had a great rookie year. If he can take some of the pressure off of Wells with either his arm or his feet, I’m liking Ohio State’s chances. [...]