Five Things: Spring Game
With the spring game typically comes a wave of optimism, warranted or not, as we get a first glimpse of what could possibly be in store come fall. Saturday’s game proved no different though recent history of big game failings has increased the number of fans taking a more tempered approach to trying to digest what they witnessed. That said, I saw some things to get excited about and some others that will likely have me reaching for the Pepto come September.
Passing Game Shows Some Promise
Terrelle showed he’s still got some work to do but I definitely came away impressed with how well he threw the ball especially on the longer routes. The seed he tossed to Small that went for a 42 yard TD was the highlight of the day for me. That ball was on the money with plenty of zip, in between two defenders, and into the teeth of a gusty wind. Very nice.
He also found spring game legend Taurian Washington on a 44 yard strike, though the ball was slightly underthrown – also against the wind, on his way to a 13 of 18 performance good for 191 yards, 2 TD and zero picks.
Again, the shorter throws were a little inconsistent but another positive was his scrambling more with the intent of finding a lane to throw versus immediately looking to run. Trust me, I want him running when it’s there but I liked the fact he seemed more comfortable going through progressions and looking upfield while on the move versus simply tucking and running. He did take three sacks but with the fact OSU can barely field a competent starting five up front, splitting up the units for a spring game only further illustrates what are very concerning pass blocking abilities.
All in all, I think Pryor showed some improvement and that’s what I wanted to see. The icing on the cake came in the form of some speedy receivers showing their stuff. Posey looks like the real deal and a resurgent Small would be huge. If T-Wash is for real that could be a solid if unproven group once you throw in Dane. As for Flash, he seems to be all flash, little substance to this point. But it’s early so stay tuned.
Oh, and just like the offensive coaching staff, I almost forgot about the tight ends. Why do even recruit tight ends anymore? Hell, a better question might be why do any blue chip tight ends even consider OSU at this point?
Collective Cornerback Performances Just So-So
Considering both defensive lines were able to generate a fairly decent pass rush, I came away somewhat unimpressed with what I witnessed from guys hoping to earn playing time at corner in the fall.
Andre Amos clearly stood out a little more than Travis Howard or Devon Torrence but none of them left me jumping for joy about the state of the vacant corner spot opposite Checkwa and even he got torched on the 44 yarder to T-Wash toward the end of the half. I don’t know exactly what I was hoping to see and their play didn’t have me concerned the Buckeyes will go winless but didn’t you get the impression both sets of receivers were able to gain more separation than we saw at virtually any point last season from Robo and company?
To his credit, Amos did come up and support the run a time or two and registered a pass breakup but without re-watching the game I didn’t feel Torrence or Howard really had an impact. I’d have to say Amos has the upper hand heading to fall camp especially with his status as a fifth year senior on a Tressel coached team.
So what’s your take – did any one of the trio make some strides in your estimation? Who’s is ultimately going to pair with Checkwa in the starting lineup?
Linebackers Aplenty
While there may not be a clear cut star in the group, I liked what I saw from the linebacker units. Rolle, Sabino and Moeller flashed some strong athleticism giving the Buckeyes serious depth when you throw in a clear starter in Homan and another guy who will see significant action in Spitler.
Maybe it’s just my love for dudes flying around on special teams but I really liked what I saw from Rolle and hope he continues to pan out. I love his enthusiasm and the 11 stops were a nice cherry on top. Moeller was also a beast with 8 tackles (2 TFL) and a sack. He’s especially effective on the blitz, as you’ll recall when he filled in admirably for Hines last year, most notably against the Illini.
Sabino also showed a nose for the ball with nine tackles. Hopefully, Heacock and Fickell’s plan to have him concentrate on just one linebacker slot will enable him to progress with the mental aspect of the game so he can add depth come fall. And I guess you can’t forget about other guys like Storm Klein and Andrew Sweat when you consider the Buckeyes actually showed some 3-4 looks.
Which LB’s gave you a chubby?
Boom and Zoom
I’ve expressed my man crush on Boom before so I’ll be brief. I thought he showed the same tough running style we saw last year but now he’s bigger. His cuts are very decisive with an intent of going north and south as much as possible and he gained his yards without the benefit of having the defense worry about Pryor as a runner allowing them to key solely on Boom on rushing plays.
Naturally, with all the hype leading to the public’s first glimpse of the ‘09 Saine Train, I was more than interested to see how he would fare. I’ve admittedly been a non-believer and still want to see him contribute and stay healthy when it counts before I tape a picture of him on my social studies book and draw hearts around it but I was pleasantly surprised with his effort. Saine appeared to finally show some aggression looking to first avoid then run over tacklers instead of stopping at the point of impact as seen in the past. His six totes for 55 yards were impressive, plain and simple.
Boom and Saine can definitely do some damage with defenses keying on Pryor combined with the fact the line appears to at least be able to run block better than they pass protect.
Other Stuff
The record crowd of 95,722 was damn impressive though I found it a little less so when 40% of them left at halftime. I didn’t really care that so many folks left since it gave my lanky sticks a little more room to stretch out but I’ve come the conclusion we are the most messy fans in football. With that gusty wind and the fact nobody throws away their trash, items such as candy wrappers, popcorn boxes, empty bottles of water/coke and plastic nacho trays were flying around like buckshot in Kentucky. Seriously, I thought I stumbled into a Gallagher concert for a sec.
Lastly, thanks to those that came out for the Spring Game Social at Park Street Patio. We had a great time. At least I think we did. My memory is a little foggy though my liver definitely gave off the vibe it was fun when I woke up Sunday.
O-line looked horrible from my vantage point.
As previosly stated, I think Moeller was the MVP. The way he beasted on Martin on that one blitz off the edge showed he is tenacious AND fast. Saine really did impress me, and he is already on my social studies book, but on the inside cover so as to not look like a pile of sticks. LOL. Rolle looks excellent, and Homan played well (isnt he still a little injured?) Amos looked the part, but nothing impressive. I think that we are all just spoiled and not used to not having Jenkins shut EVERYTHING down. He will be alright. Really impressed with Hines again, but thats my boy. I’ve been singing his praises since he knocked OU’s qb outta like 5 games with one hit. The o-line……o-line……hmmm….well……Boren looked good, even tho he was playing tacke, and…uh….uh……yeaaaaaaaaa
Of course, Moeller was the one who was failed to keep contain on that play, allowing Williams the long run to begin with. Kudos to him for working hard to make up for it, though.
The O-Line is going to have me worried all summer.
I would feel better if I saw that Tim May writes an article about voluntary O-Line workouts, where they push the sled until they feel fire in their calves, and run vomit inducing suicide sprints between the hash-marks
Words of comfort; one Pryor got the no-contact jersey taken off, he was only sacked once.
And the line also opened gaping holes for each of the RBs. I think they looked far better than they did in the spring game last year.
the run blocking looked very good, but pryor is pryor and him being a slippery eel doesn’t make up for the fact that both o-lines got abused in pass protect. i dunno, it’s a long way till kickoff, but this group needs to get better, and fast.
While I would be worried a little, I have to think to myself, The players were all split up. I think they’ll be all right, especially with Boren and Brewster providing the intensity that they have shown glimpses of.
Small looked good, I just wonder how long he can stay outta Tress’ dog-house
and how long his dad can stfu about tressel trying to ruin his “career”
thanks! best article on OSU football after a game…
I’m a little concerned that the veteran cornerback Chekwa got so blatantly roasted on the TD catch by Taurian. Someone please tell me he was supposed to have help on the backside. I know our DL is supposed to be beastly this year, but how much of their performance Sat is due to the inconsistent OL play? That gives me pause, I’ll beleive that DL is for real when they shred USC’s OL. I thought the Ghost made a great play on the catch and run TD, Saine ran impressively, actually bulling his way through people. And you’re right about the trash, it was a freaking mess. Come on people, have some pride! I didn’t leave one scrap of trash behind me, and I even picked up crap that wasn’t mine. 95,000 people can make one hell of a mess. Good experience overall, Sat was my 3rd trip to the Spring game, and it gets better every year.
The main issue on that play is that Pryor had all day to throw. Chekwa is a good cover guy, but it’s a little much to expect him to cover T.Wash for 5-6 seconds while the QB is just standing and observing the field with no pressure.
I guess in that case we have to reluctantly give praise to the O-Line. ;-)
The one time that the o-line did their job in pass pro! I know it’s hard to really draw any conclusions from the spring, it will be interesting to see how the units look when they’re going live in September.
I think Chekwa thought he had safety help. Anderson Russell was somewhere in the middle of the field counting the hashes when he realized there was a jailbreak up the sideline. I tend to put the onus on Russell, too, because he’s been so spectacularly average for 2 years now.
The thing is, I feel like we are so deep at the O-line position and young. cordle is a senior, browning is a junior and i would treat boren as a RS freshman for all intents and purposes. I just feel the competition during the summer/fall will bring out the best in the guys because you don’t have players like boone and rehring and persons who were seniors sucking it up. I’m not too worried…yet.
In other news
know thine enemy: http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/042509aaa.html
yawn….. but thanx
I loved how as I read the write-up, not a single name stood out. CJ Gable was the only one. No McKnight?
McKnight’s hurt again. Annual spring tradition.
Cant pretend I’m upset about that. Remember last fall early, when they all got ‘jock itch’ and McNight slammed his hand in the door @ his dorm?
he tripped on that bum beard he has while making a cut. saw it on kcal 9. haha
Yes, I know boring. Dig some stuff up on Rich Rod before posting a link. Make it be something about one of his decommits that said they would transfer three months ago.
I think it’s very telling, actually. They say spring games don’t matter, but when it came to the Buckeyes, the team with Pryor won 23-3. It’s not like the Scarlet was without talent, and it’s not like they weren’t moving the ball. Looks like the young QBs are having trouble down there in socal.
i hope your right and its not that defense is beastly.
i’m not surprised barkley threw some picks, but i’ll be surprised if corp is the #1 QB come game #1
Corp is too much of a “game manager” from what I’ve been reading. I don’t think that fits Petey’s style, playbook or douchey fan base.
We’ll see who’s laying on the turf behind in September.
McKnight also hyperextended his elbow shortly after the jock itch and slamming his hand in a door…Dude is dangerous.
http://www.elevenwarriors.com/2008/09/eyes-on-the-enemy-joe-mcknight.html
Obviously o-line and pass D are going to be a weakness all year, this will be especially scary against USC and PSU.
I think Im changing my defensive MVP prediction to Brian Rolle. This kid has IT. Sometimes you can tell when a kid is for real and when he just has a good game. Even in his limited PT in the past, he has found a way to get his name called, scary to think what he can do as a stsrter, especially in the SLOW B10.
I was impressed by Saine on his second long carry in the second half. Three defenders tried to tackle him around the shoulders (weak and disturbing) and he pushed the whole pile back 3 yards. Not taking anything from Boom, he has the tools to be one of the greats.
more defections for DickRod… is this a record?? Not winning people over with his charm, is he???
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2009/04/28/0428umqb.html?sid=101
That’s old news. What are you, RichRod’s PR agent? ;)
who the heck are you….. get off my behind… are you a troller?? Go troll in traffic on I-75 and stop bothering me.
i was not aware of this. good for him! but it’s not looking like he was going to get any PT in the next 3 years so it makes sense for him to leave.
all he wants to know is; “WHO’S COMING WITH ME?!?!”
yep….. stuck in the toilet behind the option QB’s ….. I hope more defections follow.
i’m sure there will be more players who don’t “fit the system”. he’s got a shot to be the starter at ASU after he sits out, it’s a good choice for him.
Wow, that’s really old news man. I think you need to find these links on rich rod a lil sooner. I NEED TO KNOW HIS EVERY MOVE. PLEASE KEEP ME INFORMED. And actually no it is not a record. Lane Kiffin had 9 defections from Tennessee this year bud, but keep hoping and praying for more defections so you have something to do all day.
I think Ken Gordon just lost any further interview oppertunities with Lic.
http://blog.dispatch.com/buckeyesblog/2009/04/pryor_hard_on_himself_but_woe.shtml
I think it’s good that the little things fire him up, and hell, who DOESN’T hate Mark May?
Agree, but Gordon is suppose to be a “homer”, although I’m glad he’s not. It’s just the politics of tOSU.
maybe he didn’t have anything else to write about this week. seems to be happening at the LA times too….
supposedly there’s more to life in LA so no one could make it to their spring scrimmage. nice attempt at spin LA Times. (another example of why LA sucks and my main gripe about living here)
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dufresne-usc-ucla26-2009apr26,0,1752352.column
hahaha..This line had me dying
“before I tape a picture of him on my social studies book and draw hearts around it”
Would this be on the Kroger Paper Bag Homemade Book Cover you made for it? Or perhaps your OSU Logo Folder inside of your Decorative One-of-a-kind trapper keeper??
I was definitely thinking one of the old paper Kroger bag versions.
those were the best because you could draw all over them and they held up pretty well
Heck yeah…I think those Kroger bags were actually 50% Kevlar.
haha, they probably were. just another quality product from the kroger company. my first job was at kroger bagging groceries. those paper bags will cut you up if you’re not careful. haha.
And you could write the answers to your tests on them and slide them under your sdesk!
Damn I was smooth (please notice the sarcasm).
Also I’m in the same camp when it comes to spring games as my 2nd favorite morning radio show (Howard is King) Bill King of Rivals Radio.. Spring games don’t really mean much… If anyone watched how wacky the o line rotation was during the game then there is no way they can put much into it.. Look what we saw at last years spring game, it had no reflection on the season to come..