Eleven Warriors

Eric Best did not live up to his name today as the #1 seeded Buckeyes were knocked out of the Big Ten Tournament by the #2 seeded Minnesota Gophers by a score of 9-6 on Saturday afternoon.

Best came out of the gates stale, giving up four runs in the first inning, a lead Minnesota would never lose. Despite the Buckeyes battling back in the bottom of the first by scoring three runs, they were never able to get on top and put pressure on the Golden Gopher pitching staff which played it's fourth game in three days.

One thing of note today was that Minnesota wide receiver and 2009 football captain, Eric Decker, played center field for the baseball Gophers. Decker continued to keep a hot bat during the tournament, including a solo home run in the top of the second inning. Decker is a tremendous athlete who could go pro in football or baseball after his senior season.

Minnesota takes on Indiana in the championship game, which is now scheduled at 7:30 tonight at Huntington Park. If the Hoosiers win they are the Big Ten Tournament Champions and receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. If Minnesota wins, they force an elimination game which would be played at 12:05 PM tomorrow at 'The Hunt'.

The Buckeyes are still in good shape as Big Ten Champions in the regular season and will most likely get an at-large bid to the Road To Omaha. Minnesota, Indiana, and Illinois are the three other conference teams that have a chance to advance to the tournament and if Indiana beats the Gophers for the tournament crown, it will most likely leave Illinois as the lone member of that group to be left out of the bracket. Stay tuned as the entire bracket of 64 teams of the NCAA Tournament will be released on Monday.

Beautiful Huntington Park couldn't save the Buckeyes on Friday night

In front of another 4,000+ crowd at Huntington Park, the #1 seed Ohio State Buckeyes decided to make things difficult for themselves in the 2009 Big Ten Baseball Tournament as they fell to Indiana 13-3 on Friday night.

Things started off well for Ohio State as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead after three innings, but a three-run fourth inning and a seven-run fifth inning off Buckeye pitcher Dean Wolosiansky (11-1, 5.52 ERA entering the game) and releiver Jared Strayer gave the Hoosiers a lead that they would not squander.

The Buckeyes now fall to the losers bracket where they will have to take on Minnesota at 3:35 PM today. If they win that game they will face Indiana in Game 1 of the championship tonight at 7:05 PM. They must win that game to force a Sunday 12:05 PM match-up that would decide the winner of the tournament.

No matter what the Buckeyes do they are in good shape to qualify for the NCAA Tournament field of 64, but a tournament win would cement them as a higher seed in the bracket. Eric Best will most likely be the Buckeyes starter on the mound today vs. Minnesota and the fate of the Buckeyes' tournament hopes lays in his hands.

You can catch all the Big Ten tournament games on the Big Ten Network, at Huntington Park ($10 a ticket), on Ohio State's flagship network, Ohio State Student Radio, or on the live blog put up by Buckeye Banter's Matt Barker.

We don't normally cover the Buckeye baseball team, but with the Big Ten Baseball Tournament held at brand-spanking-new Huntington Park, home of the Clippers, we decided to stop by for some yardwork.

The double-elimination tournament started Wednesday night, but #1 seeded Ohio State did not play until tonight, as they received a first round bye. The Buckeye Bombers took on the #4 seeded Illinois squad, who had defeated Michigan State yesterday and they threw their first game hopes on the arm of sophomore Alex Wimmers. Wimmers was the Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Year, and the Cincinnati Moeller product came into the game with a 9-1 record and 2.58 ERA, including a no-hitter against Michigan. He has shown the ability to use three pitches effectively all season long and nothing changed tonight as he continually hit 92-94 mph with his fastball and worked in his breaking ball and changeup for strikes.

Wimmers was not all glamour tonight, even giving up a mamouth shot to Illinois' Eric Johnson, but it seemed to be the right move putting him on the hill as the Buckeyes strung some hits together, rallying from behind to snatch a 7-4 victory from the Fightin Illini. The Buckeyes will play once again tomorrow at 7:05 pm against #3 seed Indiana, who defeated #2 seed Minnesota 12-3 earlier in the afternoon.

Some other notes from the tournament so far:

• The Buckeyes' game vs. Illinois had the largest crowd out of any of the games thus far with over 4,000 fans in attendance.
• Huntington Park marks the first neutral location for the Big Ten Tournament
• Michigan State was eliminated by Purdue earlier in the day; The Boilermakers now take on the Gophers, with the winner playing the Illini.
• An O-H-I-O chant was started around the stadium in the 3rd inning.
• Buckeyes catcher Dan Burkhart was named Big Ten Player of the Year and 3B Justin Miller entered the game as the Big Ten Player of the Week for the second week in a row.
• If you haven't been out to Huntington Park, get there ASAP! It's gorgeous and located right downtown behind Nationwide Arena. Great atmosphere, a City BBQ, Rooster's, bars in the club section behind home plate and in the left field building, lawn seating, and a sprinkler fountain for kids to play in. Tickets for the game are only $10 tomorrow so come support the Buckeyes or catch a Clippers game if you can.

So says The Lantern's headline at least. Opposing fans rejoiced for a minute until Vico thoroughly debunked the severity of the claims:

Ohio State’s men’s basketball appears on the list for failing to get a recruit and family into their hotel room by bedtime.

Oh noes!

JoePa loves him some twister.

The Big Ten meetings concluded in Chicago yesterday and unfortunately, Joe Pa and Jim Delaney didn't end up in a steel cage wrastlin' match over expansion of the conference. In fact, Paterno reversed his comments leading up to the meetings regarding the subject, probably realizing adding a 12th school has little, if anything to do with the football field.

While expansion isn't going to happen anytime soon, if ever, the idea of playing 9 league games is gaining momentum and will be looked at more closely as the conference prepares to set the schedule beyond 2012. Perfect math won't allow every team to play nine games, leaving one team with just eight, but hosting a lesser program is rapidly becoming more expensive and adding another B10 game will keep the money close to home.

If this becomes reality, conference officials can take the opportunity to add another bye week to the regular season, pushing The Game into the first week of December and reducing the layoff before the bowl season, making the conference championship game a moot point.

Another popular item is adjusting the recruiting calendar, allowing kids to start making official visits in June of their junior year. For some reason, the students aren't allowed to start making school sponsored visits until after they start their senior classes, but with coaches handing out promise rings earlier and earlier, this only makes sense. Gene Smith even threw out the notion of reducing the number of official visits from 5 to 3.

Keep an eye out as the Big Ten enters bowl game negotiations this fall, 5 of their affiliations expire after 2009. Economic problems have caused delay on renovations at Citrus Bowl Stadium, which host the Capital One and Champs Sports Bowls. The Cotton and Gator Bowls would love to swoop in and snag a B10 tie-in contract if the conference shies away from Orlando.

Though it was rumored last month after some time slots were announced, the Big Ten officially decided against any night games in November. The conference is slated for 12 primetime slots in the first two months of the season, but weather, safety and logistics makes it too tough to pull off after Halloween. This guarantees the Buckeye will start at Happy Valley in the sun for the first time since 2003.

And finally what would be a recap of the Big Ten meetings without a JoePa story. Adam Rittenberg sat down with the coach on Tuesday and came away with this beauty.

He also thumbed his nose at technology, wondering what "goggle" (Google) and "twister" (Twitter) exactly were and proclaiming somewhat proudly that he didn't own a cell phone or an e-mail account so that no one bothered him.

The baseball Buckeyes start B10 tournament action tonight at 7:05 against Illinois, who clobbered Michigan State yesterday, 16-5. The Illini were fourth during the regular season and lost 2 of 3 at home to the conference winning Bucks. Bob Todd won his fifth coach of the year award earlier this week, while Dan Burkhart was named POY and Alex Wimmers shared the pitcher of the year honors.

Meanwhile down in Athens, Georgia, the softball team is making their first ever appearance in the Super Regionals, starting a best of three series with the Dawgs today at 7pm. We don't pay too much attention to any type of softball around these parts, ever since they banned alcohol from our rec league, but props must go to the ladies for their effort this season in opening up their new home field.

In hoops news, Evan Turner is one of fifteen players invited to try out for the World University Games to be held in Serbia this July. The invites include 5 Big Ten players and the team will be coached by Bo Ryan.

Think the Buckeyes could use Ben Martin?

After running down the recruiting misses of the class of 2008 last week, we take a look at the class of 2007 this week. Unlike the Brew Crew, the class of '07 was not as successful for Jim Tressel on the recruiting front and there were a lot of players who the Buckeyes missed on that blossomed into stars.

While The Vest did keep the best talent inside of Ohio to continue the trip to Columbus, there was a lot of out of state talent that wasn't able to be brought in. This may have contributed to the Bucks' effort the last few years of going after both Ohio's top talent and out-of-state stars with the same aggressiveness and taking the best players on the board, regardless of location.

The class of 2007 did bring in talent like Jermale Hines, Boom Herron, Brandon Saine, Brian Rolle, Cameron Heyward, Devon Torrence, and Dane Sanzenbacher, all who should contribute this year. On the contrary, Eugene Clifford, James Scott, Donnie Evege, Evan Blankenship, Nate Oliver, and Taurian Washington have either left OSU or have not lived up to the bill during their time in Columbus thus far. With that being said, let's take a look at who didn't end up in The 'Shoe in the fall of 2007 and break down the recruiting misses into "The Ones That Got Away", "Wish You Were Mine", and "Glad We Passed" once again:

The Full List of Culprits LB Dewey Elliot (prep school), LB Terrell Scott (didn't make it), RB Robert Hughes (Notre Dame), RB Broderick Green (USC), RB John Clay (Wisconsin), WR Deonte Thompson (Florida), WR Greg Little (UNC), WR Ronald Johnson (USC), WR J.R. Hemmingway (Michigan), WR Leonard Hankerson (Miami), WR Israel Troupe (UGA), WR Matt Clements (S. Carolina), TE Mike Ragone (Notre Dame), TE Rob Gronkowski (Arizona), TE Jon Ditto (PSU), OT Josh Oglesby (Wisconsin), OT Anthony Davis (Rutgers), OT Nick Claytor (Ga. Tech), OT Kevin Bryant (UNC), OG James Wilson (Florida), C Kristopher O'Dowd (USC), OT Joseph Barksdale (LSU), DT Devon Still (PSU), DT Josh Brent (Illinois), DE Ben Martin (Tennessee), DE Justin Trattou (Florida), DE Derrick Morgan (Ga. Tech), MLB Chris Colasanti (PSU), MLB Pat Lazear (WVU), OLB Martez Wilson (Illinois), OLB Brandon Lindsey (Pitt), CB Joe Haden (Florida), CB Vance Cuff (UGA), CB Mario Butler (Ga. Tech), CB Art Evans (Tenn.), CB Devin Parrish (FIU), CB Phelan Jones (LSU, now Alabama), CB DeMarcus Van Dyke (Miami), CB Dionte Allen (FSU), S Eric Berry (Tenn.), S Major Wright (Florida), S Mike McNeil (Auburn), and S Ahmad Black (Florida).

The Ones That Got Away There were not many misses by the staff inside the state of Ohio, but two players that didn't sign with the Buckeyes were Ben Martin of Cincinnati La Salle and Dewey Elliot of Fairfield. Martin was considered a lock to be a Buckeye, but pulled a stunner and selected to go to Tennessee. Last season, as a sophomore reserve defensive end, Martin tallied 18 tackles and a sack, but, along with his performance this spring, has shown he is on the verge of a breakout season. Losing Marting was a big loss to the Buckeyes and they certainly could have used him last season when Lawrence Wilson went down for the second consecutive year with an early season injury. Elliot, on the other hand, was not an important piece needed for this class to be a success, but could have developed into a nice player at OSU. Academics and off-field issues held him out of attending college in 2007 and he went straight to prep school. Overall the Bucks did fairly well in the state of Ohio with this class and Martin was the only target they really wanted that got away.

Wish You Were Mine This list is slightly longer than that in the class of 2008 run down due to more misses on recruits and more time to assess how good the players in this class turned out. The list starts at the running back position with Robert Hughes, Broderick Green, and John Clay. No disrespect to Boom Herron or Brandon Saine, but the loss of Beanie Wells would be a little easier adding any of these backs to the OSU stable this season. Hughes rushed for 382 yards and 4 touchdowns last season for the Golden Domers, showing flashes of greatness throughout the season despite South Bend suffering from another down year. Green was a red-shirt freshman last season, and thus fourth in the USC stable of backs, but still managed 168 yards and 3 scores. The Little Rock, Arkansas native may have made a mistake when looking at the Trojan depth chart, but make no mistake this kid has talent and could compete to start at almost any school in the nation, including Ohio State. Clay rushed for 884 yards (5.3 avg.) and 9 scores, including 69 yards on 10 carries against the Buckeyes in Camp Randle Stadium on October 4. Buckeye fans probably have only selectively remembered LiC's game-winning drive from that game, but for those that were almost soiling their pants in the minutes leading up to TP's score, you remember Clay's hard runs and elusive moves through defenders that kept the chains moving.

The list continues with pass catchers in wide receivers Deonte Thompson of Florida, Greg Little of UNC, Leonard Hankerson of Miami, and Ronald Johnson of USC, and tight end Rob Gronkowski of Arizona. Thompson tallied 18 receptions for 269 yards and 3 touchdowns in Dot Com's spread attack last year and with Percy Harvin gone, should be one of Tim Tebow's top targets in 2009. Little has been Harvin-like during his time in Chapel Hill, playing both running back and receiver. He totaled 339 yards and three scores on the ground and caught 11 passes for 146 yards in his sophomore season for Butch Davis. Hankerson also had 11 catches last season and gained 140 yards to go along with a couple touch downs for the 'Canes, but his long body and size could be used in Columbus this season. Johnson, or "RoJO" as he is known in The Coliseum, is a Detroit Native that took the fast route to the big stage by accepting Pete Carrol's offer to play receiver at USC over offers from the Buckeyes, Michigan, and other top programs in the region. Johnson seems to know what he is doing as he caught 33 passes for 570 yards and 8 touchdowns in his second year in Los Angeles. Gronkowski may not have the stats he puts up in Tuscon if he were in the Buckeye's blocking barrage as Jake Ballard and Rory Nicol know all too well, but any tight end that can put up 75 catches for 1,197 yards and 16 touchdowns in two seasons like Gronkowski has, is a player I want. Looks like the Buffalo native made the right choice in heading out west.

Other players that fill out the "Wish You Were Mine" list in this class are offensive linemen Anthony Davis, Joseph Barksdale and Kristopher O'Dowd, defensive end Derrick Morgan, linebacker Martez Wilson, and defensive backs Major Wright, Eric Berry, and Ahmad Black. Davis, Barksdale, and O'Dowd all started in their freshman seasons at their respective schools and Barksdale and O'Dowd have done some damage to the Bucks the last two years in the National Championship Game and the Collision in the Coliseum respectively. Morgan had a breakout sophomore season in Atlanta, registering 6 sacks and 51 tackles, and is en route to a breakout 2009 campaign. Wilson is a name Buckeye fans know well, as the Illinois junior-to-be has had some memorable plays in Big Ten play the last few years. His 73 tackles and 3 sacks last season would be welcomed in Columbus. Wright and Black roam The Swamp in the Gators' secondary and combined for 11 interceptions last season (4 for Wright, 7 for Black). There's nothing wrong with Anderson Russell or Kurt Coleman, but I wouldn't mind sliding Kurt over to corner if Wright had chosen the Scarlet and Gray back on NSD in 2007. Finally, Eric Berry rounds out this group and is possibly the best defensive player in the country. Berry is projected to be a top 10 pick in next year's NFL Draft and his 158 tackles and 12 interceptions through his first two years back up the hype that came in with him to school. He is certainly one player I would love to have at either corner or safety and simply makes plays wherever he is put.

Glad We Passed To finish the breakdown of the 2007 class is the list of players we are glad to see chose to go elsewhere or didn't accept scholarships to OSU. The list consists of Terrell Scott, Jon Ditto, Nick Claytor, Devon Still, Pat Lazear, Brandon Lindsey, Dionte Allen, and Phelan Jones. Unlike the rest of the bunch, Scott didn't even make it to a school after 2007, and thus his off-field and academic issues make him the most obvious candidate for this category. Ditto is a tight end from Gateway in Pennsylvania (Dorian Bell and Corey Brown) who has not played a down for the Nittany Lions and I'm sure that would not change in Columbus, especially if Jake Ballard hasn't even gotten a full grasp on the job until now. Claytor was one of the top rated tackles in the nation coming out of Gainseville High School (Keith Wells) in Georgia, but has not played up to potential after an injury during his freshman season. Devon Still is another Penn State bust, who has been Happy Valley's version of Lawrence Wilson, suffering a torn ACL and broken leg in his first two seasons. Dionte Allen has fallen to the injury bug as well and while he is very talented, has only played in a handful of games for the Seminoles. Lindsey was a highly touted strong side linebacker coming out of high school, but has not panned out the way the Panthers have liked. He has seen time at linebacker and full back in practice, and is still trying to find his way onto the field heading into his red-shirt sophomore season. It is better he didn't come to Columbus so that the plethora of talent the Bucks have at linebacker could be put on the field. Pat Lazear is the member of this group who has had some off-the-field troubles and has not been able to separate character issues from on-field play. Morgantown is the perfect place for the Maryland native as he looks join Chris Henry and Pacman Jones as WVU alum who are outstanding citizens. Finally, Phelan Jones, another very talented player, has decided competition is not for him and will transfer from Death Valley to Alabama next season. Just like Josh Jenkins, the Buckeyes do not want any player who is scared of competition and apparently neither does the Mad Hatter, if he is willing to let a talent like Jones depart for a conference rival.

Winfield: Best. OSU. Corner. Ever.

Last week, we took a look at which offensive position and player we would upgrade if given the chance to pluck one guy from the last 20 years and insert him into the '09 Buckeye offense. The questionable offensive line was the overwhelming choice for bolstering meaning Orlando Pace won in a landslide which isn't a surprise considering, as Sam put it, he's probably the best college football player in the last 20 years period.

This week might bring a little more debate as we turn our attention to the defensive side of the ball. The defensive line appears to be a strength by committee but lacks a true superstar unless Gibson consistently blows up and while it's not a glaring weakness, the interior still has to prove how stout it will be against elite competition. The linebackers are similar in that the corps appears to be rich in talent but none of them have a proven resume that jumps off the page.

The secondary stands out as the most likely area to upgrade with Jenkins and D-Wash taking their games to Sunday and I can count at least a few folks less than enamored with the returning safety combo of Russell and Coleman. Consider me on board the Coleman bandwagon but there's certainly some past Buckeyes who could help at the other safety spot.

My first instinct says this could be another no brainer but let's take a look at each unit to make certain.

Defensive Line What we know is Heacock appears to have some serious depth this season with the likes of Thaddeus Maximus, Wilson, Thomas and Williams vying for time on the edge with Heyward (DE/DT), Worthington, Denlinger and Larimore likely to see most of the snaps on the interior. The depth should keep the line fresh hopefully allowing the Bucks to wear teams down by the 4th quarter but I'm waiting to be convinced any of those guys are legit game changers.

If this is your area of opportunity, you'd have to lean toward Vrabel or the Fresh Prince but as much as they'd add to the existing line, I think it's safe to say most of us would pass on upgrading up front simply because the other units seem to pose a greater need.

Linebacker As with the defensive line, I think most of us are excited about the potential the current crop of LB's bring to the table but I'd much rather be excited about having proven badasses returning. I think we've all learned potential can sometimes be a dirty word and there's no doubt we've been spoiled with the amazingly consistent luxury of having at least one returning LB on which to hang our hat.

If the line does live up to its billing, a great LB would have plenty of room to roam and cause havoc making it a prime spot for an upgrade. Homan showed he's capable if not spectacular while Rolle and Moeller have created a buzz with their play making ability and Spitler is sure to see time as a fifth year guy. Sabino and Sweat are waiting in the wings so the depth is there but I don't see an All-American in this group - at least not in 2009.

So, what's the play here? Even with the strong depth, can you pass up an opportunity to plug A.J. Hawk or Andy Katzenmoyer into this team and give it a superstar LB flying around behind an at least above average line?

Secondary With only one corner spot truly locked down, upgrading at corner seems to be the most obvious choice. I've got confidence in Chekwa but I'd have that much more confidence if he was covering the opponent's second best receiver. Considering whoever emerges from the unproven combo of Andre Amos and Devon Torrence is your starting corner opposite Chekwa and which position to upgrade is starting to look like another slam dunk.

However, maybe you think Heacock will again play such a high percentage of zone that you aren't as concerned about the corner spots. With the experience at safety and the potential for the defensive line to gain pressure without the aid of a blitz it's certainly feasible man to man will be shelved more often than not.

The Pick Looking at the current roster and the former greats to choose from, I think it's safe to say this one comes down to linebacker or corner. If I go linebacker, I'm taking Hawk. I love the Big Kat but it's hard to pass up A.J. and his flowing locks. In the secondary, I heart Malcolm Jenkins but there's no way any of us could pass up adding Antoine Winfield.

Head to head, I give Winfield the edge over Hawk and the selection becomes even more of a lock when looking at the existing roster combined with the fact OSU will again play a lot more nickel than base. I'm confident two LBs from the current crop can step up and the need for five guys who can defend the pass is too much to ignore.

'Toine lengthens the lineup of cover guys in a way that can't be ignored and with his remarkable ability to support the run he's the obvious choice. Antoine, go grab your jersey.

So what do you think? Another no doubter on our hands this week?

Bet you were thinking football. Instead, it's the USC men's tennis team that stands in the way of Ohio State's first national championship in the sport.

After trailing early against UCLA in the semifinals, the Buckeyes rallied for the 4-3 win advancing their match winning streak to 28.

The finals are on ESPNU tomorrow at 3pm ET.

In our bid for more writers than readers, we introduce Joe to you. He's been a long time commenter around here under the moniker GoBucks89 and his first post takes a look at the 1979 season, when another talented soph was lining up behind center.

As we look forward to Pryor's sophomore season, many of us are wondering how much LiC will improve over last year. As they say, "The best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores." When contemplating the 1st to 2nd year improvement of a quarterback phenom at Ohio State, one's thoughts might drift back to the year 1979, and to the last great QB prospect to arrive in Columbus with enormous accolades and great expectations.

Art Schlichter was first team All-Ohio and Ohio class AAA (this was before the advent of the 5-division system) Player of the Year as a high school senior. His Miami Trace teams went 29-0-1 with him as the starter, and he was also All-Ohio in basketball (he once scored 47 of his team's 49 points in a junior high game). I remember my father telling me that Schlichter could throw the ball 50 yards through the air while sitting on his rear. If that sounds like Chuck Norris, you just have to know that the hype surrounding Schlichter was as thick as that of Pryor and then some (enhanced by the fact that he was from nearby Washington Court House). Schlichter was also a threat running the football, and he was as skilled in the QB option as he was dropping back. As a freshman at OSU, he started all 12 games (including the infamous Gator Bowl game) and, despite a rocky five interception start against Penn State, displayed such promise that he was thought to be the key to the team's success in the 1979 season.

1979 was going to be a pivotal season for Ohio State football, one way or another. The 1978 Gator Bowl game is well known because of the punch that led to Woody Hayes' firing. Earle Bruce was hired away from Iowa State to take over the program and like Hayes, Bruce was a disciplinarian, perhaps even more so. But in terms of offensive style, Bruce was thought to be much more "modern". Which in Columbus meant four yards and a cloud of dust with slants and posts mixed in. During spring practice, reporters validated this thinking with glee about how "the air was full of footballs". Clearly, things were going to be different.

A different approach was probably welcome news to many fans, despite Hayes' legendary status. The team had just endured three-straight losses to Michigan and had lost 4 of its last 5 bowl games. They had not scored a touchdown in The Game since Pete Johnson plowed in for the winning score in 1975, and they had been humiliated 35-6 in the much anticipated "Woody vs. Bear" Sugar Bowl matchup with Alabama in 1978. The Gator Bowl game later that year was clearly winnable, as the team was trailing only 17-15 and driving in Clemson territory prior to the interception. The spectacle of Hayes lashing out in frustration at an opposing player on national television added insult to injury, and harmed the reputation of the program. If there ever was a time for change in OSU football, 1979 was it.

The season started calmly enough with a routine 31-8 victory over Syracuse. However, the second game was on the road at Minnesota, and OSU struggled to pull out a 21-17 victory. They got into a shootout in the third game before finally pulling ahead for good against Washington State for a 45-29 victory. Schlichter had shown poise and played effectively, but a bigger test loomed in the 4th game at UCLA. Terry Donahue's Bruins would go on to post a mediocre 5-6 record, but trips to the West Coast have always been difficult for OSU. UCLA jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter before OSU narrowed it to 10-7 at the half. OSU struggled on offense throughout the 2nd half and they found themselves staring at a 13-10 deficit with 2:21 remaining in the game. Starting at their own 20 after a missed FG, Schlichter led the team on an 80-yard drive for the game-winning TD. He was 6-6 on the drive, hitting FB-turned-TE Paul Campbell on a 3-yard bootleg pass for the winner. The drive was a turning point for the team. The early struggles were forgotten, and the entire country watched them shake off the chains of their ultra-conservative past and ride the arm of their young QB for the win. The defense had stiffened in the 2nd half, the offense had come through in the clutch, and the team carried their new coach off the field on their shoulders as he fist-pumped Tiger Woods-style the whole way. Things had definitely changed for the better.

After a let-down game against Northwestern yielded a 16-7 win, the team suddenly began handing beatdowns out to the rest of the Big Ten. Lee Corso's Indiana team would ultimately end the season at 8-4, including a bowl victory over BYU, but against the Buckeyes they had no chance. Schlichter and the crew ripped the Hoosiers for a 47-6 win, and then they proceeded to hang a 59-0 shiner on Dave McLain's Wisconsin Badgers the next week. Homecoming week brought a feisty Michigan State team, but they left humiliated by the Buckeyes, 42-0. I went to that game, and I was utterly impressed with the performance of Schlichter and the offense. They absolutely dominated whenever they were on the field. Easy wins against Illinois and Iowa followed, setting up the season-ending finale against You Know Who.

At this point, all of the ghosts of the past three years returned to haunt the team. Not only that, but Michigan had discovered a phenom of their own, a freshman receiver named Anthony Carter who was burning opposing secondaries left and right. The game was in Ann Arbor, and with OSU being undefeated entering the game, the crowd was sure to be as hostile as ever. Veteran coach Bo Schembechler had to be smiling at the prospect of facing a coach who was dealing with the pressures of The Big One for the first time. However, as the game unfolded, it became obvious that the Buckeyes' sophomore quarterback was up to the challenge. Schlichter passed for 196 yards, including an 18-yard scoring strike to Chuck Hunter to give Ohio State its first touchdown against Michigan in 4 years. Having exorcised those demons, the Buckeyes blocked a punt late in the game and safety Todd Bell ran it in for the winning score. The 18-15 victory sealed an outright Big Ten championship for Earle Bruce in his first season, and also secured a Rose Bowl date with the imposing USC Trojans.

After the win over Michigan, the AP moved Ohio State to #1 and USC to #3 (Ohio State was 3rd in the UPI poll, behind Alabama and USC). As a result, the Rose Bowl game was billed as a shot at the national championship for the Buckeyes. Unfortunately, this game ended up being kind of like a reverse of the UCLA game. It was OSU that led late in the game, and USC that went on the game-winning drive in the last 2 minutes. The difference was that USC did it all on the ground, running Heisman Trophy winner Charles White and his young fullback Marcus Allen behind their massive offensive line led by future NFL Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz (Pete Carroll, then OSU's secondary coach, offers his recollections here).

White ran all over OSU, finishing with 247 yards. But Schlichter held his own, passing for 280+ yards, including a 44-yard TD strike to Gary Williams. Schlichter failed to reach the end zone on a 4th-and-goal QB option from USC's 1-yard line in the 1st half, and that play would cost the team not only in points but in emotional energy as the game wore on. Not only that, but after USC scored the go-ahead touchdown, Schlichter was unable to complete any passes on the ensuing possession. Still, the young QB performed exceptionally well under pressure and outplayed his USC counterpart, senior All-American Paul MacDonald. It was a superb showing for a second year player, made all the more impressive by the fact that the USC secondary sported the likes of future All-Pro players Dennis Smith and Ronnie Lott.

So how does this all relate to Terrelle Pryor? Could he be the kind of player that sparks a great team effort and championship run like we had in 1979? Only time will tell, but from my vantage point it looks like he has all the skills and the team has all the necessary talent to pull it off. Not only that, but there are some big-game demons that require exorcising, and TP seems like just the kind of guy who can do it. Our coaching situation is as stable as it can be at the moment, but I think we still have something to prove when it comes to molding our offense around an exceptionally talented quarterback. Will the current staff be able to bring positive change in that critical area? Stay tuned.

The Big Ten football meetings get under way this week and the new radical octogenarian, Joe Paterno, is on a mission of sorts.

Adorable

Two weeks ago, Paterno gave us some help passing the long days of May when he suggested that the conference should look to add a 12th team and the championship game that would come with such a move.  It's been the offseason of challenging the status quo in college football and Paterno was only trying to add some shake to the Big Ten, which has been taking a national beating, both on the field and on the internet the past few years.

Last week, Bret Bielema joined the cause, saying the following to ESPN's Rittenberg:

"It'd be great. Everybody would welcome a 12th team in the league and maybe having a championship game."

We're not sure what Bielema means by everybody, but it can't include who Paterno referred to as the polite, but snickering handful of people that dominate the conference. At any rate, perhaps emboldened by the flank support from the guy that clock-rule-punked him a few years back, Paterno is charging ahead into the meetings full steam. He plans on tracking down the powers-that-be and getting answers, damn you, answers, as to why the league isn't exploring expansion and leading the charge into a college football postseason:

"It makes sense that we have a playoff," Paterno said last night at the the 35th annual Daily News-Eagles City All-Star Game banquet at Dugan's Restaurant in Northeast Philly. "I don't know what the problems are, but I don't like to hear the phony reasons why they don't have it. 'The kids are going to spend too much time away from class.' Aw, come on. Look what they do with the basketball [NCAA Tournament]. All the other divisions in NCAA football have playoffs. I really think a playoff is fairer."

Unfortunately, he's not likely to get anywhere. We won't get to a playoff overnight and the Big Ten won't be adding a 12th team in the near future, but you're fooling yourself if you think both won't eventually come. Paterno realizes that while we're sitting around and deliberating over moves against tradition, other conferences are moving ahead. These moves don't have to be reckless, but they do have to be made. Paterno's charge somewhat calms my recurring nightmare of waking up in 50 years and seeing the Big Ten as the new Ivy of football. And what better than to have a high profile 82 year old with no fear of burning bridges to push the point on much needed changes.

Paterno's crusade won't be the only agenda item this week as the conference must also decide whether to renew five of the league's seven bowl contracts. Though most bowls are expected to be extended, there's a bit of intrigue surrounding the renewal of the Capital One contract. The bowl does pay well, but there are concerns about the stadium and whether another bowl may make a sweeter offer in an attempt to became the fifth major:

The league’s contract with the Capital One Bowl earns the league nearly $4.25 million, the top payout among non-BCS bowl games. But Orlando’s 73-year-old stadium’s potential $175 million renovation has stalled, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The paper reports a slowdown in tourism taxes has placed the project on that community’s back shelf for possibly 10 more years.

And those looking to move up?

There’s also speculation that bowls like the Cotton, Outback or Houston could vault past the Capital One Bowl as college football’s best non-BCS bowl. The Cotton Bowl, once considered among the four best bowls with the Rose, Sugar and Orange, moves into a $1 billion palace in Arlington, Texas, this year.

The Cotton looks really appealing, what with the platinum urinals that Jerry Jones is putting into that stadium, but an ideal scenario would be one where the SEC tie-in is kept and that league's representative is forced to play a postseason game outside the land of sweet tea.