Eleven Warriors

Our preliminary ballot this week has Penn State jumping 'Bama and we moved Florida down a few spots even though they didn't play. This was more of a correction than a punishment but we're wondering what you think about that move?

We slid Mizzou to 14 and bumped TCU all the way up to 15 but that was more a product of not being overly impressed with any of the teams behind them at this point. In our view, there's just not a lot of separation in the teams ranked 15-25 though we're officially on the Tulsa bandwagon because we love teams that run up the score.

As usual, the final ballot isn't due until Wednesday so chime in with your take so we can adjust the poll to reflect both our opinions and the voice of our readers. Ain't democracy grand?!

1		The Longhorns raced out to a 35-0 lead before burying Mizzou 56-31 in Austin to further solidify their #1 ranking. Colt McCoy was absolutely sick going 29/32, 337 yards and 2 TD. Count me as a McCoy fan - hopefully he can win the Heisman and keep Tebow from tying Archie, at least this season.	--
2		The Lions erased a 17-14 halftime deficit scoring 32 unanswered 2nd half points in a 46-17 rout of RichRod's Wolverines. Evan Royster helped PSU snap a 9 game skid against Michigan with 174 yards rushing and a TD. QB Darryl Clark ran for 2 scores and passed for another. The win sets up a showdown in the 'Shoe this Saturday night.	1
3		The Tide moved to 7-0 but it wasn't pretty as Bama was outscored 17-0 in the second half before holding on to win 24-20 in Tuscaloosa. JPW threw for a season high 219 yards and 2 TD. A weak schedule by SEC standards still helps the Tide with just one ranked team (LSU) remaining on the regular season slate.	1
4		Sam Bradford kept the Heisman pace with Colt McCoy passing for a school record 468 yards with 3 TD in a 45-31 win over Kansas. The Sooners produced 674 yards of total offense but the D gave up 491.	1
5		The Trojans put a 69-0 hurtin' on Washington State High School behind five 1st half TD passes from Poncharello, er, Sanchez. Total yards: USC 625, WSU 116. First downs: USC 28, WSU 4. Yikes.	1
6		Bye week. Next up: Kentucky	2
7		Knowshon Moreno ran for a season high 172 yards (1 TD) as UGA got past Vandy 24-14 setting up a showdown @ LSU. Freshman WR A.J. Green had 7 catches for 132 yards (1 TD).	--
8		Oklahoma State tuned up for Saturday's tilt against #1 Texas with a 34-6 throttling of Baylor. Dez Bryant caught 11 passes for 212 yards and 2 TD's as the Cowboys finished the game with a 34-0 run.	--
9		Graham Harrell threw for 450 yards and 5 TDs as Tech ran away from Texas A&M 43-25 in College Station. The Tech season should come crashing down as early as this week against Kansas but more likely in the following three weeks against Texas, Ok St, and @ Oklahoma.	1
10		The Buckeyes got a huge road win routing Michigan State 45-7 in East Lansing. The D forced 5 TO's, scored 2 TD's and held Ringer to 67 yards while Beanie paced the offense with 140 yards rushing and 2 scores. Next up: Night game in the 'Shoe against Joe Pa's Lions.	1

11		LSU needed a 14-0 second half to escape South Carolina with a 24-17 win setting up Saturday's home showdown against Georgia. LSU defense registered 6 sacks and held the Cocks to 39 yards rushing.	1
12		Boise State forced 5 turnovers and got 3 TD passes from Kellen Moore in a 27-7 decision over Hawaii to extend their home winning streak to 17. (Okla 21)	2
13		The Utes won their 9th straight game, a 49-16 decision over Colorado State. TCU and BYU are 2 of 4 remaining games.	3
14		The Tiger defense found themselves in a talent mismatch as Texas racked up 591 yards of offense in a 56-31 dismantling. The loss moved Mizzou to 0-11 all time against top ranked opponents.	5
15		The Horned Frogs defense shut down BYU's aerial attack in a 32-7 drubbing totaling 6 sacks and 2 INT's of the overhyped Max Hall.	NR
16		Pitt sunk Navy 42-21 behind LeSean McCoy's 156 yards rushing and 3 TD's. The Panthers have now won 5 straight.	3
17		Matt Grothe threw for 3 TD's and ran for another in USF's 45-13 win over Syracuse's Intramural squad.	3
18		I got some flak for hating on BYU but they finally proved me right getting blown out by TCU 32-7. Cougar's savior Max Hall threw 2 INTs and was sacked 6 times.	5
19		The Jayhawks put up 31 points behind Todd Reesing's 342 passing yards and 2 TD but the D couldn't stop Oklahoma in a 45-31 loss. Kansas also committed 2 turnovers and converted just 2/12 3rd downs to kill any chances of an upset.	4
20		Bye week. Next up: @ Purdue	3
21		Bye week. Next up: Eastern Michigan	3
22		The Mildcats moved to 6-1 with a 48-26 whuppin' on Purdue thanks to CJ Bacher's 3 TD's through the air and another on the ground.	NR
23		The 'Noles moved to 5-1 thanks to a 26-17 win over NC State. FSU QB Christian Ponder threw for 254 yards and a score. 3rd downs: FSU 10/17, NCST 1/9.	NR
24		The Wildcats upset Cal 42-27 behind freshman RB Keola Antolin's 149 yards rushing and 3 TD's. Arizona scored 28 points in the 3rd quarter. This ranking could be short lived as the Wilcats host USC this week.	NR
25		Why not? The Golden Hurricane put a 77-35 hurtin' on UTEP behind David Johnson's 434 yards passing and 5 TD's. Tulsa amassed a staggering 791 yards of offense. Sure, they don't play anybody but they're fun to watch scoring no less than 37 points in any game this season with at least 45 points in the other six.	NR

DROPPED OUT: Virginia Tech (#17), Michigan State (#18), North Carolina (#21), California (#22), Vanderbilt (#25).

Buckeyes Come Up Large in Red Zone Ohio State's struggles in the red zone have been well documented but hopefully yesterday put an end to said struggles. In five trips to the red zone, OSU registered 4 touchdowns settling for just one field goal and that one probably shouldn't count considering it came in the 4th quarter with the Buckeyes up 35-7. Further, once inside the 20, the field goal drive started with two Brandon Saine rushes so to expect a TD was probably unrealistic.

Pryor definitely looked more comfortable in the red zone especially on the second TD when he found Robo in the back of the end zone as the trailing receiver on a roll out to the right sideline. Poised and upright, Pryor zipped a perfectly thrown ball against the backside of the coverage to put OSU up 14-0. This particular trip was especially rewarding in that OSU capitalized after an interesting chop block penalty (Rehring/Brewster) forced the Bucks into 1st and Goal at the 21 yard line.

With Penn State on deck, an offense with some red zone confidence is huge.

Offensive Line Makes A Guest Appearance As with the red zone offense, it's no secret the offensive line has smelled like hot garbage for much of the season and here's to hoping yesterday's performance will serve as a springboard to facing the Lions versus being an anomaly in a season of inconsistent performances.

The run blocking was simply dominating, especially in the first half, as OSU racked up 158 yards rushing (5.4 ypc) with 3 touchdowns with Beanie blowing up for 105 yards (18 rushes) and two touchdowns. The pass blocking wasn't quite as effective but Pryor was still able to hit 7 of 9 for 116 yards.

For the game, OSU totaled 216 yards on the ground, a week after they managed just 222 total yards and zero touchdowns against Purdue.

As with red zone offense, the challenge now is whether or not the Buckeyes can achieve some consistency rushing the football with Penn State coming to town for a night game throw down in the 'Shoe.

Beanie Freaking Wells Looks like the big fella is as healthy as he's gonna get and Tressel appears poised to ride the Beanie Express the rest of the way. Yesterday, Beanie racked up a season high 31 carries, good for 140 yards (2 TD) giving him 402 yards in his last 3 games (5.36 ypc).

In fact, the 31 carries are tied for second most in the last year behind his record breaking 39/222 performance in the Big House last November and the 31/221 steamrolling he put on the Spartans last October.

He's averaging 25 carries per game during the last three and if he gets at least that many against PSU, you gotta like the Buckeyes' chances considering what the D is doing lately. Speaking of which...

Defense Continues Emergence The Silver Bullets just might be back...Of course, it's no coincidence that the D is stepping up thanks to an improved game plan (props to Heacock) employing more man to man coverage coupled with an improved effort from the front four.

Gibson (Fumble Ret TD), Heyward (2 tkl, 1 TFL), Larimore, Worthington and Abdallah helped hold Javon Ringer to a season low 67 yards (worst since 48 against PSU last Nov) and pressured MSU starting QB Brian Hoyer into a dismal 5/13 day with just 27 passing yards.

Even more important was how the line was able to get pressure without the aid of a blitz allowing the linebackers to roam unblocked.

Laurinaitis was the main benefactor and took full advantage keying on Ringer all day long. Little Animal played his best game of the season registering 11 stops (1.5 sacks) and he knocked Hoyer out the game with a big shot on a roll out.

Ross Homan also took advantage of open space recording nine stops including two behind the line of scrimmage.

Of course, the biggest hat tip the defense is the five forced turnovers with two of those brought back to the house in the form of a Gibson fumble return for 69 yards and a 48 yard fumble return out of Hines.

Lastly, how dominant was this group in the decisive first half? In eight first half possessions, the D forced four 3-and-outs, two turnovers and two five-play drives that totaled just 23 yards. Oh, and first half time of possession: OSU 19:22, MSU 10:28. Dizzamn!

Throwing the Coaches A Bone While I think the staff has earned every bit of criticism tossed their way this season, you gotta give some love to Heacock for finally, apparently, getting the D back on course.

It took far too long but the decisions to get Gibson on the field and later to finally employ a little more man blitz coverage, especially in third and medium situations, have both helped the defense step up the aggression and create turnovers (9 in last 3 games).

Offensively, I still think Bollman is a dinosaur but the o-line definitely put forth an effective effort yesterday and I liked Tressel's first half play calling. The 56 yard pass to Hartline on FIRST DOWN (?!) was a great call signaling Tress was going for the throat leading 14-0 with great field position (own 43). That call was certainly more palatable than the two Mo Wells runs Tress dialed up last week against Purdue when a Jenkins pick gave OSU the ball at the Boiler 30 with the Bucks up 10-0 in the second quarter. Is someone learning from past wussy-play-calling? I'm hoping so.

As for the second half, I had no problem with Tress pounding the ball and running clock considering how the D was playing. It wasn't exciting to watch the nine play, 15 yard drive early in the 3rd quarter with OSU up 28-7 but Tress took 6:14 off the clock with the nine straight rushing calls. Totally the right thing to do.

I was then glad to see once there was no doubt MSU could come back, Tress allowed Pryor to get a couple pass attempts off during the 4th quarter FG drive. And how bout those passes to Brandon Smith? Kudos to Tress for yesterday's in game strategy.

It is much easier to get up on a Sunday morning after the Buckeyes put on such a dominating display the day before. I feel so good, I could run 3 miles, do yard work or even go shopping with the wife, but I think I'll take the safe route and watch the Sunday Buckeyes. Do you think Malcolm would look good in a Bengal's uniform?

The NFC is shaping up to be a tight playoff race, as 11 of the 16 teams have at least three wins. Two of the best matchups today involve four of those teams, with Buckeyes playing key roles in both games.

Down in Carolina (4-2), Na'il Diggs and Chris Gamble will try to keep the Panthers one game ahead of Will Smith and his Saints (3-3). While in the Windy City, Chicago will battle for first place with Antoine Winfield and the Vikings, as both teams sit 3-3.

The most interesting matchup in the AFC today happens to be in Buffalo, where the first place Bills will look to hold off the Super Chargers. After losing their first two games, San Diego has won 3 of their last 4, including a spanking of New England last week, to pull within one game of first. Matt Wilhelm continues to start and is the third leading tackler for the Chargers. Donte Whitner and Ashton Youboty's Bills are coming off their bye week and have Trent Edwards back under center.

Another intriguing game later this afternoon is up in Green Bay, where the Colts will visit Lambeau Field. AJ Hawk continues to lead Green Bay in total tackles and should have a few over the middle encounters will Anthony Gonzalez. FYI, Roy Hall can't catch a break with the Colts, as he sits again today with a knee injury. After only appearing in three games last year before his stint on the IR, Hall as participated in just one game this season, recording no stats.

Slim pickings again for fantasy help from the Buckeye alum. Your best bet is Santonio Holmes, who is traveling to Cincinnati to face a winless Bungels team without Carson Palmer. Joey Galloway is still out with his injury and the up and down Ted Ginn is home against Baltimore, the NFL's best defense.

The Buckeyes' dream game plan for the Michigan State game probably went a little something like this: put some early points on the board to force Brian Hoyer to beat you in the air and then pin your ears back on defense and come after him.

Easier said that done when you consider the team was coming off a lackluster win against Purdue in which the offense didn't cross the goal line, but that game plan became reality reality in front of 75,000 dazed Spartan fans. They witnessed the maligned Buckeye offense come out and score touchdowns on three of their first four drives while watching their own team suffer two three-and-outs and a lost fumble in the process. Just like that, it was 21-0 Buckeyes and we weren't even out of the first quarter.

The defense then got in on the act, recording fumble returns for touchdowns out of both Gibson and Hines and the Buckeyes finally got that one game where everything seemed to click. They would go on to scoop up five turnovers on the day and when the offense and defense get it going, you get scores like 45-7 Ohio State. Over the 20th-ranked team in the country. In their house.

Offense

Take nothing away from the performance of the defense, because they played their top game of the season, but it was the legs of Pryor and Wells along with an inspired effort out of an offensive line that really set things up today. The least popular residents of Franklin County all week, Boone and the boys responded with their most complete game of the year. They were solid on pass protection and the left side in particular played a huge role in allowing Beanie to collect yards like you collect MP3s. Consider Ballard's mission at the beginning of the week accomplished.

Speaking of Beanie, another game and another typical performance out of him: 31 carries, 140 yards and two touchdowns. I counted no fewer than five stiff-arms and his Beanie Hop was pure Buckeyegasm for the faithful. The 28-0 halftime lead contributed to his season-high number of carries as the offense slowed down behind a more than 3-1 run to pass ratio. You pray that he doesn't seriously re-injure the toe, but it also feels good to know he can put in a game like that right in the middle of Big Ten season.

Pryor didn't exactly light things up in the air, completing just 7/11 and he appeared to struggle on a few reads, but he more than made up for that with his ground work (12 for 72). After the opening kickoff pinned Ohio State inside its own 10, he ripped off a 32-yarder to help flip the field position advantage and then a drive later his 18-yard touchdown run put the team on the board to kick-start the scoring.

LeBron in Cleats is starting to develop a potent stiff-arm of his own and and he surely earned some respect from teammates after lead blocking on Beanie's reverse field run and a later play to Smith. Most importantly he turned in another performance without a turnover.

With just seven completions, the receivers probably didn't get the type of work they wanted -- especially when three of those went to tight end Brandon Smith, but the ones they caught were memorable. Robiskie was a late option for a catch in the back of the end zone for the Buckeyes' second touchdown and following a Spartan three-and-out, Hartline answered. On a nicely-executed play-action, Pryor hung a bomb up a little short to Hartline on the right sideline. After slowing for the ball, he went up above two Spartan defenders to pull down the catch and emerged to fall just one yard short of the goal line.

That said, there wasn't an abundance of arial fireworks and that's okay. I liked seeing a tight end actually lead the team in receptions and I noticed a lot of good blocking out of the receivers. From a playcalling perspective, it did look like the coaches threw some more wrinkles Pryor's way. I maintain that a lot of that stems from the play of the line -- longer developing plays were off the board last week with the unit playing like it was. One more thing: that read handoff between Pryor and Wells is getting better with each game. On at least two plays, the cameras had no idea who had the ball. The Death Star handoff will be fully operational soon.

Defense

There's little doubt that the on-field leadership out of Malcolm Jenkins and the youth infusion have really sparked the Buckeye defense. Ever since the 2nd half in Madison, this group has been playing like we envisioned the moment that Laurinaitis, Jenkins and Freeman announced that they would be coming back for their senior seasons. From Laurinaitis stuffing Ringer on the very first play of the game to the two touchdown returns out of the youngsters, we got to see a little bit of that old time Buckeye defense. The kind Dantonio had. It was a beautiful sight.

I'm trying to pick out a defensive play of the game, but I'm struggling. Do you give it to Coleman for getting juked onto his rump, getting up to punch the ball loose and springing a Donald Washington fumble return in what was then still a close game? What about his diving interception on the sideline? Or what about Jenkins for his sack-fumble and his interference on Ringer during Gibson's 69-yard return? (I especially liked that the Jenkins/Gibson play came after Spartan backup quarterback Kirk Cousins had raced out to his roaring start, completing his first 10 attempts. It was almost like the defense said, Enough of this shit.)

Laurinaitis was everywhere, finishing with 11 tackles and a sack. Gibson, Denlinger, Rose, Williams and the rest of the defensive front helped hold Ringer to a season-low of 67 yards and got to the quarterbacks. Thad is just continuing his trajectory and Williams had two plays that really stood out: his hustle from the backside to track down Ringer on a mid-range run and his monster block on Hines' 48-yard fumble return score with 15 seconds on the clock. The clowning got so bad that even Brian Rolle got in on the action, recording an interception to end the game.

What's more encouraging is that it looks as if Heacock is starting to favor man coverage. The proof is in the pudding, so to speak, with five takeaways and stuffing the nation's leading ball carrier. If the Buckeye defense plays like this next weekend, Penn State could be in for a rude awakening.

Special Teams

Outside of his muff and near turnover on one return, Ray Small is turning into a nice little weapon returning punts. He has sure hands and the moves and speed to make the first and second guy miss. As much as Tressel loves the battle over field position, this has to warm his heart somewhat. Flash is looking like a complimentary option on kick returns (muffed catch of his own and all).

The most refreshing aspect of the victory had to have been the fact that the Buckeyes only tried one field goal. That came in the fourth quarter when Pettrey hit a 40-yarder. That's normally Pretorius range, so you have to wonder if kicker won't be the latest position to see a change at the top (though the depth chart -- which is quickly being rendered misleading at best -- seemed to indicate otherwise earlier in the week).

Notes

Rehring was a surprise starter at right guard... Cool Game Moment #1: Malcolm Jenkins making plays on the punt team - with one minute to go in the game... Many props to the Buckeye secondary for focusing on becoming ball hawks and then going out and doing just that... Robo's little brother looks like a big-mini Robo... No called options this week?

Kickoff:	3:30PM ET
Location:	East Lansing, MI
Previews:	11W, BC / SW, ES, SMSU
Favorite:	Ohio State (-3.5)
Television:	ABC/ESPN2 (Coverage Map)
Radio:	OSU Football Affiliates
Weather:	Near-Perfect

Just a few of the many questions that will be answered later today:

Will we see Minnesota Pryor, the guy that was throwing the ball well and moving the offense or will we see Purdue Pryor? Away from Ohio Stadium where fan expectations can be suffocating, will he thrive on the road as some have suggested? After looking Posey's way so often last week, will they start to develop something dangerous? Will we see any Boeckman?

How will the offensive line respond after a week of getting called out by the media and teammates? Will they be able to block the option this week? How many positions will Rehring play?

Will the defensive line have an answer for the steady dose of Javon Ringer on the way? Will Ross Homan take another step as a run-stopping linebacker? Who emerges as the replacement for Lawrence Wilson? Do the Spartans even attempt to throw at Malcolm Jenkins?

#13 Ohio State 6-1, 3-0 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

October 18, 2008 3:30 PM ET - ABC —— Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI

#18 Michigan State 6-1, 3-0 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

You'd be hard-pressed to find many 6-1 teams packing the drama and uncertainty that this Buckeye team takes with it to East Lansing this weekend. Though they've won four straight games and are ranked in the top dozen of most major polls, you'd think they were winless in conference play if you took the collective pulse of the fanbase. They may be 6-1, but it's a shaky 6-1 and the natives are restless.

And here they are, about to take on what most certainly will be the 2nd-best team they've played all season, coached by a guy that knows Tressel inside and out and in a game that's billed as perhaps Michigan State's biggest football game in a decade. Essentially a semifinal game to advance to play Penn State in the finals, it's a macthup that's certainly important to each team -- the Spartans are looking for that "breakthrough" win under Dantonio, while the Buckeyes have come to a fork in their road and the outcome of this one could well decide which path they take for the rest of the season.

The reason that this is even such a big game is Dantonio, of course. He served with Tressel at YSU and Ohio State and Buckeye fans will forever be indebted to him and his defense for carrying a similarly offensively challenged team to a championship. When he arrived in East Lansing, Michigan players openly scoffed at his countdown clock, but in just his second season, that clock of his has quickly turned into a ticking timer on a scheduled beat-down. He's a 24th level defensive wizard, and his team will be ready for everything the Buckeye offense throws at it (granted that's been a relatively easy chore as of late).

No doubt about it -- this game worries the hell out of us. Will the pupil finally become the master?

Opponent

No fewer than 10 Ohioans dot the Michigan State two-deep and none better than running back Javon Ringer. As the senior from Dayton goes, so goes the Spartan offense. Currently the nation's rushing leader with 1,112 yards already, only Cal and Iowa have managed to hold him under 100 yards in a game. A three-game stretch against Florida Atlantic, Notre Dame and Indiana that saw him put up 282, 201 and 198 yards has vaulted Ringer firmly into Heisman contention. He's rugged, averaging 35 totes per game and gets a lot of his yards up the middle behind a pretty good offensive line. He's also a touchdown factory, having already produced 14 rushing touchdowns on the season. The Buckeye defensive front will have their work cut out for them, but hey, at least he's not a receiving threat out of the backfield.

The Spartans love to run, but when forced to pass, they'll turn to another Ohioan, senior Brian Hoyer. The unspectacular, but efficient veteran enters the game with a 12-8 career record as a starter and can throw the ball when called upon to do so. He has a pair of steady tight ends (one of which has an 82-yard touchdown under his belt) and his young receivers, notably sophomore Mark Dell and freshman Westerville South product B.J. Cunningham are coming on quick. He takes care of the ball possibly because he has the luxury of a line that gives him time to throw -- compare Sparty's four sacks allowed on the year to Ohio State's 19. Still, if the Buckeyes do go down in this one, it will be at the hands of Ringer, not Hoyer.

Defensively, Michigan State is a very middle-of-the-pack team, which has to be somewhat grating to Dantonio. They rely on the ground-control offense keeping the ball out of their opponent's hands, but when opposing offenses do get the ball, they've been able to do some things. Cal put up 38 in the opener, Northwestern piled up chunks of yardage against them last weekend and even Indiana just missed getting to 30 on the Spartans. One thing they've done well is forced turnovers. The Spartans are 6th in the nation in turnover margin and they'll look to take advantage of those while trying to follow the proven blueprint to stopping the Buckeye offense: play the run as tough as you can, spy Pryor and force him to try to beat you with his arm.

The front won't force a lot of pressure -- as a team, they have only recorded 11 sacks on the season, the same as Ohio State. Junior end Trevor Anderson is responsible for half of those sacks (four solo, 2 assists) and as long as he's contained, there should be no repeat of last season when the Spartan front forced two quick Buckeye turnovers that led to touchdowns and turned a comfortable game into a close one in Columbus.

While there doesn't appear to be any true tackling machines, sophomore linebacker Greg Jones (yet another Ohio kid) will be one to watch in the middle, while cornerback Otis Wiley and his four interceptions and seven passes broken up is the standout in the secondary.

Michigan State has a weapon in junior kicker (and former high school teammate of Duron Carter) Brett Swenson. He's the Big Ten's best kicker and he has the last two conference Special Teams Player of the Week awards to prove it. He's 23/23 on point-afters and is 15/16 on field goals, including a perfect 5/5 in the 40-49 range. Envy.

NOTES: Sparty has dropped six in a row and 11 of the last 13 meetings with Ohio State... Tressel's nephew Mike is the ST/LBs coach at Michigan State... In two career games against Ohio State, Ringer has a 3.7 YPC average and 0 touchdowns while Hoyer has one interception against 0 touchdowns... Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire and Stacey Dales will be handling the game.

Buckeye Breakdown

It's been clear to everyone with healthy vision that a lot of the Buckeyes' troubles this season have stemmed from the play of the offensive line. The fans have seen it for some time and earlier this week, Rory Nicol informed his fellow linemates that they had been playing like a bunch of girls. All of this is not lost on offensive coordinator and line coach Jim Bollman who was asked point-blank about the play of his line on the first question he took Thursday when meeting with reporters. Though he acknowledged that the group needs to step it up, both he and Tressel attempted to point out some positives or reasons for the substandard play. The next thing you know, Angel Woody and Devil Woody were doing battle from atop my shoulders.

Angel Woody would like to point out that even dominant teams have played games they have struggled in or worse yet -- lost (looking your way Southern Cal) against supposedly inferior competition. He also adds that Bollman is right and the offense did have four drives of eight plays or longer against the Boilermakers and that the team finished turnover-free in that game. Angel Woody points to Tressel's statement that in nine of the team's 19 red zone attempts, they've been hit up with a penalty. He'd also like you to know that three games before Purdue, the he put up four touchdown passes against Troy and got that huge drive to win the game in Madison the following week.

Devil Woody, however, would like to call the red zone statistics as his first witness. Just look at them: there are only eight teams in all of college football that have converted attempts into touchdowns at a worse clip than Ohio State. The team that the Buckeyes are tied with in that grouping, Auburn, just canned its offensive coordinator. 50% of all Buckeye red zone attempts have turned into field goals -- only two other teams are even above 40%. The team is tied for 97th in the country in points per attempt with 4.25. Then there's the fact that the offensive line has already given up as many sacks as it did all of last season. After soft outings against Ohio and USC, Tressel got up close and personal with the line and that didn't seem to do anything, so Devil Woody wants to know what makes you think this week will be any different. Hell, the fact that Bollman said Rehring would get more action this week and that was "a good thing" ought to give pause to everything you believe in about the Buckeyes.

However you want to cut it the line has it's step-up or go quietly into the fall night moment Saturday. I'm not exactly optimistic, especially considering the 5th-year All-American candidate was looking to a tight end that might see the field on 40% of offensive plays for leadership, but the best way to neutralize the threat Ringer poses is to keep him on the sideline. Long drives and a lot of them, please. An early lead would be nice -- make Hoyer beat you.

Defensively, the depleted line will have an equal, if not greater challenge. The Vest seemed to indicate that Rob Rose would get about 50% of Wilson's snaps, while I'd imagine Nathan Williams and Curtis Terry will get some split of the other half. We'll obviously see a lot more of Ross Homan this weekend after he was kept on the sideline in favor of the nickel against the Purdue. His emerging run-stopping skills will be needed. I'd expect Laurinaitis and Freeman will be busy guys as well. Ringer is a linebacker's dream challenge.

It's looking like man coverage has once again become fashionable in the WHAC. Facing a team that doesn't throw unless it's needed and even then, prefers to go vertical or seam, this may be the best approach to playing the Spartans -- your corners on islands and everyone focusing on the box.

The Buckeyes will need to play their best game of the season to get out of town with a win and keep hopes alive for a conference title and the nice BCS bowl berth that comes with that. If this were a team that didn't have any talent, most of us would have given up a long time ago, but we know this team has the goods. We're just waiting around for that one game when they put it all together and Saturday sounds good to me.

NOTES: Ohio State is 125-101-12 all-time when facing a ranked opponent, including 37-40-7 on the road (though Tressel is 10-5)... Malcolm Jenkins has an interception in each of his last two games... The Buckeyes have owned their opponents in the 1st and 4th quarters this season, outscoring them 50-10 and 58-22, respectively... Coverage map here -- you're either getting the game on ABC or ESPN2.

---

PREDICTION: Ohio State 21, Michigan State 16

The injury bug continues to bite chunks out of the Buckeye football team as it was confirmed today that freshmen linemen Mike Adams and J.B. Shugarts are out for the season.

Both are ineligible for redshirts, having appeared in too many games this year. Damn.

After the chemistry debacle that was last season's hoops squad, it sounds as if Matta is doing all he can to make sure that lesson is learned only once.

In the pros, I don't really buy the chemistry excuse because they are paid to perform but at the college level, especially in hoops where the number of players is so small, it pays to have a unit that's on the same page.

We all remember Jamar Butler blowing up any chance at harmony last year with his aloof personality combined with some frustrated comments directed towards teammates he never really accepted. What I didn't give as much credence to is the fact the team never had a chance to form any legit relationships before the season started thanks to various reasons.

Besides Butler's in season exhibition of how not to be a captain, he wasn't even on campus the summer preceding meaning he never really got a chance to bond with his new teammates before practice began. In addition, both David Lighty and Kosta Koufos played overseas.

Hoping to avoid another train wreck, Bob Baptist notes Matta's '08-'09 Buckeyes have been together since summer pickup games with David Lighty serving as the team leader. Sure, Lighty seemed to regress as a player last year but nobody can question his team first attitude and his personality is definitely more fitting of a leader than we ever saw from the introverted Butler.

Of course, chemistry can only take you so far but with a roster comprised of seven combined freshmen and sophomores, it's a good start, especially with the amount of raw talent some of these kids possess. Excluding afterthoughts Kyle Madsen, Danny Peters and Mark Titus, the Buckeyes could go as many as 11 deep in the early going (assuming Kecman is ruled eligible) before the inevitable shortening of the bench as conference play gets rolling.

Understanding they must all put aside their personal goals for the benefit of the team will be crucial to the success of this year's Buckeyes. So what do you think - Is chemistry overrated even at the college level? Further, do you think this team can make the Dance with as many as eight freshmen and sophomores playing vital roles?

It was a line for the ages. With the Buckeyes trailing the Badgers late in the fourth quarter two weeks ago, Beanie pulled Pryor aside before the offense went back on to the field. First, he wanted to know if Pryor was "going to be a man or a kid?" Then, he told the rookie that he was "taking a step into manhood" and he went out and did just that. Beanie Wells, man-maker.

With a big trip to East Lansing looming -- one that I'm feeling less and less confident about with each passing day -- and the buzz about split factions in the locker room, now might be a good time for Wells to have that same father/son talk with some other guys on the team.

Since we know that this blog is his homepage, we thought we'd come up with a few suggested recipients for Beanie's manhood talk. If you see your name on this list, please report to #28's locker after practice Thursday.

The Veterans
If Ballard spoke up about wanting to see Boeckman back in the game, then you know others are saying or thinking the same thing in the locker room. Tressel, however, seems to have decided that it's Pryor or bust this season and as a player, you should know that you're not going to change the Vest's opinion on a matter through the press. Say something to him in private but using a reporter to voice these feelings only serves to undercut Pryor's building confidence and reinforce the fact that this just might be a split team.

Pryor
Yes, you, superman. You're learning and that's fine. Fans will be patient when you can mix in the dazzling play every now and then. But, play loose, have fun and take charge of this team. Ballard mentioned Boeckman's huddle presence -- you need to get that swag back we saw on the sidelines of the USC game. As for a strategy on passing plays, Sean at Around the Oval nailed it in his comparison of the 2002 and 2008 offenses:

Speaking of the passing game, the quarterbacks are another difference. In short, Terrelle Pryor could learn a thing or two from Craig Krenzel. That's not to say that Krenzel was better, but that Krenzel played the position in a way that I think Pryor would do well to emulate, at least in this stage of his development. Krenzel would drop back, look around, and if he didn't quickly see anything he liked, he'd take off running. Krenzel only threw for 140 yards per game, but he added another 26 on the ground - not bad for a guy that wasn't terribly mobile.

Do. That. Thing.

The Receivers
You're not getting nearly as many balls tossed your way since the switch at quarterback. That has to be frustrating. Especially when you are open on a play and the new guy doesn't see you and the next thing you know, you're lining up six yards back from where you started the previous play. But you're not exactly helping the cause, either. Pryor may only be averaging 10 completions per game in his four starts, but in that same span, I can think of at least five big drops out of the receiver corps -- two of which were touchdowns. No time is better than now for that first breakout game out of one of you.

The Hogs
This one has been beaten to death both by blogs and in the mainstream stuff. The head coach is even pointing their way. Shut us all up.

The Defensive Front
Javon Ringer is on the docket for this week. Here he is getting tough yards up the middle in large chunks against a pretty damn good Iowa run defense (2nd-best in conference allowing a measly 3.1 per carry and five rushing touchdowns on the year). The outcome of the game will likely rest on your shoulders. No pressure.

The fans are salty right now, but the wonderful thing about sports is that can swing back in a hurry (just ask the Cleveland Browns). Defense, you get a chance to end a Heisman campaign. If you can't get up for that, then I'm going to go stab myself in the eye. Offense, you have the capability to put up points, Tarkanian style. Time to make that happen.