Eleven Warriors

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Defensive Line Sets the Tone We must consider the level of competition but the D-line gave Painter and the entire Boiler offense fits for much of the day.

Once again, Thaddeus Maximus led the charge up front recording six stops including two TFL's, a forced fumble and a sack. Dude has been a flat out monster since cracking the starting lineup. I love his motor. The move is one of few coaching decisions that hasn't made me vomit in this train wreck of a season though it should've come about a month earlier.

Gibson wasn't alone this week, however, as Abdallah contributed a sack (3 tkl) with Larimore and Denlinger adding their own TFL's. Worthington was also a presence adding 3 stops in addition to helping hurry Painter in the pocket.

The pressure from up front helped force a supposed preseason Heisman candidate into a 23/51, 1 INT performance and the group also helped stop the run as Purdue was held to 2.7 yards per carry (26/70).

Again, the level of competition must be factored in, but the line has at least shown some improvement in both production and in their ability to tie up blockers so the LB's can make some stops (Animal 10, Freeman 9).

Bottom line, this unit still has a ways to go but at least they are showing signs of life. With Ringer in the on-deck circle, they'll need to prove this wasn't more a product of Purdue's suck than their growth if OSU plans to escape East Lansing with a W.

Time for a Change at PK? Considering our offense is famous for getting less effective the closer it gets to the goal line, should OSU consider putting AARP co-chair Ryan Pretorious on the pine in favor of Aaron Pettrey?

Yesterday's 38 yard miss in the 2nd quarter capped off the most aggravating possession of the day (more on that later) and probably got the crowd in trouble with all the goody-two-shoe fans as boos rained down on the field at a clip Pacman Jones would be proud of.

On the year, Pretorious is now 13/17 but he's only 6/10 from 30+ yards out and just 2/5 from 40+ while Pettrey is 2/2. I know, that's just two kicks, but Pettrey was also 5/7 last year from 40+ yards. Some might advocate the current pseudo two-kicker system wherein Pettrey kicks the long ones but I say bench Pretorious and let Pettrey kick full time. I'm tired of holding my breath waiting for the ball to first clear the line of scrimmage then to see if it might actually have a straight flight pattern.

This Week's WTF? Coaching Moment There were a few WTF Coaching Moments to choose from but nothing was more upsetting than OSU's response to the Jenkins INT that set the Buckeyes up at the Purdue 30 yard line with 14:54 left in the half and already up 10-0. This was a chance to step on Purdue's neck so what do Tressel and Bollman come up with? They insert Mo Freaking Wells into the lineup and proceed to run him two straight times setting up a 3rd and 5 which turns into 4th and 2 after a Pryor scramble then Pretorious shanks the aforementioned 38 yarder. Cue me reaching for the nitro-glycerin pills...

What's so mind-blowing is that unless Beanie was unable to play, which didn't yet appear to be the case, why the F is Mo Wells in there with a chance to put the game away? I'll tell you why. Probably because Tressel was sticking with his usual script of getting his backup RB in there early to get some touches.

I don't necessarily disagree with that strategy as a basic concept, however to not have Beanie in on that series, with that field position, is a crime. Also, I think that strategy is further compromised when it's not truly your second best RB (Boom) that you are putting out there - it's your third best RB, behind a horsesh!t line. To not have your best players on the field at that time is a disservice to your team. Period.

I feel like a growing segment of the fan base continues to pile on Heacock and Bollman (rightfully so) but at what point does some of the blame shift to Tressel? It's not like he's a CEO/Coach like Cooper where the assistants do all the heavy lifting. Plus, he's the same guy that was getting credit a few weeks back for waking up the offensive line. Now that they are clearly back in their slumber, does that mean all the heat goes back to Bollman but not Tressel? I'm tired of it.

Don't misconstrue my comments to say Tressel needs to go because he doesn't. I just think he should be held more accountable because he's not putting his players in the best position to succeed with his play calling and his loyalty to at least one coordinator that is no longer effective is jeopardizing the program.

Beanie Expresses Frustration Don't know if you caught the actual postgame locker room interviews on Fox local but Beanie was clearly frustrated with the way the game unfolded. Besides his own health issues - his toe and a recent flu bug - he also chose his words carefully while offering not-so-veiled criticism toward the play calling and the performance of his offensive line.

“We’ve got to be able to pass the ball. Me being a running back, you’re probably not expecting me to say that. But it’s true. We’ve got to pass the ball. Not even to give me more room, just to have a better game plan. We’ve got to get the ball downfield to Robiskie and Hartline and all our young guys. We’re just not getting the ball to our playmakers.”

I can't find any other actual transcript quotes but he also made it clear the offensive line needed to block because it doesn't matter what play is called if the backfield is full of defenders before a play can develop.

One last thought on Beanie. While I'm sitting here banging on Tressel for not having Beanie in on a key drive, I can't help but feel Beanie is sometimes more than okay with being out of the lineup. I mean, if Spielman was a RB on the sidelines during that 2nd quarter drive starting at Purdue's 30, do you think he'd just be standing off in the distance with his helmet pushed up waiting for the coach to send him back in? Me neither. Just sayin'.

Jenkins is So Fun to Watch I want to end on a positive note so how 'bout Malcolm Jenkins yesterday? In the first half alone he registered a blocked punt, an interception and a sick pass breakup on a 4th and 2 try.

Beyond the statistical production, he continues to be the emotional anchor of a defense that has played better in recent weeks and we're gonna miss him more than we realize when he heads to the NFL.

With another crazy college gameday in the books and an ugly Ohio State victory, we turn our focus Sunday to the NFL Buckeyes. Divisional races are taking shape and week six's key match ups involve teams from the AFC North and NFC South.

The Bills have their bye this week sitting atop the division at 4-1, which may allow New England to keep pace with an away win over a desperate San Diego team. Mike Vrabel and the Patriots stayed out west after beating San Francisco last week. Vrabel has recorded 14 tackles and is second on the team with 2 sacks, while Matt Wilhelm is sixth on the Chargers with 25 stops.

The Dolphins and Jets are looking to get above the .500 marks, as they face off against the winless Texans and Bengals respectively. Ted Ginn will be looking to extend his 5+ reception streak to three against a defense that has given up at least 27 points in each game this season. The Gun Show is looking to build off his 4 tackle performance of last game against a Bungals team starting Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback..

First place is up for grabs in the NFC South, as 4-1 Carolina travels down to 3-2 Tampa Bay, while Atlanta looks to keep pace at home against Da' Bears. Chris Gamble is third on the Panthers with 25 tackles, including 21 solos and has helped Carolina hold opponents to a combined 9 points in the last two weeks. Joey Galloway is still out for Tampa with his foot injury.

If your are looking for any type of fantasy help today, you might want to look elsewhere. Santonio Holmes and the Steelers are on their bye, while Anthony Gonzalez takes on the league's best defense in the Baltimore Ravens. Speaking of the Ravens, they announced this week that Joe Flacco would be the starter for the remainder of the season, delaying Troy's NFL career one more year.

Antonio Pittman is still out for the Rams with a lower leg injury and Michael Jenkins has caught only 9 balls, but according to Jack Arute at halftime yesterday, he was having a solid game on defense. Bobby Carpenter is playing in perhaps the most offensive game today in Dallas at Arizona.

I typically take the point of view that the win is ultimately all that matters. Whether it's by one point or 50, the parity in the game means there really are no bad wins -- just ask Michigan or Illinois fans. After all, the Buckeyes were coming off a tough battle with a physical Badger team with another tough one looming next week in East Lansing, so we'll take the "W". But if this Ohio State offense doesn't figure some things out with a quickness, we can all forget any type of good win against a team in a January bowl game, let alone any longshot fantasies of sneaking back into the championship game.

For the second time this season, the Buckeye offense was kept out of the end zone and if it weren't for the stellar job the defense turned in, Curtis Painter might have got that elusive victory over a ranked foe. As it was, the 16-3 Ohio State victory was either sad offense and great defense or two good defenses going at it, depending on which side of the Ohio/Indiana border you live on.

Once again the Buckeyes seemed to do some things well, others not so well -- they're still waiting on that complete game. But no matter how you view it at any type of meta level, from about the 14:00 mark of the second quarter it was a pretty terrible game to watch and my head hurts from having to write about it. But at 11W Inc, we strive to dissect the turds just as we would the roses, so please read on.

Offense

First, you have to give credit to Brock Spack (just as fun to type as it is to say) and the Boilermaker defense. They put together a nice plan to contain and really limit Pryor (120 yards on 28 plays) and also did a good job of tackling Beanie on the afternoon, limiting the yards he normally gets after first contact. Linebacker Anthony Heygood had a monster game with 11 solo tackles (12 total) and defensive end Ryan Kerrigan had two sacks and and another TFL, but this is the nation's 108th ranked defense we're talking about.

You can make the argument that with the defense playing well and a comfortable halftime lead, Tressel shut down shop to save some things for bigger games on the horizon. But even if you're just calling straight ISOs all afternoon, you'd like to see the line take over a little bit. A mere 11 more yards of total offense than punting yards against the league's worst defense?

From my view, the lead actor in this offensive tragedy was the line today. They surrendered three sacks and five TFLs and pretty much did their best to turn young Boilermaker linemen into superstars. There were times when they won the battle up front, but overall the effort was inconsistent at best. The team finished 4 of 14 on third down conversions and three visits inside the Purdue 25 turned into two field goals and a missed field goal, continuing the team's red zone troubles.

I'm also not sure I understand the logic of getting Rehring into the game at the expense of Browning. The sack he gave up while playing right tackle was a total bullfighter play and I'm starting to be of the opinion that the less seniors on the starting line, the better. Boone is a great quote and the press loves him and all that, but you have to start to wonder if part of the line's problem is his devil-may-care philosophy towards life. I really hate piling on these young men, but patience is running.

Some of the blame surely wrests at the feet of Pryor. The announcers touched on it, but I think it's absolutely true that he's overthinking the game right now instead of letting it come to him. Someone mentioned that Krenzel was on 1460 a few weeks ago and mentioned something along the lines of how the quarterbacks are pounded not to throw an interception so much that they don't just get out there and play. He has the tools -- he just needs to get out there and have fun, playing to his instincts.

Beanie had his 100-yard game streak snapped at five in having his worst outing since the Illini held him to 76 last year. He did finish with 95 yards on the afternoon, but his 4.3 yards-per-carry average was well below the 7.9 he brought into the game. Much of that is on the offensive line -- even when he was breaking off big runs, he typically had to beat one guy in the backfield or at the line of scrimmage -- and some of that is because of the solid tackling put forth by Purdue. There was a scare when he tweaked his injured toe a bit and was replaced by Mo Wells on the next series, but he did return to the game.

Saine did play, but surprisingly, didn't register a single carry. With Boom out, many were thinking that he would get more chances, but that didn't happen. Rasta picked up just 6 yards on 5 attempts, continuing the funk he's been in all season -- or translated, Beanie is the only running back capable of getting good yardage with this line (shows you how special Boom is going to be, as well).

With only ten total receptions among them, none of the receivers put up any type of numbers. In fact, the leader was Posey with his two catches for 28 yards. Robiskie had just two for 19 and a near miss at a bomb as he had beaten his man badly only to see an underthrown ball from Pryor that led to a pass interference call on the defense. Hartline finished with one catch for five yards and could have doubled his production if not for a pretty bad drop in the 2nd quarter. Flash Thomas saw his first significant action of the season, both on offense and special teams. He was thrown to a couple of times and finished with just one reception, but I liked the reverse to him that we saw blown up via Purdue encroachment.

The passing game was kind of weak, but it looks like Pryor is starting to look Posey's way more and more. Those two will obviously play a large role in the future of Ohio State football and the sooner they can get on the same page, the better.

Defense

As bad as the offense looked, the defense looked equally as good. The closest Purdue would come to the end zone was a 53-yard field goal on the opening drive of the second half. Their other 11 drives were composed of six punts, two turnovers on downs, a fumble, an interception and a missed field goal.

The group was able to neutralize every threat on the Purdue offense and seemed to really do a great job of disrupting the flow of the Boilermaker offense. They applied pressure, got into passing lanes and broke up passes and tackled well. For the first time in what seems like forever, the defense was able to get good play out of each level. The much maligned line finished with two sacks and five TFLs, Laurinaitis and Freeman led the team in tackles with 10 and nine respectively and the secondary, led by Jenkins, flat-out stopped the Big Ten's top passing team.

Jenkins might have had his finest day as a Buckeye and finished with an interception, four tackles and another pass broken-up. He also turned in the play of the game with his first quarter block of a Purdue punt that led to Etienne Sabino's first points as a Buckeye. He nearly had a pick-six on a failed Purdue fourth down attempt in the 2nd quarter, as well. Chekwa also played well, finishing with four tackles and two passes defensed. He will be scary good next season.

The play of the line was a pleasant surprise and it was the emerging Thaddeus Gibson once again standing out. He had six tackles on the day, including one sack and two TFLs. His first half sack was a thing of beauty as it led to a fumble recovered by Wilson and with each game you can almost feel his confidence growing. I'll never understand why it took so long to get him into the starting lineup, but he's in now, so I'll stop trying. Abdallah had a rare sack ad Denlinger, Larimore and Nathan Williams all finished with TFLs. Finest outing of the season from this group.

Special Teams

Another week, another mixed bag from the special teams. The blocked punt was a brilliant -- especially considering the team had looked for an opportunity to come after it if Purdue lined up on the left hash and Flash's opening kickoff return proved that the Buckeyes can field an effective unit there. But Pretorius missed another mid-range field goal and there was the delay of game penalty on the fake attempt early on. Can anyone tell me why we have a backup kicker that's two for two, both from 49 yards or more backing up a guy that's hitting about 80% of his shots from closer in? I heard about the trajectory and style points, but isn't it worth a shot?

Notes

Lawrence Wilson will have an MRI on Monday... This is the first time in four attempts that Terrelle Pryor did not lead the team to a touchdown on their opening series of the game... Curtis Painter has now directed 23 straight possessions that did not reach the end zone... For the 9051st straight game, the Buckeyes lost the sack battle to the opposing defense... The blocked punt for a touchdown was the first time Ohio State has done that since A.J. Hawk scored on one against Northwestern in 2005... How many false start penalties have we seen out of this line this year -- should that not fall back on Bollman somewhat?

If you have been known on occasion to enjoy the game of college football, you have one dandy of a day ahead of you. At 3:30, we'll be treated to our third straight game with LeBron in Cleats and Beanie Wells operating out of the same backfield full-time. I think we're starting to realize just how special this tandem is and it may be worth taking a step back and appreciating it because there's a very real chance that we may only have six more of these Saturdays in store.

The Buckeyes will be trying to move Curtis Painter's career mark against ranked teams to a nice, round 0-10 and they should do so. It would be pretty fresh to get one of those games where you come away appreciating a good butt-kicking -- like the Purdue and Penn State games last season.

You can get the coverage map for the game here. Unless you're overseas, you will get the game, though you may have to tune in to ESPN instead of ABC depending on where exactly you live in the lower 48.

Unlike typical mid-day Buckeye kickoffs, there's actually a pretty damn good game going off beforehand when two top five teams meet in the Red River Shooutout. Top-ranked Oklahoma and #4 Texas have both played as well as anyone, really, and considering what happened in the previous two games this season with national title implications (OSU/USC and Alabama/Georgia), I'm just praying for a game that's actually close into the third quarter for once.

If you're not lucky enough to attend the Ohio State game, you can catch #20 Michigan State taking on #23 Northwestern on the Deuce. Things are going so well in Evanston with the 5-0 start that Northwestern fans are now referring to Iowa as the perfect warm-up for Sparty (how fast thee hath fallen, Mr. Ferentz).

You better be deft with the remote at night because there are three great games (varying in their degrees of greatness, of course) kicking off at the same time:

#6 Penn State @ Wisconsin, 8PM - ESPN
After two excruciating defeats, will the Badgers be able to regroup and knock off unbeaten Penn State? I doubt it, but winning in Madison is not easy (and those in the know seem to think it will be a battle). I'll be rooting for the Nittany Lions at any rate because we need them perfect when they take on the Buckeyes in two weeks.

#5 LSU @ #12 Florida, 8PM - CBS
Les against Urban. Ricky Jean Francois wanting to put Tebow out of the game being misquoted about wanting to put Tebow out of the game. Two loaded teams, a great environment and coaching firepower has the makings of another instant classic between the two SEC schools.

#16 Oklahoma State @ #3 Missouri, 8PM - ESPN2
You've heard it a million times lately, but Chase Daniel has yet to suffer his first three-and-out on offensive series. That's pretty sick. Oklahoma State is also unbeaten, so this won't be a walk, but it may take an Oklahoma or Texas to knock off this Tiger team -- and you'd still have to like Daniel's chances in those games.

#14 Ohio State 5-1, 2-0 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

October 11, 2008 3:30 PM ET - ABC —— Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH

Purdue 2-3, 0-1 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

Game six of the Joe Tiller farewell tour comes to Ohio Stadium Saturday and so far, the parting gifts for the oatmeal-loving coach have been few and far between.

After blitzing Northern Colorado in the opener, the Boilermakers lost a heart-breaker to then 16th-ranked Oregon at home in overtime. After jumping out to a 14-point halftime lead, Purdue watched the Ducks pile up the bulk of their 330 yards on the ground in the second half before winning in overtime.

They bounced back by beating Central Michigan in week three before getting smoked by the Irish and following that up with a tough home loss to Penn State last weekend.

The constants through this skid have been poor defense and recently, questionable play at quarterback. Things grew so dire in the loss to Penn State that after suffering 11 straight possessions without scoring points, Tiller yanked quarterback Curtis Painter, the only guy on his roster with the backing of a Heisman campaign.

Pulling the school's 2nd-leading all-time passer is but one of the luxuries a guy has with one foot out the door, but the Big Ten will certainly miss the guy when he's gone. His accomplishments are many and without him, "a guy in a wizard hat selling snake oil" sadly would not have entered my vernacular. He'll have a chance to get that last great win Saturday in Columbus, his first over a ranked opponent in 16 outings. While the odds of that happening remain small, outside of last season's 23-7 defeat in front of a home black-out, the Boilermakers have consistently played the Buckeyes well during the Tressel era.

Opponent

Despite last week's benching, Tiller has stated that, Painter (#12) will start against the Buckeyes. Purdue bloggers are saying he's flat-out sucked this year and Tiller took the opportunity call him out through the press earlier in the week. He's on pace to put up his worst numbers since seeing action his freshman season and suffice to say, this is not what the Boilermaker faithful had in mind for his senior season. Oh, did we mention he's 0-9 against ranked foes in his career? If he doesn't get this one against the Buckeyes, he may not get another chance in that regard. What does being one of the most prolific throwers in conference history, yet going O-for against ranked teams mean for one's legacy?

If Painter can turn things around this weekend, he'll look to his trio of top targets: Greg Orton (#21), Desmond Tardy (#6) and Keith Smith (#8). Orton has been around for ages it seems and is dependable, while Hardy is having a breakout season as a senior. He's topped 100 yards receiving twice this year including 10 snags for 175 yards and a score in the loss to Notre Dame.

Running back Kory Sheets (#24) stepped up when projected starter Jaycen Taylor tore his ACL in fall camp and has run -- so to speak -- with the opportunity. His 498 yards in five games is good enough for 5th in the Big Ten in rushing. While 180 of his yards came in the Oregon game, when you throw in his receiving and return yards, he's second in the conference in total offense.

5th-year senior tackle Sean Sester (#74) anchors an offensive line that doesn't give up a lot of sacks (1.6/game) either by way of scheme or Painter's relatively quick, if inaccurate, release. He's a monster at 6-7/325 and Gibson and Wilson (and hopefully some Nathan Williams) will have their hands full if they find themselves across from Sester.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Boilermakers are on pace for their worst season ever under Tiller. They're currently 108th in total defense, 104th in rush defense and 93rd in pass defense, allowing an average of 435.8 yards per game. Penn State put up 202 yards on the ground last week, while an Irish team that is near the bottom in national rushing rankings ran for 201 yards against this defense. And we've already mentioned the 330 that Oregon dropped on them. They did hold the vaunted Spread HD offense of Penn State to their lowest point total of the season, but...

Standout players include linebacker Anthony Heygood, a 5th-year senior that studied at the Sam Sword Center for Staying in School for a Decade. He's a nominee for the Butkus and Bednarik award and is without a doubt, the best player on the Boilermaker defense.

Senior defensive ends Keyon Brown (#95) and Alex Magee (#71) lead the team with two sacks each and both are sturdy, if not quick ends that should test the Buckeye tackles.

The secondary is nothing to write home about, but it's Big Ten football, so they're just as capable as other defensive backs in the conference if Pryor wants to put one up for grabs. If he plays smart, he could have a big day against this group.

NOTES: The game will pit the Big Ten's top-rated passing offense against the top-rated passing defense... The Boilermakers have not won in Columbus since 1988... Against Penn State last weekend, Purdue turned in a zero penalty game... Tiller has only suffered five losing streaks of three games or more in his 12 years at Purdue... The Central Michigan victory this season put Tiller alone atop the school's coaching victory list.

Buckeye Breakdown

On paper this game does not even appear as close as the 19-point line suggests. But Buckeye fans have a healthy does of respect for Purdue no matter how badly they may be perceived. Outside of Wisconsin, perhaps no Big Ten team has given the Buckeyes as much trouble as Purdue has. Those efforts haven't always translated to wins, but they have brought many nail-biters.

Ohio State should look to get an early lead executing what it feels are its best plays and then move on to address other areas of the game that need improvement. The continued evolution out of Pryor and Beanie running the option, plays out of the pistol and other formations will probably move the ball with relative ease against this defense. Quite a few teams have put up sick rushing numbers against Purdue, but none had the firepower of those two doing it.

Hopefully some early success and quick scores will mean a light day for Beanie and some much-needed rest. He, along with the rest of the team took some shots in Madison last weekend and need to get to as close to healthy as possible ahead of a trip to East Lansing next weekend. Boom's concussion means Saine will get another opportunity to prove he's more than the cloud of hype he's been since arriving on campus after winning Ohio's Mr. Football his senior year of high school. If he comes out and runs hard and has a great game, that's great. If not, Boom should be back next weekend.

Good decisions are what this game should come down to for Pryor. He got the huge win last weekend thanks to some late game heroics, but there was a stretch of about two quarters where he was completely pinned-in and taking bad losses. He'll have some fresh faces at receiver with Dane being out because of his own concussion and Small tweaking his knee in practice this week. Posey and Flash look to be the primary beneficiaries, but I'm left wondering what happened to Taurian Washington. We don't see him much, but when we do, he's taking balls to the house. There has to be something else to his situation.

For the line, it's crucial that they build on any type of momentum they generated in the Wisconsin game. Though Pryor was sacked four times last weekend, I'm not sure if you can put any of those on Boone and Co. With Purdue's defensive woes, the group has another chance to shine and that's key if the team wants to take care of business when the meat of the conference schedule hits.

The defensive front has to get pressure on Painter. I feel good about that happening because Thaddeus Gibson is taking strides each week, Wilson has been steady and newcomer Nathan Williams is really getting noticed. It's telling that the team's sack leader is a linebacker (Freeman) and he's only on pace for six this year.

I'll be looking for Ross Homan who has really turned it on over the last handful of games. Against Minnesota and Wisconsin, he first set and then tied his career-high in tackles with 10 in each game. Every year there's a guy or three that starts to make progress once conference games roll around and Homan appears to be one of those guys this season.

The safeties need to do a better job of coverage down the middle because if Painter has time, he'll pick them apart. So far, they've shown a bigger desire to hit than stick with opposing receivers and they have to get that fixed before they meet Juice and the Illini.

Considering the Buckeyes blitzed a better Purdue team in front of a hometown blackout last season, you have to like their chances of putting away a relatively easy victory. Purdue will have a chance -- especially if Painter heats up, but Pryor, Beanie and a growing offensive line and defense should prove to be too much.

NOTES: With 10 tackles at Wisconsin, Laurinaitis became just the 14th Buckeye to join the 300 tackle club... Beanie needs seven yards to move into 10th on Ohio State's all-time rushing list, while Robo needs two receptions to move into 10th on that list... Ohio State leads the all-time series 36-12-2... Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham and Jack Arute will call the game.

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PREDICTION: Ohio State 31, Purdue 13

With another big conference game up this weekend, we checked in with the guys at Boiled Sports to get their keys to a victory over the Buckeyes. They're not quite ready to call this one a lock for Purdue, but they do have a list of things Purdue should look to do to leave Columbus with the win.

The following are, in our opinion, a number of keys to potential victory for the Boilers. Okay, maybe not victory, but to a slightly increased chance of victory.

1. Beanie Wells is run over by a cement mixer on his way to practice on Friday.
2. Terrell Pryor gets his foot caught in a Jacuzzi motor and is unable to make the game. Understand, we’re not saying he would be unable to play due to injury – we’re saying he would need to be stuck and physically being unable to make it to the ‘shoe. Because, if he did, even with one foot we’re still a little afraid of him.
3. aOSU's locker room door is welded shut or at least jammed closed by an axe handle.
4. Drew Brees, ever the prankster, arrives in Columbus and dons Curtis Painter’s uniform, helmet and blank stare.
5. Brock Spack falls asleep after having a yummy pumpkin pie and in his absence, the team forgets that they’re not allowed to blitz – ever – and actually gets aggressive.
6. A lawn mower gains AI and plows through the OSU sideline.
7. A pretty girl shows up and the Ohio-based team is so flabbergasted that they lose focus on the game.
8. Purdue comes out wearing USC jerseys. Especially effective with USC’s players.
9. Maurice Clarett stumbles drunkenly onto the field, insisting he “still has eligibility” and proceeds to take the ball and run a sweep left while carrying his Grey Goose bottle(s), only his “sweep” looks like people look after they’ve done the “spin your head on a bat” thing and he falls down, fumbles and Purdue takes it to the house.
10. The Boilers are able to literally bend the space-time continuum because that happens as frequently as the Boilers beating a top ten team… on the road.

There were a few hoops happenings in the past week so we're keeping our promise of sprinkling in some news on the Buckeye basketball front in prep for the upcoming season.

Open Practice Set for October 25 Our man Bob Baptist reported today Matta will hold an open practice Saturday, October 25 - the same day as the pigskin throw down with Grandpa Joe's Nittany Lions. Baptist said a specific time has yet to be nailed down but expect the session to begin sometime between 4 and 6pm.

Maybe it's just me, but I think it's a shame that Matta is almost forced to have an open practice coincide with a home game in order to get a decent amount of folks to show up.

Regardless, I plan to attend because I want to see what Noopy Crater and Jeremie Simmons look like. I already know Buford and Mullens will be fixtures in the rotation but the emergence of either Crater or Simmons is a requirement if OSU is going to have a chance to finish in the top third of the conference.

Our spies on the ground indicate Simmons was mainly brought in to challenge Crater at the point because Matta plans to give him every chance to be the PG from day one. Matta's squads seem to get younger every year, don't they? Think about it, if Crater starts alongside Turner, Lighty, Mullens and Buford, that gives Matta a starting lineup comprised of three freshmen, one sophomore and a junior.

I'm also interested to see if Nikola Kecman looks like he'll hang out on the wings like a typical 6'8" Euro or if he has the makeup to help out down low. My gut says he won't give Matta much on the glass.

Lastly, I want to see how Dallas Lauderdale looks after a summer of working on his offensive game. Dude showed some promise at the end of last season and whether or not he can take the next step is just as important to this team as the aforementioned emergence of Crater or Simmons at the point.

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Got Tickets? The university announced yesterday single game tickets go on sale November 3rd including tickets in the OSU section for the contest against Notre Dame in Indianapolis in the Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase. Duckets to the showcase also get you a seat for the other half of the twin bill, Indiana versus Gonzaga.

With former Irish hoopster and current Miami Heat guard Chris Quinn scrimmaging against the Buckeyes all summer, Matta will need to account for the scouting report the Dublin native plans to share with ND coach Mike Brey.

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Hoops Report Slots Buckeyes at #14 The Hoops Report offers a solid preview of this season's Buckeye squad ranking them 14th and going so far as to predict the possibility of a March run. Lots of things have to go right for that prognostication to become reality but if the talent can gel, anything is possible.

The Monday before the opener against Youngstown State, I put out five predictions regarding how I thought the 2008 season would play out. At the halfway mark, I thought it would be fun to go back and see how those calls are holding up.

1. Pryor will see the field in the first half against Youngstown State and his workload will increase from there.
Though you didn't exactly have to be Tressnac to see that Pryor would get snaps his rookie year, he did get in during the first half of the YSU game and considering he's taken over the starting job from Boeckman, it's safe to say that his workload has in fact, increased. At 3-0 as a starter, he's the future of Ohio State football and a large reason why fans were so quick to put the drubbing in LA in the rearview.

2. DeVier Posey will post at least 400 yards receiving on the year.
Posey started nicely with 4 receptions for 47 yards including a 25-yard touchdown in the opener, but he would go on to go catch-less in his next three games. He's back on the board with a catch in each of the last two games, against Minnesota and Wisconsin and though he's receiving more and more snaps as the season progresses, it will be tough to get to 400 on the year when he's sitting at just 63 at the halfway point. Given the fact that the offense is trending more option than five-wides, I don't see this happening.

3. Beanie Wells will not win the Heisman Trophy.
I think I'll nail this one, but not exactly for the reasons I originally stated. I thought the combination of blowouts and the number of playmakers on the offense would limit his touches, but it was the toe injury suffered in the opener that essentially killed his campaign. Since his return, he's played like the best player in the country, but those missed games, including the marquee matchup with USC will kill any hope he has to win it this season (all bets are off if he puts up 800 yards against the Wolverines, which I think is a possibility).

4. The defense will be truly sick.
You're forgiven if you decide you never want to read this blog again based on this prediction alone. Worst. Prediction. Ever.

5. The Buckeyes will beat USC and go on to play in a third-straight MNC game.
Another failure at prognostication -- the USC game, as if you need me to tell you, wasn't even close. What's really nuts is that I thought the offensive line would be a big factor in a victory at the Coliseum. Silly me. Regarding a third-straight MNC run, if the last two seasons had never happened, there's perhaps a slim chance pending some upsets the last half of the season. This year, there's no chance.

So, it looks like it's shaping up as 2-2 with an outside shot on that Posey call. What about you -- what are your predictions for the stretch?

It's the midpoint of the 2008 college football season and in a sign of just how high the expectations have become in Columbus, a 5-1 team that's ranked in the top dozen in each of the two major polls is toting around a 2.5 grade point average in our book.

Essentially two B's and two C's when looking at the offense, defense, special teams and coaching. This is not exactly what was expected of a team with so many seniors, particularly of the 5th-year variety. Makes all of that talk about comparisons to '98 seem a little silly, doesn't it?

Offense: B
There was the YSU blowout, but that must be kept in context. And the offense has really picked up since the reigns were turned over to Pryor, but for a unit that returned virtually everyone but a right tackle from last season's 11-2 squad, the play of the offense has been a bit... um... underwhelming.

True, the franchise player went down in the opener and missed the Ohio, USC and Troy games, but it took until Wisconsin in the sixth game of the season for the offensive line to finally get something going. And don't even mention the receivers. Both Robiskie and Hartline are well behind last season's paces and Small has vacillated from looking great to getting into trouble to looking like it's his first season.

On the freshman front, the Buckeyes appear to have found their center of the future and I have a hunch that Brewster is going to be a damn fine lineman by about week 9 or so. Posey will get his first shot at extended action this weekend after seeing progressively more and more snaps over the course of the past handful of games and that's music to the ears to many.

The Buckeyes are 11th in the Big Ten in passing offense, 10th in total offense and 5th in scoring offense. There is a lot of room for improvement on this one, however, with a healthy Beanie (137 yards/game in Big Ten play) and Pryor getting more and more comfortable running the show. If the line can build on the Wisconsin game and Pryor finds that one big play guy (or two) on the edge, there's the potential to put up some points the rest of the way.

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Defense: C+
This may seem like a harsh mark for a unit that's only allowing 16 points a game (12 if you go back in time and cancel the USC game), but I think most of us thought the defense would be a dominating force. One of the top crews in the nation only a year ago and with just about everyone back, I had envisioned about three shutouts by this point in time.

Unlike the offense, the defense hasn't had any big front line injuries, either. There were the suspensions of Washington and O'Neal for the first two games, but based on how slowly those two have earned back their playing time, it's hard to make an argument that losing the two hurt the team from a talent or chemistry perspective.

Starting with the Bobcats behind a backup quarterback and continuing through USC, Troy and Wisconsin, teams have had success moving the ball on this defense. Laurinaitis has been good, but not spectacular, averaging 9.5 tackles per game, Freeman has disappeared at times and the line has led the charge to the bottom of the conference in sacks and TFLs. That and quarterbacks are realizing that they can pick on the middle of the Buckeye secondary for nice chunks of yardage.

What's crazy is that on paper, the unit appears to be in great shape. They are 4th in the conference in rushing defense, 1st in passing defense, 2nd in total defense and 4th in scoring defense. That aside, it's doubtful many of you would consider this an elite group on par with recent editions.

Again, there's a chance to move this grade up as some of the youngsters are starting to step up. Homan has turned in two straight outings with double-digit tackle totals and is currently second in the Big Ten in fumble recoveries. A slightly meaningless stat, but some guys have ball magnets on their hands and it looks like he may be one of them. Thaddeus Gibson, in only a couple of starts, has given the line a shot. In Madison, he was directly responsible for both Badger turnovers and deserves as much credit as anyone on the defense for that win.

Jenkins and Chekwa have been sharp and the rise of Hines has been a lot of fun to watch -- in fact, after a year of butter fingers, the defense is 2nd in the Big Ten with 9 interceptions -- but the line's lack of penetration and the safeties' inability to cover receivers down the middle of the field is pulling this group down a little.

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Special Teams: C
While Ray Small is leading the Big Ten in punt returns and A.J. Trapasso is leading the conference in punting, the play of Pretorius has been erratic and the kick return game is downright dirty. Pretorius has missed an extra point and is 1/3 from 40-49 and 1/2 at 50+. I can live with that success rate from 50 and out, but 33% from the 40s is not what you'd expect out of a Jim Tressel kicker. Throw in the missed PAT against Ohio and it hasn't exactly been a roaring start to 2008 for the South African.

Only Michigan State has a more anemic kick return game in the conference and that's astounding when you consider the talent and burners the Buckeyes have the luxury of sending back on returns. Saine has been in a funk all season -- I think that's the best way to describe it. I'm not sure if it's still lingering doubts about his hamstring injury or what, but on returns it almost looks like he heads right for the nearest group of defenders after he crosses the 15. Rasta Wells turned in a nice 24 yard return against the Badgers last weekend and he'll get more chances against Purdue with Boom out. Maybe that's where he makes his mark as a senior? I'm not sure.

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Coaching: B-
This grade would certainly have been a lot lower had the staff not shaken things over the course of the last month by turning the quarterback job over to Pryor, putting Brewster in at center, getting Thaddeus Maximus on to the field and trying to figure out ways to get Posey and some of the other receivers more involved. Consider that some effective last-minute cramming.

Pryor has definitely been a spark, but both he and Beanie would make any staff look good. With those two in the backfield, everything else starts to open up. The line seems to block better and the passing game starts to come to life a little.

I'm not sure if my mind is playing tricks on me, but it does appear that Heacock has dialed up some more man-coverage blitzes as of late. Not that the blitzes are connecting, but the strategy tweak is appreciated.

However, the bottom line here is the fact that a roster with this much talent has not produced a single conference player of the week through six games. Not on offense. Not on defense. Not on special teams. That's pretty hard to believe.