10 Things We Learned From a Turbulent Victory at Illinois
By Brandon Castel
Brandon is always spot on with his articles. I agree with him 100%! I think it is time to give the younger backs some carries. Everybody says Jordan Hall, but I think Jamal Berry is the guy for the job. Boom did not do anything til the end of the game when our line wore them down. We all know he didn't get the first down on another 4th and 1. Spot????????? I do believe that Berry could get you a yard against anyone! Boom will not be able to keep Pryor from having to pass against Indiana! Place Saine out wide, give Boom some carries and when he gets us 1 or 2 yards a carry, which he will, then give it to the young pups and away we go!
1.Terrelle Pryor is not Superman.
It might be hard to believe, considering some of the things Pryor has accomplished during his time at Ohio State, but Pryor does not have superpowers. He was flying around like a speeding bullet Saturday in the first half against Illinois, but watching him fall to the turf with a strained quad, we were reminded of his mortality. He looked so invincible streaking past defenders on his long runs that it was hard to watch as he was helped off the field and into the locker room.
Pryor said that when he returned, his teammates were waiting for him to lead them the way he has for the last two years, but he was a shell of his old self. He couldn’t scramble because of the injury, but just as importantly, he couldn’t really throw the ball either because it hurt to drop back or plant on his left leg.
2. Buckeyes could be in trouble.
Strained quads are not the most insignificant of injuries. If not given the proper rest and treatment, it could continue to hamper Pryor for the remained of the 2010 season. These injuries are especially tricky because they can flair back up at any moment, even after the player starts to feel good again. Like Tressel has often said, that can be a dangerous moment because a player feels good enough to open it back up again, but as soon as he does that, the quad could restrain, starting the process all over again.
3. Pryor’s progress will be tested.
That means Pryor will likely be relegated to a pocket passer for the foreseeable future. That might not hurt them next week against Indiana, despite the Hoosiers’ success against Michigan’s feeble defense, but they have a huge trip to Wisconsin coming in two weeks. The Badgers are coming off a loss at Michigan State, but their defensive line is going to bring the heat on Pryor. He probably won’t be able to escape it the way he has in the past, which means that Pryor’s progress as a passer will be put to the test. He's shown definite improvement over the last year, but this is going to take things to the next level.
4. Offensive line was not prepared for this game.
Speaking of taking things to the next level, the offensive line will also be put to the test while Pryor is limited by the injury. He won’t have the same type of escapability, which means the pass protection has to be better. Just as importantly, the run blocking must improve as well. The Buckeyes simply weren’t prepared for what Illinois did up front Saturday, and that has to fall on the coaching staff. This group has been together long enough now that they should be able to move guys off the ball, which I believe they can do. Illinois used movement to offset that and the offensive line simply didn’t know how to counter it. That’s unacceptable considering the big games this team has played in and the big games they have left on their schedule.
5. Posey could use another year of seasoning.
The offensive linemen weren’t the only ones who had a bad game Saturday. Wideout DeVier Posey struggled mightily in the Big Ten opener. He dropped a pair of passes, missed a downfield block and picked up a critical 15-yard penalty on a chop block. It was the drops, however, that really hurt the Buckeyes—in particular the deep in route.
This is a guy who is going to play on Sundays. Talent-wise, he might be one of the top four or five receivers in the country, but he isn’t ready to make an early jump to the NFL. He has good speed, great body control and good route running. He is a big play threat and a guy who Pryor can go to over and over again on the intermediate passing game, but that’s only if the concentration is there. He has good hands, but they don’t always show up on Saturday’s. He dropped a touchdown in the Rose Bowl, and although he came back to make one in the second half, great players don’t drop the first one.
6. Buckeyes can’t count on Saine in the running game.
Brandon Saine is a good football player and a fine individual, but it appears the days of thinking of him as a weapon in the running game are over. After topping 100 yards in the season-opener against Marshall, Saine has all but disappeared from the running game over the last four weeks. The Buckeyes continue to give him carries, but I’m really not sure why. Tressel continues to say that it’s because he can take it 60 yards to the house at any moment. Except he hasn’t, and when he doesn’t, he isn’t the same back he was last season when ran for over 700 yards. He has good hands and can definitely contribute in the passing game, but Saine has very few moves and simply hasn’t shown the toughness running inside that he did last November.
7. Tressel doesn’t want to rock the boat.
Saine doesn’t seem to be the same player when he is nicked up, but for some reason no one on the staff can bring themselves to see it. Since rushing for 103 yards on nine carries in the opener, Saine is averaging just 2.4 yards per carry. It is clear to everyone outside the coaching staff that Boom Herron should be the starter and Jordan Hall should be the No. 2 back, but it seems like Tressel is hesitant to rock the boat. Saine is a senior captain and a former Ohio Mr. Football. He definitely has that home run ability, but this team needs guys who can do the consistent, hard running it takes to win in the Big Ten. Very rarely, if ever, does a back go 60 yards to the house in conference play, but a guy like Hall is averaging more than double what Saine is per carry over the last month.
8. Ohio State still capable of winning games with defense.
Even if the quad injury does limit Pryor’s ability to be a Heisman Trophy candidate, the Buckeyes are capable of winning games. They need their running game to find itself, but the key, as always, will be the defense. They gave up a touchdown on Illinois’ first possession Saturday and then shut down Nathan Scheelhaase and the Illini offense the rest of the day. After giving up 95 yards in the first quarter, they gave up 130 over the next three while holding Illinois to a pair of field goals.
There are still question marks with this defense, especially on the back end, but they are one of the best units in the country and should give the Buckeyes a chance to win every game they play the rest of the season. There’s no one better at shutting down the run than Ohio State, which means they still have a chance to walk into Camp Randall and come out victorious
9. Bryant has star potential.
One reason they played so well Saturday was the play of freshman Christian Bryant. When Tyler Moeller went down with an injury in the first period, it was Bryant who stepped in and played the star position. He looked nervous early—and what true freshman wouldn’t be—but settled into the position with the help of senior Jermale Hines, who did an excellent job getting him lined up. Bryant is small, but packs a huge punch and we could be seeing the early stages of a future star for the Buckeyes. It wasn’t exactly like James Laurinaitis stepping in for Bobby Carpenter against Michigan, but then again, Bryant made a lot more of an impact on this game than Laurinaitis did in his first action.
10. The Buckeyes will miss Moeller.
There have been multiple reports that Moeller might be out for the season with a torn muscle. If that’s the case, he should be able to get an extra year for all the medical hardships he has endured over the last two season, but the Buckeyes are going to miss him the rest of 2010. Moeller was second on the team in tackles coming into the Illinois game, and regardless of how well Bryant plays, there’s no way he can duplicate what Moeller brought to the position. One of the fastest players on the defense, Moeller was also one of the hardest hitters. He gave them a blitzing element and helped take away the stretch run plays. Bryant will give them an upgrade in coverage, which was actually important against Illinois, but there will be a lot more switching between Bryant and Andrew Sweat than there was when Moeller was healthy.
AP Top 25 College Football
RK TEAM RECORD PTS PVS
1 Alabama (58) 5-0 1497 1
2 Ohio State (1) 5-0 1401 2
3 Oregon 5-0 1379 4
4 Boise State (1) 4-0 1341 3
5 TCU 5-0 1250 5
6 Oklahoma 5-0 1183 8
7 Nebraska 4-0 1172 6
8 Auburn 5-0 1045 10
9 Arizona 4-0 898 14
10 Utah 4-0 860 13
11 Arkansas 3-1 825 15
12 LSU 5-0 819 12
13 Miami (FL) 3-1 769 16
14 Florida 4-1 681 7
15 Iowa 4-1 670 17
16 Stanford 4-1 663 9
17 Michigan State 5-0 607 24
18 Michigan 5-0 555 19
19 South Carolina 3-1 450 20
20 Wisconsin 4-1 316 11
21 Nevada 5-0 286 25
22 Oklahoma State 4-0 173 NR
23 Florida State 4-1 162 NR
24 Missouri 4-0 99 NR
25 Air Force 4-1 94 NR
Dropped from rankings: USC 18, Texas 21, Penn State 22
Others receiving votes: West Virginia 83, Kansas State 69, USC 52, Texas 33, Northwestern 25, Oregon State 12, Baylor 10, UCLA 8, Virginia Tech 8, North Carolina State 4, Penn State 1
Gameday Final
LOU HOLTZ
All you want to do every week is find a way to win, and that's what Ohio State and LSU did. It may not be pretty, but a win is a win no matter how you do it. You have to find a way to win every week. Here we are five weeks into the season, and things are really starting to take shape.
No. 2 Ohio State looked less than great in a 24-13 win over Illinois. If the Buckeyes produce several more unimpressive wins like that, they could get jumped if Oregon continues to look as dominant as it has. The Buckeyes will play at Wisconsin on Oct. 16, but that game has lost a bit of its luster after the Badgers lost to Michigan State on Saturday. The tough stretch comes in November with three straight games against Penn State, at Iowa and then home against Michigan. It's not unmanageable, but if Adrian Clayborn plays the way he did in a win over the Nittany Lions on Saturday, Terrelle Pryor could be in trouble.
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