Ohio State Beats The Fighting Lumbergh's 30-0, but fans get ko'd by insomnia

It was a cold and rainy day in Columbus and the talking heads will tell you how this was a classic Big 10 battle consisting of three yards and a (in this case) cloud of AstroTurf. I, on the other hand, wil tell you that this was just another example of timid play calling, poor quarterback play and in many ways, Tressel ball at both it's finest and dullest.

Should I be happy that the Bucks pitched a second straight shutout and followed up a 38-0 win with a 30-0 victory over the Fighting Lumbergh's and held a fairly dangerous quarterback in check? I suppose.

The silver lining in this win was the inept play calling of Tress and the poor execution of TP when he was called on to make the plays. I truly regret that I did not elect to DVR this game because it would have been the perfect cure for insomnia. It's sad that the most exciting part of the afternoon took place during the pre game warm ups when the Bucks nearly started a riot with the Fighting Lumbergh's at the 50 yard line on top of the block O.

You can defend Tress's timid play calling all you want saying that "well, it was a ugly and rainy day out there and you can't be airing it out like that." However, there is NO EXCUSE for ending the first half with ZERO yards through the air and electing to attempt the forward pass TWICE in the opening half. Honestly, this tells me something. Either Tress is doing his best to bring back the Nebraska playbook of the 80's and 90's or he just doesn't believe in Pryor.

Given the fact that JT had a very wide open playbook in 2005 and 2006 and coached a dynamic Heisman winning trophy quarterback in 2006 and the poor decision making TP has shown I think JT just simply doesn't trust Pryor at all. The thing that concerns me the most is that you really just don't see the improvement in Pryor from game to game. I certainly think he has actually taken a step BACK from last season and is truly a cause for concern. The fact that Ohio State already has a five star quarterback recruit in the mix for this year and is going after a second one may indicate Tress believes Pryor just isn't what he hoped for. Only time will tell.

As for the defense, this unit may by the best silver bullet defense since 2002. In just his third career start, Brian Rolle has begun to establish himself as the next "it" linebacker at OSU. Rolle is part of the recent recruits from Florida and he has that "Florida Speed" and showed it again today when he damn near out ran the entire Fighting Lumbergh's on his interception.

Really, outside of Chekwa, I don't see any holes in this defense now that ARuss is safely tucked away on the bench. It will be very interesting to see what happens the rest of the year. It's clear Penn State isn't what it was cracked up to be. Those three opening games against cupcakes masked many of the chinks in their armor. Ohio State has four tough games left. Two on the road, two at home and with Penn State's loss, the game of the year in the Big 10 could very well be that Iowa visit to the horseshoe in late November.

The Bucks have a championship caliber defense, there is no doubt about that. The real question is can Ohio State score enough to win?

Tuesday afternoon quarterback

To lazy to post anything on the weekend and to stunned to find out that a team that shut down the nations top rated offense and passer on Saturday actually fell two spots in the polls. I guess a 38-0 shutout isn't enough to impress anyone and is in fact, looked down on.

Anyway my random collection of thoughts:

- Look past the two TD's and career high passing yards TP put up on Saturday. The kid still looks incredibly timid at times, continues to throw off his back foot (often times into double and triple coverage). He needs to learn that this isn't NCAA 2010 and stop forcing plays and causing turnovers. It's all good when I am on my PS3 and running Colt McCoy all over the place making the impossible possible, but not something I want to see my starting QB do time and time again.

- The defense continues to play well. No complaints here. Brian Rolle continues to impress me and I am still very relieved to see Jermaile Hines in at safety with Anderson Russell safely tucked away on the sidelines. I don't know of any post route that can burn him there, though I am sure he's working on it.

- I've come down from the ledge over the SC game. Afterall, Im used to heartbreak. I am a Buckeye and a Kings and Dodgers fan. I'm used to having teams rip my heart out (or not making the playoffs in almost a decade). Still, I think JT needs to find a new OC and really woudn't mind if he suddenly retired. Looking at the game three times, I firmly believe that if JT called a good game, Ohio State cruises to a 14+ win over SC.

- You can never count me as one of those people who fell in love with Boom Herron. He looks terribly slow to me. I thhink Boom is a good change of pace back as he's been in the past, but I don't think he's someone you can live with getting 20+ carries. I'd like to see more of Jordan Hall and less of Boom.

- Saine's found a nice little niche as a WR\RB.

- I've seen enough Nascar commercials to last me a lifetime. Also, whilst watching a Buckeye game, I'd like to hear less Nascar talk. I've absorbed far too much Nascar and Danny Hamlin information.

- Why did the Dodgers get Jim Thome?

- The Dodgers will break my heart in October. Count me ready.

- Kings training camp opens. I am confident that this group will in fact end an eight year playoff drought and could even make some noise in the playoffs. JMFJ is the only wolverine I'd ever cheer for, but, that's why he's Jack Mother Fucking Johnson.

- I missed Gary's Steve Rehring tribute jersey on Saturday. Frankly, I think Gary needs to get that thing autographed by the man himself, though that may require a trip to the Diamond Cabaret in Dublin....we'll that's not a bad thing.

- The Fighting Lumberg's come to the shoe on Saturday. Here's hoping I hear Bill telling Juice "Yeah, if you could learn the forward pass, that would be greeeeaaaaaat" rather than watching the Fighting Lumberg's dance on the Block O whilst celebrating the biggest upset in the NCAA since well, whoever upset USC. Many congrats to Petey for once again choking a game away to an unranked team. I love watching USC play scrubs because really, you never know which one they are going to lose to. Does this mean U Dub does not appear on the USC "Conquest" list for the year?

Ohio State - Navy 9-5-09

Ok Buckeyes, how does a 16 point lead against Navy come down stopping Navy on a two point conversion? In the almost four hours since the end of the game, i've come down from the ledge and I am busy listening to the SEC and Pac 10 mouth pieces calling out the team and coaching staff. Frankly, if JT had kicked the damn field goal and put the game out of reach, we wouldn't be here. Ohio State does not have the luxury of winning these types of games. People look the other way when Fresno State comes into LA and lights up the Trojans and it takes a USC miracle to pull off the win. It looks the other way when a 43 point favorite loses to Stanford. It will not look the other way when you nearly blow a 16 point lead.

Yes, Navy is a very good team. Yes, they are ranked 36'th in the country and have made six straight bowl. However, there is no excuse for what took place today.

Offense:
The offense played very well. Dare I say that Brandon Saine shined more than Boom Herron? Yeah, he did. It's a fantastic thing to see the new corp of wideouts run routes PAST the third down line. I gotta say this group is much, much better. Also, does it say something that Ray Small didn't smell the field today and watched true freshman make catches? Yeah, it does. Thanks Ray for your outstanding career. Now, please learn to properly take my order when I roll into BK next time. The offensive line was solid, especially Justin Boren.

Grades:
QB: B+
WR: B+
OL: B-
TE: A

Defense:
Um, really.....Anderson Russell, could you please learn how to guard a post route? You got burned by USC, Penn State and Texas last year and the mighty passing game of the Middies burned you to. Get your head out of your ass or gtfo the field.
The linebackers and ends played well. The DT's? Well, getting blown off the ball by guards that are literaly 1/2 your size doesn't bode well.

Grades:
DL: D-
LB: C
CB: C-
S: F

Coaching:
JT both amazed and frustrated me....much like normal. Rolling out TP and using play action early and often was brilliant. As usual, he didn't' show much, I guess saving his hand for next week. On the other hand, just when you want the JT of old to show up and kill the clock, JT does his best Steve Spurrier impersonation and is still throwing the ball with under six minutes to go in the game. JT also summoned his inner Pete Carroll and went for it on 4-2 when he should have kicked a field goal to put the game away.

Grade: C-


Ok boys, it's time to get your heads out. Next week, no excuses. Three years of agony, one chance to redeem yourselves. Rise up or fold. The choice is yours. Go Bucks.