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The Sergeant's Office: Aftermath for Ohio State
So I was wrong and Spread HD was just enough to secure Lord Paterno his first win in the Shoe in 30 years. This game was a hard fought bloody war won in the trenches.
However, if you were paying attention to the loathsome ABC broadcast team, you found the point where Ohio State lost the game. It wasn't when Pryor fumbled the ball away trying to be cute, a subject we will get to in a minute.... it was when Chris "Beanie" Wells, one of the leaders of the Ohio State football team, spent a defensive series cussing out his offensive line because he was getting any yards. Wonderful leadership skills there buddy.
Moving on, this Buckeye team has some talent. I believe Dan Herron will be the next great Ohio State tailback. I believe Terrelle Pryor can be a good QB for the Bucks if he grows up. Crying like a little girl on the sidelines after the game was just not something you want to see out of one of your "leaders". Neither is trying to get cute and stretch a simple sneak in a close game into a momentum changing fumble. These are things Terrelle Pryor needs to learn before next season.
For Ohio State, the BCS dream is over, not that anyone with a poll vote was going to allow it to happen again. Chances are there will be no conference title either, as Penn State must lose twice, an exceptionally tall order for the football teams left on the schedule.
But I can't pin this loss totally on Terrelle Pryor or Beanie Wells. Ohio State's Sophomore OT Bryant Browning was annhilated most of the night by the Penn State defense. I can think of at least 5 times during the game Browning practically tackled the defender and it wasn't caught. Browning looked slow, weak, and lost out there against the Nittany Lions, so much so Ohio State had to keep a back in or leave a back and TE to block whoever PSU had coming off the edge.
No doubt this glaring exposure is going to be used by Illinois, Michigan, and Northwestern to get at Terrelle Pryor. Im sure they've already selected someone with a bit of speed to make Brownings day a living hell. Then they just gotta get inside Pryor's head a bit and we are off to the races....
In all likelihood that wont happen though. The talent gap between those three schools and Ohio State is so great it won't matter.
So, to get to the heart of the matter, what can the Bucks to do try and close the gap both this year and in the future?
1. Recruit some southern speed - Im sure in California, Florida, and Texas there are a few Ohio State fans. Time and again 3 star recruits and off the radar guys from these states have gone on to be super stars. Ohio State has had great talent at WR in the past, and it has been sorely lacking lately. Trust me Tress, you can find plenty of speed to burn in the south. You need some Ted Ginn Jr again, in the worst way.
2. Make the offense less predictable - While Im not a fan of a West Virginia style spread to be your offense 100% of the time, and I am not advocating Tress force it in his game plans, Ohio State has a QB who can't throw well and is fast on his feet. Sounds an awful lot like Pat White, maybe one of the reasons why Rich Rod wanted Pryor bad enough to sell his children. If Vince Young can develop into a semi decent college passer, Pryor can too, but its going to take time. Right now I'm a better drop back passer than TP. Spread the field a bit right now and let him run, or let him roll out with that speed, let his WRs get in space and then make high percentage short or intermediate range throws to them. Right now you don't want to place your faith in Pryor taking a 3 to 5 step drop and throwing those long, slow, arching balls to hungry defensive backs who can make a sandwich and smoke a cigarette before the ball gets there. Trust me Tress, it'll work or I'll buy you a new sweater vest.
3. Don't be afraid to bench Beanie - Sounds crazy right? Well it a'int. Beanie is a power back for an offense that suddenly needs to be more fast on the edges. Wells has never struck me as a guy thati s going to make you miss. His power works great against Northwestern, no so much against Penn State or an upper tier out of conference opponent. Maurice Wells and Dan Herron are capable backs who have the speed to keep up with Pryor on those option pitches. Both have great hands and are deadly in space. Either may have made a difference last night. Your paying for their education...use em.
I'm sure I'll be stabbed in a dark alley by a rogue Ohio State fan for this blog, but this is my honest assessment of the Bucks. Time will tell if any of these suggestions come to fruition. But, if not, at least they'll beat Michigan.
Sarge
However, if you were paying attention to the loathsome ABC broadcast team, you found the point where Ohio State lost the game. It wasn't when Pryor fumbled the ball away trying to be cute, a subject we will get to in a minute.... it was when Chris "Beanie" Wells, one of the leaders of the Ohio State football team, spent a defensive series cussing out his offensive line because he was getting any yards. Wonderful leadership skills there buddy.
Moving on, this Buckeye team has some talent. I believe Dan Herron will be the next great Ohio State tailback. I believe Terrelle Pryor can be a good QB for the Bucks if he grows up. Crying like a little girl on the sidelines after the game was just not something you want to see out of one of your "leaders". Neither is trying to get cute and stretch a simple sneak in a close game into a momentum changing fumble. These are things Terrelle Pryor needs to learn before next season.
For Ohio State, the BCS dream is over, not that anyone with a poll vote was going to allow it to happen again. Chances are there will be no conference title either, as Penn State must lose twice, an exceptionally tall order for the football teams left on the schedule.
But I can't pin this loss totally on Terrelle Pryor or Beanie Wells. Ohio State's Sophomore OT Bryant Browning was annhilated most of the night by the Penn State defense. I can think of at least 5 times during the game Browning practically tackled the defender and it wasn't caught. Browning looked slow, weak, and lost out there against the Nittany Lions, so much so Ohio State had to keep a back in or leave a back and TE to block whoever PSU had coming off the edge.
No doubt this glaring exposure is going to be used by Illinois, Michigan, and Northwestern to get at Terrelle Pryor. Im sure they've already selected someone with a bit of speed to make Brownings day a living hell. Then they just gotta get inside Pryor's head a bit and we are off to the races....
In all likelihood that wont happen though. The talent gap between those three schools and Ohio State is so great it won't matter.
So, to get to the heart of the matter, what can the Bucks to do try and close the gap both this year and in the future?
1. Recruit some southern speed - Im sure in California, Florida, and Texas there are a few Ohio State fans. Time and again 3 star recruits and off the radar guys from these states have gone on to be super stars. Ohio State has had great talent at WR in the past, and it has been sorely lacking lately. Trust me Tress, you can find plenty of speed to burn in the south. You need some Ted Ginn Jr again, in the worst way.
2. Make the offense less predictable - While Im not a fan of a West Virginia style spread to be your offense 100% of the time, and I am not advocating Tress force it in his game plans, Ohio State has a QB who can't throw well and is fast on his feet. Sounds an awful lot like Pat White, maybe one of the reasons why Rich Rod wanted Pryor bad enough to sell his children. If Vince Young can develop into a semi decent college passer, Pryor can too, but its going to take time. Right now I'm a better drop back passer than TP. Spread the field a bit right now and let him run, or let him roll out with that speed, let his WRs get in space and then make high percentage short or intermediate range throws to them. Right now you don't want to place your faith in Pryor taking a 3 to 5 step drop and throwing those long, slow, arching balls to hungry defensive backs who can make a sandwich and smoke a cigarette before the ball gets there. Trust me Tress, it'll work or I'll buy you a new sweater vest.
3. Don't be afraid to bench Beanie - Sounds crazy right? Well it a'int. Beanie is a power back for an offense that suddenly needs to be more fast on the edges. Wells has never struck me as a guy thati s going to make you miss. His power works great against Northwestern, no so much against Penn State or an upper tier out of conference opponent. Maurice Wells and Dan Herron are capable backs who have the speed to keep up with Pryor on those option pitches. Both have great hands and are deadly in space. Either may have made a difference last night. Your paying for their education...use em.
I'm sure I'll be stabbed in a dark alley by a rogue Ohio State fan for this blog, but this is my honest assessment of the Bucks. Time will tell if any of these suggestions come to fruition. But, if not, at least they'll beat Michigan.
Sarge
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