Buckeye Monday - Purdue Game Review

Buckeyes Exposed in West Lafayette………

Many Buckeye fans consider yesterday’s 26-18 loss to Purdue to be the worst loss of the Jim Tressel era. I’m partial to the loss to Illinois two years ago but my levels of disappointment and frustration yesterday quickly approached those of that 2007 game. In my Buckeye Preview post for BHB back in August I predicted a 9-3 season for Ohio State. My thinking then was that OSU would lose the USC game and two of its last three games. My margin of error just got a little smaller. In my heart I knew that replacing all of the starters from last year was going to be a tall task. I thought Pryor was going to be better and that it would take some time for the new players to find their strides. In most cases this has played out in just that manner. The defense has reloaded and the offensive line has shown signs of improvement over the past few games. However, the weekly steps backward that Pryor continues to take have quickly gone from confusing to irritating to downright scary. The stellar play of the defense in the first half of the season made up for the inconsistency on offense. Yesterday that came to a quick end. I think the thing that bothers me the most is Pryor’s behavior on the sideline after he makes a mistake on the field. Pouting on the bench and refusing to talk to other players after making a mistake on the field are not the qualities you want in the leader of your offense. I still think he represents the best chance for success on the field but there are enough games left in the season that even that logic may be proven wrong. That’s pretty scary. Even more troubling though is the thought that this may be all that Buckeye fans ever get from their “once in a decade” talent. A very dangerous line was drawn on the field on Saturday. This team, this quarterback and these coaches need to figure out how they are going to approach the reaming five games on the schedule. Winning the Big Ten is still possible. Then again, so is coming in fourth place in the conference. I find myself torn between the two outcomes. Part of me doesn’t want to play in another high profile BCS game given the likely outcome. Playing Kansas or Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl doesn’t sound that appealing either. We’ll see that happens in the next five weeks.

What worked on Saturday?

Not much. Kurt Coleman played another great game at Safety but that’s about it. Brandon Saine started off great, rushing and receiving for over 60 yards in the first quarter. Ross Homan also played well for the third consecutive game. No other individual player or unit showed me anything after the middle of the first quarter.

What didn’t work on Saturday?

This list would be a long as the previous section was short….if I had the time to list everything I saw yesterday. Heading the list would be Pryor….of course but the play of the offensive line was just as bad. Four or five false start penalties and a holding call against one of the weaker defenses in the league in inexcusable. Coaching on both sides also needs to be on this list. It sat in stunned silence when we ran three poorly designed pass plays at the goal line and the had to settle for a field goal. Has Tressel given up on the running game? If so, for what reason? Certainly giving a chance for Saine to score should have been one of the options.

I think this will be an interesting week at the Woody Hayes Center. After the USC loss it seemed like the press and the fans really helped in forcing Tressel’s hand with regards to play calling. Changes were made with the full effects yet to be felt. This week I expect to read and hear a lot of negative criticism directed at Terrelle Pryor. How he and the program respond to the heat next week against a decent Minnesota team should be considered a good barometer for the rest of the year. Frankly, my expectations are not that high.

What’s next?

Minnesota comes to town after a week of watching tape of the Purdue game. I think Eric Decker is licking his chops in anticipation of running free in OSU’s soft zone coverages. In addition, I would expect the Gophers to dial up numerous blitz packages as it’s become obvious that Pryor tends to panic at the mere thought of contact. To me this game will define how the rest of the season will go and could be a very good indicator as to how the team will look going into next year. If this was Penn State…or even Iowa I would be predicting a loss. However, Minnesota is talented but not as talented as those two teams. I don’t think there will be a great deal of improvement on offense. Perhaps Tressel will utilize the no huddle approach as Pryor seems more comfortable in those sets. I’d also like to see more consistent use of Brandon Saine. It’s obvious that he is the best player on the Ohio State offense. The fact he only touched the ball once in the second half is ridiculous. The defense will feel the need to make a statement coming off their most recent effort. I believe the team will feel better in front of the home fans. I have it 24-14 Ohio State.

Go Bucks!!!

Buckeye John