| 02 January 2010
Yesterday I said this would come down to the coaches. I think we were the better team going in. Oregon having the better athletes was absurd. The staff deserves all the credit for letting this team play. We got after it. Masoli had game stats that looked like his quarter stats versus Pac-10 defenses. The Big Ten gets hammered by the college football press. When are they going to call out the Pac-10 for the lack of good defenses? I want to ask another question of the college football press. Where dat 50? Several of you said Oregon was going to have half a century on us. Those that did that showed a very anti-Big Ten or an anti-Ohio State bias, or you just don't know what you are talking about. Like I said yesterday, you are not a serious person if you actually believed this defense was going to give up 50.
The buck stops at the head coaches desk. He has to take the crap so he must also get the praise. JT took the shackles off Pryor and it showed. I have been one of Terrelle Pryors biggest defenders. I don't think I am going to have to defend him anymore. 27 of 37 for 266 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was mechanically sound all night and seemed to feel comfortable in a way I can't say I have seen him before.
Bowl practice reports were few and far between but the couple I did get said JT drove them hard and it showed. It looks like Pryor went back to school. He seemed to have a grasp of the offense that we have not seen before. I have said I see a talent that can be the #1 overall pick in the draft. I doubt I am going to hear as many people disagree with me about that after the Rose Bowl. I was very concerned about the receivers going into this game. Small is out and Thomas and Washington will leave the program. No reason to have them in the gameplan. Posey and Sanzenbacher stood up like champions. Pryor used all his weapons. He threw to the backs and one of the biggest plays in the game was the throw to Ballard. He made great decisions all game. Only recall two mistakes. That may be the most important thing to come out of this game.
The other player who really stood out for me was Doug Worthington. Cam Heyward had a great game but the defensive player who stood out to me was Worthington. Great kid. Great Buckeye. Love seeing him go out like that with arguably his best performance in a Buckeye uniform and a Rose Bowl win.
Zack Boren is looking like the fullback we have been searching for over the last couple of years. I think we saw a changing of the guard at running back. Saine is just a better back.I don't know of he will be the best back in a Buckeye uniform come August but he should be the clesr starter going into spring.
Offensive line gets a B. I am still not convinced about the tackles. Shugarts is young and has been out injured. It showed yesterday. He was not on his game in pass blocking. I still believe in him. On the other side we have a mess. Jim Cordle played his heart out. He is not a tackle. Every game we see him play in he shows that. That we can't find a better option than Cordle is very concerning. I would send a tape of the Rose Bowl to Seantrell Henderson and make a note to him that the kid playing his heart out is a senior. He was our best option. I would send him a tape every week. I thought run blocking was solid again. I think we could have run it right at them and still won the game but in a less spectacular fashion. We need to shore up the tackle spots in pass blocking but the core of a really good line returns. Mike Brewster missed a block yesterday. I think that is the first time I have mentioned his name all year. That is how good he has been this year. You have to feel good for Bryant Browning. He was a mess as a tackle last year but has become a really good guard. Boren is Boren. Come on Seantrell. You have to see the opportunity here.| < Prev | Next > |
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