Updates ...

I've been a bit remiss and did not post the announcement by the Big Ten on Monday that Kurt Coleman, Buckeye captain and starting safety, had been suspended for this Saturday's game at Indiana. Coleman, clearly guilty of a late hit late in the game vs. Illinois, was suspended by the conference. The conference employed a rule that calls for a review of all personal foul calls that do not result in the ejection of the player. The conference viewed Coleman's hit, that clearly involved his helmet, as more deliberate including the "crown" of the helmet and deliberate and against a defenseless opponent. Review the tape. That's not exactly what happened. More like the side of his helmet, but clearly involving his helmet.

However, it should be noted that before the game began, there was a bit of a tussle at midfield. In 2007, Illinois had enjoyed stomping on the Block O at the center of the field, and apparently there was a bit of jawing regarding that event and a lot of taunting. Some of that apparently involved Coleman (sadly) and his victim, backup Illinois QB Eddie McGee. Whether the one incident led to the other?????

Coach Tressel and AD Gene Smith released a statement following the Big Ten's decision. The statement itself ruffled a few feathers here in C-bus, particularly among the media-types who found it a bit self-serving but nonetheless, I found their statement to be a support statement for the team captain who, by all measures, is not the type of guy to do any intentional harm. Local personality and Buckeye hero Chris Spielman came out vehemently against the conference's decision.

Orhian Johnson, the redshirt freshman, appears to gain the most playing time as a result of the suspension.

On a somewhat related note, news came out yesterday that USC RB Stefon Johnson was involved in a horrible weight room accident that resulted in 10 hours of surgery for Johnson. Johnson was lifting and a barbell slipped from his hands and landed on his neck. He was being spotted by an assistant strength coach ... Spielman said on his radio show yesterday that that was why the coach was an assistant ... but nonetheless, he received immediate medical attention. Our prayers for a speedy recovery go out to Johnson and his family. It makes me gag every time I hear the account. ouch!

GO BUCKS from JennyBucks!

The Week's Award Winners ....

The athletic office has announced the following football weekly awards:

On defense, Doug Worthington
On special teams, Aaron Pettrey - great FGs despite driving rainstorm
On offense, a shared award between Boom Herron and Brandon Saine - message sent about getting the running game going, perhaps?

The Attack Force player of the week was Jermale Hines
The Jim Parker Lineman of the Week was Jake Ballard - note that the offensive scheme was a bit different against Illinois, as Ballard was used in lieu of the traditional pulling guard. Ballard essentially pulled across the entire formation.

On special teams: Martin, Bellamy, Georgiades
There was no Jack Tatum hit of the week.

That being said, there is a possible penalty to be assessed by the Big Ten against Kurt Coleman for his head blow/personal foul call late in the game. The penalty can be a suspension for up to 50% of all games. There have been 1 game suspensions assessed already this year by the Big Ten. Stay tuned. This could be a very big loss on a very stupid action by a team captain.

GO BUCKS from JennyBucks!

And I Paid for These Seats?

I'm not sure that I will ever complain about dry grass again ...

Of course, we cannot control the weather and Ohio is not exactly known for its predictability, I have to say that was among the few times in Ohio Stadium where the rain was that hard ... so hard as to look like snow, so hard as to "hear" it as it beat down on those hardy souls in attendance. But it was worth it.

What did we see ...

A running game!

The first back-to-back shut out game since 1996!

A watered down Juice bottled ...

The defense. What can I say about defense. I point to the emergence of the active Brian Rolle who was well known for his hard-hits on special teams but somewhat of an unknown at the MLB spot. Well, he saved the Navy game, and thwarted probably Illinois' best drive of the day with another timely INT. And his enthusiasm has spread amongst that team. The defense is active, hard-hitting, and focused.

And the other defensive leader - the DLine - since 2002, probably OSU's deepest and most talented. Cam Heyward remains unblockable, forcing the opponent to double-team him at their own risk. And his teammates Thad Gibson had a huge game - in fact, he was responsible for one of the 3-and-out Illinois possessions.

And the consummate leader, Kurt Coleman. But I am a bit disappointed in his personal foul, blow to the head call. Coleman was quickly replaced on the field. But Coleman continues to lead the team in tackles with B-Rolle (as Tressel calls him), game after game. Coleman had 9 vs Illinois.

Did anyone notice that the Buckeyes figured out how to run the ball? And it couldn't have happened at a more opportune time ... the rain made seeing the game from my vantage point a bit difficult, but I cannot imagine trying to find the ball in the air. So Pryor threw a whopping 2 passes in the entire first half ... and completed 0.

When asked about the running game in the post-game, it was noted by the reporter that the rushing attempts were largely from Pryor in the shotgun and Tressel, in his senator-like response, stated that the "efficiency" of that formation after 3 games was found to be the highest. Whatever ... it worked.

And there might be some settling by the coaches on an Oline. Big Mike Adams got the start at left tackle with Boren (LG), Mike Brewster (C), Bryant Browning (RG), and JB Shuggarts (RT). Shuggarts settled down after 3 false start calls last week. And overall, the line played pretty well. No sacks on Pryor - though a lot of that is on Pryor - and a handful of TFLs by Illinois.

Pryor had a workmanlike day - finishing with 13 pass attempts, completing 8 for 82 yards and a TD. And that last TD was Pryor's call - he told Tress and Hazell that they should go for it and Pryor made the play and the pass. Pryor also had 59 yards rushing on 11 attempts.

Boom Herron, after getting blasted in the local Dispatch earlier in the week for his 2.2 yard per carry average, ran for 75 yards on 14 attempts and 2 TDs. Brandon Saine had 13 attempts and 81 yards. The flashy Jordan Hall got in late ... he continues to flash greatness ... and he lugged the rock 7 times for 22 yards.

Did you see a pass thrown and caught by a fullback! OMG! and a pass thrown and caught by a tight end! OMG! And another fine effort by the day's offensive captain, Dane Sanzenbacher with 3 catches for 36 yards and 1 TD.

Next up, night game at Bloomington where the zebras took a possible victory away from the Hoosiers in the Big House. How will the Hoosiers feel? Like they can hang with anyone or deflated? Doesn't matter. The Bucks need to be feeling confident going into the stadium feeling like, and knowing, they can stop anyone.

The last time the Bucks shut out opponents in 3 consecutive regular season games ... 1924.

GO BUCKS from JennyBucks!

An Old Dog Can Change His Spots ... or Is It Aliens?

A revelation on today's Jim Tressel call-in show ... Darrell Hazell called some of the offensive plays against Toledo.

And we all thought that Jim Tressel would NEVER relinquish play calling ...

Now, which plays did Hazell call?

And, will Tressel allow the "experiment" continue?

The local media has somewhat bashed Jim Tressel in the past for being a bit too much like the "senator", but this season-to-date, there has been a bit of a "kinder, gentler" Jim Tressel ... more open, often joking at press conferences. Now this!

Was his trip to the MidEast that life altering that he's come back a changed man?

Or, have aliens abducted Jim Tressel this season.

GO BUCKS from JennyBucks!

OSU-Toledo Award Winners

The football coaching staff has announced its weekly team award winners: Dane Sanzenbacher was the offensive player of the week with 5 catches for 126 yards and 2 TDs. Ross Homan was the defensive player of the week with 6 tackles and a fumble recovery. On special teams, Ben Buchanan was awarded the weekly award. He stepped in capably for Jon Thoma who sat out the Toledo game due to illness.

The Attack Force player of the week was Cameron Heyward. Bryant Browning was the lineman of the week. On scout team, the winners were Fields, Whiting and Harlamert. There was no Jack Tatum Hit of the Week awarded.

The Bucks host Illinois on ABC/ESPN at 3:30 eastern time/2:30 central. Rain is expected.

The Illini come in limping off of an embarrassing loss to Missouri followed by a walk-over Illinois State. This past Saturday, the team was idle. Juice Williams went down very early in the Mizzou game with an injury and has yet to return to the field. It is possible he will benefit from the idle week and play this Saturday. Stay tuned.

Pryor and the Bucks on the Rebound

Greetings from rainy C-bus:

But nothing can dampen the collective sigh of relief coming after yesterday's romp on the north coast. Pryor came through with his best passing game in his short career and his best-tying 110 yards rushing ... but a few misfires remind us that he's not all that, yet.

The play of the game - Kurt Coleman's strip. The Buckeye captain kept the opponent to a goose-egg on the one-man strip of the ball from the Toledo receiver near the goal line. The threat averted, the Bucks basque in the glow of a shut-out.

The mis-match. The strength of this team has emerged along the D-line. The D-line vs. USC was a real threat to arguably the best O-line in college football. The Toledo O-line was completely outmatched. Cameron Heyward just kept coming and Toledo QB Opelt who had just 8 days ago brought down Big 12 also-ran Colorado is going to see the relentless Heyward in his nightmares for weeks. The Buckeye defensive scheme seemed to be to bring pressure, force quick decisions and off-target throws and the results proved the coaches geniuses: Opelt was 22 of 45 for 197, 1 INT, no TDs. Toledo rushed for a total 13 net yards, including 2 Buckeye sacks. Toledo was 3 of 15 for 3rd down and lost a fumble.

The growth - Terrelle Pryor. His 17 of 28 passing day for 262 yards and 3 TDs was his career-best. His rushing yards of 110 yards led all players on both sides. He averaged 9.2 yards per carry and got another TD rushing. Terrelle was also a bit more staid in his post-game press conference than a week and 2 weeks ago. He's found that he needs to speak through his play on the field. Period. But I recall a former QB and later Heisman Trophy winner who had to learn to manage the local press. It's a lesson worth learning and generally, Pryor has been given a pass by most of the local media.

The worry. The running game. Or lack thereof. Outside of the rushing by Pryor, no other Buckeye back got anything going ... but a star might have emerged in Pryor's High School team mate, Jordan Hall. His 44 yards came on just 7 carries with a 17 yard long. That's as good as Brandon Saine's 45 yards, his coming on 9 carries including a 31 yard run. Hall hits the hole fast ... and that's going to be important as the Bucks will be going with a patched-up O-line for another 4-6 weeks while Jim Cordle nurses an ankle injury. J.B. Shugarts got his first start at right tackle and seemed to perform capably. Big Mike Adams also emerged from the Tressel dog-house to play several series at the all-important left tackle spot. The line was far from flawless - 5 false start penalties including 3 by Shugarts and a sack. But the Bucks handled the various blitz schemes Toledo used successfully against Colorado a week earlier.

The insurance policy - the Bucks offense is in good hands with ... Dane Sanzenbacher. Again, tried-and-true #12 made a key big play to start the Buckeye romp, and this time he was not caught from behind. Sanzenbacher, while clearly not fleet-of-foot versus USC, is a reliable route-runner and a good-hands receiver ala Anthony Gonzalez. He had 5 catches for 126 yards including the 76 yarder to open the scoring. His 2 TDs led all receivers. The emergent star might still be DeVier Posey but Terrelle has to be careful not to lock in on Posey in the open field. Posey is truly fleet-of-foot with good athletic abilities. He's the kind of receiver that can go get a ball ... his 5 catches for 46 yards appears a bit tame for the flashes of genius we've seen so far this season.

Another defensive star that continues to emerge is Brian Rolle. Recall that I've opined on Rolle now for 3 weeks. His bring-the-wood hard hitting style belies his athletic ability. Watch his lateral speed and his coverage of the receivers underneath. He's a sure tackler and a leader on that defense. I predict continued rise to greatness for Rolle.

So, are the Bucks ready for the Big Ten? Given the mixed bag we've seen from the Big Ten so far this season, who knows. But next up is Illinois coming off of a very disappointing 2008 season. Illinois is 1-1 on the season.

GO BUCKS from JennyBucks!

Players of the Week

Devon Torrence was named the team's defensive player of the week while the attack force player was Cameron Heyward. The Jack Tatum award when to Boom Herron.

There was no offensive player of the week and no lineman of the week.

Big Stage, Big Letdown

Greetings from C-bus:

Were it not a beautiful sunny day, I'm not sure I would have gotten out of bed. A combination of mack truck and junk food hangover hit me this morning as the supreme disappointment of "the loss" hit me again this morning.

For about 58 minutes, the euphoria of a much-fought win seemed almost outer-worldly. And then, the experience came crashing down as the bungled final Buckeye possession played out.

While the pundits largely got the game story wrong, they got the outcome right. The Bucks lost and there are 2 points of blame that ultimately come down to one common theme. Coaching.

I feel strongly that the offensive game has passed the coaching staff by ... and their egos are such that they seem to be oblivious to the obvious. Terrelle Pryor for all his talent has regressed. His inability to manage the clock, the numerous and costly offensive line penalties, and the problems getting the plays called speak to indecision on the part of the coaching staff and the QB. He does not look like a QB with nearly 1 year as a starter under his belt. Pryor's mechanics may be better, but his command of the game paled in comparison to that of Matt Barkley on the big stage. And Barkley got it done. Pryor did not.

The second issue - predictable offensive calls. Why hand off the ball to the RB 5 yards deep with a QB sneak should deliver the 1 yard needed on the 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1 call? USC let Barkley carry the ball 5 different times with success. If you afraid of an injury to Pryor, then why let him carry the ball at all. And when there is some semblance of creativity in play calling as was shown in the only TD drive, why regress to the old staid play book with the lead. There is no killer instinct on that staff, and therefore, the opponent is never "put away" in a game. Navy was the hors d'oeuvres; USC the main course.

But the fears that manifest last week over the defense are now mere memory. The Bucks accomplished a great deal on the defensive side of the ball ... and that is where the pundits got the script of last night's game wrong. The Buckeye defense did hold up ... with the exception of the final drive, the USC offense was held to minimal production. The rushing offense from the stable of USC backs was largely ineffective but the lack of productivity on offense in the second half just wore the defense down. That last drive was nothing fancy, but the missed tackles let nearly every play rack up just a few additional yards. And those yards added up. But had I told you that the Bucks would have held USC to 18 points, most would have thought that holding USC to 18 points would have nearly assured an OSU victory. Largely it was "mission accomplished" by the defense.

The game's stars for the Buckeyes were all on the defensive side of the ball: Ross Homan, LB, led all players with 9 total tackles. USC tested the relatively untested Devon Torrence and he held up well with 8 total tackles. Brian Rolle with 8 tackles also showed speed and good lateral movement. And Heyward was a force on the Dline. In fact, the Dline really put down the gauntlet against the largely All American USC Oline. And Jermale Hines played the safety position with great prowess.

And I don't want to forget to lob kudos on the special teams. The Bucks were largely productive on kick off and punt returns. The pressure put on the walk-on punter resulted in 2 points. The missed kick seemed to be another Buckeye bounce of the ball. The Bucks also controlled field position for much of the game.

The offense never capitalized.

Had you asked me last night, I would have said that the season was lost. A night's sleep and I am feeling more like that there is something to build upon if the coaches will read the tea leaves and really critically analyze their highly predictable offense and their weaknesses. Tressel needs to seriously consider significant changes on the coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball. The defense is sound. And yes, I miss Mark Dantonio but props to the defensive side that showed real aggressiveness, rushing the passer, disguising blitzes and coverage schemes. Overall, the defense gets high marks for about 57 minutes of the game and the coaches put a team on the field qualified to make stops with schemes that were largely effective.

I can't say the same for the offense. I can't say much for the offense.

Next up, Toledo in a game played in Cleveland. I, for one, hope the Bucks are able to leverage the outcome of the game and build upon it for the rest of the season.

The game is at noon eastern, ESPN Plus this Saturday.

GO BUCKS from JennyBucks.

The BIG Game

Greetings from C-bus:

The buzz about this weekend's game is a bit unusual. And in a minute, I will get to that, but first a bit of news. The honorary captain for this week's game is Jack Tatum who had a measure of success against the Trojans in his day.

And Tressel called out the crowd to be loud this weekend.

Now, for the C-bus atmosphere. There is a lot of distrust, disbelief. Sadly Tressel-ball may have fallen from grace much like Obama-care in his few months in office (I won't tip my politics but I'm a LOT more sad for Tressel). The consensus seems to be to expect a loss, but a closer loss than last season's debacle. The consensus is also that with eight RBs in the USC arsenal, USC brings more firepower than OSU can handle.

And the tide may turn decidedly against Tress if the game is another wide margin defeat. First, tOSU is playing for the entire Big Ten. The Big Ten is big, slow, midwestern. Winning the Big Ten is no better than winning the Big East. In fact, some in C-bus believe that the best football team in Ohio might just be the UC Bobcats. Tressel's approval rating will fall faster than Obama's if the Bucks are soundly defeated.

That being said, the party is ON! I hear that given the 8pm start, there will be no pacing the drinking expected to begin on campus at the usual 4-5 am. Buckeye Nation will represent ... what, I'm not sure ... but Gameday and the crowd of sports talking heads expected in C-bus beginning tomorrow will see the best, and potentially, the worst of C-bus. And no students are on campus yet.

That's a lot of pressure on this young team.

And, by the way, Jim Tressel has said that he is rooting for scUM against ND this weekend. OK, me too ... because it is another potential nail in the coffin that is the proud Big Ten conference.

A few notes from practice - DeVier Posey is full-go. I expect we will hear a lot from him in the coming weeks of the season. Dane Sanzenbacher is the reliable, go-to guy right now, but Posey has razzle-dazzle in him. Also, Anderson Russell has been demoted and expect Jermale Hines to get the start at safety. Russell was burned on the 2 long TD passes vs. Navy last week (and vs. Texas if you recall). The comments from practice allude to him "forgetting" where he needs to be - I decode that to mean that he is not playing disciplined, assignment football. Props to the staff for making the change. And Hines has make-up speed and then some. He's been a regular on the nickel all last season and has the hitting ability of a Michael Doss with better wheels. Also, Ray Small is on the mend. While not listed as a starter due to "illness" last week and prior (hard to tell with Ray whether it is an assigned illness or a real one), the players seem to see him on the field with the 1's come Saturday ... and he's our best, proven threat on punt returns. And, local product Big Mike Adams is serving a 2-game suspension. And yes, many of us know why, but are not at liberty to say because the university is not releasing why ... suffice it to say that Big Mike may go the way of Ray Small if he's not careful. And let's hope Big Mike sticks with it and tries, like Ray Small has, to emerge from the Tressel dog house ... and soon. He has potential.

So, keep thinking good thoughts. The Bucks are carrying the Big Ten flag into battle in prime time Saturday. The Bucks have got to throw some new wrinkles into the game plan, exploit their weapons (TP has got to run the ball and scramble - and there's a difference), and that defense has got to make USC one-dimensional.

Another performance like last week's game and we might think it is 2002 re-dux ... a nail biter, a close call. But hey, if we come out victorious, while older, I can handle another year of "cardiac kids". Just win baby. There are no style points ... ultimately. But nothing short of an undefeated season ... and then some, will get a Big Ten team into the BCS championship game.

GO BUCKS from JennyBucks!

Midshipmen Highlight Mis-Shapen Expectations?

Greetings from C-bus where the sun is shining a bit brighter after the near eclipse at the hands of Navy yesterday!

No question, the play of the day and the star of the game was Brian Rolle's and his return of the Dobbs' errant pass on Navy's 2-point conversion attempt. Rolle had elevated himself to the starting LB role this season and those who watched last season will recall he was the enforcer on the punt and kickoff teams last year known for his bone-crushing hits. Few knew that he had a nice lower gear, as evidenced by his speedy return of the INT for 2 points that put the game largely into Buckeye control.

The defense appeared lack-luster to me - not as disciplined as I would like, particularly on the initial drive where Navy seemed to control the line of scrimmage on every play. Defending the option requires a disciplined defense, assignment defense. If your role is to cover the pitchman, that's what you do, and you must have confidence that your cohorts on the field will do the same, maintaining their assignments as well. Clearly, the "swarming" culture of the defense was constantly overwhelming the assignment discipline needed and cracks in the defense's facade were letting plays go for long swathes of yardage. The D line apparently has some 8-10 in rotation. Perhaps that is because there are not 4 that are consistently good? Outside of the play of Cameron Heyward who had 5 total tackles and Dexter Larrimore with 7, no one on the line stood out. That was particularly annoying given that Doug Worthington is a defensive leader and Lawrence Wilson was getting yet another chance to go following an injury-shortened season. Chekwa looked solid on the corner, but it was not clear whether the Bucks are weak at defending the pass or just unprepared for the Midshipmen to go skyward. In a previous season, Navy went some games without throwing a single pass ... were the Bucks unprepared? or unskilled? The long pass setting up a near game-ending tie was a clearly errant coverage package - you never let the defender behind you and do not go for the ball, but make the secure tackle, particularly without safety help behind you. And Coleman looked very solid, but where was the other safety? That single safety set didn't provide much help on those long pass plays.

On the offensive side, I was much more pleased and somewhat pleasantly surprised. The offense looked to be in a rhythm until Tress decided to put Bauserman in for a series. I felt that was very disruptive to the offensive rhythm. And while I do not often criticize Tress outright and understand his reasoning for putting the back-up in a real game situation, I wondered given the relative youth of the offense whether the strategic move paid dividends. Then I saw Sam Bradford go down later yesterday and I came to think Tress was probably right and the break in rhythm was worth the risk.

Pryor went 14 of 21 for 174 and 1 TD pass and 1 TD run. And one costly INT. Pryor's passing has come a long way ... but he tends to throw the ball high. I like the concept of letting the athletic receivers go "up for it" but the ball needs to be catch-able. And receivers - tap the ball down, not up, if you can't get it.

Dane Sanzenbacher is this year's Anthony Gonzalez - the "go to" guy. Again, he had a key TD catch and led the team with 57 yards receiving. And that's not a lot of yards - why? Because, the Bucks are loaded at receiver - 7 individuals were involved in catches totaling 174 yards. Boom Herron led all "receivers" with 4 catches for 29 yards. Clearly, the coaches are looking for ways to get Brandon Saine and Herron some "space" from where to get a burst, looking for YAC (yards after catch). And Duron Carter is some kind of athlete ... but that's no surprise.

And 4 catches by Tight Ends? What was Tress thinking? The two Jakes - also known as big Jake and little Jake - had 3 catches and 1 catch, respectively. Both looked good catching the ball and running with the ball after the catch.

The lack of a ground game was very frustrating. That zone blocking scheme is just not working when the call is for the RB to go up the middle. The option is good, however, at springing the speedy Herron and Saine. But we are sorely missing a bruiser back. Beanie - where is the next Beanie?

There were 2 brother acts out on the field yesterday. The Pickerington connection featured the Boren brothers - the transferred Justin Boren starting on the O-line and his true-freshman brother Zack at starting full back. The Homan brothers were also on the field. Ross Homan got the start at LB and his brother is Zack's backup at fullback. The parents must be so proud.

No commentary needed on what's before the Bucks - USC comes to town with a primetime matchup scheduled for this Saturday night, 8pm eastern time in the 'Shoe. Gameday will be in town and game will be televised in prime time. The big spotlight is on. And redemption - will it be ours?

GO BUCKS from JennyBucks!