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!