On (to) Wisconsin ...

It seemed a bit like a defeat when the 2-game shut-out streak ended in Bloomington but nonetheless, the Bucks stood triumphant in front of a high percentage of Buckeye fans in attendance at IU. The Bucks are very much in the mix of the Big Ten and still hanging on in the national picture after the 33-14 defeat of Indiana.

Probably, position by position, the Bucks proved too much for IU but for Hoosier wide receiver Doss who made some plays when it counted and kept the Bucks from a third-straight shut-out. The Buckeye D line was again decisive and the make-shift secondary due to the suspension of Kurt Coleman did a decent job Saturday.

Terrelle Pryor and the offensive coaches proved to be equal-opportunity with the distribution of passes Saturday with 8 different receivers catching passes, including another pass thrown to the FULLBACK! That's a play right out of Woody's playbook but Zach Boren can catch - saw plenty of him in high school conference play over the past 4 years to be definitive in that assessment. And Terrelle appeared to make some positive steps in his development this season.

The knock on him continues to be pass mechanics and some on the decision-making side. In terms of mechanics, if he can connect with his first option, his passing is flawless - feet set, arm position good, delivery timely. If he has to take the second or later options, his mechanics tend to break down - especially his feet. That's where you see the over- or under-throws and some of the off-target stuff. Now, you might point to the pass to Duron Carter for the TD as one that demonstrates bad mechanics - Carter however has said that he asked for that ball to be high to elude the defensive coverage. Not sure that he's not a good "cover" for his QB on that one. That being said, that ball was seriously where none of the defenders could have brought it down. Pryor does seem to have been a bit quicker to pull the ball down and run since the first and second game too this week and last. It is not clear how many of his runs have been designed or not.

The Bucks face a Wisconsin team that is getting little respect at this point nationally, however among the Big Ten, Wisconsin this past week swept the conference awards for offensive and defensive players of the week. Their big RB Clay had over 180 yards rushing this past week and the team is averaging about 217 yards per game running the ball for a mark of first in the conference. I like our chances against a running team - especially an old-fashioned running attack. We get ourselves in trouble against the team that likes to spread the ball and run. The latter is not Wisky's style traditionally. The Buckeyes are 10th in the nation, and No. 1 in the Big Ten, against the run (83.4-yard average). Since giving up 186 yards to Navy, they have yielded 118 to Southern California, 13 to Toledo, 82 to Illinois and 18 to Indiana. OSU held Indiana's Darius Willis, who rushed for 160 the week before at Michigan, to 23 on 11 carries.

Wisky also brings a good defense, particularly one that likes to pressure the QB and has had some games with plenty of TFLs and sacks. I like the prospect of Pryor rolling away from the rush to deliver the ball or run. And I like the prospect of Dane Sanzenbacher as the steady receiver. The receivers will need to be aware of the rush and be able to come back to the ball if needed to help Pryor if the O line breaks down.

And speaking of the O line, the Bucks had yet another assemblage of guys out on the line for much of the game. Seems that the coaches are yet to be set upon a mix of guys that they really like. Big Mike Adams, however, seems to have settled in at the left tackle spot - I like that - the kid's massive. J.B. Shugarts is now seeing his playing time cut as freshman Marcus Hall got extensive time at the right tackle spot. How will the line shake out when senior Jim Cordle returns?

And how about Brandon Saine as the new starter? True, Boom Herron had an ankle tweak but Saine seemed to have the mo-jo this week. I vote Saine as the starter until he peaks and Boom has the hot-hand.

Our true Defensive Tackle Dexter Larrimore suffered a knee injury that has caused him to fall out of the two-deep though Tressel called it "minor". The flu bug hit left tackle Andrew Miller and he didn't make the trip. Other injuries are unknown at this point - Pryor looked a bit gimpy to me at the end of the game.

And to Mr. Pettrey, let's get some practice in this week.

This Saturday is so far projected to be a blustery November-like day with a high in the mid-50s. See, in Ohio, we skipped from summer to winter all in about a week. And we haven't really looked back. But we will ...

Game time is 3:30 eastern on ABC.

GO BUCKS from JennyBucks!