All Hail Defense ...

Greetings from sunny C-bus!

But a victory often brings a sunny disposition to Buckeye Nation!

A bit of a mid-year report card since the New Mexico State game yielded little in the way of surprise ... but for injuries ... more on that later.

The Ohio State defense - A. It pitched a near-perfect game vs. NMSt. Not only did it record its third shutout -- the school's most since getting three in 1996 -- it gave up just two first downs and about 60 yards in total offense to the 120th offense in NCAA. One of my favorite Buckeyes, Brian Rolle, had the exclamation point in Saturday's game with a fumble recovery for a touchdown and so OSU's defense outscored the Aggie offense. Not a surprise. And that D line has allowed the young LBs to blossom this season. I look forward to getting Dexter Larrimore back full strength soon!

The Ohio State offense - C+. Terrelle Pryor could be the hottest quarterback in the Big Ten if he could stay away from those passing lapses. No QB in the league runs more effectively (he's the seventh-leading rusher in the Big Ten with a 61.56-yard avg.). When he makes the right choice and doesn't hesitate, he's also a good passer, though it's clear he and his receivers all have room to grow. O line - it sucks. Period. The next 2 weeks will not allow the Buckeye offense to get away with slow starts! Is it possible that DeVier Posey might see some wildcat offensive plays written for him? He's a viable 3rd QB now with that left-handed pass to Sanzenbacher Saturday, in a reverse option that was actually designed to go to Pryor with the ball. Seeing Pryor covered, Posey went to his outlet in the endzone. Guess what? He can read defenses too. The Buckeyes ultimately must get a consistent running game going to run the gauntlet the rest of the season. And I'm more and more in favor of seeing more and more of Jordan Hall. I love the way this kid hits the hole fast and hard.

The Ohio State special teams - B-. This is looking scary into the next 3 games. The run backs on both kickoff and punt returns have been better than several seasons, sans Ted Ginn Jr. Just don't drop that punt! But with Pettrey hurt, Barclay proved about as effective in his first-ever college game Saturday. But that's not saying much. Tressel-ball requires a more-than-passable field goal percentage and while Pettrey proved solid from long distance, his shorter stuff is not reliable. Now Barclay ... he too was not reliable on Saturday. Kick-offs by Barclay were very solid, however. Loved those deep kicks and that was a net sum gain Saturday. Protection has been largely solid all season, but know that PSU and Iowa are both solid in this area and have the potential to turn a game with a big play on special teams. The Bucks too have that capability.

Buckeye Coaching - B+. I've seen something never seen before this season. Tressel is willing to give up some control on the offense. Clearly, Darrell Hazell is very involved in the offense on game day. All you need to do is to look at Hazell on the sideline to know that he's getting input on play calling and that he's very engaged with the players on offense on the field. Can we get a decent O line coach? And on D, not a darn thing I would do differently. The switch between Heacock and Fickell, moving Fickell to the field from the booth, and vice versa has paid dividends ... Fickell is much more animated on the field and his men feed off of that.

The gauntlet is before the Bucks with 3:30 starts this week in Happy Valley and vs. Iowa in the 'Shoe a week later. The Bucks control their own destiny and there's no reason they can't win out ... just as there's no reason to be confident in the outcome of all 3 games. Each team has its weaknesses and each has it's strengths.

Penn State - the team leads the Big Ten in virtually every statistical category in Defense. Offense - same issues as the Bucks but with a bit more seasoning at the QB spot - consistency or lack there of.

Iowa - a team that reminds me a lot of 2002 Bucks ... a team with heart and the never-give-up spirit that has led to many, many, too many 4th quarter wins. The advantage to the Bucks is having the game in C-bus. By the same token, Iowa is no slouch ... their D is a big-play D and their QB is service-able and at times, great.

Michigan - no defense. Period. Inconsistent offense. Weather could come up big in a game in Ann Arbor because scUM has no real running game and relies on Forcier's arm. That being said, the Bucks have not been consistent running the ball.

Injuries - Pettrey. Not clear if this is serious or not. Boom and Zoom (Herron and Saine). Unless they got banged up vs. NMSt., they return. I'm not sure I care. Pryor. Banged up. Not clear where and Tressel was mysteriously vague. Appears to be a "lower body injury" and Pryor referred to a left leg injury on the play where he got his head ripped off. Might be a quad ... hamstring ... or worse. O line - all are banged up and I'm not sure I care. The carousel of O linemen are as bad as ever and I don't think their lack of health is to blame. This is our real weakness. Period. Larrimore - should be back to full strength soon. Miss him - he's a true defensive tackle and if he's healthy, the Bucks can play more of a 3-4 and that can stop some of that short stuff underneath.

So ... the task at hand is clear.

Win out ... Rose Bowl at worst. BCS is possible.

Lose one ... Buckeyes do not control their future.

GO BUCKS from JennyBucks!