I implore the Michigan athletic administration to find a remedy for the Michigan football program ... quick.
THE Game has lost something in the 7-0 run Jim Tressel has put on the Wolverines in the past seven years. I've lost the nervousness in the pit of my stomach that comes just before kickoff. I no longer spend the week worrying about the outcome. The Vegas line has been ridiculous over the past several years, indicating that even the book-makers see no drama in the outcome.
I miss the drama.
And frankly, the mediocre football program that has become Michigan football does nothing to benefit the Big Ten or the Buckeyes in particular. Strength of schedule does matter in the current BCS math. Sure, Michigan is bowl eligible this season ... and while that is an improvement, 6 wins is nothing to brag about. Six wins does nothing to bolster the reputation of the Big Ten as "big, slow, and good-but-not-great" as conferences go.
Gordon Gee might even be including Michigan football in the "little sisters of the poor" soon if nothing is done.
I think the conclusion that should be made by the Michigan administration is that the Big East brand of football has no place in the Midwest (listening Notre Dame?) and that the spread can be defeated. Sure, Denard Robinson is a phenom, but he can't hold up against the 300+ pound linemen of Wisconsin, the hard-hitting secondary of the Buckeyes, or the chill in the air that is Big Ten football in October and November. I'll be surprised if Robinson can walk when he's 50 having taken this year of punishment alone. And as for his NFL future, he's not the quintessential NFL QB. He throws a nice ball, but he stands little chance of surviving the pounding in the NFL when he can barely finish a game in the Big Ten.
I miss the years of Bo followed by Lloyd Carr. The games were exciting, competitive, and meant something. The winner often won the Big Ten championship and went on to the Rose Bowl. I miss the feeling in the pitt of my stomach prior to kickoff. I miss the drama and the build-up to THE Game.
Michigan ... do something!
GO BUCKS from JennyBucks!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
7 in a Row
Greetings from chilly C-bus:
Where there are nothing but warm feelings for the Buckeyes today.
First, the Block O controversy. The 1942 tribute uniforms came with specially designed gloves that Nike manufactured to make an "O" when the hands are placed together in the manner demonstrated by a number of Buckeyes Saturday. When the uniforms were passed out last week, Coach Tressel even demonstrated to the team how to make the "O" with the gloves. My guess is that the gloves were trashed following the two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties assessed following two of the Buckeye touchdowns. However, two early Buckeye TDs also were followed by the Block O without penalty - one was by Dane Sanzenbacher, clearly caught on televised coverage. The still photos in today's Columbus Dispatch actually show the "O" quite clearly. The concept is pretty innovative ... good thing the game was not in doubt at the time the penalties were assessed, for the most part.
I am personally tired of the slow-start offense we've seen in the past several games. I know that Michigan tried to commit an extra man to the box to stop the run and that some early completions in the passing game would have forced Michigan to get honest on defense a lot earlier in the game. But we couldn't connect early. I continue to marvel at the Buckeyes inability to get things going early.
But when it came down to it, the Buckeyes rolled up 478 yards in total offense and they converted 10 of 18 third downs in the final tally.
Didn't feel like it.
Props to Boom Herron who amassed over 1000 yards on the season and finished with 175 yards on 22 carries including the long 89 that should have been 98. The 89 yards ties Gene Fekete for the longest run from scrimmage by a Buckeye. Should have been 98. The passing game was fairly evenly distributed among 5 receivers - Posey caught 5 for 82 yards and a TD, Saine had 4 catches for 11 total yards, and Sanzenbacher and Stoneburner had 3 apiece for 71 and 33 yards, respectively. Zach Boren had 2 for 10 yards ... and the fullback actually had a carry!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, for 2 yards. I still call for Zach to get the hand off much more often, but I still love zeroing in on his blocking. He gets more pancakes than Ihop.
Pryor was a respectable 18 of 27 for 220 yards passing and 2 TDs. He had 1 INT that Tressel took credit for in the interview at the half saying that he (Tress) was greedy going for the TD rather than the FG. Pryor also had 12 carries for 49 yards.
On the defense, Cam Heyward seemed to be under the skin of the Michigan offensive line all day. Cam actually had just 6 tackles but there were a lot of near-calls by the officials headed in his direction. Chimdi Chekwa, Ross Homan, Brian Rolle, and Jermale Hines - 4 seniors - had 8 tackles each. Rolle's speed was no match for Michigan's O line and he had 2 TFLs for 9 yards lost. Nathan Williams was also wreaking havoc and he had 2 TFLs for 12 yards. John Simon had another TFL and LB Andrew Sweat actually had 5 TFLs for a total of 2 yards (let's call those a few inches behind the line each). The list of defensive players with tackles in the game totals 24. It's great when the defense can go that deep into the roster in a Michigan game. Pretty much tells you that while the game at times felt closer, it was rarely in doubt.
And props to the defense for forcing three turnovers.
Special teams was special ... Jordan Hall's TD on the kickoff following Michigan's only score was probably the turning point in the game. The game was suddenly close and then, it wasn't. Michigan had just gone 80 yards in 11 plays for a score and Hall returns one 85 to immediately answer. That single play shut down any momentum that UM might have generated. Also, punter Ben Buchanan had a career long punt of 59yards and in 4 punts, he averaged a respectable 44.5 yards per punt.
So what does it all mean ... it means we win a stellar 6th Big Ten conference title. And it means, we wait. We wait about 2 weeks for a bowl bid and an opponent. The Rose Bowl seems unlikely. The Sugar Bowl, somewhat likely. The Orange Bowl, remote.
GO BUCKS from JennyBucks!
Where there are nothing but warm feelings for the Buckeyes today.
First, the Block O controversy. The 1942 tribute uniforms came with specially designed gloves that Nike manufactured to make an "O" when the hands are placed together in the manner demonstrated by a number of Buckeyes Saturday. When the uniforms were passed out last week, Coach Tressel even demonstrated to the team how to make the "O" with the gloves. My guess is that the gloves were trashed following the two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties assessed following two of the Buckeye touchdowns. However, two early Buckeye TDs also were followed by the Block O without penalty - one was by Dane Sanzenbacher, clearly caught on televised coverage. The still photos in today's Columbus Dispatch actually show the "O" quite clearly. The concept is pretty innovative ... good thing the game was not in doubt at the time the penalties were assessed, for the most part.
I am personally tired of the slow-start offense we've seen in the past several games. I know that Michigan tried to commit an extra man to the box to stop the run and that some early completions in the passing game would have forced Michigan to get honest on defense a lot earlier in the game. But we couldn't connect early. I continue to marvel at the Buckeyes inability to get things going early.
But when it came down to it, the Buckeyes rolled up 478 yards in total offense and they converted 10 of 18 third downs in the final tally.
Didn't feel like it.
Props to Boom Herron who amassed over 1000 yards on the season and finished with 175 yards on 22 carries including the long 89 that should have been 98. The 89 yards ties Gene Fekete for the longest run from scrimmage by a Buckeye. Should have been 98. The passing game was fairly evenly distributed among 5 receivers - Posey caught 5 for 82 yards and a TD, Saine had 4 catches for 11 total yards, and Sanzenbacher and Stoneburner had 3 apiece for 71 and 33 yards, respectively. Zach Boren had 2 for 10 yards ... and the fullback actually had a carry!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, for 2 yards. I still call for Zach to get the hand off much more often, but I still love zeroing in on his blocking. He gets more pancakes than Ihop.
Pryor was a respectable 18 of 27 for 220 yards passing and 2 TDs. He had 1 INT that Tressel took credit for in the interview at the half saying that he (Tress) was greedy going for the TD rather than the FG. Pryor also had 12 carries for 49 yards.
On the defense, Cam Heyward seemed to be under the skin of the Michigan offensive line all day. Cam actually had just 6 tackles but there were a lot of near-calls by the officials headed in his direction. Chimdi Chekwa, Ross Homan, Brian Rolle, and Jermale Hines - 4 seniors - had 8 tackles each. Rolle's speed was no match for Michigan's O line and he had 2 TFLs for 9 yards lost. Nathan Williams was also wreaking havoc and he had 2 TFLs for 12 yards. John Simon had another TFL and LB Andrew Sweat actually had 5 TFLs for a total of 2 yards (let's call those a few inches behind the line each). The list of defensive players with tackles in the game totals 24. It's great when the defense can go that deep into the roster in a Michigan game. Pretty much tells you that while the game at times felt closer, it was rarely in doubt.
And props to the defense for forcing three turnovers.
Special teams was special ... Jordan Hall's TD on the kickoff following Michigan's only score was probably the turning point in the game. The game was suddenly close and then, it wasn't. Michigan had just gone 80 yards in 11 plays for a score and Hall returns one 85 to immediately answer. That single play shut down any momentum that UM might have generated. Also, punter Ben Buchanan had a career long punt of 59yards and in 4 punts, he averaged a respectable 44.5 yards per punt.
So what does it all mean ... it means we win a stellar 6th Big Ten conference title. And it means, we wait. We wait about 2 weeks for a bowl bid and an opponent. The Rose Bowl seems unlikely. The Sugar Bowl, somewhat likely. The Orange Bowl, remote.
GO BUCKS from JennyBucks!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Whew!
Greetings from Cbus,
It's a bright, sunny fall day in C-bus. Were it not for bare trees, one might think of the spring as lawn mower sounds abound as the lazy use their mowers to take down the last of the leaves. It's November and that's not a month when the Tressel-led Buckeyes surrender the Big Ten championship easily.
I was experiencing another torturous weekend of ACC football in BB&T stadium when the Bucks kicked off at 3:30. Thanks to technology (Slingbox), I was watching the Buckeye game and my daughter at the same time. And yes, being the superstitious type, I had my Buckeye gear on ... in part because my daughter's team wears Iowa colors. I stood out enough that the team mascot was agasp ... but mostly out of jealousy because my team stands to play another game after next weekend, while the mascot (and his two other costume inhabitants) only has basketball after Nov. 27. In fact, many in the stands were pretty well-educated when it came to Big Ten football ... and they had plenty of opinions (mostly positive) about the football played up north of the Mason-Dixon line.
I have to say that going into yesterday's game, I had taken something that Chris Spielman had said earlier to heart ... he apparently had in his TV broadcast a week ago cited Adrian Clayborn for taking plays off, stating that Clayborn had his head in the NFL already. This might explain Iowa's 4th (counting yesterday) loss this season after having led or been tied going into the fourth quarter. I was pretty confident that we might be able to win a dogfight. I think Tressel puts it best when he talks about a team that "never stops fighting". Apparently Ferentz needs to drill the same into his team's heads.
At the same time, DeVier Posey's drop made me think that he had his head in the NFL already ... too.
The game was a defensive battle for the most part. However, the team that led the NCAA in net turnovers (the Bucks) posted a -2 for the game. In most games against a strong contender, the team that wins the turnover battle wins the game. Not so yesterday ... luckily ... or perhaps it was just a matter of talent and (unexpected) play calling that won out.
Who'd a thought that the Bucks would leave behind their recent modus operandi coming into the game of Boom first, pass second to Posey and Dane. The Bucks game in with a completely unexpected game plan ... and the sputtering offense appeared to show how uncomfortable the team was with spreading the field, throwing to the TE's, the swing passes, and some bombs down field. What did seem to make the team relax was putting the ball in Terrelle Pryor's hands 15 times from where he gained 78 yards ... and a critical 14 when it counted. The steady Dane Sanzenbacher, however, was not going to be silenced. Terrelle Pryor apparently called the 24 yard pass play that led to the critical final drive completion. It was the same play called as the one at the end of the first half when, looking for Taurian Washington, TP threw his first of 2 INTs. On that play, Sanzenbacher had been covered by a linebacker and TP knew that the same play would likely draw the same coverage. All on the sideline liked their chances of Dane vs an Iowa LB and the acrobatic Sanzenbacher did not disappoint. Sanzenbacher finished the game with 6 catches for 102 yards.
And Sanzenbacher was quick not to point a finger at Posey. He too owned up to a missed catch during the game. In fact, the second INT came on a pass attempt to Dane.
While ABC coverage did not allow me to see the Tressel-to-Pryor flying chest-bump, my favorite TV coverage came when we saw sophomore Zach Boren, clearly a firey combatant, in the grille of senior captain Cam Heyward who almost immediately proceeded to make the critical sack of the game that all but ended Iowa's hopes of a comeback. Heyward is often criticized locally for not making the showy plays - the big sacks, the bone-jarring hits so much so that letters to the editor have often called his year "disappointing". Any informed viewer of football can see that Cam draws double- and triple-teams from opponents on nearly every play and that he is disruptive even if he doesn't get credit for the tackle. That being said, I was calling for a key stop at the time and no one better than Cam to deliver the blow.
Any observer could also see that Brian Rolle was a key element of the Buckeye D yesterday. It was not clear if that was by Buckeye design or based on what Iowa was dishing and, yes, there were some mistakes, but he seems to have the ability to turn right around and make amends with his next play. Rolle finished with 10 tackles including 3 TFLs for a total loss of 12 yards. The emotional Rolle is a contrast to the steady, quiet Homan who had a good though not great game. Homan had 7 tackles.
And yup, not one pick or fumble recovery. Clearly Iowa was intent on not giving the Bucks anything easy. The difference might have been in the matchup between Iowa's receivers and the Buckeye secondary, particularly in the second half when the Bucks dialed up some tigher coverage and dropped away from the all-out blitz of the first half that allowed Stanzi to dump the ball into the gap formed by the blitzing LB or DB. To me it seemed that the Bucks were over-running the plays and watching the RB run past or seeing the ball fly over their heads. In the waning minutes of the game when forced to pass Stanzi could not find an open receiver when we dropped 7 and 8 and forced the less-mobile Stanzi to flee the pocket. He's no TP on the ground.
The difference might too have been in the play of the Buckeye O-line which did a better-than-average job of handling the beefy Iowa D-line and stars like Clayborn. Iowa seemed more content to try to match up with the speedy Buckeye receivers and, in so doing, the LB-match ups were inevitable and in the favor of the Bucks. The TE match-ups favored the likes of Stoneburner and Fragel in size. And, I like the odds of any Buckeye receiver covered by any LB.
A little postgame ... not one of the 105 teammates are talking about Tress's half time pep talk from the Penn State game. No, Tress has not cracked or become the reincarnation of Woody Hayes, even though there was a bit of testiness in the Buckeye postgame presser yesterday and more arguments with the referees than I've seen in a long time from Tress in the Iowa game (I think a flag on the coach when he's about 20 yards on field was a definite possibility). Rather, Tress has shown that he's not 100% buttoned up. He's about 95% tight with about 5% of the rest of us in there. He's such a disciplined person, however, that it takes 211 degrees for the steam to start to show before he goes into full boil. The rest of us show a bit of simmer before we bubble and boil ... only to boil over rather predictably. The only leaks from last week have stated that there was a bit of "salty" language but also that Tressel was never out of control. Almost as though it was just as calculated as one would expect from the Senator. As someone mentioned, you really get a team's attention when the boil-overs are few and far between. I don't put it past Tressel to have completely planned and engineered last week's half time explosion for just the purpose of getting the team's attention. They were sleepwalking.
But, not yesterday. That team fully understood the urgency. One only need see the faces of the team in that final quarter and following the game. It was on the line.
And speaking of "on the line", the annual tussle with "the team up north" looms large. Plenty is riding on this game ... for the Bucks, an unprecedented 6th straight Big Ten title share and a likely BCS bowl bid (with an outside shot at the Rose Bowl). For Meeechigan, RichRod's time as coach likely hangs in the balance. Sure, I'd like to see RichRod stay at Meeechigan for the foreseeable future, but there's a certain coach in Stanford, Cali that appears to be the next savior of the program. I'm pretty sure that he was darn hard on the myth of the "student" part of "student-athlete" during his years at UM, but I'm also pretty sure that his resume is ripe for an "all is forgiven if you win" outreach should UM fail to come out of Cbus with a victory. The "he's our coach" mantra appears to be wearing thin in Ann Arbor and with the toried alumni. How's that Big East offense looking now (RichRod? ND's Coach Kelly?). I give props to LSU for their comeback and am rooting for Alabama vs Auburn this Friday ... their teams look a whole like they could play with the big boys of the Big Ten any day. And did Coach Pelini go all Woody on his QB last night? Nebraska will fit right in next year.
So it's Beat Meeechigan Week again! The annual showcase of all that is good with college football kicks at noon this Saturday!
GO BUCKS from JennyBucks!
It's a bright, sunny fall day in C-bus. Were it not for bare trees, one might think of the spring as lawn mower sounds abound as the lazy use their mowers to take down the last of the leaves. It's November and that's not a month when the Tressel-led Buckeyes surrender the Big Ten championship easily.
I was experiencing another torturous weekend of ACC football in BB&T stadium when the Bucks kicked off at 3:30. Thanks to technology (Slingbox), I was watching the Buckeye game and my daughter at the same time. And yes, being the superstitious type, I had my Buckeye gear on ... in part because my daughter's team wears Iowa colors. I stood out enough that the team mascot was agasp ... but mostly out of jealousy because my team stands to play another game after next weekend, while the mascot (and his two other costume inhabitants) only has basketball after Nov. 27. In fact, many in the stands were pretty well-educated when it came to Big Ten football ... and they had plenty of opinions (mostly positive) about the football played up north of the Mason-Dixon line.
I have to say that going into yesterday's game, I had taken something that Chris Spielman had said earlier to heart ... he apparently had in his TV broadcast a week ago cited Adrian Clayborn for taking plays off, stating that Clayborn had his head in the NFL already. This might explain Iowa's 4th (counting yesterday) loss this season after having led or been tied going into the fourth quarter. I was pretty confident that we might be able to win a dogfight. I think Tressel puts it best when he talks about a team that "never stops fighting". Apparently Ferentz needs to drill the same into his team's heads.
At the same time, DeVier Posey's drop made me think that he had his head in the NFL already ... too.
The game was a defensive battle for the most part. However, the team that led the NCAA in net turnovers (the Bucks) posted a -2 for the game. In most games against a strong contender, the team that wins the turnover battle wins the game. Not so yesterday ... luckily ... or perhaps it was just a matter of talent and (unexpected) play calling that won out.
Who'd a thought that the Bucks would leave behind their recent modus operandi coming into the game of Boom first, pass second to Posey and Dane. The Bucks game in with a completely unexpected game plan ... and the sputtering offense appeared to show how uncomfortable the team was with spreading the field, throwing to the TE's, the swing passes, and some bombs down field. What did seem to make the team relax was putting the ball in Terrelle Pryor's hands 15 times from where he gained 78 yards ... and a critical 14 when it counted. The steady Dane Sanzenbacher, however, was not going to be silenced. Terrelle Pryor apparently called the 24 yard pass play that led to the critical final drive completion. It was the same play called as the one at the end of the first half when, looking for Taurian Washington, TP threw his first of 2 INTs. On that play, Sanzenbacher had been covered by a linebacker and TP knew that the same play would likely draw the same coverage. All on the sideline liked their chances of Dane vs an Iowa LB and the acrobatic Sanzenbacher did not disappoint. Sanzenbacher finished the game with 6 catches for 102 yards.
And Sanzenbacher was quick not to point a finger at Posey. He too owned up to a missed catch during the game. In fact, the second INT came on a pass attempt to Dane.
While ABC coverage did not allow me to see the Tressel-to-Pryor flying chest-bump, my favorite TV coverage came when we saw sophomore Zach Boren, clearly a firey combatant, in the grille of senior captain Cam Heyward who almost immediately proceeded to make the critical sack of the game that all but ended Iowa's hopes of a comeback. Heyward is often criticized locally for not making the showy plays - the big sacks, the bone-jarring hits so much so that letters to the editor have often called his year "disappointing". Any informed viewer of football can see that Cam draws double- and triple-teams from opponents on nearly every play and that he is disruptive even if he doesn't get credit for the tackle. That being said, I was calling for a key stop at the time and no one better than Cam to deliver the blow.
Any observer could also see that Brian Rolle was a key element of the Buckeye D yesterday. It was not clear if that was by Buckeye design or based on what Iowa was dishing and, yes, there were some mistakes, but he seems to have the ability to turn right around and make amends with his next play. Rolle finished with 10 tackles including 3 TFLs for a total loss of 12 yards. The emotional Rolle is a contrast to the steady, quiet Homan who had a good though not great game. Homan had 7 tackles.
And yup, not one pick or fumble recovery. Clearly Iowa was intent on not giving the Bucks anything easy. The difference might have been in the matchup between Iowa's receivers and the Buckeye secondary, particularly in the second half when the Bucks dialed up some tigher coverage and dropped away from the all-out blitz of the first half that allowed Stanzi to dump the ball into the gap formed by the blitzing LB or DB. To me it seemed that the Bucks were over-running the plays and watching the RB run past or seeing the ball fly over their heads. In the waning minutes of the game when forced to pass Stanzi could not find an open receiver when we dropped 7 and 8 and forced the less-mobile Stanzi to flee the pocket. He's no TP on the ground.
The difference might too have been in the play of the Buckeye O-line which did a better-than-average job of handling the beefy Iowa D-line and stars like Clayborn. Iowa seemed more content to try to match up with the speedy Buckeye receivers and, in so doing, the LB-match ups were inevitable and in the favor of the Bucks. The TE match-ups favored the likes of Stoneburner and Fragel in size. And, I like the odds of any Buckeye receiver covered by any LB.
A little postgame ... not one of the 105 teammates are talking about Tress's half time pep talk from the Penn State game. No, Tress has not cracked or become the reincarnation of Woody Hayes, even though there was a bit of testiness in the Buckeye postgame presser yesterday and more arguments with the referees than I've seen in a long time from Tress in the Iowa game (I think a flag on the coach when he's about 20 yards on field was a definite possibility). Rather, Tress has shown that he's not 100% buttoned up. He's about 95% tight with about 5% of the rest of us in there. He's such a disciplined person, however, that it takes 211 degrees for the steam to start to show before he goes into full boil. The rest of us show a bit of simmer before we bubble and boil ... only to boil over rather predictably. The only leaks from last week have stated that there was a bit of "salty" language but also that Tressel was never out of control. Almost as though it was just as calculated as one would expect from the Senator. As someone mentioned, you really get a team's attention when the boil-overs are few and far between. I don't put it past Tressel to have completely planned and engineered last week's half time explosion for just the purpose of getting the team's attention. They were sleepwalking.
But, not yesterday. That team fully understood the urgency. One only need see the faces of the team in that final quarter and following the game. It was on the line.
And speaking of "on the line", the annual tussle with "the team up north" looms large. Plenty is riding on this game ... for the Bucks, an unprecedented 6th straight Big Ten title share and a likely BCS bowl bid (with an outside shot at the Rose Bowl). For Meeechigan, RichRod's time as coach likely hangs in the balance. Sure, I'd like to see RichRod stay at Meeechigan for the foreseeable future, but there's a certain coach in Stanford, Cali that appears to be the next savior of the program. I'm pretty sure that he was darn hard on the myth of the "student" part of "student-athlete" during his years at UM, but I'm also pretty sure that his resume is ripe for an "all is forgiven if you win" outreach should UM fail to come out of Cbus with a victory. The "he's our coach" mantra appears to be wearing thin in Ann Arbor and with the toried alumni. How's that Big East offense looking now (RichRod? ND's Coach Kelly?). I give props to LSU for their comeback and am rooting for Alabama vs Auburn this Friday ... their teams look a whole like they could play with the big boys of the Big Ten any day. And did Coach Pelini go all Woody on his QB last night? Nebraska will fit right in next year.
So it's Beat Meeechigan Week again! The annual showcase of all that is good with college football kicks at noon this Saturday!
GO BUCKS from JennyBucks!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Props to the Bucks!
First off, a special "props" to Tyler Moeller who was just awarded a 6th year of eligibility last night. This guy endured an entire year out of football last season due to a head injury suffered in his "civilian life" when he was jumped in a bar in Florida with his family more than a year ago. Then, after delivering standout performances early in the season, a re-torn pectoral muscle ended his year. His was the first among a series of injuries in the Buckeye secondary.
Next, props to the Buckeye women's basketball team. The women are 3-0 with Sammy Prahalis on the bench through her 3 game suspension for secondary NCAA violations. She rejoins the team just as they are about to head to the Meadowlands for a hook-up with the UConn women. Tayler Hill has been given the point duties in Sammy's absence. And no cupcakes here ... the last win was last night against the always tough LSU women.
Finally, what can you say about the early prognosis for the men's basketball team. All I can say is WOW. I still remember seeing Jared Sullinger as a high school sophomore during the basketball playoffs. He looked like he was having a blast with his friends and there was nary a team in Central Ohio who could match up with Northland. Add to his legend a dynamite cast of superstars from all over Ohio and nearby and we have what is certainly shaping up like a terrific team for Thad and staff. Sully has certainly gotten the props from local and now national media, but the standout for me in Wednesday's game against Florida was David Lighty. He has waited to get revenge on the 2007 finals loss, but his game has developed so much over the years as well. He went from a role-player in the 2007 final - a situational sub on defense - to a well-rounded player on both ends. Add to that his leadership with 6 freshmen on the team and hardly enough playing time to go around and we see the real David Lighty emerging. What we always thought was there. Sure, his name is not on any Naismith list, but I guarantee that Thad Matta would not have wanted to go into this season without David. He is likely the glue that will help this team mesh. Certainly with this many stars and future stars on this team, the chemistry could certainly be an issue, along with playing time, roles, etc. Thad has his hands full - and the 2011 class is also emerging as one of the tops in the country - but David (and fellow seniors) can set the tone - and so far, they appear to have set the tone. I look for really great things from this team if the injury bug can stay clear.
Billy Donovan might be right ... this team might be better without Evan Turner. It sure is deeper in talent.
GO BUCKS from JennyBucks!
Next, props to the Buckeye women's basketball team. The women are 3-0 with Sammy Prahalis on the bench through her 3 game suspension for secondary NCAA violations. She rejoins the team just as they are about to head to the Meadowlands for a hook-up with the UConn women. Tayler Hill has been given the point duties in Sammy's absence. And no cupcakes here ... the last win was last night against the always tough LSU women.
Finally, what can you say about the early prognosis for the men's basketball team. All I can say is WOW. I still remember seeing Jared Sullinger as a high school sophomore during the basketball playoffs. He looked like he was having a blast with his friends and there was nary a team in Central Ohio who could match up with Northland. Add to his legend a dynamite cast of superstars from all over Ohio and nearby and we have what is certainly shaping up like a terrific team for Thad and staff. Sully has certainly gotten the props from local and now national media, but the standout for me in Wednesday's game against Florida was David Lighty. He has waited to get revenge on the 2007 finals loss, but his game has developed so much over the years as well. He went from a role-player in the 2007 final - a situational sub on defense - to a well-rounded player on both ends. Add to that his leadership with 6 freshmen on the team and hardly enough playing time to go around and we see the real David Lighty emerging. What we always thought was there. Sure, his name is not on any Naismith list, but I guarantee that Thad Matta would not have wanted to go into this season without David. He is likely the glue that will help this team mesh. Certainly with this many stars and future stars on this team, the chemistry could certainly be an issue, along with playing time, roles, etc. Thad has his hands full - and the 2011 class is also emerging as one of the tops in the country - but David (and fellow seniors) can set the tone - and so far, they appear to have set the tone. I look for really great things from this team if the injury bug can stay clear.
Billy Donovan might be right ... this team might be better without Evan Turner. It sure is deeper in talent.
GO BUCKS from JennyBucks!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
I have returned ...
Greetings from C-bus and sorry for my absence ...
I have found it difficult to keep up with the blog as my travel schedule has taken me from weekends in Columbus so often this season. So sorry.
But I'm back to writing. And not too late ...
The even-keeled Jim Tressel apparently blew his stack at halftime and woke up the Buckeyes who appeared to have extended the bye-week through the first half of yesterday's game with the Nittany Lions. It is probably a good thing that Tress is not one of those firey, short-tempered coaches (Woody?) because his rare outburst apparently got the team's attention. And they reacted with the greatest turnaround of Tress' tenure to score 35 unanswered points. As Tress said in the postgame, "The halftime locker room was not a fun place."
Tress also credited the week's work with the military in honor of Veteran's Day of reminding the team to never give up. Tress told the skull session crowd (me included) that the team would "play like soldiers". I'm pretty sure he intended they'd play like soldiers for 60 minutes, not just 30.
Boom Herron has become a mainstay of the offense. I think he was the only guy on offense to play a solid first half of football. I fail to understand why, when Zach Boren has proven to be an NFL-quality fullback, he is not the lead blocker in every running play. That being said, Herron got a new career high 190 yards on 21 carries. That's a 9-yard per carry average. He's nearing the 1,000 yard mark for the season and has passed Terrelle Pryor on total rushing yards. In the first half, there were some attempts to get around the ends with both Boom and TP, but Penn State had come out with a spread strategy on defense. They intended for our offense to not exploit the ends. To some extent, the lead blocker was able to diffuse the PSU strategy, but just about as often that lead blocker was ineffective. B Saine's attempt to block for Boom on one play, comes to mind. The TE was also mildly effective. Rather, the off-tackle and Iso plays were more effective ... since the defense was spread ... and have been more effective all season ... with the FB lead blocker. Keep in mind that Boom's just a junior.
TP said in the post-game that he "played terrible". He was 8 of 13 for 139 yards. The TD pass to Sanzenbacher was an ill-advised pass to the double-covered DeVier Posey. The tipped ball was caught by the trailing "Great Dane" Sanzenbacher who was wide-open on the play. In fact, Sanzenbacher had not seen a ball tossed his way the entire game until he was the beneficiary of kismet. That INT in the third quarter might have been intended for Sanzenbacher, though it was clearly short of any Buckeye target. While ill-advised, it ended up putting Penn State deep in a hole. The turnover could have been disasterous given the tenuous hold the Bucks had clawed into the game at that point.
TP came out this week telling the press that he intends to come back for his senior season. Tress during his Thursday radio call-in show remarked that TP is close to graduation and staying for a 4th year would get him to his educational goals. My husband is convinced that it's about TP not being in the Heisman talk this season. Personally, I only believe these lines following a bowl game when the talk counts. I do believe TP when he says he wants to "leave a legacy" at OSU and another season will solidify him in the record books assuming he plays a full, uninjured season.
What was most puzzling to me was the defense in the first half of yesterday's game. I turned to my husband and uttered "oh no - it's Wisconsin again". The cover 3 defense the Bucks opted for left the slants and quick outs wide open due to the zone coverage applied by the DBs. It looked like Devon Torrence had suddenly become some sort of idiot, when, in fact he was just the victim of a poorly designed defense and a defense that was not adapted quickly enough to what Penn State had decided to exploit. The halftime adjustments brought the Bucks back out in cover 2 and suddenly Devon Torrence had a pick-6. Essentially the DBs were able to roll down and cover the WR on the slants and quick outs while the LB provided some back up from their second level, and the safeties were there for support too. It suddenly appeared like the receivers were all double-covered and point of fact, they were in some respects. The D line suddenly got mean too and showed success at shutting down the run.
I'm not sure why adjustments weren't made earlier, but the last Penn State drive before the half was the turning point in the game per Tress. The stop on 4th and 1 gave the Bucks some momentum. It was nearly lost when the coaching staff called 2 straight draws and ended up punting back to the 'Nits just before the half. But apparently that defensive success was leveraged into the 2nd half. Penn State came out and their first drive was stuffed. The Bucks had a 5 1/2 min 96-yard drive for a score in the third quarter and the Bucks were back in the game.
For one week, the special teams played the opponent to a draw ... which this season counts as a win. There was nothing to report which means special teams made no news and, while I crave a Buckeye runback for TD, not letting the other team make a significant runback is a victory.
The game as a whole was bizarre. It went from dismal, horrible and boo-filled at the half to a crazy party in the second half, especially after Devon Torrence got the first pick-6. And about the boos - okay - I boo'd and this is why. Are you serious about winning when you are running 2 straight draws after you just stopped the PSU offense for the first time in the first half of play? There was plenty of time on the clock for a drive for at least another FG. It was as though no one was trying - including the coaches. I expected real effort or at least more effort. That drive told me that the coaches weren't dialed in either.
Next week the Bucks travel to Iowa City. The pink locker rooms and fans always make Iowa a challenge. I'm not sure what to expect of the Hawkeyes. They rolled over for Wisconsin, then were flat versus a good NW team yesterday. With 3 losses (2 in conference), the Hawks are on the outside of any title hopes. So, do they come in intending to play the role of spoiler? And, while taking out another contender for the Big Ten title, the Iowa loss to NW actually damages the Bucks' strength of schedule in the BCS poll significantly. That being said, the Bucks must beat Iowa as the entire title race is outside of the Bucks' control (i.e. in the hands of Mich State and Wisky).
The Buckeye game is at 3:30 eastern on ABC next Saturday (Michigan game is at noon 11/27 by the way, also ABC).
I have found it difficult to keep up with the blog as my travel schedule has taken me from weekends in Columbus so often this season. So sorry.
But I'm back to writing. And not too late ...
The even-keeled Jim Tressel apparently blew his stack at halftime and woke up the Buckeyes who appeared to have extended the bye-week through the first half of yesterday's game with the Nittany Lions. It is probably a good thing that Tress is not one of those firey, short-tempered coaches (Woody?) because his rare outburst apparently got the team's attention. And they reacted with the greatest turnaround of Tress' tenure to score 35 unanswered points. As Tress said in the postgame, "The halftime locker room was not a fun place."
Tress also credited the week's work with the military in honor of Veteran's Day of reminding the team to never give up. Tress told the skull session crowd (me included) that the team would "play like soldiers". I'm pretty sure he intended they'd play like soldiers for 60 minutes, not just 30.
Boom Herron has become a mainstay of the offense. I think he was the only guy on offense to play a solid first half of football. I fail to understand why, when Zach Boren has proven to be an NFL-quality fullback, he is not the lead blocker in every running play. That being said, Herron got a new career high 190 yards on 21 carries. That's a 9-yard per carry average. He's nearing the 1,000 yard mark for the season and has passed Terrelle Pryor on total rushing yards. In the first half, there were some attempts to get around the ends with both Boom and TP, but Penn State had come out with a spread strategy on defense. They intended for our offense to not exploit the ends. To some extent, the lead blocker was able to diffuse the PSU strategy, but just about as often that lead blocker was ineffective. B Saine's attempt to block for Boom on one play, comes to mind. The TE was also mildly effective. Rather, the off-tackle and Iso plays were more effective ... since the defense was spread ... and have been more effective all season ... with the FB lead blocker. Keep in mind that Boom's just a junior.
TP said in the post-game that he "played terrible". He was 8 of 13 for 139 yards. The TD pass to Sanzenbacher was an ill-advised pass to the double-covered DeVier Posey. The tipped ball was caught by the trailing "Great Dane" Sanzenbacher who was wide-open on the play. In fact, Sanzenbacher had not seen a ball tossed his way the entire game until he was the beneficiary of kismet. That INT in the third quarter might have been intended for Sanzenbacher, though it was clearly short of any Buckeye target. While ill-advised, it ended up putting Penn State deep in a hole. The turnover could have been disasterous given the tenuous hold the Bucks had clawed into the game at that point.
TP came out this week telling the press that he intends to come back for his senior season. Tress during his Thursday radio call-in show remarked that TP is close to graduation and staying for a 4th year would get him to his educational goals. My husband is convinced that it's about TP not being in the Heisman talk this season. Personally, I only believe these lines following a bowl game when the talk counts. I do believe TP when he says he wants to "leave a legacy" at OSU and another season will solidify him in the record books assuming he plays a full, uninjured season.
What was most puzzling to me was the defense in the first half of yesterday's game. I turned to my husband and uttered "oh no - it's Wisconsin again". The cover 3 defense the Bucks opted for left the slants and quick outs wide open due to the zone coverage applied by the DBs. It looked like Devon Torrence had suddenly become some sort of idiot, when, in fact he was just the victim of a poorly designed defense and a defense that was not adapted quickly enough to what Penn State had decided to exploit. The halftime adjustments brought the Bucks back out in cover 2 and suddenly Devon Torrence had a pick-6. Essentially the DBs were able to roll down and cover the WR on the slants and quick outs while the LB provided some back up from their second level, and the safeties were there for support too. It suddenly appeared like the receivers were all double-covered and point of fact, they were in some respects. The D line suddenly got mean too and showed success at shutting down the run.
I'm not sure why adjustments weren't made earlier, but the last Penn State drive before the half was the turning point in the game per Tress. The stop on 4th and 1 gave the Bucks some momentum. It was nearly lost when the coaching staff called 2 straight draws and ended up punting back to the 'Nits just before the half. But apparently that defensive success was leveraged into the 2nd half. Penn State came out and their first drive was stuffed. The Bucks had a 5 1/2 min 96-yard drive for a score in the third quarter and the Bucks were back in the game.
For one week, the special teams played the opponent to a draw ... which this season counts as a win. There was nothing to report which means special teams made no news and, while I crave a Buckeye runback for TD, not letting the other team make a significant runback is a victory.
The game as a whole was bizarre. It went from dismal, horrible and boo-filled at the half to a crazy party in the second half, especially after Devon Torrence got the first pick-6. And about the boos - okay - I boo'd and this is why. Are you serious about winning when you are running 2 straight draws after you just stopped the PSU offense for the first time in the first half of play? There was plenty of time on the clock for a drive for at least another FG. It was as though no one was trying - including the coaches. I expected real effort or at least more effort. That drive told me that the coaches weren't dialed in either.
Next week the Bucks travel to Iowa City. The pink locker rooms and fans always make Iowa a challenge. I'm not sure what to expect of the Hawkeyes. They rolled over for Wisconsin, then were flat versus a good NW team yesterday. With 3 losses (2 in conference), the Hawks are on the outside of any title hopes. So, do they come in intending to play the role of spoiler? And, while taking out another contender for the Big Ten title, the Iowa loss to NW actually damages the Bucks' strength of schedule in the BCS poll significantly. That being said, the Bucks must beat Iowa as the entire title race is outside of the Bucks' control (i.e. in the hands of Mich State and Wisky).
The Buckeye game is at 3:30 eastern on ABC next Saturday (Michigan game is at noon 11/27 by the way, also ABC).
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