First, you have the NCAA mess at OSU.This mess was precipitated by players and worsened by the head man himself. So in late May this rivalry lost Jim Tressel to a forced resignation. Okay so we lost Tressel and Pryor, but this game could still have had the winningest coach in college football history, coaching for a division title against a young, inexperienced, seemingly talented team playing at home for the final time this season. But then, all hell broke loose at PSU.
I don’t want to get into the scandal, we all know what happened, and now this rivalry has rightfully lost Joe Paterno on the other sideline. I can truly say that a Luke Fickell vs Tom Bradley battle does not have the same classic ring as to what could have been. Now on to the game.
What should we expect? Well, like I have written so many times, I have no idea. What Buckeye team will show up for this game? Will it be the team that defensively dominated the Badgers? or Will it be the team that got slapped around by Purdue for 3 ½ quarters and in the overtime period? Since the win over Wisconsin, this team has looked beaten down.
They have come out flat, fallen behind and have had to battle back. The Buckeyes have a psychologically wounded Penn State team coming to town, we need to take advantage of this. The Buckeyes need to come out hard and fast. On defense we need to be firing on all cylinders. We need to blitz. We need to use our linebackers to hit the QB, the TE, and the RBs. I hope we don’t drop our CBs into deep, soft zones. We need to play physical with the Penn State receivers.
Make them fight to get off the line, don’t let them roam the middle of the field wide open. When the receivers catch the ball, our defenders need to square up and wrap up, not swipe at the ball and not just try to hit the players our defenders need to tackle!! If we come out with defensive intensity, the team needs to keep it up the entire game, they can’t just sit back and “rest” if the team gets a lead.
Now, I want to talk about our ever so predictable offense. It would be great to see the coaches take the cuffs off of Braxton Miller. He is an athlete, almost an artist, let him create. He seem to be at his best when he is moving, either running straight ahead or looking for a throw on the go. Both of his signature moments, the end of the game TDs against Purdue and Wisconsin came on ad-libs. These types of plays only come when you are passing or have pass plays called, when you are handing the ball off on a disproportionate number of plays there is no creativity and a player like Braxton Miller is not being used correctly. This week, the fledgling passing game should get a boost.
The only receiver with any real experience, DeVier Posey returns. To say he will have fresh legs, and hands, and will be raring to play is an understatement, Posey is a senior, this is his first game of the season, and it just happens to be his Senior Day. He will want to play well and impress (remember he has a short period of time to impress NFL scouts, just 2 regular season games and a bowl game). Now just because Posey is back and gives Miller an actual game changing threat at the wide out position, that does not mean we should give up on the run. The Buckeyes have three true starting running backs. I just hope we use them correctly. In my opinion Boom should be the starter, but Hyde should play a great deal.
Carlos Hyde is the perfect short yardage back. He has power, can bust through the line, and can out run most defenders (I see a lot of Beanie Wells in him), the coaches just need to use him more. Again, just because I think we should use Boom and Hyde, that doesn’t mean we should bench Jordan Hall. I would love to turn him into the next Brandon Saine type back. Showcase his speed and athleticism and use him as a receiver.
Don’t split him out wide, but put him in the slot, let him spread out and stretch the defense, get the ball in his hands and have him make plays with his feet. I think if the coaches just listened to me (wouldn’t that be nice), this Buckeye will not end the home portion of their schedule the same way PSU and Iowa did and lose their Senior Day. I believe Boom, Braxton, Shazier, Sabino, and the boys will show their hearts and will dominate this week!!
They have come out flat, fallen behind and have had to battle back. The Buckeyes have a psychologically wounded Penn State team coming to town, we need to take advantage of this. The Buckeyes need to come out hard and fast. On defense we need to be firing on all cylinders. We need to blitz. We need to use our linebackers to hit the QB, the TE, and the RBs. I hope we don’t drop our CBs into deep, soft zones. We need to play physical with the Penn State receivers.
Make them fight to get off the line, don’t let them roam the middle of the field wide open. When the receivers catch the ball, our defenders need to square up and wrap up, not swipe at the ball and not just try to hit the players our defenders need to tackle!! If we come out with defensive intensity, the team needs to keep it up the entire game, they can’t just sit back and “rest” if the team gets a lead.
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| Braxton has done a lot of maturing since the beginning of the season |
The only receiver with any real experience, DeVier Posey returns. To say he will have fresh legs, and hands, and will be raring to play is an understatement, Posey is a senior, this is his first game of the season, and it just happens to be his Senior Day. He will want to play well and impress (remember he has a short period of time to impress NFL scouts, just 2 regular season games and a bowl game). Now just because Posey is back and gives Miller an actual game changing threat at the wide out position, that does not mean we should give up on the run. The Buckeyes have three true starting running backs. I just hope we use them correctly. In my opinion Boom should be the starter, but Hyde should play a great deal.
Carlos Hyde is the perfect short yardage back. He has power, can bust through the line, and can out run most defenders (I see a lot of Beanie Wells in him), the coaches just need to use him more. Again, just because I think we should use Boom and Hyde, that doesn’t mean we should bench Jordan Hall. I would love to turn him into the next Brandon Saine type back. Showcase his speed and athleticism and use him as a receiver.
| Jordan Hall has the speed to burn coverage. Use it! |
