Wow, that Nebraska game was an ugly loss. We looked so good in the first half and so bad in the second half. I understand how important a QB is, especially a starting QB having a good game, but losing him should cause the defense to completely fold, and yep in the second half the silver bullets were more like empty blanks. Now, it is on to Champaign to play Illinois, a game that I really want to win. First of all my wife went to U of I, so we have house bragging rights, and I live in Chicago, so I deal with all kinds of Illinois fans, I really don’t want to lose!!
Now on to my hopes and fears for the game. I believe that my hopes and fears are essentially the same thing in this game. First of all, I hope Miller does not get hurt again, because I fear we will have to see Joe Bauserman again.
As a person, I really have nothing against Joe. In fact I can only imagine how hard a worker he must be. He must be a great athlete. Just think about what he has done. He has been a professional baseball player and been the starting QB for an elite FBS (1A) program. However, as terrific an athlete as he may have been he has shown, that his days of being a possible elite QB are over. He cannot read a defense and a strong rush seems to put the fear of God in him and causes him to find a fan to toss the ball to in the stands. It seems to most of us that Kenny Guiton (who some say has a similar skill set, though at a lower level) to Braxton Miller or even Taylor Graham should be backing up Miller.I also fear our defense is tired. They are supposed to be the Silver Bullets, and last week in the second half they looked beat. Nebraska, whose O-line was being manhandled by the Buckeyes D-line in the first half, suddenly looked like 5 All-Americans in the 2nd Half in opening up lanes and holes for the Nebraska rushing attack. It is time for the D to get their swagger back and stopping Nathan Scheelhaase and Illinois would be a good start. One other fear I have is that if the offense does not get moving and is forced into more 3 and outs, Ben Buchanan’s leg will actually fall off.
Now some hopes. I hope the first half in Nebraska was not an aberration. I hope Braxton Miller stays healthy and keeps the offense moving. I also hope Jim Bollman throws some wrinkles into the play calling. He seemed to open up the play book a bit at Nebraska, but then once the Bucks got a lead, he went back to his predictable, conservative play calling. I hope we get to see a new/old rushing and passing attack. Here is what I would love to see (besides getting the ball to the tight ends and Boren a heck of a lot more), I would love to see the coaches move the dynamic Jordan Hall out wide (I hope he can catch better then some of the WRs), then split carries between Carlos Hyde (he is a beast) and Boom Herron (that is assuming he does not get suspended again, because he will have very fresh legs).
If we do this and the line protects like they did for Miller last week, our offense could show signs of life. Those players I just mentioned are playmakers, and along with a healthy “Philly” they could cause some troubles for Illinois. I really do hope that this week is the beginning of the end of “Big Ten Revenge Year.” I am tired of teams that we should beat beating us and making us look bad. I am tired of hearing bad news every week. I hope that we can get through the build up to the game without hearing any more controversy. Let’s all hope we can get through the week with a full roster (sans Posey) and have a complete game and keep the famous Illibuck trophy in Columbus.
