3 Big Questions For Next Season And Beyond

Who's taking over?

(Assuming Braxton Miller starts) What happens if he has led the Buckeye’s to a 5-0 record next season when Pryor and the rest of the Tat5 are ready to rejoin the team?

This is a tough scenario to envision right now but I think it is entirely possible that OSU can handle their business without Pryor and company. The first five games of the 2011 campaign (Akron, Toledo, Miami, Colorado, Michigan St.) are winnable no matter who the Buckeye’s throw out there. Lucky for us, we have the #1 or #2 quarterback recruit in the country (depending on what scouting service you adhere to) with a full spring, summer and fall to learn the playbook and develop some chemistry with his teammates.

I watched 3 games, including the state title game, with Braxton at the helm and came away very impressed with the kid’s talent and heart.

I am very excited for the Buckeye’s to hand over the keys to Mr. Miller. There are some out there that think Taylor Graham or Kenny Guiton may get the opportunity to run things while Pryor is away but I believe Braxton will get every opportunity to show his stuff early in the season. Miller has a better throwing arm than Pryor and though he isn’t quite the physical specimen that Pryor is with his feet, he is more than capable of getting the scrambling yards. The thought of having a QB that can make the intermediate and longer throws is intoxicating to me. It is well known that Pryor has trouble with those types of passes and I think Miller may be the next great thing in Columbus. Am I setting myself up for disappointment? Maybe, but I have great confidence in Braxton after watching him bring his team an eyelash away from a state title this season. High School football is a far cry from the Big Ten but all the intangibles are there for success.

Spring Finals: Running Back

We all know by now that spring has come and gone, football wise that is, so we will be taking a look into all the positions, tell you how they did, and where they might be this fall. Today's topic is Running back.

The running back is my favorite position on any team. They have to carry the ball and run between the tackles, and it takes so much strength, agility, and a knack for finding that open hole. At OSU, it's elevated even more. We've had so many great running backs including Mr. Two Timer, Eddie George, Beanie Wells, Keith Byars, etc. This year it gets even better as we are completely overloaded on the front of running back. So many people could earn starting spots, it's almost surprising some of them didn't redshirt. The huge storyline of this year is that the depth of this group is greater than ever before. That might be true, and could work out well. Or, it could be a bad thing to have too much like we do, because of people wanting to transfer for not getting playing time. It's going to be a tough thing to do when it's time for Coach Tressel to announce the depth charts for this fall.

Spring means Football.

Finally, the time has come around that football gets to be talked about again. I mean, did we ever really stop talking about it? The date and time is set for the Spring football game, and it will be hosted by the Big Ten Network and all their Ro-Tel commercials. The game will be Saturday, April 24th, at 1 p.m.. Of course, if your a Buckeye lacrosse fan, then they are covering the game that day on the Big Ten Network as well, right before the Ohio State spring game. All of spring, we won't be the only ones keeping you up to date with what's going on with the Buckeyes and our neighbors in the Big Ten, as the Big Ten Network is hosting everything spring football that they can possibly take up. They are holding all spring games, and will also be having in-depth analysis of all the practices, and keep you up to date on everything Big Ten. A big reason is because the Big Ten is just coming off a huge bowl season, doing pretty good, with a 4-3 record. Of course, the go-to place for everything Buckeye would be, ahem, Inside The Shoe.

The Buckeye Battle Cry and Eleven Warriors are already jumping on the Spring fever. tBBC posted an article on the upcoming offense, which is going to be deadly to any defense that faces them. 11W talks about having Carlos Hyde and company in the backfield this season, and what it will mean.

A huge thing this spring will be, for the third time, Young Terrelle Pryor, who is entering his junior year, and is not "growing up in front of our very eyes, folks", as much as Brent Musburger would like to think so. Seriously, though, the big question will be was the Rose Bowl a one time thing. Can he continue on in his ability to run and throw the football. All will be answered. Maybe not this spring, but certainly this fall. Of course, the depth of running backs is another huge story. We have 5-6 capable backs. Of course, number 4 in your program and number 1 in your heart, Jamaal Berry headlines the new backs to feature this spring. Berry wasn't able to play last year due to an injured hamstring, but reportedly, he is firing on all cylinders, proving to the coaches he can compete for a third slot. Hyde and Rod Smith are coming in with huge expectations, as Hyde is hoping to be the next Beanie, and Smith is looking to be the next Eddie George. Don't get caught up too much into that, but these guys are good regardless. Tressel is going to have a fun time whipping these guys into shape for a championship run.








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