A few thoughts from the Buckeyes tough win over Penn State.

As those that were at the Horseshoe can attest, it was sloppy weather most of the game. Rain came down in buckets at times and seemed to make a mess of things. That being said, the Buckeyes still came out a little flat in the first half and didn’t really move the ball against Penn State’s defense. While I wasn’t impressed with Posluszny’s play, Dan Connor played very well. The running game didn’t get going until later and Troy Smith’s passes weren’t crisp. He had a few tipped at the line and a few fly higher than his usual, accurate, passes fly. Zeke mentioned that he wasn’t setting his feet before he threw the ball. He was on the run more than once, but that usually isn’t a problem. A wet ball may also have affected his accuracy, but he still had a handful of passes dropped. He had Ted Ginn flying down the middle of the field, working the DB to the outside and Troy’s pass went outside and was intercepted. After an 100+ passes without an interception, it was weird to see the ball go the other way.

The second half was all Buckeyes, or more accurately, all defense. The Buckeyes went on the attack on the ground, grinding out yards with Pittman, who had another solid 110 yards on 20 carries. Smith’s touch came back to him when he scrambled out of PSU’s hands to hit Robiskie in the end zone. Penn State made a move in the fourth quarter, driving down to the goalline, but the Buckeyes stood tall and held them to a field goal. The defense then had a field day, intercepting two passes and returning them for touchdowns.

So what was the issue in the first half? Was it the weather? I’m sure that was some of it. Penn State played inspired defense to start out, but OSU wore them down eventually. Troy’s numbers weren’t great, which concerns me a bit. He needs to get that accuracy back before Iowa next week.

The defense still gave up a lot of yards on the ground, but only 106 yards through the air. Holding another opponent under 250 yards total offense and less than a touchdown was a solid effort. Three interceptions was good to see and getting pressure on the QB looked easy. The defense is continuing to improve and should be ready for Iowa’s challenge.

Should be a great one next week.

Buckeye Commentary has a recap of some bulletin board material that Penn State’s safety, Donnie Johnson, has provided the Buckeyes, free of charge. The question that always comes up is whether this kind of trash talking makes a difference. Does it really motivate the players anymore? I would think the 17-10 loss last year in Happy Valley is more motivation than someone saying, “I have no respect for Ohio State whatsoever.” That being said, I think, to an extent, it will still provide a certain amount of fuel to the fire. I would imagine it will fire up the team when they run out on the field, the kick-off, the first time Pitmann runs over Johnson or Ginn runs past him, but after that it won’t mean much.

Black Shoes Diary, a Penn State blog has a good preview of the game up, with a prediction of OSU 24: PSU: 13. Gutsy to pick against your team, but probably not that much of a stretch.

The depth chart for the Penn State game is up at The O-Zone. The only real change was the Tim Schafer was replaced at RG by Steve Rehring (who was “Lineman of the Week” after the Cincinnati game). That makes for a pretty meaty left side of the offensive line (Rehring at 329, Boone at 325). Look for Pitmann to run wild over there.

Buckeye Planet, as always, has an excellent and exhaustive preview of the Penn State game.

Vegas has the line at 16.5 points. What’s your call?

I’m setting the OSU offensive production line at 400 yards (weather has been taken into consideration). Over or under?
How many yards to Troy Smith contribute to those 400? (o/u 280 yds)
The Buckeyes had 8 sacks last week. I doubt they’ll have 8 again, so how many sacks do you see? (o/u 5)
Ted Ginn Jr. still hasn’t broken a big return. Is this the game he finally hits paydirt?

Feel free to add your predictions, thoughts on the game, trash talking, whatever you like in the comments.

Update: Everyday Should be Saturday looks at the OSU/PSU matchup from a different point of view.

Overall advantage: Paterno. Based on these six extremely scientific metrics, we’re forced to pick Penn State in this game. And since it is science, don’t even attempt to contest this pick, since it’s obviously incontrovertible empirical truth. We’re going to find fresh victims for Joe Pa now.

el Kaiser’s predictions:
Final Score: OSU: 37 PSU: 6
Offensive production: Under, 399 yards
Troy Smith’s yards: Under, 240 yards
Sack production: Over, 6
Ted Ginn comes close, but still doesn’t find the end-zone on special teams

sportsMonkey’s predictions:
Final Score: OSU: 31 PSU: 9
Offensive production: Over, 401 yards
Troy Smith’s yards: Under, 225 yards
Sack production: 5
TGII’s return TDs: Not this week… a wet field almost always favors the kickoff teams. But, I still think he provides some fireworks (see below).
Comments: Between the O-line’s reshuffling and the horrible weather forecast, I wonder if Sweatervest might be planning to return to Tresselball for this matchup. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a grinding ground game, some two TE formations, etc. There hasn’t been a reverse run this year, so with the slippery grass and PSU’s rep for overpursuing on defense, I’m betting that Tressel gets the ball in Ginn’s hands on a reverse attempt (those usually go for TDs). I’m hoping, also, that Smith’s feet return this week, for about 50 yards total. The backfield puts up at least another hundred.

Zeke’s predictions:
Final Score: OSU: 34 PSU: 13
Offensive production: Over, 469 yards
Troy Smith’s yards: Under, 277 yards
Sack production: Over, 6
No Return TD for Ginn this week.

It has been brought to our attention that Lydell Ross, the former RB at OSU (2001-2004) who made everyone but Indiana’s defense look good, has decided to put his 2002 National Championship ring up for auction on eBay (auction link) (h/t: O-Zone Forums). We’re puzzled here at MotSaG as to why Lydell would sell off this beautiful piece of OSU Football memorabilia. We’re not even sure Lydell himself is selling the ring but it’s still odd to see it show up on eBay, of all places. With little more than simple guess work, we’ve assembled a handful of reasons why the ring is up for grabs:

• It was found in a bathroom stall at Pure Platinum, under a pile of crumpled coupons that read “Pure Plantanium.”
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• Lydell wanted to help out his buddy [HWSNBN] and decided to donate to his legal defense fund.
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• Ex-OSU lineman Nick Mangold had a boil on his back lanced and the ring fell out.
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• It was upsetting his body’s balance, aggravating his chronic turf toe.
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• Being a punching bag for the Bengals and Chargers never paid very well.

Hopefully Lydell’s situation isn’t so dire that he needs to sell his hardware, but if anyone is willing to donate $6000+ to MotSaG, we’ll gladly ensure it has a safe resting place.

One final note: How cool is it that OSU put the 2002 OSU/UM score on their national championship ring? (OSU – 14, UM – 9.) Now that’s a rivalry.

Remember last year, after the heart-breaking lost to Texas, when San Diego State came into the ‘Shoe, took the first play 80 yards for a TD, and everyone was thinking “What just happened?” Yeah, I don’t think that’s happening this year. There will be no hangover.

Cincinnati comes into Columbus 1-1, their victory coming over 1-AA Eastern Kentucky and losing to Pitt. Not the most impressive credentials. In the past, Ohio teams have come into Columbus with in-state players that have big chips on their shoulders, having been passed over by Ohio State. This would sometimes lead to games that were closer than they should be, but this year that will not be the case. The Bearcats are going to be over-powered by the Buckeyes talent, speed, and depth. Pity the Bearcats.

This game presents the coaching staff with a good chance to get a lot of reps for a lot of players. The game should be well in hand by the middle of the second quarter, allowing for the starters to get a breather before Big Ten play starts and let some other players get somewhat meaningful game time. It should also give the defense time to work on fundamental things like tackling and stopping the run. Cinci’s rushing attack is not very good, so the Buckeyes won’t be tested by it, but they still need to work on shedding blockers, form tackling and getting penetration. This game should be an excellent opportunity to do that.

The O-Zone has a preview and prediction of 38-0. This game is going to be ugly, people. Vegas has the Buckeyes favored by 29.5. I doubt Tressel will run the score up on Dantonio, but I predict the defense will score once, as well as on special teams, so the Buckeyes could easily cover the spread.

So how bad is going to be? What’s your prediction? How about a couple more predictions to make:

How many tackles will John Kerr record? (o/u at 1)

How many rushing yards do the Buckeyes hold the Bearcats to? (o/u at 40)

Which non-starter has the best day?

How long until the game is “over” (i.e. the Buckeyes are in cruise control)?

el Kaiser’s predictions:
Final Score: Ohio State: 41 Cincinnati: 0

John Kerr’s tackles: under, 0.5 (another assist)
Cinci’s rushing yards: under, 28
Best backup: Maurice Wells (after Tressel puts it in cruise control, Maurice will eat up chunks of yards as we run the ball all over Cinci)
By the third possesion, the game will be over and the score will be 28-0 (OSU will have scored either on defense or special teams)

Zeke’s Predictions:
Final Score: Ohio State: 37 Cincinnati: 6

John Kerr’s tackles: over, 1.5

I am giving Kerr the benefit of the doubt since he is listed atop the depth chart this week and should get some playing time; however, I would completely agree with Pfef’s analysis of John Kerr’s non-existent presence so far this year.

Cinci’s rushing yards: over, 53
Best backup: Kaiser, good choice with one of the two Wells’ at running back, I predict Lawrence Wilson will have a good game. Mark it down, 1.5 sacks for Wilson.
Game “Over”: The Buckeyes will take a 21-0 lead with 3:53 left in the first quarter, cruising to a 37-6 victory. Bring on the Big Ten.

sportsMonkey’s predictions:
Final Score: Ohio State: 52 Cincinnati: 3

John Kerr’s tackles: under, 0.5 (another assist)
Cinci’s rushing yards: under, 12
Best backup: Toss-up between Beanie or Robo (Chris Wells or Bryan Robiskie – assuming Robo doesn’t start in the slot).
When is game over: When Cinci gets off the bus.

Comments: Finding it hard to get excited for this game – it’s been a tough week. The Texas hype burnt me out a bit, and this week’s practice scrimmage against the Bearcats isn’t enough to get me fired up. I’ll still watch the game, but this weekend is all about LSU/Auburn, ND/UM, and USC/Nebraska. By Monday, we should have a pretty definitive idea of which five or six teams will compete for the two slots in the BCS championship game this year.