Illinois comes in to the Horseshoe tomorrow, hoping for déjà vu . Personally, and with the rest of Buckeye Nation, I’d rather not relive that nightmare. It’s a sore spot and I’d rather not talk about that.

So yeah: I’d really like to see the Buckeyes put a whupping on the Fighting Illini this Saturday. Beating them last year was cathartic, but it’s not enough. I need a big win at home. I want blood.

So let’s talk about the game. For some pregame gristle to chew on, Buckeye Planet is the place to start. We’ll look what others have to say in this preview.

First up, a little offensive chatter. For as good as Terrelle Pryor looked against Toledo, things get tougher as we moved into Big Ten play. One of the biggest factors of this game is the fact that Illinois’ defense is going to feel the loss of their starting LB Martez Wilson. Filling in his shoes will be deer-in-headlights RS Freshman Evan Frierson. This is good news for the Buckeyes. Illinois has a decent front seven (minus Frierson, who is an unknown at the moment) and a suspect secondary. The passing game is gaining momentum but Pryor still has work to do. With the Illini trying to contain him from running wild, the lanes for passing should be there.

The line is slowly coming together, with a lot of linemen getting playing time this week. But as well as they’ve been protecting Pryor, they need to get a push in the running game. But I’d like to see some calls that play to our backs strengths (outside stretch plays, option reads) and a little less reliance on the power game. The passing game looks to continue its success. Sanz and Posey are looking stud-like, with the growth of Carter and the re-reemergence of Ray Small. Unfortunately, we have to ask: Where’s Taurian Washington? Not on the two-deep, that’s for sure.

Speaking of the two-deep, you can see the depth chart here. We Will Always Have Tempe has a good review of the lineup.

As you peruse the depth chart, let’s switch gears and discuss a few defensive items. I think it’s interesting to see Robert Rose listed at DT. Remember how excited we were when he decided to come to Ohio State, how highly touted he was? Man, it’s been a long time for him to finally contribute, but I, for one, am happy to see it. Huge potential, finally being realized. Speaking of potential, freshman John Simon is also coming on. The defense is coming together, and with Illinois’ offensive firepower, they’ll be tested. That firepower is giving some Illini fans hope. I think the D will be up to the task. As I mentioned earlier, I like the different defensive formations Heacock has been throwing out there. Look for lots of flying to the ball and Rolle and Hines delivering the pain.

I could go on and lavish on the Defense, but you already know what to expect there. So a few factors that will impact the game in various ways:

Right now, Vegas has Ohio State as a 14 point favorite. There is a 60% chance of rain. This is the first week that students are back on campus. Yours truly (and Sylvester-Yon Rambo) will be at the game and we can whoop it up with the best. I haven’t been present in the ‘Shoe for a loss since 2005. That’s got to count for something.

So finally, the fun part: Predictions. This week, we’re giving away a copy of Busted: The Rise and Fall of Art Schlichter to the closest prediction of the final score of the OSU Illinois game.

• Illinois’ offense has the potential to be explosive. OSU’s D has been playing possessed. How many yards does the defense allow?
• Who gains more rushing yards, Boom Herron or Zoom Saine?
• Rain could be a factor. How many turnovers in the game?
• And of course: Final Score?

el Kaiser’s predictions:
Illinois yardage: The D does the unimaginable and holds them to 299 yards
Boom or Zoom: Saine explodes on the scene with 112 yards, wins starting job
Turnovers: 4 (OSU 1, Illinois 3)
Final Score: OSU 37 – Illinois 19

sportsMonkey’s predictions:
Illinois yardage: 260 yards
Boom or Zoom: Rain + Big 10 opener = Tresselball = Boom (Lydell Ross Jr) with 75, Saine with 50, Pryor with 50
Turnovers: 3 (OSU 2, Illinois 1)
Final Score: OSU 31 – Illinois 6

It can’t be easy to be an OSU opponent after a tough loss (see: Iowa in 1998). More often than not, the previous week’s loss was not the fault of the defense. Hence, the defense is out for blood, seeing as how it can’t take its frustrations out on its own team. So you get a poor team like Toledo and a poor QB like Aaron Opelt.

We’ll get back to that in a moment. First, let’s take a look at last week’s prognostications. Each week we ask readers to predict the final score and this time I think I get to claim the best prediction (34-3) as Ohio State cruised to an easy victory over Toledo, 38-0. It seems like everyone needs to caveat the fact that Toledo is a MAC team. Eventually, we’ll all agree that MAC is a decent mid-major conference that produces quite a few NFL players every year. Until then, we must invoke the MACaveat.

The next question we poised was what kind of numbers Terrelle Pryor would put up after a lackluster outing against USC. I said 275 yards, and I am happy to report that I wasn’t even close (even though I was the closest). Pryor’s output was the best of his career, 262 yards through the air and a cool 110 on the ground (MACaveat). This should be the offense we can expect from here going forward.

Not all was perfect with Pryor. He needs a week of practice where Posey doesn’t line up with the first team. Maybe Posey has a really nice derriere that Terrelle can’t take his eyes off of, but Holy Moses in Suspenders he stares Posey down. A simple glance to someone else, anyone, will work wonders with his progressions. I’m happy to see Posey blossoming into a player, but everyone on opposing D’s can key on Pryor’s eyes and know exactly where he’s going.

He also needs to realize his freakish abilities can’t save him everytime. A pass out-of-bounds is an okay result of a play (just ask Opelt). Taking a sack instead of trying to force something into triple coverage is also something we can live with. I know this will come with experience, but it also takes humility. I’m not sure if Pryor is at that point in his growth.

I’m going to skip the last question, where we asked about surprise performances from back-ups in garbage time. It turns out that there wasn’t a whole lot of that this game. Jordan Hall impressed but I think part of that has to be due to an exhausted Toledo defense that had been pushed around all day. Saine also looked good and is starting to look more and more like he should be starting.

So the offense has shown some improvement. Offensive line blocking looks better and the push is starting to show up on a consistent basis. We should be pushing everyone around. There’s still room to grow, but we can’t be too mad about how things are progressing.

OH! And we had a quarterback sneak. AND IT WORKED! I sure hope that play was inserted into the playbook after the USC game when the coaches discovered it was previously missing.

On to the Defense.

I’m not sure what more I can say that I haven’t already said. If Aaron Opelt holds on to the ball a moment longer throughout the game, the Buckeyes notch eight or ten sacks. At the mere appearance of pressure, he was winging that ball out of bounds like it was his job. On more than one pass he hurled downfield, I thought “oh no, he’s got someone deep” only to have the ball harmlessly hit the turf, with no Toledo receiver in sight. I’m not ready to say this D-line is on par with the 2002 line, but it’s getting close.

And even though I haven’t designated this year’s man crush (front runner: Brian Rolle), Kurt Coleman is slowly winning over hearts around the MotSaG HQ. That strip, preserving the defensive shut-out, was one of those moments that galvanize a defense. Don’t think for a moment they didn’t want a goose egg on the scoreboard.

Also, I am loving the defensive front looks we’re throwing out there. Some 3-4 thrown in to counter the spread, dropping Gibson into coverage, moving Heyward down the line, all of it. I’m digging it. I don’t understand how we can be creative on defense and not see it on the other side of the ball.

Overall, Toledo was just what the doctor ordered for a USC hang over. Now it’s time to gear up for Illinois!

Everyone that participates in the Blogpoll has a team affiliation. This serves many purposes, most of all to point at the homers and laugh when they overrate their teams and to weed out other such biases.

The good doctor is associated with Southern Miss, a team that is as middle-of-the-road as they come. There’s something to be said for fans who root for teams that loss more than a few times a year on a regular basis. It can’t be easy. Maybe they glom on to oether teams in a “I’ll root for them as long as they’re not playing my team” sort of way. Deep down, I think Dr. Saturday is a closet Ohio State fan. And trust me, there’s nothing wrong with that.

Luckily, with this lack of apparent “bias,” he can say things like this, and look impartial. And get away with it:

Four straight years and counting. Again, I’ll repeat myself from last September’s loss in Corvallis: If Ohio State deserves to be ridiculed and scorned and run out the mythical championship picture on a rail for its primetime, big game failures, when are we going to hold USC accountable for repeatedly losing the little one?

Another writer, perhaps with a little more of a bias but, as far as I can tell, not an OSU fan, Adam Rittenberg, also makes a case for easing up on the best team in the Big Ten:

Despite the parallels, Ohio State continues to be the nation’s piñata, while Big Game Bob Stoops and the Sooners get a pass. The latest example arrived Sunday, as Ohio State moved down two spots to No. 13 in the AP Poll, while Oklahoma moved up two spots to No. 10.

Maybe it’s just me, but the tide is slowly turning against this Buckeye Hate™ (most recently invented by the dynamic duo of Mark May and Trev Alberts, now honed to a razor’s edge by Mark May). Ohio State will always be a target due to its huge, rabid and, at times, emotionally stunted fanbase. But most of the hate thrown their way is logically unsound and motivated by irrational emotions. But people are opening their eyes. The Buckeyes are a good football team, and people are slowly coming to grips with that.

The first Ohio State game I attended was the ’91 OSU/Northwestern game at Municipal Stadium. The Buckeyes won 34-3. I don’t remember very much from that game, other than the fact that I was finally seeing the Buckeyes in real life, for the first time, with my Dad. It was a pretty great day. I do seem to remember Carlos Snow running people over, but it’s mostly fuzzy past that.

Tomorrow’s game should see a healthy dose of OSU fans mingle with the faithful Toledo fans in Browns Stadium. It’s got to be fun for our Cleveland boys to play in front of their home town.

For some previews, a trip around the Buckeye Web will give you an idea of what to look for. Head on over to Block O Nation or We Will Always Have Tempe for some reading. Buckeye Planet has your data covered. ESPN has a preview for your consumption as well.. The game will be on ESPN+, broadcast locally on WSYX-6. Not local? You can check broadcast information here to see if you’ll be getting the game.

I don’t think I have a whole heck of a lot to say about this game. I’m pretty sure we should win going away. I don’t think we’re looking at a blow-out, but it shouldn’t be in doubt at any point. Hopefully it will be a chance for the team to lick their wounds, regain confidence on offense and take out some frustrations. Remember what happened to Iowa after MSU upset the ’98 Buckeyes? It wasn’t pretty.

Don’t look for a big scoring outburst this week. Toledo isn’t going to roll over and play dead, and Jim Tressel isn’t going to start calling exotic plays because the outcry against his conservative game plan has become deafening. He’s going to do what Jim Tressel does: play fundamental football with a flash or two here. It’s going to be up to the players to take vanilla play calling and turn them in to big gains.

I’m just looking forward to a well played, hard fought effort. Let’s see Pryor get some work into throwing the ball to someone other than Posey and look to run. Some zone option reads and some 5 WR sets. I’m not worried about the defense, but Toledo has been putting up some points, so it will be nice to see them shut down the Rockets on multiple occasions.

Other than that, let’s get tuned up for a good football game. What are you looking to see?

So predictions (nothing but bragging rights is up for grabs this weekend):
Final Score?
Surprise back-up? (Assuming we’re comfortably in the lead in the third quarter)
Total yards from Terrelle Pryor?

el Kaiser’s predictions
Final Score: 34-3 (in honor of the last game in Cleveland)
Surprise back-up: Lamaar Thomas.
Totaly yards from TP: 275 (110 rushing, 165 passing)

Two quick notes before we get to the Toledo preview.

Jim Cordle has injured his ankle, opening the door for JB Shugarts to take over the tackle spot for the time being.

Senior right tackle Jim Cordle has an injured ankle and is expected to miss the next 3 or 4 weeks. Sophomore J.B. Shugarts will start against Toledo on Saturday, his first career start.

The linked article is actually full juicy nuggets. Among them:

Browning, a Cleveland native, is the offensive captain this week. The game will be played in Cleveland Browns Stadium.

I find this interesting, because I think Browning has been struggling (that’s being generous), but maybe this is the kind motivation that could light a fire under his ample behind and he finally starts blowing some people up.

Jordan Hall is the third tailback right now. Jaamal Berry has been nursing a minor injury, possibly a hamstring. Neither has played this season, but Tressel said he still intends to play both at some point.

…

The order at receiver now is so: DeVier Posey and Dane Sanzenbacher are the top two, followed by Duron Carter as No. 3, Ray Small is No. 4, Lamaar Thomas is 5 and Taurian Washington 6.

Surprising to see TW so low, but I’d really like to see more of Lamaar Thomas.

Ugh. I don’t know if you’ve seen this already or not (I haven’t perused today’s Buckeye Blogosphere yet) but reader Andrew sent us this image (screen cap credit goes to Becca Howard) that is just gut wrenching:

You are looking at USC’s first “touchdown” on the fourth and goal play. The Buckeyes’ D-line just got infinity more Buckeye Leaves.

Keeping with my attempts to keep things positive, I’m going to urge you to not read this, because it contains quotes like this:

There’s no sugar-coating this: Jim Tressel and his staff were outcoached against Southern Cal and Pete Carroll, . Again. Particularly on offense, Ohio State’s gameplan against the Trojans was utter rubbish, and it failed to meet the number one requirement of every gameplan: put your players in position to succeed.

– Deconstructing: The grisly demise of ‘Tressel Ball’

Meanie.

I’ve decided that complaining is not going to make me feel any better. It’s been done elsewhere, with much more vitriol than I would have spilled, so I’m just going to move on. There are glaring problems that my scarlet tinted glasses have been obscuring for a while, but it’s all becoming so clear. Part of the problem can be improved with time and patience. Hopefully it will. The other part of the problem most likely will not.

So I’m not dwelling on the bad. I’m looking at the positives. This is not some fanciful idea that everything is grand, viewed through those scarlet and gray tinted glasses. This is objective (mostly) praise that was earned and something we, as Buckeye fans, can be happy to see.

So let’s pass out some helmet stickers.

First, a big Buckeye Leaf is given to the defense as a whole. Some context: As a team last year, USC averaged 37.5 points a game. They averaged 454 yards of offense a game. Joe McKnight averaged 7.4 yards per carry. This year, they racked up 620 yards (342 on the ground) against SJSU. The Buckeye’s D, who, prior to kick-off, weren’t given a snowball’s chance against the vaunted USC offense, held them to 18 points (11, really, but we’ll be nice), held the team to 313 yards (take away the final drive and you’ve got a whopping 227 yards) and stuffed McKnight to the tune of 3.8 yards per carry. This was a defense possessed and deserves a world of credit, and more.

Another Buckeye Leaf goes to the defensive line as a whole. For all the statistical reasons listed above, plus the fact that they were supposed to be pushed around by the Great Wall of Linemen. This did not happen almost all game. They were in the backfield, roughing up McKnight and his buddies, disrupting rhythm and making big plays all over the place. It’s a shame they didn’t get the final victory, but this was a fantastic outing by the D-line.

In addition to the D-line as a whole, I’m calling out Doug Worthington as a recipient as his own Buckeye Leaf. I know everyone played lights out, but for some reason I remember getting more excited about Worthington’s plays. Maybe it’s because I like the way he plays and the way he’s gotten where he is as a Buckeye. Hammerhead Heyward also deserves one. Everyone played great, but these guys anchored the best performance out of the D-line in a long time.

The linebackers (Brian Rolle and Company) and the defensive backs deserve credit as well. Torrence and Rolle led the way, but Chekwa held his own and Coleman did what he needed to do. Even Spitler looked like he was 100%, looking much quicker this time around.

What a shame such a dominating performance gets squandered. Let’s hope this game doesn’t crush the D’s will to play like that again because we’ll need it against Penn State and Michigan.

I can’t pass out many Leaves to the offense, as much as I’d like to. The only bright spot I saw was how Boom Herron was running the ball. He didn’t have much to work with, but his collision with Taylor Mays proved he deserves the moniker “Boom”. He gets a sticker for that hit alone.

I can’t give a full sticker to the OL for their performance, but they get one for their improvement. They didn’t play the entire game like they should have, but they were getting a push and often did a decent job of pass protection. It wasn’t perfect, no, but Terrelle’s happy feet hurt the overall perception of their performance. This was a step in the right direction, and if the play calling hadn’t been a string of gigantic turd rockets, we might be singing a different tune.

Finally, our special teams are still special, as Thoma consistently pinned the Trojans deep in their own territory. Congratulations, Jon, you get an imaginary helmet sticker from a mouth-breathing sports blogger. I know that’s some consolation.

So: Defense good, Offense bad (mostly). Coaching N/A (my momma taught me…)

And that’s about all I have to say about that.