Amir Williams a 6’10” 220 lb. basketball recruit chose OSU today over the Florida Gators. He is listed as the no. 2 Center in the country for the 2011 recruiting class. He will be joining an already impressive recruiting class and it doesnt hurt that he is from Michigan and that he also chose OSU over scUM and Purdue. He is a top notch recruit with great offensive skills and good feet. He should fit in well with this program. My only suggestion is that he should put on some weight but he is young and it is easy to do. Another great job done by Thad Matta and his recruiters.

I was sitting here thinking about this post and was looking back on my emotions during watching the game live last weekend as I watched the playback of the game for my second look. It was one of those games where I went through a full gamut of emotions. I was nervous as the game started and then upset early on how we were playing and then very angry about the way McGROIN was acting about how he was playing. Then halftime came and I regrouped my own emotions and settled down. After halftime it seemed like my emotions were out of control happy with each play that happened. This is going to lead me into my second thoughts post. Everyone who reads this will have watched the game or highlights by so I want to just focus on 2 things emotions and halftime regrouping.

I tend to think that football is built on emotions and that they can change either way on a dime. Anyone who has ever watched an OSU game knows that the first drive of both the 1st qtr and 3rd qtr by the opposing teams set our teams emotions at least for that time and place. OSU is known for giving up early points and then making adjustments to the other team to stop them and contain their game plan. What they aren’t well known for is taking half a game to do that in. It was frustrating watching the first half of the PSU game and it felt just like I was watching the Wisky game all over again. Then came a pivotal point in the game……… PSU going for it on 4th down on OSU 20 yard line with one of the best FG kicker in the country on their bench that would have put up PSU 17-3 if he made it. Instead OSU stopped their FR RB Silas Redd (why Royster wasnt in the game is mind boggling but not as much as why they went for it) short of the 1st down and you could just sense it was what we needed to change the emotions of the game.

That was an important play for sure but what happened in the locker room at halftime made sure the emotions changed for good in the rest of the game. Rumor has it that Jim Tressel went all Woody Hayes on the team and layed into them like a Hawaiian Escort in Maui. I like to imagine what it was like in there since no one is saying too much other than they never seen Tressel like that ever before. I imagine he said things like “golly gee wiz guys we could really play a lot better than that” or “fudgsicals that stunk”. I also imagine he went all Hulk Hogan and ripped off his sweater vest in half down his chest while yelling Buckeyemania is running wild all over you. In reality though he probably just raised his voice by one octave and gave them all the “I am disappointed in all of you look” that every father has in their aresenal. Whatever happened in the locker room worked and and it changed the emotions of a team that seemed to be way to emotionless in the first half.

So the goal for this week at Iowa is to start the game off with tons of positive emotions and avoid getting down early to a less talented team whose season has been a complete failure and they need a signature win to try and save their senior teammates season.

In the same week that the Buckeyes play against those kitty cats from State College they got a huge recruiting victory in the form of LB recruit Conner Crowell.

Conner Crowell is a 6’1″ 220 pound LB with good speed and size and is known for his ability to cover the pass and stop he run. Maybe he will play LB at OSU or maybe he will move to more of a STAR position. The best part is his two final choices were OSU and PSU and the kid from North Point High School in Waldorf, Maryland chose the Buckeyes and will become the 18th verbal commit for the 2011 class.

It should be mentioned that Maryland is prime recruiting area for PSU and it is nice to know we can go in there and pick off one of their recruits. In the picture posted it shows Crowell wearing a PSU shirt while standing next to PSU fans favorite recruiter Larry Johnson Sr. looks like they failed to seal the deal lol. Also, it helps the class a lot as Crowell is our first and only LB recruit in this class so far.

This Sunday in London, England Troy Smith will get the start for injured QB Alex Smith over lifetime back up David Carr. In what could be described as maybe his last chance to prove he is a NFL QB he is going to be given one more shot. Luckily for him he is going up against a dreadful Denver defense. I for one dont feel like anyone has given Troy his chance to earn a starting job and he has never been able to wow people in practice I suppose to earn his shot. If anyone would be willing it is Mike Singletary who seems to like what Troy has to offer.

Singletary said of Troy “Troy Smith gives us a good opportunity to win this game,” Singletary said. “He has enough of the offense to play.” I for one hope he is right and this isnt a desperate move. Sadly though the 9ers have a bye week next week and they expect Alex Smith back after the Bye. Here is to hoping Troy has a monster game and wins the starting spot. I know I will only be eating fish and chips and Bangers and Mash this weekend to show my support for Troy.

Now all I can hope is Ted Ginn Jr also gets a start and they both can find the magic that made them both Buckeye Legends. Please football Gods allow this to happen Pretty Please.

So I was sitting here thinking about what I want to write to be objective in this preview and not be a homer. I have watched both teams play a few games already this year and both teams returned a lot of last years teams that played each other in Columbus. I have thought about it all all week and I can’t do it.

I look at the strengths and weaknesses of both teams and weigh them out and no matter how I do it the result is the same in my mind. A big win for the Buckeyes.

First, lets talk about the Wisky offense vs. the OSU defense. The Badgers run the ball and then they run it again and again and again and maybe they will let Tolzien throw the ball a few times to the TE and one or two deep balls. Wisky has two good RB’s in Clay and White. Before the season John Clay got a ton of Heisman talk but since James White started getting carries (about 40% of them per game) he has disappeared from the discussion. To the point that most Badger fans say White is the teams best RB. The Badgers are 11th in the country in rush offense. Now no matter which RB carries the ball tomorrow they have one big problem. OSU has the 4th best rushing defense in the country. They also have the 6th best scoring defense and the 3rd best Total Defense in the country. Our weakest part of the defense is the passing game and it is hardly a weakness (1st in the Big Ten and 13th nationally). No player has got 100 yards rushing on OSU in 29 games almost 3 years. There is nothing to suggest it will be any different this year.

Bottom Line: OSU defense is better than Wisky offense.

Next, the Wisky defense vs. the OSU offense. Let me just say this OSU is a pass first offense this year and they have the weapons to support a powerful passing attack. TP has great targets in Posey, Sanz, Saine, Stoneburner, and the back ups. Why is this important? Because the Badgers weakest part of their defense is Pass Defense. The Badgers are 54th in the country in pass defense. They are 22nd on rush defense and 32nd in the country in scoring defense. The Buckeyes should have no issues throwing the ball which is our main dish at the supper table. I am not sure if our RB’s will get many yards but it isn’t out of the question either. Rumor has it Pryor is 100% healthy and will have all plays available to him in the game. Which means we may see a healthy dose of TP rushes tomorrow as well.

Bottom Line: OSU offense is better than Wisky defense.

Lastly, Special Teams and the intangibles. I think the special teams is a push. OSU has gotten better and Wisky has gotten worse with injuries. The HOME CROWD is the only possible advantage I can see in this game. Turnovers, OSU defense are ball hawks and have a top 5 TO margin in the country because of it. TP hasn’t been making many mistakes and has done well under pressure. Wisky on the other doesn’t get many TOs on defense but doesn’t give up many either on offense. Jim Tressel vs Bret Bielema I won’t even debate this, it isn’t even close one uses his knowledge and experience to coach the game and Bielema uses the coaches for dummies cliff notes he has on a card in his back pocket.

Bottom Line: OSU coaching and TO battle is better than the Wisky home field advantage.

So lets open the debate and see if I am just way off or if people agree with me and this game won’t even be close. Question portion of the preview time now.

1.) Will Wisconsin get a 100 yard rusher this week against OSU and if yes who White or Clay?
2.) Pryor over/under 300 total yards on the day?
3.) Will Coach Tressel pull out a card and go for 2 points at any point during the game and point and laugh at Bielema?
4.) How Many TO’s does OSU get and give up?
5.) What is your Final score prediction?

So before the season started there was the annual Big Ten media days in Chicago. During those days, Coach Tressel said something that caused everyone in attendance to laugh. He said “he expects to be a “25 to 35 passing team,” and anything closer to that higher end could be historic.” In fact, by Tressel’s estimate, Pryor could wind up throwing the ball this season more than any quarterback in Ohio State history. No one believed him, maybe not even Pryor. Why anyone would think Tressel was joking is mind boggling at this point since one thing Tressel isn’t is a comedian. Fast forward to game 6 of the season and it is clear at least to this point that Tressel is the one having the last laugh.

For 3 years now all we have heard is Terrelle Pryor is a good running QB but a horrible passer. I think it really bothers TP to hear that and at some point he was able to convince Tressel it wasnt true and has since then worked hard to improve every aspect of that part of his game.

On Saturday he was 24 out of 30, 80%, for 334 yards and 3 TDs and 0 INTs. He also had 3 carries for -19 yards, all sacks.

On the season he is 104 out of 153, 68%, for 1349 yards and 15 TDs and 3 INTs. He has 57 carries for 354 yards and 3 TDs.

These are numbers that are surprising to almost everyone except Tressel. The guy can flat out coach and he has turned what once was an over hyped punk into a Heisman Contending Drop Back Passer. In the last 7 games alone, TP has gone from a late round project NFL draft pick after next year to a clear first day pick next year. (See Vince Young, JaMarcus Russel, and Jason Campbell if you dont believe TP is a first rounder).

He was able to pick apart a bad Indiana defense and check down to open recievers. Some may say, “so what, anyone could do that,” and I say TP couldn’t last year and that is the point. He is a completely different QB this year who can pass well and run when needed.

As for the running game folks we have a clear No. 1 RB now and a new team leading rusher on the season and it is Boom Herron: 12 carries for 68 yrds and 2 TDs. If he had more carries he would have broke 100 yards easy but we didn’t need him last week. Saine was moved to almost a slot receiver and he was great with 4 catches and 84 yards and a TD. Hall was the back up but didn’t do much. Here is where it gets tricky somehow Carlos Hyde moved up to 3rd string and was running well before he fumbled on the goal line. I was shocked to see him get more carries after that. (I think he may have naked pics of Tressel and is blackmailing him ;)) He finished a good performance with 9 carries for 48 yards and a fumble. Berry got to play and again showed great promise with 5 carries for 42 yards.

The receivers were really good with few drops and Posey and Sanzenbacher and Saine carrying the load and each getting a TD. With those 3 guys and the backups I feel great about the WR corp.

Defense as always solid and played amazing against the best passing team in the league. They absolutely shut down Chappell all game. They continue to be ball hawks getting TOs every game, in multiples. There is no real weakness and no real strength they are just solid all around and should be fine in every game. We just need to stay healty now with who we have left.

Overall I think we showed why we are the No. 1 team in the land and that a great team is always better than a great player on a bad team.

So here we come Wisky, pack your marshmallows with batteries and jump around all you want. We are coming to play a game we are more than capable of winning.

Yeah. That sucked.

In a game closer than the final score indicated, the Buckeyes managed to eke out a win. But it wasn’t pretty.

Positives

Uhhh, the Buckeyes won.

The defense played phenomenally once they pulled their heads out of their asses.

The kick and punt coverage wasn’t terrible

Negatives (Might want to sit down, this could take a while…)

The offensive line was terrible on run plays. Terrible. They managed to pick up a few first downs in short yardage, but each time was a minor miracle. No push at all.

The defense started out shaky before finally waking up.

Pryor left the game for a few minutes with a quad injury. As someone who has strained a quad, sprained an ankle, jacked up a knee, and blown out a hammy, let me just say that I’d rather have a strained quad than any of the other options. Hopefully that’s all it is and this doesn’t hurt the offense moving forward.

It seemed to hurt the offense this afternoon, though. At one point Tressel called something like 18 runs in a row, and it wasn’t good. The few series Bauserman played, he was terrible. 1 for 2 with a horrible, horrible interception that he threw despite having all the time in the world.

The announcers in this game were horrendous. I’m hoping that we later find out that it was a joke and we all got punked by the Big Ten Network, that they actually hired two random guys off the street to do commentary.

Meeting Expectations

What I wanted to see and how they fared:

1. Someone not named Terrelle Pryor rushing for over 100 yards for the Buckeyes – Nope
2. Fewer than five penalties by Ohio State while the game is still contested – Yep- 4 for 24 yards
3. A member of Ohio State’s defensive line gobbling up Scheelhaase and leaving him crying on the bench for a series or two – Nope, but they made him uncomfortable on several occasions.
4. The continued reign of Evil Tressel who popped his head up last weekend – Are you kidding?
5. Continued good play from the coverage units of the “special” teams – I’d say yes. They didn’t play terribly.

So there you have it. Here’s hoping Pryor’s injury is not serious. Discuss.

You’ll pardon if this is a mite short, but to be honest I’m still basking in the glory that is the Cincinnati Reds’ triumphant return to the playoffs after fifteen years wandering in the desert.

The season starts for real now, as the Buckeyes begin their campaign to win their sixth straight Big Ten title against the Fighting Zooks. The game begins at ten am out here in God’s Country, which means I’ll mercifully be spared hours of watching crappy Disney programming with my kids and will instead be able to focus on the more important things in life.

Due to the fact that, well, they’re terrible, I haven’t gotten to watch Illinois play since the first week of the season, where they got off to a promising start against Missouri before folding in the second half. The question is, which Illinois team will show up tomorrow? They have historically played Tressel pretty close, although their W-L record doesn’t reflect that.

Illinois is led on offense by Nathan Scheelhaase, a redshirt freshman who looked to me like a poor man’s Calista Forcier, who himself is a poor man’s Eric Crouch. A really, really, destitute, so-poor-that-he-was-sent-to-debtor’s-prison-in-Australia poor man’s Eric Crouch. Their best offensive player – at least on NCAA 11 – is Mikel LeShoure who wears jersey number 5.

And … yeah … that’s about all I can tell you about Illinois.

I have expected the Buckeyes to come out flat in every single game they were supposed to dominate so far this year, only to be horribly wrong every time. Hopefully that trend continues.

What I’d like to see tomorrow:

1. Someone not named Terrelle Pryor rushing for over 100 yards for the Buckeyes.
2. Fewer than five penalties by Ohio State while the game is still contested.
3. A member of Ohio State’s defensive line gobbling up Scheelhaase and leaving him crying on the bench for a series or two.
4. The continued reign of Evil Tressel who popped his head up last weekend. Let’s not forget 2007, gentlemen. Illinois hasn’t paid the full price for their impudence yet, if you ask me. And THAT WAS STILL A FUMBLE THE PLAY BEFORE THEIR FIRST TOUCHDOWN IN THAT GAME! ARE YOU F*&$ING KIDDING ME? HOW DO YOU NOW REVIEW THAT?!? Sorry, moving on…
5. Continued good play from the coverage units of the “special” teams. They weren’t bad last week. Let’s keep it up.

Final score prediction*: Buckeyes 41, Illini 17

*all predictions subject to change after the fact. The opinions of Bacon Ninja regarding the outcome of Ohio State games are purely hypothetical and do not necessarily represent his true feelings on the matter. In fact, for the purposes of supersition and jinx avoidance Bacon Ninja offers a generic prediction of Opponents 72, Ohio State 0 for every game this season, unless they are playing an SEC school in which case the prediction will change to Opponents 347, Ohio State negative 30.

For the first four weeks of the season I have heard, week after week, from my fellow Buckeye fans the same questions and concerns. What is wrong with the run game? Why doesn’t Berry get more carries? What is wrong with Saine and Herron?

My answer to my fellow Buckeyes is complex lol no it isn’t it is simple. Here goes nothing:

This is nuts. We are 14th in the nation in rushing offense — ahead of MSU, which is a rush first offense. We average 240 yards a game rushing. This is not a RB issue. We are a team and we use a stable of RBs to get the job done. We have a feature back in the Eddie George/Beanie Wells type players in Terrell Pryor. We have scat backs and power backs and receiving backs. Who cares if it isn’t the same person doing all that. As a TEAM the rushing game is just peachy keen, better than most in the Big 10 and Country. If and when we get in a tough game where we need a big running game to help us win there is no doubt we will see a heavy load of Saine and Herron. We just haven’t needed to do that and hopefully never will. We are a pass first offense this year but the rushing game isn’t being ignored. A well balanced team is the best you can hope for — 266 yards a game passing and 240 a game rushing seems pretty awesome to me.

This brings up the point of the day for me — OSU fans nitpicking and never being happy and expecting the worse to always happen. Most OSU fans are glass half empty people. Smile, OSU fans, enjoy the season be happy. The problems that people seem to have with the team are mostly unfounded blown up small situations. Yet some of you week after week act like this team is as bad as Minnesota or Purdue. Step back and look at the big picture of this team and maybe you will find your happy place.