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.

The name on everybody’s lips
Is gonna be Moxie
The QB raking in the chips
Is gonna be Moxie

I’m gonna be a celebrity
That means
Somebody everyone sees
They(‘re) gonna recognize my TDs
My arm my legs my pout my INTs…
Mooxxxieee Haaart!!

After shaking some rust from the bye week off in the first half, the Bucks got down to business and dominated P(ick) S(ix) U(niversity) on the ground to remain at 9-1 and tied atop the Big 10 standings.

Boom Herron’s career-best 190 rushing yards led the Buckeyes to a convincing 24-pt victory over the Nits. OSU finished with over 300 yards rushing.

PSU started strong behind McGloin, who was well prepared to exploit a weakness the PSU defensive coaches had obviously seen on tape. McGloin targeted the soft zone beside Devon Torrence again and again, to the aroused excitement of Brent Musberger. With each successful third down conversion, Musberger grew more and more excited, seemingly unable to stop himself from gushing repeatedly on McGloin’s “moxie.”

Of course, the problem with any gameplan that relies on one singluar weakness is “what do you do when the defense adjusts?” Moxie Hart McGloin discovered this in the second half, when OSU defensive coordinator Jim Heacock decided to rely heavily on the nickel package, which forced McGloin to throw two more TD passes…. to the wrong team. The rout was on, much to the consternation of Musberger, who by this time was doing his best to just keep his empties from loudly rolling around on the floor.

Between the defensive adjustment and the gradually tiring PSU offensive and defensive linemen, Tressel stuck to the ground and pounded the Nits into submission behind Boom Herron’s 9.0 ypc.

High points:

• BOOOOM
• Defense scoring 2 TDs
• Pryor’s getting healthier
• Halftime adjustments – coaches couldn’t have adjusted more perfectly
• Torrence’s “shake and bake” of Moxie McGloin on the first pick-six
• Sanzenbacher’s highlight-reel tip-drill TD catch

Low points:

• Musberger
• Rust following the bye week
• Musberger
• Officials – worst officiating seen in the Horseshoe in years (against both teams)
• Musberger

In summary, although the first half was a bit of a nailbiter, the game ended on a very positive note for the Bucks. A little adversity, some success with making adjustments, and coming from behind to win will serve the team well as they head into Iowa next week to play a very hostile Hawkeye team with nothing to lose and a chip on its shoulder.

Finally, in case you’re keeping score, here’s a handy chart to help everyone keep track of where we stand with Musberger:

Another full slate of games today, including two important Big Ten games at noon today. We’ll have to be Northwestern and Indiana fans today. Can you smell an upset coming?

Also, as an FYI, I’ve updated the Twittering Buckeyes page with a handful of new Buckeyes on Twitter.

The Live Chat for the Penn State game can be found after the jump.

[Read more…]

The YNBA has been pretty quiet this season and most of the offseason.  I know that the readers of MotSaG are totally curious of the whereabouts of the man that produces such fine literary desserts (Sarcasm level = High).  Well, I wont lie to you.  I have been trying to enjoy this season.  You know…really savor it.  It has been a good season thus far with mostly ups and some obvious downs, but the bottom line is this is the reason we love college football and our bucks.  It brings us joy on Saturday afternoons and can ruin our weekends just as easily.

So, after all of that sappy silliness, let’s talk some football.  Actually, let’s just talk about Penn State, in general.  My dislike of this school is pretty near the likes of UM from the makings of “The Rail”, the Penn State student section “Urine Bombs” from 2005 (TBDBITL will never set foot into Happy Valley again…evah), and finally the accosting of the OSU students posted on Youtube after the 2007 encounter in Happy Valley.  Needless to say, my vitriol becomes more apparent on this weekend of the season.  However, there is more to it than just football and disgraceful student behavior (Hell..I know OSU fans can be complete jackasses…it is on our DNA).

I moved out to Seattle in 2006 after about a fifteen year stint in Columbus (including my time at OSU).  When I moved out here, I obviously wanted to enjoy game days with some fellow buckeyes, so I found the official Game Watch location in downtown Seattle.  This happened to be the Sport Restaurant right below the Space Needle.  I first went down to the Sport Restaurant to watch an OSU late afternoon game.  When I entered the facility for the first time, I noticed there were some other fans in another section of the restaurant.  Yeah, these were Penn State fans (about 30-40 of them in a little section in the restaurant).  It was my first encounter watching an OSU game with Penn State fans in the vicinity.  They were playing Pennsylvania Technical School for Widget Repair and Snipe Tracking or some equivalent.  Penn State , obviously, scored a touchdown upon my arrival and the customary “WE ARE…PENN STATE” screams began.  These are fine until a 30 year old guy in all of Penn State gear decides to stand on top of one of the tables or chairs to lead this cheer.  Now folks, this isnt your typical Rush Creek or BW3 type establishment.  It truly is a nice place, so standing on the tables or other furniture may be frowned upon, but I’m just sayin’.  Anywho, this is every touchdown…every first down, every JoePa ice cream reference.  It’s kind of like listening to “Hail to the Victors” or the “Trojan Fight Song” on repeat for days.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I know that every fanbase has it “special” ones, but Penn State’s are a cut above, if you know what I mean.

Rant fin…

Oh yeah…we were supposed to talk about football.

Well, as much as my naysayer attitude comes out in these types of games.  I just dont see Penn State having the quality across the field to handle OSU for the entire game.

OSU Offense vs PSU Defense

This is a considerable mis-match.  In particular, the secondary of Penn State is susceptible to just about everything (deep , short, mid-range) and the linebacking corps doesnt have the typical Paul Posluszny-like player in the middle or on the outside (When was the last time PSU had that problem?).  While it is understandable for Penn State to have some success up front with Ogbu and Still (PSU always seems to have somebody serviceable up front on the D-Line to cause some havoc.), there is too much youth in the back seven to keep the OSU in-check..  Realistically, the only way I see PSU hanging with this OSU offense is if Tress decides he really really really wants to run the ball and takes the game out of TP’s hands.  PSU’s secondary is just begging for Terrelle to have a big game with his arm, which will probably open up the running game.  Hopefully, the OSU faithful will see about 250 & 100 from TP on Saturday evening, because I just dont see this PSU defense being able to put eight in the box and daring TP to throw it wihtout paying a large price.

PSU Offense vs OSU Defense

Evan Royster is the key to the Penn State offense.  I know that every frickin’ preview I’ve read cannot stop talking about the “Ginger Express,” but if Royster isnt gaining some yards and keeping the OSU defense on its heels the turnovers will start flowing.  With that being said, the OSU defensive backfield is pretty thin right now with a number of injuries, so McGloin will get some yards in this game.  Besides, McGloin has a grudge against TP for costing him scholly, as PSU waited to see if they had a chance at getting him to spend his college years in Happy Valley.  This is one of the most laughable things I have read in years.  Sorry Matt, if you were that good, it wouldnt have mattered.  Blame yourself for waiting to be a Plan B for the Penn State Coaching staff…not TP.

OSU is leading the country in turnover margin, so it will be likely that trend will continue in this game.  Let’s be honest here..it took a combination of one of Penn State’s best performances in Columbus and OSU’s worst to give them a victory that was basically due to a fumble that was going to be a touchdown run in TP’s freshman year.  The cards are stacked against the Nittany Lions…no doubt about it.  For Penn State to win this game, they will need to score at least 24 points.  What does everyone think is the likelihood of that happening on Saturday night?

Obligatory PSU Coaching Category…or just because this picture is never used enough..

Brains…(HT: OurHonorDefend)

Things you need to know about JoePa.

1. He is still alive.
2. He just won his 400th game, which means he may have helped invent the sport.
3. He loves ice cream.
4. Contrary to popular belief, he is still a good coach and next year’s team will be worlds better..so I think he’ll be around for another year or so.
5. He was featured in “The Walking Dead” Comic and has a recurring cameo in each episode of the highly popular AMC series.

How this will play out

I would imagine that OSU will start off slow, due to the bye week.  Penn State will probably start with a few nice plays  and a small lead compliments of the “Ginger Wizard”.  OSU will wake up to drill them the rest of the way.

OSU 41 Penn State 17

What say you MotSaG-ers?

Presented without comment.

As always, stats are grabbed from cfbstats.com.

BcS

Part 2-What The Hell Is It And How Does It “Work”

What is the BCS? The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is a system that was created in 1998 to ensure that the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in college football would always play each other for the national championship. It was also created to stop college football from having seasons with multiple national champions. The funny thing is, it hasn’t even done that. Please see USC/LSU 2003.

Hmmm…that sounds pretty awesome. Finally #1 and #2 will actually play for the title. It’s about time, right? Okay, how does the BCS ensure that the two best teams play each other?

It’s a three part system:

1. 1/3 of the ranking is made up from the Harris Poll. The Harris poll replaced the AP poll after the AP poll thought it was ridiculous to pick teams using polls to play a title game. The first poll will be released October 10, then weekly through December 5. A team’s score in the Harris poll will be divided by 2,825, which is the maximum number of points any team can receive if all 113 voting members rank the same team as Number 1. Example: 2,825 / 2,825 = 1.0. If a team receives a total of 113 voting points, an average of 25th place, their BCS quotient of this component would be .04. (1.0 / 25 = 0.04).

Sounds pretty legit, right. I mean, they use math and everything. The only problem is many of the voters in the Harris poll are former players or administrators, they have families and businesses and other interests. In other words, they don’t have time to watch 25 teams let alone 60 or so a week. How the hell can they possibly know who is the best team out there? And don’t forget…those former players and admins probably don’t have any bias…right? Here is an actual exchange between a Harris Poll voter and a columnist from the Oklahoman in November 2008:

Writer: Who is at the top of your poll?

Voter: Oh, I don’t know. Doesn’t really matter.

Writer: Really?

Voter: I think Alabama and Penn State will probably play for the national championship.

Writer: You do?

Voter: They’re the only undefeated teams, aren’t they?

Writer: Uh, actually, Penn State had a loss.

Voter: Oh, well…Those Big Ten teams have a lot of votes.

Keep in mind, this idiot is helping to determine who the best team in college football is, and I’m sure he isn’t alone.

2. 1/3 of the ranking is made up from the Coaches poll. A team’s score in the USA Today poll will be divided by 1,475, which is the maximum number of points any team can receive if all 59 voting members rank the same team as Number 1. Example: 1,475 / 1,475 = 1.0. If a team receives a total of 59 voting points, an average of 25th place, their BCS quotient of this component would be .04. (1.0 / 25 = 0.04).

Cool! More numbers and formulas and stuff. Must be totally legit! There is no way coaches would ever show any bias with these rankings, right? With all the time and effort that goes into preparing their own teams for battle, how on earth do they have time to watch all the other games going on during their own games and decide who the beset team is?

“I don’t know why we vote,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. “I guess we vote because college football is still without a playoff system. I really believe most coaches do not know a whole lot about the other teams.” Again, this makes up for 33.3% of the rankings.

3. 1/3 of the rankings comes from computer rankings, 6 to be accurate.

The computer rankings percentage is calculated by dropping the highest and lowest ranking for each team and then dividing the remaining total by 100, the maximum possible points. (Example: the 6 rankers have Team A ranked 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, and 4. Take away the 2 and 4 which leaves an average of 3rd place. The BCS quotient of this component would be 0.92. (23 / 25 = 0.92).

Peter Wolfe
Wes Colley
Sagarin
Seattle Times
Richard Billingsley
Kenneth Massey

These guys make up the 6 polls. Some of them actually post more accurate versions of their polls online.

Okay, so there should be no bias here, I mean they are computers. It’s not like Johnny 5 is calling the shots or even that stupid ass robot from Space Camp. So what could be wrong with the computer rankings?

Well  for one, none of the models use margin of victory. A 73-0 win is the same as a 7-3 win. So it’s a good thing political correctness has leached into a friggin computer, isn’t it? I mean, why input important data like how dominant a team is. Only 1 of the 6 computer rankings are made public and that means the other 5 open to corruption. Kenneth Massey said “it would take a lot of will power to refuse that, to be sure,” when asked if he would accept a million dollar bribe to doctor his standings. And this is the guy heading up 1/6th of the CPU rankings?

So we are also using a watered down and possibly corrupt computer ranking system that has been changed three times since it started.

There isn’t a single aspect of the BCS makes me believe that they get it right every year. Last year 5 teams finished the regular season undefeated. Bias coaches, biased and incompetent former players and other dumb humans  and flawed computer systems picked the two teams that competed for the championship of the sport we all love.

So how does it work? It’s pretty simple…It doesn’t.

OSU and Terrelle Pryor continue to claim that his early-October thigh injury was only minor. Yet, those of us who have been studying the quarterback for three years have noticed a significant dropoff in on-field performance during the last month, particularly in his rushing and scrambling ability.

Numerous times over the recent weeks, Pryor has been easily chased down from behind, or easily tripped up by light contact that he would have laughably shrugged off at any other point in his Buckeye career. Most notable was the his Boeckman-like play in the Wisconsin game. The way this year’s race for the NC game is evolving, hindsight will make that particular game so much more painful. What could have been had Wisconsin actually played against a healthy and mobile Pryor? It certainly dropped him out of Heisman contention.

Simply put, Pryor’s biggest asset – his elusiveness – simply disappeared in the 3rd quarter of the Illinois game, and didn’t start to make a return until last week at Minnesota.

The stats will tell the tale. We tabulated all of Pryor’s numbers from the season opener against Marshall to his early-3rd quarter injury against Illinois, and compared them against the numbers that followed his return in the 4th quarter of that same game to last week’s game against the Gophers. The number of quarters pre- and post-injury in which Pryor played are identical, as are nearly the overall number of snaps.

The difference is surprising:

Note the difference in YPC! The dropoff is twofold: Pryor has been sacked more often since his injury, and he’s no longer rushing for as many positive yards to make up any potential net loss.

At least he’s making up for it with increased passing numbers, right? Wrong. Overall the passing numbers have remained largely similar:

Overall, the total passing numbers are nearly the same. There is a dropoff in TD passes, but that’s it’s uncertain how much of this difference can be attributed to Tressel’s new approach of relying on Boom Herron, or with opponents respecting Pryor’s arm in reaction to his early season success. Note, however, that his accuracy has improved significantly – from 65% before the injury to over 70% afterwards. In fact, against Minnesota he hit 82%.

The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time. Last week against Minnesota he not only saw the end zone for the first time in almost a half-dozen games, he also averaged 11 ypc. Clearly his performace against the Gophers seems to imply that he’s nearing full strength again. Time will tell as OSU heads into the annual November gauntlet.

Want some encouraging news? Even though Pryor’s been far less than 100%, OSU’s offense has steadily risen to #5 in FO’s S&P rankings – a much-respected predictor of offensive strength.

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.

BcS

Part 1-The Regular Season

We are told that the beauty of the BCS is that the regular season IS the playoff, every game matters and two worthy teams are left standing at the end of the year to do battle on our beloved gridiron to settle once and for all who is the best damn college football team in the land.

This is a lie.

Ask yourself this question; is the college football regular season REALLY that great? Like most of you I’m a diehard Buckeye fan, and while you are pondering the question also take time to think about this:

Here is the Ohio State schedule and results from the month of September:

While you look at this, keep in mind the cartel behind the BCS has fed us for years that the BCS ensures that the college football regular season will be the most exciting sport in the country. If that is true then why is it the Ohio State 3^rd and 4^th string QB’s are seeing action in 3 out of OSU’s first 4 games? Is it really that exciting to watch Ohio State pummel East Lollipop Tech to the point that the 6th string running back is getting carries?

For me, it’s not.

I’ve sat in those stands and watched the crowd glaze over with boredom as Joe Bauserman hands off to Carlos Hyde while the Buckeyes are up by 40. Never in my life have I heard 105,000 people so quiet.

The reason Ohio State and every other big dog on the block schedules patsies is because of the BCS. See, it’s actually had the opposite effect than was being advertised. Most teams with the exception of USC and Ohio State and a few others have avoided one another during the regular season. Instead they schedule nothing but lesser schools from lesser conferences to ensure a shot at either a BCS title game or BCS bowl game.

The BCS does not guarantee the college football regular season remains exciting. It guarantees it to be mostly boring, highly predictable and for the most part far too average. Yes, of course there are amazing games throughout the season, but it could be so much better. Imagine a world where Texas isn’t afraid to play Alabama or Michigan is up for a battle against USC. This sport would have a far better regular season and far less drubbings if the BCS just went away in favor of a playoff. What if I told you that Ohio State could have a OOC schedule of Texas, Miami, Arizona and LSU and still have a shot at a national title even if they dropped 1 or 2 of those games? What set of games would you rather see:

OSU vs:

A. Marshall, Miami, Ohio, Eastern Michigan

or

OSU vs:

B. Texas, Miami, Arizona and LSU

If you answered A then you are a giant homer who most likely really isn’t that big of a fan of the game in the first place. Probably a closet bandwagon fan as well.

If you answered B then you recognize what COULD be. Imagine getting a SEC team to come up north for a change. Win or lose it would be a hell of a lot more exciting than watching a totally outmatched opponent collect a check.