Search Results for: stiff arm of justice

How to preview a game where one team is clearly superior in almost all facets of the game? What is there to say that isn’t stating the obvious or working in cliches?

I haven’t seen much of Minnesota this year. Can you blame me? They have been all over the place. They played USC tough one week and lose to Mt. Rushmore Community College the next. Their coach doesn’t even survive the season. Color me bored.

So with such a lackluster opponent for Ohio State, we must look elsewhere for gristle to chew on. What are this week’s storylines?

Terrelle Pryor’s growth. Minnesota will offer little defensive resistance which should allow Terrelle Pryor to have the opportunity to continue to get better. He’s obviously grown comfortable with Dane Sanzenbacher but he hasn’t had a lot of time to utilize Jake Stoneburner. The emergence of Corey Brown has been a pleasant surprise but Posey’s fading into the background has not. The passing game has room to improve. Yes, Pryor has definitely been able to minimize his errors and the Minnesota game should give him a great chance to continue to do so.

The Running Game finds an identity. Against Purdue, the running game racked up over 180 yards, but it was to the tune of 3.8 yards per carry. Yes, you take away the sack yardage and that number improves. Slightly. Ever since the second half of the Wisconsin game, the offensive line has looked more aggressive but it still hasn’t gotten over that hump. Maybe Minnesota gives us them that final push of confidence, which will need going in to the final three games.

It’s clear the Boom Herron has taken control of the starting position and has ran like a man twice his size. Saine has accepted his role and seems to be flourishing in it, working and contributing well in both the passing and running games. Hall and Berry continue to make the most of their carries, but Boom is the clear Number One. He’s even working on his own little mini-version of the Stiff Arm of Justice.

Pressure the QB? It’s getting to be a broken record and maybe not even an important one. Many fans have been harping on the lack of quarterback pressure, especially pressure that results in sacks. Ohio State is ranked 104th nationally in sacks per game with an unhealthy 1.25. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. In those same rankings, Ohio State’s pass defense is ranked 5th in the country. So maybe those sacks aren’t as important?

Either way, we are still waiting for Cameron Heyward to hit the QB Buffet. Nathan Williams has visited it a couple times, but it is All You Can Eat, guys. Dig in!

Getting healthy. Ohio State has its bye week the first weekend in November. With all the injuries the team has suffered, this comes at an opportune time before the guantlet of Penn State (snicker), Iowa and Michigan (snicker). Let’s get everyone healthy, let’s finish the season strong and let’s see how this plays out.

So for the storylines, let’s do a little prognosticating: How many passing yards does Pryor have? How many sacks does the defense get? What is the final score?

I’m saying:
Passing yards: 320
Sacks: 3
Final Score: 52-0, another shutout for the Silver Bullets.

(NB: This is coming from the blogger who still has Vernon Gholston plastered all over his cube walls.)

The time has come to fill the void. It looks like MotSaG might have a new Mancrush and Posterboy around these parts: #54 Johnny Simon.

Since Mount Vernon’s departure a couple seasons ago, we’ve had to occupy ourselves with the Stiff Arm of Justice and SAoJ 2.0 (which was just fine, thankyouverymuch) but we’ve really needed a new gun show. We even asked the question, “Who’s the next Vernon?” Then I read Tim May’s article about Simon’s devotion to the weightroom with the accompanying OMG BICEPS photo:

The search is over.

Via ESPN:

The 28-year-old Decker will be sentenced in August. He will pay $11,000 in restitution for Moeller’s medical bills.

That’s a start, but clearly jail time should also in the works. Even still, I don’t think jail time will be sufficient punishment to satisfy the demands of the Stiff Arm of Justice. So let’s come up with alternative punishments that Mr. Decker has to suffer in order to atone for his attack of Tyler Moeller.

I’ll start: he gets to be Cameron Heyward’s personal tackling dummy.

(PS: Miss us? We’re baaaaack)

We need a little help here at MotSaG. One of our favorite things to post is our “Picture of the Week,” whether that be a shot of Mount Vernon’s pipes or Beanie Wells’ Stiff Arm of Justice. This year, we haven’t settled on a weekly shot. So we’re looking to our fellow MotSaG’ers for some inspiration.

Some have suggested we keep the Stiff Arm of Justice motif, as Terrelle Pryor sports a pretty mean Stiff Arm himself. Some have even branded it the SAoJ 2.0:

That’s a solid suggestion. But how about a “Not that there’s anything wrong with that” shot of the week:

Eh? Eh?

This is where you guys help us out. We’ve already had a few good suggestions come through the MotSaG inbox, but if you’ve got a gem we’ve missed, let us know!

Hats off to the Texas Longhorns, 2009 Fiesta Bowl winners.

A few brief bullets about the game:

• Why was Ryan Hamby wearing Anderson Russell’s uniform? (Okay. Just kidding. Had to get it out of the way.)
• For the first time in three years, we saw a “classic” Tressel performance. This is the type of scheme, effort, theme, and pace that we got used to seeing for the bulk of his tenure here at OSU. When he hit the jackpot with the 2006 squad, he took a step away, and got used to letting his players’ talent win games. Perhaps that caused the coaching staff to get a bit spoiled and lazy. Last night was the first time in a while that the coaches were collectively impressive. Which begs the question, why couldn’t we have seen something similar earlier in the season?
• Speaking about coaching, I’m shocked in scanning the boards that some are questioning the playcalling – are you kidding me? The best coaching performance of the season, perhaps the past two or three seasons. We saw creativity, misdirection, smashmouth physicality, and finesse. The offensive and defensive schemes were perfect; they worked perfectly to place OSU in position to win. All it came down to was execution – the game was literally in the hands of the players. With this roster, I cannot imagine anything Tressel or his staff could have done better. Fantastic job.
• For those trolls mocking the Buckeyes/Big 10 for being overrated: You can’t have it both ways. Last night’s game was not open to interpretation – Ohio State dominated Texas for all but the last 1m 49s. So either (1) the Buckeyes are a very good team, better than most give them credit for; or (2) Texas, which needed the Bucks’ defense to miss two INTs and one open field tackle on the last drive to win in miracle fashion, is not.
• This was the 1997 Rose Bowl in reverse. So this is how ASU fans felt when Germaine hit Boston for the TD with a few seconds left, eh?
• All of OSU’s stars had a great game, and collectively, it might have been the best performance of their career here at OSU: Beanie’s first-half depantsing of the nation’s #2 rush defense, which probably earned The Stiff Arm Of Justice^TM another few million dollars in signing bonus. Jenkins, who, if memory serves, did not allow the receivers he was covering a single catch last night – even though they collectively gained 414 yards. Robiskie’s 116 yards receiving, all of it seemingly coming on clutch catches. Pryor’s first down scrambles. Laurinaitis’ bazillion tackles. And last but not least…
• …Todd Boeckman. What a way for him to end his Buckeye career. No doubt he’s disappointed in the loss, but how awesome it was that he was still there when the team needed him, and he came through. If you haven’t noticed, this type of quiet, classy leadership and maturity has become a running theme for Tressel’s QBs by the end of their careers. And would you want it any other way?

Congrats to a great senior class. Your legacy will end on a positive note: as a competitive, selfless group of players that won 43 games (84%), four Big Ten titles in a row, competed for two national titles, outplayed what many consider to be one of the best teams in the country, stocked the NFL with tons of talent, and most importantly, beat Michigan four straight times. We’re proud of you. Best wishes.

With that said, let’s get positive. I’m a firm believer in the power of good karma and positive energy and the effect it can have on the performance of a team. Think happy, positive thoughts, Buckeye Fans!

While we’re sending that positive energy down to the southwest,let’s look at five reasons why Ohio State will be victorious Monday night:

Nothing to lose – This may be a misnomer. The national perception of the Big Ten in general and Ohio State in specific has a lot to lose. Both are currently at all-time lows. Perception-wise, Ohio State can’t suffer another loss on the national stage. But as a team, Ohio State should be loose and free. I say “should be” but this team has seemed tight before. If they come out with nothing to lose, they may just surprise some people.

Texas is the team with something to prove. This could end up being in Ohio States favor.

Ohio State’s Defense – We looked at Texas’ offensive firepower earlier, with impressive numbers. Top ten in most of the important categories. They will bring the heat with the passing game and Colt McCoy is a dual-threat QB. But Ohio State’s Defense is no slouch.

OSU is only allowing opponents 279.3 yards/game and holding teams to 164.3 yards/game through the air. Oh, and only giving up 13.1 points/game. Contrast that to Texas’ numbers and it’s obvious that’s something has to give.

This, along with the offensive worries mentioned earlier, comes down to play calling. If Ohio State sits back in a comfy zone and rushes four, McCoy will pick them apart. Pressure from the corners and up the middle is going to be paramount. I don’t think Texas will probe the run early, so Ohio State needs to be ready to stop the pass immediately. Jenkins is a given, but Chekwa, Washington, and Hines need to play lights out.

Taking advantage of opportunities is also paramount. There may only be one or two opportunities to take the ball away from the Longhorns. The defense needs to jump at any chance they’re given.

Help us, Ohio State Defense. You’re our only hope.

Malcolm Jenkins While they would never say it, I wonder if the returning seniors are disappointed in the way this season turned out. I doubt Malcolm Jenkins would ever mention such things, but this game is now his (and Little Animal’s) Swan Song. The match-up of Jenkins vs. Cosby will be watched very closely. If you take one of McCoy’s weapons away, he may press and make a mistake. I look for Jenkins to play a very impressive game, shutting down his corner and having a huge impact all around.

The Stiff Arm of Justice™ – The best running back in the Big 12 is Oklahoma State’s Kendall Hunter (5′ 8″, 190) . He’s the only running back in the Big 12 to average over 100 yards/game. Texas hasn’t really seen a power back like Beanie. Let’s hope we see these early and often.

Beanie’s health will be a big factor in this game, but if he’s even 90%, look for him to run as mean as ever, gashing Texas good.

History – Finally, there’s the past. History is on our side. Ohio State is undefeated against Big 12 teams in bowl games (beating down Texas A&M and Kansas State in BCS games). Ohio State has already beat Colt McCoy.

There are more reasons to be optimistic, these are just a few. What has you thinking good, happy thoughts?

I would like to propose a new definition for the word insanity. The old way of thinking was “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” My new proposal is, “obtaining successful results by doing a thing and then not doing it over and over again.”

In every big game over the past couple years, the Buckeyes seem to come out of the gate with great success on their first drive with creative play calling and inspired line play. The Buckeyes take the lead and then almost immediately go in to Tresselball mode and it takes a deficit in the fourth quarter to snap them out of it. We need the killer instinct.

That being said, a win is a win. A win in an amped up Camp Randall is more than a win, so let’s not get down on the Buckeyes. I had to watch it on tape delay and I accidentally erased it after I watched it, so you won’t get detailed analysis from me, but a few observations before I retire for the night:

• The Stiff Arm of Justice™ made a triumphant (and brutal) return. Beanie was running angree.
• The monkey and I were worried about a game coming down to being in Terrell Pryor’s hands. We weren’t sure how it would go down, but in Camp Randall, with four minutes left, Pryor certainly calmed those fears.
• The defense was getting pushed around at times, but overall, came up big when it counted. Gameballs to Jenkins and Homan.
• EVIL Robo showed up, but sorta-GOOD Hartline showed up, redeeming the Brynamic duo for now
• Did I mention how devastating Beanie was tonight? Yeah, wrecking ball at the end of his arm and tank treads for feet.

Also: Huge congrats to commenter Mike, who was very prescient in his prediction:

“OSU 20
Wisky 17

Late turnover on what would be game winning drive for Wisconsin and the Bucks seal it with field goal. Pryor struggles but plays well in the end…when it matters most. Not good on the nerves but should be a great game to watch!”

He pretty much got it all right: Late turnover, check. Pryor struggles but plays well in the end, check. Not good on the nerves, quadruple check. Great game to watch, big fat CHECK CHECK CHECK.

Nice work, Mike. I’ll be asking you to help out on my next wrong of bets! We’ll be in touch.