2007 Look Back

2007 Record: 6-6 (4-4 - 4th Place MAC East)
2007 Road Record: 2-4
2007 vs Teams w/ Winning Records:  2-1
2007 vs. Ranked Opponents:  0-1
2007 Bowl:  None
Last year vs Ohio State:  N/A
All-Time vs. Ohio State:  0-5

2008 Key Stats

Last week: L 20-21 vs, Wyoming
Record: 0-1 (0-0)

OFFENSE
Yards/Play, Offense:  4.6 (#79, nationally)
Scoring Offense/Game:  20.0 (82)
Rush Yards/Att:  1.86 (101)
Pass Yards/Att:  6.0 (69)
3rd Downs Conv-Att:  3-13-23.1% (96)
Red Zone Scores-Chances:  3-4-75.0% (76) (1 TD / 2 FG)
Turnovers lost:  2 (44)

DEFENSE
Yards/Play Defense:  4.4 (48)
Scoring Defense/Game  21.0 (57)
Rush Yards/Att:  4.0 (75)
Pass Yards/Att:  5.0 (38)
3rd Downs Conv-Att:  6-12-50.0% (50)
Red Zone Scores-Chances:  3-3-100.0% (54) (3 TD / 0 FG)
Turnovers gained:  2 (36)
Turnover margin:  +0 (43)

SPECIAL TEAMS
Yards/Punt Return, Ohio:  N/A (Haven't returned a punt yet)
Yards/Punt Return, Opponent:  13.0 (64)
Yards/Kickoff Return, Ohio:  46.67 (6)
Yards/Kickoff Return, Opponent:  26.33 (95)
FG Att-Made: 2-2-100.0% (1)

Personnel

Returning Starters From '07:  13 (6 offense, 7 defense)
Best Player, Offense:  Andrew Mooney, TE #81 (SR) (3 catches for 10 yards, 1 TD vs Wyoming) (34 catches, 498 yards, a school record 9 TDs, 2nd Team All-MAC in '07)
Best Wide Receiver:  Taylor Price, #23 (JR) (14 catches for 139 yards vs Wyoming) (33 catches, 464 yards, 4 TDs in '07)
Best Running Back:  Chris Garrett, #2 (JR) (12 carries for 30 yards vs Wyoming), (17 carries, 99 yards, 0 TDs in '07)
Best Player, Defense: Jameson Hartke, DE #90 (SR)
Best D-Lineman: Hartke
Best Linebacker: Lee Renfro, #32 (JR)
Best CB: Mark Parson, #24 (SR)

Updated: 09/04/08 at 11:25 EST

Offensive Starters:

Complete Offensive Depth Chart:

Defensive Starters:

Complete Defensive Depth Chart:

A few quick thoughts:

Quarterback: Only a modicum of surprise here that the more senior (albeit infinitely less talented) Bauserman is still listed ahead of TP2. Although as we saw in the YSU game, the order of the depth chart bared no correlation to the order of substitution or the amount of playing time for each of the 3 QBs. Color me selfish as my dream scenario would be for Boeckman to get 2-quarters worth of snaps, Pryor a quarter and a half, and Bauserman mop up duty, but it's likely the split will be more along the lines of 2/1/1.

Halfback: It absolutely kills me that even the fan base and regional media is beginning to buy into the national sports media's myopic perspective that this position is turning into some sort of gaping question mark. Obviously you want your best players (health permitting) to get their reps going into a potential team/conference reputation restoring match up, but I'm of the mind set that allowing the three-headed Cerebus of Herron/Saine/Wells to get extended duty will only serve this team better, both in the Battle for Los Angeles and long term. Herron, by all accounts, absolutely tore up summer camp, we already know what we're getting with Brandon "Zoom" Saine, and Maurice Wells showed new life in the presence of the fleet footed magician freshman quarterback we call Terrelle. With the added benefit of letting Beanie return to 100%, I see no reason the Buckeyes' depth at running back can't compete with that of anyone in the country's (including a certain Los Angeles based juggernaut tOSU may or may not square off with in the week ahead).

Offensive Line: Perhaps the highlight of the YSU game was seeing "the second line" of offensive linemen, which at one point included virtually the entire Brew crew as Mike Adams, J.B. Shugarts, and Mike Brewster all played concurrently. If anyone wants a crystal ball to see the make up of the Ohio State offensive line in '09/'10, that's your portal. Getting these guys repetitions against the Bobcats will be huge in adding additional depth should the unthinkable happen in either of the next 2 contests.

No alarms and no surprises as the defensive depth chart remains virtually static this week. It remains interesting that The Vested One lists the right end spot as a sort of hybrid defensive end/defensive tackle slot, but makes perfect since when you consider the bodies occupying the slot are more than fit for both positions. Brian Rolle and Jermale Hines were both all over the place against the Penguins; it'll be interesting to see how their energy and speed translates against the quicker receivers and backs of Ohio U., and then the even speedier weapons they're sure to see in Southern California the following week.

This will be my last post for quite a few days, as I move in to college on Thursday (classes start Monday) and my schedule is bound to be quite hectic for a little while.  I'll get in what I can before USC, and Sean will still be around, and much more consistently than myself.

Now that we've had a couple days to decompress from the fiasco known as Ohio State's opening week thrashing of an opponent they probably should not have been playing in the first place, it's time to look past one certain player's injury and look at the grand scheme of things (okay, I'll touch on that injury, too).  There are also bound to be lots of parenthesis, seeing as how a long summer has killed my attention span (and writing skills, too).

• If we're going to discuss the game, it would be foolish of anybody NOT to discuss the one player that Buckeye fans spent 95% of the offseason discussing.  Like Jim Tressel said, all three quarterbacks would play in the first half against Youngstown State (barring any sort of Appalachian-esque disaster), just the order after man #1 would be unknown to the public.  Yet, to nobody's surprise, the highly touted superfreshman Terrelle Pryor somehow managed to leapfrog the true #2 QB (on the depth chart, anyways), and take the field to a standing ovation on the team's third offensive possession of the game.  Terrelle led the second string Buckeyes down the field, but just like the men above them on the depth chart, they were unable to capitalize in the red zone, and had to settle for a field goal.  In my opinion, Pryor's second drive of the game -- the first of the fourth quarter -- better showcased what his role with the offense this season will be.  Most of the plays were run out of the pistol formation with Maurice Wells lined up directly behind him.  More often than not, the called play was a variation of the read-option, where Terrelle would either hand off to Wells, or keep the ball for himself and run with it.  The play selection out of the "Pryor Package" obviously baffled Youngstown State, considering that the average play on that drive went for over 11 yards.  During his first drive, the playcalling seemed to suit the team's general offensive philosophy (remember, the entire second string offense was in for that drive), whereas in the fourth quarter, Pryor was running plays that seemed better suited for him behind the first team offensive line, perhaps another hint that we'll be seeing quite a bit of this freshman throughout the season.
  
• Speaking of which, how will Terrelle Pryor be utilized against USC in two weeks?  Will the Pryor Package be used only on select situations throughout the game, or will Pryor be given full drives to show off his skill set?  Perhaps he won't play all that much as a freshman on one of the biggest stages in college football?  The smart money is on choice #1, but only time will tell.  Either way, it's doubtful that the coaches show off much more of Pryor's abilities against OU in order to deploy him as a sort of secret weapon that isn't so secret after all.
• One last note on Pryor: did anybody notice on his touchdown scamper how he simply refused to be tackled?  He said following the game that when the end zone is in his sights, teams aren't going to stop him, but those final 10 or so yards came out of nowhere.  If USC hasn't learned anything from the 2005 Rose Bowl, Pryor could have a big day come 9/13.
• On the Beanie Wells injury front, it's becoming increasingly apparent that the Heisman trophy candidate will not play against OU, but he continues to feel better every day, and there's no counting him out.  In Tressel's presser this afternoon, he wouldn't go into details regarding his injury, but he would say that if the game were today he probably wouldn't play.  If Beanie is able to practice at all over the next two days, though, his status could change.  From the presser:

"We wouldn't play [Beanie] Saturday if he doesn't get some work this week," he said. "I wouldn't expect him to practice today, but if he could get some work on Wednesday and Thursday -- basically Friday for us is just a walkthrough day. I'm hoping he can get back in there as quick as possible, as early as this week, but I don't realistically think there are any promises there."

Translation: "Don't count on us putting in our dinged up superstar in what should be a cakewalk.  Ask me again in a week."

• As for Beanie's replacements, it's looking like the backfield will feature a tailback by committee, led by senior Maurice Wells, who arguably played the best of the three backup tailbacks on Saturday, to go along with Boom and Zoom.  Obviously, none of the three can do what Beanie can do, but they all seem to be very good at one thing.  Mo knows the offense inside and out, and can go from 0 to 60 like the Floridian that he is, Boom has the power and balance to make himself look like Mike Hart in the opposite uniform, and Zoom will keep defenses on their toes with his dual-threat capabilities.  They may not be able to put it all together like Beanie can do, but hopefully it won't be a problem for very long.
• Although it's far too early to hand this award out, it looks like the most improved player awards have to go to Ray Small and Marcus Freeman.  Small finally seems to have matured into a college athlete, and gives the Buckeyes some legitimacy in the return game.  Freeman, on the other hand, will almost certainly grow out of Laurinaitis' shadow if he continues to play like he did Saturday.  The defensive stud was named defensive player of the game, and was all over the field.
  
• I'm going to reserve judgment on the defense against a spread attack until they face a legit FBS spread, but the 74 total yards of offense was definitely a good thing.
• More good things: Two 50+ yard field goals, great all-around special teams, only turnover came on Beanie's injury, Jermale Hines' play in general.
• Some not so good things: Another dropped interception, only one takeaway, only two sacks, I still don't trust Boeckman to win us a big game without Beanie by his side.
• The Big Ten didn't do much to help it's image in week 1.  UM's upset to Utah was probably the worst of the three losses (although the use of the term "upset" could be debated).  Illinois played close with Missouri, but their defense was exposed and surely won't help the speed myth, and Michigan State was outperformed by Cal.  Everyone else took care of business, and it sure did feel good to see a ranked SEC team lose to an unranked Pac-10 team who's third string quarterback threw four picks in the first half, yet still led his team to an OT victory.  And guess what, Tennessee, whatever Les Miles tries to say, overtime losses are still losses.  This isn't pre-lockout Hockey.

We're still waiting for news on Beanie's injury, but there's good news regarding the future of Ohio State's rushing attack. Jaamal Berry has committed to Ohio State. Berry is one of the top running backs in the country, rated five stars by Scout and four stars by Rivals. Scout cites his power and toughness as strengths, while noting speed as an area for improvement. Considering Berry turned in a 4.31 forty at a camp over the summer, I don't think speed is an issue.

Berry is the 25th member of this recruiting class. That's technically a full class, but early enrollments provide some wiggle room, and potential early departures to the NFL would allow for a few more commits. Glenville OL Marcus Hall still lists the Buckeyes among his leaders, and the Buckeyes still appear to be in the picture for Tennessee WR Marlon Brown. Hurry up and commit, guys; this class looks like it'll be full come Halloween.

Oh, almost forgot. Dancing banana:

It's here! It's here! Football's finally here! We get to see Beanie, and Laurinaitis, and Pryor, and everyone else we've been talking up and wondering about all season. Woo!

True, it's just a 1-AA school, but still. We finally get answers to some of the questions we have, and we'll end up with more questions at the end, because that's how this works. But hey, the Buckeyes are finally back!

This right here is an open thread. Feel free to post your thoughts on the game, the team, etc. I'll try to check in a few times throughout the game, but don't let my presence or lack thereof slow you down.

Enjoy the game, and Go Bucks!

While making it to two consecutive national championship games apparently gets you mocked south of the Mason-Dixon Line, up here in Columbus, it gets you a raise. That seems reasonable to me. Jim Tressel is now the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten, raking in about $3.5 million a year. That's good for fifth place nationally, according to the Dispatch, which is still a good value for a coach that puts a team in the national championship game annually.

This comes on the heels of something else I wanted to comment on but forgot about in yesterday's post, namely that Doug Worthington will play tomorrow. This is, in my opinion, a dumb decision by Tressel. Okay, so maybe Worthington wasn't any more than buzzing, and maybe he was caught in a bit of a speed trap on campus, but come on. A guy does 40 in a 25, gets charged with a DUI, and doesn't miss a game? Maybe (almost certainly) there was some internal punishment, and maybe this is standard policy, but if so, the policy is dumb. What this appears to say is that Troy Smith taking $500 from a booster (for which he missed two games and lost his starting spot) is worse than getting behind the wheel while drunk, and that seems all kinds of screwy. I understand and generally approve of taking these things on a case-by-case basis, but any decision that could lead to a guy thinking he can get away with drinking and driving without serious punishment is a bad decision. Worthington should have been suspended. Admittedly, missing the Youngstown State game isn't the harshest punishment in the world, but the message it sends is a lot better than the one sent by just losing a starting spot for the same game.

Let me level with you: I'm not going to bother with a Youngstown State preview. Others might (and Tony Gerdeman already has), but it's a 1-AA school. All you need to know is that the Buckeyes should win by twenty, minimum. Not saying they will - last season taught us that anything can happen - but they should.

Instead, let's take a look at the depth chart. First, some (relatively) big news: Kurt Coleman is doubtful for Saturday. From what I've heard, and reading between the lines in that article, it sounds more precautionary than anything. If this was a big game, he'd probably play, but they aren't going to take any chances in a game against Youngstown State. Jermale Hines, who's made the switch to safety from linebacker, is likely to start in his place. Considering Hines could also see the field in nickel situations as a DB/LB hybrid, this is a good chance to get a look at him and see what he brings to the table. Some interceptions would be nice, Jermale.

There's been a bit of discussion about the depth chart (link goes to PDF) that's been released. There are a few surprises on there, and there's no shortage of opinions about what, if anything, it means. Being a blogger, I'm more than willing to put my two cents in. Let's take a look at a few spots on the depth chart:

Terrelle Pryor is the third string QB.
This means nothing, in my opinion. My advice is, at least for now, to look at Pryor as playing a different position from Todd Boeckman and Joe Bauserman. Pryor is going to play, and plenty. You don't bring in the number one recruit in the country to sit him on the bench. I think, though, that no matter what Tressel says, the plays we'll see from Pryor will be different than the plays called for Boeckman. I'm betting he'll have fewer reads to make than Boeckman, and he'll have a lot more designed runs. All the depth chart means is that in the event of a Boeckman injury, the offense will be run by a guy with experience in the system, with Pryor still coming in as a change of pace. Maybe later in the season, once Pryor gets more experience and a more complete grasp of the offense, he'll move up to the backup position, but for now, Tressel wants his quarterback to be as experienced as possible. [Edit: Just realized Pfef basically said this same thing a week ago. I read things, but I don't comprehend or remember them. Much like a drunken, senile kindergartener.]

Brandon Saine isn't on the depth chart at running back, and Boom Herron is ahead of Maurice Wells.
There are two ways of looking at the Saine situation. The Ozone thinks this is the coaching staff's way of telling Saine to learn to play through minor injuries, and that may be true. It's also possible that this is similar to the Coleman situation: he's banged up, and they're holding him out because, hey, it's Youngstown State. He's still listed at kick returner, and I wouldn't be surprised if he sees some time on offense, but for now, injuries are keeping him out in one way or another.

Herron, by all accounts, really came on in fall camp. When they were recruited, everyone was excited about Saine and his talent, but Herron's toughness has proved more valuable going into this weekend's game. I'm surprised, given Tressel's loyalty to his seniors, that Herron beat out Mo Wells. That may be a testament to how far Herron's come in this offseason, or it could be a motivational ploy for Wells, though I haven't heard anything to that effect. We'll still see Mo, though; he's an underrated pass blocker and pretty good in the open field, which should get him playing time in passing situations.

Brandon Smith is the starting fullback.
Until we are given reason to believe otherwise, I'm going with "who cares?" on this one. The only position utilized less in the Ohio State offense than tight end is fullback. However, Smith might provide that reason. He struck me as a pretty athletic guy at tight end, and if he plays well in the backfield, he could provide the backfield receiving option that Chris Wells hasn't been so far (criticizing Wells for not catching passes is sort of like criticizing Jessica Alba for not being a physicist, I know).

Curtis Terry was a linebacker, then a fullback, and now a third-string defensive end.
Either he's a talented guy capable of doing anything, or he's not talented enough to start anywhere, so the coaches are just trying to put him at a position where he can contribute in some way. I don't know which, but he always struck me as solid against the run, so DE seems to be a good place for him.

Cameron Heyward is listed as a DT, and there is no second DE listed.
I'm guessing this is just a quirk in position naming by the coaches. Heyward came in as a DT, and the coaches intend to use him sometimes inside, but I have to assume he's still going to play DE. Unless coaches are trying innovative, reality-bending formations, someone has to be on the other end of the defensive line from Lawrence Wilson. That's just how non-infinite lines work.

Chimdi Chekwa gets the start for the suspended Donald Washington.
No big surprise here, though Shaun Lane will also see some time. This likely means Chekwa has a good shot at locking down the nickelback spot, provided coaches don't bring in a third safety or the aforementioned DB/LB hybrid for extra run support.

Of course, all this is speculation. Saturday, we won't have to worry about speculation. We'll actually have a game to provide some real data and information. Buckeye football is back; it seems like it's been forever, hasn't it?

Halle-fucking-lujiah

And it's about time, too.  Now I don't have to cram myself into a restaurant with only one TV placed at a terrible location where nobody can see the game because of the glare, and I'll actually be able to hear the analysis.  Woohoo!

Bring it on, Penguins, from my basement television.

I've finally gotten around to putting together my notes from watching the Buckeyes' open practice on Monday night.  Overall, the University claims more than 12,000 people were there, but I have no idea how that number could have been reached, because people weren't counted entering the stadium, and the fans were seated so sporatically that estimating the attendance based off of seating would be a very, very rough estimation.  Anyways, on to the practice itself:

• Chalk me up as one of the very few who was not overly impressed with Terrelle Pryor's play.  Obviously, his abilities were limited by way of the black no-contact jersey he was wearing, but just coming off of Tressel's "He's not a runner" comments following the Jersey scrimmage, I was expecting a bit more out of his arm.  From the view of my untrained eye, it appeared that Pryor would hold on to the ball way too long before making a decision to run or throw.  Perhaps when Tressel said Pryor "tries to solve all of his problems with his eyes," he meant that the freshman QB often spends too much time sitting in the backfield trying to read the defense before committing to a pass/scramble.  To put it simply, Pryor looked like a freshman, at least to me.
• Pryor worked primarily with the third team, and Joe Bauserman spent much of his time with the second team.  If I had to guess, Bauserman will be listed as the #2 QB on the depth chart for much of the season (assuming there are no injuries), if only because he is more comfortable with the offense than any true freshman could be.  I'm more than convinced at this point that Pryor will have his own package of offensive plays for the coaches to toy around with throughout the season, but even if something were to happen to Boeckman (e.g. injury, suspension, etc.), I don't think Tressel would be ready to hand over the car keys to him just yet.  If that were to be the case, then Bauserman would take over as starting quarterback, and Pryor would continue to be used as we all expect him to.  That's just speculation, though.
• The following players I noticed either weren't practicing or taking part in the full contact drills: Brian Robiskie, Brandon Saine, Lawrence Wilson, Boom Herron.  There were probably others, as when I was paying closest attention to the DLine throughout practice, I couldn't spot Abdallah, but I don't want to rush to any conclusions (but apparently Kyle Mitchum is banged up as well).  Also, since practice, those four have all returned to practicing.
• Speaking of returning to practice, Big Mike Adams took part in full practice for the first time all camp.  In team drills, Adams looked very rusty, but in the 1-on-1s, he seemed to shut down Cameron Heyward, but he did get burned by the speedier Cameron Heyward.  I'm not going to take too much out of a true freshman's first full practice coming off of shoulder surgery, but you can feel free to judge it all you want.
• Cameron Heyward and Robert Rose were both practicing as ends and inside as tackles.  Rose, rumored earlier to be demoted to the third team, was working with the second team on the inside with Solomon Thomas and Mark Johnson at the outside spots.  Thomas was impressive, but still seems very lanky to play defensive end at a major college (remember, Lawrence Wilson did not participate in practice, so either Thomas or Johnson are actually third teamers, and Rose could very likely be listed as the other #2 end on the depth chart due to the depth at tackle).  Apparently, Curtis Terry played quite a bit DE with the second team, but I obviously wasn't paying close enough attention.
  
• The top two wide receivers who did practice were undoubtedly Brian Hartline and Dane Sanzenbacher.  Hartline appears to have taken his game to the next step, and Sanzenbacher made the best highlight play of everyone, completely burning Donald Washington on 10 yard out-route in the endzone.  The top three receivers with Robiskie out of action were (in order): Hartline, Sanzo, Ray Small.
• The next three receivers (not in order) to get the most reps were Taurian Washington, DeVier Posey, and Flash Thomas, but Stoneburner seemed to be getting his licks as well.
• Brandon Smith appears to be the short-term solution at fullback, and could be due for a more permanent stay there if he continues to be as big a threat catching the ball out of the backfield.  His experience as a TE is probably what led the coaching staff to opt for him over Terry at FB.
• Brewster and Adams both practiced with the third team line, while Shugarts worked with the second team.  Right now, Andy Miller is backing up Alex Boone at LT.
• Is a potential trick play in the works?  On one occasion, I saw Pryor throw a pump fake, then fake the end around handoff to one of the receivers, before running free on a bootleg.  It took a long time to develop, and it obviously wasn't effective with Pryor's black jersey, but keep your eyes open.
• I thought the first team offensive line got the best of the first team defensive line, the rest of the squads were much more even.  Hopefully the tackles don't get tossed around as much like they did towards the end of last season.
• Doug Worthington worked a little bit with the first team defensive line, so I don't expect his punishment to be any more severe than one game.
• Malcolm Jenkins said following the Jersey scrimmage that the one receiver who gave him the most trouble was Dane Sanzenbacher.  This wasn't the case during practice, where MJ shut down Sanzo before nabbing a one-handed interception.

In other news, the team captains were announced today, and despite all of the seniors, it's hard to argue with the selections.  James Laurinaitis was an obvious selection, and is the first two-time captain since Steve Bellisari.  The other defensive captain is (shocker) Malcolm Jenkins, and the two offensive captains are Todd Boeckman and Brian Robiskie.  No complaints here, but I would have liked to see Alex Boone get some love.