Buckeyes 42, Wolverines 7

It was a slow start, but once the Buckeyes got rolling, that game was real fun to watch.

The Good
Offense
It took the offense a while to get going, but they made it worth the wait. Beanie's TD was awesome, and it came at a time when it looked like we were headed for a 3-0 game. The blocking on that play was real nice. It made me wonder where the offensive line had been up to that point. The touchdown drive at the beginning of the second half was flipping awesome. Two yards of more than 40 yards and a touchdown in less than a minute of play. I was kind of hoping Beanie would take that play all the way to the house, but Dan Herron's 49-yard TD run was pretty sweet. Brian Hartline had a real nice game for someone who has been invisible for a good part of the year. Speaking of invisible, it was good to see Ray Small reappear in this game with the long kick return. I am a big fan of Dane Sanzenbacher. I think he was the most consistent receiver all season.

Defense
When the defense allows only 7 points, it has done its part. Sheridan completed only one-third of his passes, and the Wolverines only went for 2.7 yards per carry. Dexter Larimore and Cameron Heyward each had a sack, and the defense forced a fumble. Overall, the defense allowed fewer than 200 yards. Any time that happens, the defense has had a solid performance. The defense was especially strong after TP's interception. To give UM the ball that close to the end zone, and to force them to come away with 0 points...that was awesome.

The Bad
Offense
It sure would be nice if the Buckeyes offense didn't begin every game sluggishly. The offensive line was doing TP no favors in the early part of the game. I was more than a little disgusted to see TP get sacked 3 times in the first quarter. When Mo Wells got in the game, he showed why he is the king of the run of 2 yards or fewer.

Defense
In the 2nd quarter, the defense seemed to take a little vacation. The defense seems to have at least one drive every game where it just vanishes. That certainly was the case on UM's one touchdown drive.

The Broadcast
I realize Bob Griese gets paid to talk, and sometimes he has to fill air time. However, he was the king of "If..." in this game. At the end of the first half, he said it would be a different game without the Buckeyes 2 big plays. Yeah, Bob. It would have been a different game if you took away the Buckeyes 2 first half touchdowns.

The Ugly
TP's interception was really bad. Maybe we've just gotten used to him looking like he's more experienced than a freshman. He really reminded us on that play that he is only a freshman.
I didn't like seeing Malcolm Jenkins get so wound up at the beginning of the game. Yes, it is the Michigan game, but you can't show the other team you can be baited like that.

Under the Radar Player of the Game
There are some good candidates for the award in this game, including Pryor. I know what you're thinking. How can the QB be the UtR player of the game? In this case, Pryor gets consideration because he made the tackle after his interception. Instead of getting 7 points, UM got nothing. You could pick Laurinaitis or Coleman, and that would be a good selection. However...the UtR player of the game is Jim Cordle. On Beanie's TD run, Cordle took out 2 guys with one block, and that was the play that got the Buckeyes going.

I was sincerely hoping that the Buckeyes would put 50 on the maize and blue, but I'll take a 35-point victory over those bums anytime.

Buckeyes 26, Bobcats 14

OK, big sigh of relief. And the fact that we need a big sigh of relief after a game against OU is a little horrifying.

The Good
Believe it or not, there are some things to put here. Lawrence Wilson had a good game. His tip and interception (not to mention the return) were outstanding. Jermale Hines had a great hit that put the starting QB out of the game. Of course, that meant the backup came in and was able to do what he did, but the hit against the starter was sweet. Ray Small's punt return was awesome. He looked a lot like Ted Ginn on that play with his breakaway speed. Dan Herron ran pretty well when he got the chance. Now, any Buckeye fan knows that the team is good for at least one of these stinker games every season. Let's hope they got it out of their system. Also, think about this. The Buckeyes were somnambulant for three quarters of the game and still won by 12. That pretty much concludes the good.

The Bad
Offense
How about the fact that the Buckeyes were losing by 8 in the 3rd quarter to the OU Bobcats? That in itself would be bad enough. Unfortunately, that wasn't all. The offense was sluggish at best. Receivers dropped balls that went right through their hands. The running backs did a tremendous job of running right into the pile created by the utter lack of blocking by the offensive line. Brian Robiskie thus far has done his best impression of the Invisible Man. By the 3rd quarter, the offense looked like it hadn't worn down the OU defense at all.

Defense
On some plays, it looked like we didn't have any linebackers in the game. The defensive line was hardly noticeable. I don't remember hearing Larimore's name until the 3rd quarter. Someone might want to check if Robert Rose was actually in the game. I sure didn't notice him. Overall, they made a backup QB look like Vince Young...or at least Juice Williams.

The Ugly
Third down was pathetic on both sides of the ball. The Bobcats were able to convert 9 of 17, while the Buckeyes were only able to convert 5 of 15. That is not going to work against USC. I will NEVER understand why, on 3rd down, you throw a pass that doesn't even reach the first down marker. Why do this? If it's 3rd and 5, don't throw a 2-yard pass. Throw a 5-yard pass. Revolutionary, I know. The Buckeyes won the turnover battle 4 to 1, but weren't able to convert those turnovers into any significant points. Pretorius's two missed kicks were about as ugly as I have ever seen. At least he was a team player and joined the funk with everyone else. Finally, the worst part of this game was that not one of the seniors tried to rally the troops. You would think that if the team is losing by 8 points to OU in the 3rd quarter, one of those guys might step up, raise his voice and say, "I don't know about you guys, but I am NOT going to lose to Ohio U!" The team showed no heart and looked like it was well on its way to losing to a MAC team.

Dumb comment of the day.
This belongs to Ray Bentley. After a particularly lousy throw to Hartline on the sideline sailed out of bounds by at least 4 yards, Bentley talked about how lucky Boeckman was because if the DB had intercepted it, he would have taken it for 6. Yeah, Ray. Maybe the DB would have intercepted it...if he were 9 feet tall.

Under the Radar Player of the Game
As mentioned, Lawrence Wilson had a really good game. He looked like he was on his way to capturing the UtR player of the game. That is, until Shaun Lane recovered that fumbled punt. That is the sort of play that makes someone the UtR player of the game.

Get ready for a long week of all the experts throwing dirt on the Buckeyes. That will be particularly unsavory for those of us living in soCal. And let's hope they got all of that lethargy and funk out of their system. if the Buckeyes play like that against the Trojans, they'll be done by halftime.

Buckeyes 43, Penguins 0

Isn't it great to have college football back? I think I enjoy the return of college football a little more every year.

The Good
We certainly got to see a lot of players on the field in this game, which I thought was great. This is a talented squad and it was good to see that this season and future seasons are in very capable hands. Plus, with so many players seeing playing time, future opponents have a lot to prepare for.
Offense
Boeckman, as expected, was very accurate. I wouldn't say he set the world on fire, but he did what we have come to expect from him. Beanie delivered the goods too. The guy is just an incredible back. Brian Hartline once again showed that if it's close, he can catch it. His first catch of the game was brilliant. Boeckman put the ball right where it needed to be and Hartline tracked it down. Speaking of brilliant...Terrelle Pryor is going to be very tough to defend. Ryan Pretorius looked like the return of the Nuge. It looks like the Buckeyes will have a reliable kicking game, which is always a positive. Mo Wells had some good runs when he got his hand on the ball. When your #4 running back can go for 6 yards a carry, you are doing something right. Also a promising sign was the fact that the offense didn't take many penalties.
Defense
What can you say about the defense? it allowed only 73 yards on 39 plays. Marcus Freeman had a very good game as did Jermale Hines. The running game for the Penguins was nonexistent, not that the passing game was much better. I really liked the performance by the defense.

The Bad
OK, so it's really hard to find a lot of bad things in this performance. The offense settled for far too many field goals, but the team still won by 43 points. Honestly, I don't have anything else to put here.

The Ugly
I think we all know what has to go here. Seeing Beanie go down in the third quarter, and then seeing him carted off the field must have caused all of us to hold our breath. What makes it worse is that it was such a weird play. It was hard to see when the injury might have occurred. The good news is that the Buckeyes won't need him next week, but I certainly hope this injury won't keep him out of the USC game.

Under the Radar Player of the Game
In a game like this one, it's always difficult to pick a UtR player of the game, but you know, dear reader, that I will not let you down. Lots of players got on the field and lots of players showed us some good stuff. Grant Schwartz had a couple special teams tackles. Dane Sanzenbacher had some good blocks. But I have to say the UtR player of the game is Marcus Freeman. He seemed like he was everywhere. It's hard to believe he only finished with 6 tackles.

Let's hope Beanie's foot is OK, and that the defense can keep this going.