Buckeyes 31, Razorbacks 26

Ah, nothing like a comfortable win. And that was nothing like a comfortable win.
The Good
Defense
Cam Heyward and Dexter Larimore were both great in the first half. Ryan Mallett was clearly rattled whenever he had to move in the pocket. Mallett completed only slightly more than half of his passes, so the defense was doing something right. I've made Chimdi Chekwa a target for criticism so many times in his time at OSU. However, I have to say it was a shame that he got injured. The play where he was injured was the best play I've ever seen from him. And of course, there was Solomon Thomas, who sealed the game. That was amazing.
Offense
I missed the first drive, but I heard on the radio that the Buckeyes were going with a no-huddle offense. Wow! And they were having success with it. Double wow! I frankly had no idea the Buckeyes were capable of such a thing. Terrelle Pryor had a lot of success running the ball. He had some success throwing the ball too, thanks in part to receivers who bailed him out on some poor throws. For instance, Dane Sanzenbacher's TD reception. Obviously, it was not an ideal pass, but Sanzenbacher still made the grab because that is what he does. I feel pretty comfortable saying that no other receiver on the team would have made that catch.
I was amazed to see some throws to the tight end in the first half. That tight end screen (run to both Reid Fragel for 44 yards and Jake Stoneburner) was astounding. I have never seen the Buckeyes run that play before last night. Herron had some good runs in the first quarter. If I remember right, he had 40+ yards in the first quarter. Everything was going great. The offense clicked. The defense made Ryan Mallett look very ordinary. The Buckeyes had an 18-point lead at halftime. Which brings us to...
The Bad
We all know that getting a big lead against a good team is the worst thing that can happen with the Buckeyes. This is a team that will not go out and finish the other team like Stanford did to Virginia Tech (a lot can be learned from that game). No, this team will sit on that lead and just hope the defense is good enough to keep the opponent out of the end zone. In the second half, the creativity was gone, and it was replaced with predictable Tressel-ball. Just look at the play-by-play summary of the second half. There sure were a lot of run plays to the right side of the line on first down.
And the defense was not much better. It seemed like every time Knile Davis got the ball, he picked up at least 8 yards. And while Mallett's completion percentage wasn't great, his receivers sure did rack up some yardage.
The Ugly
The second half was essentially Murphy's Law for the Buckeyes. A fumble on 4th and 1, where Boom Herron would have made a first down...if only he had remembered to take the ball with him. That blocked punt was unbelievable. The defender made a great effort, but how on earth do you let the punt get blocked in that situation? HOLY COW!
And let's not forget the refs in this section. The most egregious non-call of the night came in the second half when Pryor threw the ball to Corey Brown. The defender just launched himself and took Corey Brown out. How is that not pass interference? The safety was questionable. I don't think there is too much question that Herron's forward progress was stopped outside of the end zone.
Schwinderjection
Terrelle Pryor should get a late Christmas gift (no, not a tattoo) for Dane Sanzenbacher. Dane bailed out TP twice: recovering that fumble in the end zone, and catching a lousy pass for a touchdown.
Under the Radar player of the game
The entire offense was under the radar for all of the second half, but none of them gets the award. The players of the game are on the defensive side of the ball. Cam Heyward had 3.5 tackles for loss, Dexter Larimore had 2 sacks, and of course Solomon Thomas with the great interception to preservethe win for the Buckeyes.

Buckeyes 24, Fighting Illini 13

Give the Buckeyes points for consistency. Whether it's in the 'Shoe or in that drafty old barn in Champaign, the scarlet and gray always struggles more with the Illini than it should.
The Good
Offense
As always, Terrelle Pryor was money in the run game. That 66-yard run in the first quarter was amazing. What is most amazing about seeing him run is that he looks like's not even exerting himself. It was nice to see one of the running backs finally show up. Boom Herron ended up with some good numbers. I'll just say it, by the second half, it was good to see any running back get more than one yard on a carry. Oh, and it was nice to see a drive of almost 8 minutes, even if it did result in only a field goal.
Defense
The defense did what we've come to expect. It gave up only 11 first downs and 251 total yards. Ross Homan is always around the ball. You could say the same for Brian Rolle and Nathan Williams in this game. Cameron Heyward is just a lot for any offensive lineman to handle.
The Bad
Offense
Even before TP went down, that was as big a dose of Tresselball as we have seen in a while. At one point, the Buckeyes had a 1st and 22. And ran three consecutive running plays. The play calling led me to believe that the Buckeyes might as well have punted on first down. After that series, we wondered if any other FBS team (aside from the service academies and maybe Georgia Tech) would have had the same philosophy in that situation. I understand wanting to remain conservative in a place as windy as Memorial Stadium, but isn't there more than one run play in the road playbook?
Defense
Overall, the defense had a pretty good game, but the Illini seemed to have a pretty easy time of things on its TD drive. There was some poor tackling and no pass rush.
The Ugly
Offense
Aside from an abundance of 1- and 2-yard runs in the first half, there is only one thing to put here. I don't know about where you were watching the game, but at Dave and Busters in Irvine, the place went silent after TP went down in the third quarter.
Special Teams
Isn't there anyone on the OSU campus that can punt the ball more than 30 yards? Maybe teach this kid how to kick rugby style, where he gets the ball and runs to one side before kicking it.
Officials
I realize that holding can probably be called on every play. I also realize that part of being an offensive lineman is knowing how to get away with holding. It's understandable that a ref might miss an offensive lineman grabbing the front of a defender's jersey. However, I don't think I have ever seen so much holding of the back of a defender's jersey. That seemed to be the entire strategy for the Illinois offensive line. I guess if you can get away with it, why not?
Schwinderjection
You know that scene in A Christmas Story where Ralphie is holding the lugnuts in the hubcap and then the lugnuts go flying, and he says "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuudge!" Only he doesn't really say fudge. I think that was probably the response across Buckeye Nation when Pryor went down and didn't get up immediately. Granted, he's not the best passer I've ever seen (although his completion percentage is pretty good this year), but the idea of losing him is a little horrifying simply because he has more rush yards than any running back so far.
Under the Radar player of the game
There are definitely some good candidates on defense, but this week the award goes to Nathan Williams. He had 2 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks as part of his 9 total tackles.

Buckeyes 43, Bobcats 7

Let's get right to it, shall we?
The Good
Offense
It's a funny thing. Ohio State put up 43 points and 439 yards, but no one had the sort of game that makes you sit up and say "Wow!" Terrelle Pryor had a tremendous first half and ended with some pretty good numbers. I'll take 22 out of 29 every week. Dane Sanzenbacher had an amazing one-handed catch in the first half. And if that weren't enough, he finished the play by getting the first down. Jake Stoneburner had five receptions. I ask you, when was the last time an OSU tight end had five receptions in a game? Devier Posey had another good game. He definitely looks like the go-to receiver.
Defense
Wrap your mind around this one. The Buckeyes defense gave up only seven first downs in the entire game. The Bobcats finished with 158 total yards. That means the defense is doing a bang-up job. Ross Homan had a good game. The guy had four tackles in the first quarter. Devon Torrence was good. Cameron Heyward is a total beast.
Special Teams
Well, the special teams definitely had a better game. Aside from the return which would have given the Bobcats a 7-3 lead, the special teams did what it was supposed to do.
The Bad
Offense
I would have liked to see more from the running game. I mean, the opponent was a MAC team and the Buckeyes averaged only 3.9 yards per carry for the whole game. I know that's good enough for the Woody Hayes offense, but I think they could have done better against the competition.
Defense
I wished the defense could have finished with a shutout, but it's hard to complain about a performance like this.
The Ugly
I know what you're thinking. How could I have anything in the ugly for this game? How about the end of the first half? After 16 consecutive completions, Terrelle threw one short, then was sacked, then threw an interception. No es bueno.
Schwinderjection
Dear Jake Stoneburner, I realize you had a good game and I congratulate you. However, for the Buckeyes to maintain the status quo, I'm afraid Pryor won't be able to throw you the ball again until at least the Purdue game.
Under the Radar player of the game
Ross Homan would be a great candidate for this. However, I can go a little more under the radar than that. Devon Torrence caused the interception in the first quarter. If you ask me, that set the tone for the defense in the game and for that he is the UtR player of the game.

Buckeyes 36, Hurricanes 24

Well, no one is going to say it was a perfect game, but a 12-point win over a top 15 team is a good thing.
The Good
Offense
Thank goodness for Terrelle Pryor running the ball. Although that is sort of a good news-bad news sort of deal. It's good that he ran for 113 yards, but it's not great that the running backs weren't very spectacular. Boom Herron looked pretty good running the ball too. Aside from that, the offense was really pedestrian.
Defense
If you look at the stats, you wouldn't necessarily see a great performance by the defense. However, this is one of those games where you need to look beyond total yardage. The Buckeyes defense not only forced four turnovers, but also held the Hurricanes offense to only 10 points. I think any of us will happily take that. John Simon had a really good game. So did Nathan Williams and Cameron Heyward. And Chimdi Chekwa. I mean, he has been a favorite target for me (and opposing offenses) as long as he has been a Buckeye. But you have to give the guy credit for his two interceptions. I sure didn't have that one pegged before the game.
Special Teams
Devin Barclay made five field goals. The end.
The Bad
Offense
For all his offensive heroics, Pryor completed only 12 of 27 passes. And some of those pass attempts were downright awful. Like the time he threw the ball and the four (yes, four) closest guys to the ball were wearing Miami jerseys. Brandon Saine averaged a robust 0.6 yards per carry. Ouch.
Also, this wasn't really bad, but I was a little disappointed that the Buckeyes didn't try to hang 40 on the 'Canes. I get it. It's not Tressel's style, plus the Buckeyes have to play in Miami next year. Still, I kind of feel that if you get the chance to put 40 on the board against Miami, you do it. You know Miami wouldn't be shy about tacking on another TD.
Defense
Again, what can you say other than the defense gave up more yards than we're used to seeing.
Officials
I know what you're thinking. How can I criticize the officials when Miami had eight penalties and the Buckeyes had two? Just answer me this. How many times did you see a Buckeyes defender get molested (or tackled) by an offensive lineman and nothing was called? If I can see it 2,200 miles away, how come the refs cannot see it on the field.
The Ugly
Offense
Oh, I don't know. Some of TP's passes. Saine gaining less than one yard per carry.
Special Teams
Um, did you see the game? It wouldn't surprise me if both special teams coaches were looking for work after this game. Two return touchdowns in a game? Yeesh!
Schwinderjection
Yes, loyal reader. It's a new feature here on the weekly write-up. This will be my unique spin on something about the game. After the game when Jim Tressel and Randy Shannon were shaking hands, I couldn't help but think that each one said the same thing to the other: "You'll have a solid club once you get a real quarterback."
Under the Radar player of the game
There are some good candidates here. Nathan Williams is a solid player who had another good game. Cam Heyward was really good also. But I have to tell you the player that is most deserving of the award this week is John Simon. He harrassed Jacory Harris for a lot of the day and just seemed to be around the ball a lot.

Buckeyes 24, Nittany Lions 7

[photos of Ray Small and Cameron Heyward by Marvin Fong/The Plain Dealer]

This installment of the weekly Buckeyes wrap-up is brought to you by every veteran's favorite appetizer: deep-fried onions.

OK, I'll admit it. I predicted a Buckeyes loss before the game began. I thought the Buckeyes would lose 17-12 (I was giving them credit for 2 TDs, but no PATs). Considering how the Buckeyes have fared in big games in recent years, that seemed feasible. What a pleasant surprise to see the scarlet and gray play the way they did.

The Good
Offense
The end of the 3rd quarter and all of the 4th quarter were pretty amazing. Starting of course with the 62-yard TD pass to Posey. I never expected that play to be called. (I'm sure Penn State didn't expect it.) I was even more amazed when it was completed for a TD. Why doesn't Bollman try things like that more frequently. The final TD drive had some surprises too. Like a pass to the FB (the 2nd of the game, mind you) on a short-yardage play. And also rolling out Pryor and throwing to Saine for the TD. Penn State had no idea how to handle that because they had never seen a Tressel team try anything like that. Oh, and props to the coaching staff for discovering a little play called the bubble screen. Boy, it sure didn't feel like the offense racked up 225 rushing yards, but it did. Saine had some really good carries, and the O-line opened up some nice holes. I don't like to play the "should've" game, but just think about this. This easily could have been a 34-0 game if: the team attempted and made a field goal from the 28-yard line, Darryl Clark's TD was rightly negated, and TP connects with Dane Sanzenbacher at the end of the first half.
Defense
The defense just strangled PSU all game. It was nice to see the D register a sack on Clark's first snap. He never did get comfortable, as demonstrated by his 42.9 completion percentage and only 125 yards passing. Chew on this. The defense allowed only 201 total yards and 9 first downs. That is pretty incredible, particularly against the #11 team in the country. Cameron Heyward was en fuego in this game. He was unstoppable. Thaddeus Gibson had a really solid game also, and Ross Homan should have had at least 2 interceptions. Oh, and since Clark didn't actually cross the goal line, this really should count as another shutout for the defense.
Special Teams
Ray Small was incredible. He gave the team just what it needed to get started in this game: a chance to start a drive at Penn State's 9-yard line. He ended up with 128 return yards, and that was nice to see.
The Bad
Offense
Early in the game, it looked like it would be another sputtering performance. There were a lot of 3rd-and-long situations, which of course is not where this offense excels. The receivers dropped a couple balls that looked like easy completions. I'm not sure what was up with that.
Defense
There isn't really anything to put here, except the penalties. And Ross Homan's dropped interception.
The Ugly
Offense
In the 2nd quarter, this looked like a movie we have seen before. The offense scores early, the defense is nails, and then the offense can't stay on the field long enough to give the defense a break. Then at the end of the game, the D is dead tired and gives up a game-winning TD. OK, so that didn't happen. I'm still mystified by the fact that the offense made it to the 28-yard line...and punted. I doubt any other team in college football would have handled it that way. Of course, it was even more maddening when the Buckeyes tried a FG from only 3 yards closer. Weird decisions.
Defense
None.
Under the Radar player of the game
Naturally, there are a lot of good candidates for it this week, but for me it is not a difficult choice. Ray Small was a tremendous catalyst for the offense, setting up the first score. And all in all, he just had a good day returning kicks. And then there was Cameron Heyward. Darryl Clark got quite a few introductions to Mr. Heyward in this game. So, there you have it. Small and Heyward are your UtR players of the game.

Buckeyes 38, Rockets 0

This was a game of surprises. No, I haven't grown so jaded that I thought the Buckeyes would lose to Toledo. However, I did think that in the spirit of the Buckeyes, the game would be much closer. (I predicted 23-13 before kickoff.) Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is the fact that all of the surprises in the game were pleasant.
The Good
Offense
OK, now I know that the defenses of Toledo and USC are leagues apart, but there was a much different approach to this game than there was to the game against the Trojans. Last week, the Buckeyes looked like a team that was truly afraid to get a first down, or even advance the ball at all. There certainly was nothing like that in this game. I had no idea the Buckeyes were capable of 500+ yards in a game. Did you honestly expect you would see the following from Ohio State: rollouts, QB draws, deep passes over the defense, passing on 1st down, passing in the red zone? Neither did I. And yet, that's exactly what we the fans were treated to. We were treated to an offense that wasn't afraid to actually try things to move the ball down the field. Amazing what can happen when the offense looks beyond page 1 of the playbook. Terrelle Pryor looked (more) like the player who has been advertised since he committed to Ohio State. It was nice to see what the kid can do if he is allowed to use his abilities. Brandon Saine looked pretty good. So did Jordan Hall. In fact, I am looking forward to seeing a lot more of Hall. The offensive line was good, and Dane Sanzenbacher had an awesome game. I can't remember the last time the Buckeyes had a 70+ yard TD pass.
Defense
Well, the Buckeyes pitched a shutout. What more can you say about that? Brian Rolle is clearly the linchpin of this defense. Heyward had a really solid game. So did Chimdi Chekwa. (I know. I don't say that very often.) I wouldn't mind seeing more of Nathan Williams. That dude plays hard and seems to find the ball.
The Bad
TP's second interception was pretty silly. Not only did he throw it off of his back foot, but he also threw into double coverage. TP, there is no shame in lobbing the ball 10 yards out of bounds in a situation like that.
Defense
None.
The Ugly
Offense
You would think that in a 38-0 game, I wouldn't have anything to put in the ugly. You'd be wrong. The Buckeyes had 4 false start penalties. Really. And they spread them around. If I remember correctly, each penalty was committed by a different offensive lineman. I don't know that I've ever seen anything quite like that.
Defense
None.
Under the Radar Player of the Game
In a game like this, it is often hard to pinpoint a player who fits the criteria of this distinction. After all, the game was never in doubt, so how can you say who did something unnoticed to help the Buckeyes win? Which makes this the perfect opportunity to recognize a player I haven't always praised. Chimdi Chekwa broke up 2 downfield passes that could have been big plays, and for that, he is the UtR player of the game.
Afterword
Good news and bad news. The good news is that USC lost, and that's always good. Let's face it, the Buckeyes are not making the BCS championship game, so it doesn't really matter if Buckeyes opponents are good or not. The bad news is that Washington (yes, the W on the helmet also stood for Winless last season) finished what the Buckeyes could not. Ruminate on that for a moment. But keep your chin up, Trojan fan. USC probably will only drop 1 or 2 spots. You know, like when the Trojans lost to Stanford. At home.