Buckeyes 26, Ducks 17

This installment of the weekly Buckeyes wrap-up is brought to you by cheese, and the state of Alabama (drop me a line if you'd like to know why). Well, it may not have been the most exciting game I have ever seen (the 1st half especially), but it certainly was exciting to see the Buckeyes come through in a big game instead of giving us a movie we've seen before. Oh, and by the way, I have to give myself a pat on the back for nailing the 1st quarter score. Let's get to it, shall we?

The Good
Offense
I have been as fierce a critic of Ohio State's offense as anyone. I have criticized it for being predictable and uninspired. And let's face it, we certainly did see some of that, but the offense came through when it needed to. That was refreshing. I mean, when the Buckeyes got the ball with 12 minutes to play and a 2-point lead, I never expected to see them score a touchdown. But that is exactly what they did, and there was no bigger play than the pass to Jake Ballard (more on that later). I'll tell you something else I never expected: 37 pass attempts by the Buckeyes offense. Or 23 completions by Terrelle Pryor. I am sure I wasn't the only one astounded by the fact that the Buckeyes came out slinging the ball on the first drive. Even more surprising than actually passing the ball was the fact that the Buckeyes broke tradition and actually scored a touchdown on the first drive. I frankly didn't realize that was possible for this team. Devier Posey had an incredible game. While the running game wasn't very noteworthy, it is very hard to argue with 41 and a half minutes of possession. And that, is how you beat Oregon: keep that offense off the field.
Defense
Let's face it. The defense was pretty much nails all day, particularly since the special teams gave Oregon such good field position all day. Masoli is the guy that makes the Ducks offense go, and he was bottled up. LaMichael James had a good game, but the defense did not allow him to run wild as he did for most of the season. Ross Homan had a real good game. So did Doug Worthington and Thad Gibson.
Special teams
The field goal kickers were good in this game. It's a good thing too because they accounted for most of the points through 3 quarters.
The Bad
Offense
OK, so the offense scored a late TD to seal the game, but it was not without its problems. They had 1st and goal from the 6 and 1st and goal from the 10, and ended up with 2 field goals. Plus, there was some of the predictability that we have come to know (although not necessarily love).
Defense
Hard to complain about the defense when it allowed only 260 yards to the potent Oregon offense. However, the 2 TD drives Oregon had were accomplished with very little resistance.
The Ugly
Offense
Terrelle's interception was the result of a really poor decision. He threw it at 2 defenders and I could see that one coming. Literally, it was coming right in my direction at the stadium. There was one pass to Sanzenbacher that ended up incomplete simply because Sanzenbacher didn't even realize the ball was coming his way. There were a couple other passes that should have been caught, but weren't. Oh, and someone tell TP that if a receiver (like Taurian Washington on a couple plays) lines up with no defender in front of him, he should throw the ball to that receiver.
Defense
Oregon's 2 4th down conversions belong here because of how they happened. Chimdi Chekwa, how do you let your guy get open beyond the sticks on 4th and 9? And Devon Torrence, why on earth do you give your guy a 5-yard cushion on 4th and 2?
Special Teams
I have no idea what was up with the kick coverage in this game, but it was miserable. It's a good thing the defense was as stout as it was, considering how many times the special teams allowed Oregon to have a short field.
Under the Radar Player of the Game
I think Ross Homan had a really good game. In fact, it would be easy to give this to the entire defense. However, I think someone more exemplifies what the UtR player of the game is all about. On the Buckeyes 4th quarter touchdown drive, Jake Ballard made the catch on 3rd down to keep that drive going. When Pryor threw that ball, my response went something like "OHCRAP!OHWOW!" Ballard went up to get that ball, and it kept the drive going. If he doesn't make that catch, the Buckeyes punt the ball to Oregon with 7 or so minutes to go. Congrats to the Buckeyes on another successful season and a big Rose Bowl win.

Buckeyes celebrate on bench as clock ticks down

Rose Bowl preview

WARNING: If you thought my first look at the OSU-Oregon matchup was a downer, then by all means read no further. I'd love to tell you that when I look at this game it's all sunshine and daisies and skipping through lollipop fields singing "Happy Together." Unfortunately, I don't see those things.

Here is my recurring nightmare when I look at this game.
Ohio State's first drive - 3 and out. (Why break tradition?)
Oregon's first drive - The Ducks get some first downs, but ultimately the D holds and Oregon punts.
OSU drive #2 (Don't worry, I am not going to do a drive-by-drive preview of the game.) Brandon Saine gets 70 of 85 yards and caps the drive with a 55-yard TD run. Buckeyes 7, Ducks 0. (Unfortunately, Saine only gets 4 more carries the rest of the game.)
After a Ducks turnover, the Bucks play it conservatively and settle for a field goal. Buckeyes 10, Ducks 0.
NOTE: If it was sunshine and daisies you were looking for, you'll want to stop reading now.
The Buckeyes head in to the 2nd quarter with a 10-0 lead and the offense promptly takes the next 20 minutes of the game off while the Ducks offense most certainly does not. The Ducks build a lead during that period in which the Buckeyes offense forget a game is in progress. By the middle of the 3rd quarter, the Buckeyes offense realizes it had better do something. Only by that point it's too late to grind out a 1958-style victory against Oregon's potent offense. The defense does its level best, but in the end, it spends too much time on the field. (Yeah, we've seen that movie before.)

Now, I would like to indulge my fine sense of hubris and think that this somehow reaches the Buckeyes players. I would like to think that they'll use this as motivation to prove me wrong. I certainly hope that is the case. By all means, Buckeyes, prove me wrong.