Buckeyes 37, Wolverines of scUM 7

(Photo of the team by Marvin Fong of the Plain Dealer)
A 30-point victory against the Wolverines is always sweet. Just imagine what the Buckeyes could do if they ever showed up for the first quarter.
The Good
Offense
Boom Herron had an amazing second half. Especially on that 89-yard run that was really a 97-yard touchdown run (more on that later). And of course when the running back has success, he gets help from the offensive line and the fullback. Dane Sanzenbacher has a future in the NFL. He may not be the biggest or the fastest receiver around, but the dude has good hands. The one catch he had over the middle was amazing. Generally, if you get the ball near him, he'll catch it. I wouldn't say Terrelle Pryor had a spectacular day, but his completion percentage was good and let's face it, he had a good enough day to earn gold pants #3.
Defense
The defense was pretty much lights out after Orhian Johnson forced the fumble by Denard Robinson. Jermale Hines had a good game, breaking up 3 passes. John Simon and Nathan Williams are the kind of player that a coach must love. Both of those guys just find a way to make plays.
Special Teams
Jordan Hall's kickoff return touchdown was great. He got a couple key blocks by Jaamal Berry and Justin Boren at the beginning, then made some good moves to elude tacklers as he got closer to the end zone.
The Bad
Offense
The first two drives netted 15 yards against the #112 defense in the country. Someone tell me why on 3rd and 12, you throw a 4-yard pass to the fullback. Or why on 3rd and 7, you throw a 3-yard pass to the tight end. If you feel you must throw the ball short of the first down marker (and I sure can't figure out why that is necessary), why not throw it to someone who has a good chance of running for the first down after he catches the ball? The offensive line was not good at all in the first half. Luckily, they realized a game was going on.
Defense
Again in the first quarter, the defense could not get off the field. I believe the Wolverines converted four of the first five 3rd downs. But of course, the defense tightened up after a shaky first quarter.
The Ugly
Offense
Another red zone interception for Terrelle Pryor. How many is that this year? Could that be a part of the reason he announced he'll stay for his senior year?
Getting a second excessive celebration penalty was stupid. If the refs called it once, why would you give them any reason to call it again? But while we are on the topic of officials, allow me to say that this crew was terrible. An offensive lineman pulls off Cam Heyward's helmet and that's not a penalty. Cam Heyward gets shoved to the ground after the play is over and that's not a penalty. And I suppose Boom Herron's head made that jerking motion on its own. But then Dane Sanzenbacher gets called for holding as he tries to help Herron score on a 97-yard run. That was about the weakest holding call I've ever seen.
Schwinderjection
Someone get Rich Rodriguez a contract extension. I'll deliver it to him myself.
Under the Radar player of the game
This is an easy one. Jordan Hall's touchdown was the play that really got the Buckeyes going. And the blocks by Jaamal Berry and Justin Boren gave Hall the gap he needed to get moving. For that, they are the co-players of the game.

Buckeyes 38, Hoosiers 10

Well, the Buckeyes are the new #1 team in the country. And wouldn't you know it, they will be tested immediately with a game in Madison. But let's get to the game against the Hoosiers first.
The Good
Offense
OK, so how many of you had Terrelle Pryor's stat line as 24/30 for 334 yards with 3 TDs? Ummm...neither did I. That was as good as we've ever seen him throw the ball. Credit not only to TP for making the throws, but also to the offensive line for giving him loads of time to find his receivers. Oh, and the line did a great job opening a hole on Boom Herron's 39-yard TD run. Seeing a lot of the reserve running backs was pretty good. Carlos Hyde and Jaamal Berry look like they are going to be solid backs.
Defense
The defense held Ben Chappel to 106 passing yards after he had approximately 800 yards passing against scUM. What's that? He only had 480 yards passing against scUM? Well, in any case the defense showed Chappell that he wasn't facing the Wolverines anymore. Altogether, the defense only allowed 210 yards, and that was with a lot of reserves on the field at the end of the game.
The Bad
OK, so TP looked great throwing the ball, but the Buckeyes showed once again that without Pryor, they don't have much of a running game. Herron had 39 yards on his first carry and finished with 68. Hyde and Berry had some good runs, but only once the game was well in hand. A running game usually comes in pretty handy against Wisconsin. Also, giving up 3 sacks to Indiana by halftime? No es bueno.
The Defense
Seriously, is there anything to put here? Let me know if I'm missing anything.
The Ugly
Offense
There wasn't really anything ugly with the offense yesterday, but I'd say we still don't have an answer to the question "Who will run the ball if TP doesn't?"
Officials
Two penalties in the fourth quarter for helmet-to-helmet contact. The first one was questionable at best and the second one was completely bogus. Last I checked, putting your helmet in a guy's chest isn't a penalty.
Schwinderjection
OK, so maybe I was a little out of order with my Schwinderjection about the Miami game.
Under the Radar player of the game
Can there be any debate about this? Sure, the offensive line gave up 3 sacks, and there were an abundance of 1- and 2-yard runs. However, on the plays were the Buckeyes scored, the offensive line did everything it needed to do. And if the QB throws for 334 yards, the offensive line is doing something right.

Buckeyes 21, Wolverines 10

Well, that game was:
a) thrilling
b) entertaining
c) adequate
d) as exciting as the average soccer game.

I don't necessarily want to be critical. After all, the Buckeyes just capped a 10-win Big Ten championship season with a win over the hated Wolverines. However, when you look at scUM's schedule only Western Michigan (7), Eastern Michigan (17), and Delaware State (6) scored fewer points against the maize and blue than Ohio State did. How's that for elite company? That was the sort of game that gets erased from memory as you're watching it.

And what are we to think of Tresselball? The whole point of this conservative style of play is to win the turnover battle and therefore win the game. The Buckeyes certainly won the turnover battle, but if your opponent turns the ball over 4 times more than you do, shouldn't you win by more than 11 points? In other words, what's the point of focusing so much energy on this when you only punt after forcing your opponent into a turnover?

The Good
Offense
Again, the running game was spectacular. Brandon Saine and Dan Herron both had a solid effort, as well they should have against such a poor defense. Terrelle Pryor had some excellent runs. And of course the success of the running game can be attributed to the offensive line doing its job.
Defense
Brian Rolle is THE MAN. He has to be the defensive MVP for the team this year, with Kurt Coleman running a close second. Coleman's 2nd interception was a very good and athletic play. I liked Thad Gibson's interception even better. He was just sitting there waiting for Forcier to throw it to him. Pretty sweet for a defensive lineman. Frankly, the defense did everything it was supposed to do. It limited UM's offensive output, forced 5 turnovers, and even scored a TD. It would have been real nice if the offense could have done more with those turnovers.

The Bad
Offense
Can you say the passing game was bad when it was so negligible? Certainly, Terrelle Pryor's interception falls into this category. It's tough to complete a pass when your wide receiver is carrying a DB on his back.
The Buckeyes are really going to have to learn about pass patterns that go beyond the first down marker. On the first 3rd down of the game, on 3rd and 8, the Buckeyes threw a 3-yard pass. Next, on 3rd and 5, they threw a 3-yard pass. And then, when the Buckeyes actually had a 3rd and 3, the play was a QB sweep. Brilliant.
I have to ask again, why is Brandon Saine being so limited? They seem to put a cap of 12 carries on him, even when he averages 7+ yards per carry.
Defense
I don't want to seem like I am singling out Chimdi Chekwa, but that guy just looks lost on the field. I don't even have a valid theory for what he was doing on scUM's one TD of the day.

The Ugly
Offense/Special Teams
9 punts? 9 punts? Are you kidding me? Against a team that had been giving up 28 points a game (and that includes the games against EMU, WMU, and Delaware State)? Just once, I would like to see the offense play a whole game. Why does the coaching staff feel the need to absolutely call off the dogs after the Buckeyes get a lead? I mean, a 7-point lead is pretty substantial with this defense, but it would be nice to think that the offense actually puts forth effort for the entire game, and I just don't get that feeling at all. Somehow, the Buckeyes manage to drag the rest of the Big Ten into this 1950s style offensive morass, but does anyone think it will be effective against a team like Oregon?

Under the Radar Player of the Game
Well, every one of the wide receivers was under the radar in this game. Rolle, Coleman, Gibson, and Ross Homah all had amazing games. However, since TDs were so rare, I have to give credit to someone on the offense as the UtR player of the game. And I will do just that. On Saine's TD, Jim Cordle sealed off the edge and allowed Saine to get down the sideline and into the end zone. Congrats to Cordle for being the UtR player of the game against scUM.

Open letter to Buckeyes players and coaches

Dear Buckeyes,
I fully believe that you will wrap up another successful season by beating the Wolverines. After all, that is the true measuring stick of a successful season: a victory of Michigan. However, I feel I need to say this after getting to know this team's modus operandi. Specifically, when the Buckeyes get a lead, the offense has a tendency to go very conservative, and, I'll just say it, predictable. As I mentioned, I believe not only that the Buckeyes will win, but also that you will get an early lead on that team up north. It is clear that this team embraces the offense of Woody Hayes. I implore you to also embrace the philosophy of Woody Hayes. That is to say, if you have the chance to bury the Wolverines, you do it, and don't let up. Hang a loss on the Wolverines that would make Woody proud, especially if it means going for two late in the game with an already substantial lead.
Go Bucks! Beat the Blue!
Sincerely,
Gary Schwind
Loyal Buckeye fan and alum.

Previewing The Game

I don't normally preview games, but I feel comfortable doing this one. When you look at this game, you have to realize that the Buckeyes could hang 50 on the maize and blue. UM gave up 33 points to Indiana. In the past 4 weeks, UM's opponents have scored 35, 38 (twice), and 45. In other words, the defense, already bad, has gotten worse. Good news, right? There is nothing stopping the Buckeyes from hanging half a hundred on the hated ones.
Only, if it does happen, 3 of the TDs will come from the defense. Here is how I see it. Ohio State will take an early lead, 7-0 or 10-0. Then the offense will run 21 consecutive running plays, resulting in at least a couple three-and-outs. Along the way, UM will manage to tie the game. At that point, maybe, just maybe, the Buckeyes will rediscover the forward pass and score a couple more times. In the 4th quarter, instead of getting some playing time for the reserves, TP will still be slinging 5-yard passes and handing off to whatever running back is averaging a roubst 3.5 yards per carry. In the end, thanks to the ultra-conservative gameplan, it's closer than it should be.

Sure, the Buckeyes clinched the Rose Bowl, but...

The men of the scarlet and gray still have some business to take care of. Just ask Bo Biafra of Dead Schembechlers.