Tag: Ohio State Buckeyes (Page 18 of 22)

      New polls released: Texas No. 1…USC No. 4??

      October 13, 2008 /

      Texas LonghornsThanks to their thrilling 45-35 win over previously top-ranked Oklahoma, the Texas Longhorns moved into the No. 1 spot in the latest college football rankings.

      USA Today Top 25:

      1. Texas
      2. Alabama
      3. Penn State
      4. USC
      5. Texas Tech
      6. Oklahoma
      7. Florida
      8. BYU
      9. Georgia
      10. Oklahoma State

      I hate to pick on Texas Tech because they’re exciting to watch, but they’re proof that the college football system is crap. These are the teams the Red Raiders have beaten this year: Eastern Washington, Nevada, Southern Methodist, Massachusetts, Kansas State and Nebraska. And they had to go into overtime to beat Nebraska. On neutral ground, I’ve got to believe Florida and Oklahoma beat Texas Tech.

      And USC is already back in the top 5, are you kidding me? I’m not a big Ohio State advocate, but their only loss was to USC back in mid-September and they still can’t crack the top 10. Yet the Trojans lost to an unranked Oregon State team three weeks ago and they’re magically back in the top 5? What a crock.

      College Football

      Ohio State’s Pryor proves he’s more than ready for prime time

      October 5, 2008 /

      ESPN’s Mark May might not think so, but Ohio State freshman quarterback Terelle Pryor is clearly ready for the big stage of college football. Pryor certainly proved that last night in the Buckeyes’ 20-17 victory over Wisconsin.

      Terrelle PryorForced to pass in those final six minutes with OSU trailing, 17-13, Pryor threw to Brian Hartline for 19 yards, again for 27 yards, and finally hit Ray Small for 13 yards. On the long one to Hartline, who fumbled to teammate Brian Robiskie after the last of a night of savage Wisconsin hits, Pryor went to his third receiver. Coach Jim Tressel loves that kind of poise.

      Pryor also made plenty of mistakes, “young” plays as he said. In the first half, he once threw deep for Brandon Saine, covered the way the tabloids cover Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears. Wisconsin plucked it like a ripe grape.

      He got turned the wrong way on a maximum blitz and had nowhere to put the ball. The result was a 16-yard sack, the second such huge loss he has absorbed in three games.

      This is what good teams do to young quarterbacks. They mix it up. They hit him where he thinks they ain’t. They burst the bubble. He seemed caught in an agony of indecision at times, pump-faking, not finding open receivers, then eating the ball for losses.

      In the last 90 seconds of the first half, deep in his own territory, Pryor could not find wide receiver DeVier Posey over the middle, although he was as open as a drive-thru window late. The three-and-out gave Wisconsin time to drive for the field goal that gave the Badgers a 10-7 halftime lead.

      He could not get it into the end zone in the third quarter from first-and-goal at the 2. A field goal gave Ohio State a 10-10 tie.

      The stage had dwarfed the freshman. What did you expect?

      How could anyone reinflate a popped bubble?

      He trotted onto the field, 80 yards from the touchdown he needed to steal the game. Camp Randall Stadium was rocking, seesawing from side to side on its foundations, as the Buckeyes reeled.

      “Big drive,” Tressel told Pryor.

      Big finish, too.

      Pryor has been outstanding in his development so far and what’s even better is that he’s a fierce competitor. He’s motivated by what guys like May say about him, but not in a detrimental way. (At least not yet anyway.)

      People expecting Ohio State to eventually take a step back, forget it. This kid is going to have the Buckeyes competing for a national title for the next couple years. Would have loved to see what he could have done with a full game against USC. OSU still might have lost, but I doubt it would have been the massacre it wound up being.

      College Football

      College Football Week 6 Primer

      October 4, 2008 /

      Time to check out the big games, top matchups and potential upsets as college football heads into Week 6.

      Top 25 vs. Top 25:
      Terrelle PryorNo. 14 Ohio State at No. 18 Wisconsin, 8:00 PM ET
      This was supposed to be a matchup of the best two teams in the Big Ten, but after the Badgers were embarrassed last week in Ann Arbor, this game has lost a lot of it’s luster. Despite Michigan turning the ball over five times and spotting them a 19-0 lead, Wisconsin fell apart in the second half as the Wolverines pulled off a 27-25 upset. For the Buckeyes, they seem to be playing with a chip on their shoulder after losing to USC a few weeks back, especially freshman QB Terrelle Pryor, who is out to use this game as proof that he can play on a big stage. It’ll be interesting to see how the dazzlingly Pryor does in his first road start of his young collegiate career; OSU has not won back-to-back games vs. Wisconsin since 1995/1996. Oddsmakers have established the Buckeyes as 1.5-point favorites.

      No. 13 Auburn at No. 19 Vanderbilt, 6:00 PM ET
      Vandy is off to a surprising 4-0 start this season, but their record is a bit deceiving. The Commodores rank last in the SEC in total offense and defense, and have been out gained in 3 of their 4 games this season. But they sit undefeated largely due to their plus-nine turnover margin, which leads the nation. They’ll get their first real test of the season against Auburn, who crushed the Commodores 45-7 in their last trip to Vanderbilt Stadium in 2003. The Tigers also handed Vandy a 35-7 beat-down last year and are trying to build some momentum off of last week’s 14-12 win against Tennessee. Still, this is the first time Vanderbilt has been ranked since 1984, so the home crowd will noty doubt be psyched. And it’s not like Tommy Tummerville’s team has been that dominant this season. (See the Tigers’ 3-2 victory over Mississippi State as proof.) Vandy is a 4.5-point home underdog.

      No. 23 Oregon at No. 9 USC, 8:00 PM ET
      The Trojans try to bounce back from their humiliating 27-21 loss to Oregon State last week – a defeat that dropped them from the top spot in the rankings. When these two teams met last year in Eugene, the Ducks used an electrifying home crowd to knock off the Trojans 24-17 in USC QB Mark Sanchez’s first start. It would be wise for Oregon to borrow the blueprint left by the Beavers and attack the middle of the Trojans’ beat up defense on the ground. Head coach Pete Carroll is dying to use this game to show USC can still compete for a national title this season and will try to flatten the Ducks, but Oregon’s defense is good enough to keep them in the game. The Trojans are currently 17-point favorites.

      Chase DanielUpset Watch: No. 4 Missouri at Nebraska, 9:00 PM ET
      It’s hard to fathom that the Tigers would stumble this week in Lincoln coming off a bye week and with so much on the line. But Heisman Trophy candidate Chase Daniel has yet to see a decent defense outside of Illinois in the opener. And even though MIZZOU hammered the Huskers last year, Nebraska’s defense is a lot better than the unit that surrendered 41 points to Daniel and the Tigers last year. Missouri has better talent and the better overall team, but one thing to keep in mind is that the home team in this series has won the last six in a row. MIZZOU is an 11-point favorite.

      Other notable games:
      No. 1 Oklahoma at Baylor, 12:30 PM ET Saturday
      The Sooners play their first game since being anointed the top ranked team in the nation. They get a decent opponent in the Bears, who have been a dramatically improved team with scrappy freshman Robert Griffin under center this year.

      Kentucky at No. 2 Alabama, 3:30 PM ET Saturday
      After crushing the Bulldogs in Athens last week, Nick Saban’s Tide can’t fall victims to the upset themselves this week against the unranked Wildcats.

      No. 5 Texas at Colorado, 7:00 PM ET Saturday
      Longhorns’ QB Colt McCoy will look to continue his bid to become this year’s Heisman Trophy winner, but he’ll face a decent Colorado team who is 3-0 at home this year.

      College Football

      The Terrelle Pryor era begins at Ohio State

      September 20, 2008 /

      Terrelle PryorAfter last week’s embarassing loss at USC, Jim Tressel made the correct call and started Terrelle Pryor today against Troy. Pryor played most of the game and turned in an excellent performance with four touchdown passes as Ohio State defeated Troy 28-10. Pryor showed off his athletic ability with some nice runs, but he was even more impressive with his arm.

      Look for Pryor to be the starting QB for the rest of the season and for the rest of his career at Ohio State. Ohio State fans will wonder all year whether the USC game would have been more competitive with Terrelle Pryor playing the whole game. Given the sluggish play of the Buckeyes so far, that’s the last thing Buckeye fans need to think about. Pryor gave them a nice spark, but the rest of the team needs to step it up, particularly the defense. They’ll need to play much better against Penn State and Wisconsin in order to win the Big Ten.

      If Pryor continues to develop and Chris Wells gets healthy, the Buckeyes have an opportunity to salvage their season with a run at the Big Ten title. Who knows – if USC stumbles, we might see a rematch this season in the Rose Bowl. If not, Pryor and Ohio State will get another crack at USC next season in Columbus.

      College Football

      Week 4 College Football Primer

      September 17, 2008 /

      Time to check out the big games, top matchups and potential upsets as college football heads into Week 4.

      Les MilesTop 25 Action:
      No. 6 LSU (2-0, 0-0 SEC) at No. 10 Auburn (3-0, 1-0 SEC), Saturday 7:45 PM ET ESPN
      The last time these two teams met in Auburn, JaMarcus Russell and the LSU offense was stuffed by the Tigers’ defense in a 7-3 loss in 2006. LSU hasn’t won in Auburn since 1998 and 11 of the last 18 meetings between these two schools have been decided by a touchdown or less. LSU and its 33rd-ranked offense might have trouble moving the ball against Auburn’s 10th-ranked defense, but the LSU defense should have no issues stopping an Auburn offense that has struggled mightily so far this season. LSU is currently a 2.5-point road favorite.

      No. 18 Wake Forest (2-0) at No. 24 Florida State (2-0), Saturday 7:00 PM ET ESPN2
      Don’t let Florida State’s gaudy stats fool you – the Seminoles have beaten two FCS teams and have yet to be challenged. They’ll get their first real test of the year when the Demon Deacons travel to Tallahassee this Saturday. While their two wins might have given FSU confidence heading into this game, the Noles are still young at a lot of positions, especially quarterback where sophomore Christian Ponder (396 yards, 6 TDs) is off to a great start this season but has yet to face a real defense. Deacons’ QB Riley Skinner will also look to continue his hot play after amassing 487 passing yards and five touchdowns in Wake’s first two games this season. The Seminoles are currently favored by 4 points at home.

      Todd BoeckmanUpset Watch:
      Troy (2-0) at No. 13 Ohio State (2-1), Saturday 12:00 PM ET Big Ten Network
      OSU head coach Jim Tressel said RB Chris “Beanie” Wells is questionable to play Saturday after missing the past two games with an injured big toe. The Buckeyes also have issues at quarterback, where incumbent starter Todd Boeckman has strung together three poor outings in a row, including a disastrous effort in OSU’s 35-3 loss to USC last week. Tressel appears to be giving freshman Terrelle Pryor more of a role in the offense, which might be aiding in Boeckman’s troubles, as it’s hard for a quarterback to establish rhythm when he’s coming out of the game every other snap. Troy has wins over powder puffs Middle Tennessee State and Alcorn State, but the Trojans are no pushovers. They currently own the top ranked pass defense in the nation and have averaged over 500 yards a game offensively in their two victories. If anyone thinks a smaller school can’t compete with OSU at the Horseshoe, just look at what Ohio was able to do two weeks ago in Columbus when they went toe to toe with the Buckeyes for three and a half quarters. Ohio State is currently a 21-point favorite.

      Other notable games:
      No. 4 Florida at Tennessee, Saturday 3:30 PM ET CBS
      No. 3 Georgia at Arizona State, Saturday 8:00 PM ET ABC
      No. 9 Alabama at Arkansas, Saturday 12:30 PM ET

      College Football

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