Badin vs. Versailles
Law Enforcement Memorial Day
-3.JPG)
American Idol 2012 finale
Home > Blogs > Buckeyes Beat > Archives > 2008 > October > 25
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Pin loss on offensive line, game plan
Ohio State has perhaps the best running back in the nation in Beanie Wells, but the Buckeyes’ offensive line made him look as if he were plucked off one of the school’s intramural flag-football teams against Penn State.
No push. No holes. No daylight.
Yes, Penn State has one the better defenses in the nation, but it’s certainly not an awe-inspiring bunch. In fact, only real college football aficionados could name more than one or two players off that unit.
But Wells — a big-time, big-game player — could gain only 11 yards on 10 carries in the first half and finished with 55 yards on 22 attempts.
Of course, Terrelle Pryor’s fourth-quarter fumble will be the play everyone remembers from the 13-6 defeat. But the Buckeyes might not have found themselves in such a taut, nerve-crunching affair if they hadn’t been so intent on sticking with their ultra-conservative game plan.
Perhaps Pryor just isn’t ready to digest more of the playbook, but the Buckeyes could have loosened up the Penn State defense — and maybe created some openings for Wells — with a vertical passing game. Instead, OSU fell into a familiar pattern: two runs and a pass attempt on third-and-7. Not exactly a recipe for success.
The loss was costly for the Buckeyes. Let’s face it, their national title hopes were shot already, but a victory would have put them alone in first place in the Big Ten with three games to go — at Northwestern, at Illinois and Michigan at home.
If they had beaten Penn State and won out, they would have become the first team in Big Ten history to capture three straight outright conference titles.
If they had beaten Penn State and stumbled once in their final three games, they still would have been the Big Ten co-champs (assuming the Nittany Lions didn’t lose again) and played in the Rose Bowl.
Now, they need major help to seize a share of the league crown. The Nittany Lions would have to lose one of their final three games against either Iowa on the road or Indiana and Michigan State at home.
Don’t see that happening.
Looks like a trip to the Capital One Bowl will have to suffice.
Permalink | Comments (29) | Post your comment |
Stats pack: Buckeyes, Nittany Lions
The following info is brought to you courtesy of Rusty Miller, an outstanding writer for the Associated Press. Rusty’s based in Columbus and will be covering Saturday night’s Ohio State-Penn State tussle.
This was at the end of his daily Buckeye Periscope column, that runs daily in the DDN.
STATS PACK: Numbers you can’t do without:
Penn State has produced 51 plays that went at least 20 yards this season.
Ohio State is a 2-point underdog at home. Last time the Buckeyes weren’t favored at Ohio Stadium was the 2004 Michigan game. A 4-point underdog, the Buckeyes won 37-21.
Rain is forecast earlier in the day on Saturday in Columbus, with a possibility of light showers during the game.
Each starting QB has thrown only two interceptions so far this season.
Penn State is No. 3 in graduation success rates among AP Top 25 teams; Ohio State is not in the top 16.
Much is made of the Nittany Lions’ high-scoring offense, but the defense is in the top 10 in the nation in pass efficiency, total defense and scoring defense.
Ohio State’s director of football operations Bob Tucker, who is retiring after the season, was a grad assistant with the Penn State football team in 1965 and ‘66 (Joe Paterno’s first as head coach) and got his master’s degree there in ‘67.
Penn State’s Kevin Kelly last week became the leading kick scorer in Big Ten history with 376 points.
The Nittany Lions will not have a walkthrough at Ohio Stadium.
Ohio State is 6-1 in home night games, but lost the last one (Texas, 2005).
The Buckeyes are 10-5 against Penn State since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten in 1993, 7-0 at home.
