Good to be back from my visit to Canada via Boston. Hope lil' Woody kept everyone informed in my absence.
1. STATE OF THE PROGRAM
Much like 2002 this was supposed to be a "wait till next year" season.
I don't want to get too excited. We have played only one Div 1A team with a winning record. But we have yet to be challenged.
We flat manhandled Purdue. This was a JT rout with a capital R. It was like watching a cat play with a mouse (more than half their total yards came in the 4th quarter long after we had gone into run out the clock mode). Apparently the Purdue coaches were telling their players just before the half that they were outplaying
OSU because they had stopped us on the past 3 drives. Had they never seen Tressel-ball before? This was a physical mismatch. JT will show you nothing he does not have to show you. When in command he will create challenges for his own team. This game was played with a tightly buttoned sweater vest. The D was lights out. The kicking game was perfection. And the few mistakes were calculated for little harm.
I have a strong sense that this team has much more in reserve than we have seen even in six games.
I am trying not to sound like one of those delusional fans from other boards - the ones who think their school colors are somehow magic (although I did once make a rabbit disappear with a scarlet cape and gray wand) or that a win over UCLA makes you something less than a laughing stock.
PSU, Wisky, Illinois and Michigan make for a treacherous four game stretch and we may not survive it.
But this program rocks.
And regardless of who leaves early (and we NEED kids to leave early just to make room for even younger kids) it is next year that
OSU will have the most talented team in my (relatively lengthy) lifetime.
It is good to be a Buckeye.
2. BOSTON ENCOUNTER
On my way to Canada I flew in to Boston where I met a very attractive young lady who immediately stole my hat. (Boston is full of little hat breakers.)
Anyhow, she makes it clear that she is available. But I have a dilemma. I am a married man. Do I stay in Boston and break my marriage vows? Or do I go on up to Canada as planned?
I decide to take a drive and think things over. I had been driving North on 95 for about half an hour when I suddenly realized - I was going to Bangor.
3. BORING
Sorry. But it is true. Has to be one of the most boring highly hyped games between two 5-0 teams I have seen. It was like watching the mailman shake an aggressive Shih Tzu off his leg. They keep yipping and nipping for a while - but you know they can't do any real harm.
4. HARSH PUNISHMENTS
Gibson missed the trip because he walked off the field during practice. Too bad he didn't walk into a locked impound lot - maybe he could have gotten off Scott free. Poor Urban, selling his soul and getting nothing in return.
And our visiting Florida fans can kindly keep their "glass house" pictures off the board until Urban sits his starting senior QB for the biggest rivalry game of the year for a DUI. It is not about what your kids do - it is about holding them accountable.
That said, I did hear that Joiner will spend Tuesday afternoon detailing cars in Gainsville in a punishment modeled after JoPa's stadium cleaning approach.
5. NO NAME DEFENSE
I know - Laurinaitis, Jenkins, Gholston...
Not to mention Freeman, Grant, Gibson, Rolle, Spitler, Homan - just at LB...
Problem is there are so many names on this Defense that you can't point to any one player - even Lil Animal - and say that is who it revolves around. There are so many names that if you start giving credit to any one or two players you are unjustly selling the others short. And new people keep stepping up each week.
The one name always worthy of mention is Heacock. The depth and variety of talent give him the flexibility to do things like run a 3-3-5 and get 26 tackles from his secondary. Normally you don't want that kind of number from your DBs, but when you are shutting somebody down for 59:50 you can make the argument there was some design involved.
Our sack total may be relatively low so far, but IMO that is by choice. We will see more schemes, more stunts, and more combinations of names as this season rolls along.
This is as balanced and uniformly talented a D as I can recall.
6. NEW FAVORITE RECIPE
Ate my fair share of lobster while I was gone, but this has to be my favorite recipe:
Purchase one 2 pound or larger lobster.
Bring a very large kettle of salted water to a rolling boil.
Using long tongs, quickly but carefully lower live lobster into the boiling water.
Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until lobster is bright red.
Carefully remove meat from tail and claws.
Place meat in blender.
Add one pound of Velveeta and puree for 30 minutes.
Serve warm over chips.
Serves one.
7. EXPOSING THE PRETENDERS
Every year there is a team or two that manages to make it to 4-0 or 5-0 before the Buckeyes come to town. They start thumping their chests and claiming they have arrived. They stage a black out or a yellow out or whatever color seems appropriate and get ready to put the Bucks in their place.
And then we get to do this. Get them talking to themselves. Watch as the same folks who were singing the praises of their coach the week before complain he will never win the big game. Iowa last year was even sweeter - but this was nice.
8. PUNISHMENT CORRECTION
My bad on the Joiner punishment.
Turns out he has an appointment to get HIS car detailed Tuesday afternoon.
9. DECEIVING STATS
Even though Trapasso averaged almost 46 yards per punt (it was OVER 46 yards if you factor in Purdue's net negative yards on punt returns) it was Boeckman who mastered the coffin corner.
And yes, Painter threw 29 incomplete passes. But I think all but two of those were drops - by
OSU defenders.
But the most deceiving stat of all was 23-7. It was far, far worse than that.
10. OH CANADA
I spent most of the last two weeks in Canada. Not exactly the trip of my dreams.
For starters, I checked online and saw that the high temperature the entire time I would be North of the border was going to be 20 degrees. So I packed long underwear and tons of sweatshirts.
Guess what? There is ANOTHER way to tell temperature. It is called Censlius - or something like that - and 20 is actually very warm. If you want to know what the real temperature is you have to do a conversion. Go figure.
Then I go to buy some shorts because they have global warming in Canada too and none of the prices are what they say they are. Turns out the Canadian Dollar isn't a real dollar at all. You have to do another conversion - and pay a sick amount of sales tax. (BTW if you are kidding yourself about the strength of the US economy be advised that the US dollar is now worth LESS than the Canadian Dollar).
But that is not the worst of it. I was supposed to come across from Maine on the ferry to Yarmouth. The ferry leaves at 8:00 AM, right? Nope.
In Canada 8:00 is 7:20. So I miss the boat and have to drive all the way around.
Now I am tooling down the freeway going 100 when one of their Mounties motions for me to pull over. You got it. 100 isn't 100 in Canada. It is like 60 or so. How on earth am I supposed to do those conversions while I am driving 100 MPH in a strange land in a strange rental car and I only speak a few words of Canadian? Give a fella a break.
So finally I get to my hotel in Halifax and try to check in. Lady at the desk tells me my reservation was for two days ago. Sunday afternoon, you see, is actually Friday morning in Canada.
So here I am. It is 80 degrees and I am wearing a sweatshirt, jeans and a parka. I have no place to stay and am low on cash (I think). I am supposed to appear in court on a speeding ticket but have no idea when.
Just outside the hotel I see a gorgeous woman who is clearly a hooker. Cash or no, I am extremely frustrated and need release. I carefully negotiate a price, location and time for our rendezvous. She asks me what I want and - her being so beautiful and all - I say I would like to try a 69.
You guessed it. In Canada a 69 is actually a 66.
Trust me. You don't want to do a 66 with anybody - no matter how good looking.
Bottom line - is Canada a place I would recommend for a vacation?
You do the math.
11. TOP 25
The 25 ranked teams in the country had a combined record of 11-11 this week. Winning teams included perennial powers South Florida, Cincinnati, and Hawaii.
Three teams from the Big East remain undefeated. Louisville, Rutgers and West Virginia are not among them.
There are still 11 undefeated teams in the country. Only 4 of those were in the original top 25.
Makes me wonder if the pollsters did their voting in Canadian ballots.
12. INJURY CONCERNS
The Beanie ankle concerns me. This is not something that will be 100% with a week or two of rest. It will likely nag him all year.
That in mind I was elated to see JT send Saine in late. Clear evidence that he is OK.
And what is up with Pettrey?
13. COACHING GENIUS #1
Notre Dame is back!!!
The offensive genius has it in high gear. 94 yards passing. 46 yards rushing. ND has proven that they belong back in the ranks of the elite - with teams like Utah.
14. COACHING GENIUS #2
As talented as
OSU is this year, and as talented as they will be next year, they don't hold a candle to USC.
Their roster is a who's who of talent. In the last four years they have recruited 39 kids rated in the top 10 at their position and EIGHT who were rated #1. (That's Eight players who were rated in HS as playing their position better than any other player in the nation.)
For all my raving about
OSU's talent our comparable numbers are 15 and 2.
We spent months salivating over the possibility of landing Mark Sanchez. He now sits on their bench - next to Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain.
They get to choose a starter from 9 HS AA running backs. And their D is more talented than their O.
So how do you lose to a team that had won only twice in the past two seasons?
At home?
Answer - you don't cross your T's and you don't dot your I's and you don't play Tressel Ball.
15. QUARTERBACK CONTROVERSEY
Interceptions not withstanding, Boeckman is looking better every week. He is not a scrambler but he is becoming very consistent at what he does - and he does a lot. Six starts in to his two year career I continue to be impressed.
As for the interceptions - they were interesting. Mistakes to be sure. Cause for concern? Not yet IMO. He has been getting away with slightly under thrown balls all season - albeit against less talented secondaries. So yes, he needs to learn from this.
But only one of the three was off target by much. Two were great defensive plays and none of the three were thrown where they could do much damage. This kid - playing behind this line that makes his inability to scramble a moot point - has the potential to be one of the best in some time.
As for his backup - I can't recall when I was this apprehensive in the JT era.
16. BB73 TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK
When is the last time
OSU's second team quarterback was credited with a kickoff return?
17. VBET OF THE WEEK
Who had money on Chekwa getting twice as many tackles as Laurinaitis. And looking like a beast doing it.
18. HENTON
Kinda glad I missed the heat of that controversy, especially after all the fun I had with Hand from ND.
JT needs to do what JT needs to do, but I have to ask the question I am sure others on the board have been asking. What is up with today's coeds? He is a football player for nuts sake! A quarterback no less. He is entitled. Step up. As one of our great contemporary philosophers would say: "Let's Git er done!"
Unless, of course, he wanted a 66. Then I don't blame the ladies from shying away for anything less than $19 - even if it is only American money.
PS
For anyone planning a trip to Nova Scotia - I actually loved every minute of it. Highly recommend the Cape Breton highlands where you can take pix like these:
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PSS
Deety - thanks for the latest pigturs. Love the new piercing.
