By V. R. Bryant
Am I crazy, or did this year's opener seem more satisfactory than last's? The 56-10 drubbing of Miami (OH) certainly wasn't foreshadowing of the troubles the 2012 Buckeyes were about to have--perhaps it was just the 0-3 score at the end of the first quarter that left a sour taste. In any case, general consensus seems to be that this squad is off to a good start, despite besting Buffalo by only twenty points.
The road looks smoother this week (if you can believe it), even if the oddsmakers threw up a more narrow spread. After San Diego State boofed it against Div. II Eastern Illinois, it's hard to imagine them having the right energy for such a big game. Anyway, here's another (late) look ahead.
ONE: So, it's important to drink water, I guess. Who knew? I wasn't even sure I wasn't overreacting to the cramping spate last Saturday, but that was before I knew that that was the reason Ryan Shazier was carted off the field. I'm reasonably certain that this is nothing over which we should fuss too much, but...do you remember a few years back when the Cleveland Browns had that weird staph outbreak? The Buccaneers are dealing with the same thing right now, from the sound of it. Meyer has not undermined the significance of guys like Shazier and Braxton Miller missing time. Hopefully it is just as simple as guys staying hydrated. If it isn't, then we need to get Dr. House up in the place STAT.
TWO: Last week, I said, "If Warren Ball finishes the game with 100 yards and a couple touchdowns, you owe me a shot." I also said, "There is no other end to that wager." Good thing for me. Even when it looked as though Jordan Hall may have earned himself some rest, Meyer kept feeding no. 7 the rock. (To staggering effect, of course.) No complaints from this guy--the team's 261 rushing yards were 26th best in the country while Hall himself finished fifth nationally. Not too shabby, but there was really nothing to indicate that any other backs were ready to contribute. Then again, neither Rod Smith nor Carlos Hyde was armored up and ready to rumble. It's a matter of taste, but I'd love nothing more than to end the day with three 100-yard rushers. Or, you know. Six. Eastern Illinois ran for 172 yards on 36 carries last week against SDSU. Good sign, I'd say.
THREE: The Baltimore Ravens got slapped silly Thursday night, didn't they? My goodness, my Guinness! It was so glaringly obvious how much Baltimore missed guys like Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. Could it be, then, that OSU's defense not being soul-crushingly dominant against Buffalo was due strictly to the absence of C.J. Barnett and Bradley Roby and limited availability of Ryan Shazier? Gotta get these ducks in a row. These tune-up games aren't good for much if we're not learning about the team (and the team about itself), but I'd much rather learn that they're licensed to kill than learn that they're operating as less than the sum of their parts. I figure if those three can log their proper minutes, it will spell delightful disaster for the...
FOUR: ...mistake-prone Aztecs. USA Today had this team ranked 48th pre-season. That's a top-half team, tiger. And yet, they didn't just lose to EIU--they kinda got housed. It was tied at 19 in the third quarter when this happened:
EIU - 12 play, 75 yard drive for TOUCHDOWN
SDSU - Punt
EIU - 12 play, 55 yard drive (which began from their one yard line)
SDSU - Punt
EIU - 60 yard punt return for TOUCHDOWN
SDSU - Fumble
Woof. State's last five drives, starting with that fumble, all ended with a turnover. Fumble, turnover on downs, interception, interception, turnover on downs. Talk about demoralizing. It's almost so bad that you wonder if the players were even allowed to watch the tape. Isn't that a bit like putting a poor report card up on the family refrigerator or rubbing a dog's nose in its own piss? Transitive logic would dictate that this game should end something like 66-3. And if Oregon can do it...
-vrb
