Game Thread Ohio State 28, Troy 10 (Final, Sep. 20)

[SDCaliBuck]

If I'm not mistaken, TB's season stats were somewhat comparable to Troy's Heisman season. Because he didn't offer the run threat, nobody considered his performance spectacular. I feel that if he had Beanie's help, his efficiency would be dramatically better.

I am concerned about TBs confidence level, however, because he doesn't seem like the same QB that was on the field prior to the last 6 games. I'm sure that had a lot to do with JTs balance of playing time today.

 

[daddyphatsacs]

Finally, Todd Boeckman has handled this situation about as well as any of us could expect. He is being a man about it, and seems to be doing what he can to help Pryor and the team instead of being a distraction. That does not deserve to be booed.

Amen. Todd B. has been a trooper. He has worked hard at OSU, he should be commended for it.......not booed.

 

[JXC]

My thoughts from 10B (no obstruction )

We came out fired up and inspired. Was it Terrelle Pryor being the starter? Was it proving something from last week? Not sure. But that first drive was the best drive for our offensive line. We showed their D-line that we were going to win the battle up front. Great drive to score a TD early.

After that drive our offense was hot and cold. Pryor made some great runs. Boom made some great runs. Our offensive line opened up some big holes. BUT, they didn't do it consistantly. Everyone did a great job protecting the football, and most of that rests on Pryor, since he touched the ball every snap, except the two, I think I counted two, that Boeckman was in there. I was surprised Boeckman didn't see more playing time, and I was surprised he saw random snaps instead of a series. And I have NO idea why he was brought in just to hand the ball off. Maybe we thought they would think he was coming in to pass? I don't know. But in any case, I was surprised he played so little. We won, so I'm not worried about it. We all know what Todd can and can't do. As far as him getting booed, I made my point in the TB thread. It was crap. Don't want to debate it here.

Our defense played uninspired in the first half I felt. Missed tackle after missed tackle. Freeman's missed tackle led to that touchdown I believe. From 10B, it's hard to remember everything. But anyway, I think he definitely had him, and just didn't bring him down. Then there were some other missed tackles on that play, and many on others. Our defense did make a good goal line stand to hold Troy a field goal early. But, the penalty that moved Troy back, really made it easy on our defense. Troy stopped themselves as much as we did on that series, but we still did stop them, and that was big. But overall our defense looked a little sluggish in the first half. But we made great second half adjustments, and came out playing inspired Buckeye football. Helped by the great punting of AJ Trapasso...we were able to play aggressively. We didn't miss tackles in the second half. THAT IS THE BUCKEYE DEFENSE I WANT TO SEE THE REST OF THE YEAR. I still think we have some work to do on the defensive line. I also think we should blitz Freeman more and James less. We need to keep James in space so he can make plays. He's great at doing that. Kurt Coleman had a great game. Good to see him get his first interception of his career I think. Maybe i'm wrong. But anyway, our secondary stepped up. Is anybody as glad that Malcom Jenkins is back this year as I am? Boy does he make our football team better. Hines stepped up big today too. I thought he was a bright spot of the first half. He's going to be a hell of a player in the future IMO.

Overall, I think this is a good win. Troy is better than most think. I thought this game wouldn't be over until the fourth quarter, and I was right. The game went just about how I thought it would, except I wasn't quite as impressed with Troy's offense as I thought I would be, and I hope that is because of our defense, and not because Troy's offense isn't that good. Time will tell. This was a trap game. We survived. Now it's time for the Big Ten. One game at a time. Time to take the long road to Pasadena!!! Go Bucks!!! Beat Minnesota!!!

 

[Yertle]

1. We DID miss tackles in the second half. We didn't in the 4th quarter. The first Troy drive in the 3rd quarter was painful to watch.
2. Pryor is the ticket to a 4th straight big 10 title. JT knows it.
3. I feel terrible for Todd B. But, this is a big time program with big time expectations. He's not the starter any more.
4. I don't know if the fans were boo-ing TB or boo-ing JT. I think they were boo-ing JT in his choice to put Todd in the game. Let's be honest, it's not the right decision.
5. Along those lines, JT's stock value is as low as it's ever been at Ohio State right now. His "approval rating" is at an all-time low. Play calling still stunk today. Time to get it together JT. He's still THE MAN, but he's in a slump.
6. In general, this was a good day for Buckeye fans. 3-1 isn't a bad record. Pryor is a stud, and he's proven that he is a perfectionist who will get better each week. Herron is a GOOD RUNNING BACK!!! And, Beanie will be back. This will end up being a damn good team this year.
7. MSU easily handled a team that easily handled Michigan. HA! Rod, your year is going to suck donkey balls.
8. Tribe beat Detroit tonight. I don't give a damn for the whole state of michigan.

 

[BUCKYLE]

5. Along those lines, JT's stock value is as low as it's ever been at Ohio State right now. His "approval rating" is at an all-time low. Play calling still stunk today. Time to get it together JT. He's still THE MAN, but he's in a slump.

The fact that this is being said about a coach that is 6-1 against TSUN sickens me.

 

[NFBuck]

.
5. Along those lines, JT's stock value is as low as it's ever been at Ohio State right now. His "approval rating" is at an all-time low. Play calling still stunk today. Time to get it together JT. He's still THE MAN, but he's in a slump.

I just don't get this complaint about today. What do you expect when you have an 18 year old kid making his first start? As he gains more experience and proves he can handle the load, they will open the offense up for him. Too much right now could overwhelm him and lead to costly mistakes.

 

[MajesticTurkey]

I was disappointed in the crowd. They sat on their hands as if they needed to be won over by the Buckeyes. What a joke. If anything, this team especially needs that support so they can build some confidence after the loss and complete their other goals. You can't call yourself the "best fans in the land" if you can't show up for that.

Take it in some context here. This is preseason. This crowd is a bunch of alumni who get a ticket to the game and think "Oh, nice, let's have a picnic." It's called a wine and cheese crowd for a reason. Starting next week, 15,000 students will be packed in either endzone, and that will have a major impact on the crowd.

 

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

For the record, I hate that freaking "That's another Buckeye.... First Down" crap. I grimaced every time I heard it.

 

[3074326]

Thoughts and insight from me after being at the game today.

There are still some big problems on defense. The defensive line was pretty weak again. Our LBs underachieved today, as well. They didn't get much pressure. There were missed tackles everywhere. However, it was better than it has been. We did apply some pressure and come up with some key tackles and a couple sacks.

Our secondary looked good today. They had some success passing the ball, but we came up with a few nice plays and Coleman had a couple nice picks (especially the one). They did well enough.. but it would be nice to see them play a little better against the short passes that seemed to do so well against us.

Offensively, we saw a glimpse of the very bright future. Pryor looked very good, considering his age and experience. His delivery is awkward, but he was throwing with velocity and accuracy (most of the time). He made good decisions, except for one near pick and one big loss where he should've just thrown it away. Rookie mistakes, and both will be helped by giving him more experience. He stared down his receivers a couple times, but overall, looked very good for his age. Good job, TP.

Boom looked good. Still think we'd be a much better team with Beanie and Boom coming in to sub him.

Playcalling.. ugh.. we had success when we threw. Why didn't it happen more? I don't get it. 40% of TP's throws were TDs, and a couple of them were pretty long throws that he looked good on. We didn't necessarily need to throw long, but a few short plays to keep the defense honest would've been nice. I'd prefer not to throw short ones, considering TP's decision making was solid.

We won. That's what matters. We looked better. We need to keep improving, and the fans need to stop booing Buckeyes. That's bullshit. If one of you booed Todd, shame on you.

 

[wdg01]

5. Along those lines, JT's stock value is as low as it's ever been at Ohio State right now. His "approval rating" is at an all-time low. Play calling still stunk today. Time to get it together JT. He's still THE MAN, but he's in a slump.

All time low? I still remember the middle of the 2004 season...right now doesnt even come close IMO.

 

[generaladm]

The best things I saw today: Jermale Hines and Brandon Smith are playing great football. I just absolutely love seeing guys who haven't had a chance to see much time go out and play lights out. If Hines had held on to that INT for 6, he would have been the player of the game. Pryor is incredible. Based on what the coaches made of T. Smith, I expect Pryor to do even more. If that can start to happen this year, we're in good shape thru 2010, or beyond. Good to see Coleman having a big game. Besides the INTs, he had a solid all around game. I noticed Nathan Williams dong some good things. The D-line cotinues to be within inches of making an impact. To be fair, we have played three spread teams, and one that has an O-line that will probably all play in the NFL. When we start playing teams that don't have scrambling QBs and non blue chip O-lines, our D-line should should start looking much better (I hope).

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

What I will remember

by Staff reports Saturday September 20, 2008, 9:08 PM


If this was Terrelle Pryor's coming-out party, then two things will stand out. The first was a beautiful pass to senior receiver Brian Robiskie, who strangely tried to one-hand the catch, left-handed, when it appeared a two-handed reception in stride would have led to an 89-yard touchdown.
"I dropped it," Robiskie said.
No . . . he didn't try to catch it.
The second was actually two running plays by Pryor in the second quarter. Twice he ran the ball and appeared to gain little or nothing, yet both times, once the ball was spotted, the chains moved 4 or 5 yards. At 6-6, two strides from Pryor will cover a lot of ground, even when it looks like he went nowhere.
-- Elton Alexander

I remember how quiet 102,989 fans were at Ohio Stadium were as Troy, with its interchangeable look-alike, play-alike players in a five-wideout set marched from its own 15 to the Ohio State 24 in the third quarter.
This is exactly the kind of offense that gives Ohio State fits -- spreading out the Buckeyes, making them cover slippery, quick opponents in space, negating with a quick tempo of play-calling their ability to substitute and use their depth.
Ohio State's season began to slide away when running back Beanie Wells hurt his foot in the opener. It threatened to go off the rails entirely had Troy sprung the biggest upset since John Cooper's Buckeyes lost the Liberty Bowl to Air Force on Dec. 27, 1990. That game, however, wasn't at the Shoe.
But after a Troy penalty, OSU strong safety Kurt Coleman leaped high for an interception at the Buckeyes' 7 on second down, spiking himself on the head as he fell. The crowd roared, but it was with more relief than triumph.
This is a season when Ohio State is 3-1, the loss coming without their best player to the No. 1 team in the nation, and everybody keeps expecting the worst.
-- Bill Livingston
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Ohio State vs. Troy report card

by Elton Alexander Saturday September 20, 2008, 8:58 PM


Offensive line: B
A slightly revamped offensive line paid solid dividends with 309 yards of total offense on 59 plays. Regular center Jim Cordle, a 6-4, 297-pound junior, moved to left guard for injured regular Steve Rehring (foot injury), with true freshman Mike Brewster taking over at center. To the naked eye Brewster, who said he made the line calls throughout the game with Cordle calling out blitz protections, had a strong debut, which bodes well for the future.

Linebackers/DBs: C
Big plays were the order of the day for the Buckeyes, led by a pair of interceptions from safety Kurt Coleman. Both stopped Troy drives in Ohio State territory. He finished tied for second on tackles with fellow safety Jermale Hines, both with seven. But there were far too many missed tackles throughout the game from the linebackers and safeties, with the most glaring coming on Troy's lone touchdown of the game, a 45-yard catch-and-run by Troy's Jerrel Jernigan.

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Bests from Ohio State vs. Troy

by Elton Alexander Saturday September 20, 2008, 8:57 PM



Best bootin'
Punter A.J. Trapasso was very busy with seven punts for 326 yards, a 46.6-yard average. But none was bigger than his 60-yarder, which included about 15 yards of favorable roll, on the last play of the third quarter, pinning Troy at its own 1. OSU took over moments later at Troy's 37, and Terrelle Pryor found Brian Robiskie for the game-breaking touchdown and a 21-10 lead.

Best pick of litter
Junior strong safety Kurt Coleman had a pair of interceptions -- the first two of his career -- and both were spectacular. In the first half he jumped in front of the Troy receiver and ripped the ball from his grasp as both fell to the ground. In the second half, he ended a Troy drive with a leaping theft deep in the red zone.

New 'best' friend
It is safe to say tight end Rory Nicol, a 6-5, 252-pound senior, has new BFF in freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor. The running joke nearly every week at OSU is the Bucks are going to pass to the tight end. Well, Nicol had two receptions on the day and three on season. All have come from Pryor. Nicol's 13-yard TD catch was special as it was his first touchdown of the season and Pryor's first touchdown pass of his career.

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Six Points

Sunday, September 21, 2008 3:46 AM

Jeff Hinckley | Dispatch
Brian Hartline catches a 39-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, the most eye-pleasing of quarterback Terrelle Pryor's four scoring passes.


THE PLAY

Terrelle Pryor's 39-yard TD pass to Brian Hartline in the second quarter. In his first start, Pryor eluded pressure and delivered a strike to prove, well, why he's now the starter.
THE STAR

Pryor. He threw four TD passes, two to Hartline, delivering big plays that were missing for OSU the first three games. He completed 10 of 16 passes for 139 yards and ran 14 times for 66 yards.
Cont...