Well, the “I”s have it… losses to the 2009 Ohio State Buckeyes. Lots of Buckeye leaves handed out in the last 2 weeks. Sorry I missed you last week, but I was still drying out from the power washing I endured during the Illinois game. Neither team offered much resistance, so there is not a lot to glean from these outings other than precious game experience for a few new guys.
First, the running game is starting to look a little more consistent, and I think that Brandon Saine’s emergence as a versatile tailback has a lot to do with it. He had a bit of breakout game at indiana last week and I’m sure that probably has Boom a little worried, but there will be plenty of work down the stretch. The most exciting aspect of last Saturday’s game was that we seem to opening up a little bit on offensive side of the ball. We’ll be tested for sure when Bucky and the boys invade Ohio Stadium.
My belief is that the Bucks will jump out to an early lead on Wisconsin and try to get them out of the downhill running game. The Buckeyes could probably help themselves a little, by mixing in a little more I and split back sets. Attacking the defense at it’s core, instead of being relegated to running the zone read across the formations would also be useful. Let the O-Line get a little rhythm by adding some variation. I know fullback is not a strength, but come on! We’ve got more than a few reserve tight ends and linebackers (like Zack Boren) that should be able to run a lead play.
Wisconsin has been flying under the radar, but they will have no such luxury on Saturday. You know what you get when the Badgers line up. A big thumping tailback (248 pounds) with thick legged road graders that love to zone block. The passing game is not imposing, but effective. The defensive line looks to be improved, but their D will also be without 2 senior safeties that have been suspended. That should present some opportunities for our tight ends to get into the flow, for a change.
To me, this week’s key match up looks to be the Wisconsin O-Line against our front 7. The Buckeye linebackers and ends have played well, but the DT play has been a work in progress. Remember what Navy did to us? Pitt easily handled them without the “blue chips” we tout. There’s nothing clever of difficult about what the Badgers do. They line up and attempt to steamroll you. With our DTs being nicked up and us reaching down into the 2 deep, you have to be a little concerned. Not too concerned though, Ohio State should roll by 10 or more.
Special teams have been anything but special to date. Pettrey’s case of the yips is probably the only thing that keeps coach JT up at night. He’s come out and supported him in the press, but you know it messes with his preference for game management. The return game has been pedestrian, but you get the sense we’re on the verge of breaking off a big one. Instead of a single back on the punt return team, I’d love to see both Sanzenbacher and Small back to challenge the coverage schemes. It’s unlikely we go all out for the block, because of our preference for field position.
Finally, we are seeing all of the teams that played weak out of conference schedules, choke up a bit. This bug has already caught Penn State and a number of early top 10 teams. The exception here is to make your entire schedule weak and cry foul. When you look at the pastry cart schedule that Boise State plays, and their undefeated record, it’s hard to imagine that they don’t go undefeated and to the championship game. My only hope is that if they make it there, they get spanked by Florida or Texas (assuming the Bucks aren’t there). Only time will tell, but this how I see it.
