Tressel Doing The Right Thing With Chris Wells For USC

As much as I would like Chris Wells to play tonight against USC, Coach Tressel's decision to hold Chris Wells out of this game is in Chris Wells' best long-term interests. Considering that Chris Wells was not ruled out by the team's medical staff for the game, Tressel had to weigh Chris Wells' possible NFL career versus tonight's long-awaited showdown with USC. What if Tressel played Chris Wells and Chris Wells further injured his foot to the point where long-term damage had been sustained?

From a psychological/motivational standpoint, I look at this scenario in the following fashion - at the very least, Ohio State players have known for the last few days there was a real possibility that Chris Wells would not be playing in this game. By that mindset, the team has been practicing without Chris Wells and should be prepared for this situation.

If Chris Wells had first sustained this injury against USC in the manner that he did against Youngstown State, the psychological effects, I believe, would be far worse than they are presently. At least Ohio State coaches, players, and fans have had some time to prepare for the possibility (now reality) that Chris Wells would not be available for this game.

Is it possible Coach Tressel is sandbagging on this topic? Could Chris Wells suddenly come off the bench, due to some miraculous medical treatment? Anything is possible, but highly doubtful. Ohio State will now turn to redshirt freshman Daniel "Boom" Herron to assume the bulk of the running load, and I look for QB Terrelle Pryor to be a greater part of the Ohio State game plan for USC.

Another USC Prediction

Well, at least nobody can call me an Ohio State homer with my prediction that I posted last night. Anyway, here's a prediction from collegefootballnews.com that is pretty close to mine, except for the final outcome. Enjoy.

Game Three: Ohio State vs. USC

Game Three: USC Trojans

Location: Los Angeles Coliseum (Los Angeles, CA)

Head Coach: Pete Carroll

USC Players Who Were Recruited By Ohio State: OL Jeff Byers, C Kristofer O’Dowd, QB Mark Sanchez, RB Broderick Green, FL Ronald Johnson, TE Blake Ayles, LB Brian Cushing


USC Rushing Offense vs Ohio State Defense: USC has an abundance of running backs who were high school All-Americans. While USC has players who are versatile as both runners and receivers (Joe McKnight, Marc Tyler), USC also has players who can pound the ball between the tackles (Stafon Johnson, CJ Gable). It will be imperative that Ohio State’s defensive line and the linebackers shut down the USC running game, or it will truly be a long day for Ohio State. A critical area to see is if USC tries to isolate RB Joe McKnight on LBs Marcus Freeman or Ross Homan as a receiver out of the backfield. Considering the speed advantage USC has in this area, Ohio State may try to play a nickel defense with LB Jermale Hines as a coverage linebacker more than a traditional 4-3 look.
Edge: USC

USC Passing Offense vs Ohio State Defense: USC QB Mark Sanchez is a former high school All-American who has more mobility than other USC quarterbacks from the recent past, such as Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, or John David Booty. Despite Sanchez’s dislocated kneecap in the summer, Sanchez showed no ill effects in the USC’s opening victory over Virginia. This will be Sanchez’s fifth career start for USC. WRs Ronald Johnson, Patrick Turner, Vidal Hazelton, and Damian Williams all have good speed and size and should have an advantage compared to the Ohio State secondary. Ohio State welcomes back CB Donald Washington and S Jamario O’Neal from suspension, but how ready are they to play in a game of this magnitude? CB Malcolm Jenkins can play opposite off one of the receivers, but CB Chimdi Chekwa will need some assistance from either S Anderson Russell or S Kurt Coleman. Will Mark Sanchez be able to isolate or find the one on one matchups? Another key area to see is how well the relatively inexperienced USC offensive line (one returning starter) protects Mark Sanchez from the Ohio State defensive line, especially DE Lawrence Wilson. In order for Ohio State to stay in this game, Ohio State will need to get good pressure on Mark Sanchez, and that will mean more blitzing than Ohio State has shown in the first two games this season. USC likes to roll out Sanchez, so Ohio State needs to get pressure on Sanchez quickly.
Edge: USC

Ohio State Rushing Offense vs USC Defense: All Ohio State fans could think of when Chris Wells went down in game one versus Youngstown State was, “Will Chris Wells be ready and able to play against USC?!?”. After the horrific rushing performance Ohio State had against Ohio University in game two, Ohio State fans can only hope that Chris Wells will be able to go against USC. With the news that Chris Wells is listed as doubtful, I believe Daniel “Boom” Herron will become the primary ball carrier for Ohio State. The USC defensive strategy will be very simple, regardless of whether Chris Wells plays or not – continually blitz and rush upfield to disrupt the Ohio State offense. Besides Chris Wells, it will be important for the other Ohio State RBs, especially Daniel “Boom” Herron, to be used in the running game on screen passes, traps, and other quick hitting plays that will hopefully slow down the USC defensive front. The Ohio State offensive line has to play immensely better than they did against Ohio University. A possible look for QB Terrelle Pryor is to run the option, something Pryor did a little against Youngstown State. Pryor’s speed getting to the outside will be needed against USC. USC DL Fili Moala is projected as a top NFL draft choice and will be very difficult to move off the line of scrimmage at 295 lbs. LB Rey Maualuga is an explosive hitter and Brian Cushing plays a hybrid DE/OLB position for USC. Both will be blitzing a lot for USC and are projected as high NFL draft choices next spring.
Big Edge: USC

Ohio State Passing Offense vs USC Defense: If Ohio State fans felt that Florida’s defense was fast in the 2007 BCS Championship Game, they better be prepared for what USC will be showing against Ohio State. USC DE Everson Griffen versus OT Alex Boone will be one of the key matchups of the game. If Boone is struggling against Griffin, it will require Ohio State leaving RB Chris Wells in to help with blitz pickups to give QB Todd Boeckman time to throw. USC S Taylor Mays has linebacker size and is extremely fast. The USC secondary is the fastest in the country and will be able to lock up WRs Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline. Both Hartline and Robiskie played poorly against Ohio University with dropped passes and have a chance to redeem themselves with this game against USC. Todd Boeckman has shown a tendency to get happy feet in the pocket when teams apply pressure. To counter the USC defensive speed, Ohio State should go to a four or five wideout front, with Boom Herron in the backfield, splitting out RB Brandon Saine, who has exceptional speed, as a receiver out of the backfield. This will open up the Ohio State running game, while also giving Todd Boeckman opportunities to quickly use the passing game. USC is too good for Ohio State to continually line up in their traditional power I-Formation; Ohio State will not be able to consistently get something generated offensively if they stay in traditional formations. WR Ray Small will be critical as an extra wide receiver for Ohio State, as he has the best speed of the experienced Ohio State wide receivers.
Edge: USC

Special Teams: Ohio State’s special teams were instrumental in the victory over Ohio University. CB Shaun Lane recovered a fumbled punt that led to a go-ahead Ohio State touchdown in the fourth quarter, and WR Ray Small returned a punt for a touchdown to seal the victory over Ohio University, despite a block in the back by LB Austin Spitler during the return that was not called. In the first two games, both Ryan Pretorious and Aaron Pettrey have been successful with long field goals. It will be important for Ohio State to score when they have the ball – while Ohio State needs to score touchdowns, it will also be important for Ohio State to put at least three points on the board when they can.
USC’s return game is very dangerous, with Joe McKnight and Ronald Johnson back as return options for the Trojans. Considering the emphasis and affinity Coach Tressel has for special teams, I would not be surprised if P A.J. Trapasso is instructed to kick the ball out of bounds to eliminate any possible threats of good punt returns by USC.
Slight Edge: Ohio State

Intangibles: Ohio State has not played a regular season game against USC since 1990 (a 35-26 USC win in a driving rainstorm in Ohio Stadium) and has not met USC in The Rose Bowl since after the 1984 season. The last time Ohio State went into the Los Angeles Coliseum to play USC was 1989, and they were absolutely demolished by USC, 42-3. Ohio State has lost the last five times they have played USC.

In the Pete Carroll era, USC has not lost a regular season game to a high profile ranked opponent. Considering USC has played series with teams such as Arkansas, Nebraska, and their usual non-conference rivalry game with Notre Dame, USC will not be intimidated with Ohio State coming into their stadium.

While Ohio State fans are proud of the accomplishments of Jim Tressel, USC fans can legitimately argue that Pete Carroll is the best college football coach in the nation. Want facts? Here are some facts – USC’s record over the last six years is 71-8. They have won 38 of their last 39 at home. They have beaten 12 top 20 teams by at least three touchdowns. They have finished in the top 4 rankings every season since 2002.

In previous years, usually against Michigan, Coach Jim Tressel has shown a willingness to unveil different offensive formations or plays that have not been seen. One can only hope that Ohio State has deliberately held back offensively during the first two games and has developed some new ideas for this big game against USC. The player I believe will be critical in this game for Ohio State is RB Brandon Saine. Saine has battled a hamstring injury, and has not shown much in the first two games, but Saine could be used extensively as a receiver out of the backfield in this game. Even though QB Terrelle Pryor is a true freshman, I have a suspicion that Pryor is going to be used more in this game than most people are expecting.
Edge: USC

Prediction:

Ohio State cannot win the national championship with this game against USC, but they can certainly lose it with a loss to the Trojans. The college football world is not so secretly wishing for USC to defeat Ohio State, thus eliminating Ohio State from any consideration for the BCS Championship Game in January 2009.

For the Ohio State players, this is a “Us Against The World” opportunity. Ohio State can either rise to the occasion, showing their performance against Ohio University last week was merely Ohio State looking past Ohio University for USC, or Ohio State will succumb to the pressure of this big game and prove their numerous critics right with a loss to USC.

The first quarter is the key for Ohio State’s success. If Ohio State can keep the game close, keeping USC’s offense on the sideline while maintaining time-consuming drives that end in points, Ohio State can win this game. If USC jumps out to a quick lead, as they did against Virginia in their first game, forcing Ohio State to throw the ball more than they want to, it could open up the floodgates for a USC rout of Ohio State.

While I believe Ohio State’s talent can and will keep them in the game, I also believe that USC’s traditional home dominance and exceptional defensive speed will be the difference in a closely fought, low-scoring battle. I am going to predict the final will be USC 24, Ohio State 10, with USC scoring a touchdown in the 4th quarter to put this one away.

Game Two Review: Ohio University

Considering I missed the first part of the Ohio University game, I felt that The OZone's Tony Gerdeman's review would be a better analysis and certainly more humorous than anything I could possibly attempt. Enjoy, especially his review of the wide receivers around 1:08.

My quick thoughts:

On a scale of 1-10, I give Ohio State a 4. For those who prefer a different grading scale, I give Ohio State a D-. A win's nice, but USC would have drilled Ohio State by 30 points with the performance Ohio State gave against Ohio University.

Look out for Penn State in the Big Ten. I thought they would defeat Oregon State, but not that easily.

On a philosophical note ~ If Michigan and Notre Dame play next week, and they both are horrible, will anyone watch? Michigan defeated my alma mater Miami University, but struggled to do so. Notre Dame had to rally to defeat San Diego State.

The new probable BCS buster team: East Carolina, led by Skip Holtz. Earlier this week, Beano Cook of ESPN said that Holtz, a ND graduate, will put a ND escape clause in his next contract in case the ND job comes open.

Game Two: Ohio State vs Ohio University

Opponent: Ohio University Bobcats

Coach: Frank Solich

Location: Ohio Stadium (Columbus, OH)

Players Recruited By Ohio State: N/A. There are no players on the Ohio University roster that were actively recruited by Ohio State.

Ohio University's rushing offense vs Ohio State defense: Ohio University traditionally likes to run the ball, considering Coach Frank Solich's Nebraska background. Surprisingly, Ohio University only ran for 39 yards last week against Wyoming. Ohio State's interior defensive linemen are probably the biggest concern area for the defensive unit. Last week, Ohio State completely stuffed Youngstown State, but they will be facing a better, but not much better, offensive unit this game.

Edge: Ohio State

Ohio University's passing offense vs Ohio State defense: Even with Coach Solich's background, Ohio University is not afraid to put the ball in the air. QB Theo Scott has more game experience than last week's Youngstown State quarterbacks and has two speedy wide receivers in Taylor Price and LaVon Brazill. With Ohio State's secondary still adjusting to the suspensions of CB Donald Washington and S Jamario O'Neal, plus the return of S Kurt Coleman, this should be a better test for the Ohio State secondary. It will be important for Ohio State's pass rush to put pressure on Scott.

Slight Edge: Ohio State

Ohio State's rushing offense vs Ohio University defense: In case you were vacationing on Pluto, an Ohio State RB by the name of Chris Wells sustained an injury that will keep him sidelined for this game against Ohio University. Fortunately for Ohio State, they have three other tailbacks (Maurice Wells, Brandon Saine, Daniel "Boom" Herron) who will divide the work among them and should be able to each get at least 15 carries if Coach Jim Tressel is to be believed from his pre-game media discussions. Ohio University gave up 160 yards rushing to Wyoming last week, so here's an opportunity for Ohio State to control the game. QB Terrelle Pryor will also probably use the option even more than last week, just to give the USC Trojans something else to prepare for on September 13th.

Big Edge: Ohio State

Ohio State's passing offense vs Ohio University defense: QB Todd Boeckman had a decent game last week against Youngstown State, with about a half's worth of playing time. I am looking for more of the same type of activity, perhaps more, as Boeckman will need to play at his best on September 13th against USC. WR Brian Robiskie sustained a minor shoulder injury but should be ready to go against Ohio University, and WRs Brian Hartline, DeVier Posey, and Lamaar Thomas all played last week as well. WR Dane Sanzenbacher took a big hit that looked like he was woozy afterwards in the Youngstown State game, but he should be good to go against Ohio University. The strongest part of Ohio University's defense is its secondary, which finished 2nd in the MAC for pass defense ratings. This will be an interesting area to watch how these two squads compete.

Slight Edge: Ohio State

Special Teams: Ohio University has a nationally ranked return unit, whereas Ohio State is definitely looking to improve in this area from last season. Ohio University returned a kickoff for a touchdown last week against Wyoming. Ohio State did have a strong game with field goals last week against Youngstown State.

Slight Edge: Ohio University

Intangibles: Former Nebraska head coach Frank Solich has done a good job of making Ohio University competitive within the MAC. Solich and his staff do a solid job of identifying Ohio talent and will have their team ready to play against Ohio State. Considering how tough Ohio University played last week to Wyoming, I do not believe Ohio University will be intimidated coming into Ohio Stadium.

From an Ohio University perspective, how many of the players on the team truly believe Ohio State made a mistake in not recruiting them? Here is a big psychological edge that Ohio University has in a game such as this.

On the Ohio State side, this is a game that the Ohio State coaching staff truly hates, as they have to worry about their team overlooking Ohio University and forward to the big game against USC on September 13th. The longer this game stays in doubt, the more Ohio University believes they can pull off an upset. Remember - Ohio University played Ohio State tough back in 1999 for the first half until Ohio State eventually pulled away.

Big Edge: Ohio University

Prediction: I have said this before, and I will say it again ~ while I understand the rationale for Ohio State playing an in-state MAC team, this should be the ONLY game of this type that appears on Ohio State's schedule. Playing Ohio University the week after Youngstown State only reinforces the "Ohio State plays nobody" mantra that is going throughout the college football world nowadays.

I look for this game to move quickly, due to the heavy Ohio State emphasis on the running game. I will also predict that Coach Tressel will not run up the score, as that is not his style. I will say Ohio State 35, Ohio 7.

ESPN widget added & Jeff Sagarin's rankings, week one

If you recall, I am not a big fan of our current ranking system and would dramatically alter how our college football champion would be crowned. That being repeated, I have linked Jeff Sagarin's rankings after the first week of competition.



If you scroll down, you'll see Ohio State is ranked but has a woeful schedule rank after the first week. Luckily for Ohio State, that schedule ranking will only improve once they get past playing Youngstown State and Ohio University to play USC on September 13th. And another positive...Oklahoma's strength of schedule is actually worse than Ohio State's is this week.



Another change to the blog...you will see I have added a widget from ESPN.com for Ohio State on the side of the blog. Enjoy.

Some Quick Thoughts From The Opening Weekend

First of all, thanks to those of you who sent me updates on the Ohio State - Youngstown State game while I was out of town for my cousin Diane's wedding (congrats again, Diane and Jim. Uncle John and Aunt Lenore, thank you again for a wonderful time!). I was well aware that Ohio State was up 26-0 for the first half, and that's when Diane's & Jim's wedding ceremony began. With my BlackBerry securely in my suit jacket pocket, I did not know about Chris Wells' injury until after the ceremony - there's something to be said for looking and seeing 30 messages saying something to the effect of "WELLS IS HURT".



That leads me to my first question - WHY was Chris Wells even in the game after the first half? Ohio State was already up comfortably. I realize that Chris Wells' injury was not contact-related, and that it could have happened on any play, but the fact that Wells was in against Youngstown State with the game well in hand bothers me.

There has been no new information as to the extent of Chris Wells' injury. X-Rays were negative, and Coach Tressel made a comment that the injury is not turf toe. My biggest fear is that Chris Wells may have ruptured his Achilles tendon, but considering he was walking on it, I doubt that is the case. Probably the best thing Chris Wells can do for this injury is attend rehab sessions and rest, which will inevitably be the case this coming weekend against Ohio University.

Of course, the debut of Terrelle Pryor has been completely overshadowed by Chris Wells' injury. Looking at highlights (thank you Time Warner for finally getting me The Big Ten Network), the option will once again become a staple of Ohio State's offense whenever Pryor is in the game.

Other Big Ten musings ~

I realize that one game does not a season make, but so far, Michigan has demonstrated what I predicted. I truly do not believe that the average Michigan fan understands how difficult a transition it will be for Michigan to adjust to Rich Rodriguez's offense this year. I believe Michigan will win over my alma mater, but I do not believe Miami (OH) will be blown out as they were against Vanderbilt. Look for Rodriguez to give Steven Threet the starting QB job against Miami (OH) as he seemed to do better than Nick Sheridan.

Penn State crushed Coastal Carolina (as expected), but it should be interesting this coming weekend against Oregon State. Penn State's other two non-conference games are against Syracuse and Temple, so Penn State should be 4-0 heading into Big Ten play.

Minnesota has already equaled its 2007 win total with its win over Northern Illinois. Considering how Bowling Green has already put Pitt's Dave Wannstedt on the hot seat with its victory on Saturday, this should be a good one to watch. I won't be surprised if BG defeats Minnesota.

Wisconsin defeated Akron on Saturday, and gets Marshall this coming week. Wisconsin should be 2-0 before its big game at Fresno State on September 13th.

Iowa looked impressive thrashing Maine (Big Ten Network rerun last night). Iowa gets Florida International, so they should be 2-0 after this weekend as well.

Indiana handled Western Kentucky, and they get Murray State this weekend. Another cupcake opponent, and another Big Ten team at 2-0.

Props to Michigan State for playing Cal tough. Michigan State will be in the win column after this weekend's game against Eastern Michigan.

Northwestern handled Syracuse, which came as no surprise. Northwestern plays @ Duke, who defeated them last season. I look for Northwestern to win this one.

Finally, Purdue kicks off its season with Northern Colorado. Purdue should be 1-0 after this one.

Keep your fingers crossed for a healthy Chris Wells come September 13th. Even with Wells, that game against USC looks like a huge challenge for Ohio State.