Football
The Buckeye Watch
By Tony Gerdeman.
On Friday I got a call that a ticket had come through for me thanks to the "Friends of the O-Zone Ticket Program" (as of this writing, there is no such program, I made it up). I am very much appreciative of this gift in mercy. Remember people, every ticket helps.
Back to the game.
Ah yes, that was the offensive explosion I was hoping for. At least I got to see it from the 49 yard line. Right now, the offense is so far behind the defense, you'd think they were a married Japanese couple stuck back in 1923.
As of now, it looks like the spread is the spread in name alone. The Buckeyes still go three and four wide, but it's just so Troy Smith can get five yards on a first down run. There are going to be quite a few 13-10 games in the Big Ten for the Buckeyes this year.
It was still a good day. Notre Dame and Tennessee lost, I got to see campus, and right now I'm enjoying some milk and cookies.
On to the Watch.
1:00 I'm about five blocks from Lane Avenue and I see parking advertised for $20 and I marvel at what the cost of living has done to crappy parking.
1:02 I park for $10 two blocks north of Lane. I'm happy with it.
1:06 I bypass the goings-on at Hineygate to check out my old stomping grounds around campus.
1:13 Namely the Packer fan hot dog vendor over at Independence Hall.
1:16 Except he's not there. There's some new dude there and two dogs and a soda cost me seven bucks. The hot dogs are less than good, but the soda is a quenching machine.
1:30 The doors open as I'm making a walk around the stadium. I decide to head in.
1:35 My ticket is in Row One, Section 20B. As I sit down and try to decide if I'm closer to the 48 or the 49 yard line, I realize that if everybody got to sit in this seat just once, there would be no more war.
1:38 The usher yells down to me and asks what I think of the seat. I give him one of those, "Eh, not bad" head bobs.
1:44 Man, I'm here way too early.
2:11 It's only 2:11? It feels like 2:16 at least.
2:53 Devon Lyons is apparently out of the game today, because he's standing around in sweats.
3:25 Either I've never watched a game from this side of the stadium, or the band is doing their first ever upside down Script Ohio.
3:40 Malcolm Jenkins is starting. Interesting. Looks like they’re opening up in the nickel.
3:41 Well, so much for the shut out. Good thing they opened up in the nickel. Brett Swain just took a bubble screen past the only two Buckeyes within fifteen yards of him. That drive took eleven seconds. The Aztecs will never win the time of possession battle this way.
3:42 Ah, the missed extra point. I'm of the opinion that a missed extra point is so demoralizing that it only makes a touchdown worth four points. Don't ask me how I've come up with that number.
3:45 Ouch. Bad move by Pittman. He just reversed his field and lost eight yards. He must've thought his last name was Ginn for a moment there.
3:48 On a 3rd and long, Ted Ginn was sent to the flats to sit and wait. They're treating him like a safety valve rather than a fire hazard.
3:51 Bobby Carpenter is at defensive end again and he got through the line very quickly. They may just leave him there.
3:53 Another penalty for the Aztecs. You don't even need to beat San Diego State, you just let them do it for you.
3:58 Through 7:49 played, SDSU has 101 yards passing. At this rate, they'll throw for 769 yards.
4:03 Well that didn't work. Ted Ginn got the end around and lost about seven yards. As Ginn was fighting to stay up, some dude to my left yells "throw a flag". I refrain from asking what the flag would be for.
4:04 The folks behind me boo as Troy Smith completes a five yard pass on 3rd and 17.
4:10 You can just look at this Aztec offense and tell that they are not going to drive the field today.
4:11 Great punt return by Santonio Holmes. Some dude for the Aztecs got blown up from the blind side. Fortunately, he's getting up. Unfortunately, the return leaves the Buckeyes at the Aztec 20 yard line. That's right--the Dread Zone.
4:14 Troy Smith just ran through a hole that was fourteen yards long and fourteen yards wide for the touchdown. There's the much talked about "added dimension". Smith is like a dining room table that can also be converted into a bumper pool table by simply removing the top.
4:18 End of the quarter. 7-6 Ohio State, courtesy of another short scoring drive by Troy Smith.
4:20 Bobby Carpenter is eventually going to get that blasted quarterback.
4:24 In other scores, Thiel over Bluffton 28-0. I'm going to guess that Thiel's nickname is the Bulldogs. It's either that, or the Wildcats. Or the Tigers. But I guarantee it's one of those three.
4:25 Nice playaction out of the offset I. Ted Ginn was open for about eight minutes on that play. A nice 23 yard gain.
4:26 Same playaction, this time to Santonio Holmes for 25 yards. Most of this drive has been one back and two tight ends with a tight end staying in the backfield.
4:28 Now they go back to the spread? Troy must be running it. Yep. Four yard gain down to the 8 yard line.
4:29 Schnittker touchdown!! What? They're calling that a fumble? There is no way that that's a fumble. I have a tremendous vantage point and that ball looked over to me. Granted, I’m not seated on the goal line, I’m seated at the 49 yard line, but I could see from here that he reached the ball over for the six. It'll be overturned.
4:32 Where's the review? I'll have to check it out when I get home because there's no way they’re going to show that replay in the stadium.
4:38 A.J. Hawk is a bloodhound and the wide receiver screen is his escaped convict. I wonder if he has a spot for the Butkus Award yet. Maybe on his entertainment center? Next to the stereo? He may have to move that family picture, though.
4:41 3rd and a long two. Troy Smith kept the option and took it for 13 yards. Whenever Pittman or Wells are to his left, it looks like an option every time.
4:42 Hamby dropped the pass. I'm waiting for the boos. Not too many. I think people are too busy complaining to boo. Some dude two people to the left of me asks his buddy for Hamby's cell phone number. Then he yells at me to put that in my column.
4:43 The Buckeyes have it 2nd and 10 at the Aztec 12. Why does every down in the red zone feel like 3rd and goal?
4:44 There is 7:10 to go in the half. San Diego State is still at 101 yards passing. Not too shabby.
4:47 Troy Smith sneaks it in for a touchdown from the 1 yard line. 14-6 Buckeyes. He's got nine carries for 53 yards and two touchdowns. He's not going to be able to carry the ball twenty times in a game throughout the Big Ten.
4:53 Three and out for the Aztecs followed by a tremendous punt all the way to the Ohio State 14 yard line.
4:55 Ryan Hamby catches one and the crowd cheers very loudly. I'm sure some are doing it sarcastically, but I'm hoping most are doing it as a show of support.
4:58 Troy Smith hits Hamby again. This time for a yard on 3rd and 4. Smith didn't even look at anybody else. He was throwing to Hamby from the moment he said "Hut one".
5:04 At the end of the half, Ohio State leads 14-6. A few thoughts: Troy Smith needs to look downfield--not for us to win today, but to gain some confidence for Iowa next week; and I'll say it again, he can't run the ball twenty times a game, especially not next week. Abdul Hodge and Chad Greenway will treat him like jerky on a four week cattle drive.
5:07 San Diego State has 114 yards passing and 135 yards total--81 of that coming on the first play.
5:13 TBDBITL is doing some type of salute to 70's rock. I think of the thirty or forty games that I've been to, they've done a salute to the 70s rock scene at about 15 of those games.
5:16 Did you know that there was a band called "Yes"? I don't know what they sounded like, but apparently you can march to it.
5:20 I think in the second half, I'm just gonna pack it in and play Tresselball with the Buckeye Watch.
5:29 3rd down and six and Troy Smith hits the Third Down Assassin Tony Gonzalez for eight yards to get it to the San Diego State 12 yard line. That guy may have the best pair of hands not dangling out of a number four jersey on the team.
5:31 The Buckeyes settle for a field goal making it 17-6 with 9:33 to go in the quarter. At least they waited until the second half to kick a field goal this week. The offense is working way too hard right now. It should be much easier than this.
5:38 Another three and out for the Aztecs and another incredibly impressive punt. Whoever taught this dude how to punt like this should get Fred McGriff to endorse an instruction video for him.
5:41 Troy Smith just threw an interception. The pass was intended for Ryan Hamby, and Smith locked in on him from the snap. I don't even think he looked at the safety, he just threw it up to Hamby. In my best Bill Walton voice, "Horrible pass."
5:51 The Buckeyes had a 2nd and 18 and Smith hit Hamby for nine yards. Again, Smith isn't looking at anybody other than his first choice, and that first choice is never downfield.
5:52 Yow! San Diego State almost picked that one off. That was your prototypical out pattern that was jumped on by the defensive back. The Buckeyes were very fortunate to avoid the interception and the ensuing touchdown that would've come from it.
5:53 A bunch of people have seen enough and they start heading for the exits.
5:59 The Buckeyes get the ball back and Roy Hall drops his second pass of the day. I wonder if the receivers are just tired of running crossing routes and getting popped over the middle.
6:01 More people leaving at the end of the third quarter.
6:02 Check that, there will be an untimed down due to a penalty.
6:03 And what an untimed down it was! The Aztecs for some reason thought it would be cool to run some weird option stuff from their goal line and coughed it up. Bucks have the ball 1st and goal from the one.
6:04 They just showed the Michigan State score with the Spartans up 24-17 on Notre Dame right now. Very nice.
6:05 I'm assuming Troy Smith will punch this one in and send the rest of the crowd home grumbly.
6:06 I am wrong again! Brandon Schnittker takes it home for what should be his second touchdown of the game. 24-6 Buckeyes. Although it should be 31-6. Although if we're doing althoughs, the Aztecs should've had an interception return to make it 31-13. Let's not do "althoughs".
6:11 For about the seventh time today, the guy in charge of the yard marker has been about forty yards out of place. I don’t know what the guy’s problem is. He reminds me of a recurring dream that I have where I’m supposed to be somewhere, but I don’t know where it is and I don’t know how to get there. Except the yard marker dude knows exactly when and where he needs to be. He’s just an idiot, apparently.
6:18 Just throw it Troy! Troy Smith had Ginn one on one down the sideline, and he even cocked his arm as if to say, “I’m gonna throw it deep”, then he decocked (uncocked?) and tucked the ball and ran it. Dude, you’ve got to throw the ball up and let your receiver go and get it. He’s one on one with a cornerback. A San Diego State cornerback! You don’t feed your dog applesauce if you can give him a steak. Dag, man.
6:20 The Buckeyes punt and more people are leaving. I don't know why they waited another series. Did they expect to see something different? If you want to leave, just leave. I’m sure their conversation is basically, “Let’s stay one more series and see how much angrier we can get at this win.”
6:22 Malcolm Jenkins had a couple of nice tackles back to back. He's played a pretty good game today, and been out there most of the day. Things are only going to get better and better with this guy. He wears the "2" well.
6:27 Maurice Wells just had a 13 yard run. He's a shifty little dude. For everybody complaining about the success that Tyrell Sutton is having at Northwestern, Sutton would be--at most--doing what Wells has done so far had he come to Ohio State.
6:28 Wells has a great first move, he just doesn't seem strong enough to break that first tackle yet.
6:29 It's 3rd and 10 and Troy just ran for two yards. People are booing as they leave and leaving as they boo. These folks paid for blood, apparently. At least my car won't be parked in.
6:30 Huuuuuuuuuuuuu for three more. 27-6 Ohio State.
6:31 Whoa! The scoreboard just told me Michigan State is up 38-17 on mighty Notre Dame.
6:32 Zwick's in now and apparently the crowd doesn‘t hate him anymore. Ohio Stadium seats 105,000 scarlet-clad Sybils. Anyway, let's just complete all of these short passes and run this clock out so that I can get home and watch the end of the Notre Dame game and catch Florida versus Tennessee.
6:36 Hey hey. Nice swing pass to Erik Haw. It's good to see him getting some touches. He just showed some speed getting to the first down marker.
6:38 Hey hey hey. Nice move by Brian Robiskie. He looked smooth on that thirteen yard catch and run. I see why the coaches are so high on him.
6:40 I never thought the dink and dunk could be refreshing--but it is.
6:42 And that about ends it. I've come away from this game wondering how we are ever going to score enough points to win out. But, as we've seen, it doesn't usually matter.
6:42:30 Aw who cares, I’m such an optimist, by Thursday, I’ll have the Buckeyes beating the Hawkeyes by three touchdowns.
6:45 I'm walking to my car now and it's starting to sprinkle. I already miss my precious overhang from B Deck.
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