Football
10 Things We Learned from a Bizarre Win over the Badgers
By Brandon CastelCOLUMBUS, Ohio – Looking at the numbers it’s hard to understand exactly how Ohio State pulled off a victory Saturday over Wisconsin. The Buckeyes totaled eight first downs and ran for less than 100 yards while quarterback Terrelle Pryor struggled to throw the ball outside of one drive.
Yet somehow, the Buckeyes pulled off the 31-13 win behind another stellar performance from their defense. They recorded SIX sacks and 10 tackles for loss (both season highs) while holding tailback John Clay to just 59 yards on 20 carries.
The Buckeyes also intercepted 2 passes, returning both for touchdowns while holding the Badgers to 6-of-19 on third down conversions.
With such a one-sided game, there was plenty to be learned about Ohio State on both sides of the ball Saturday.
10. Scott Tolzien is a tough competitor. Yes he threw two pick-6’s Saturday that probably, or certainly, cost his team the game Saturday, but he also did some things that impressed me. Despite being sacked six times, and harassed countless others, Tolzien stood tall in the pocket and continued to try to make plays for his team. Thanks to Ohio State’s ability to take tailback John Clay out of the game (20 carries for 59 yards), the onus was on Tolzien to make all the plays for Wisconsin’s offense. While he didn’t get them into the end zone – their only touchdown came on a fake field goal – he did make a few plays with his legs and his arm that lead me to believe he will continue to have a successful season as long he’s not facing a defense the caliber of Ohio State’s.
9. Jermale Hines is one of the best 11. When the OSU coaching staff made the decision to yank senior Anderson Russell from the starting lineup to insert Jermale Hines, they said they did so in an effort to get the best 11 players on the field. Hines was playing a decent amount in the nickel, but on days like today, against power offenses, he would have spent most of the time on the bench. Instead, Hines was out there making plays from the strong safety position, including an interception he tipped to himself.
8. Kurt Coleman is still OSU’s best big-play guy. After watching Ohio State’s defense dominate Indiana without him last week, people may have forgotten what safety Kurt Coleman brings to the table each week. While Anderson Russell certainly stepped up against the Hoosiers, Coleman is this team’s best big-play guy on either side of the ball. After recording a career-high 14 tackles against Wisconsin, Coleman is second on the team with 43 stops this season despite playing in one fewer game. He has three forced fumbles, two interceptions and an 89-yard return for a touchdown.
7. Nathan Williams is a bad man. With the way everyone on the defensive line is playing this year, it’s hard to single out one guy from Saturday’s performance, but it’s hard not to take notice when watching Nathan Williams out there. Thad Gibson is still the Buckeyes’ best pure pass rusher, and a bad man in his own right, but Williams brings a different kind of attack. He is relentless. He will do whatever it takes to get to the quarterback, whether that means running past someone or just bullrushing right through them.
6. Ross Homan is becoming a force. For most of this season, talk about the linebackers has centered around middle likebacker Brian Rolle, but Saturday it was Ross Homan who made his presence felt. The only returner from last year’s starting corps, Homan had a career-high 15 tackles to go with a sack and a forced fumble. He is now third on the team with 42 tackles. He also has two sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He plays in the base and the nickel and gives the Buckeyes a physical presence on the defense to go with Rolle’s speed.
5. Ray Small can still make big plays for this team. Somewhat of a forgotten man this season because of his lack of impact as a punt returner, Ray Small was re-introduced to the Ohio State faithful Saturday with a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. The Buckeyes still need to get him going as a punt returner, but combining him with Lamaar Thomas on the kick return gives them a deadly 1-2 punch that could produce a few more touchdowns this season.
4. The renaissance of the OSU rushing attack is opponent specific. After watching the Buckeyes rush for well over 200 yards in each of the last two games, many were ready anoint the OSU rushing attack as being back and better than ever. With Boom Herron out of the lineup, backup Brandon Saine ran for a career-high 113 yards against Indiana running out of OSU’s new shotgun oriented offense. Maybe it was the lingering effects of the flu, or maybe it was a result of Pryor’s lack of success in the passing game, but something wasn’t clicking in the run game Saturday. The Buckeyes ran for just 97 yards on 27 carries and could not run out the final 3:16 of the game without giving the badgers one more chance on offense.
3. This team needs a healthy Boom Herron. A big part of their struggles may have been the absence of Herron, who carried the ball only twice Saturday before leaving the game after reinjuring his ankle. It’s not that Herron is that much better than Saine. In fact, I would argue that Saine is still the best back on the team, but neither is going to be Beanie Wells and tote the rock 25-30 times in a game. Together they make a pretty solid tandem because of the way they complement each other, but they aren’t nearly as effective alone. Say what you want about freshman Jordan Hall, and he appears to have excellent upside, but he’s not Herron.
2. Terrelle Pryor does not play within himself. There are a hundred reasons for Buckeye fans to be discouraged about the play of quarterback Terrelle Pryor, but the thing that bothers me the most is his inability to play within himself. He comes across as a very confident kid, but get him on a football field when things don’t seem to go his way and he tends to break down. Instead of responding to adversity he shies from it. He no longer trusts what he’s been taught and starts to resort back to his old way of doing things. If anyone wants to argue with me over whether or not Pryor has progressed from last year to this year, feel free to email me at brandonc@theozone.net. I’d love to hear your reasoning, because there’s no doubt in my mind this kid has come a long way from last year’s Wisconsin game in terms of his decision making and mechanics, but when things get bad, he seems to lose his cool.
1. A dominant defensive line can single-handedly determine the outcome of a game. The touchdown drive just before the half and the Ray Small kick return for a touchdown were both huge plays in this game, but let’s be honest about things. This game was won by the OSU defensive line. Their ability to control Clay and pressure Tolzien single-handedly changed the course of the game. It gave the secondary less time to cover and it gave the linebackers the freedom to make plays, which is why Homan and Brian Rolle combined for 29 tackles against Wisconsin. Week-in and week-out, this group dominates the line of scrimmage, and it’s for that reason that the Buckeyes have a real chance of running through their Big Ten schedule unscathed despite a very inconsistent offense.
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