Here is the latest edition of What We Learned, the postgame instant feedback feature. The Buckeyes blew out New Mexico State 45-0, but there are still some things that may be of concern.
Cameron Heyward
Welcome to our premium postgame feature What We Learned.
Let’s take a look at the important items that were gleaned from Ohio State’s 45-0 win over visiting New Mexico State on Saturday.
We learned OSU’s offense probably isn’t going to score many points against Penn State and Iowa
OK, we already knew that. But a slow start against NMSU is not what OSU needed in a game that was supposed to be a confidence-builder going into the difficult November stretch. Yes, Ohio State put up a lot of points and yards, but the offense took a while to get going (scoreless in the first quarter) and didn’t look all that smooth against what is clearly the worst team on the schedule this year.
The offense looked good for most of last week’s game against Minnesota (even in the first half they were moving the ball well) and today’s performance certainly wasn’t poor, but it wasn’t anything where OSU fans are now confident sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeyes will be able to move the ball and score much against the next two teams on the schedule.
Penn State and Iowa are two of the best defensive units in the country. It’s going to be tough sledding and then some for Ohio State’s offense.
I was encouraged with some things I saw from Pryor against New Mexico State, but the big plays he made are simply not going to be there against good defenses. He’s still telegraphing too many passes and forcing things far too often.
Pryor is always going to show flashes of brilliance – we’re talking about a 6-foot-6, 235-pound QB that runs a 4.3 in the 40. He also has a strong arm when he has time to throw.
However, he’s going to be inconsistent for at least the rest of this season. The Buckeyes just need to hope that the positive outweighs the negative in their big games going forward.
Against NMSU, Pryor finished 11-of-23 passing for 135 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. He enjoyed a fine day on the ground with nine carries for 83 yards and a score.
Sophomore quarterback Joe Bauserman entered in Pryor’s place in the third quarter and it was good for the little-used backup to get some reps. He’s one play away from being the starter.
We learned Hall hits the hole harder than Saine
Brandon Saine is an enigma. One game he looks good, the next he disappears.
But at the tailback position, there has been one constant this year: Jordan Hall looks good nearly every time he touches the ball. Even when the true freshman doesn’t break one for decent yardage, he hits the hole hard, shows excellent quickness and can usually make something out of nothing. Hall has very good power for his size and clearly runs harder than Saine. He’s quicker to hit the hole and just runs with more force.
Against the Aggies, Hall had 10 carries for 90 yards. Saine had seven carries for just 13 yards, but did finally get his first touchdown of the season.
We learned Herron is back
Sophomore tailback Boom Herron returned from an ankle sprain and even broke a long touchdown run in the third quarter.
The Buckeyes are going to need Herron next week in a smash-mouth game like Penn State, so getting him back this week to knock some of the rust off was important. Herron had six carries for 66 yards, most of which came on the 53-yard scoring jaunt. However, he appeared to still be favoring the ankle just a little bit.
We learned Lamaar Thomas is still MIA
Does he ever break a tackle or make a man miss on kickoff returns? Seriously, has it ever happened during his OSU career so far? No wonder Ray Small has seemingly surpassed him as the primary kickoff returner.
Thomas is also the No. 5 wide receiver, which means not very much playing time on a team that only uses the top four wideouts (DeVier Posey, Dane Sanzenbacher, Small, Duron Carter).
You have to wonder if he’ll still going to be around next season. There have already been rumblings that he’s not happy and if he didn’t play much against NMSU, he’s certainly not going to see the field very often in the last four games of the season (including the bowl).
And it’s nothing personal that the coaching staff has against Thomas – they just don’t think he’s playing very good football.
We learned Tressel does have a bag of tricks
How about the successful onside kick at the start of the second quarter? Talk about unsuspected and perfectly executed.
Jim Tressel has shown he’s willing to take more chances this year – with the obvious exception the USC game when he kicked a field goal on fourth-and-goal from the one, and then passed up a 53-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter.
The “gamble” against the Aggies led to a touchdown pass from Pryor Sanzenbacher to give the Buckeyes a 14-0 lead.
Yes, it’s easy to roll the dice in a game that you are favored to win by 44. However, with OSU struggling to get going, it was a good message sent by Tressel. It woke the players up and got the momentum rolling in OSU’s favor.
Then later in the second quarter, OSU called a fake-reverse pass that was good for a 39-yard touchdown from Posey to Sanzenbacher. A fake-reverse pass! Herron took the pitch from Pryor and pitched it to Posey, who threw it on the money to Sanzenbacher in the end zone. Posey showcased a Boomer Esiason-like left-handed cannon on that throw. (Alright, maybe not quite that good, but that was an extremely good throw for a WR. And you know Posey is going to be giving his boy Pryor the business all week that they should swap positions.)
And sure, OSU was probably just doing all of this to give its future opponents something extra to think about and prepare for. However, it was still fun to see. Good to see Tressel loosen up and go for some of those style points.
We learned Gibson -- and the entire D-line -- continues to look great
Defensive end Thaddeus Gibson is not putting up big stats this year, but he’s getting good push almost every snap and I think fans can expect another big game or two for Gibson down the stretch.
He finally had his breakout performance against Minnesota last week with three sacks and I think he’s going to do some serious damage in a big game down the line (whether it’s Penn State, Iowa, Michigan or the bowl game). His burst is very impressive and Gibson also has the strength to power his way through offensive tackles. (Don’t believe for a second his listed weight of 245 on the official roster. Gibson says he’s 255 and his teammates and coaches say he’s one of the strongest players on the team pound-for-pound.)
This could be his final year in an OSU uniform, so enjoy it while it lasts, Buckeye fans.
The Buckeyes have the best defensive line in the country and I love the fact that defensive coordinator Jim Heacock has moved Cameron Heyward to tackle, which allows DE Nathan Williams to get on the field at the same time as Gibson. I've never been extremely high on Doug Worthington, but he's putting together a nice senior year as the other starting DT.
Obviously, OSU would love to get DT Dexter Larimore back for the Penn State game next week. He is the one true "nose guard" or "one technique" on the team. Larimore did practice a little bit this past week, but it remains to be seen if his sprained knee will be healthy enough to play against the Nittany Lions. I tend to think he'll at least try and give it a go.
The good news for the Buckeyes is they are so deep up front that they are still dominant even with a talented player like Larimore out. Guys like DE Lawrence Wilson and DT John Simon are playing very well in reserve roles.
We learned the Buckeye defense and Aggie offense are who we thought they were
(With all apologies to former NFL coach Denny Green, of course.) We already knew that Ohio State had one of the best defenses in the country this season, but the “Silver Bullets” just reaffirmed it today. What a dominating performance.
In other words, exactly what one might expect when going up against the worst total offense in the country and the second-to-last scoring offense in the land. The Aggies are as bad at it gets offensively and they proved it today.
We learned OSU fans are about to learn all about Devin Barclay
Senior kicker Aaron Pettrey left the field on a cart after suffering a right knee injury in the second quarter. Pettrey was blocked low (which should have been a penalty) and it looks like he might be out a while.
Therefore, junior Devin Barclay stepped in as the kicker and didn't perform very well. Barclay is a former professional soccer player in the MLS and looked good at OSU’s kick scrimmage in the spring and again in preseason camp.
Barclay has a strong and accurate leg in practice, but how will he be when the pressure is on and a crucial field goal needs to be made? We might find out pretty soon.
Against New Mexico State, Barclay (it’s pronounced “Barkley” just like Charles Barkley … it’s not Bar-CLAY) was just 1-of-3 on field goal attempts.
If you are wondering about redshirt freshman Ben Buchanan, he’s been getting most of his work in practice as a punter. Buchanan is someone else they could use as a kicker, but Barclay is likely to stay ahead of him on the depth chart for now. Despite his performance against the Aggies, Barclay has been a pleasant surprise since joining the team two years ago according to the coaching staff.
We learned Duron Carter had a good day
He didn’t mess around and get a triple-double, but he did haul in three receptions for 82 yards. That matched his season total of receiving yards coming into the game.
It was good to see Carter – OSU’s No. 4 receiver – have a big day because he might not get too many more opportunities the last three regular season games. He’ll play in all those games, but I don’t expect too many four-wide sets in those contests.
