Football is about different aspects of the game blending together to make the final product look good. When the defensive line gets pressure, the defensive backfield takes advantage of rushed passes that lack precision. When the offense can run the ball, the quarterback can then exploit the pass defense due to safeties sticking their nose into the running action. When the offense puts together a long drive, your defense rests while the opposing defense gets fatigued.
It all works together, which makes it difficult for anyone to pinpoint what happened as OSU played USC. It was a true team loss. I’d like to avoid the argument over what went wrong for OSU and right for USC because all points are valid.
Terrelle Pryor has established himself. On a few different occasions I thought the freshman specimen picked up 4 or 5 or 6 yards only to see the chains move with more significant gains. Boy can he cover some ground. He is a different player. I figured he would get that many snaps as we hit Michigan and the bowl game. I never dreamed he would be this ahead of schedule.
What a neat player we will enjoy in the coming years as Ohio State football fans. He will pick up reps this season only to get flooded with more reps in bowl practice and spring ball. Put him on your watch list for 2009!
Malcolm Jenkins is such an alive and energized player when that ball is snapped. Sure he made mistakes like the rest of the defense against the Trojans, but there is electricity when he takes the field. If they had Malcolm at a mid-first round draft pick last year, I can only see him moving up this year. As many great athletes as USC had, Malcolm’s talent level was up near the top on that football field.
Similar to LSU, I’d love to point out this turnover or that penalty or such-and-such blown assignment as the culprit for the loss, but those turnovers and penalties and blown assignments are part of football. They are the part of football that comes when an opponent applies tremendous stress and pressure to your game plan with great athletes coming at you.
