* 10:50 a.m. -- Greetings from high above the field at Ohio Stadium in the press box. I’ll be filing a live blog during today’s Ohio University at Ohio State game and will be keeping close tabs on the three running backs that will be playing in place of the injured Beanie Wells. Senior Mo Wells will get the start and could have a Lydell Ross vs. Indiana type of game where he runs for 100 yards and teases everyone. I think Wells is going to have a solid senior season and will most likely crack a few big runs today against the undersized Bobcat defense. However, I think either Brandon Saine or Boom Herron needs to establish themselves as the top backup to Beanie Wells at some point this season and they will each get an extended chance to show what they can do today.
I also want to see how quarterback Todd Boeckman performs in his final tune-up before the showdown at USC next week. Boeckman looked sharp in the opener last week and he needs to continue to build confidence as he prepares to face one of the best defenses in the country next week in Los Angeles. It will also be interesting to see which receivers have a productive day. Will Brian Robiskie still be favoring his right shoulder strain? Is Brian Hartline headed for a big day? Who is going to win the battle to be the Buckeyes’ long-term No. 3 receiver? Will it be Dane Sanzenbacher, Ray Small, or perhaps freshman DeVier Posey? (Posey will be going up against his older brother Julian Posey who is a third-year sophomore cornerback at OU.) I also like keeping a close eye on the offensive line. Does sophomore right tackle Bryant Browning have the starting job locked up all season barring injury, or might freshman J.B. Shugarts push him for the spot? How will freshmen Mike Adams and Michael Brewster look? It still amazes me that Adams was ready to play in the season opener after shoulder surgery in April. The Buckeyes have great depth up front this year – more than at any time of the Jim Tressel era – and the second-team line will play a lot again today.
And of course, I’m also intrigued to see how freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor will perform today. I look for Pryor to have some situational plays in the first half and then to get extended action in the second half. The Buckeyes only used him for series at a time last week in his excellent debut, but more situational looks (like Florida used with Tim Tebow two years ago) is the next step.
Defensively, will the defensive line dominate like they did last week, or will they just do enough get the job done? I think this defensive line needs to dominate against teams like Ohio U. if it expects to do damage against teams like USC and Wisconsin. The Buckeye defensive tackles need to get push and control the interior and the defensive ends (and linebackers) need to get pressure on quarterback Theo Scott. Pass rush in big games could be a concern for OSU this year.
Also, how much will the young defensive players get a chance to see the field today? With only 43 defensive snaps total in last week’s game (due to a lot of three-and-outs from OSU’s defense and long drives from OSU’s offense) there wasn’t much of a chance to see guys like freshman linebacker Etienne Sabino. In fact, defensive end Keith Wells didn’t play at all. Will he today? What about DE Nathan Williams? Wells is right on the bubble to be redshirted and entering the season it appeared the Buckeyes needed depth at defensive end. Right now, senior Curtis Terry might have found a home as the No. 4 DE though behind the top three of Lawrence Wilson, Cameron Heyward and Thaddeus Gibson. Other players that can add depth at defensive end are sophomore Mark Johnson (a converted linebacker) and redshirt freshman Solomon Thomas. So maybe OSU’s coaches decided they have enough depth at DE for now and will only burn Wells’ and Williams’ redshirt years if they have to.
As for Sabino, with sophomore linebacker Brian Rolle out today with a concussion, the freshman from Miami, Florida, might get a lot of snaps in the second half if OSU is able to build a big lead.
I think Ohio State is going to win 41-10 (which means the Buckeyes would not cover the 34-point spread). The Bobcats aren't one of the best teams in the MAC, but I think they are going to be better this year than people expected. They played well in their narrow 21-20 loss to a decent Wyoming team on the road last week. ... Well, I will be back closer to kickoff with more thoughts. And then once the game starts, I will be checking in one or twice per quarter, between each quarter and at halftime.
* Noon -- During pre-game warm-ups, Ohio State’s offense was working on a lot of short passes over the middle to the tight ends and the running backs. The Buckeyes always do this – it’s part of a drill they do backed up at their own 1-yard line. However, they seemed to be practicing it even more today and it will be interesting to see if short passes to the tight ends and swing passes to the backs will be a bigger part of the offense today.
Around the Big Ten, there certainly aren’t any big games to speak of. I actually think Miami University will give Michigan a decent game in Ann Arbor. … Marshall at Wisconsin is somewhat interesting, but Mark Snyder hasn’t exactly done a good job with the Thundering Herd program since leaving OSU after the 2004 season. Wisconsin probably rolls big time there. … The rest of the noon games are sure to be blowouts. They include Northern Colorado at Purdue, Florida International at Iowa, Eastern Illinois (Tony Romo U.) at Illinois and Eastern Michigan (possibly the worst team in the MAC) at Michigan State. A bunch of yawners there, but like I said I think the Miami Redhawks (who lost to a very good Vanderbilt team in their opener) are going to hang in there against the Wolverines. … Then at 3:30, there is actually a pretty intriguing game as Oregon State travels to Penn State. The Nittany Lions have a depleted team after their latest series of off-the-field transgressions. Oregon State is not a good team when they go on the road (they got blown out by Cincinnati last year) but the Beavers could hang in there today. But I think Penn State will prevail. … In the 7 and 7:30 p.m. games, I think Indiana will hammer Murray State of course. However, there could be a couple of good contests when a much-improved Northwestern team travels to Duke (under a new coaching staff) and Minnesota travels to Bowling Green. I think Northwestern will win somewhat comfortably and I think Minnesota will win in a very tight one. Minnesota is fortunate that Bowling Green upset Pittsburgh last week. Now, The Falcons won’t sneak up on them.
Well, that’s all for now. I’ll check in once or twice during the first quarter of the game to give you my early thoughts on the OU vs. OSU game.
* 12:13 p.m. -- Saine with a 17-yard kickoff return out to the 25 to start the game. Nothing too impressive there. … Buckeyes go three-and-out on their first drive as Mo Wells is stuffed for 2 yards on his first carry and Boeckman was sacked on third down on an all-out blitz. … Nice first punt of the season for A.J. Trapasso. Fifty-one yards, no return and it backs OU up to its 19. … Jermale Hines is still starting at safety this week in place of Kurt Coleman, but Coleman is expected to play today (sprained ankle). … OU has a solid junior quarterback in Theo Scott and he just picked up a first down on a nice scramble on a third-and-7 play. … OU is forced to punt after star wide receiver Taylor Price (from the Columbus suburb of Hilliard) dropped a pass on third-and-6.
* 12:25 p.m. -- Buckeyes go three-and-out again as a short pass to Robiskie is thwarted on third down. ... My prediction that Miami would hang in there against Michigan is not looking very good. 10-0 Wolverines early in the first quarter. ... Good start here for Ohio University as Scott hits TE Andrew Mooney for 14 yards and a first down to OSU's 39. ... What a play from OSU defensive end Lawrence Wilson who tipped Scott's screen pass, intercepted it and returned it all the way to the Bobcats' 24 (21 yards). That is about as good of a play as you see from a defensive end. He showed excellent awareness and athletic ability. ... Herron enters at tailback for OSU and is stuffed on his first two carries to set up a third-and-9. ... Boeckman hits Small on a crossing route for 9 yards and a first down at the 14. ... Boeckman overthrows Small on a fade route on third down. Small might be the worst WR on the team to try and throw a fade that close to the end zone. You want taller receivers to get the fade passes. ... Ryan Pretorius bangs through a 26-yard field goal and Ohio State leads 3-0 with 3:00 left in the first quarter.
* 12:40 p.m. -- Coleman is now in at safety for OSU, but interestingly, Hines stayed in and Anderson Russell went out. Russell is not hurt, they are probably just rewarding Hines. ... Then Hines drills Scott on a third down play to force an incompletion and a punt. There was a holding call on OU anyway. ... OSU takes over at its 26 following a 1-yard return from Small (should have called for a fair catch). ... The second-team offense is in for the Buckeyes, including Pryor and the three freshmen offensive linemen. ... On the first play, the Buckeyes went from the shotgun with one back (Herron) and Pryor ran the option and gained just 1 yard. ... OSU tried a WR screen to Posey on second down and Pryor fired incomplete with good coverage on the play. ... Pryor fires wide to Small on a slant route on third down and OSU goes three-and-out. There won't be a QB controversy today based on that first drive from Pryor. ... OU takes over at its own 45 with 11 seconds left in the first quarter following a shaky 35-yard punt from Trapasso. ... The Bobcats have their No. 2 quarterback in the game -- junior Boo Jackson -- and he barely overthrew a receiver in what would have been a big play. ... Jackson fires incomplete again on the final play of the first quarter. 3-0 Ohio State.
* 12:42 p.m. -- They just announced in the press box that Theo Scott is being carted off the field and into the locker room due to an injury. Hines drilled him and drove him into the turf. It could be Jackson's show the rest of the way. He is a JUCO transfer (Scott was also a JUCO transfer last year).
* 12:50 p.m. -- Malcolm Jenkins intercepts Jackson on a ball that was underthrown. Still a nice catch from Jenkins who had to jump and lunge back for it. ... Boeckman is back in at quarterback and OSU's offense looks extremely sloppy. Boeckman fires incomplete into double coverage to Robiskie on first down and a false start on Ben Person made it second and 15. However, Boeckman picks up the first down with a nice scramble in which he even made a cutback move. ... Then Wells goes for 11 yards on a pitch to the outside (he's good when he doesn't get touched for the first 10 yards) and another first down. ... On fourth-and-inches, Wells is stuffed and the ball is turned over to OU on downs. Not very good push from the offensive line and of course Wells didn't break a tackle or fall forward. Not sure why Herron (clearly a more-physical runner) wasn't in there. Maybe the Buckeyes were trying to prove somethng. Well, they did. Mo Wells isn't even effective against a MAC defense.
* 1:01 p.m. -- Boy, Wilson is certainly having a good day for the Buckeyes. He just batted down a pass to force a third down. ... But maybe I spoke too soon. Wilson almost had a sack, but Jackson squirted out of his grasp and then fired a pinpoint 30-yard completion to the speedy Price who made a sliding grab. ... Ohio U. is hanging in there and then some. ... Here is a very interesting stat: Ohio State leads the all-time series against OU 5-0 and four of the games have been shutouts. ... Jackson picks up a first down on a third-and-7 play on a very nice scramble. The Bobcats are fortunate they have a solid backup quarterback following the injury to Scott. ... Wilson is getting good pressure on almost every play, but Jackson just ran for 7 more yards. He then fires complete to Riley Dunlop for 13 yards and a first down to OSU's 15. ... Ohio U. shockingly takes the lead on a 15-yard touchdown run by Donte Harden. Terrible defense from OSU which didn't even get a hand on Harden until he crossed the goal line. With 6:56 left in the second quarter, OU leads 7-3. ... The Bobcats are also dominating total yards to the tune of 130-65.
* 1:10 p.m. -- Boeckman hits Jake Ballard for a 25-yard completion on a nice corner route and a first down to OU's 36. ... Herron follows it up with a 12-yard run on a run off left tackle behind Alex Boone. Big hole there. ... Herron crashes up the middle and does a nice job of falling forward on almost all of his runs. But he got just 3 yards there. The Buckeyes just don't have a difference-maker at tailback with Chris Wells out. ... Boeckman throws incomplete near the goal line, intended for Robiskie. ... Boeckman then fires incomplete to Hartline in the end zone on a well-thrown ball. It would have been a tough catch, but Hartline should have made it. ... Pretorius bangs through a 38-yard field goal and is now 6-of-6 already on the season. With 5:02 left in the first half, Ohio University leads 7-6. Frank Solich and his staff must be thrilled with the way this game has started and we're almost to halftime.
* 1:24 p.m. -- Aaron Pettrey booms a touchback on the kickoff. ... Thaddeus Gibson with a nice pass rush to force Jackson out of the pocket and an incomplete pass. Ohio State is going to get one more chance this half. ... Ducks are quacking on that 26-yard punt that even bounced back a couple yards in OSU's favor. First down Buckeyes at OU's 48 with 3:46 on the clock. ... On third-and-8 Boeckman hits Small for just enough to get the first down. ... Boeckman hits Small on a slant route and Small showed good toughness there going over the middle without fear for 5 yards. He doesn't slow up at all. ... On third-and-5, Boeckman is sacked and it looks like the Buckeyes are going to try and let the clock run down as much as possible here. Finally, with 1:03 left in the first half, the Buckeyes called a timeout. Long field goal or pooch punt here? I'd go for the field goal with such a good kicker, but who knows. They are going to try the field goal. Pretorius from 53, wide left. It was a line-drive that had the distance, but sailed well left of the upright. ... With 58 seconds left, the surprising score remains 7-6 Ohio University. ... The Bobcats take a knee and are going to run out the rest of the half. ... At halftime, the count is 7-6 Ohio U.
* 1:53 p.m. -- The Bobcats put a nice drive together to start out the second half, thanks in part to a couple nice scrambles from Jackson. But the Buckeyes finally clamped down and forced a punt from OSU's 35. I think it's a gutless move to ever punt inside the 40, but it worked out well for OU there as the 29-yard punt rolled out of bounds at the 6. ... With 10:23 left in the third quarter, the score is still 7-6 OU. Let's see if OSU's offense can get something rolling here with a long field to work with.
* 1:59 p.m. -- Disaster for Ohio State as the ball was snapped over Boeckman's head by center Jim Cordle and the Bobcats ripped the ball away from Boeckman in the end zone for a defensive touchdown. What was a surprising score is now shocking. Ohio University leads 14-6 with 9:00 left in the third quarter. Defensive end Curtis Meyers recovered the fumble for OU.
* 2:13 p.m. -- Inexplicably, Mo Wells returns the kickoff for OSU and gets just 15 yards. Wells should never be returning kicks in the opinion here. … Herron breaks a nice 14-yard run on first down. … Three plays later, Boeckman hits Sanzenbacher for another first down for 12 yards and the crowd finally comes to life. First down OSU at OU’s 36. … Boeckman with a decent 6-yard scramble on first down after the play broke down. Boeckman doesn’t have a quick first step, but he’s not a bad runner once he gets going. … Herron for 7 more yards. The Buckeyes are going with Herron in the most important part of the game – that says a lot to me. They must think he is their best back with Beanie Wells out. … Called QB run with Boeckman from the shotgun (Craig Krenzel style). He gets 6 and is a yard short of the first down. … Herron dives ahead for a yard with Curtis Terry at fullback. Yes, Curtis Terry is playing some fullback (and defensive end – his main position now). … First down at the 13. … Herron looks good as he crashes ahead for 5 yards. He has good quickness and finishes his runs hard. He’s not a guy that is going to make a lot of people miss though. … The Bobcats run blitz and stop Herron for a 2-yard loss. Not very imaginative play calling there. … On third-and-7, Boeckman throws a perfect pass to Hartline who made a nice lunging catch at the 1 for the first down. … Herron then crashed into the end zone for a touchdown behind Terry and Brandon Smith. … The Buckeyes decide to kick the extra point instead of going for two, but Pretorius shanks the attempt (possibly a bad snap). Wow. With 2:51 left in the third quarter, the score is 14-12 in favor of Ohio U. … Bucknuts editor Steve Helwagen is beside me saying the Buckeyes should have went for two there (and he said it before they decided to kick the PAT). Most coaches will not go for two unless it’s the fourth quarter under any circumstances.
* 2:23 p.m. -- Following a poor three-and-out series from OSU's offense, Trapasso is forced to punt. The Buckeyes get a HUGE break as the ball is muffed and Shaun Lane makes an incredible play to secure the ball before it went out of bounds. First down OSU at OU's 25. ... Boeckman goes to Hartline in the end zone, but good defense from OU broke up the pass. OSU fans thought there should have been pass interference, but it looked like good defense to me. ... Boeckman is then sacked for a loss of 1 after the play broke down. ... On third down, Boeckman hits Sanzenbacher for 12 yards and a big first down to OU's 14. That was the final play of the third quarter.
* 2:30 p.m. -- Saine goes for 7 yards on first down and made a man miss on a nice cut. ... Right back to Saine for 5 yards up the middle. He put his head down and drove the defender back a yard. ... Terry is getting a lot of time at fullback today. So much for him being strictly a defensive player for the rest of the season. ... Saine powers in for the 2-yard touchdown on the next play. The Buckeyes finally re-gain the lead and the crowd can relax just a bit. Pretorius bangs through the extra point. The game is far from over though of course. With 14:00 left in the fourth quarter, the score is 19-14 OSU.
* 2:37 p.m. -- Ohio U. tries a reverse on the kickoff return, but Austin Spitler stays home and tackles Chris Garrett at the 19. ... Dexter Larimore with a nice play to force a loss of 1 yard. Larimore is OSU's best DT in my opinion and he needs to play more. ... On third-and-4, the Bobcats run a sweep and Harden picks up 13 yards up to OU's 37. Big first down by the visitors there just as the crowd was getting into it. Ohio State's defense is not doing a good job on stopping OU on third downs. ... Total yards are 213-196 in favor of Ohio State. Yes, this is a close game in every way. ... On third-and-2, Jackson completes a pass on a crossing route for 14 yards and another first down. Jackson is bringing back bad memories of Juice Williams. ... First down OU inside OSU's territory at the 43. A false start makes it first-and-15.
* 2:43 p.m. -- Jackson fires high and incomplete on a screen pass on first down. ... Terry just missed a sack for OSU, but Jackson shook him and picked up 6 yards on the ground. ... Third-and-9 coming up. ... Huge play from the Silver Bullets as Marcus Freeman tips the pass and James Laurinaitis comes up with a diving interception. The two best friends combine on a game-changing play right there at OSU's 35. ... Wells takes a sweep to the left and runs for 18 yards inside OU territory to the 47. Wells is stuffed on the next play for no gain. ... Wells then goes up the middle, makes a man miss and is tackled after a 6-yard gain. Third-and-4 coming up. ... Boeckman goes deep to Robiskie (why go deep there?) but comes up empty and the Buckeyes are forced to punt. A pass to the tight end over the middle there might have worked. (How's that for press box quarterbacking?)
* 2:46 p.m. -- Trapasso punts into the end zone for what amounts to a 21-yard net punt (41 yards total). Ohio University has a chance here to drive and score the go-ahead touchdown. The Buckeyes left the door open by not putting any points on the board there when they were in good position to do so. There is 7:11 left in the game and OSU needs a defensive stand here. It's amazing that it's come down to this. No one expected it -- certainly not the oddsmakers that expected a 34-point Buckeye victory.
* 2:52 p.m. -- The Buckeyes step up and force a quick three-and-out (Jackson almost connected with Price on third down though). Now it's up to the offense to put this game away for the home team. ... Well, nevermind that. Small takes the punt back for 70 yards and a touchdown! What a play from Small who made a couple defenders miss, cut across the field and sped into the end zone. Jim Tressel has said that Small can be a special punt returner and we finally saw what he was talking about. Small did have a good return last week as well, but this one was a big-time return. That could be the nail in the coffin. That was a 41-yard punt and Small received good blocking on the play. Hartline was back deep with him and made a good block on the gunner. ... Pretorius boots through the PAT and with 5:57 left, Ohio State leads 26-14.
* 3:04 p.m. -- Anderson Russell jumps a route and makes a nice interception for Ohio State. Russell struggled with drops last year, but he made a fine play there and returned it 15 yards. ... Pryor is back in at quarterback for Ohio State with just over 2 minutes to go. ... Pryor is stopped for no gain on his first run, but then breaks off a really nice 23-yard run where he made a man miss, showcased his speed and finished it off with a bruising stiff-arm. Pryor isn't that muscular, but he has a good stiff arm. ... Pryor then runs for 4 more yards (all out of the shotgun). ... Pryor looked like he was going to throw it there, but no one was open and he darted up the middle for 9 yards to OU's 32. The game is going to end after one more play most likely. ... Saine gets the carry and is stopped for no gain. ... That will do it. In a game much closer than expected, Ohio State holds on for a 26-14 victory. Now all the talk will be about the showdown at USC a week from today.
