The Collison at the Coliseum Preview by Buckeye John

Buckeyes to invade Land of Troy…………

For the 3rd time in the last 4 seasons Ohio State will play in the most hyped non-conference game of the season as they travel west to play the mighty USC Trojans. The Buckeyes split a home-and-home series with Texas in 2005 and 2006 with the visiting team winning both games. In the Ohio State preview I wrote for this blog a few weeks ago I predicted that the outcome of this game would be the same as the 2006 game against Texas (a 24 -7 win by the Buckeyes). I made that prediction based more on my excitement for the start of the football season than on actual facts. Having watched most of Ohio States first two games and reading about USC’s dismantling of Virginia two weeks ago I have a different perspective about this game.

What have we learned?

#1 Our defense is the real deal. We knew going into the season that this unit had a chance to be one of the best ever at Ohio State. The return of Laurinaitis, Freeman and Jenkins along with another year of experience for the rest of the starters has lead to two impressive outings. I think the interior of the defensive line has shown improvement, Lawrence Wilson looks to be back after missing the year with a broken leg and the defensive backfield seems to be playing with more aggression. My only wish is that Coach Heacock would turn them loose more often. I’m tired of the bend-but-don’t-break approach shown in the first several games. Maybe he’s been saving special blitz packages for this weekend. I hope he plays it more aggressively than in the last two BCS games.

#2 The offensive line has been……..offensive. Reading the OSU blogs in the aftermath of the OU game is appears obvious that the O-line has not been able to make the jump to the next level. I assumed that losing only one starter from last year would lead to more consistent play this year. That has not been the case. If the guys up front are not able to slow down Maualuga, Cushing and Mays or open up holes for Beanie we’ll be in for another game like LSU and Florida. If that happens, I’ll go on record questioning the job Coach Bollman is doing with this unit.

#3 Boekman is still solid…..but still unspectacular. He’s been making better decisions but has not really been turned loose by the coaches. It would help if Brian2 could figure out a way to gain separation from the DBs while running routes. If they couldn’t do it against YSU and OU in the first two games, how in the world are they going to be able to do it against Taylor Mays and company on Saturday? Again, maybe it’s all been a plan from the start in order to avoid showing anything to USC before the game.

#4 I guess we miss Beanie. I would not have predicted us coming out flat on offense just because our leading rusher was not in the game. From the little bit of the OU game that I saw and the ton of information I’ve read it seems like both the players and coaches came out flat for the game. It has been noted that Ohio State has traditionally underachieved against lesser opponents in week two games under Coach Tressel. There are several examples of the opposite being true but for the most part the Buckeyes have struggled in these games. The good news is that Ohio State has never lost a week three game in the Tressel era. The decision to play more conservatively may have been a calculated move designed to avoid giving USC things to plan for.

#5 Pryor is not ready for prime time……yet. I predicted that Buckeye fans would see less of Pryor than anticipated. Against OU he took 8 or 9 snaps mostly in garbage time. Special package or not, getting him more snaps in the first two games would have made me feel better about him lining up against the USC defense on Saturday. I’ll go out on a limb and say that his playing time in the first two games has been nothing more than a smoke screen designed to make USC prepare for plays they won’t see on Saturday.

#6 Misc factors. Several changes to the depth chart should be noted in advance of the game. Donald Washington and Jamario O’Neal return from suspension. Washington was a starter last year so his experience will help. We’ll have to see how long it takes for him to get up to game speed. Of course there’s always the issue of Beanie’s toe. He’s definitely playing Saturday. He proved last year that he can play with nagging injuries. I’ve read several headlines saying that Alex Boone has an infection in his arm. Not sure how the two injuries are going to effect their availability on Saturday.

and

This will be the 22nd meeting between the two teams. They have met 21 times previously with USC holding an 11-9-1 edge in the overall series. The teams have not met since the 1989-90 seasons when USC swept a series at Los Angeles (42-3) and Columbus (35-26). USC has a 4-2-1 edge in home games played at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. The Trojans also have a 4-3 edge in the seven Rose Bowl games played between the schools in Pasadena, Calif. USC is 3-4 all-time in Columbus. I’m pretty sure this will be one of the first times two top 5 teams have played each other with one of the teams being a double-digit underdog. USC is favored by as much as 10.5 points. The boys in Vegas are pretty smart about these things. I wonder what they know that we/I don’t.

What does all this mean?

For some reason I’m starting to get a sinking feeling about this game. Spotty play in the first two games, continued inconsistency from the offensive line, and the injury to Beanie has given me pause. I’ll stop short of saying that OSU has to win or at least keep it close to bring honor to the team and to the rest of the conference. I think all that talk is ridiculous. However, another outcome like the Florida and LSU games should get the discussion going about just how well this team is configured and coached to be a major player in the game.

I think the keys to the game are strong play from the offensive line, a Beanie Wells playing at better than 95% and a coaching staff coming up with aggressive, wide-open schemes on both sides of the ball. I will be surprised if we see Pryor at all. I think all the talk about special play packages for him is nothing more than a smoke screen. I think it’s close early with both defenses playing well. I think USC takes the lead for good in the second half and cruises to the win. I have it 31-20 USC. God Help Me.

Go Bucks!!!

Buckeye John