OSU Monday (Holiday Edition): Youngstown State Re-cap

Ohio State – Youngstown State Game Review:

After almost eight months of waiting, the 2008 season kicked-off on Saturday and boy….was there a lot to be happy about if you are a Buckeye fan. Electric freshman Terrelle Pryor performed as advertised completing 4 of 6 passes for 35 yards and running 9 times for 52 yards and a touchdown in limited action. Todd Boekman was solid completing 14 of 19 passes for 189 yards and two scores. The defense was stifling. The kicking game was perfect. Oh, and after running for 111 yards on 13 carries Beanie Wells was carted off the field after suffering a foot injury. I guess you have to take the “bad” with all of the “good.”

People with knowledge (second hand or otherwise) of Beanie’s situation are using the term “turf toe” in reference to the injury. Upon reading this news I found myself quickly scanning the internet for what it means. The most useful definition I found was this:

Turf toe is a condition of pain at the base of the big toe, located at the ball of the foot. The condition is usually caused from either jamming the toe, or pushing off repeatedly when running or jumping. The most common complaint is pain at the base of the toe, but there may also be symptoms of stiffness and swelling. When a player sustains a turf toe injury they are actually tearing the capsule that surrounds the joint at the base of the toe. Tearing this joint capsule can be extremely painful. Furthermore, tear of the joint capsule can lead to instability and even dislocation of the joint at the base of the toe. This may lead to accelerated cartilage wear and arthritis of the big toe.

Hmmmmm. I guess it could be worse. We’ll have to wait and see how it plays out.

Here are some specifics of the game. I included my pre-game predictions as reference here as the Buckeyes nailed almost every one of them.

· Prediction #1 “Beanie will go for 135 yards on 20 carries. He’ll score two touchdowns, one on a run of 30+ yards.”
Actual Numbers: 111 yards on 13 carries including a 43 yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Given that he was averaging 8.5 yards per attempt that given 7 more carries he could have gone over 135 yards for the day.
· Prediction #2 “Boekman will throw the ball all over the field (in a controlled manner) to six different receivers. He’ll throw 2 touchdowns, one on a long pass to Robiskie. I’m saying he will avoid throwing any interceptions.”
Actual Numbers: 14-19 passing for 187 yards, no interceptions and one long touchdown pass to Robiskie. Amazingly, his 14 completions went to 11 different receivers. I wasn’t aware we even dressed that many receivers. Special mention goes to freshman receiver DeVier Posey who caught 4 balls for 47 yards and his first career touchdown. He appeared smooth in and out of his breaks and showed great balance running down the sideline in scoring his touchdown.
· Prediction #3 “The defense will pitch the first of several shutouts this year.”
Actual Numbers: The defense was ridiculous. They limited YSU to 74 yards in total offense including -11 yards rushing and no points. “Nobody runs on the Buckeyes!!!!” Additionally, the defensive line played well and there appeared to be increased physical presence by the DBs. These last two points were areas of concern heading into the year. Special praise goes to Tyler Moeller, Thad Gibson, Jermale Hines and Lawrence Wilson. Gibson and Lawrence had sacks and Moeller and Hines were all over the field seemingly in on every play.
Prediction #4 – Final score 45 – 0
Actual Numbers: 43 – 0. That has to be within the “margin or error.”
· Misc Predictions: Pryor would enter the game in the 3rd or 4th series and that we would see him less than hoped for in the game and throughout the year.
Actual: Terrelle came in for the 3rd series of the game and marched the team down the field with a mix of short passes, option pitches and several designed QB runs. He also played several series in the second half (not sure he needed to be in there late in the game given Beanie’s injury and all……) scoring his first touchdown on a nice 21 yard run. I think it’s safe to say that my prediction about not seeing him very often this year will be proven wrong as the season progresses. Given his performance on Saturday, I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to live with missing that one.
My list of things to improve on included only “red zone” offense. Field goals are nice against teams like YSU and OU but we will have to get into the end zone when the opportunities are there against USC and in conference games.
So…..Buckeye Nation is now on Beanie watch. I believe he is scheduled for further medical treatment later today. We’ll just have to wait to hear about his status. I’m keeping a positive outlook on the situation until I here something that changes my perspective.
Next up: The Ohio University Bobcats under Head Coach Frank Solich. Should be another fun game…….

Go Bucks!!!!!

Buckeye John