Lee, Sizemore Finish Off Kansas City
August 22, 2008WFNY On ITunes
August 22, 2008
The Buckeyes are loaded. We know it. Michigan knows it. The media knows it. SEC fan knows it, but won’t admit it. There really isn’t much use for breaking out the traditional preview. You know about Beanie Wells. You’ve seen James Laurinaitis on First Take. You’ve heard Jim Tressel talk about phenom Terrelle Pryor. You know that the team retained 20 starters from last season. You know Malcom Jenkins and Alex Boone were honored with Laurinaitis and Wells on many preseason all-American teams. You know the Buckeyes are favored to win their third straight outright Big Ten title (which would be a first for any team in the conference.) What you may not know is what could be Ohio State’s undoing this year. What weaknesses could bring down the Scarlet and Gray?
Keep in mind that if the Buckeyes beat USC on September 13th, I firmly believe they should finish the season undefeated. But what could go wrong? Where might a team be able to find a soft spot in the Buckeye armor? Let’s take a look-
The Pass Rush–
Ohio State retained almost all of the class of ’08. Almost. The one that got away was a big one. Lauinaitis and Freeman make a ton of plays, but Vernon Gholston was the Buckeye that opposing teams game planned away from. He was a quarterback pressure machine. OSU will need someone to step up and fill that role. Cameron Heyward can create some pressure from the DT spot, but will he be quick enough on the edge? Who else can get to the QB? Lawrence Wilson and Thaddeus Gibson will get the first opportunities.
The Passing Game–
Robiskie and Hartline caught at least 50 passes each last season. After the dynamic duo it was sort of slim pickings. Ray Small caught 20 passes and 2 scores, but it seems he has lost the 3rd receiver position to Dane Sanzenbacher. Hopefully this is good news, and means that Dane has shown improvement in route running and his understanding of the offense. I like Small, but he isn’t a big threat.
Perhaps the most telling factor in the passing game will be QB Todd Boeckman’s arm strength. Last season Todd underthrew his receivers on deep balls all the time. If the Buckeyes aren’t able to throw the ball long, and I’m not talking against Youngstown State, safeties will creep towards the line of scrimmage in an effort to help with the run. Of course it all works together with…
Pass Protection–
The Buckeyes are missing only one starter from last year’s O-Line, which should be a positive. This line was abused in the National Championship game however. You expect improvement from year to year in college, and Alex Boone came to practice in better shape than he has ever been, which is a good indicator of maturity. The Buckeyes will have to be improved up front when they play the tougher teams on the schedule, as most will be studying that LSU game tape. Expect to see more blitzes ala Illinois from each opponent this year.
Injuries–
Yes, I know I always talk about injuries when I do any kind of preview. The biggest thing that derails any team is injuries. Look at the Indians. The Buckeyes are a deep program, and can put the second string player in at most positions and not lose much. For Ohio State to achieve their goals this season, they will need a healthy Beanie Wells. More than any other player the weight of the season rests on his shoulders.
7 Comments
Nice work here Rick.
My biggest fear is the Passing Game. I’m not sold on Boeckman yet. Now, I’m not calling for Pryor at all. I just want to see Boeckman step up and have big games against good opponents….not just against weak opponents.
Injuries? Not much you can do about that. Pass protection? This is the deepest O-Line I can ever recall at OSU, from top to bottom. I’m not super worried because I think if someone isn’t pulling their weight, there’s a backup right behind them who’s more than capable of picking up the slack, including our freshman freaks Brewster, Shugarts, and Adams. The Pass Rush? Maybe I’m a LITTLE worried here, but remember, it was Lawrence Wilson who was supposed to be this team’s sack specialist last year, not Gholston. Wilson went down in the first game with the leg injury, and that opened the door for Gholston. I look for Wilson to have a big year for OSU.
The pass rush is interesting, Thaddeus Gibson moved from linebacker to defensive end in order to provide a quick pass rushing guy on the line with Vernon moving on, so hopefully that pans out.
Small correction on Mr. Small, its Ray not Roy, the kid is sheer speed, went to high school with Tedd Ginn and was coached by Ginn Sr. who commented he thought Ray had more potential and speed than Tedd. Although he can’t seem to stay in Tressel’s favor he did have 2 returns go to the house last year that came back on stupid penalties.
Sanzenbacher seems to have impressed Tressel plenty, so if its great in Jim’s eyes its great in mine.
Hopefully Todd has been hitting the weight room, most of his picks last year were on the under thrown deep ball.
I’m not worried about the O-line, yes LSU put a hurting on them, but that happened to every team that Dorsey lined up against and hes not there anymore.
Hoy
Actually, Cam Heyward is starting at DE opposite Wilson, not DT. Both of those guys should provide adequate pass rush.
Brian- that’s what I meant about whether Haywood is quick enough to come off the edge.
The teams biggest weakness in my mind is their inability to force turnovers. As good as our secondary was last year and as good as our pass rush was, they did not force very many turnovers. Combine that with how many interceptions Boeckman had and there is the potential for a problem there. I think they had a negative turnover ratio last year, which is something a championship contending team cannot have
I don’t think you’ll see Haywood at DE in pass rush scenarios, I imagine that will be the Wilson/Gibson combo. An article in the Dispatch a few days back said Gibson will be the starting end in 2 of the 3 defensive sets the bucks use, and that he would not be used in their base run stop set up, I would imagine that is when we’ll see Haywood at DE. Cameron will probably move between end and tackle as needed.
Hoy
Rick, I realized what you were trying to say right after i commented.
I believe the 3rd down/passing situation D-Line will be…
DE Wilson
DT Rose
DT Heyward
DE Gibson