Our Honor Defend

It occurred to me over the weekend that I’ve not been very thorough with my Block O Table features that I like to do here monthly.  I expected this would happen — that I would be so caught up in the regular season that I would leave such a feature to a season recap before plowing into the shooty hoops teams.  I intended to have one up either today or tomorrow until, fortunately, friend of the program Fear the Elf saved the day by having put one up himself to deal with the regular season that just unfolded.  So, rather than construct another battery of questions, I’ll roll with his and I invited the lot of you to put up your thoughts as well.  Recap post should be forthcoming at Fear the Elf.

1. The biggest story of the year was the play of Terrelle Pryor.  He came into the season as the predicted offensive player of the year and as a possible Heisman candidate.  After week 7, pundits local and national were clamoring for him to move to WR.  He finished 9th in the conference and below average nationally in QB rating. Of course, he also combined for 2,500 total yards and 23 TDs, with only 10 INTs, as a true sophomore and a completely rebuilt offense.  So is Pryor a lost cause at QB, keeping the seat warm for whenever Tressel can develop a new QB, or is he trending upwards, ready to lead the offense next year?

I don’t see Pryor as a lost cause at quarterback, though I think we were all dismayed to not only see Pryor struggle out the gate, but look more and more like a square peg that Tressel was furiously trying to pound into a round hole.  I think we all were seeing the 2009 Terrelle Pryor through scarlet-tinted glasses, taking for granted that Pryor had some bad habits he had to unlearn.  So, egg on the face? Accepted.  Pryor won’t win the Heisman as a sophomore QB, but he also did not have the advantage of playing an offense tailor-made for his strengths (Tim Tebow) nor did he have the advantage of a redshirt (Sam Bradford).  Acceptable as that is, I was a little concerned to not see him ostensibly make the freshman-to-sophomore progression that all quarterbacks make.  That is, it didn’t come immediately, and the Pryor we saw later in the season was more to our liking.

Argument by way of static, single-case observation is annoying, and often times unhelpful, but consider these two sets of stats:

• 143/257 passing (55.6%), 1821 passing yards, 127.3 rating, 16 TDs, 10 INTs, 142 rushing attempts, 707 rushing yards, 7 rushing TDs, 210.7 yards of total offense a game.
• 148/250 passing (59.2%), 1849 passing yards, 128.37 rating, 12 TDs, 11 INTs, 167 rushing attempts, 1079 rushing yards, 14 rushing TDs, 244.0 yards of total offense a game.

Top set of stats is our very own Terrelle Pryor, 2009.  Bottom set of stats is Vince Young, 2004.  There are other confounding variables, such as playcalling, offensive philosophy, Cedric Benson, Young having the benefit of a redshirt, Pryor not having the benefit of the very good Joe Daniels to coach him and more not considered, but Pryor 2009 and Young 2004 are not far removed.  And that Vince Young guy is often invoked as a comparison for Pryor, right?  We’ll have to see what happens next, but there’s no need for panic.

2. The RB position is starting to show some depth. Saine and Boom combined for over 1,250 yards on 270 carries. Frosh Jordan Hall and Jermil Martin impressed. Rod Smith and Carlos Hyde will be true frosh next year. And perhaps the most talented of all of them, Jamal Berry, took a redshirt after an injury plagued season. First, say who you like between Saine and Boom if you had to choose 1. Second, with those other 5 all having 3 or 4 years of eligibility left, how do you see the next few years going (who starts, who is a backup, who transfers)?

Saine is the less powerful runner, and a little more impatient than Herron at the point of attack, but can be deadly on counters and will get my vote accordingly.  There’s room for improvement (naturally), but he was our comeback/breakout player of the year on offense this season (moreso than Posey, I think).  Call it hubris, but I don’t think anyone of those players mentioned transfers.  Jermil Martin might be moved back to the fullback picture.  After all, he was a tailback only because of Carlos Hyde’s  nonqualification issues and Berry’s injuries.  It’s too early to discuss, but I think Rod Smith might (and probably should) redshirt to give himself another year with a less crowded backfield¹.  Jordan Hall should earn himself some more playing time going forward, as he has at least shown that he’s becoming the ideal tailback for what Tressel would like to do.

Embarrassment of riches, please?  My fingers are crossed.

3. The defense is mostly set for next year. The back 7 only loses Spitler, Coleman, Amos and Russell. The defensive line was the strength of this years squad, but Doug Worthington, Todd Denlinger, Rob Rose and Lawrence Wilson all graduate, and Cameron Heyward and Thad Gibson both have decision regarding the NFL to make. Tell me what you think Cam and Thad will do, then tell me how you think next year’s rotation will look.

I’m confident Gibson will come back.  Does he not grade out to be an OLB prospect in a 3-4 defense for NFL scouts?  Vernon Gholston’s case may make Gibson a harder sell to NFL teams for playing precisely the same position as Gholston.  Fair or not fair, but I think it ultimately leads Gibson back to Columbus, where we will celebrate him as a hero on Senior Day.

Cam Heyward, though?  I think a lot of NFL teams are going to be very interested in him and, unselfishly, I would want him to go and make his money if he grades high enough.  Selfishly, I think it would be very difficult for Cam Heyward to leave for the NFL if I personally show up at his apartment/dorm and put him under house arrest.  He would be a beast of a senior and I got giddy when I heard he just kind of assumes he’ll be back for another year.  Cool, but his versatility, quickness and violence will make him an ideal lineman for the 3-4 that’s becoming the standard in the NFL.  I assume he’ll leave.

I assume Gibson will be back, meaning that I expect Nathan Williams to back him up at that position.  Larimore will be back and will be complemented by John Simon in the interior.  Garrett Goebel, a man who was overshadowed by John Simon in a good way².  Adam Bellamy will be off his redshirt, as will Melvin Fellows’ Safari Planet and Keith Wells.  I’m not sure what would happen at the other end position if Heyward leaves.

4. The national reputation of OSU is obviously a little down. Losing high profile games, sometimes by wide, wide margins, will do that. Until OSU starts winning big games, we’ll have to deal with that. However, their seems to be some spillover to Big Ten Country. OSU then replaces their entire offense, 2 three years starters at LB, the Thorpe Award winner, their punter, and wins the Big Ten outright. Their reward was 1 and 1/2 1st team all Big Ten performers, and no Coach of the Year Award.
So basically, the coaches and media are saying OSU won the conference despite inferior players and coaching. Is this just “one of those things”, or is Big ten country turning on it’s leader?

I mentioned earlier that the slights of Tressel for the conference’s Coach of the Year Award amuse me and I kind of hope he never wins one.  He didn’t win one in 2002, and was overshadowed by more “feel good” stories in 2006 (Bielema) and 2007 (Zook).  He didn’t win one this year for winning the conference outright with a grab bag of conference second teamers.  Why give him one in the future?

I think the only player who didn’t get his props was Brian Rolle.  We have the conference’s deepest D-line, but the strength of the conference is in the defensive lines.  As for Big Ten country turning on the alpha dog?  Well, do something about it on the gridiron³.

5. If you are reading this before Saturday, you don’t know who OSU’s Rose Bowl opponent will be. Even if you do, consider the following: Oregon runs an exciting offense that everyone in the country loves. They are more talented and much more highly regarded than Oregon State. Beating Oregon would restore some luster, but it’s a tough task for and offensively challenged team. Beating Oregon State would be less glamorous, but much easier to do. Would you rather go big and try and beat Oregon, and simply take a “ho-hum” Rose Bowl victory that no-one outside Ohio would find impressive?

Oregon State wins, and we have to hear about how Cincy already beat them in Corvallis.  Oregon wins, and they’ll likely put together a uniform combination that will make me want to vomit my eyes out in disgust.  I’ll roll with the latter, as they look to be the better test as well.

6. Speaking of Bowls, bowl selection nationwide is coming up. It appears very likely that once again the Big Ten will get 2 BCS berths. It is also very possible that only the Big Ten and SEC will do so. Are you happy with the extra exposure and $$$$$, or is having an extra BCS team, coupled with 2 other New Year’s Day games stretching the conference too thin come bowl season?

I keep reading that the Big Ten could send two teams into the BCS. On its face, it seems ridiculous. It’d be hard to look at the quality of football and say that the Big Ten is a conference that can send two teams into the BCS. That is, you say that until you look around. The SEC will send two and, well… everyone else has been disappointing.  The quality of the Big 12 took a nose dive from last season.  Pac 10 is only sending Oregon or Oregon State into the fray.  The ACC makes us look relatively good.  The Big East could logically send two if Cincinnati loses to Pitt, but no team in the Big East outside of West Virginia has the kind of appeal for an at-large bid that a Big Ten program does.  So yeah, it looks like we’ll send two and the consensus is that Iowa will play Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, provided Nebraska does not upset the Longhorns.

I’m against Penn State playing in the BCS this year, unless Pitt gets in.  In that case, Pitt and Penn State must play each other and fight for my amusement.  Failing that, Iowa is a team that can hang with, and likely beat, anyone and should be a worthy adversary to whoever they play.  The rest of the country should know the agony that is Adrian Clayborn anyways.  I like the matchup of Penn State v. LSU in the Capital One Bowl more than Penn State v. one of the mid-majors in the Fiesta Bowl.

I think what worries me the most about the Big Ten sending two teams into the BCS is that it essentially guarantees Minnesota will get a bowl game that they will get crushed in (likely against Missouri in the Insight Bowl).  If the Big Ten does not send 2 to the BCS, Minnesota gets taken to Detroit to play a beatable MAC team.  Minnesota getting pantsed on TV won’t help matters any.

Extra Credit. This being a Cleveland Sports blog, I need a Cleveland twist. Fortunately, there is this LeBron guy everyone knows about.
LeBron recently stated he could play in the NFL, likely as a WR or a “flex” TE. Given his physical gifts, I agree he could with proper training. He’s also often stated that had he gone to college, he would have attended Ohio State (personally, I feel he would’ve gone to either Akron or UNC, but that’s another debate). Combine those 2. Say he went to OSU…to play football. He would’ve been a true frosh for the 2003 season. How do you think his college career would have gone? Redshirt? Would he have meshed with Krenzel/McMullen/Zwick/Troy? Would he have been drafted? Would he have hurt the numbers of Michael Jenkins, Santonio Holmes, Ted Ginn or Anthony Gonzalez?

Lebron James, the shooty hoops guy? Yeah, he made a terrible life choice by eschewing football for basketball. Interesting thought: he was every bit as good as advertised on the gridiron and would’ve graded nicely to a college tight end. If so, he then succeeds Ben Hartsock (back when we loved throwing to the TE), and would’ve made the name of “Ryan Hamby” foreign to the average Buckeye fan, no?  Hmm…

1. I admit I’ve not looked extensively at his junior film yet. [↩]
2. In other words, if what I understand is correct, the coaches are still keen on Goebel, just that they’re really excited about Simon. [↩]
3. A preemptive “Oh be nice” has been issued to Purdue fans.  I know… I know… … I know. Shush, you. [↩]