Ohio State Football 2009—Where Will Amazing Happen This Year?

by HD Handshoe
Founder
BlockONation.com


There are a lot of college football fans across the nation that clearly do not think Terrelle Pryor can pass.

Please allow me to educate you with some knowledge because "knowledge is power!"

I really want you people who say Pryor can't make throws like Tebow, Bradford, or McCoy to pay EXTRA CLOSE ATTENTION to this 40 second video at the :21 second mark and watch that pass play from the Michigan game.

I'm not saying Pryor is consistent enough yet as a passer (because he's not), but I am saying he's got the arm, talent and ability to make some great throws and you'll see a lot of them more and more as he continues to improve in 2009!

If you watch this video and still don't believe the kid is going to be a very good passing QB, then I would suggest a visit to the optometrist to get your eyes checked. You're going to need new glasses to replace the hater-focals you're wearing!

College Football Live: Terrelle Pryor Chats With Kirk Herbstreit

by HD Handshoe
Founder
BlockONation.com



As much as I rip on ESPN for their love-fest with Tim Tebow and the SEC in general, occasionally, they do get put their heads on straight up there in Bristol, CT. from time to time!

Such was the case on College Football Live yesterday (May 5, 2009) when the interview series they have been conducting with some of the nation's top QB's landed in Columbus to talk to Super-Sophomore Terrelle Pryor.

In case you missed it, analyst Shaun King (who I absolutely love on this show) boldly stated that TP has the potential to become the best QB to have EVER played college football!

I think Kevin Negandi's jaw about hit the floor when King said that and Joe Schad agreed (with King). Afterall, Negandi hosts the show quite often and Tebow is CFL's and ESPN's golden poster child for everything that is right in the world.

Not surprisingly, Herbie didn't say it. I bet Herbstreit even twitched a little when he watched that back on TV and heard King's comments. Sometimes I wonder if he forgets where he himself played his college football at...

Desmond Howard, Mark May, and even King don't hold back their blatant homerism for UM, Pitt and Tulane respectively, but sometimes, Herbstreit and even Robert Smith almost seem brainwashed by ESPN to be embarrassed to be former Buckeyes....

But, I will digress and call a cease fire (for now), as this is actually, for a change, a positive story by ESPN featuring a Buckeye.

So without further ado, here's the Pryor interview—Enjoy!



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Dear SEC-Loving, Big Ten-Hating Media—The Big Ten Is Back!

by HD Handshoe
Founder
BlockONation.com



For the past four years or so of college football, the media (cough, Espn, cough) has fallen in love with the SEC, anointing it the "best and toughest conference, top to bottom" in the nation.

I will just say that yes, they have had some great teams during that span like Auburn in 2004, LSU in 2005 and 2007 and Florida in 2006 and 2008.

What I can't help but wonder though is how does having three or four solid teams, maybe another two or three average teams, and five or six below average teams qualify the SEC as the best?

Every year, I think all of the BCS conferences have a few good teams at the top, followed by a handful of not-so-good teams bringing up the rear.

Just as the media has hyped the SEC as the greatest thing since bottled water, they have piled on the Big Ten as outdated, slow and weak.

Call me crazy, but to me, a conference that is "good top to bottom" is one where it's competitive and wide open.

Look at the SEC heading into 2009, especially the East. The Gators can put it on cruise control all year.

Honestly, I can't find one team that will challenge Florida until the SEC Championship game and even then, while the SEC West will be slightly more competitive within, I'm not convinced Alabama, Ole Miss or LSU combined can measure up to UF.

Meyer, Tebow and company will face little
or no resistance from the SEC in 2009.


The UF OOC schedule is downright pathetic too, so a 12-0 regular season is practically a lock for the Gators.

To those who will be quick to lash out at me and/or more likely my Buckeyes after that statement, I'm not saying OSU's overall OOC schedule is the toughest in the nation, but the Bucks are playing Southern Cal for the second straight season.

Whose UF got again? If you decide to attack me for that one (Carson, etc), would you mind posting their OOC schedule for me in your response? Thanks!

OK, now that I got that rant out of my system (LOL) back to the topic at hand.

The Big Ten will be very competitive in 2009. That being said, I do understand why the recent perception of the Big Ten came about but, the tide is turning, starting in 2009!

Here are each teams overall and conference W/L records from 2008.



Penn State (11-2, 7-1)

Ohio State (10-3, 7-1)

Michigan State (9-4, 6-2)

Northwestern (9-4, 5-3)

Illinois (5-7, 3-5)

Michigan (3-9, 2-6)

Iowa (9-4, 5-3)

Wisconsin (7-6, 3-5)

=================

Minnesota (7-6, 3-5)

Indiana (3-9, 1-7)

Purdue (4-8, 2-6)



The teams are not listed according to the 2008 standings, but rather I have them listed based on how I expect they will do in 2009.

In my opinion, every team above the line is capable of winning at least six or more games in conference play. Of course, all of them won't, but some of them absolutely will.

The Big Ten is back and will be a very tight and competitive race in 2009!

I know the media and fans of teams from other conferences (especially the SEC) may disagree with me right now and that's fine and to be expected.

But come November though, I'll be the one flexing my muscles while saying I told them so!

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Dan "Boom" Herron—10 Buckeyes You Don't Know About Yet: Part II

by HD Handshoe
Founder
BlockONation.com



As the series progresses, I will continue to repost the opening few paragraphs from Part I in all ten segments in the event that a new reader who may have missed a previous segment begins to follow along so if you've been following from the beginning, please bear with me and thanks!

---

First off, let me say this article is not for die-hard Ohio State fans. I suspect you will know the players I highlight.

Instead, I wrote this in response to my recent preview article about the OSU/USC football matchup in Columbus this fall. A lot has been made by non-OSU fans of how USC will be reloaded as usual, and thus, many of these people believe that Ohio State will have zero chance of beating the Trojans.

Pretty much everyone who isn't a Buckeye fan seems to believe this, but the problem is, they are overlooking the fact that USC lost far more than OSU.

They are also making a generalization about how good or how not-so-good the Buckeyes will be based on Ohio State's big-stage losses, starting with Florida in the 2006 BCS title game and culminating with their lop-sided loss in Los Angeles last September.

They are also focusing on the players OSU is losing and aren't looking at the players who are here and ready to start, including a few guys from the last two highly-regarded recruiting classes, and that's where I come in!

To help educate those doom-and-gloom prognosticators who make those type of general statements about the Buckeyes 2009 season outlook, I've decided to create a 10-part series to spotlight 10 players who will make a name for themselves nationally and step in for Ohio State and sufficiently fill the holes left by the likes of Beanie Wells, James Laurinaitus, Malcolm Jenkins, Marcus Freeman, Alex Boone, Brian Robiskie, etc.

Obviously, no Buckeye fan, player, or coach will deny that losing Beanie Wells is beyond huge; but remember, Terrelle Pryor is an amazing dual-threat quarterback who will carry the ball more often in 2009 if needed, but he's not the only potential game-breaking playmaker that will see action in the Buckeyes' backfield.

---

No. 9—Dan "Boom" Herron
RB (5-11, 195)

Boom was red-shirted as a freshmen in 2007 out of Warren G. Harding high school in Warren, Ohio.

He's a talented tailback who got his first chance to play and compete in 2008 when Beanie Wells missed time after a foot injury in week one vs. YSU.

He possesses great versatility, strength and is a reasonably fast (4.5 40-yard dash) and elusive between-the-tackles runner.

He was ranked the No. 7 recruit in Ohio and the No. 27 running back in the nation in 2007 as a first-team All-Ohio selection that year.

He led Harding High to a 9-4 record and a berth in the regional semi-finals as a senior and totaled 1,434 yards and 18 touchdowns that season.

He also rushed for over 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior, earning all-conference, all-district and honorable mention All-Ohio honors and as a sophomore, he ran for 900 yards.

I'm not sure he was expected to see as much action for Ohio State in 2008 as he did, but overall he performed well for the Bucks while filling in for Beanie Wells.

His lack of experience however, did put Ohio State at an immediate disadvantage in week two, where the Buckeyes narrowly escaped with a hard-fought victory in what was expected to be an easy win over the Ohio Bobcats, and again in week three when the then No. 5 Buckeyes traveled to L.A. to face the then No. 1 USC Trojans in the Coliseum. I'm sure a reminder of that games' final score is not needed.

Over the course of the season, Herron impressed the coaches and earned playing time even after Wells returned. He showed on several occasions that he belonged on the field.

His biggest game of the year fittingly came vs. Michigan at the Shoe. He rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns as Ohio State crushed UM 42-7.

For the season, he ended up with 439 yards rushing on 89 carries for a 4.9 ypc average and he found the endzone six times.

Heading into the 2009 season, with Chris Wells opting to leave a year early for the NFL, Herron is thought to be the front-runner to take over as the No. 1 back, followed closely by Saine.

In fact, OSU may actually employ a similar model to that of USC with dual-threat QB Terrelle Pryor, Herron, Saine and possibly highly-touted new-comers Jaamal Berry and Carlos Hyde all in the mix to see action in tOSU backfield.

Just as I said in Part I of this series about Saine, Herron too will make it easier for Buckeye fans to transition and sleep at night.

While we won't ever forget Beanie, we won't miss him as much as we were first thinking we would when he announced he was leaving early.

Thanks for reading—Please add your comments!

Part III coming soon!

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The Way Too Early 2009 Heisman Watch—Ten Names To Know: Part I

by HD Handshoe
Founder
BlockONation.com




The following are the first five of ten players I feel have the most legitimate chance to win the 2009 Heisman Trophy if they each meet expectations and live up to their full potential in the coming season!



Jevan Snead, QB, Ole Miss

Ole Miss should win a lot of games and will likely be high in the rankings all year long. Snead emerged out of nowhere after leading the Rebels to their huge upset win over the Florida Gators in the swamp.

He threw 13 interceptions a year ago, but with a favorable 2009 schedule (Memphis, SE Louisiana, at South Carolina, at Vanderbilt, Alabama, UAB, Arkansas, at Auburn (who’s still reloading), Northern Arizona, Tennessee, LSU, and Mississippi State), Snead's stats should resemble those of the top three vote-getters of last year's Heisman voting.

Almost all of Mississippi's tough games are at home, and there will be just enough nationally televised moments for Snead to shine.



Todd Reesing, QB, Kansas


The Big 12 North division’s spotlight game will be Nebraska at Kansas on Nov. 14. By then, Todd Reesing and the Jayhawks will have already played Oklahoma at home and will have gone on the road to face Texas Tech, and there will still be games against Texas and Missouri to follow.

There won't be a shortage of moments where Reesing will have the opportunity to make a Heisman statement and put up the big numbers needed to get in the race.

With Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier returning after combining for 189 catches for 2,452 yards and 23 touchdowns, this should be a huge year for the KU passing game.

They have a killer schedule and I'm not sure they'll win enough of those games for Reesing to be a serious contender, but that's probably why he's going to put up the big numbers in the first place—by playing catch-up!


Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame


Clausen will have the Notre Dame spotlight and a decent receiving corps to put up the numbers and the wins to be in the hunt for the big prize.

He ended the 2008 season on a high note with his 22-of-26, 401-yard, five-touchdown performance in the win over Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl.

To have a real chance of being in the Heisman hunt, he must become the leader and Notre Dame will need a big day at Michigan, a home victory over Michigan State, and most importantly, a tremendous performance against USC on Oct. 17.

Last year, Clausen completed just 11-of-22 passes for 41 yards with two interceptions in the embarrassing loss to the Trojans.

In addition to making the early Heisman contender list, Clausen is the key to the immediate future of Notre Dame football and the job security of Charlie Weis.


Tim Tebow, QB, Florida


Tebow, by many accounts might be the odds on favorite to give his 2007 Heisman a 2009 twin, but he's not the only one who might accomplish that feat.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of Tebow's, but I'll give him his due. His stats over the past two seasons have been downright amazing and ridiculous. Maybe it's the system, but stats are stats.

With Florida's cupcake 2009 schedule, UF will almost undoubtedly go undefeated in the regular season and Tebow should once again be the media darling and put up more outrageous numbers.

I have no doubt in my mind, barring injury, that he will be in New York as a finalist, come December.


Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma


Speaking of ridiculous stats, Bradford, the 2008 Heisman winner, set the bar extremely high for himself, as he threw for over 4,700 yards and 50 touchdowns to only eight interceptions, and rushed for five more scores while posting a QB Rating of nearly 181.

With Chris Brown and Demarco Murray, each 1000+ yard rushers a year ago, who combined for 34 touchdowns, both returning, and with the loss of top receiver Juaquin Iglesias and even with the surprising return of star tight end Jermaine Gresham, Bradford will be hard-pressed to duplicate the numbers he put up a year ago.

Then again, if he could get close to two-thirds of that production, he's a no-brainer to be invited to New York for a chance at his second Heisman.

---

As a Buckeye fan, it's hard to accept that both Tebow and Bradford could definitely win the 2009 Heisman because as of right now, there is only one two-time winner and I'd prefer it remain as such.

Archie Griffin won the Heisman while playing at Ohio State in 1974 and 1975 and even if Tebow or Bradford should win a second Heisman, Archie will always be the first to have done it, and I bet Archie can live with that, so I can too!


Five down, five to go—Part II coming soon—Stay tuned!

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The Way Too Early 2009 Heisman Watch—Ten Names To Know: Part II

The following are the second five of ten players I feel have the most legitimate chance to contend for and possibly win the 2009 Heisman Trophy if they each meet their full potential and stay healthy in the coming season!

I've also added a special bonus for you all at the end—They don't call me sneaky for nothing!


JacQuizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State

Oregon State should once again challenge USC for the Pac-10 title and a healthy Rodgers will go a long way to helping the Beavers overtake the Trojans. (Pun not intended, but I couldn't help but laugh a little after I typed that!)

Rodgers gained 186 yards and scored 2 touchdowns while almost single-handedly blowing up the USC defense last year—The same defense that just sent nine of it's eleven players to the NFL.

He missed the final two games of the season due to injury nut in the 11 games he played in, JacQuizz rushed for 1253 yards and 11 touchdowns on 259 carries and added 29 receptions for 247 yards and a touchdown.

Oregon State is a program on the rise and Rodgers made a name for himself last season, so if he can stay healthy this season and duplicate his 2008 performance, especially against USC, there's no doubt he will be garner serious attention from the Heisman committee come December.


Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State

Bryant missed Spring football in Stillwater after having minor knee surgery to repair a small ligament tear, but should be ready to go this fall!

The Cowboys will need him to be their go to guy even more with the loss of their second leading receiver, tight end Brandon Pettigrew to the NFL.

A year ago, Bryant was easily one of the best receivers in the Big 12, if not the entire nation. He made 87 receptions for 1480 yards (123.3 per game) and scored 19 touchdowns.

Running back Kendall Hunter (1555 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in 2008), should command enough respect coming out the backfield to open up the passing lanes to allow Bryant and veteran quarterback Zac Robinson to hook up for some big plays again this year.

Oklahoma State could be this years Texas Tech, but even better with a legitimate threat at running back in Hunter, in addition to their high-powered passing game.

Bryant will have plenty of opportunities to be noticed with OSU's schedule. They open at home vs. Georgia, then Houston in week two will not be a pushover. In October, they play at Baylor, then the following week host Texas and finish the season with a visit from the Sooners.

I don't doubt that Bryant will have a solid season, but will the Cowboys win enough of games to keep him in the Heisman race?


Zac Robinson, QB, Oklahoma State

Basically, everything I said above about Bryant goes for Robinson as well. Robinson should have a very productive year, but can he lead the Cowboys to enough wins?

In 2008, Robinson was unknown to most of the country at the start of the season, but that wouldn't last. He posted a QB rating of 166.8 while throwing for just over 3000 yards and 25 touchdowns to only 10 interceptions and rushing for another 562 yards and 8 scores.

Robinson led Oklahoma State to what was considered a huge upset win at then No. 3 Missouri on October 11th.

One week later on Espn's game of the week, the Cowboys barely lost to then No. 1 Texas in Austin, 28-24.

Okie State did however suffer two lopsided losses in national spotlight games late in the season vs. Texas Tech (56-20) and Oklahoma (61-41).

If they can avoid those kinds of letdowns in 2009, Robinson, Bryant and even the less-hyped Hunter may all receive attention from the Heisman voters.


Jahvid Best, RB, California

Many would consider Best the nation’s most exciting running back heading into the 2009 season. Rightfully so when you consider what he did in 2008.

He rushed for 1580 yards (131.7 per game) on 194 carries for an impressive 8.1 yards per carry, and added 15 touchdowns

It's extremely likely that he’ll put up highlight run after highlight run. Much like Ohio State's Beanie Wells a year ago, if he stays healthy, (a big if), a 2,000-yard could be on the horizon.

Just as I said with JacQuizz Rodgers, the key for Best in the eyes of the Heisman voters will be the same: How he does against USC.

Last season, he had his worst game of the year as the USC defense held him to just 30 yards on 13 carries.

I have very little doubt that Best will redeem himself vs. the Trojans in 2009 and catapult himself near the top of the Heisman finalists list.


Colt McCoy, QB, Texas

McCoy and the Longhorns felt slighted in 2008 after losing only to Texas Tech, on an almost fluke-like touchdown by Michael Crabtree, on the last play of game.

That one play cost the Horns a shot at Florida in the BCS title game, where instead, Oklahoma, who Texas had beaten 45-35 on a neutral field earlier in the year, got the nod and then proceeded to lose their fifth straight BCS bowl game.

If Colt McCoy has anything to say about it this year, that will not happen again!

McCoy, who posted a 173.8 QB rating, threw for 3,859 passing yards, 34 touchdowns to only 8 interceptions and also ran for 561 yards and found the endzone with his legs 11 times. 173.8 QB Rating. He finished second in the Heisman trophy voting behind Sam Bradford and ahead of Tim Tebow.

Texas has a tough schedule but they have a great team and if any team is going to go unbeaten in the Big 12 in 2009, they are the the pick.

With his roommate and top receiver Jordan Shipley returning for a sixth season and without a true standout running back in the mix, McCoy should once again put up great passing and rushing numbers, and solidify his status as one of, if not the No. 1 Heisman contender for 2009 and increase his stock as a potential top NFL pick for 2010.

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Now, I'm sure I'm not alone with most or all of the top ten that I chose, so I also wanted to pick five guys who may not be on the 2009 Heisman radar yet. These are the players I see as potential dark horse candidates. Some are longshots—some are more legit than others.


Kendall Hunter, RB, Oklahoma State

QB Zac Robinson and WR Dez Bryant overshadowed a great year by Hunter in 2008. Will they do it again in 2009?


Chris Brown/DeMarco Murray, RB, Oklahoma

Both backs rushed for over 100 yards but Murray was the No. 1 guy before he was injured. Who will emerge as No. 1 this season or will Oklahoma play the running back by committee game since they both appear to be qualified?


Noel Devine, RB, West Virginia

Now a junior and out of the shadow of Pat White, this is Devine's team. He quietly rushed for nearly 1300 yards a year ago, but only 4 touchdowns. Can he shine is the spotlight and lead WVU to a Big East Championship on his own merit?


Case Keenum, QB, Houston

Keenum has to be the least known player to make this list and therefore is the biggest dark horse of them all. Not to mention, players from non-BCS conferences are almost guaranteed to not get the recognition they deserve because of the perception of their SOS. That being said, Keenum threw for over 5000 yards and tossed 44 touchdowns and also ran for 7 scores. He threw for 300+ yards in every game last season and only failed to throw for 350+ once! Will his real-life EA Sports NCAA Football-level stats be enough to get him noticed by the voters in 2009?


Robert Griffin, QB, Baylor

Last, but certainly not least, in a word, Griffin was AMAZING in 2008. All he did as a true freshman in 2008 was pass for 2,091 yards, 15 touchdowns to only three interceptions, and run for another 843 yards and 13 touchdowns, all while posting a QB rating of 142.0 for the Bears. Unfortunately, Griffin's incredible stats didn't translate into much, as Baylor finished the year 4-8. While those gaudy stats could prove hard to duplicate, I expect that Griffin will be able to put up similar numbers, and with any help from his defense at all, the Bears could become bowl eligible in 2009. I hope they do because it's a shame that most of the nation has never seen Griffin play, and without a bowl game for Baylor, it will probably remain that way.

I hope you will let me know what you think of my entire top ten and sleepers in contention for the 2009 Heisman trophy!

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