Ohio State Football: Why the Buckeyes and Terrelle Pryor Deserve To Be No. 1

Tim Bielik—Featured Contributor / Storm the Field Founder

It hasn't been since before the kickoff of the 2008 BCS National Championship Game that the Ohio State Buckeyes were the No. 1 team in the country until Sunday's polls came out.

Thanks to Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks' 35-21 victory over the then-top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, the Buckeyes rose to No. 1 in both the AP and USA Today Coaches' Poll, and they were also No. 1 in the first Harris Poll of 2010.

But even though the Buckeyes slid into the top spot by default, this group is very worthy of being the top team in the country.

One reason Ohio State belongs at the top is Heisman hopeful Terrelle Pryor who showed Saturday against Indiana that he could throw the football all around the field.

Against an Indiana team that gave up 42 points to Denard Robinson and Michigan, Pryor threw for a career-high 324 yards and three touchdowns, completing 80 percent of his passes despite a left quad strain.

Pryor's spectacular season has the Buckeyes' offense in the Top-20 in yards per game, rushing yards per game and sixth in the country in points per game.

The play of the Ohio State offense has been a big surprise when considering how much the unit struggled in 2008 and 2009, when Jim Tressel was pegged as being too over-conservative in his play calling.

And in addition to the surprising success of the OSU offense, the Silver Bullets defense has been quite good once again.

Despite the lack of QB sacks (eight in six games), the Buckeyes' defense ranks third in the country and first among AQ teams in total defense and sixth in scoring defense at 13.5 ppg.

But even with the tremendous amount of success that the Buckeyes have had in the season up to this point, they have not been tested like some of the other teams in the hunt for a national title spot.

So far on the season, Ohio State has played only one team that was ranked at the time, a Miami squad that was blown out of their home stadium Saturday night by Jimbo Fisher's Florida State Seminoles 45-17.

Now the Hurricanes are unranked, leaving Ohio State in a shocking predicament in mock BCS standings where even though they are first in all human polls, they are fifth in ESPN's earliest projections due to a very bottom-heavy schedule.

But playing in the much-improved Big Ten, especially with three of their final six conference opponents ranked in the Coaches' Poll, should help balance the computers to where OSU would play in Glendale in January for the National Championship.

Despite the computers, Ohio State has the makings of a true No. 1 team, with a great offense to complement a very consistent defense.

The biggest improvement for this team has been the fact that the special teams has started to turn itself around after a disastrous stretch of giving up three special teams TDs in the first two games and lengthy kickoff returns for most of September.

But this team will be very heavily tested against a tough Wisconsin team hungry to knock off the new No. 1 in Camp Randall, a place where Ohio State has had problems historically, especially in 2003 where the Badgers ended OSU's 19-game winning streak dating back to the 2002 championship season.

The fans will be loud as ever, and John Clay, James White, and the Badgers will have extra motivation to do what Spurrier did to the Crimson Tide just a few days ago.

And if Ohio State can win in Madison, they will have earned the right for the time being to be the best team in the country.

But for how long is up to them.


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Turn Out the Lights, the Competition's Over...

Down goes Bama, down goes Bama...




And as we predicted, back to reality up North...





The new No. 1 team in the nation?

Ohio State—Indiana: Game Preview, History Lesson, and Prediction

If the Indiana-Michigan game last Saturday showed us anything, it was that Indiana may not have much in the way of defense, but they have several playmakers in their spread offense.

With the Buckeyes banged up defensively, this game could be a little more interesting and closer than we expected going into the season.

The Hoosiers are now 3-1 after the 7-point home loss to the Wolverines last weekend.

Ohio State is 5-0, but they are coming off a 24-13 lethargic showing against Illinois.

Terrelle Pryor injured his quadriceps muscle on a run scramble, and LB/DB Tyler Moeller suffered a torn pectoral muscle and will likely miss the rest of the season.

With mounting injuries on the defense, TP a bit dinged up and an anemic running attack from Brandon Saine and Dan Herron, Buckeye fans should be somewhat concerned this week (do not sleep on the Hoosiers), but especially the following week when Ohio State has to travel to Madison to take on the Badgers in Camp Randall.

But for now, let's keep our focus on the task at hand.


Indiana—By the Numbers

Indiana QB Ben Chappell just set the Indiana all-time record for passing yards in a game with 480 last week against Michigan, yet the Hoosiers still lost.

Ohio State has had trouble defending the spread in the recent past, however, a repeat performance for Chappell this week against the Buckeye defensive unit is still not very likely.

Last year, Chappell did have two touchdown passes, but Ohio State held him to just 210 yards passing and intercepted him twice in the 33-14 Buckeye victory.

Through four games, Chappell has thrown for 1,370 yards with 12 touchdowns and just one interception.

What Chappell has done so far statistically is impressive, but it is only fair to point out that said stats have come against Towson, Western Kentucky, Akron, and Michigan. None of those teams know much about playing real, big-time defense.

Running back Darius Willis is averaging 4.3 yards per carry, and on the year has rushed for 278 yards with four rushing touchdowns. He has also caught 11 balls for 102 yards and one receiving touchdown.

In 2009, the Buckeyes held Willis to 23 yards on 11 carries and he did not score.

The Hoosiers have five players with at least 100 yards or more receiving.

Demarlo Belcher leads the way with 31 receptions for 375 yards and three scores.

Tandon Doss and Terrence Turner are close behind with 23 and 24 catches respectively.

Doss has 323 yards receiving, while Turner has 246 yards through the air. Each have caught one touchdown pass.

Duwyce Wilson has 12 catches for 148 yards and one touchdown.

Rounding out the list, tight end Ted Bolser has made 10 catches for 155 yards, with four of his receptions coming in the endzone.

Nationally, Indiana ranks 4th in passing yards per game (361.8), 99th in rushing yards per game (106.8), 13th in points scored per game (39.8), and 72nd in points allowed per game (25.0).


Ohio State—By the Numbers

QB Terrelle Pryor is still near the top of the Heisman favorites list, but he'll have to shake off the quad injury he suffered last week and put up much better numbers if he wants to remain in the race.

Pryor has 1,015 passing yards, 12 touchdown passes to just three interceptions, 373 rushing yards (6.9 ypc) and three rushing touchdowns.

He also has a 20-yard touchdown reception. His current QB rating is 161.7.

Pryor is currently on pace for 2,436 passing yards, 895 rushing yards, 38 total touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Last week, Dan Herron carried the ball 23 times for 95 yards and emerged as the No. 1 back.

Brandon Saine proved that he belongs out in space, not in the backfield taking handoffs. His field vision and ability to navigate through traffic is horrendous. He has much higher value as a receiver.

Overall, Herron has gained 287 yards rushing and has scored five touchdowns. He is averaging 4.4 yards per carry. He also has eight receptions for 115 yards.

Saine has 183 yards on the ground and 75 through the air with two rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns.

Jaamal Berry has made the most of his limited opportunities. Unfortunately, he did not see any time at running back in the Illinois game last Saturday.

Why you might ask?

Who knows, but Tressel needs to play the kid when it counts.

Berry has carried the ball 15 times for 177 yards and has one touchdown. His ridiculous average of 11.8 yards per carry is nearly triple that of Herron's and Saine's.

Dane Sanzenbacher still leads the Buckeyes in receiving with 23 catches for 351 yards and six touchdowns.

Devier Posey has 18 catches for 261 yards and two touchdowns.

Tight end Jake Stoneburner, who has missed the last two weeks with an ankle injury, has nine catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. No word yet on if he will return this week or not, but if the coaches hold him out until next week at Wisconsin, it would not be a surprise.

Of the 120 FBS teams, Ohio State is 56th in passing yards per game (240.0), 14th in rushing yards per game (234.8), 8th in points per game (44.2), and 11th in points allowed per game (14.2).


Ohio State—Indiana: History Lesson and Other Tidbits

• Ohio State leads the all-time head-to-head series 66-12-5.

• Ohio State has won 15 straight over IU and are 18-2-1 vs. the Hoosiers since 1985.

• Ohio State is 7-0 vs. Indiana under Tressel, having outscored them 255-71.

• Ohio State is 23-2 against unranked conference opponents dating back to 2005.

• Ohio State is 31-5 since 2001 in home conference games under Jim Tressel.

• Ohio State is 41-1 overall in their last 42 home games against unranked opponents under Tressel.

• Ohio State boasts an all-time record of 361-126-28 in October games.

• Ohio State's defense has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in their last 28 games.

• Since the beginning of the 2005 season, the Buckeyes have allowed only seven 100-yard rushers during a span of 69 games, the fewest among FBS teams.

• Terrelle Pryor is now 24-3 as Ohio State's starting quarterback.

• Coach Jim Tressel (99-21) is just one win shy of his 100th at Ohio State.

• Indiana has lost 11 straight Big Ten road games.

• Indiana last defeated Ohio State in Bloomington in 1988.

• Indiana's last win over Ohio State in Columbus was a 31-10 victory in 1987.

• Indiana is 17-24 under head coach Bill Lynch, now in his 4th season at IU.

• With last weeks loss to Michigan, Indiana is now 0-7 against top 25 teams under Lynch.

• Since 2005, Indiana is just 1-11 vs. ranked Big Ten opponents, with three of those losses coming against the Buckeyes.


Summary and Prediction

Indiana has a porous defense and even if Terrelle Pryor isn't at 100%, he and his Buckeye teammates shouldn't find much resistance moving the ball and finding the endzone.

Offensively, IU has a handful of talented players and they too will have some success moving the ball and scoring points against a younger, less experienced Buckeye defense that has had to shift or replace a couple of key starters due to injury.

Ohio State survived a bit of a scare last week against Illinois in their first road game of the year, but coming back home to play in Ohio Stadium against Indiana is practically a sure-fire confidence builder and the cure for whatever ails you.


Final Score Prediction
=================
Ohio State 48
Indiana 23


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No Zooming, and Minimal Booming: Shake up Needed at Running Back for the Buckeyes?

By Ronnie Hampston
BleacherReport.com


The Ohio State Buckeyes have a need at the running back position.

Games in the Big Ten are won in the trenches with great offensive line play and strong defensive line play. The Ohio State Buckeyes running game has been average at best.

Boom Herron has ran the ball pretty well this season, but Brandon Saine has been a disappointment so far. Take away his big game versus Marshall and he has been very underwhelming.

Terrelle Pryor is the team's leading rusher and that is a great feat, but that creates more wear and tear on the young quarterback's body.

Saine is the weak link of the backfield between him and Boom Herron. Saine possess great speed and amazing hands for a running back, but he lacks vision and patience when running the ball. The Buckeyes may have the biggest offensive line in the country and there is no excuse why they cannot run the ball effectively.

Jaamal Berry is unproven, but seems to add a spark to the offense when he is on the field. When given the opportunity this season, he has answered the call.

Berry is an undersized back, but he will not be another Maurice Wells (OSU RB, 2006-2009).

The combination of Pryor, Berry, and Herron running the ball will be very effective and it is a preview of what next season's backfield will look like.

Saine should not be an outcast from the offense, however.

He is a valuable asset, but he should be used as a gadget player to utilize his speed and his ability to make plays in the open field. Saine can also fill the void as a third receiver and a third-down back.

Offensive coordinator Jim Bollman and head coach Jim Tressel need to re-evaluate the running back situation and insert Berry into the lineup.

As a fan I may be hitting the panic button a little too soon, but something needs to be done, before we play tough games against Wisconsin, Iowa, Penn State, and the team up North.

Other than Pryor, the backs aren't getting it done, but there is still time this season for improvement in the running game.

Jim Tressel must challenge his offensive line and his running backs to elevate their play in the crucial part of the season.

The Bucks will need to do something soon, because they cannot afford to lose Terrelle Pryor.

If he gets injured carrying the ball, which could very well happen if he continues to take multiple hits game after game, the season will be all-but over.


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