September 8, 2009 Brutus Notes

Brutus says/Buckeyecountry.net

Tressel happy with Pryor’s play…..

Terrelle Pryor is one of the biggest questions and answers to how successful the Ohio State Buckeyes will be this year. Pryor did a good job on Saturday of getting rid of the ball quickly and making good decisions. Pryor threw the ball with what seemed like more command then we saw last year.

When Tressel was asked about Pryor’s performance in regard to the late interception he stated, “I know when you're a quarterback that really can put a damper on how you feel about your performance. As I look at it, it's one of the plays and it's a big play that you can learn from and we always talk about, we like the ball delivered to the numbers or lower because if accidents happen, they usually fall on the ground, and if accidents happen above the numbers, they're problems.”

Tressel went on to say Pryor did some good things in the game and eluded to the game film as an opportunity for the coaching staff to study his footwork and decision making progress. Tressel said, “I'm sure there's going to be plenty of things that we evaluate that we need to do better, but knowing the kind of competitor he (Pryor) is, I'm sure that interception will damper his thinking of his performance, but what we have to do is get to the point where we evaluate each play independently, and you learn a little bit the impact of mistakes, but I thought all in all, he did quite well.”

Tressel unhappy with his own decision to not kick a field goal in the fourth quarter……

Tressel explained that he was very upset with his decision to go for it on fourth down. He was into the game emotionally and wanted to let his offensive line have a shot at opening a hole and delivering an emotional blow to Navy’s psyche. What happened was a reversal. Navy used the play as a momentum builder that almost propelled them to a huge upset in week one.

Tressel said he knew when the play failed, “It may have not looked as poor at that moment, but I said to our guys, you know what, we didn’t put it to three scores and that was a poor decision on my part.”

Ohio State’s running game…….

The jury is still out on how good this running game can be or will be this year. Dan Herron and Brandon Saine both enjoyed moments of success during the game.

The Buckeye offensive line didn’t play as well as fans would have liked based on the size advantage they had over a smaller, less physical Navy group. It was more evident then ever on the third and 1 and fourth and 1 plays during which Navy stuffed Herron in the fourth quarter.

Though Herron ran hard and was selected the Buckeyes' offensive player of the game with 17 rushes for 72 yards and 1 touchdown, Saine looked much better with the opportunities he had. Herron ran extremely hard. However, until the 18-yard run to seal the game in the fourth quarter, Herron had on 54 yards on 16 attempts (3.4 yards per rush).

Saine delivered a tough 53 yards on 9 rushes (6 yards per rush) and showed patience and physicality as he made holes through what were just cracks in the line. Saine’s speed was also apparent on the reverse the Buckeyes executed on the opening kick off. The Buckeyes will need both running backs to be successful this year, but don’t be surprised if we get more “Zoom” as the season progresses.

Offensive line concerns……..

If you’re a Buckeye fan, you have to be concerned with how the OSU offensive line played against a smaller Navy defensive line. Though Ohio State gained 153 yards on 38 rushes (4 yards per rush), the Buckeye line at no time looked in command or like they were imposing their will.

It’s hard to say if some of the pressure on Pryor isn’t schemed to allow a certain level of penetration. But Pryor’s elusiveness and strength helped to extend and lead to some gains that looked like potential negative yardage plays due to lineman getting beat or blown assignments.

I’m not sure how much continuity has been affected with Justin Boren out the last three weeks leading up to the game with a strained knee. The Buckeyes did try to run behind Boren and the left side of the line late in the fourth quarter and failed. The Buckeyes need a huge effort out of this group if they are going to beat USC Saturday night. Controlling the line of scrimmage and the ability to limit how many plays the USC offense gets by controlling possession will be paramount.

 For more info: 

 OSU welcomes USC to Ohio Stadium Saturday

OSU faces much tougher test Saturday against USC

Ohio State Has Work To Do Before Facing USC