The Ohio State Buckeyes scored the first ten points in their game at LSU.However, they allowed the next 31 pts to be scored by the Tigers on the way to a 38-24 loss.
Other than the long early run by Chris Wells, the Buckeyes generally seemed to be a day and a dollar short on offense.
I don't want to get into the game details, but I would like to share some thoughts on things that should be looked at Jim Tressel and the staff to continue to upgrade the program and look at the current personnel.
Three things stood out to me as the difference between these two teams.
One-The Ohio State offensive line is not big enough or quick enough to handle top teams pass rush.
By this, I mean that the Buckeyes have some big, slower road paver types and a few undersized, finesse blocker types and neither type match up well with the larger, yet speedy pass rushers that seem to populate SEC football.
This needs to be addressed in recruiting and it cannot be fixed overnight, but needs to begin the process of changing the type of offensive linemen that are recruited by Ohio State.
The line has been very effective in Big Ten play, but has been overmatched in bowl play against a different type of team.
Two-The constant talk before the game was the "speed difference" between the two teams.
I really only saw one area that affected the game.
The OSU corners simply could not keep up with the LSU receivers and that too is a recruiting issue.
Ohio State needs to add more speed and athleticism to the secondary to better combat the smaller, speedier SEC pass catchers.
As with the offensive line, this will not be a quick fix, but subtle recruiting changes need to begin ASAP.
Three-Whether or not Ohio State lands the heralded freshman passer Terrelle Pryor or not (the Bucks are considered the favorite, but are far from a lock) Todd Boeckman needs to be at least challenged for the quarterback job by Pryor (if they land him) or Antonio Henton.
In the three biggest games of the season, Boeckman looked confused, overmatched and generally looked and played lost.
Boeckman seems like a very nice young man, but next year, when the Buckeyes will play USC (no more schedule complaints), OSU will need a mobile passer that can make plays.
Boeckman fails that test on both marks.
Jim Tressel is known for his loyalty to his players, but there needs to be competition at the minimum next season.
This was a disappointment for sure, but to achieve this much in what was supposed to be a reloading season made a great year.
Kudos to the Buckeyes and here is hoping for a great 2008.
Bullpen Notes
Later today, the baseball hall of fame announces the 2008 inductees.
As we wrote last week in the HOF ballot post, here is hoping that today is finally the day for Jim Rice.
A brief note from the sour grapes files.
All these southern football fans that revel in their spread option offenses etc that cannot be stopped etc should remember that every offense has its peak periods.
Ryan and I had this discussion last night and recalled the days of the "unstoppable" Wishbone in the '70s, Flexbone in the '80s, Run and shoot in the '80s and early '90s.
Every new offense has its heyday until the defense figures it out.
Sooner or later-that day always comes...
June Jones leaves Hawaii for SMU.
5 years and 10 million.
But this is not the typical blasting of a coach leaving while the getting is good.
Jones has an expired contract at Hawaii and is not breaking a deal to leave, plus he is going to a program with great new facilities and boosters that want to restore SMU to gridiron glory.
He had probably done all he could at Hawaii and if anyone gets blamed, it should be Hawaii.
They seemed to not even try very hard to retain Jones.....
A nice read from Yahoo on our favorite NBA player, former Xavier star David West.
West is a poster ad for staying in school for 4 years, getting your degree and improving your game for the next step by playing instead of sitting on the bench.
Another interesting interview comes from Australia with WWE champion Randy Orton.
Orton likely got himself into some political hot water in the company after expressing these views with an Aussie newspaper.
And finally, today is the New Hampshire primary.
Looks like Barack Obama and John McCain are favorites in their respective primary heats.
Photo Credit
Chris Russell-Columbus Dispatch
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