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Ohio State (2-1) vs. Illinois (1-1)

When I start out writing these game previews each week, I have no idea what I am going to say then I end up rambling on and on, wasting valuable space on the web. But the thing is, I really don’t have a clue which team will show up this Saturday, and that goes for both Ohio State and Illinois.

While the Buckeyes have played three games so far this season, the Illini have only donned the pads for two contests and is coming off a bye week. Before the season began, I thought that Illinois was poised to be a darkhorse in the race for the Big Ten title, but it’s starting to look like I was wrong already.

In Illinois’ season-opener against unranked Missouri, Tigers’ sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert, taking over for last year’s starter Chase Daniel, shredded the Illini secondary by throwing for 319 yards and three touchdowns on 25-of-33 passing as Mizzou throttled U of I, 37-9.

A week later, Division I-AA (FCS) member Illinois State racked up 398 yards of total offense as redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Brown was 27-of-45 passing for 312 yards with 2 TDs and an interception in a 45-17 loss to the Illini.

Offensively, Illinois couldn’t get on track against Missouri, especially after their top wide receiver, junior Arrelious Benn, left early with a high ankle sprain. So far the Maxwell Award and Bliletnikoff award candidate has just one reception for nine yards in two games.

Quarterback Juice Williams hasn’t fare much better. He was 18-of-28 passing for 179 yards and an interception against Missouri, then against Illinois State a week later, he left with an injured quad in the game’s opening series.

For the first time all year, though, it appears that both will be healthy.

As for Ohio State, the defense struggled late in the game vs. Navy, and again against USC a week later. The Buckeye defense finally played a full 60 minutes in the 38-0 shutout of Toledo.

On the other side of the ball, Terrelle Pryor sliced and diced a very bad Rocket defense with his arm and his legs, passing for 262 yards and three TDs while rushing for another 110 and another score.

Ohio State is going to need to throw the ball effectively against Illinois to win, which I think they will do as long as the play-calling is as good as it was against Toledo. The Illini have been fairly good at stopping the run, and if the Tressel calls plays that are too conservative, this could be a close game.

Ohio State 31, Illinois 17

Tags: Football by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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Right: Coach Tressel speaking to reporters and other bar patrons at Panini’s, Tuesday afternoon. (Photo via Crackberry)

It’s that time of the week during football season where I disguise myself as a sports reporter and crash Jim Tressel’s weekly press conference at the Panini’s on N. High St.

As always, Senator Sweater Vest talks about the past game, the upcoming game, and for the first time all year he also mentions the players of week awards which is something he did regularly last season.

First, Coach T talks about how his defense fared against Toledo:

Came out of the gate well. I thought our kids played with a purpose and defense set the tone with the three and out and the offense responded and the defense just continued the pressure. We were only on the field 23 minutes and we had seven three and outs.”

…and the offense…

Offensively, I thought we did some good things. We had five or six, maybe five guys grade a winning performance. Got a lot of plays. Got a lot of experience. Had some guys get a chance to rotate, seven or eight guys on that offensive line, had a number of receivers get in the game, a number of running backs get in the game.”

“The Vest” then talks about this week’s award winners and he starts with the Special Teams Player of the Game, punter Ben Buchanan:

Ben had not punted for the last 10 days or so. A little soreness in his leg. And he was given a battlefield commission to step in there and did a good job, 42-yard net and handled a couple average snaps and really did a good job there.”

The Defensive Player of the Game was?

Ross Homan did an excellent job there. He had five or six tackles and caused fumble and was really a productive guy and does a good job of being part of that leadership group on that defense even though Ross doesn’t say a whole bunch.”

And the Offensive Player of the Game was?

Dane Sanzenbacher was the offensive player and came right out of the gate and really was a clear guy that first play that went for the long touchdown but they tried to disguise a coverage and gave their safety a little bit too far to run and Terrelle happened to see it and Dane was striding down the field and threw the ball on the money and we got off to a great start so Dane had five catches for 126 yards, thereabouts, a couple touchdowns and really played an excellent football game.”

Hmm, and the Jim Parker Offensive Lineman of the Game was…

…Bryant Browning. He graded in the high 80′s and played both guard and tackle as we had a chance to move some guys around and he was also the honorary captain going back home to Cleveland and did a heck of a job there.”

…an Attack Force Player of the Game was…

…Cameron Heyward…and we rotate our front guys in there, I think Cam only had 20 or 21 plays, but the plays he was in there, he was disruptive, he made plays, he hurried the quarterback.”

Now for some “coach-speak” on Illinois:

We’ve been saying all along that this is going to be a tremendously challenging September and it certainly has been at that and it begins with the Big Ten and I felt going into the Big Ten year that Illinois probably had as good a personnel as anyone in the league. The explosive ability they have over on the offensive side, the uniqueness they have over on the defense. They’ve got big, strong front on defense.”

How’s the health of your team, Jimmy T?

We’re fairly healthy. I think Jimmy Cordle right now is the only guy right now that you would say is totally out. Zach Domicone is probably a week from getting back in, but he’s moving. It will be probably next week before he would be ready. And Jamaal Berry, maybe another week, but outside of that, we’re in pretty good shape.”

On this week’s depth chart at the left tackle position, Andrew Miller and Mike Adams are both listed as the starter with the dreaded “OR” between their names. Coach Tressel addresses that here:

If we can, we like to play multiple guys because guys do get banged up or whatever and then you have some experience. It was good for Andrew to have a chance to play tackle and guard. It was good for B. B. (Bryant Browning) to play guard and tackle. Mike Adams and J.B. Shugarts kind of stayed where they were, left and right tackle when they were in the game. Andrew Moses can play a little bit of both guards and he can play center if you need it. So right now that’s probably the group that’s most involved and we’d be comfortable with all of them coming along.”

I have been saying this all season and I still believe that Boom Herron is not the answer at running back. I, too, was impressed with the play of true freshman Jordan Hall and Tressel speaks about that here:

You know, Jordan’s been impressive since he’s been here. He’s a hard-nosed kid, studies the game, has done well running the football every chance he’s gotten, so now that we’ve seen him in a game, obviously it makes it easier to put him into a game, but, no, he’s going to be a good player. He’s a tough oh he’s a tough kid.”

With the other true freshman running back, Jaamal Berry, nursing an injury, “The Vest” was asked if it’s possible Berry may end up redshirting this season:

I guess you cross that bridge when he’s healthy, according to how your health is, if you’ve got three or four guys that you think — you’ve got obviously Boom and Brandon Saine and Marcus Williams and Jordan Hall, so if you feel like you’re solid with that and you can redshirt him, or if all of a sudden we need a little help there, but Jamaal is going to be a good player too. I like both those guys.”

While Brandon Saine (5.3 yards per carry) and Jordan Hall (6.3 yards per carry) have been rather impressive so far this season, Boom has not (3.2 yards per carry). Of course, it seems that Tressel loves running him right up the gut even though I wouldn’t classify Boom as a power back. Coach talks about that here:

I think Boom had a couple chances last week where he just got shoestringed and you could see where he might pop it and all you need is to pop it and all your yards per carry is totally skewed. I haven’t seen his grade and so forth as being anything less than excellent. He’s where he’s supposed to be. He has been called upon at times when it was loaded up in there”

So Mr. Tressel, how was the play of quarterback Terrelle Pryor against Toledo? He looked pretty good, huh? Seems to be improving, but what do you think?

I thought he played a little more relaxed and I think getting that momentum helps that. You hit a homerun right off the bat and the next few at-bats you have a little confidence about you. I don’t think it was perfect and that’s the thing that when the game ends and it was 38-0 and statistically 500 some yards and all this and that, when you go back to watch the film, there are still a number of things we have to get a lot better at and we understand we’re entering the league and the difficulty ratchets up when you’re playing against people that you play every year that know what you do and how you do it and so forth, but I thought it was a good step, I really did.”

Seriously man, back to Jordan Hall. He looked awesome! And I am not saying that just because I could legally buy beer at Cleveland Browns Stadium and had a good buzz going on by halftime, but will he play more?

Well, there’s only one tailback and Boom’s going to play and B. Saine is going to play, so he’s going to get his opportunities but to say all of a sudden you get 30 carries or whatever, I don’t know that he’s warranted that at this point. He’s done well.”

Tags: Football by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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Right: Quarterback Juice Williams led the Illini in passing and rushing as a junior in 2008.
(AP Photo)

After winning nine games and earning a trip to the Rose Bowl in 2007, the Illinois Fighting Illini fell on hard times last year, managing only to get five victories under their belt while losing to the likes of Western Michigan.

Illinois head coach Ron Zook should benefit from having eight starters return on offense, but just five on the defensive side of the ball are back from a unit that struggled for most of 2008.

Now you can subtract one.

To compound the defensive woes, the Illini’s top-stopper, junior middle linebacker Martez Wilson, is out for the season after sustaining a neck injury against Missouri and will have to undergo surgery to repair a herniated disk.

The 6-4, 240-pound Wilson racked up 73 tackles, three sacks, and 2.5 TFLs last season.

Through two games, Illinois sports a record of 1-1 after being soundly defeated by Missouri in the season-opener before notching a 45-17 win over Division I-AA (FCS) member Illinois State. In those two games, the Illini have allowed 54 points and 840 total yards of offense. It appears that the defense picked up where it left off last year, which is not good.

So how do you gauge how good (or bad) Illinois is? A week after Missouri throttled the Illini, the Tigers needed a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to defeat Bowling Green, 27-20.

Offensively last year, the Illini were 19th in the NCAA out of the 119 FBS teams (2nd in the Big Ten behind Penn State) in total offense, averaging 438.8 yards per game. In scoring offense, Illinois was 40th in the NCAA (third in the B10), putting up on average 28.7 points per ball game.

Against Missouri, the Illini had just 325 yards of total offense with 110 of those yards coming on the ground and didn’t score a touchdown until the fourth quarter.

Overall, Illinois is 30th in the NCAA (third in the Big Ten) in total offense, averaging 436.5 yards per game, with 247.0 yards rushing (13th NCAA/2nd Big Ten) and 189.5 yards passing (86th NCAA/10th Big Ten). Through two games, the Illini is averaging 27.0 points per contest, good for 65th in the NCAA and eighth-best in the Big Ten.

Senior quarterback Juice Williams (6-2, 235), who earned second-team All-Big Ten honors by the media last season, was 18-of-28 (64.3%) passing for 179 yards with one interception against the Tigers.

Against Illinois State, Williams injured his right quadriceps on a 49-yard run during the game’s opening series and was replaced by backup Eddie McGee, who ended up throwing for 164 yards on 13-of-17 (76.5%) passing with one TD, one INT and one lost fumble.

Illinois’ top ground-gainer is 6-foot, 230-pound sophomore running back Jason Ford, though he only has 11 carries through two games for 137 yards and a TD. QB’s Williams and McGee have combined for 144 yards on 34 attempts and two scores.

Arrelious Benn, a Maxwell Award and Bliletnikoff award candidate this season who was named a first-team All-Big Ten wide receiver by the media in 2008, has just one reception for nine yards on the year after suffering an ankle sprain against Mizzou.

The Illini’s top pass-catcher is junior wide receiver Jarred Fayson, who has eight receptions for 89 yards.

The offensive line is anchored by seniors Eric Block (6-3, 290) and Jon Asamoah (6-5, 315).

Defensively, Illinois is faring far better against the run than the pass. The Illini is yielding 80.5 yards per game on the ground, good for 18th best in the NCAA (3rd in the Big Ten), but have surrendered 339.5 yards through the air, which places them 119th in the NCAA and dead-last in the Big Ten. Only one other team, Washington State, has given up more yardage in the passing game out of the 120 FBS (Division I-A) schools.

Overall, Illinois is 102nd in the NCAA (10th in the Big Ten) in total defense giving up, on average, 420.0 yards per game, and are 84th in the NCAA (10th in the Big Ten) in scoring defense allowing 27.0 points per outing.

Sophomore linebacker Ian Thomas (6-0, 225) leads the the Illini with 17 total tackles on a unit that is averaging two sacks and eight tackles for loss per game.

Clearly, Illinois has some weapons on offense, though they just haven’t clicked together yet. But it also looks like the Illini has another struggling defense that Ohio State should pick apart.

Tags: Football by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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Right: Miami quarterback Jacory Harris led his team to a 33-17 win over Georgia Tech, which resulted in the Hurricanes climbing to No. 9 in the AP poll. (Getty Images)

I have come to the conclusion that the polling system makes no sense whatsoever.

Ohio State entered yesterday’s match-up against Toledo ranked 11th and won 38-0, yet today, when the new polls came out, the Buckeyes dropped down to No. 13 in the Associated Press top 25 college football poll.

Miami (Fla.) made the biggest leap in the AP poll jumping to ninth from No. 20 after defeating a not-so-good Georgia Tech team 33-17, last Thursday. The Hurricanes, though, have to square off against No. 11 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg next week, so that’s going to change soon. The Hokies also skipped past Ohio State with a 16-15 win over then-No. 19 Nebraska.

Oklahoma moved up two spots to No. 10 after whipping up on Tulsa, 45-0, passing the Buckeyes who won just as impressively.

USC, which lost to an unranked Washington team, fell from third to No. 12, one slot ahead of Ohio State.

When the Buckeyes lost to the Trojans last week, they slid to No. 11, making them the highest ranked team with one loss. Now after a win, they still drop?

There are seven legitimate teams in the top 10: Florida, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Penn State, California, and LSU. All are undefeated. But Boise State? Just because they beat a rather mediocre Oregon squad, they’re the eighth-best team in the country? The Broncos will not play another ranked opponent the rest of the year.

To me, Miami jumping 11 spots is mind-boggling. Yes, they looked rather impressive in their win against Georgia Tech, but then again the Yellow Jackets were overrated and should of lost to Clemson.

Should I be complaining? No. Ohio State is now the fourth-ranked team with one loss. The Buckeyes should not be ahead of USC, though I do have problems with them being ranked behind Oklahoma and Virginia Tech.

But it’s like I have been telling everyone for months, Ohio State is a year away from contending for a national title. Unless there’s junior who unexpectedly enters the NFL draft, the Buckeyes will return nine starters on offense and another eight on defense.

So if Ohio State runs the table, the Buckeyes will be 11-1 and should have a date in the Rose Bowl, which would work for me.

On the plus side, Ohio State is still No. 11 in the USA Today coaches’ poll, which is the used for the BCS standings, not the AP poll.

Tags: Football by Matt Barker, Publisher & Editor of BuckeyeBanter.com
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