OSU Football – A Season On The Brink Of…

As the OSU alumni here, Rock and Denny thought it might be good to take a look at this upcoming football season placed in the context of the program itself.  There’s no denying the fact that right now the Buckeyes are doing quite well.  The fact remains, however, that things have seemingly gone south (from playing against the SEC, LOL!) for them in the past few years.  We do our best to address the upcoming season as we see it.

Going in to the National Championship game in 2005, OSU Football was on top of the world. OSU fans were sure they were going to win that game, Jim Tressel was perceived to be an unbeatable big game coach, etc. Now, the Buckeyes are seen as a national embarrassment, they’re the butt of jokes on national talk shows and message boards everywhere….and yet they’ve won at least 10 games in 4 straight years, have won a share of 4 straight Big Ten titles, played in 2 National Championship games in that time, and only twice in his 8 years has Tressel failed to win 10 games. Not to mention the staggering 7-1 record vs Michigan. This should be the golden era of Ohio State Football, but in many ways, it’s not.

So where are the Buckeyes as a program right now? The swagger is gone, but the potential is still there. With all of this in mind, Denny and myself decided to take a look at some of the pressing questions that are lying under the surface as Ohio State prepares for this season.   

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What is the importance of this season with respect to the program?

Denny: I think given the somewhat tempered expectations this year make the season more important than one might think.  This is the opportunity to prove the Buckeyes are the class of the Big Ten and that they are on equal footing with the other big teams around the NCAA.  I think the SC game in Week 2 will be huge in setting the tone for the season.

Rock: I think there’s a legit chance that this season will dictate where the OSU program will be over the next 5 years. I realize a lot can change from one season to the next, but another season of falling short of expectations and playing poorly in big games will leave a stain on this program that will not be so easily removed. This is OSU’s chance at either redemption or exile.

What do the Buckeyes need to do in order to gain respect around the country?

D: Win the big games.  Winning the Big Ten isn’t enough.  That’s become obvious, because if it was we wouldn’t be sitting in the situation we’re in right now.  The marquis games need to be won.  Whether it’s against SC in Sept or against SC in the Rose Bowl in January, it needs to happen.

R: Not only does OSU have to beat USC in week 2, but OSU needs to win a big bowl game, and by “big bowl game” I mean BCS Bowl, obviously. Anything short of that won’t cut it. OSU is so severely looked down on by Big Ten outsiders that even beating USC in week 2 won’t matter unless OSU can follow it up and back it up with a BCS Bowl win, possibly in a rematch with USC in the Rose Bowl.

Given the way things have played out, is there a need for a change in team philosophy?

D: I think that we’re going to see a fairly conservative offense this year – it happens with young offenses.  I think the overall team philosophy isn’t going to change any time soon.  I would, however, like to see the defense get nasty like they were when Snyder and Dantonio were the D-Coordinators.

R: I think Jim Tressel always adapts his offense to the players he has. He was ultra conservative when he had shaky QBs and reliable power RBs (Krenzel/Boeckman and Clarett/Beanie). When he had a dynamic QB and playmakers, though, he opened the playbook up more with Troy Smith and Teddy Ginn. I expect a much more open playbook this year in terms of taking advantage of the skills Terrelle Pryor brings to the team. But overall, defense and minimizing risks is always going to be the hallmark of a Jim Tressel team, and I don’t think there’s much need for that to change.

Is the team really suffering as badly as the talking heads make it sound?

D: I think the only real way to judge this (aside from the abysmal bowl record of late) is by looking at recruiting.  The Bucks still can recruit with the best of them.  James Louis is a big-name player coming from Florida and he’s stoked to be coming up.  I think the team is still pulling the talent that it is capable of pulling, and that’s a sign that things may not be as bad as we’re led to believe.

R: I think Denny makes a great point about recruiting. As the on field success has decreased, the recruiting efforts have increased. That’s a testament to Tressel and his staff as well as the legacy of Ohio State Football. However, I do think there was a ‘woe-is-me’ attitude that seemed to linger in the past. Things aren’t as desperate as the talking heads would have you believe, but OSU’s status as an elite power is teetering and could go either way this season. That unknown worries me a bit.

Are there any changes you think would have an immediate positive impact for the team?

D: I think having a dedicated offensive coordinator would be huge.  It’s pretty clear that Tress calls the shots and that Bollman is OC in title only.  Bollman does a great job recruiting the O-line, and maybe could stand to focus on them a little more and see that they develop better.  I’ve been underwhelmed by the results and performance by the O-line and the offensive playcalling in general (for related topics, please see Brown, Mike and Keuster, John).

R: Again, I think Denny makes a fair point about the OC position. I, too, sometimes find myself yearning for a more aggressive offensive system. But that’s not the most immediate change I think would help this team. Every year OSU can put close to equal talent on the defensive side of the football with anyone in the country. It’s the staple of this program. But I have had enough of the zone coverage and read and react style of defense. I want to see guys pin their ears back and go gets QBs and RBs in the backfield. I want to see tackles for losses and sacks again. Aggression, aggression, aggression. They let Florida pick them apart and nickel and dime them down the field all game long. That needs to stop. It’s time to take advantage of the athletes they have on defense and let them loose.

To what extent do you feel like the losses against Florida and LSU were lingering in the minds of the older players the last couple seasons?

Rock: For over a year now I have insisted that the leaders on OSU’s football team had become damaged goods. They had a fractured psyche. Against LSU and USC, they came out on fire. As soon as the other team hit back, though, OSU seemed to always roll over and die. They had a “here we go again” look about them. Which is why I was so proud of the way they went out against Texas. Sure, it was still a bitter loss, but at least the team competed for a whole game for once.

Denny: I think it probably played into their minds.  The fact that the team would come out quick and then fold at the first sign of trouble in nearly all of the games kind of showed they might have had thoughts that they weren’t on a level playing field with the other guys.  It surely seemed like a few of the guys were sort of going through the motions, from my viewpoint.  Now that that’s (hopefully) been purged from the roster I think we can finally move on from those losses.

Obviously guys like Laurinaitis, Jenkins, Beanie, etc were some of the all time greats at Ohio State. Having said that, though, do you think it’s possible there’s an element of ‘addition by subtraction’ in terms of the young guys who are now stepping into leadership roles?

R: Those 3 guys will be incredibly difficult to replace, but in terms of some of the other players and their surrounding drama (Boone, Boeckman, Hartline, etc), I feel like this year’s team has a chance to be a closer team. There will be no more divided locker room over the QB. Pryor is the man. This team will rally around each other in a way last year’s team would not. These guys have a mean streak to them that has been lacking, and they’re not scared of failure, nor are they intimidated by success. So to a slight degree, I do feel like the team will be better for purging themselves of some of the elements of disappointment and disunion that were here previously.

D: It’s a little clear that there are a few guys on the team that are prone to pout and make excuses (see: Small, Ray), but I think a lot of the previous distractions being off the team helps.  For the first time in a couple of years the offense especially has an opportunity to make itself into a new, cohesive unit.  It starts with Pryor, and from what we’ve heard all signs point to him being large and in charge.

What would an embarrassing loss to USC mean to Ohio State Football?

R: It would just mean we’re back to square one. Our goals will be what they were from the day I was born up to 2001…1) Beat Michigan. 2) Win the Big Ten. 3) Win the Rose Bowl. I don’t think it would affect recruiting….not immediately, anyway. But I think the program as a whole would see itself removed completely from the elite national level for a quite a while.

D: It would keep the program (and the Big Ten as a whole) stuck in this sort of big-conference limbo that it’s in.  Until somebody steps up and puts up a good fight the Buckeyes are going to be placed in the second echelon of premier college football teams.  Yes, they’re top-10 and likely a top-5 program but there’ll still be a negative reputation there.

With that in mind, what kind of season do you expect from the 2009 Buckeyes?

R: I’m actually incredibly optimistic. I think we’re going to see HUGE things out of Pryor this year, I like the athleticism at the receiver slots, and if Jamaal Berry is able to fully work his way out of Tressel’s doghouse, the Buckeyes will have a fairly deep stable of RBs in Boom Herron, Brandon Saine, Jamaal Berry, and Jordan Hall. Not to mention the offensive line with young guys like Mike Brewster, Mike Adams, JB Shugarts, Andy Miller, and Marcus Hall ready to step up and make their marks. On defense, the D-Line should be incredibly strong. Thad Gibson is a freak, and Nathan Williams is bound to break out as the next great D-Lineman at OSU. Then you have depth with Cam Heyward, Lawrence Wilson, Doug Worthington, Dexter Larimore, Todd Denlinger, and on and on and on. The secondary will be a question at the corners with Chekwa and Amos expected to start, but keep an eye out for Devon Torrence and Travis Howard as guys who might break out this season. Particularly Torrence now that he has given up baseball and focused this offseason entirely on football. Kurt Coleman will be the anchor of this defense and I think we are going to see him really make a name for himself at OSU with the season he’s about to have.

The names are different, for sure, but as I have pointed out before, for a while there Jim Tressel was recruiting very mediocre classes and it was finally starting to catch up with us. Now, after consecutive seasons of bringing in the #4 and #1 recruiting classes in the country, we are seeing an infusion of fresh talent which will only breed competition for playing time, which will only make this team better. IF the Buckeyes can get past USC, this has potential to be another great season for OSU, and this team has potential to be one of those teams we will always remember and cherish.

D: What do I expect? I expect to see a team go through some growing pains in the first few weeks and potentially struggle early against Iowa.  Luckily that game is at home and I think it’s definitely going to be winnable.  I think that for the first time in a few years we’re going to see strength in both lines, which we’ve been saying every year for a while – but I still believe it.

Though the running backs may not be as great as Beanie, Pittman, etc we have one of the best runners in the conference in Pryor.  As long as they have lanes, they’ll find them.  Defensively, I think being strong up front and in the safeties will help take pressure off the LBs a bit and will let them shine.  Realistically, I expect two losses, I think in Happy Valley and then either to SC early or in a bowl game.  The team will be in the running for the Big Ten title, and I expect them to at least share it.  But most of all I expect to be pleasantly surprised at how good the team looks on the offensive side of things with a young leader in Pryor.