Post by el_duderino on Oct 21, 2008 23:21:33 GMT -5
Hooray! Blue and White Kool-Aid!
Yes, I know - we've never won in Columbus since we've joined the Big Ten. Ohio State is still seen as the Big Ten benchmark in the eyes of ALL of the media. Beanie Wells and Terrell Pryor are leading the offense.
And none of that will matter come Saturday night. I've usually kept my ideals of what is to come in games like this more reserved. It is a big game, on the road, against a very good opponent - one that is much better than the hopeless case they were made out to be following the USC debacle. And now Ohio State is being pumped back up thanks to their huge blow-out win over Michigan State. Here's the thing - MSU isn't that great. They should have lost to Iowa had Iowa not decided to go for it twice on forth down in field goal range and been stuffed. It's no surprise that a good defense once again stymied Javon Ringer, forcing a mediocre Hoyer to throw aimlessly into the night.
Still OSU is good. Their defense is top-notch as always. Interesting to note, however, that they don't have a good pass rush from their front four - one of the lower sacks per game in the Big Ten and the nation. Their offense is dynamic thanks to Wells and an improving Pryor. Still, Pryor struggles with pressure, and a number of his passes aren't the most crisply thrown balls.
I'm not saying we're going to demolish them. But they are by no means a sudden superhero team. And we match up just nicely in a number of areas that give us a slight edge. The question will be how this team reacts on the road in the de facto Big Ten Championship game. And after seeing how DC has reacted over the past few weeks, I'm actually feeling pretty good.
At the end of the day, I'm not sure how it's going to happen. But it's going to happen. Somewhere between Pryor's inexperience and the offense keeping the playbook open, it's going to happen. It'll be a close game, even if the final score doesn't reflect as much.
In games like this, I've doubted the Penn State offense. The Kool-Aid tastes better this week - the Nittany Lions head into they bye week 9-0, winning 38-20.
Yes, I know - we've never won in Columbus since we've joined the Big Ten. Ohio State is still seen as the Big Ten benchmark in the eyes of ALL of the media. Beanie Wells and Terrell Pryor are leading the offense.
And none of that will matter come Saturday night. I've usually kept my ideals of what is to come in games like this more reserved. It is a big game, on the road, against a very good opponent - one that is much better than the hopeless case they were made out to be following the USC debacle. And now Ohio State is being pumped back up thanks to their huge blow-out win over Michigan State. Here's the thing - MSU isn't that great. They should have lost to Iowa had Iowa not decided to go for it twice on forth down in field goal range and been stuffed. It's no surprise that a good defense once again stymied Javon Ringer, forcing a mediocre Hoyer to throw aimlessly into the night.
Still OSU is good. Their defense is top-notch as always. Interesting to note, however, that they don't have a good pass rush from their front four - one of the lower sacks per game in the Big Ten and the nation. Their offense is dynamic thanks to Wells and an improving Pryor. Still, Pryor struggles with pressure, and a number of his passes aren't the most crisply thrown balls.
I'm not saying we're going to demolish them. But they are by no means a sudden superhero team. And we match up just nicely in a number of areas that give us a slight edge. The question will be how this team reacts on the road in the de facto Big Ten Championship game. And after seeing how DC has reacted over the past few weeks, I'm actually feeling pretty good.
At the end of the day, I'm not sure how it's going to happen. But it's going to happen. Somewhere between Pryor's inexperience and the offense keeping the playbook open, it's going to happen. It'll be a close game, even if the final score doesn't reflect as much.
In games like this, I've doubted the Penn State offense. The Kool-Aid tastes better this week - the Nittany Lions head into they bye week 9-0, winning 38-20.