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By Brian Kollars
| Friday, October 10, 2008, 09:46 AM
Ohio State is a whopping 19-point favorite against Purdue on Saturday at Ohio Stadium (3:30 kickoff, ABC). Sometimes when you look at a line you say, “That’s way too much.”
Well, that’s way too much.
Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter has struggled this season, but he has a good track record with the Boilers. And, hey, I heard that Painter is channeling former Purdue QB Kyle Orton, who suddenly looks like an All-Pro with the Bears.
Painter has thrown 56 career touchdown passes, so I’m thinking he’ll do enough to put a couple TDs on the board. The total lack of a pass rush by the Buckeyes will be the deciding factor. If Painter has time, he’ll move the ball.
Interesting stat, courtesy Scripps Howard News Service: Since 1968, Buckeyes are 13-1 vs. Boilermakers in Columbus, including six straight wins by average score of 27-10.
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By Doug Harris
| Thursday, October 9, 2008, 12:35 PM
This was supposed to be the year Curtis Painter overtakes Drew Brees as the all-time Big Ten passing leader. But after a few rough outings, Painter instead is fighting for his job.
Purdue coach Joe Tiller said he doesn’t plan to make a quarterback change against Ohio State on Saturday, but Painter had better produce if he wants to stay in the game.
Senior back-up Joey Elliott saw some action in the Penn State loss last week. Painter, a four-year starter, was pulled after going 13-of-22 passing for just 112 yards with one interception.
Asked what he expects from his veteran, Tiller said: “I’d like him to deliver in the clutch. You can draw your own conclusions. I’m curious. I want to see how he snaps back from this. That will give us an indication of where he’s headed in the future, and where we’re headed.”
OSU coach Jim Tressel said on his call-in radio show Thursday that a QB change wouldn’t affect the Buckeyes’ defense because Purdue’s scheme would remain the same.
“I would think if Curtis comes in and plays solid, they’re not going to pull him. If he’d come in and make an error or two, that could happen,” Tressel said.
“(Elliott) is obviously very, very good. But I’m sure they’re over their hoping Curtis Painter has the game of his life.”
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By Brian Kollars
| Wednesday, October 8, 2008, 06:49 PM
Reporters love Alex Boone. The Buckeyes’ big senior left tackle knows how to throw out the quotes. I remember that Boone seemed right in his element at Media Day last January, the day before the BCS national championship game.
Boone was working the floor of the Louisiana Superdome. At one point, an Ohio TV station gave Boone a mic and asked him to interview teammates. He obliged, and probably asked some great questions.
I just read an Associated Press story on Boone. The AP’s Rusty Miler chronicles Boone’s loose lips, including how he used the harsher version of “POed” several times in an interview.
Maybe his best quote this week was when he was asked about Dan Herron, who was knocked out of the Wisconsin game last Saturday night.
“I guess when they went up to him he was like snoring or something,” Boone said.
On how he’d grade the offensive line this season: “Being honest? Probably a C-minus or a D-plus. We’re going to get criticism from everybody and we know that. But we need to really step it up. I don’t know how you do that. You just keep going and pushing guys and working.”
Mmm. I detected a little coach-speak in that one.
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By Doug Harris
| Tuesday, October 7, 2008, 01:32 PM
The college football world may have been skeptical about whether Terrelle Pryor was more hype than substance, but he proved that all the recruiting buzz about him was valid when he orchestrated a game-winning touchdown drive against Wisconsin on Saturday.
Pryor led the Buckeyes on an 80-yard march for the winning score. He had two key completions to Brian Hartline, who lucked out when his fumble after a 27-yard gain to the Wisconsin 35-yard line was recovered by teammate Brian Robiskie, who just happened to be in the area.
The Buckeyes then ran off six plays, five of them runs by either Beanie Wells or Pryor. The only pass in that stretch was a perfect toss to Ray Small in the end zone, and the former Cleveland Glenville star dropped the pass (it wouldn’t have counted anyway since he had stepped out of bounds earlier on his own).
Pryor’s passing skills have been better than advertised. Although he doesn’t have a text-book throwing motion, he has plenty of arm strength and accuracy, and OSU coach Jim Tressel doesn’t intend to fiddle with Pryor’s form.
“I don’t know if we fuss with anybody’s motion,” Tressel said on the Big Ten teleconference Tuesday. “We talk about results and talk about when the ball needs to get let go and the type of velocity it needs. But, no, we don’t monkey with technique — unless there’s something glaring keeps them from being able to be successful. But Terrelle doesn’t have that situation.”
It’s hard to say Pryor has exceeded expectations with the amount of acclaim he received, but he’s certainly delivering faster than many figured he would.
“I think he’s done a lot of things very well,” Tressel said. “Ohio State is a tough place to play quarterback whether you’re a freshman or fifth-year senior, and I think he’s handled that.
“Sometimes coming off the recruiting hype, guys have a hard to living up to what everyone said they might be like. He’s handled that well. He plays the game extremely hard. He’s very hard on himself. He has the ability to throw and run and lead and (do) a lot of those things you’d love in your quarterback. He’s going to be better by the day.”
INJURY REPORT: Tressel announced on the teleconference that backup running back Boom Herron and Dane Sanzenbacher, the team’s third receiver, will both miss the Purdue game this week because of concussions suffered again the Wisconsin.
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By Brian Kollars
| Monday, October 6, 2008, 11:18 AM
Ohio State’s football season is fun again. The Buckeyes have a lot to play for in the coming weeks — mainly a Rose Bowl bid — thanks to Terrelle Pryor’s best John Elway impression Saturday night.
Oh, and Brian Robiskie’s fumble recovery.
Keep in mind that Pryor’s game-winning touchdown run would not have materialized had Robiskie not pounced on Brian Hartline’s fumble a couple plays before Pryor put OSU ahead with an 11-yard run with 1:08 to play.
If Wisconsin recovers, we suddenly have a moping bunch of Buckeyes. Instead, because Robiskie was in the right place at the right time, OSU seems rejuvenated after a tough, 20-17 victory. It’s as if the physical punishment they took (and dished out) woke them up.
AREA HONORS: Linebacker Ross Homan tied his personal best with 10 tackles for the second game in a row. The Coldwater product also recovered a fumble and was named the Buckeyes’ defensive player of the week.
Among the Scout Team honorees was Beavercreek’s Zach Domicone (Special Units).
A FEW POSTGAME items to clean up:
— Think Chris Wells doesn’t like smash-mouth football? In two career games against Wisconsin, Wells has carried 43 times for 337 yards and four touchdowns.
— James Laurinaitis made 10 tackles, marking the 12th game of his career with 10 or more.
— Ohio State snapped Wisconsin’s 16-game home win streak.
— Ohio State is 125-101-12 all-time against ranked opponents and 37-40-7 on the road against ranked foes. The Buckeyes are 31-10 overall and 10-5 on the road against ranked teams under Jim Tressel.
— Under Tressel, the Buckeyes are 14-7 in night games and 7-3 in Big Ten night games away from Ohio Stadium.
KICKOFF AT MICHIGAN STATE on Oct. 18 is 3:30 p.m. That will be an ABC telecast, and the storyline is a good one: Javon Ringer, who wanted to play for Ohio State, tries to show the Buckeyes he would’ve looked good in scarlet and gray.
This Saturday’s home game against Purdue also is a 3:30 start. It’s Joe Tiller’s last chance to win at Ohio Stadium. Don’t count on it.
Looking ahead, the Oct. 25 game against Penn State (8 p.m., ABC) at Ohio Stadium could have some big national title implications if the Nittany Lions can remain undefeated the next two weeks (at Wisconsin, home vs. Michigan).
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By Doug Harris
| Saturday, October 4, 2008, 08:52 PM
Ohio State may not be quite ready to test the elite teams in the nation just yet, but the defending Big Ten champs pulled out a season-saving, 20-17 victory at Wisconsin on Saturday night and appear to have rid themselves of that post-Southern Cal funk.
Quarterback Terrelle Pryor looked more like a freshman than a budding superstar much of the night, but he showed plenty of panache on an 80-yard game-winning TD drive in the final 6 1/2 minutes.
He came up with key completions to keep the scoring march humming — yes, his throwing motion is a little funky, but accuracy and arm strength aren’t an issue — and he showed how dangerous he can be with his feet on the 11-yard TD scamper with just over a minute to go.
With the Badgers’ defense looking confused, Pryor took a shotgun snap, ran the option to the left with Beanie Wells, tucked the ball away and barreled into the end zone.
Many doubted whether the rookie QB could hold up in an inhospitable venue like rowdy Camp Randall Stadium, but Pryor had the moxie to do it. And the important thing from an OSU standpoint is that the positive outcome on the road should only bolster his already considerable confidence.
“They kept hanging in there, the whole team kept fighting,” OSU coach Jim Tressel told an ABC sideline reporter after the game. “Wisconsin is a good football team (that was) playing at home and fighting for their Big Ten lives. That’s the way conference play is. We’re proud of the poise we had.”
The Buckeyes still have plenty of work to do — they simply can’t muster much of a pass rush with just their front four, and the Beanie Wells-Terrelle combo hasn’t gotten into a rhythm yet — but they went into the year as the preseason pick to win the Big Ten and that feel-good triumph shows they’re still worthy of being considered the league favorites.
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By Brian Kollars
| Friday, October 3, 2008, 10:23 AM
After last week’s late meltdown by the Buckeyes, Vinnie down on the corner is on our heels. Time to get healthy.
Ohio State is a 1 1/2-point favorite at Wisconsin on Saturday night, and I smell a rat. That line tells me that Vegas is desperate for bettors to put their hard-earned bucks on the Badgers. (“Oh, those cute little rodents are home underdogs, so it must be a great bet, right?”) A sucker bet, I say.
The line is so small that we really don’t have to give it much thought. It comes down this: Who will win?
Ohio State will win, and snap Wisconsin’s 11-game night win streak. Here’s why:
— The only thing that scares the Buckeyes is a mobile, accurate quarterback. Wisconsin has never been known for great QBs. That means the OSU defense can focus on the run. If the Badgers become one-dimensional, it’s over. If Allan Evridge can’t get it done against Michigan, he’s not going to get it done against OSU.
— The Buckeyes are interested in this game. It’s in prime time against an opponent they know they can beat (I don’t think they were confident at USC). A possible top-10 ranking awaits the winner.
— Jim Tressel is 2-3 against Wisconsin. He’ll be intense, and his team will have his back.
— During the “Jump Around” segment of the show between the third and fourth quarters, all the Ohio State players will be hearing is AC/DC.
LAST WEEK: My advice was to take OSU and lay 18 1/2 points. I thought Minnesota QB Adam Weber was the only thing standing in the way of an easy win, and sure enough Weber threw a last-minute TD pass — on fourth down, of course — to cover the spread in the Buckeyes’ 34-21 win.
OSU had a comfortable 34-6 lead and dominated the game. Then the Buckeyes got charitable. That, folks, is why gambling can give you an ulcer. Unbelievable.
THE SEASON: We’re 2-2 against the spread. OSU is 0-4.
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