Ohio State Buckeyes
Preview 2009
By
Pete Fiutak
Interested in blogging about Buckeye football? Let
us know
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2009 CFN Ohio State Preview |
2009 Ohio State
Offense
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2009 Ohio State
Defense |
2009 Ohio State
Depth Chart
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2008 OSU Preview |
2007 OSU Preview |
2006 OSU Preview
Head coach: Jim Tressel
9th year: 83-19
24th year overall: 218-76-2 |
Ten
Best OSU Players
1.
QB Terrelle Pryor, Soph.
2. DE Thaddeus
Gibson, Jr.
3. OG Justin Boren, Jr.
4. DE Cameron
Heyward, Jr.
5. SS Kurt Coleman, Sr.
6. WR DeVier Posey,
Soph.
7. CB Chimdi Chekwa, Jr.
8. DT Doug Worthington,
Sr.
9. C Michael Brewster, Soph.
10. LB Ross Homan, Jr. |
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2009 Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
10-2
2009 Record: 0-0
9/5 Navy
9/12 USC
9/19 Toledo (in Clev.)
9/26 Illinois
10/3 at Indiana
10/10 Wisconsin
10/17 at Purdue
10/24 Minnesota
10/31 New Mexico State
11/7 at Penn State
11/14 Iowa
11/21 at Michigan
11/28 OPEN DATE |
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2008 Schedule
CFN
Prediction: 12-0
2008 Record: 10-3
8/30
Youngstown
St W 43-0
9/6 Ohio W 26-14
9/13 at USC L 35-3
9/20 Troy
W 28-10
9/27 Minnesota
W 34-21
10/4 at Wisconsin W
20-17
10/11 Purdue W 16-3
10/18 at Michigan State
W 45-7
10/25 Penn State L 13-6
11/1 OPEN DATE
11/8 at Northwestern W
45-10
11/15 at Illinois W
30-20
11/22 Michigan W 42-7
Fiesta Bowl
1/5 Texas L 24-21 |
After losing two national
championship games and getting blasted by USC in ugly, embarrassing
fashion, Ohio State has to do something big to regain its good standing
in the world of superpowers. But is that really fair?
What major
sin has Ohio State football committed? Yes, it has lost three BCS games
in a row, but it battled hard in a war in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl against
Texas and lost in the final moments. Should the Buckeyes be dogged for
losing to a Texas team that probably should've been playing in the
national championship? How much flak should they get for daring to lose
two national championships? Should Jim Tressel be fired for losing to a
USC team, on its own turf, that probably would've beaten 117 other teams
like a drum, too?
The fact of the matter is that Ohio State
remains every bit the powerhouse it was when it was 4-0 in BCS games and
came up with wins in 2006 over Texas in Austin and an unbeaten Michigan
squad. Just as important, it's not like the team loses to the weak and
the sad. OSU has the longest streak in the nation of not losing to a
team that didn't end up in the BCS, and it's not even close. The last
loss to a non-BCS bound team was against Purdue on November 13, 2004.
That's a run of 53 straight games, and over four years ago, while USC's
streak is at ten, as is Florida's. Oklahoma's streak is at 17, Alabama's
is at 15, Utah's is at 14, Texas's is at four, and LSU's at one. So yes,
Ohio State is having problems with the who's who programs in a given
year, but it's not coming up with any egregious errors.
That
whole The Ohio State University thing is obnoxious, and it's
hard for Goliath to garner too much sympathy, but the program deserves
more respect than it's currently getting. It'll only get that respect by
coming up with a monster win (USC comes to Columbus on September 12th),
and it'll need to play up to its athleticism and talent level week after
week. It'll be easy to assume this will be a rebuilding year considering
the losses in the linebacking corps and in the backfield, but after
years of impressive recruiting classes, the speed and the tools across
the board are as good as any team in the country, Florida, USC,
Oklahoma, and Texas included.
The running backs won't be better
after losing Beanie Wells and Maurice Wells, but it'll be faster with
Dan Herron and Brandon Saine playing bigger roles. The receiving corps
lost Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline, but it might be even better, and
it'll be a whole lot speedier, with DeVier Posey, Taurian Washington,
Ray Small, and Lamaar Thomas starring as the new playmakers. The
linebacking corps is the other major concern after losing James
Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman, but it's rock-solid sound at all three
spots.
Throw in the improvement of the defensive line, an
upgrade on the O line with the addition of Justin Boren, three returning
starters in the secondary, and Terrelle Pryor, who might just be the
nation's best quarterback after improving his passing this offseason,
and Ohio State is Ohio State again.
You might be tired of the
Buckeyes and you might think they're overrated, but you'll probably have
to spend your New Year's Day watching them play in Pasadena.
What to watch for on offense: The line. While
the overall production wasn't bad, when push came to shove, last year's
line got shoved. It got ripped apart this spring by the defensive line,
but the OSU front four will probably be dominant against everyone. With
three good starters returning, led by center Michael Brewster, and with
the addition of former Michigan Wolverine, Justin Boren, to bring more
of an attitude and a nastiness to the offensive front, the line should
be better and should allow all the speedy skill players time and room to
work.
What to watch for on defense: The rotation on
the end. The pass rush was supposed to be unstoppable, even after losing
Vernon Gholston, but it was only above average.
This year, there are too many ends to get on the field at the same time.
Thaddeus Gibson is a star who could grow into an All-America-caliber
pass rusher, while Cameron Heyward is productive inside and out. Nathan
Williams and Lawrence Wilson are just a few of the great options who'll
be a part of the rotation. With good tackles in Doug Worthington and
Dexter Larimore to eat things up on the inside, the ends should be free
to blow into the backfield.
The team will be far better if … the line
gives Pryor more time. The Buckeye front five struggled in pass
protection giving up 29 sacks on the year. While many came when Todd
Boeckman, hardly a mobile option, was under center, it didn't do enough
when Pryor took over, either. The coaching staff will play around with
the tackles with Mike Adams getting the first look on the left side,
while veteran Jim Cordle getting a shot at the right after starting most
of last year at guard. Andrew Miller is a promising prospect who'll be a
part of the equation. If Pryor gets time, the speedy receivers should be
able to work deeper and the offense should be more balanced.
The Schedule:
The last thing a team with new starting linebackers needs is to deal with Navy in the opener, and worse
yet, everyone will be looking ahead to the showdown against USC.
If the Buckeyes can pull off the win that could redefine and
turn around the program, it should be smooth sailing until
November when the trip to Penn State could turn out to be for
the Big Ten title. The other three Big Ten road games are
against Indiana, Purdue and Michigan; the three duds of last
year. There aren't two road games in a row and playing USC is
offset by non-conference dates against Toledo and New Mexico
State. While OSU might still be the top dog in the conference,
missing Michigan State is a major bonus. Not playing
Northwestern isn't a positive.
Best Offensive Player:
Sophomore QB Terrelle Pryor. He worked so much on his passing this
offseason that he suffered tendonitis in his throwing arm. He's fine,
and so are the legs that should make him a threat to 1,000 yards now
that he'll be the pillar-to-post full-time starter. For the next three
years, Pryor is the face of the franchise and the type of talent who can
make a team of ultra-athletic playmakers better. Now the gloves will
come off and he'll be able to throw the ball deeper to open things up a
bit. If he's on as a passer, the offense will be devastating.
Best Defensive Player: Junior DE Thaddeus Gibson. The
defense is full of very good, very sound players who won't come up with
too much flash, but will make routine play after routine play. Gibson is
the exception as the speed rusher who led the team in sacks last season
and should dominate this year with a a good enough rest of the line to
take the pressure off. While he's built like an outside linebacker, and
will likely play there in the pros, he's tough enough to handle himself
well on the end.
Key player to a
successful season: Senior CB Andre Amos.
Chimdi Chekwa is an all-conference caliber corner on one side, but Amos,
Devon Torrence, or Travis Howard must take over on the other in place of
Malcolm Jenkins. The safeties, Kurt Coleman and Anderson Russell, are
decent veterans, but they're not elite playmakers against the pass,
especially Russell. Amos is a 6-1, 183-pound talent who has the skills
to be a shut-down corner, especially on a No. 2 receiver, but he has bad
knees.
The season will be a
success if
... the Buckeyes win a BCS game. They might not be good enough to be a
USC team that's reloading, but still tremendous, but they can still be
the star of the Big Ten and get to the Rose Bowl for the first time in
the Jim Tressel era. Winning the Big Ten with a team that has to patch
so many holes would be nice, but getting the bitter BCS taste out of the
program's mouth would be truly sweet ... especially if it's against the
Trojans.
Key game:
Nov. 7 at Penn State. On
a national scale, the home date is the most important game of the 2009
season outside of Oklahoma vs. Texas. It's gut-check time for each
program with Ohio State needing a big win, especially on its own turf,
to reestablish its national street cred and to make a statement in the
national title chase. But beating Penn State in Happy Valley is more
important for the more realistic goals of winning the Big Ten and
getting to the Rose Bowl. Last year's 13-6 Nittany Lion win was a
classic, and this year's battle should be for the Big Ten championship.
2008 Fun Stats:
- First quarter
scoring: Ohio State 97 - Opponents 24
- Fourth down conversions:
Opponents 11-of-18 (61%) - Ohio State 4-of-9 (44%)
- Rushing
touchdowns over the last two years: Ohio State 42 - Opponents 10
-
2009 CFN Ohio State Preview |
2009 Ohio State
Offense
-
2009 Ohio State
Defense |
2009 Ohio State
Depth Chart
-
2008 OSU Preview |
2007 OSU Preview |
2006 OSU Preview
|