Penn State: Buckeyes Dominant 24-7

In what was easily their most complete game of the season given the level of opponent, the Buckeyes looked every bit of the four time defending conference champion. FINALLY! Pryor in returning home seemed unaffected and undaunted by the student body and what they had in store for him. He left Happy Valley, quite happy and feeling even more confident in himself. And he should, this was the most comfortable that I've seen Pryor in any game yet, especially given the hostile environment. No he wasn't spectacular, but he made the big plays when they needed to be made. He made plays in both the running game and the passing game! The seam pass to Sanzenbacher was a thing of beauty and lead to the Buckeyes taking that 10-7 lead into halftime. The bomb to Posey near the end of the third quarter was well placed and hit him pretty much in stride. Missing Sanzenbacher at the end of the 2nd quarter made that 3rd quarter pass more impressive because it seemed Pryor adjusted from the overthrown ball at the end of the half. The most impressive run of the game was him gaining 12 yards on that 3rd and 11 in the fourth quarter. That first down eventually lead to the knockout punch and the 24-7 advantage. Pryor played calm, never seemed rushed and showed lots of poise on what was perhaps is biggest game to date.

Speaking of Pryor playing calm and not rushed, we must give many kudos to the much beleagured offensive line. Following the Purdue game they were slammed big time and deservedly so. One could only hope they would perform better against the leagues best defense (well stat wise anyway). They not only did well, they were dominant. No sacks allowed and well over 200 yards of rushing offense. The boys played their most physical game against arguably their most physical opponent. And quickly, my favorite player on this squad is Mike Brewster. The more I actually watch him play and the enthusiasm he displays is contagious. When the flag came down in the 4th quarter for unsportsmanlike conduct I knew it was Brewster not being able to contain himself. The kid is a player.

Everyone knew it would be a defensive struggle and the Silver Bullets certainly delivered. From play one where Heyward got the sack, it set the tone for the entire game. Heyward never let up regardless of who they put in there. Didn't you feel some sort of pity for the poor freshman that had to line up opposite Heyward. This D-Line is one of the best and dominant that the Buckeyes have had in a long time, arguably the best in the country. Just how dominant was this Buckeyes defense? Penn State had seasons lows in points scored (7), 1st Downs (9), Total Yards (201), 3rd down conversions (4/16), Time of Possession (25:58), and seven 3 and outs. Their leading receiver Derrick Moye, was held without a catch, not even sure if a pass was even thrown in his direction. But on this day Heyward was the man, 11 tackles, 2 sacks, and a number of pressures on Darryl Clark. The Buckeyes D, harassed Clark all day and he had his worst outing of the season. Clark who was becoming a fringe Heisman contender was completely frustrated by the time the 4th quarter came around.

Coming into this game, my feeling was that special teams would play a pivotal role and I stated that Ray Small could be the difference maker and he definitely was. In perhaps his best game as a Buckeye, Small was Big! His punt returns, ensured the Buckeyes would win the field position battle and it did as his two big returns lead to touchdowns. I believe that this is the real Buckeyes team that us Bucknuts have been waiting to see now can they repeat this performance against another top ranked team.

Back to Pryor for one moment, and one of the knocks against him was winning the big game on the road. Now, I thought his 4th quarter comeback win against Wisconsin last year was big, guess some peeps forgot about that one. But this win did mark the first time that Pryor and the Buckeyes have beat a higher ranked team on the road in a long while. Is the monkey off his back? did he really turn that corner? The upcoming game with Iowa for all the marbles will speak volumes in how much Pryor has really grown.

My Comments on Some Comments:

I believe my tv screen was broke or something, because that couldn't have been Mark May giving any kudos or props whatsover to anything or anybody associated with Ohio State. But alas, there he was, giving Cameron Heyward a 'helmet sticker' in the player recognition segment of their show. Let me say that again, Mark May, the Buckeye hater gave a Buckeye some props without any sarcasm or backhanded compliment. However, in the very next segment he suggested that Iowa would still go into the Shoe and beat the Buckeyes with the conference title and a Rose Bowl~BCS berth on the line with a freshman quarterback making his very first start. Oh by the way, it is Senior Day as well. The Buckeyes will be ready.

There's been a whole lot of fuss of LaGarrette Blount getting reinstated, I never believed that the penalty fit the crime, and some fuss about Brandon Spike only getting a half - excuse a full game suspension. Well according to the critics of those decisions, then they probably believe that Elizabeth Lambert, the New Mexico soccer player should be banned for life. I'm sure your familiar with the story by now, for those that aren't, she's the female Lobo player that went all MMA on the entire BYU squad during a recent match. Excuse me, the MMA has rules, rules that would've gotten Miss Lambert disqualified for some of the actions she displayed on the field. Punching, Kicking a downed opponent, karate chops to the face and neck, Hair pulling, eye-gouging, whoops - sorry got carried away, but you get the point, and amazingly she played the entire game, I don't even believe she got a yellow-card.

I recall that on several posts and blogs, ND fans got all over the Buckeyes for their narrow escape against Navy. Well ND fan, two times in 3 years, enough said. Well almost enough said, not be make excuses but the Buckeyes rarely sees a team that runs the triple-option and had problems as expected. But the domers see the triple-option every season and still couldn't defend it. Talking about getting outschemed! Yes, Charlie your player was right, you got outschemed and that was a bush league move to throw him under the bus.

Flash Forward: Iowa

Well this is it. After all the drama following the Purdue game, the Buckeyes are where most people thought they'd be. Playing for the Big Ten title - Again! Iowa's dream season came crashing down last week against Northwestern as did their starting quarterback, Stanzi. Despite the comparisons between the 2002 Buckeyes and this year's Iowa squad, I never bought into this Iowa squad. I never believed that they would come to the Shoe and beat the Buckeyes and that was with Stanzi. Will this be a gimme? Ofcourse not, Iowa still has an outstanding defense and Pryor that we saw against Penn State has to be to one we see Saturday. If we get the Pryor from Purdue, the Buckeyes will lose. This game was already gonna be an uphill battle for Iowa, given the fact that they lost 10 of the last 11 games against the Buckeyes and haven't won in Columbus since the early 90's, but as mentioned, this game is for the Big Ten Title, It's Senior Day, Tressel has an outstanding record in November. Iowa is coming in with a freshman quarterback and their 3rd string running back and the Buckeyes are more confident now than what they been all season. Only a Purdue like effort will keep the Buckeyes from winning this game. The defenses will dominant, again like last week though, I believe the Buckeyes have the more explosive offense and their defense will be just as dominant against Iowa making them a one-dimensional team. They'll harass the Iowa qb all day and should get atleast one pick. Prediction 28-3.