Trojans open up - 4.5.....on the road, true frosh QB. Damn, these guys must be good! Game on....let's play! No injuries for the Buckeyes in the opener, Pryor played very well by all accounts...questions on the o-line and defensively at LB and in the secondary for the good guys. Trojans eviscerated their overmatched foe and Barkley looks like the real deal......Trojans always show when the lights are brightest. Something has got to give.....hope it's Barkley's poise. Whobe? Next round is on me....
Are you, Stu and Whobe all going to the game? This game should be the premier matchup of September. As you said the Trojans looked good against an overmatched foe, probably the biggest concern for the Buckeyes is the USC OL is very experienced and their TB's are outstanding and they've got a bunch of them. Good ball control running game really helps out a true freshman QB.
I'll be there.....there is a rumor that Whobe is showing, Stu is as yet unaccounted for......Stu? 8 in the box is the order of the day for the Buckeyes and make the vaunted SC o-line step up and/or make the youngster beat us.....if the Trojans can pound it, we're in deepest of deep stuff.....if they can't, the young man could be in for a long night......game on baby.
So I guess you are designating this an offical Big Boy Pads game! And no doubt Pryors mind was on the OSU defense "killing" the USC offense when he made his comments in support of Michael Vick! :wink: :wink: Wowza, the young man needs some PR classes very quickly as he's already a star and will get to be a bigger star and have that mic in front of him all the time!!
It is indeed officially a "big boy pads"game......no doubt. Strap your hats on tight boys and bring it..... ugh....yes, he does. I suspect he will get some tough lessons soon.....ahh, the ignorance of youth. I'll give him a pass on this one, I admire his conviction, but we have some work to do on judgement.
Lou on his answer when Woody asked him why O.J.Simpson went 80yds for a TD.....that's all he needed to go coach!
I remember the play....he could have gone for ever! That's about all he did tho....we spotted them a 10 point lead and whacked pretty good thereafter....Buckeyes take the NC with a 27-16 victory! I'd take a repeat....give me that O-line and I'd feel better......
CBS is reporting that O'Dowd, starting senior center for the Trojans, will play Sautrday night here in Columbus. He missed the opener with a dislocated kneecap.
This mornings Dispatch is reporting that practically all of the local sports writers are giving the nod to the Trojans in a landside. Fortunately the game will be played on the field. Don
Everybody is going off of the showing -v- Navy.....I just don't think you can do that....defensively, Navy shows a look that you rarely see and simply cannot practice against....I think we got up big early, and the kids mentally shut it down and execution suffered. You just can't do against a good Navy team and they fought to the gun. I recall very clearly the 02 NC team opened the season against a very poor Cincy team....Cincy had a chance to win from inside the 10 on the last play of the game....only a pick saved the day for the heavily favored Buckeyes......that team went on to run the table becoming the first to ever go 14-0! Everybody buried that team after the Cincy game and up to and including the NC game..... We are going to have to step it up to be sure......not as concerned about the defense as I am the O-line....if they can't handle the SC front, Pryor will have to win it all by himself and I just don't think he's ready for that quite yet.....that said, Petey is gonna try and pound us to death. If we can't handle the running game, it won't matter anyway.....we'll see.
Anyone who sells Navy short does not know much about the college game. There is nothing negative about edging out Navy. Carroll knows that.
I can vouch for that, ND got a good lead last year and just went to running the clock ...unfortuneately nobody told Navy that the game was supposed to be over. Result they were going for the win wit a minute left. Got to play those guys to the bell, they do.
That team had several very tight games that year and reminded me of Tenn. in '98. Actually UF's 2006 NC squad wasn't much different. Sometimes teams learn to win from winning tight games and it helps in the biggest games. Can't call these kinds of teams dominant in any sense but you can call them winners....which is what counts.
We lost a lot.....4 starters - 2 LB and 2 Corners all drafted on day one of which 2 were first rounders and one a second and all the leadership - Laurinaitis and Jenkins. We return the front four - probably the strength of the team - and can go 2 and three deep up front, the nickel and both safeties return. We'll find out Saturday if the front can be as good as advertised.....we've got some pretty good athletes coming off the edge...hopefully young Barkley will get to meet them - early and often.
Looks bad for the defense then. SC put up 35pts on that experienced D last year and this year it (theoretically) is weaker. So it seems to boil down to which has the weaker link...frosh QB at the Shoe or rebuilt defense for OSU. I guess the key then is can USC run the football and keep the pressure off of the freshman QB. USC also lost some great players, but they've been pretty good at reloading with guys who were highly thought of coming out of HS and they still have what many consider the best defensive player in college football...Taylor Mays. Should be an interesting chess match.
True, they scored 35, but I hang the vast majority of that debacle on the offense. That ballgame was a battle until Boeckman found Rey Rey for a pick 6 late late in the 1st half. 2nd half the SC defense dominated....we got less than 75 yard offense in the entire 2nd half. That offense was designed around a dominant running back....he couldn't play. Game over....Our offense was just inept.....you can't compete with those guys out there without your total package.... No Beanie, two weeks to prepare for us, long trip....the perfect storm for an ass kickin and it happened. That said, if they score 35 on us Saturday, we'll likely get our ass kicked again.....but I just don't think they're going to be able to do that with the kid under center....we'll see.
BT....Josh and I will be in our usual haunt...19C... <t>Stu I believe is Fla bound. Say if you ain't locked up friday night I have reservations at the Clarmont at 8. I'm taking my nephew and his roomie out to dinner. You could buy me that beer and we could share a few "sliders" (not white castles). Who knows I may be able arrange for a certain receiver's parents to join us......hint he scored the first touch of the 09 season. I'll try the "corner" on sat if the crowds at too large.<br/> <br/> <br/> ps....this game now scares the crap outta me!!!!!</t>
Plans for Friday still up in the air....still trying to settle plans up with my crew. I'll email my cell number...let's try and hook up pre-game. I hope you can operate that thing better than TOK! :wink: