This bowl has a lot of potential, because both teams have good head coaches and a lot of talent on the field. However, I can't help but look at this game as a possible repeat of last year: a relatively untested Ohio State coming out of a weak Big Ten to play a semi-beaten up SEC team with a dynamic defense and strong offense.
Ohio State offense against LSU defense
The more I see Chris Wells, the more I like him. Beanie's a strong runner who can move the ball well north-south, giving the Buckeyes the potential to chew up a good amount of clock time with the running game. Plus, he comes up big when they need him too, as seen in his 222 yards on 39 carries against Michigan and 221 yards on 31 carries against Michigan State. Ohio State also has a relatively under-rated offensive line, which does a decent job opening up holes for both Beanie and Maurice Wells, their other back. While Todd Boeckman doesn't give Buckeyes the same gamebreaker-potential Troy Smith did last year, he has a good presence in the pocket and is a pretty accurate passer: 64.5 completion percentage on the year. While the Buckeyes don't have the same eye-popping talent at receiver they did last year (Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez), both Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline are decent options.
The one thing that strikes me every time I see LSU's defense is the speed of the secondary and the size they put on the defensive line. Obviously, it all starts with Glenn Dorsey. He has the size and talent to almost single-handedly stuff the run, and forces opposing offenses to plan blocking schemes around him. Meanwhile, the Tigers' speed at the defensive back positions allows them to use a lot of different coverage schemes and rush players from a variety of positions. Boeckman has not seen a defense this fast yet this season, nor has he seen one with the ability to bring pressure from as many angles as the Tigers do. Remember, although Ohio State is ranked No. 1 in total defense, the Tigers aren't far behind: No. 3 overall.
LSU offense against Ohio State defense
The James Laurinaitis vs. the Tigers' entire offense matchup is why I'll watch this game. Every time I see Laurinaitis play, I want to scream "SPARTANS!!" and kick some Persians into an impossibly deep well. The Buckeyes' linebacker is an absolute monster in the middle, and the leader of an incredibly good defense: Ohio State allowed just 3.58 yards per play and only 15 total touchdowns on the season, just two of which were rushing. Jim Tressel has shown he knows how to run a defense, and this year's edition is even better than last year. While Laurinaitis is the only big name, there aren't any weak spots, and the Buckeyes defend well against both the rush (No. 3 overall) and the pass (No. 1 overall). Not a lot of options left for the Tigers.
That's not to say the Tigers have some second-rate offense. LSU's running back duo of Jacob Hester and Keiland Williams helped LSU average 219 yards a game on the ground. Plus, the Tigers have a pocket/scrambler combination at QB that gave the Buckeyes problems against Florida last year. Matt Flynn and Ryan Perrilloux give the Tigers interesting options at quarterback, though they are not in the same league as Chris Leak/Tim Tebow of last year's Gators team. In addition, LSU WR Demetrius Byrd has a real gamebreaker ability, with great speed and good hands.
Final Prediction: LSU 21, Ohio State 17
Showing posts with label ohio state. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ohio state. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
The Sunday Hangover: Ohio State?!?!?!?! Edition
Note: This is where I'll review the weekend that was in college football - and NOT just a review of the top 25, either. I actually do pay attention to the rest of the nation too, y'know. Usually this'll go on here at a slightly earlier hour to be more immediate for college football fans, but I slacked off more than a little bit this week. Sorry.
Normally I don't like to give a lot of attention to the teams at the top of the heap that already dominate the headlines, but the fact is that it's impossible to truly talk about it without mentioning the two biggest upsets of the weekend.
First to fall was LSU, the previously undisputed top team in the nation. Les Miles' fourth-down luck/stubbornness finally backfired on him, as his Tigers fell to the wildly under-appreciated Kentucky Wildcats.
This left the Cal Golden Bears sitting pretty to take over the top spot in the polls, so long as they could just take care of Oregon State. Enter Kevin Riley.
Listen, I realize he's just a kid, but come on. The kid single-handedly blew it for his team by somehow thinking that he could've run for a first down, or a touchdown, or something when his team just needed to kick a field goal to head to overtime. The fact is this - as of right now, Kevin Riley officially has no friends, and whether he has any family is debatable at best.
So now as a result, the Ohio State Buckeyes are the top team in the land. Really? Ohio State? The best team in the land? I'll believe that when I see it.
With no further ado, the weekend in review!
STOCK RISING: Everybody who had the Kansas Jayhawks as the last unbeaten team in the Big 12, raise your hand. Thought so. The Jayhawks continued their tear, destroying Baylor 58-10 in Lawrence. I realize it's Baylor and not any other team in the Big 12 South, but come on. 48 points is the kind of domination that we expect from the top teams in the nation playing lesser foes. More importantly, things are shaping up nicely for a potential final-week neutral-site showdown between Kansas and Mizzou for a berth in the Big 12 title game.
STOCK FALLING: What a weekend to forget for the Hawaii Warriors and Heisman prettyboy Colt Brennan. The Warriors needed overtime to knock off San Jose State on Friday night, and that was only after Hawaii scored two touchdowns in four minutes to send the game to OT in the first place. The fallout? Brennan's four picks makes him an unlikely Heisman winner at this point, Hawaii falls one spot in the AP polls, and a combination of a #18 ranking in the initial BCS standings and a lack of a meaty schedule possibly dooms June Jones' boys to miss the BCS even if they run the table. The way they've been playing though, does anybody scream too loudly if they d0?
HUH?: Do not adjust your monitor: Temple has won two games in a row. The Owls came from behind to knock off Akron 24-20, notching their first pair of consecutive wins in five years. With an upset of MAC East Division-leading Miami (Ohio) next week, Temple would pick up its first three-game winning streak in five years. Don't automatically bet against it, either - Temple was also one botched call away from beating one-loss UConn and having three wins at this point.
GAME OF THE WEEK: And just barely making it into this week's edition, too! Apparently Nevada and Boise State weren't impressed by LSU and Kentucky going to triple overtime. The Wolf Pack and Broncos combined for 136 points, 1266 yards and four extra sessions in another shining example of great non-BCS football.
BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: After being essentially left for dead, Virginia Tech QB Sean Glennon relieved freshman sensation Tyrod Taylor in the Hokies' game against Duke and looked damn impressive, going 16-for-21 for 258 yards and 2 TDs. Yes, it was Duke, but the Blue Devils are better than they have been for quite a while, and the Sean Glennon of old couldn't have looked this good.
PUBLIC ENEMY #1: Because it would be way too easy to take anyone on the LSU or Cal sidelines: Dave Wannstedt, whatever were you thinking? With the Pittsburgh Panthers down three in the second overtime against Navy and facing a 3rd-and-Goal from the 2, Wannstedt draws up a pass play, avoiding handing the ball off to workhorse back LeSean McCoy, who had been averaging more than five yards per carry. After calling a timeout, Wannstedt decided to go for it on 4th down - AND THREW THE BALL AGAIN. Predictably, Pitt lost 48-45. Two problems with this. First, why send the message that you have absolutely no faith in your team to finish the game if it goes any further? Second, why not use your stud running back as you had 32 times before? Rarely do you see a coach botch an endgame situation this badly.
Like I said, we'll try and get this on slightly more timely next time. College football will return here on Thursday, barring a story of epic proportions before now and then.
Normally I don't like to give a lot of attention to the teams at the top of the heap that already dominate the headlines, but the fact is that it's impossible to truly talk about it without mentioning the two biggest upsets of the weekend.
First to fall was LSU, the previously undisputed top team in the nation. Les Miles' fourth-down luck/stubbornness finally backfired on him, as his Tigers fell to the wildly under-appreciated Kentucky Wildcats.
This left the Cal Golden Bears sitting pretty to take over the top spot in the polls, so long as they could just take care of Oregon State. Enter Kevin Riley.
Listen, I realize he's just a kid, but come on. The kid single-handedly blew it for his team by somehow thinking that he could've run for a first down, or a touchdown, or something when his team just needed to kick a field goal to head to overtime. The fact is this - as of right now, Kevin Riley officially has no friends, and whether he has any family is debatable at best.
So now as a result, the Ohio State Buckeyes are the top team in the land. Really? Ohio State? The best team in the land? I'll believe that when I see it.
With no further ado, the weekend in review!
STOCK RISING: Everybody who had the Kansas Jayhawks as the last unbeaten team in the Big 12, raise your hand. Thought so. The Jayhawks continued their tear, destroying Baylor 58-10 in Lawrence. I realize it's Baylor and not any other team in the Big 12 South, but come on. 48 points is the kind of domination that we expect from the top teams in the nation playing lesser foes. More importantly, things are shaping up nicely for a potential final-week neutral-site showdown between Kansas and Mizzou for a berth in the Big 12 title game.
STOCK FALLING: What a weekend to forget for the Hawaii Warriors and Heisman prettyboy Colt Brennan. The Warriors needed overtime to knock off San Jose State on Friday night, and that was only after Hawaii scored two touchdowns in four minutes to send the game to OT in the first place. The fallout? Brennan's four picks makes him an unlikely Heisman winner at this point, Hawaii falls one spot in the AP polls, and a combination of a #18 ranking in the initial BCS standings and a lack of a meaty schedule possibly dooms June Jones' boys to miss the BCS even if they run the table. The way they've been playing though, does anybody scream too loudly if they d0?
HUH?: Do not adjust your monitor: Temple has won two games in a row. The Owls came from behind to knock off Akron 24-20, notching their first pair of consecutive wins in five years. With an upset of MAC East Division-leading Miami (Ohio) next week, Temple would pick up its first three-game winning streak in five years. Don't automatically bet against it, either - Temple was also one botched call away from beating one-loss UConn and having three wins at this point.
GAME OF THE WEEK: And just barely making it into this week's edition, too! Apparently Nevada and Boise State weren't impressed by LSU and Kentucky going to triple overtime. The Wolf Pack and Broncos combined for 136 points, 1266 yards and four extra sessions in another shining example of great non-BCS football.
BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: After being essentially left for dead, Virginia Tech QB Sean Glennon relieved freshman sensation Tyrod Taylor in the Hokies' game against Duke and looked damn impressive, going 16-for-21 for 258 yards and 2 TDs. Yes, it was Duke, but the Blue Devils are better than they have been for quite a while, and the Sean Glennon of old couldn't have looked this good.
PUBLIC ENEMY #1: Because it would be way too easy to take anyone on the LSU or Cal sidelines: Dave Wannstedt, whatever were you thinking? With the Pittsburgh Panthers down three in the second overtime against Navy and facing a 3rd-and-Goal from the 2, Wannstedt draws up a pass play, avoiding handing the ball off to workhorse back LeSean McCoy, who had been averaging more than five yards per carry. After calling a timeout, Wannstedt decided to go for it on 4th down - AND THREW THE BALL AGAIN. Predictably, Pitt lost 48-45. Two problems with this. First, why send the message that you have absolutely no faith in your team to finish the game if it goes any further? Second, why not use your stud running back as you had 32 times before? Rarely do you see a coach botch an endgame situation this badly.
Like I said, we'll try and get this on slightly more timely next time. College football will return here on Thursday, barring a story of epic proportions before now and then.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
The Right Stuff
Just read an interesting article from Mike Lupica about The Boss. I agree with much of what he writes and have this to add: From a fans perspective, Steinbrenner is the best owner in professional sports, period, bar none. The reason? At the end of the day, he wants to win and will do literally whatever it takes to do so. He'll plunk down $200 mil without blinking an eye, because he believes it gives him a better baseball team. Yeah, occasionally big contract guys don't pan out, but it's no longer because The Boss thinks he knows baseball better than anyone else. He lets his baseball people run things and signs the paychecks it takes to win.
As a side note, how did this article happen? As a Yankees fan, I take pride in the fact that winning is the only goal. IT'S PROFESSIONAL SPORTS!!! There aren't any participation trophies here. Fans shell out hundreds of dollars a game to watch millionaire athletes play games they did as children, living vicariously at times through their favorite players. And Pearlman thinks the fans no longer enjoy watching the Yankees because the process is no longer fun? Please. If that's your viewpoint, you're a Mets fan.
Yes, there's pressure. I don't feel the Yankees are successful unless they had a legitimate shot at a World Series title each year. Shouldn't that be what it's all about? Am I missing something here? Should I hop on I-95 and go watch Miguel Tejada botch a couple of grounders and glide through plays because he knows the Orioles are going nowhere? Is this somehow more fun because for a fan, because you get to experience more joy when the Orioles finally win a title? I don't know. I was pretty pleased in 1996. And 1998. And 1999. And 2000. Silly me, but I haven't been quite as happy since then.
I guess what it boils down to is, would you rather start thinking in June about what prospects your team will pick up in a midseason salary dump, or would you rather start creating your normal October schedule, because your team is going to play seven months every season?
BOG
Title Talk
Is it just me, or does anyone else smell a potential Boston College vs. South Florida BCS title tilt? South Florida's toughest remaining game might be this coming Saturday at Rutgers, depending on how much love you want to give Cincinnatti. Boston College, meanwhile, has some tough games remaining in the ACC, but at the moment looks head and shoulders above the rest of the conference. I think Ohio State has too many tough matches left to say they'll escape without a loss, despite probably being the best of these three squads. It could come down to how much love BC and USF get from BCS voters, as neither team plays in a true power conference.
A match made in heaven
Does anything more need to be said? This could be like The Mighty Ducks, just in reverse. Get ready for a possibly magical season out of this club.
As a side note, how did this article happen? As a Yankees fan, I take pride in the fact that winning is the only goal. IT'S PROFESSIONAL SPORTS!!! There aren't any participation trophies here. Fans shell out hundreds of dollars a game to watch millionaire athletes play games they did as children, living vicariously at times through their favorite players. And Pearlman thinks the fans no longer enjoy watching the Yankees because the process is no longer fun? Please. If that's your viewpoint, you're a Mets fan.
Yes, there's pressure. I don't feel the Yankees are successful unless they had a legitimate shot at a World Series title each year. Shouldn't that be what it's all about? Am I missing something here? Should I hop on I-95 and go watch Miguel Tejada botch a couple of grounders and glide through plays because he knows the Orioles are going nowhere? Is this somehow more fun because for a fan, because you get to experience more joy when the Orioles finally win a title? I don't know. I was pretty pleased in 1996. And 1998. And 1999. And 2000. Silly me, but I haven't been quite as happy since then.
I guess what it boils down to is, would you rather start thinking in June about what prospects your team will pick up in a midseason salary dump, or would you rather start creating your normal October schedule, because your team is going to play seven months every season?
BOG
Title Talk
Is it just me, or does anyone else smell a potential Boston College vs. South Florida BCS title tilt? South Florida's toughest remaining game might be this coming Saturday at Rutgers, depending on how much love you want to give Cincinnatti. Boston College, meanwhile, has some tough games remaining in the ACC, but at the moment looks head and shoulders above the rest of the conference. I think Ohio State has too many tough matches left to say they'll escape without a loss, despite probably being the best of these three squads. It could come down to how much love BC and USF get from BCS voters, as neither team plays in a true power conference.
A match made in heaven
Does anything more need to be said? This could be like The Mighty Ducks, just in reverse. Get ready for a possibly magical season out of this club.
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