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September 28, 2009
By HD Handshoe
Founder—BlockONation
The Buckeyes are now (3-1) and probably should be (4-0) but we won't dwell on the past mistakes that led to the loss vs. USC, but rather, we will look ahead.
Ohio State won easily vs. Illinois as I predicted. I specifically said I was not expecting another shutout, but definitely a win. My prediction was 38-13. The actual final score was 30-0.
Meh, close enough.
This Buckeye "D" is much better than I thought, and I already thought they were very good.
This week, Ohio State will play their first true road game of the season as they will travel to Bloomington, Indiana to take on the (3-1) Hoosiers.
Last week, Indiana nearly pulled out a win vs. Michigan in the Big House.
Unfortunately for them, the officials gave the game away on a terrible call when there clearly appeared to be a simultaneous catch and possession by an IU receiver and a UM defensive back, but the officials ruled it an interception.
After a home cooked booth review, the call was upheld (how convenient) and UM escaped with a shady win.
IU coach Bill Lynch was livid, and rightfully so.
While I don't mean to totally disrespect Indiana, they really aren't a good football program (their three wins were all pretty close over FCS or small FBS foes Eastern Kentucky, Western Michigan, and Akron), the closeness of this game shows me UM is vastly overrated, and that Ohio State "should" win by a minimum of three to four scores this week.
TV: Big Ten Network
@ 
Here is the recent and all-time history between OSU and IU.
ï Ohio State leads the all-time head-to-head series (65-12-5)
ï Ohio State is 17-2-1 vs. IU last 20 meetings (dating back to 1985).
ï Last Ohio State loss at IU was in 1988 by a score of 41-7 (That year, IU was 8-3-1 and OSU was 4-6-1).
ï Since 1991, Ohio State is 16-0 vs. IU.
ï Tressel is 6-0 vs. IU, outscoring them 222-57, or an average game score of 37-10.
A third straight shutout win could become a reality, but either way, I fully expect the Buckeyes to win, and win big.
Final score prediction:
Ohio State 44
Indiana 16
Photo Copyright / owned by the AP
September 25, 2009
By HD Handshoe
Founder—BlockONation
Last week, Ohio State traveled to Cleveland to take on the Toledo Rockets and there were concerns the Buckeyes may suffer from a hangover, due to their close heartbreaking loss in week two vs. USC.
No such luck for Toledo, as the Buckeyes came out firing en route to a 38-0 thrashing.
Quarterback Terrelle Pryor had a career day, passing for 262 yards and three touchdowns, as well as rushing for 110 yards and a score.
Wideout Dane Sanzenbacher also had a career day, catching five balls for 125 yards and two scores.
Toledo, and QB Aaron Opelt, who had individually led the nation in total yardage, could never get in rhythm against an overbearing Buckeye defense that continues to gel and improve week to week.
That was then—This is now. VS. 
The Buckeyes (2-1) are set to open Big Ten Conference play this week as they play host to the Fighting Illini (1-1) from Illinois. The game is on ABC at 3:30 EST.
Starting at 3:00PM, there will be a LIVE, in-game chat over on my Blog, BlockONation, so come join us, just before and during the game!
Illinois began the season losing in an unexpected blowout to rebuilding Missouri, before bouncing back vs. FCS foe Illinois State.
Star QB Juice Williams has zero touchdown passes, an interception, and only 179 yards thus far and star receiver Arrelious Benn has been injured and only has one catch for nine yards. To say the least, Illinois has been a major dissapointment so far.
That being said, the Buckeye know they cannot take any conference opponent for granted (see USC vs. Washington last week), especially Illinois in Columbus. Under Tressel, the Buckeyes have averaged 25.5 points per game and given up 18.3 points per game in the series.
Since Tressel took over in 2001, Ohio State is 4-2 vs. the Illini, but only 1-2 in games played in Ohio Stadium. In 2007, Illinois defeated the Buckeyes 28-21 in Columbus, nearly derailing then No. 1 Ohio State's BCS title game hopes.
Ultimately, a series of late-season upsets allowed the Buckeyes to move back up to No. 1 in the final BCS standings, only to lose in New Orleans (a "neutral" site) to LSU anyway.
Overall, Ohio State leads the all-time head-to-head series 61-30-4, and since 1967, OSU is 13-7 vs. Illinois at home.
I expect the Buckeyes to play much like they did last week against Toledo on both sides of the ball vs. Ron Zook and his Illini team. I am not expecting a shutout, but I am going to call for a Buckeye victory.
My final score prediction:
Ohio State 38
Illinois 13
On a side note, I just have to ask—Is it just me or does anyone else think Ron Zook is really Ricky Bobby's Dad, Reece, from Talladega Nights?
BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here
Terrelle Pryor / Illinois photo Copyright Dan Harker - www.TheOzone.net
September 21, 2009
Early Season Report
By: Jason Nafzinger
Recap: After some offensive woes in a close win over Navy and a heartbreaking loss to USC, Ohio State exploded in a shutout win over Toledo in Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Buckeyes will be looking to carry this new offensive firepower into Big Ten play.
Stats so far: Ohio State is 51st with 4.28 yards per rushing attempt and 34th with 8 yards per passing attempt. Overall, they have averaged 28 points and 383.3 yards in their first three games. Defensively, they are 43rd with 3.27 yards allowed per rushing attempt and 47th with 6.1 yards allowed per passing attempt. Overall, they have given up 15 points and 288.3 yards a game.
Coming up: The Buckeyes should shine in home games against Illinois and Wisconsin, which sandwich a night road trip at Indiana. Anything short of winning all three of these would be a disappointment.
Jason Nafziger writes about Pro and College Football at http://onfootball.wordpress.com/
September 8, 2009
Pryor vs. Barkley in Week One
By: Jason Nafziger
Terrelle Pryor's first pass against Navy was an incompletion, but it was still better than Matt Barkley's first pass against San Jose State-a completion that went for negative two yards. I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I think the SC/Ohio State game will come down to the play of these two QBs. Yeah, USC's running backs destroyed SJSU and Navy racked up
plenty of ground yards on the Buckeyes. But the two offenses are completely incomparable. Navy's undersized O-line uses a chop-blocking technique to negate their physical disadvantages. It's a style that virtually no other team uses and makes it extremely difficult to generate backfield pressure. Meanwhile, SJSU was simply overmatched talent-wise and could not be expected to hang with USC's stable of backs for an entire game (although they did quite well for the first quarter).So, let's look at those QBs:
First Half:
First Drive
Pryor, 2-4, 47 yds, TD
Barkley, 1-2, -2 yds, puntOn USC's second drive, Joe McKnight fumbled on the first play.
Second Drive
Pryor, 3-4, 32 yds, FG
Barkley, 0-0, sacked, puntThird Drive
Pryor, 1-1, 0 yds, punt
Barkley, 1-1, 22 yds, fumbleFourth Drive
Pryor, 4-4, 48 yds, rushing TD by Pryor
Barkley, 0-1, 0 yds, puntPryor did not play for the remainder of the first half, as Joe Bauserman was inserted as part of Tressel's predetermined gameplan.
Fifth Drive:
Barkley, 2-2, 23 yds, rushing TD by JohnsonSixth Drive:
Barkley, 2-2, 50 yds, rushing TD by JohnsonOn the next drive, Barkley ran the ball for 1 yard, then Bradford ran for a TD on the second play
Seventh Drive:
Barkley, 2-3, 45 yds, rushing TD by McKnightIn just four first-half drives, Pryor went 10-13 (77%) for 127 yards and a TD. He threw no interceptions and also scored a rushing TD. Pryor attempted an average of 3.25 passes per drive.
In seven first-half drives, Barkley went 8-11 (73%) for 138 yards and no TDs. Barkley attempted an average of 1.5 passes per drive.
Second Half:
Pryor threw just 8 passes in the second half, completing 4 of them for 47 yards. He also had an interception on a tipped pass.
On the second drive of the half, with his team up 35-3, Barkley completed 6 consecutive passes for 93 yards and a TD. The Trojans did not rush the ball during the drive. Barkley did not play in the fourth quarter.
To me, the question is whether Barkley started shaky and then found a groove or just found himself with no pressure once the running game had built a solid lead. It will be interesting to see how he performs in a hostile environment if Ohio State can slow down USC's backs, or at least force some fumbles like SJSU managed to do. I expect a lot more backfield pressure against USC's more typical pro-style offense.
Jason Nafziger writes about Pro and College Football at
http://onfootball.wordpress.com/
September 2, 2009
By HD Handshoe
Founder—BlockONation
From the moment he arrived at the Naval Academy, Ricky Dobbs was touted as a potential star in the football team's triple-option attack.
This year, he will have the opportunity to live up to those expectations.
After providing a glimpse of his potential last year, Dobbs will be the primary weapon in the Middies attack, as he will be counted on to run the offense and lead the Midshipmen to their seventh consecutive winning season—and their seventh straight bowl game appearance.
Last season, Dobbs finished third on the team with 495 yards rushing and second in scoring with eight touchdowns despite only playing occasionally in relief and starting only one game.
In that spectacular debut as a starter, Dobbs (who replaced injured starter Jarod Bryant) ran for 224 yards and four touchdowns versus SMU.
"There is something special about Ricky. Players, coaches, fans, they just love this kid," Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said. "I think our team will rally around Ricky as our leader."
Dobbs is a fast and powerful runner, and his strong arm makes him a legitimate double threat. Navy has led the nation in rushing for four straight years, but hasn't had a decent passing attack in quite some time. This season could be different.
Offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper wants his quarterback to throw the ball downfield more often to prevent opponents from loading up to stop the run, an idea that Dobbs has readily embraced.
"I would love to throw the ball on every down," Dobbs said.
That might also have more to do with necessity with the personnel losses Navy suffered from last season.
Gone are seven offensive starters including fullback Eric Kettani, who rushed for 1,862 yards and 14 touchdowns, and slot back Shun White, who ran for 1,092 yards.
Many thought that the Navy rushing attack and effectiveness might slip after head coach Paul Johnson departed for Georgia Tech, but that didn't happen.
Niumatalolo, Johnson's longtime assistant and triple-option disciple, guided the Midshipmen to their sixth straight bowl berth, while his team averaged just under 300 rushing yards per game.
The Navy triple-option offense has obviously given many teams a major headache over the past four seasons, but Navy has not seen a defense the caliber of Ohio State's during that span.
This 2009 "no-name" Ohio State defense, as some of the Buckeye players are referring to themselves, has drawn some comparisons to that of the 2002 OSU defense that helped secure the BCS National Championship win over the Miami Hurricanes in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.
The game may be close in the early going as the Buckeyes adjust their defense, but ultimately, the Ohio State offense should be able to move the ball and score without too much difficulty.
Then again, the week before the USC game last year, Ohio State nearly overlooked Ohio University in a too-close-for-comfort, come-from-behind-win so never count your chickens before they hatch, as the saying goes.
I'm going with a semi-conservative prediction here and saying the Bucks win 38-20.
With the game just three days away, I'd like to remind everyone about the Take the Field Tribute, and ask everyone attending the game to show these young men their due respect during their pregame entrance.
After the kickoff, anything goes!
Good luck Navy, but go Buckeyes!
BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here
August 21, 2009
Using the Schedule to Improve National Perception
(Or... What Would Zooker Do?)
By: Jason Nafziger
This year, Illinois defies standard Big Ten scheduling practices and will take two off-weeks during the season and play games both of the last two weeks. While almost every other conference team will be accumulating bowl-season rust like usual (Wisconsin plays @Hawaii on December 5), the Illini will still be active. Whether it works to their advantage or not
remains to be seen, but it makes me wonder if the Buckeyes should give this a try.The first benefit would be that while the SEC and Big 12 (and the less-stellar ACC) are playing their conference championship games, we would have The Game, which should eventually return to being the effective Big Ten title game it once was. Ohio State-Michigan could kick off a huge day of college football around the nation and the winner would certainly reap the poll rewards.
Another plus would be the ability to move the annual Ohio State-Penn State tilt (quickly becoming a top rivalry in its own right) to the traditional ESPN-hyped "Rivalry Saturday" that The Game used to occupy. One of our off-weeks could be used prior to this game for extra preparation, more injury recovery time, and to build up national hype. Similarly, we could use the other off-week before our big early-season non-conference matchups.
I think extending the season with multiple strategically-placed off-weeks and using the final week for big-time rivalry games like Ohio State-Michigan would help the conference immensely in terms of performance and national perception. And we don't even have to add a team or a championship game.
Jason Nafziger writes about Pro and College Football at
http://onfootball.wordpress.com/
August 14, 2009
2009 Big Ten Conference Breakdown: Team-by-Team Projections
Big Ten football fans, as you know, the 2009 season is almost upon us.
Fall camps have begun and coaches, players, and fans alike are excited and optimistic about how this year will unfold over the next four months.
But seriously, who wants to wait that long?
It's true, the season is too short and that's why we love it, but if you're interested at all in knowing how your favorite Big Ten team is going to fare, read on.
SPOILER ALERT!
I'll begin at the top and work my way down through all 11 teams.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Toughest home game: vs. USC on September 12th
Toughest road game: at Penn State on November 7th
Best case regular season record: (12-0)
Worst case regular season record: (8-4)
Teams that might beat them: USC, Penn State, Illinois, Iowa
Penn State Nittany Lions
Toughest home game: vs. Ohio State on November 7th
Toughest road game: at Illinois on October 3rd
Best case regular season record: (11-1)
Worst case regular season record: (8-4)
Teams that might beat them: Iowa, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan State
Iowa Hawkeyes
Toughest home game: vs. Northwestern on November 7th
Toughest road game: at Ohio State on November 14th
Best case regular season record: (10-2)
Worst case regular season record: (8-4)
Teams that might beat them: Arizona, Penn State, Michigan State, Ohio State
Michigan State Spartans
Toughest home game: vs. Iowa on October 24th
Toughest road game: at Notre Dame on September 19th
Best case regular season record: (9-3)
Worst case regular season record: (6-6)
Teams that might beat them: Notre Dame, Michigan, Illinois, Northwestern, Iowa, Penn State
Northwestern Wildcats
Toughest home game: vs. Penn State on October 31st
Toughest road game: at Iowa on November 7th
Best case regular season record: (9-3)
Worst case regular season record: (7-5)
Teams that might beat them: Minnesota, Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa, Illinois
Toughest home game: vs. Penn State on October 3rd
Toughest road game: at Ohio State on September 26th
Best case regular season record: (9-3)
Worst case regular season record: (6-6)
Teams that might beat them: Missouri, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Toughest home game: vs. California on September 19th
Toughest road game: at Ohio State on October 24th
Best case regular season record: (8-4)
Worst case regular season record: (5-7)
Teams that might beat them: California, Northwestern, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Iowa
Wisconsin Badgers
Toughest home game: vs. Iowa on October 17th
Toughest road game: at Ohio State on October 10th
Best case regular season record: (7-5)
Worst case regular season record: (5-7)
Teams that might beat them: Fresno State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern
Michigan Wolverines
Toughest home game: vs. Ohio State on November 21st
Toughest road game: at Iowa on October 10th
Best case regular season record: (7-5)
Worst case regular season record: (4-8)
Teams that might beat them: Western Michigan, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Iowa, Penn State, Illinois, Ohio State
Purdue Boilermakers
Toughest home game: vs. Ohio State on October 17th
Toughest road game: at Oregon on September 12th
Best case regular season record: (4-8)
Worst case regular season record: (2-10)
Teams that might beat them: Toledo, Oregon, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Minnesota, Ohio State, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State
Toughest home game: vs. Ohio State on October 3rd
Toughest road game: at Penn State on November 14th
Best case regular season record: (3-9)
Worst case regular season record: (1-11)
Teams that might beat them: Everyone except for MAYBE Eastern Kentucky. That is the only team I think they are almost guaranteed to beat.
Enjoy the 2009 season everyone!
HD Handshoe is the blog publisher and founder of BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here
July 29, 2009
Translating Tressel
By: Jason
Tressel is a locked vault to the mediaWith Big Ten Media Days wrapped up and shut down it's time to take a look back at Jim Tressel's time in the Windy City with a little segment we would like to call "Translating Tressel".
If you have watched Ohio State football the last eight years you know by now that The Vest's long, well-spoken answers to the media's questions say a lot without saying anything at all, giving writers, reporters, and bloggers like us headaches when trying to figure out anything going on behind the scenes in Columbus. This prompted me to take a deeper look into Tressel's quotes from the Big Ten Media Days and attempt to "translate" Tressel-Speak, to help Buckeye Nation possibly get a glimpse of what is going on inside the walls of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center this summer as the 2009 season approaches.
So, without further twiddling of the thumbs, here is your translation from Tressel-Speak to English of The Senator's Big Ten Media Days quotes:
On Pryor
What Tress Said: "He has a real passion to do well. He wants to make sure he can do all that the team needs, and I thought for a freshman he was pretty careful with the football and grew to learn from every experience he had. There were some tough experiences along the way."
Translated: Terrelle Pryor came in here and had his eyes on the starting job from day one. I really wanted him to put the team first and go up the middle for the first down against Penn State, but other than that and the interception at the end of the game he pretty much played mistake free football for us. Hey he saved us from having to play USC in the Rose Bowl right? You see how valuable he can be to this team and the growing pains last year will be worth it this year as he is much wiser to go along with his freakish talent.
On Playing A Later Schedule In The Big Ten
What Tress Said: "As far as playing later and those kinds of things, you know, part of me is an old traditionalist that I always enjoyed Thanksgiving weekend because my dad was a football coach, and typically his season had just ended. We got to see him for the first time since the massive Ohio Conference media day that he would head out to, so that was a special time. I also have an affinity for the fact that our players who really train all year-round in our conference setup, they have a chance to be home for an extended Thanksgiving weekend, which really there's nothing more important in any of our lives than our family and having the chance to be with them."
Translated: This playing late stuff is absolutely stupid. Who thought moving the Michigan game to Thanksgiving Weekend was a good idea anyway? It just delays the beat down Rich Rod and the boys will be getting by another week and inconveniences the students and their plans to jump in Mirror Lake. On another note, playing later would also take us out of the running of being the first into the clubhouse like we were in 2007 when we backed into the National Championship Game while our foes choked. Oh, and I love family time too so it's nice to have that time as well.
On the Running Backs
What Tress said: "Well, it's difficult to replace a Beanie Wells. Beanie was an outstanding player, and he was the kind of guy that as the season went on or as the game went on, he got stronger and stronger. We used to talk about there was a cumulative effect when he carried the ball through the course of a game or through a season. So you can't replace exactly what he does or what he did."
Translated: I mean I like Herron and Saine, but WHY DID YOU HAVE TO LEAVE BEANIE? Arizona is not that great. Look how it's treated us our last two visits! You could be stiff-arming the likes of Navarro Bowman and Sean Lee and you opt to split carries with Tim Hightower? How am I going to give the ball 40 times to these guys I got coming back---especially with those two freshmen making trouble?
On The Inferiority Complex in the Big Ten
What Tress said: "I don't know that anyone in this conference has an inferiority complex. If you watch ball games, our guys will play toe to toe with anyone. If you watch the NFL draft, they'll get selected at the regularity of almost every conference."
Translated: Well 41-14, 38-24, and 35-3 were pretty darn bad. But, hey, how about the names of Ted Ginn, Anthony Gonzalez, Troy Smith, Roy Hall, Doug Datish, Jay Richardson, Antonio Pittman, Quinn Pitcock, Kirk Barton, Larry Grant, Vernon Gholston, Marcus Freeman, Donald Washington, Chris Wells, Brian Robiskie, Brian Hartline, James Laurinaitis, and Malcolm Jenkins? Take that Urban and Les! You may beat us but we provide a life after college!
On the coaching staff
What Tress said: “Yeah, I think if you can keep you staff together, it helps your efficiency in everything you do,” he said. “Whether it’s expectations of the players or expectations of the coaches or the recruiting relationships and the position coach relationships. Sometimes if you have a new position coach year after year you’re just in the getting-to-know-you phase and that slows your growth."
Translated: Alright are you guys happy? Here is your answer about why I have kept Bollman on staff so long. He's a good recruiter and gets the linemen to come here and buy into what he's teaching. I can't fire him because players might not like a guy getting fired who recruited them. Take note Rich Rod, maybe you can keep some of those guys up North.
July 28, 2009
Ohio St Season Preview
By: Jason Nafziger
To kick off the Ohio State blog here at PhilSteele.com, I thought I’d take a look at the Buckeyes’ first three opponents of the season, what we should expect from them, and what we might be able to do to hurt them. I’ll dig more into the schedule as the season progresses and we start to see how teams are shaping up.
Navy (September 5)
Despite losing flexbone guru Paul Johnson to Georgia Tech in 2007, Navy continues to lead the nation in rushing yards per game. Last year, the Midshipmen put up 292 yards an outing. This season, they lose 4 of their top 5 rushers from last year, and that includes their top 2 passers as well. They also lose their top 3 receivers, so expect an even bigger focus on running than usual, especially early. Getting Navy in the first game is a big plus for the Buckeyes, as they will still be working out their kinks and trying to gel on the field with very little offensive experience returning. This will take a little pressure off of Ohio State’s inexperienced linebackers, the key group in stopping Navy’s unique attack.
Navy’s defense has never been spectacular, as they rely more on their clock-draining offense to keep the ball out of opponents’ hands. They do return 6 of their front 7 on defense this year, so they will be at least be experienced. With only one returning starter in the secondary, this is a good opportunity to let Terrelle Pryor work long and develop some downfield chemistry with his speedy young receivers.USC (September 12)
QBs Aaron Corp and Matt Barkley will enter this game with only a home blowout against San Jose State under their belts. I expect them to split a lot of time in that game, and would be surprised if Pete Carroll didn’t use them both against Ohio State. Each is more mobile than typical USC signal-callers, but not as athletic and fast as Pryor. Whoever is under center for the Trojans will have a very experienced offense around him, with only receiver Patrick Turner departing from last year’s starting squad. Ohio State’s defensive line will have to live up to their hype and put some serious pressure on the young QBs to give the Buckeyes a chance in this one.
On the flip side, the defense returns only 3 starters and could still be going through some growing pains in week two. The only time the defense seemed even a little confused in last year’s game was when Pryor was on the field, so expect Carroll to focus on containing him and forcing him to throw the ball. However, if Pryor can build on the progression he showed in the spring, forcing him to throw may not be the best thing for USC either.Toledo (September 19)
Technically a home game for the Rockets, this game will be played in Cleveland Browns stadium and the crowd is certain to be predominantly Buckeye. Toledo returns a lot of talent from last year’s team that went 3-9 despite beating a down Michigan team. QB Aaron Opelt could be dangerous, especially if Ohio State is not focused following the big game against USC. The Rockets bring back their entire offensive line and rushing attack from last year, so it will be extremely important to take advantage of all pressure opportunities for the Buckeyes.
Ohio St Preseason Breakdown
By: HD HandshoeWith only a mere 39 days left until the start of the 2009 college football season, the excitement is building across the state of Ohio and around the nation.
With the loss of Chris Wells, Brian Hartline, Brian Robiskie, James Laurinaitis, Marcus Freeman and Malcolm Jenkins, the Buckeyes have some big shoes to fill on both sides of the football.
The only team right now that possibly reloads better than Ohio State is USC and that is up for debate as the start of the 2009 season nears.
We’ll certainly have many of our early-season questions answered in 50 days when USC travels to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes in prime time at the Shoe.
From all indications this spring, questions about the passing ability of Terrelle Pryor may have been answered.
In front of a record-breaking crowd of 95,722 Scarlet and Gray clad fans, Pryor fired impressive touchdown passes to Taurian Washington and Ray Small within seconds of each other.
His accuracy and mechanics, which have been his most glaring weaknesses as a passer, seemed finely-tuned that day.
That being said, it was the Spring game, verses his own teammates, in a gloried scrimmage.
Success may not come so easily when it counts against the likes of USC, Iowa, Illinois or Penn State among others.
Boom Herron, Brandon Saine, and Ohio State’s top recruit from the 2009 class, Jaamal Berry should be able to satisfactorily compensate for the loss of Wells at running back.
Other than senior Ray Small, the inexperienced wide receiving corp is young and raw, but also fast and talented!
DeVier Posey, Lamaar Thomas, and Taurian Washington along with Small will most likely be the top targets for Pryor this season, but a couple other names you might possibly hear are those of 2009 recruits James Jackson, Duron Carter and Corey Brown.
The defense will be better than one might think after losing Laurinaitis, Jenkins and Freeman. Ohio State always has a deep crop of linebackers ready to step in to a starting role.
Etienne Sabino and Austin Spitler are the names to remember at linebacker and returning starter, senior Kurt Coleman will anchor the defensive backfield along with Chimdi Checkwa and Anderson Russell. 2009 recruit Jamie Wood could also see some playing time as well.
Ultimately, the off-season improvements made on the offensive line (or lack thereof) and in the passing game by Terrelle Pryor and his ability to remain healthy in 2009 will determine the fate of this years squad.
The 2008 senior-laden Ohio State team fell far short of expectations after being considered a preseason legitimate BCS title contender.
The 2009 Buckeyes may conversely overachieve and find themselves, to the surprise of skeptical football fans nationwide, and even a bit to their own surprise, right in the thick of a 2009 BCS Championship hunt.
HD Handshoe is the blog publisher and founder of BlockONation. Please visit his website and blog at www.BlockONation.com