The exhibition season is over.  Now we move on to the Big Ten season.  I have long maintained that national championships are wonderful but they are acts of nature and just happen or they don’t; kind of like meteors.  The things which can be controlled are winning the Big Ten and beating the Weasels.  This week we start on one and move toward the other. 

            OK, Cincinnati showed up with a solid defensive effort and a creative offense. No big surprise that the Bucks started a little slowly.  I thought Cincy’s cover two defense was effective.  The area of vulnerability of cover two is the deep middle and  I thought the Bearcat safeties were playing extremely wide, but we did not seem to be able to exploit it.  This is where a TE with speed would make such a difference.  Also, it might be a great opportunity for Roy Hall to line up as an inside receiver and split the safeties.  The crossing patterns to Gonzo and Teddy, however, were an effective way to utilize their speed.  I just worry about getting Gonzo killed out there.  The option was an interesting wrinkle and proved an effective way to get Pitt on the perimeter.  I think teams will force Troy to keep if we continue to run this play. The defense stuffed the run, yielding –3 yards.  That statistic, though, is misleading as the yards lost from the 8 sacks are counted against the rushing total.  The 8 sacks were certainly impressive.  Quinn Pidcock seemed to have found a weak sister in their line and just abused him all day. Oddly, the first play of the series was near disaster for the Silver Bullets on several ocassions.  They seemed to allow one big play per possession and then get down to business.  Laurinaitis is making a believer out of me, but our outside backers and DBs are getting blocked way to much and easily on the perimeter and have yielded some big plays as a result.  We really need to see improvement  in that area, and soon.  The kicking game continues to improve, though Trepasso was not as effective as he had been in Austin.  Nice to have those made FGs.  Enough!  We won by 30 and the only injury was to our 3^rd string QB, so a good day, and time to move on.  On final note, I thought it was a nice move by Thad to have the basketball team present so they could see how we take care of the Bearcats.

             Around the Big Ten last week:  Sorry, Illini, you’re out.  Losing to Syracuse was the last straw.  We are shipping your sorry carcass to the Big East.  The Weasels, for once, did something positive for the Big Ten with their trouncing of the Frightened Irish in South Bend.  The ND defense looked a lot like the one we came to know and love in Tempe last January.  I guess that game proved that Lllloyd is a genius.  We are happy for our boy to get off the hotseat.   Iowa beat rival Iowa State, behind the return of Drew Tate and appear to be back on track. Playing Illinois this week will help too.

            Nationally, Separation Saturday lived up to its billing, though, as usual, I was wrong about most of the outcomes.  Auburn edged LSU 9-7 in a contest dominated by two brutal defenses.  Oregon’s “win” over the Sooners was an abomination.  In most intersectional games you have the officials from the visiting conference do the game. The  PAC Ten, evidently doesn’t play that way.  OU had to battle a formidable Oregon team, in their hideous uniforms, the Duck fans as well as PAC Ten refs.    After that fiasco, no one should schedule the PAC Ten teams unless they agree to use officials from the visiting conference like the rest of the world.  Louisville, despite the loss of QB Brian Brohm,  trounced Miami as the Larry Coker era winds down in Coral Gables. Florida beat Tennessee, but I’m not sure what that means.  I still don’t see anybody making it through the SEC unbeaten, though Auburn does have a shot.  USC handled Nebraska as expected, despite Brent Musbarger giving away USC hand signals.

            Big games are few and far between this week.  ND vs Michigan State will be interesting?  Can the Irish bounce back? Do the Spartans really have something this year?

The Irish are making a big deal of the Spartans planting their flag in the Irish field after upsetting ND last year.  If the ND line doesn’t do a better job with pass protection this week, it may be  Brady Quinn getting planted.  Still I think, since Charley said he would never again lose to MSU, I’ll take him at his word.  The Weasels will continue to impress for at least one more week as they get Wisconsin at home. 

            Now down to stuff that really matters.  The Buckeyes need not only to get off to a good start in the Big Ten, but they need to make a statement to the rest of the conference.  Payback from the disaster in Happy Valley last year would be nice.  The Bucks need to physically dominate the Nittany Lions. Let’s break it down.  PSU Offense vs. Buckeye defense:  PSU will try to run the ball on us with Hunt.  He is a very capable Big Ten back and stopping him won’t be easy.  Their wideouts are scary fast, so we need to stop the run with the front 7, without getting the safeties involved on a routine basis.  If we can stop the run, Morelli cannot beat us with his arm.  Conversely, if the run is successful it will increase Morelli’s chances many fold.  This match-up is a lot like the Texas game.  Joe Pa’s boys will have a solid running attack and a green, but talented QB, along with swift receivers. The Nits, however,  are not as talented as the Longhorns, especially in the trenches and we are at home. The Lions lost their entire secondary and Tamba Hall and Matthew Rice on the line.  Their LB’s are outstanding. They return Butkus award winner Paul Posluszny and Dan Conner, a stud in his own right.  Speaking of returning, that is what Posluszny should do with the Butkus award; return it so that it can go to the rightful recipient AJ Hawk. Oh well.   Last year’s Penn State team was as much about Michael Robinson as much as Texas was about Vince Young.  Joe Pa brought in former NCAA cheater and probation specialist Galen Hall to run the offense and  Hall did a masterful job of exploiting Robinson’s talents along with the young speed the Nits had recruited.  Robinson is gone, but Anthony Morelli will end up being a solid Big Ten QB. He can’t, however, do what Robinson and Young could do, which was bail their team out of bad situations with superior athletic ability.

            Buckeye Offense vs. PSU defense:   OSU just has too many weapons. PSU’s strength is run defense.   I think we can run against them, but need to make the attempt regardless of the result.  Make their LB’s play the run and keep them out of Troy’s face.  The Nits will not be able to handle our stable of receivers.  We have been saying what a great O-line we have, now is the time to demonstrate that.  This is the Big Ten and our hogmollies need to dominate.  Special teams:  Edge to the Buckeyes because of Trepasso and Petry’s non-returnable kick offs.  Return games are somewhat even and both are scary.. 

            Intangibles:  The Shoe.  No stadium in America equals the Shoe for   big game atmosphere.  And yes, you had better believe this is a big game.  How many more times do you think the human bobble head with the Little Richard hair-do will make it to Columbus?  Also, it seems, Buckeye faithful, that we have been called out.  We have all heard about the White Out in Happy Valley.  Our players are even admitting that the atmosphere last year influenced the game.  They are asking us to return the favor.  Even Tress has asked us to be loud.  Karen Holbrook is suspending the open container laws and will be passing out tequila shooters in the stadium lot.  It should be a fun day…unless you are a Nittany Lion.  Here kitty, kitty, kitty.  Bucks 31, Brittany Lions 10.