Well that was certainly a humbling experience.  Losing to a bunch of academic snobs for the first time in 33 years was not my idea of how to  cap off a weekend in the Windy City.  I have to agree with Coach Tress, though, in saying that any analysis of how bad the Buckeyes were should not take away anything from how well Northwestern played.  No penalties, few mistakes and big plays on both sides of the ball whenever they needed them.  I would have to say the Cat’s performance compared pretty favorably to that of  NC State.  Inferior athletes, but better results,…. for them anyhow.  The Buckeyes were bad in so many ways, I don’t know where to start. The offensive line continues to struggle.  Pittman was an improvement, but was not THE answer many had hoped he would be, not yet at least.  The tackling was the worst I have seen from the Bucks in several years.  Zwick was inconsistent but also threw some great balls which no one caught. I expect better from Santonio, at least.  Still Justin nearly Krenzled his way to a win, but fell a little short.

Now to the coaching….. I thought the play selection, especially in the red zone was bizarre.  Brandon Joe was standing right next to the coaches when we needed him in the game with the ball.  He goes in the game and we put him in motion.  Throwing to the FB is great, usually takes an opponent by surprise.  Putting a back in motion is generally done to create a match-up problem for the defense, i.e.  Maurice Hall vs a linebacker. What exactly was the match up we wanted with Brandon?   Maybe it was thought that by putting him in motion it might have taken the defense out of a blitz .  I am really puzzled.  The thing that shocked me the most was the Northwestern drive of 80 yards to open the second half.  I am so accustomed to seeing the Silver Bullets shut down whatever an opponent had done in the first half, that  I was stunned to see NW continue to convert 3^rd down after 3^rd down.  One point I want to make clear – we did not lose because of Tresselball.  We simply did not play Tresselball.  The defense was bad, the offense anything but opportunistic and the special teams  were just OK.

So where are we and where do we go from here?  Where we are is young.  We misled ourselves into thinking we had replaced Tim Anderson, Will Smith, Darion Scott, Chris Gamble, Will Allen  and Dustin Fox without missing a beat.  The kids we have in there are going to be fine.  They are going to have some great games and some already have.  They are also going to look very average at times this year. 

                The coaching has to get better also.  I’m hard pressed to be too critical of a staff with 28-3 record.  Still, over those 31 games the only time we ran the ball well either Maurice Clarrett was carrying the ball or we were playing a truly inferior opponent.  The line should not be a weakness for 3 straight seasons.  Either what we are teaching is not working, or those being taught aren’t grasping the concept very well.  I know they are inexperienced, but it isn’t like we are starting 4 true freshmen.  I think we have a senior, two juniors and a couple of red-shirt sophomores.  These guys have been in the program long enough to perform better.  But bottom line is they are our guys.  The coaches spend a lot of time with them, so I believe we have the best ones out there on the field.  I don’t think JT is the type to start firing assistant coaches.  For Pete Johnson to start criticizing the coaching techniques in the paper and on the radio is just plain silly.  I can just see Coach Bollman reading that and saying. “Doggone it, I knew I had left something out of the practice plans this year….. the 7-man sled!  I wonder where we parked that thing?”

Since Pete played the rules have changed  and so have the blocking techniques. I do have a few suggestions if anyone is listening.  One thing I wouldn’t mind seeing is a little Troy Smith in the Red Zone.  Make the defense account for one more player.  No, not the QB draw, but put him in the spread. and let him play.  Maybe we can run out of the spread.  Let’s get the tight end re-involved in our offense. The defense missed way too many tackles and appeared to be content to sit in the zone.  We have not been able to get much pressure on anyone’s QB this year.  That really needs to change.  Wisconsin and the Weasels both are vulnerable at the QB spot this year and I don’t relish the idea of driving to West Lafayette and watching Kyle Orton pick us apart.  I’d like to see some pressure come from the corner or safety position a few times. 

                Elsewhere last week, Purdue ripped the Irish and proved that they are for real and perhaps became the team to beat in the Big Ten.  Georgia demolished LSU, knocking the Tigers out of both the national and SEC championship hunts.  Nick Saban must have thought he was back at Michigan State for all the heart his team showed.  Obviously, I was wrong about Georgia.  While they have a long way to go, they have to be taken seriously in the Orange Bowl race.  After a shaky first half the Weasels put the wood to Indiana.  This week Minnesota visits the Weasels and Purdue plays at Penn State.  That could be a trap game for the Boilers, but I think they’ve got just enough to escape Happy Valley with a narrow win.  If Glenn’s Gophers couldn’t get it done against the Weasels in the Dome last season, despite a 3 touchdown lead, I don’t like their chances in Ann Arbor. Maybe I’m wrong, I hope I’m wrong….come on Gophers PLEASEEEE prove me wrong.   OU and Texas convene for the annual Red River Riot in Dallas. When it comes to rivalry games, Mack Brown is John Cooper’s illegitimate son.   The Sooner Schooner leaves wagon wheel ruts all over poor Bevo’s carcass.  Cal visits USC. This should be a great game as Cal has a very good team and USC has looked vulnerable at times.  Still,  I see the Trojans turning it on and playing their first complete game of the year for a solid win.   Tennessee goes to Georgia in yet another SEC biggie.  Georgia is hot and will stay that way at least until the SEC championship game. 

                                The Wisconsin game will be a huge challenge.  Anthony Davis is back in action behind yet another great offensive line.  How come Wisconsin can have great offensive lines and we can’t.  That really bugs me.  Jim Parker, Orlando Pace, Korey Stringer, Rufus Mayes, Dave Foley need to come to practice.  The Badger defense has not yielded a rushing TD yet this season and has surrendered only about 5 points per game, in leading the nation in total defense.  It is a good thing that I am an optimist, because that kind of stuff can scare a guy.  I think we’ll see a return to Tressel ball, lead by a great defensive effort.  Let’s have Coach Snyder devise a defensive game plan Stephen King can write about.  Let’s watch JZ find the tight ends.  Wisconsin has not played any teams likely to find their way to a bowl game and they have only played one road game.  They are a good team, but they are beatable and yes the Buckeyes can beat them. Vicious defense, turnovers and a return to form by NUGE, will get us a win, but only if the home crowd realizes that our 18-game home win streak is on the line.  The 12^th man will need to bring it all day long.  So start freezing those marshmallows right now.