What to expect from the YSU game?  I think that you will see a team that is well-coached, and will play above their ability for most of the first half.  Many of these players feel that OSU should have given them a longer look, and they want to prove to the Buckeyes that a mistake was made in overlooking them.  A football team of all-stars often will not dominate a team of inferior athletic ability, but which can play well together, with everyone knowing and sticking to their assignments.  The problem for YSU is that OSU is a team of all stars which plays together well and knows and sticks to their assignments. 

YSU made the division two semifinals last year, so that means that in their league, they were one of the four best teams.  They have a great many returning starters from that team.   Yet YSU’s top players will not be able to keep up with the Buckeye starters, and when they get tired or get rotated out, the drop off in athletic ability is really going to tell. 

I would say to look for a lot of offense and scoring from OSU in the second half (let’s face it, OSU has some ring rust and some first game jitters to work out too), but Jim Tressel just isn’t that kind of guy (John Cooper once dropped 70 on Rice).  Once the game is in hand, you are going to see a lot of players on the third team get some playing time, and the play calling is going to be limited to run it up the middle on first and second downs and see if you can stop us. 

You might see Jim Thoma get some punts in, as A.J. Trapasso isn’t going to be called upon much in the first half, and with the game out of reach, what would be the point in him going out there other than once or twice?

Of course, you might not see any OSU football at all unless you go to a bar, since the Big Ten Network has made a series of arrogant decisions regarding the game that we love enough that we even want to watch OSU play YSU which will result in your not being able to see it on Warner Cable.

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