This is like shooting fish in a barrel. Here I go to lay waste to more Buckeye myths.

This one is too hard to predict. There are too many variables. First, we don’t know just yet if USC is for real. They beat what is likely to turn out to be a very bad Virginia team very badly. But that doesn’t mean that they are a bad team. In watching the first half of that game, I did see times when UVA moved the ball against the USC defense. The USC defense seemed to blitz every other down, which works against a QB who is starting his first game.

I think the real question was – is this Buckeye team for real? Answer: no. Blitzing also works against Boeckman who melts under pressure like butter on a car hood in August.

But Todd Boeckman isn’t starting his first game, and he has tools that he can use against such tactics. OSU RB Maurice Wells is a very good blocker, and is especially known for his ability to pick up the blitz and get his man blocked. Draws to Boom Herron or Brandon Saine are going to be effective against the blitz and will make USC think twice about doing it again.

I’m wondering what those tools are – throwing the ball up for grabs; throwing interceptions; getting sacked; tossing a pick six? Wells might be a good blocker against the likes of YSU or OU.

No one has put any pressure on USC QB Mark Sanchez this year. But one thing we do know is that USC returns only one starter on its offensive line. That was fine against the likes of UVA, but OSU linemen and linebackers are different types of fish. How Sanchez will react to getting flushed out of the pocket by having Defensive Linemen in his backfield and having to throw on the run will be interesting to see.

Sanchez seemed to handle the pressure with relative ease.

Another variable will be what effect the other two thirds of the OSU playbook will have on the game. USC will not be able to take advantage of a stripped down and predicatable OSU offense like OU did. We hid the play book from USC and suffered during week 2. That may redound to our benefit if the offensive line shows up and makes things happen.

I think Tressel is still hiding 2/3′s of the playbook or maybe that 2/3′s doesn’t exist.

Another variable will be the fact that OSU has played two games and USC has played only one. USC also had a week off. Many people would like to have two weeks to prepare for a big game. But Jim Tressel hates it, being under the belief unused things rust. Jim Tressel is right 99% of the time, and that is good enough for me. We may see a few mistakes because of this from USC.

What percentage of the time was Tressel right against USC – 1%, maybe? I enjoyed listening to Tressel’s post game press conference. A reporter asked him about all the heat that Ohio State had taken and Tressel responded, “Heat, from who?” The reporter: “Anyone who’s not a Buckeye fan, dumbass.” Tressel: “Well, I guess I’m only concerned with the Buckeye fans.” What a complete dumbass! Is this guy for real?

UVA was not able to cover USC’s first and second receivers, so Sanchez was pretty much able to throw to whomever he chose. But now that Donald Washington is back, he will be facing not one but two lockdown corners. That still leaves him dump off passes to his dangerous RBs out of the backfield, but putting a spy like Jermale Hines on those guys (corner speed in a linebacker’s body) may put the damper on much of that. Sanchez is also the QB who lost the game to Stanford last year in a home game for the Trojans.

OSU fans are in such denial of how good their team really is. Sanchez was able to throw to whomever he chose.

One of the two biggest uncertainties will be Chris Wells. If he is at full strength and running with confidence, OSU’s chances to win the game increase tenfold. He does four things to a defense. One, he rings them for over 100 yards. Two, he breaks a long one for six points (usually on third and short). Three, he tires out defensive linemen and linebackers. Four, he forces the corners and the safeties into man coverage which is just too dangerous.

I don’t think Wells, even at 100%, would have made a difference. USC had better athletes at almost every position and better coaching.

The second big uncertainty is the OSU offensive line. If they run block to their abilities, then OSU will be just fine. But if they turn in a performance like they had against OU (and to some extent YSU) then OSU will have no chance. There was no reason for Todd Boeckman to get hit after releasing the ball at the YSU game. It shows that some of these big jumbo linemen don’t have the quick feet to pass block.

I think OSU’s offensive line is no longer an uncertainty. They are certainly sub-par.

If the ends are getting to Boeckman, then Tressel is going to have to adapt and put in the Tight Ends as blockers (both of them, Nicol and Ballard, and excellent blockers, with Nicol getting the nod) who will chip the Defensive End into a lineman and then release out into the pattern to be available for a pass for a short gain (both of them are excellent receivers, with Ballard getting the nod).

Sounds good in theory.

Boeckman is going to have to speed up his release, and be very selective about when to throw the ball, and when to throw the ball into the stands. Three step drops are going to be the order of the day. Taking off running when the field opens up before him will not be a bad play, and if Boeckman can put in 50 or so yards on up the middle runs, it is going to be a long day for USC.

How is Boeckman playing D-I football?

If we can pressure Sanchez, spy on the RBs Gable and McKnight, and get a few turnovers from frustrated USC players, we are going to do well in this game.

Again, sounds good on paper . . . .

“I really see this game as ending in many different ways. It would not surprise me to see OSU get blown out.” – We could’ve started, rather than ended, with this. Nuff said.

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