The victory against Iowa is a game you just shake your head about and thank the football gods that Ohio State had more points when the clock hit zero. The Buckeyes went on the road against a very talented Iowa team, failed to execute particularly well on offense, turned the ball over, went down in the fourth quarter, and still managed to win.
It is great to go on the road and come back with a victory, but at the same time, the performance doesn’t inspire much confidence moving forward. It is difficult to measure the game objectively: Was Iowa that good? Is Ohio State that mediocre offensively?
The Buckeye defense is good, that is not a question at this point. Let’s all take a moment to thank the D. They were on the field most of the first half, took shot after shot from Iowa (and a few from the refs) and still managed to hold the score at 3-7. In the second half, and particularly in the 4th quarter, Ohio State’s defense again stepped up and shut down Iowa’s offense when even a small sustained drive could have meant the game for the Buckeyes. Those were two huge achievements that kept Ohio State in the game.
But what about the offense?
Pryor did not look sharp at times for the second week in a row. Beyond Pryor, the entire offense is still struggling to find an identity. Are they a run first smash mouth offense? Are they a spread you out, let Pryor work his magic offense? I don’t know, and it doesn’t seem like the team does either. I am all for balance, but it seems clear that Ohio State doesn’t have a “go to” on offense when they absolutely need to get yards… other than Pryor, who thankfully delivered when it mattered most on Saturday (yards don’t get much more necessary than on 4th and 10).
Ohio State’s offense may have been underperforming, but Iowa’s defense and especially the defensive line was good, so give them credit. Pre-game optimism aside, it really isn’t that surprising that we did not see a repeat of the Penn State performance on the ground. As Vico points out, Ohio State’s offensive line battled admirably all game. While they did get whipped from time to time, all things considered, you have to say that they performed well. Big Mike Adams even got the best of Clayborn on more than one occasion; that is encouraging. He won’t be facing many opponents better than that in the future.
The most frustrating thing for me continues to be the play of Terrelle Pryor. I am not going to rip Pryor, in crunch time he got the job done, and that is all you can ask for. Plus, without a few dropped passes (particularly Corey Brown’s drop near the end of the first half), the complexion of the game could have been completely different. It is difficult to find a rythym on the road against a defense like Iowa’s, it is especially difficult when the people you throw the ball to are inconsistent and drop passes.
It is no wonder that Pryor goes to Sanzenbacher so much, and even he let a would-be first down go right through his hands.
Inconsistent receivers not with standing, what frustrates me the most is when Pryor forces himself to make a play throwing the ball when he should be looking to just make a play. Many times I find myself saying (or yelling depending on how many drinks I have gone through) run, run, JUST RUN! as Pryor moves around in the pocket looking down field. At the same time, it seems as if Pryor abandons looking down field too early on other plays and shuffles right into the pass rush.
Basically, he just seems uncomfortable and rushed in the pocket more times than you would like to see.
Pryor is a much, much better quarterback today than he was a year ago.The plays that make you shake your head (or hit things angrily, drinks pending) are relatively few and far between at this point, but in a close game on the road they can still have a huge impact… obviously.
In my opinion, Pryor just needs to find a better balance between using his arm and his legs. Who knows, maybe he needs to stop thinking so much and just start playing. That is something that will come with more time and more confidence in the system. Whatever is going on, it is abundantly clear that Pryor needs another year in college to finish working out the kinks.
For right now, I can stomach close wins on the road against quality opponents. The road has not been kind to Big Ten teams this season, so you have to be thankful that the Buckeyes were able to pull one out. In a perfect world, however, Pryor and the offense would do a much better job staying with the defense in terms of winning games.
Once again, you have to give credit to Iowa, especially Ricky Stanzi and their defense for playing so well, but give more credit to Ohio State. The talent facing Pryor and the offense will be significantly down next Saturday, so we will see how they respond before passing any final judgements.
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