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Dave Thurman (8:41 pm)

The USC showdown is history and after the dust has settled there are some good things to take from the game as well as some painful/disturbing truths.  All things being equal, coaching decisions and execution aside, the game came down mostly to the play of Terrelle Pryor.  Had he performed as the Buckeye faithful hoped/desired Ohio State would have won.  That's the simple and somewhat painful truth.  Obiously he is not as far along as we anticipated and that is taking nothing away from the Trojan defense.

So the question now is what can be done to help TP develop into the superstar he has been billed as since his days in high school?  Is all hope lost?  Will Pryor simply be a great athlete attempting to play quaterback, or can he still become a Heisman candidate and carry OSU to big-time success?

Maybe the best way to answer those questions is to look back at the development of Troy Smith, who also came to Columbus with a less than polished game.  Unlike Pryor he had a couple of years of getting acclimated to college and the quarterback position as he was redshirted in 2002 and then used only on special teams in '03.  When he did burst on the scene as a third-year sophomore Smith was mostly an athlete who could burn teams with his feet and showed a strong, if sometimes erratic arm.  He almost always took off under pressure, running for 339 yards and throwing for 896 while splitting time with Justin Zwick.
 
 
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Henderson was one of the recruits impressed on Sat. (dailygopher.com)
Drew Thurman (3:12 pm)

It has been a little ridiculous to see the outpouring of comments that have flooded Buckeye websites since Saturday's 18-15 loss to USC. Even ESPN was reporting that Columbus as a city had its doubts about the Buckeyes chances, and yet even though the team played an incredible game fans are. Luckily there still are quite a few level headed fans still out there, including the Dispatch's Bob Hunter. His latest piece not only puts things into perspective for all Buckeye fans, but paints the picture that not all hope is lost. Though everyone is obviously frustrated, it is important to realize the Buckeyes still have a very bright future.

Now let me say, as Hunter did, that not every decision that Tressel makes is my favorite. In fact, I would hope that he eventually looks for an offensive coordinator. I also hope he takes a strong look at coordinators like Bollman to make sure they are pulling their weight. With all that said, we have to realize that tide is slow starting to turn and this Buckeye team could be really good in the future if we show some patience. So let's take a look at three areas that help me come to that conclusion:
 
 
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Pryor showed that he still has lots of work to do // Photo via espn.com
Drew Thurman (1:14 pm)

The 18-15 loss last night is one that I am sure everyone wishes the Buckeyes had back. Outside of two drives at the end of each half, the Buckeyes dominated the game and have nothing to show for it. I will say though that it has been even more disheartening to get on the boards to see the outrageous things being said afterwards by fans. I am no less heartbroken than any other Buckeye fan, but I think it is important to see the full perspective on a loss like this. So let's look at the good and bad...

Negative:

- Pryor has a long way to go to become the kind of quarterback he is hyped to be. There obviously was a lot of conservative judgment calls made by Tressel, but that in no way excuses Pryor's lack of execution. He looked timid and scared most of the night, and had happy feet before throwing almost every pass. Instead it was Barkley, who faced much more pressure in the pocket, that stood strong and stayed patient. Unfortunately Pryor had some early success throwing the long ball down the field, and that gained his attention for the rest of the game. Rather that staying patient and checking off to the second or third option underneath, Pryor felt the pressure before it came and launched the ball. Give some credit to USC's defense that kept Pryor from getting outside the pocket where he enjoys throwing the ball the most, but this exposed how bad Pryor is in the pocket. He still has a long way to go! Optimistically I hope he blooms late like Smith and Young, but right now he looks more like Tyrod Taylor.

- The offensive line struggled all night long to open holes in the running game. I thought they did a good enough job giving Pryor time to throw, but when the Buckeyes needed to pound the ball they were unable. This killed the Buckeyes at the end of the first quarter when three straight attempts to score were denied, and also late in the fourth quarter when they needed to put the game out of reach. Running the ball consisently is only going to help take pressure off of Pryor, and last night he showed he needed that.
 
 
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All eyes will be looking at Barkley this Saturday // AP Photo (Chris Carlson)
Dave and Drew Thurman (12:01 pm)

Mascot: Trojans
Stadium: LA Coliseum (92,000)
2008 Record: 12-1 (Rose Bowl Champions; defeated Penn State 38-24)
2009 Ranking: AP #3; USA Today #3
Series History: USC leads 12-9-1 (has won the last six)
Head Coach: Pete Carroll (ninth year at USC, 89-15; 1-0 vs. OSU)
Lettermen Returning: 59 (20 lost)
Returning Starters: Offense - 9, Defense - 3, Specialists - 0
Base Defense: 4-3
Base Offense: "I" Formation
Returning Stars: RB's Stefon Johnson & Joe McKnight, FS Taylor Mays

Notable Alumni: 

Ron Howard - actor and director
Neil Armstong - astronaut; first man on the moon
George Lucas - filmmaker
Mark McGwire - baseball star of homerun fame
Lisa Leslie - WNBA star
Pat Nixon - former First Lady
LaVar Burton - actor, especially known for starring role in Roots
Lynn Swann - NFL Hall of Fame receiver; TV analyst
O.J. Simpson - Heisman trophy winning RB & lousy criminal

Cheerleading Scouting Report:
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USC Overview:

The big news coming into Saturday, is that the Trojans will have star freshman quarterback Matt Barkley at the helm. Obviously losing a leader like Mark Sanchez (3207 yards and 34 TD) hurts, but Barkley showed in week one against San Jose State that he knows how to command the offense. In that game he went 15 of 19 for 233 yards with one touchdown. On top of that, it is clear that Barkley has some serious talent because he beat out two top ten recruited quarterbacks on his own team (Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain).  
 
 
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Drew Thurman (10:07 am)

It's not often that I attempt to relate business principles to football, but for the Buckeyes it actually makes sense. In Jim Collins new book, How The Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In, he explains why some of the most powerful companies have faded into mediocrity. In short, Collins says this happens when companies slowly start to deviate from what originally made them so successful to begin with. None of these companies overnight decided that they wanted to lose everything they had built, instead this slide into defeat happened as decisions slowly were made that strayed from what was originally the core. Sounds simple right, but this very problem has plagued many of the Fortune 500 companies in America. 

So what does this have to do the with the Buckeyes? Well, defense is what made the Buckeys great, and I think Ohio State's problems in big games over the last several years can directly be related to its slowly decaying defense. Obviously Tressel didn't wake up one day and want the defense to have a difficult time, but with changes at coordinator, recent struggles recruiting solid secondary personnel, and a much softer scheme than early in Tressel's tenure, the once mighty Buckeyes have stumbled. In fact, it will be a return to that blood thirsty defense that played aggressively (2002 and 2005) that will help the Buckeyes come away with a win this Saturday. 
 
 
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Hopefully the Trojans will be the 2nd best team in Ohio Stadium Saturday.
Dave Thurman (10:16 am)

I think is's fitting that this past weekend was our national celebration of Labor Day, because our beloved Buckeyes have plenty of work to do following a spotty performance against Navy.  Of course the $64,000 question is, can this squad defeat USC on Saturday?  Well, if I was a betting man I would put my money on the Trojans but I haven't given up hope.  Quickly let me highlight some reasons for optimism and then some causes for fear and trepidation.

Positives that might lead to victory:

- The defensive ends (Heyward, Gibson & Williams) are strong and I think they'll be able to bring some pressure on Barkley.  A true freshmen quarterback in Ohio Stadium before 105,000 screaming fans, and a national TV audience might be suseptible to pressure, and I have high hopes that we can bring some. 

- Two words: Terrelle Pryor. Enough said. His athleticism and competiveness is invaluable, and you have to think he'll be primed for a big, breakout performance.

- Some good weapons to throw the ball to. Sanzenbacher, Pryor and Carter look like they can make the tough catch, and with a new commitment to hitting the tight end, both Ballard and Stoneburner become weapons that can spread out the vaunted USC defense.
 
 
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Is the problem defensive personnel or scheme? // Photo via theozone.net
Drew Thurman (2:56 pm)

No matter how optimistically you look at the 31-27 win over Navy (which isn't as bad as people are making it), there were some definite red flags that presented themselves. The biggest one that is consistently being pointed out is the offensive line, and even though that is a concern, I think it is in fact the defense that should have fans worried.

In my opinion the defense has slowly been taking a nose dive since the 2005 season. Don't get me wrong, the defense has looked sharp against predictable Big Ten opponents, but on the large national stage they have been disappointing to say the least. Whenever a team is consistenly balanced the Buckeyes get gashed, especially through the air. Let's take a look at some of the opposing quarterback numbers (big game losses) over the past several seasons: 

- Nov 10, 2007 vs. ILL: Juice Williams (12/22 140 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT)
- Jan 7, 2008 vs LSU: Matt Flynn (19/27 174 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT)
- Sep 13, 2008 vs USC: Mark Sanchez (17/28 172 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT)
- Jan 5, 2009 vs TEX: Colt McCoy (41/58 414 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT)
 
 
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Brian Rolle's INT bailed out the Buckeyes // Photo via AP (Terry Gilliam)
Drew Thurman (7:03 pm)

Brian Rolle's interception during Navy's two-point conversion with 2:33 left in the game, allowed Buckeye nation to exhale. Just four minutes earlier in the game fans were feeling comfortable as Pryor convinced Tressel to go for a fourth and two, which would end up failing. Following that Dobbs would show off his magic leading the Midshipmen to two quick scores. In the blink of an eye, the game went from a potential laugher to a potential heart attack. Regardless the Buckeyes survived, and now look ahead to USC this coming Saturday. Before all the Trojan talk takes place over the coming days, let's break down this game. 

First Half:

At the end of the first half the Buckeyes were up 20-7, and I was very optimistic about what I saw. It was encouraging to see the Buckeyes come out with such swagger, and see Pryor lead the offense down the field for an opening score. Twice he faced third and long situations, and passed both tests with flying colors, throwing strikes down the field. Then, as I expected, the Navy offense caused early problems for the defense. The staff tried to put eight in the box to shut down the run, but this limited the playing making ability as guys got lost in the shuffle. The defense did make adjustments though, and looked sharp for the remainder of the half. I was especially impressed with the play of Thaddeus Gibson, who caused a game changing fumble in the second quarter.     
 
 
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Yes, the team took it easy when the shouldn't have. Yes, a few weird plays caught the Buckeyes off guard. With that said, there is no letting off the hook how bad of a coaching job this was all the way around. Some of you can throw out the excuse that Navy was a bowl team last year and will be again this year, but that shouldn't let anyone off the hook. Disappointing opening game for the Buckeyes, but they do survive 31-27.
Full review of the game will be up later tonight!
 
 
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Will James' coach end up getting the last word? // Photo via InsidetheU.com
Drew Thurman (5:54 pm)

Four star receiver, James Louis, surprised the staff at the end of July with a commitment. Not only had he previously been committed to Urban Meyer and the Gators, but he had yet to even come to Columbus. Buckeye fans were excited to grab up such a highly touted wideout from the state of Florida, but also realized that Louis' committed may not hold much weight. Well his coach, Andre Thaddies, had this to say on the subject this morning in the Sun Sentinel:

"My advice was, kick all the tires and compare oranges to oranges. Do your homework, check out all the schools," Thaddies said of Louis, who this summer switched his commitment from Florida to Ohio State. "He might change his mind [again] from July to January. Maybe he won't like that weather in Ohio in January. It can be a rude awakening."

Regardless of how much I want Louis to stay a Buckeye, I have to agree with the words of Thaddies. As for now, this whole situation is one to watch for sure. I wouldn't be surprised if something else happens with this.