Spartan Nation 2010 Spring Scouting Report: The Ohio State Buckeyes

 2009 Actual Season Record: 11-2 (7-1) Spartan Nation Predicted 2009 Regular Season Record: 12-0 (8-0) Predicted 2010 record: 12-0 (8-0)

 

If Tressel and Pryor have to many celebratory hugs like this one in the Rose Bowl, this will be a long season for the Big Ten. Photo courtesy of Bill Marklevits

2009 Actual Season Record: 11-2 (7-1) 

Spartan Nation Predicted 2009 Regular Season Record: 12-0 (8-0) 

Predicted 2010 record:Â 12-0 (8-0)

Projected Big Ten 2010 Standing: 1st        

Head Coach:Â Jim Tressel

What went right in 2009? Pryor grew into and fulfilled his hype in the last game of the season.

What went wrong in 2009? Pryor didn’t live up to the expectations until late. The staff tried to harness him more in the pocket early, rather than letting him learn to balance his talents with their expectations. Later in the year he grew more comfortable in what they wanted and who he was and found that happy medium.

Analysis: 

The Buckeyes were the team at the end of the 2009 campaign that I thought they would be early on. QB Terrelle Pryor dominated the Rose Bowl and Oregon in a 26-17 rout.

Had Pryor matured and gained his coach’s total trust earlier in the year, this team would have competed for a national title. I do not believe Alabama could have beaten the OSU team that played in the Rose Bowl.

The Buckeyes are known for being defensively tough and had a +214 in point’s ratio for the 2009 season and ended the season on a six game winning streak. So what does spring 2010 have for the Buckeyes?

Pryor has cemented himself and his coach’s confidence and that his huge. They bring back the best one-two bunch in the Big Ten at RB with Brandon Saine and Boom Herron. Jaamal Berry red shirted last season and as good as Saine is, Berry could surpass Herron and make himself the number two guy.

The Buckeyes are deep and talented. One area that Tressel is a master at is getting a lot of guys’ reps. Tressel believes that this does two things based on a conversation he and I had about it. 1) In college football guys get hurt and it pains Tressel to play guys who have no experience. So it allows the next guy up to have confidence when his number is called that he is ready. 2) It never leaves you (for the most part) having to take a break from expectations because of rebuilding. 

Tressel loves being a Buckeye. He loves the expectations and has them even greater than the fans. He doesn’t want to rebuild he wants to compete every season. 

Tressel prides himself on getting great talent. I am not trying to imply arrogance. He feels that OSU draws them and isn’t an egomaniac like some other coaches.  I consider him a friend and I can tell you that he feels the tradition and success of OSU is the reason and not Jim Tressel. He is a humble man, who is proud of his school.

He feels that if a young man is on his roster, they are good enough to play. When you see a young man at OSU not getting reps it has a lot to do with the depth. They try with great diligence to get the three deep playing time.

The Buckeyes will spend the spring simply getting massive amounts of reps on fundamentals. Tressel hammers the simplicity of the game and that is one of the many reasons he is so successful. For the most part this team has played together and knows each other. While other teams will attempt to build chemistry and comfort they have it.

The Pryor question. Tressel is not one to harp on or to over play injuries. He taught his pupil Mark Dantonio well.�� OSU’s Pryor had off-season knee surgery.  It wasn’t a rebuilding of the knee, but it also wasn’t a routine scope from what I am hearing. I fully expect him to practice this spring, but how much will he do?

The advantage that they have with him is that he is such a natural runner, that they can continue to work with him in the passing game. I expect NO residual problems or issues with Pryor in the fall from this.

OSU will be dominant and unlike MSU that has so many battles at so many spots and very few settled positions, they are almost set everywhere. This spring they won’t have to, “Catch up,” like so many teams trying to fill holes. They will simply perfect. Bad news for the Big Ten and the rest of the nation come fall.

I expect the Buckeyes (who have a brutal Big Ten schedule) to compete for a national title. The schedule is not easy as they draw Wisconsin and Iowa on the road.

I had the pleasure of nominating Tressel for the 2010 Duffy Daugherty Award. He won it and will be in Mid Michigan to receive it on April 29, 2010. Click on the email Hondo link if you would like more information on how to get tickets for this event.

 

The next Big Ten football spring preview will be on Friday and that will be the Purdue Boilermakers. Do they have Hope?