Grading the Bucks Week 5--Illinois

Way to close Buckeyes. Sloppy game and yet...5-0

Offense: C
After having their way against Eastern Michigan (which they should have), the Buckeyes looked a bit shellshocked on the road. After I emphasized practicing the run against suck MAC opponents, we saw Saturday why I wanted that so badly. Tressel decided it was time to prove we can run in the Big Ten...and he failed. Our offensive line is exceptional at pass blocking (as we've seen all year) but looks like a bunch of old women when run blocking. They can't move defenders backward; they can't open holes; it's just no good for Big Ten play. We saw that the lack of run game development (including the runningbacks as Saine and Herron didn't do the line any favors) could cost the Bucks in the Big Ten. I fully expect Tressel to go back to the pass first offense in the future. Look for a more west coast offense as dropback passing game seemed successful (except when Posey drops easy passes) and the shotgun scramble is the best option running too--Pryor is our only runningback. We also saw that if Pryor goes down, it's 'bad news bears'. Kenny Guiton needs more reps for backup potential if the turf monster returns. It was on the road, but c'mon man.

Defense: B-
Many spoke to the defense as the focal point of the Buckeyes win, but I wasn't terribly impressed. Many of the defense's successes were directly caused by Illini failures. The Bullet secondary gave up some open passes but it seemed that Illinois had a case of the dropsies to help out. The adjustments were not made very well to cover number 11 (Fayson) when it was clear that he was the only serious receiving threat. Also, the run defense wasn't nearly as solid as we've come to expect. They were opportunistic and presented the bend-don't-break mentality that seems to be the norm, but I'd prefer the shut 'em down mentality. Illini showed that OSU will get every teams best shot, and they'd better be ready. Next week might actually be a tougher test so bring the wood. IU can throw the ball very well but we're back at home.

Special Teams: B
And the best grade goes to....the special teams?!? What happened? Well, to be honest, nothing happened...and that's a big time improvement. No missed kicks, no blocked kicks, no big returns. I'll take it. Why not an A for this unit? Can anyone answer? It has nothing to do with our mediocre return game...it's Jim Tressel's most important position, that is simply not very good. Ben Buchanan had a bad day punting which is not good for any Tressel team. He had a few punts that went about 30 yards which is just not acceptable. This is a big time concern for the unit. Buchanan has had better days but he needs to get it going in a hurry.

Coaching: B-
It's a week late coaches. I've been telling you to practice the run because it didn't work in the 20 or so carries a game vs. the MAC. The kinks had to be worked out before Big Ten play because you can't fix problems on the road in the Big Ten...even against the Illini. It's plainly clear that it's time to go 70-30 in passing plays to run plays--where Pryor scrambles/runs on 15% or so of the dropbacks. The O-Line blocks so well for Pryor so keep pushing. Defensively was a little timid, but no real problems. Injuries are certainly tough on this D.