Kneejerk: Week 11, Iowa
Ok, I think I’m sufficiently calmed down from today’s game enough to write the weekly kneejerk post. I’m not even remotely ashamed to admit that I had the previous post written before the game even started. For the first time in a long time, I just felt like OSU would win. After countless games where none of the chips fell our way, I just had a feeling that no matter what, we’d end up with the W. And even though it though it took an overtime session, the Buckeyes came out on top 27-24.
And I told everyone this wasn’t going to a blowout or shutout. Vegas may have been blowing smoke up most of the fanbase’s rears, but I wasn’t ever buying that we’d win by 17. I was thinking it’d be 10 max.
Iowa plays to the level of their competition. So, if they’re playing someone terrible, they won’t play as well either. But if they’re playing a good team (e.g. Penn State and Ohio State), they show up! And that’s exactly what happened today. If I were wearing one, I’d tip my hat to the Hawkeyes because they’re a helluva team!
TP finished 14/17 for 93 yards passing. No TD’s or INTs. He rushed just 8 times for 29 yards.
But let’s get down to business…
IN A NUTSHELL:
- TP managed another solid game for the team. But I’m tired of him just managing. He’s a game-breaking talent. I want to see more of that!
- Begs the question of exactly how injured is TP?
- All season, the team has been leaning on the defense to win games. Today, it was mostly the offense. Ironic?
- Man, could our receivers not get open deep or what?
- I can’t believe our TE, Jake Ballard, was our leading receiver
- I also can’t believe we pretty much had two 100 yd rushers today. Would have liked to see some J. Hall, but when you’re moving the ball as well as we were, you can’t really complain that much.
- Yes, some of the play calls had me pulling out my weave, but I said that all I wanted was a win. Tress delivered that.
- Having said all that, it is nice to fantasize about having an offense that isn’t from the stone ages. Someone said that TP is running Craig Krenzel’s offense. What a waste…
- That kickoff return for an Iowa TD was heartbreaking. You could have heard a pin drop in the ‘Shoe. I still can’t believe that happened. It never happens to Tressel’s teams. Ever.
- Nathan Williams’ offsides penalty hurt too. Like someone punched me in the face when I wasn’t looking.
- Jon Thoma was pretty terrible today. In order for Tresselball to work effectively, the kicking game must be tops; especially on punts. Today might have been his worst performance of the season.
- James Vandenberg is a solid QB. He will do good things for the Hawkeyes in the future.
- Loved all the Iowa fans in the house except when they started their “Let’s Go Hawks” cheer during Carmen Ohio pregame. You don’t start crowd cheers when a team is playing their alma mater. That is very tacky.
- Not gonna lie, got some man tears in the eyes when Kurt Coleman ran out of the tunnel for the last time. Gonna miss him and the rest of the senior class.
- The weather was perfect! I mean, it’s November in Ohio and you couldn’t have asked Mother Nature for much more than what we got today.
- Seeing all the stands empty onto the field after Barclay’s field goal was a thing of beauty. I thought about joining the fray, but I’d probably still be there now if that had happened.
- Definitely lost my voice at the game. And I’m ok with that.
- The knock on Ohio State recently, has been that they get beat and outplayed in the “big” games. Last week they beat the #11 ranked team in the country and this week they defeated the #10 team. In both games, OSU was the lower ranked team. I think they’ve officially gotten over the “big game win drought”.
- You’ve got to look at the big picture. A 5th straight Big Ten Championship and the conference’s automatic BCS berth…again. No matter what happens, Ohio State stays at the top.
- So, who’s going to Pasadena?
- It’s 11:23 PM, and Michigan still sucks. Go Bucks!
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