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Football
The-Ozone Note and Quotebook
By John Porentas

Adjusting Back to a Blast from the Past: The Ohio State offense has been through a couple of phases this season. There was the zone-read phase, then the running-out-of-the-shotgun phase, then finally the running out of two backs and I-formation with the quarterback under center phase. Phase three has been really effective for the OSU running game until this weekend in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines came into the game with a defensive gameplan to stop the OSU power run game and sold out to do just that. The result was a very unproductive first quarter for the Buckeye offense. Once the OSU brain trust got that sorted out however, they adjusted to a previous scheme, the zone read, and the Buckeyes came to life on offense.

Terrelle Pryor keeps the ball on the zone read.
Photo by Dan Harker

"We had success in our regular formations the last two weeks where we had a tight end and an I-back, but they were loading the box and slanting and blitzing every play we were in that," said OSU offensive lineman Jim Cordle.

"So we kind of spread them out and started running that (read option). It was literally every play. The coaches after they saw that was working, they didn't get away from it."

Fellow offensive lineman Justin Boren agreed.

"They threw some things at us, gave us some trouble in the beginning, but as an offense you've got to adjust. I think that's something we did and we hit a couple of big plays," said Boren.

No place was the more evident than on the drive leading to OSU's final touchdown of the game. The Buckeyes ran the zone option repeatedly and drove the ball the length of the field until finally scoring on a screen pass to Boom Herron.

"That play is a very hard play to stop, especially if the line is blocking very well like our linemen did," said OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

"We might have run it maybe 25 times. I don't really know. I'm not a Michigan coach so I don't know what they could have done to stop it. It was just a great play for us today."

Pryor is very comfortable running that play, and that was bad news for the Wolverines.

"I was always good at running it, I was always good at reading it," Pryor said.

"It just happened to be a play they couldn't stop, that we found out they couldn't stop so we just kept on going after it."

Once the OSU ground game got going, Head Coach Jim Tressel chose to rely on it. That meant fewer passes to the wide receivers, and under those circumstances, their roles in the offense take a drastic change.

"You turn into a moving lineman," said wide receiver Ray Small describing the downfield blocking required of the wide receivers in the zone read.

"Anything for the team. The greatest thing is we came out with a win.

"For us receivers, it's a little frustrating that you don't get the ball as a receiver, but the end result is you come out on top."

The poster that will be framed commemorating the last day of the old press box.
Unfortunately, this photo was shot with a cell phone camera and does not show clearly the signatures.
Photo by John Porentas

Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!: Michigan Stadium has been undergoing a series of renovations and quite frankly looks very good. The last phase of the renovation process calls for a new press box to replace the rather out of date facility that now exists.

Prior to the game, U of M officials asked all the credentialed media in attendance to sign a large poster-like matted document that will framed and hung somewhere at the U of M as a memento of the last group of reporters to occupy the press box.

The signatures were respectful and consisted of just one line, the name of the person signing. That is with one exception.

In a prominent place on the document the words "Eddie George, Heisman Trophy Winner, Go Bucks!!" are written very clearly. George was in attendance as a member of the Big Ten Network media contingency. The historic document will forever have that Buckeye reminder on it as long as it hangs somewhere at the U of M.

Eddie! Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!

Going Home: OSU offensive lineman Justin Boren began his career at the University of Michigan but when former Head Coach Lloyd Carr resigned, Boren decided to return to his home state of Ohio and play for the Buckeyes. He has no regrets about his decision.

Michigan fans were on former U of M and current OSU offensive lineman Justin Boren. These fans obviously got the last line wrong as Boren came away a winner on Saturday and they did not.
Photo by John Porentas

"I love Ohio State. I've loved it since day one. I wish I had three more years here," said Boren after the Michigan game.

It was Boren's first visit to Michigan Stadium since his transfer, and as you might expect, his welcome was not exactly warm at times.

"There wasn't too much of it on the field, but there was quite a bit coming from the fans," said Boren. "I don't think I can repeat a lot of what was being said."

Boren said he was able to block most of that stuff, but other Buckeyes heard it too.

"There were two fans behind our bench that kept going at him, but from the players, there wasn’t any trash talking until one guy from Michigan at the very end that said some words to him," said fellow offensive lineman Jim Cordle.

Boren had heard some things before the game, but wasn't intimidated in the least.

"I knew there was going to be talking, but I wasn't worried about my safety. I had 70 guys who were going to back me up," he said referring to the OSU travel squad.

At the game's conclusion Boren was actually able to renew acquaintances with some of his former teammates.

"I talked to a couple of guys," he said.

"I don't talk to them regularly but after the game I got to talk to them and they were cool.

"Chad Henne, some of the older guys that I played with that graduated were here and I got to talk to them."

According to OSU center Mike Brewster, Boren never responded to the fans but still got in the last word on his detractors.

"If anything I heard more stuff coming from the stands, but he gets the last laugh," said Brewster.

"He's outright Big Ten champs."

Last Quarter Warrior: The two teams battled to a scoreless draw in the final quarter of the game in Ann Arbor, but that doesn't mean there weren't standouts over that period of time. It just means they were on the defensive side of the ball.

OSU freshman defensive lineman John Simon sacks Denard Robinson on Michigan's last possession.
Photo by Dan Harker

One of the players who stood out as the game wound down was freshman defensive tackle John Simon. Simon seemed to live in the Michigan backfield in the final stages of the game and made two crucial tackles, one a sack of U of M quarterback Denard Robinson on Michigan's last possession of the game.

"John's been a good player," said OSU defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Jim Heacock.

"He's gotten better and better all year.

"He's got good speed.

"We needed him in that fourth quarter with his speed."

Simon's play late in the game was critical. The OSU defensive coaching staff felt as if the pass rush was not what it should have been early in the game and called for the defensive line to step it up. Simon was one of the players who answered that call.

"We called on the front in the second half, we said we needed to get four-man pressure because we needed to do a little bit better job covering," said Heacock.

"It's a difficult offense, there's no question. They do it all," said Heacock.

One thing they didn't do is fool the OSU defense.

"They pretty much stuck to their game plan. did what they do, and pretty much what we expected and worked on," Heacock said.

Heacock got just about what he wanted from his defense.

"Our guys played very disciplined today. They did their one eleventh. We talked to them all week long about just do your job, do your one eleventh."

Just Missed: Terrelle Pryor threw for just 67 yards against a Michigan defense that was thought to be susceptible to the deep pass. According to OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel, the Buckeyes really didn't bother with that deep ball because other things were working and the Buckeyes already had a nice lead.

Terrelle Pryor didn't get many chances to go downfield against what some thought was a suspect Michigan secondary.
Photo by Dan Harker

"We probably could have thrown the ball deep a little bit more because we had some chances that were open, but as you do sometime in this ball game, you do what you think the team needs. I thought Terrelle did a great job on the option game, made some great reads and great decisions," said Tressel.

The two times the Buckeyes did try to go deep wide receiver DeVier Posey broke wide open, but Pryor just overthrew him both times.

"Definitely just missed it by a yard," Posey said.

"It was off coverage and I just had to run him down and get past him. Nothing too spectacular, just running by him."

Posey got his end of the job done, but Pryor just missed with the pass. Posey, however, would not throw his quarterback under the bus.

"He took the blame for it, but I felt like I could have gotten a better release to get to the ball a little bit faster, get to the spot, but its all right," Posey said.

"Its frustrating but its ok because we ran the ball so well. We are able to get through a game just blocking and moving the ball downfield on them," said Posey.

Quick Squibs:

Jim Tressel on perhaps why Tate Forcier threw so many interceptions: "He threw one way across his body for a touchdown earlier. Sometimes that baits you into thinking that that makes sense. Throwing blind hurts you sometime. He's a young guy."

Thad Gibson on the challenge of stopping the zone read play: "You’ve got 300 pounders running at you full speed. Its hard to really two-gap a guy that size. You just have to dig deep and get bloody I guess."

DeVier Posey on the state of the OSU vs. Michigan rivalry: "This is the era that Ohio State has been dominating Michigan and these guys are the head of that. Guys like Doug Worthington and Spitler and Kurt Coleman and James Laurinaitis and Robiskie. Those guys spear-headed this and the domination over Michigan and its up to us younger guys from the 07 an 08 classes to keep this up. I hope it becomes a tradition."

Jim Tressel on sitting down at the table at the postgame interview session and not being able to see over the microphones in front of him: "I need a telephone book here."

DeVier Posey on Ray Small being named a captain for the game: "That was big for me to see Ray (as a captain). I was excited for him. That kids gone through a lot and through it all he’s always smiling. For me, that’s motivation because you see how being on the bottom you can work your way to the top by just staying with it. Putting one foot in front of the other."

Ray Small on Ray Small being named a captain for the game: "To be honest I didn't think I would make it four years at Ohio State as much as I was in trouble, but everybody has to go through different obstacles. That's what I did. I'm happy that I survived four years at Ohio State."

Jim Bollman on why OSU's running game got better as the season went on: "It's not Nintendo Guys either get better or get worse. Our guys got better."

Doug Worthington on his jewelry collection: "I've got five gold pants and five Big Ten championship rings."

Jim Tressel on the play that the coaching staff thought was called when the Buckeyes ran a counter play to Brandon Saine for a touchdown: "I don't know, but it wouldn't have worked."

Jim Tressel on the next step in the evolution of the OSU offense under Terrelle Pryor: "Now we have to get a little bit better at throwing the ball if we're going to compete on January 1. Part of it is we've got to call passes, we understand that."

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