With 106,033 (an attendance record) screaming fans in the Horseshoe, this was unlike any place that true freshman quarterback Matt Barkley has played. Scrimmages and practice could not have prepared Barkley for Saturday’s night game in the hostile environment of Buckeye Nation. Even though he wasn’t spectacular nor was McKnight, they both worked in tandem to push USC ahead of Ohio State.
Public perception has been that Ohio State cannot hang with the big boys: they have lost miserably to the likes of Florida, LSU, and USC. The last time Ohio State beat USC it was in the 1974 Rose Bowl. And this loss by Ohio State marks the sixth time they lost to a top 5 ranked team.
One must remember though, if there was any time to hit The Men of Troy in the mouth and take a win, this was the time. Pete Carroll brought his boys into Columbus with a new offensive and defensive coordinator, a true freshman quarterback, and also lost one of his down-field threats Ronald Johnson to a broken collarbone.
From the onset, this was a highly contested game where the defenses hung tough. On the third play of the first quarter, Terrelle Pryor threw an interception that was run back 51 yards by linebacker Chris Galippo. Stafon Johnson finished off this drive, scoring six points on a two yard run in the endzone. It was evident that Ohio State was not going to be intimidated like they have in previous years.
Pryor came back with a pass to Sanzenbacher for 58 yards and that set up a 2 yard run by Daniel Herron for six points. The Buckeyes went 6 plays gaining 72 yards that took three minutes and thirty-one seconds off the clock. The game stood tied at 7-7 for the rest of the first quarter, both defenses playing good sound football.
The beginning of the second quarter found The Buckeyes on fourth and goal on USC’S one yard line, and Tressel elected to go for the field goal instead of punching it in for 6 points. I cannot blame Tressel because it is always good to get points on the board; it’s better to get some points than none. Holding a 10-7 lead, the Buckeyes and Trojans would trade back and forth with unsuccessful drives.
With Ohio State being up 15-10 in the fourth quarter at the 7:29 mark, it seemed improbable that USC would come back for the win. With USC backed up on their 10 yard line because of a sack by Devon Torrence on Barkley and then a delay of game, no one saw what was going to happen next. On third and 9, Barkley hits McKnight who shuttles off a 21 yard gain.
This would cap off a 14 play, 86 yard drive that lasted six minutes and ten seconds. The touchdown was scored by Stafon Johnson bouncing the run to the outside for six points and the two point conversion pass was made by McKnight to seal the win.
In this drive, Barkley went 3/5 for 55 yards and McKnight had four rushes for 23 yards. The Trojans got on top 18-15 with a minute and five seconds left. On the last play of the game, fourth and ten, Pryor heaves up a pass with three Trojan defenders around one Buckeye receiver. The ball was batted down and the game ended for the Buckeyes.
No one can find fault with the phenomenal job that Ohio State’s defense did in this game. The only problem was the offense could not score when needed in USC’s territory. But credit the young linebackers for USC by playing a solid game and the rest of the defense as well.
Pryor did not look like Vince Young, in the 2005 National Championship game, where he made the Trojans defenders look like they had concrete in their cleats. Carroll’s defense did not let him run circles around them and contained him in the pocket forcing him to beat them with his arm.
McKnight ended the night with 60 yards on 16 carries, averaging 3.8 yards per carry, nothing jaw-dropping at all. And Barkley went 15/31 for 195 yards with one touchdown and one interception. These stats are not going to be noted as the highest passing totals, by any stretch, but what will remain in everyone’s mind is the control and poise by the true freshman Barkley. And on the flipside of things, McKnight gained good, tough yards on the ground.
Pryor finished the night 11/25 with 177 yards and one interception. He showed moxie and a will to win, and no one can find fault with this kid. He came to play. At the end of the night, Ohio State had 265 total yards and the Men of Troy had 313 yards.
The Buckeyes can take a moral victory away from this game, but I know the players and staff wish it was a victory on the field. If anything, I know this does not go a long way in changing perception of the Big Ten and Ohio State but this was a start, especially since they stayed in the game until the final seven minutes of the game.
This close call might serve Pete Carroll and his team well. This will cause the Trojans to take every team seriously and not look ahead to big matchups. Maybe this year they will not have that let down game they seem to have every year where they lose to the likes of Stanford, UCLA or Oregon State. The only real offensive powerhouse they need to look out for is Cal and those two teams meet on October 3rd.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
USC Pulls Ahead of the Buckeyes in the Horseshoe
With 106,033 (an attendance record) screaming fans in the Horseshoe, this was unlike any place that true freshman quarterback Matt Barkley has played. Scrimmages and practice could not have prepared Barkley for Saturday’s night game in the hostile environment of Buckeye Nation. Even though he wasn’t spectacular nor was McKnight, they both worked in tandem to push USC ahead of Ohio State.
Public perception has been that Ohio State cannot hang with the big boys: they have lost miserably to the likes of Florida, LSU, and USC. The last time Ohio State beat USC it was in the 1974 Rose Bowl. And this loss by Ohio State marks the sixth time they lost to a top 5 ranked team.
One must remember though, if there was any time to hit The Men of Troy in the mouth and take a win, this was the time. Pete Carroll brought his boys into Columbus with a new offensive and defensive coordinator, a true freshman quarterback, and also lost one of his down-field threats Ronald Johnson to a broken collarbone.
From the onset, this was a highly contested game where the defenses hung tough. On the third play of the first quarter, Terrelle Pryor threw an interception that was run back 51 yards by linebacker Chris Galippo. Stafon Johnson finished off this drive, scoring six points on a two yard run in the endzone. It was evident that Ohio State was not going to be intimidated like they have in previous years.
Pryor came back with a pass to Sanzenbacher for 58 yards and that set up a 2 yard run by Daniel Herron for six points. The Buckeyes went 6 plays gaining 72 yards that took three minutes and thirty-one seconds off the clock. The game stood tied at 7-7 for the rest of the first quarter, both defenses playing good sound football.
The beginning of the second quarter found The Buckeyes on fourth and goal on USC’S one yard line, and Tressel elected to go for the field goal instead of punching it in for 6 points. I cannot blame Tressel because it is always good to get points on the board; it’s better to get some points than none. Holding a 10-7 lead, the Buckeyes and Trojans would trade back and forth with unsuccessful drives.
With Ohio State being up 15-10 in the fourth quarter at the 7:29 mark, it seemed improbable that USC would come back for the win. With USC backed up on their 10 yard line because of a sack by Devon Torrence on Barkley and then a delay of game, no one saw what was going to happen next. On third and 9, Barkley hits McKnight who shuttles off a 21 yard gain.
This would cap off a 14 play, 86 yard drive that lasted six minutes and ten seconds. The touchdown was scored by Stafon Johnson bouncing the run to the outside for six points and the two point conversion pass was made by McKnight to seal the win.
In this drive, Barkley went 3/5 for 55 yards and McKnight had four rushes for 23 yards. The Trojans got on top 18-15 with a minute and five seconds left. On the last play of the game, fourth and ten, Pryor heaves up a pass with three Trojan defenders around one Buckeye receiver. The ball was batted down and the game ended for the Buckeyes.
No one can find fault with the phenomenal job that Ohio State’s defense did in this game. The only problem was the offense could not score when needed in USC’s territory. But credit the young linebackers for USC by playing a solid game and the rest of the defense as well.
Pryor did not look like Vince Young, in the 2005 National Championship game, where he made the Trojans defenders look like they had concrete in their cleats. Carroll’s defense did not let him run circles around them and contained him in the pocket forcing him to beat them with his arm.
McKnight ended the night with 60 yards on 16 carries, averaging 3.8 yards per carry, nothing jaw-dropping at all. And Barkley went 15/31 for 195 yards with one touchdown and one interception. These stats are not going to be noted as the highest passing totals, by any stretch, but what will remain in everyone’s mind is the control and poise by the true freshman Barkley. And on the flipside of things, McKnight gained good, tough yards on the ground.
Pryor finished the night 11/25 with 177 yards and one interception. He showed moxie and a will to win, and no one can find fault with this kid. He came to play. At the end of the night, Ohio State had 265 total yards and the Men of Troy had 313 yards.
The Buckeyes can take a moral victory away from this game, but I know the players and staff wish it was a victory on the field. If anything, I know this does not go a long way in changing perception of the Big Ten and Ohio State but this was a start, especially since they stayed in the game until the final seven minutes of the game.
This close call might serve Pete Carroll and his team well. This will cause the Trojans to take every team seriously and not look ahead to big matchups. Maybe this year they will not have that let down game they seem to have every year where they lose to the likes of Stanford, UCLA or Oregon State. The only real offensive powerhouse they need to look out for is Cal and those two teams meet on October 3rd.
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