| Tressel Press Conference
October 30, 2008 Source: The Ozone - "Head Coach Jim Tressel met with the media today at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. This was the coach's only meeting with reports during the bye week, so he made it a long one. Tressel talked about many things, including his philosophy concerning sharing the play calling duties during the game, and how he coaches will be spending their time visiting recruits this weekend." |
 | Tressel talks the offense and the future
October 31, 2008 Source: BuckeyeGrove - "Would Tress Give Up Play Calling...The veteran Ohio State head coach was asked on Monday about his role as the play caller and was asked about it again on Thursday during his weekly visit with the local media. Could Tressel ever see himself handing over the duties to another coach including a coach from outside of the program? That was one of many topics that Tressel was asked about during the lone bye week of the season for the Buckeyes." |
Offensive struggles overshadow defensive prowess
October 30, 2008 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "The bye week could have been all about the Ohio State defense. If the Buckeyes pull out a 6-3 win over Penn State on Saturday, during this break the talk centers on the pass rush of Thaddeus Gibson, the aggression of James Laurinaitis, the presence of Cameron Heyward, the energy of Malcolm Jenkins and the revitalization of Nader Abdallah. But a 13-6 loss has kept the focus, rightfully, on the shortcomings of the offense...So the Ohio State defense remains in a familiar position. The previous three seasons, OSU led the Big Ten in both scoring defense and total defense. So far this season, the Buckeyes again lead in total defense, giving up the fewest yards in conference games. But the Buckeyes barely rank second in scoring defense, having allowed 61 points in five conference games while Penn State has given up 60 points in five games. Here's a comparison to past seasons:..."
• 2008: 12.2 points, 282 yards.
• 2007: 12.9 points, 236 yards.
• 2006: 11.5 points, 257 yards.
• 2005: 14.8 points, 271 yards.
Bye Week Gives Tressel Time To Examine Ailing Offense
October 31, 2008 Source: The Ozone - "The Buckeyes don't have an opponent this weekend, but the OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel still spent plenty of time studying film this week. 'In an open week, you get to go back and really study what you do or what you don't do or what you think you can do,' said Tressel. 'One of the projects that I had, I took on the 96 pass plays that were called when Todd was the quarterback and the 141 pass plays when Terrelle was the quarterback and tried to do a little bit of evaluation...' Tressel said. 'Did that give any answers? I don't know. We'll see,' he said. Tressel wouldn't go into detail on what he saw, but did say that the picture is not gloomy. 'The good news is that many of the things that were done were done well, so we're capable,' he said. If Tressel is to be believed, the Buckeyes are capable, just not clicking. The purpose of all the analysis was to find out why. He said that there is no one single thing ailing the Buckeyes, but a melange of little things that need to be fixed. Step one is identifying them. Tressel said that mission is accomplished..."
Bye week to focus on weak offense
October 29, 2008 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "For a team seeking rhyme and reason on offense, it figures that Ohio State's next few practices will be about finding precision and making decisions. Coach Jim Tressel said...the Buckeyes will hammer heavy on fundamentals, especially on the line, during their bye week. They'll also review some decisions freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor made in the fourth quarter. The goal, Tressel said, is to find an offensive identity, even if the season is already nine games old...'The consistency of the offense has not progressed,' Tressel said. 'We haven't been able to really find out who we are, what we do best. Hey, we're going to do this, and you know we're going to do it, but we do it so well it doesn't matter if you know we're going to do it.'..."
Struggling running game becomes a front-line issue for Buckeyes
October 28, 2008 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "Beanie Wells was stunned. You could have walked into post-game interviews after Ohio State' 13-6 loss to Penn State on Saturday, taken one look at the Buckeyes' star running back and known everything you needed to know about the outcome and the run game...Asked if he'd ever felt like this after a game, Wells' eyes widened as he said, 'I definitely haven't...'...'I think the consistency of the offense has not progressed,' (said Tressel)...They're not going to (find it), not with this line. Saturday, Penn State blew past right tackle Bryant Browning six times in pass protection, with defensive end Aaron Maybin, whose 11 sacks ranks second in the nation, the usual culprit. Other than that, and that's a lot, the pass protection wasn't bad..."
Buckeyes hope to find 'what it is we feel we can do best'
October 28, 2008 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "All things considered, Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel would rather have seen Terrelle Pryor try to be a little sneakier the other night against Penn State when the Buckeyes were clinging to a fourth-quarter lead...'For sure the best decision would have been to stay focused in on what we really needed at the moment," Tressel said today. "I think he felt that when, all of a sudden, they dropped a bunch of people into the A gap (either side of center) and crouched in on the B gap there, that he felt like he could do a little bit better a little wider. And you could see from the film why he felt that way.'..."
Tressel Grilled On Offense, Talks Pryor At Teleconference
October 28, 2008 Source: Bucknuts - "There is no press luncheon this week, but Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel did participate in the Big Ten teleconference on Tuesday as usual. Most of the discussion was about the Buckeyes' struggles on offense. Also talked about in detail was OSU freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor... 'I think for sure the best decision would have been to stay focused in on what we needed at the moment,' Tressel said. 'I think he felt when all of a sudden they dropped a bunch of people into the A gap and crouched in on the B gap there, he felt like he could do a little bit better going wider. And you can see on the film why he felt that way. But staying focused on what we really needed at that moment – which was a first down – obviously would have been the best decision.'..."
Penn State Game 10/25/08:
Offensive Player of the Week: Dane Sanzenbacher, WR
Defensive Player of the Week: Kurt Coleman , S
Attack Force Award: Cameron Heyward, DT
Jim Parker Lineman Award: Alex Boone, OT
Special Units Player of the Week: Aaron Pettrey, K
Jack Tatum Hit of the Week Award: Cameron Heyward, DT
Scout Team Champions: Offense: Joe Bauserman; Defense: Tony Jackson; Special Units: Ricky Crawford |
Analysis: Too many formations at root of poor offense
October 28, 2008 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Nine games into a season, forget the potential of a football team. By this point, the numbers tell the story, and in the case of the Ohio State offense, those numbers point clearly toward recession...There's no explaining that away to the satisfaction of irate Ohio State fans. They've bought the recruiting hype of the past few years, so they believe their team has plenty of talent. The problem, as they see it, is that the offensive line has been abysmal, which has made the going tough for a dinged Chris "Beanie" Wells. That puts more playmaking pressure on freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who apparently hasn't been entrusted to try every pass play in the book. Many also say the play-calling is predictable, that the consortium of coach Jim Tressel, offensive coordinator Jim Bollman and quarterbacks coach Joe Daniels isn't adequately shuffling a deck that appears to have plenty of untapped playmakers. From this vantage point, though, it has long appeared that the Buckeyes try to be too much the chameleon on offense, which can lead to predictability because only a few plays are run out of each formation. After all, there are only so many plays a team can practice..."
Inside the Beat: Now what?
October 28, 2008 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "That's what Dispatch beat writers Tim May and Ken Gordon ponder as the Buckeyes head into this bye week before the three-game regular-season wrap-up run:...GORDON: I guess it shouldn't surprise me, because I realize fans are perfectionists, but the criticism of Pryor's passing is a bit over the top. I have said before that he hesitates at times and waits until receivers are open rather than throwing to a spot. But Saturday, he was asked to throw more than he had all season -- 25 times. He completed 64 percent of those passes...GORDON:...I can't remember where I said (or wrote) this last week, but I made the point that after that dominating performance at Michigan State, I wanted to see the line do it again. That's something they haven't done this year, is put together two good games in a row. And really, that's at the heart of why this senior-laden team has been a disappointment..."
 | Blame Tressel for bad offense
October 28, 2008 Source: Associated Press - "Scoring points has never exactly been a specialty of Jim Tressel-coached teams...Who calls the plays for the Buckeyes? Tressel does. Even though Jim Bollman, the line coach, has the title of offensive coordinator, there is no dispute that Tressel really calls the shots on offense..." |
Tressel not "ecstatic" over Buckeyes' offense
October 28, 2008 Source: Associated Press - "This figures to be a week of learning for No. 13 Ohio State. No, not necessarily in the classroom. Not even in a football game. Instead, the Buckeyes will have a bye week to do nothing but rehash Saturday night's 13-6 loss to No. 3 Penn State...'You probably learn less in victory than you learn in defeat,' coach Jim Tressel said Tuesday on the Big Ten coaches conference call. 'We'll learn a lot about ourselves.'...Tressel made it clear that his entire offense was to blame instead of singling out Pryor or the offensive line. 'The inconsistency that we've had across the board -- and not just up front, across the board -- has lent itself to not being ecstatic about our offensive performance,' he said..."
Hitting Rewind: Offense vs. Penn State
October 28, 2008 Source: Eleven Warriors - "One of the things that The Meshed One touched on Saturday night was the need for Ohio State to further diversify their offense — break out of some tendencies. A lot of us have been beating that same drumbeat for a while and probably hardest in the direction of You-Need-To-Call-Some-First-Down-Passes...So that leaves the meat of the game — six drives independent of clock or score. In those drives, there were we still have the 11 runs called on first down, but the number of passes has shrunk to four. The Buckeyes passed on first down just 26% of the time. And this was with the running game stuffed from the start..."
Tired Buckeyes need week to focus
October 27, 2008 Source: Associated Press - "This is an off week for Ohio State. The Buckeyes can use the time off. Beaten 13-6 by No. 3 Penn State on Saturday night, they looked worn down and a step slow on several big plays in the game. After the game, they struggled to grasp why they lost and what they can change in their bye week. 'Six points should have been enough for us,' linebacker James Laurinaitis said. 'We were up 6-3 and we had to stop them. . . . We have the lead late in the game and it's your job to protect. We'll use this week to get healthy and to stay focused.'...Pryor, with an assistant coach right next to him monitoring the questions, took much of the blame as he met with reporters. Of the last pass, picked off by Lydell Sargeant with 27 seconds left, he said, 'That throw was terrible. I didn't get enough on it. It was terrible.'..."
Analysis: Offensive explosions elsewhere; a dud here
October 27, 2008 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "1. Which one of these numbers doesn't belong?
28, 29, 13, 58, 17, 24, 52, 63, 6, 63. Those were the weekend point totals for the top 10 teams in the Bowl Championship Series standings, and it goes without saying which figure belongs to the local club..."
Bitter loss breeds a new set of goals
October 27, 2008 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "As Ohio State players struggle once again with lowering their sights a notch, the last thing they need is an extra week to think about it...A 10-2 Ohio State team likely would end up in a Bowl Championship Series game -- the Rose Bowl, if Penn State plays for the national title. In each of the past two seasons, when the Rose Bowl lost Big Ten champion Ohio State to the BCS title game, it chose a second-place Big Ten school in its place (Michigan in 2007, Illinois in 2008). Should Penn State end up in the Rose, Ohio State could still possibly be an at-large BCS team. At worst, the Buckeyes would play in the Capital One Bowl against a Southeastern Conference foe. One more OSU loss, though, and the Capital One or Outback would be the potential destinations..."
 | OSU analysis: Tressel, Buckeyes learn the downside of freshman QB gamble
October 26, 2008 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - The Plain Dealer's Doug Lesmerises writes: "It was the quarterback who lost the fumble, the kid who crouched down and couldn't bear to stand for Carmen, Ohio; the quarterback who threw the interception, the kid who sat alone on the bench afterward; the quarterback who contributed to the crushing loss and the kid who has to deal with it. If Ohio State coach Jim Tressel didn't think both the quarterback and the kid were ready for this, ready for the most prominent position in Ohio sports, then he never should have named Terrelle Pryor his starting quarterback..." |
Check out all of the polls on our Polls, Rankings & BCS page...link below
 | Mr. Bucknuts' Bucket Of Bullets
October 26, 2008 Source: Bucknuts - "Mr. Bucknuts lambasts and laments in equal helpings today as he posits on the Penn State loss. Critics can form a column that would circle the stadium and Mr. B forms his own column with obvious and not-so-obvious thoughts as he assesses the great effort, but unfortunate results, from yesterday’s tough loss in an emotional Bucket of Bullets..." |
Extended Highlights Source: ABC Channel 6 Columbus/FanDome
No. 3 Penn State Defeats No. 10 Ohio State
October 25, 2008 Source: OSU Official Site - "No. 3 Penn State snapped an 0-7 winless streak in Ohio Stadium as a Big Ten school with a 13-6 win over No. 10 Ohio State in front of an Ohio Stadium record crowd of 105,711 fans...The game, the second-lowest scoring game in this 24-game rivalry after a 7-6 Penn State win in 1956, was not about the speedy and skilled position players that lead both teams’ offenses...Quite simply, this game was about two marvelous defensive squads punishing the opposing team’s offense..."
Scoring Summary,Team & Individual Statistics, Drive Chart, Defensive Statistics, Game Participation, Play-by-Play
& Postgame Notes From Ohio State vs. Penn State
Postgame Transcript: Coach Tressel Postgame Press Conference
Postgame Quotes From No. 10 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Penn State
October 25, 2008 Source: OSU Official Site - "...Malcolm Jenkins: 'It was a tough loss for us, especially because we were in it for most of the game. Everybody is disappointed, but I’m proud of everyone. The game just didn’t fall for us.'...Brian Robiskie: 'You have to give a lot of credit to Penn State. To come in here and win is a hard thing to do. We have three games left and anything can happen. We have to take it upon ourselves to get back and finish the season strong.'...James Laurinaitis: On the defensive line...'First, Thaddeus Gibson is a great player. He has the ability to do great things. Overall, the defensive line did a great job. They had pressure on the quarterback all night. They have matured so much and the more they grow, the more we grow as a team.'..."
The Play, The Tone, The Defenses, The Bounce, and The Aftermath; they're all covered in the-Ozone Note and Quotebook
October 26, 2008 Source: The Ozone - "There isn't much question that the single biggest play in the Penn State game was the one on which Terrelle Pryor's fumble was recovered the Nittany Lions for the only turnover of a tight contest. 'One turnover was the ball game,' Penn State Head Coach Joe Paterno said succinctly...The Tone: Some people were surprised at how the game played out. It was an old fashioned, hard hitting, knee buckling, Big Ten game featuring defense and field position...The Aftermath: 'We'll look back on this and it will haunt us,' said offensive lineman Jim Cordle. 'The things we wanted to accomplish, they're over, we didn't accomplish them.'..."
Five Things: Penn State
October 26, 2008 Source: Eleven Warriors - "Turnover Margin Once Again Dooms Buckeyes - While it’s not groundbreaking to say teams that lose the turnover battle normally lose the game, it is amazing just how bad Ohio State has been with regard to turnover margin in big games...Even more painful is the grossly inaccurate perception that Tressel orchestrates an ultra conservative game plan to cut down on such occurrences because the numbers tell a different tale. Not only does the OSU offense turn it over at an alarming rate but the defense, while typically playing solid, struggles to generate turnovers when the lights shine brightest. In the seven Buckeye losses since 2005, Ohio State has lost the turnover battle by a combined 16-5...Taking it a step further, I looked at Ohio State’s performance in what I consider big games over this same stretch (since ‘05) and the results only get worse...Factor the TO margin from those five wins in with the seven losses and the results are even more lopsided..." | Game | OSU TO | Opp TO | Margin | | ‘08 Penn State | 2 | 0 | -2 | | ‘08 USC | 3 | 1 | -2 | | ‘07 LSU | 3 | 1 | -2 | | ‘07 Illinois | 3 | 0 | -3 | | ‘06 Florida | 2 | 0 | -2 | | ‘05 Penn State | 2 | 0 | -2 | | ‘05 Texas | 1 | 3 | +2 | | TOTAL | 16 | 5 | -11 |
| | | Game | OSU TO | Opp TO | Margin | | ‘05 Michigan | 2 | 0 | -2 | | ‘05 Notre Dame | 2 | 0 | -2 | | ‘06 Texas | 0 | 2 | +2 | | ‘06 Michigan | 3 | 0 | -3 | | ‘07 Michigan | 1 | 0 | -1 | | TOTAL | 8 | 2 | -6 |
| 12 Big Games | OSU TO | Opp TO | Margin | | 7 Losses | 16 | 5 | -11 | | 5 Wins | 8 | 2 | -6 | | TOTAL | 24 | 7 | -17 |
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Penn State Takes Control of Big Ten Race with Hard Fought Win over Buckeyes
October 26, 2008 Source: The Ozone - "One mistake was the difference in the game as the No. 10 Buckeyes came up short against the No. 3 Nittany Lions...Pryor took the ball wide on a called quarterback sneak. 'Penn State was the first team to crowd the middle like that, a double-A gaps, backers blitzing in there. Terrelle saw that and tried to make the play,' said OSU offensive lineman Jim Cordle. As he went wide Pryor was hit by Penn State's Mark Rubin who punched the ball free. A wild scramble for the football ensued as it bounced backward from the 50. The play ended with the ball in the arms of Navorro Bowman to give the Lions the football on the OSU 38-yard line. 'That's the right read when they have four guys in two A-gaps,' said Cordle. 'Then there's a gap outside of that. It was the right read.The guy made a great play.' 'The endzone was there,' said Pryor as to why he tried to bounce the play outside. 'I thought I was going to score a touchdown. I was looking at the endzone. I was going to beat number nine (Rubin) and I guess he just punched it out. It was the worst feeling in my life. 'They were pinching in and I thought I would take a chance,' Pryor said. Penn State was able to capitalize on the turnover, the only one of the game, by going 38 yards for a touchdown..."
Wells bogs down against stout Penn State defense
October 26, 2008 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Ohio State tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells entered last night's game against Penn State with a warranted reputation for playing his best in big games. The junior had done it routinely the past two seasons, but he found running room hard to find in the Buckeyes' 13-6 loss in Ohio Stadium. Wells finished with 55 yards on 22 carries, his lowest output in his six starts this season...But he never got going against Penn State. He had six carries for 5 yards in the first quarter and 10 carries for 11 yards at halftime as the Nittany Lions clearly focused their defense to keep him hemmed in. Asked afterward if he'd ever gone against a stauncher defense, Wells did not equivocate. 'I definitely haven't,' he said. 'This is by far the best defense I've played against. Those guys were all over the field and they played great.'..."
   Ohio State had the ball and a three-point lead when Terrelle Pryor fumbled early in the fourth quarter. Defensive back Mark Rubin (9) used his left hand to knock the ball away as the freshman quarterback carried on a third-and-1. "I just didn't want to let him get the first down," Rubin said. "I tired to square up and push him back. I'm not going to lie: I just happened to get my hand on the ball and was able to bounce it out." Penn State linebacker Navorro Bowman (18) fell on the loose ball at the Buckeyes 38. PSU linebacker Tyrell Sales (46) was also in on the play
Pryor was disconsolate: "I can't explain this," he said. "I just didn't hold the ball. I saw the end zone. It was there and the ball just fell out. I thought I was on my way to a touchdown but I just lost the ball. As soon as I fumbled it, I knew they would score."
"The play called for a typical quarterback sneak: no frills, up the middle, lower your shoulder and go. But Terrelle Pryor isn't a typical quarterback. He's an atypical freshman who can do atypical things. So when he saw a chance to make a play, he went for it," wrote ESPN's Adam Rittenberg |
 
IT WAS OVER WHEN: Lydell Sargeant intercepted Terrelle Pryor at the goal line with 27 seconds left.
THE PLAY: The fumble. With Ohio State leading and on the move, quarterback Terrelle Pryor was stripped by Penn State's Mark Rubin, and Navorro Bowman recovered at the OSU 38-yard line with 10:38 left. Seven plays later, Penn State got the go-ahead TD.
THE STARS: Penn State's defense. The Nittany Lions held the Buckeyes in check and forced two key turnovers.
THE STAT: Chris "Beanie" Wells managed just 55 yards on 22 carries against Penn State's stout defense.
THE STAT II: 3: Games in which Ohio State has not scored an offensive touchdown
THE STAT III: The Nittany Lions beat the Buckeyes in Columbus for the first time since joining the Big Ten in 1993.
FAST FACT: Buckeyes freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor lost his first game as a starter (5-1), and Ohio State dropped just its third Big Ten game since 2005.
THE STRATEGY: Both teams spread the field one play, tried power the next, usually to no avail. It was a defensive, turnover-free slugfest until the fourth quarter.
THE MISMATCH: Penn State's all-out assault on Chris "Beanie" Wells. Pryor hit some passes, but the Nittany Lions sold out to stop the run and dared the Buckeyes to win by throwing. They couldn't.
JUST WONDERING: How is locker room chemistry going to play out now that the freshman quarterback who replaced the senior QB isn't going to lead the Buckeyes to the Promised Land?
TRANSLATING TRESS: What he said: "From where I stood, I think he saw a couple gaps ..." explaining Pryor's attempt to gain extra yardage on the play on which he fumbled. What he meant: "Unfortunately, I saw a gap between his hand and the ball."
THE VIEW: How the pollsters will see it (this game): Whewwwwwwww. Sigh of relief.
(Sources: ESPN/Columbus Dispatch)
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Instant Analysis: Penn State-Ohio State
October 25, 2008 Source: CollegeFootballNews.com - "When Terrelle Pryor left the state of Pennsylvania, the residents of Happy Valley might have been inclined to think that Joe Paterno lost his last best chance to reach the BCS Championship Game. Instead, Pryor made the freshman mistakes that have Penn State and its iconic coach three wins from a perfect regular season and a possible trip to Miami in January...Pryor did not make a mistake by trying to bounce his sneak wide in an improvisational act. Locked in a one-on-one matchup, Pryor had the leverage and the angle needed to lean forward for a first down. The problem was that the Buckeye quarterback carried the ball like a jug of milk, and with the ball representing a piece of low-hanging fruit, the Nittany Lions poked it loose and then pounced on the prize 12 yards behind the original line of scrimmage, at the Ohio State 38..."
Costly Fumble Erases Pryor's Solid Performance
October 26, 2008 Source: Bucknuts.com - "A dejected Terrelle Pryor faced the music after Ohio State’s crushing 13-6 loss to Penn State Saturday night. Speaking with reporters was probably the last thing Pryor wanted to do after his fourth quarter fumble changed the landscape of the game...'I’ve never faced adversity like this before in my life,' Pryor said. 'I’ve just got to learn from it and pick it up and come back at it. I can’t explain how I feel right now.'...It wasn’t that the QB sneak wasn’t going to work and Pryor was forced to try and make a play on his own. He just made the mistake of getting too greedy on the play and he knows it. 'I mean, I could have got the first down,' he said. 'It was a QB sneak for a half a yard and I could have punched that in. I saw all the Penn State guys just pinched in because they knew the quarterback sneak was coming too. I saw an opening on the edge and all I had to beat was No. 9, but I got stripped.' Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel also commented on the game-changing fumble. 'From where I stood, I think he saw a couple gaps or penetration perhaps -- I don't know for sure -- and he tried to slide outside,' Tressel said..."
Team Statistics (Final)
#3 Penn State vs #9 Ohio State (Oct 25, 2008 at Columbus, Ohio)
| | | Team Totals | PSU | OSU | | FIRST DOWNS | 18 | 14 | | Rushing | 11 | 3 | | Passing | 4 | 11 | | Penalty | 3 | 0 | | NET YARDS RUSHING | 160 | 61 | | Rushing Attempts | 37 | 31 | | Average Per Rush | 4.3 | 2.0 | | Rushing Touchdowns | 1 | 0 | | Yards Gained Rushing | 163 | 86 | | Yards Lost Rushing | 3 | 25 | | NET YARDS PASSING | 121 | 226 | | Completions-Attempts-Int | 12-20-0 | 16-28-1 | | Average Per Attempt | 6.1 | 8.1 | | Average Per Completion | 10.1 | 14.1 | | Passing Touchdowns | 0 | 0 | | TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS | 281 | 287 | | Total offense plays | 57 | 59 | | Average Gain Per Play | 4.9 | 4.9 | | Fumbles: Number-Lost | 0-0 | 1-1 | | Penalties: Number-Yards | 0-0 | 4-48 | | PUNTS-YARDS | 4-174 | 5-193 | | Average Yards Per Punt | 43.5 | 38.6 | | Net Yards Per Punt | 38.5 | 36.2 | | Inside 20 | 3 | 3 | | 50+ Yards | 0 | 2 | | Touchbacks | 1 | 0 | | Fair catch | 1 | 2 | | KICKOFFS-YARDS | 4-274 | 2-138 | | Average Yards Per Kickoff | 68.5 | 69.0 | | Net Yards Per Kickoff | 45.0 | 50.0 | | Touchbacks | 1 | 1 | | Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD | 2-12-0 | 1-0-0 | | Average Per Return | 6.0 | 0.0 | | Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD | 1-18-0 | 3-74-0 | | Average Per Return | 18.0 | 24.7 | | Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD | 1-0-0 | 0-0-0 | | Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | | Miscellaneous Yards | 0 | 0 | | Possession Time | 31:26 | 28:34 | | 1st Quarter | 6:14 | 8:46 | | 2nd Quarter | 8:49 | 6:11 | | 3rd Quarter | 7:32 | 7:28 | | 4th Quarter | 8:51 | 6:09 | | Third-Down Conversions | 5 of 12 | 8 of 15 | | Fourth-Down Conversions | 0 of 0 | 0 of 0 | | Red-Zone Scores-Chances | 3-3 | 1-1 | | Sacks By: Number-Yards | 1-9 | 1-3 | | PAT Kicks | 1-1 | 0-0 | | Field Goals | 2-3 | 2-2 |
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 | The Bottom Line
October 26, 2008 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Leaves are awarded on a zero-to-five basis, five being the best: Offense (two leaves)...Defense (three leaves) ...Special teams (four leaves)...Coaching (three leaves) ...Opponent (four leaves)..."
Ohio State-Penn State report card
October 26, 2008 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "The defenses: A+...The offenses: C...Thaddeus Gibson: A...A.J. Trapasso: A..." |
All Good Things…
October 26, 2008 Source: Eleven Warriors - "Looks like the Buckeyes won’t get that third consecutive outright league title after all...The offensive performance was frustrating on many levels, not the least of which was the dominating effort the Penn State defensive line put forth against the Ohio State offensive line. It’s easy to pile on the offensive line, but the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle of the unit not having the game of its life and their counterparts on the other side of the ball playing extremely inspired ball...Defense: And this is where you must credit the Penn State staff for pulling something off their Buckeye counterparts couldn’t: neutralizing the game-changing defensive end from the other side via halftime adjustments. Whereas Maybin was doing damage all game long, Gibson was relatively silent in the second half..."
Joe Paterno: On overall game...
'I’m happy for the kids. They worked hard tonight against a good football team. We changed a couple things at halftime and came out with a lot of confidence. They kept their poise and that one turnover was the ball game because nobody had good field position until that play.' On Ohio State’s performance 'Ohio State played a great defensive ball game. Their cornerback (Malcolm Jenkins) is one of the best we’ve faced this year. I thought Pryor played a heck of a ball game and our guys faced adversity tonight against a tough football team.'..."
Penn State edges Ohio State
October 26, 2008 Source: Philadelphia Inquirer - "It looked like Penn State was going down that same old Horseshoe path and the Nittany Lions' national-championship aspirations would plod away. But Penn State received a game-changing play from an unlikely source and a game-winning touchdown from a backup quarterback who had wasted away on the bench for much of the season..."
Opposite sideline
October 26, 2008 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "...What went right: Penn State stuffed Ohio State's running game. Wells, who ran for 133 yards last year against the Nittany Lions, gained only 59. Ohio State didn't have a carry longer than 9 yards. The Nittany Lions did an outstanding job containing Pryor's scrambles by keeping a defender near the line of scrimmage as a spy when he dropped back to pass. The Nittany Lions had no penalties or turnovers..."
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