Illinois Game Review (1 Week Later)

I’ve been really late on getting around to this thing, mainly because I’ve been dealing with midterms for the past week and a half (And I should probably be studying right now, but where’s the fun in that?).  Since I am posting a full week after the game, this will be a much more trimmed down review, and I’m putting it into a different format.

The Good

- Jonathan Hankins and John Simon.  If you are looking for a reason as to why Ohio State won on Saturday, look no further than the two big boys on the defensive line.  Simon was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the week (And rightfully so), and Big Hank was right there behind him.  They dominated the game and harassed Nathan Scheelhasse and the Illini backfield all game.

- The best player on the Ohio State defense?  It’s got to be Bradley Roby.  Week after week he just continues to show he’s a baller.  He backed up his talk with great coverage on A.J. Jenkins and had a key interception to set up a Boom Herron touchdown run.

- Boom Herron.  The most important player to this offense by far, his vision is just irreplaceable and he balled out.  His ability to weave through traffic, run with power at his size, and hit open holes hard and fast is just amazing.

- Being able to run the ball for 5-6 yards a play when the other team knows it’s coming is quite impressive.  Seriously folks, big ups to the offensive line for their work o\in the ground game, it was very good.

- Jim Bollman’s running game design.  Utilizing the sprint draw to make the uber-aggressive Illini pay for getting upfield to quickly was a great decision.  Having a great back and a dominant offensive line also helps matters as well.

The Bad

- Braxton Miller’s pocket presence.  He struggled trying to find the open man on the few pass plays we ran and when the play broke down it seemed like he always tried to dart around and ran right into a defender.

- The offensive line’s pass protection.  Mericulus had 2 sacks in the first quarter if I recall correctly, although it didn’t really matter much seeing as how we only threw it 4 times.

The Ugly

- The offensive gameplan.  Regardless of the weather, the quarterback, or whatever excuse of the day is up there, not setting up your passing game for success is retarded.  No screens, no quick passes, nothing to get your QB some confidence and get him in rhythm.

- Ron Zook’s decision making.  Someone remind me, why does this guy still have a job?  He goes from 2-10 to the Rose Bowl, to back to mediocrity.  And now he lost to Purdue this week.

Thanks to Michigan State’s amazing hail mary touchdown pass to beat Wisconsin on Saturday, Ohio State is back in the race for the Leaders division.  It’s very simple actually.  Win out, and have Penn State lose another game (They play Illinois, Nebraska, then @Ohio State and @Wisconsin to close the year out), and Ohio State improbably plays for a 7^th straight conference title.

All I know is, I can’t wait to welcome the Badgers to the ‘Shoe this weekend for a little payback.  I know the team, and us fans, are still steaming after last year’s loss ended our national championship aspirations, as well as because of the, um, ‘stupidity’, of their fans in both football and basketball, so it should be an amazing atmosphere, with lots of big name recruits on board.