Hawkeyes v Buckeyes
Thought I'd let you know you know my Top Ten thoughts after watching the game. (Of course, by "watching" I mean that the game was on in the basement while I assembled some shelving and cleaned.)
10. The kicking game is in good hands (should I say feet) with Houston. I think we all dreaded Nugent's departure, but Houston has done great.
9. Kirk Ferentz has often been referred to as one of the best coaches in college football. His name has even been thrown around for NFL vacancies. I have to admit, I didn't see anything amazing from him on Saturday.
8. Tony Gonzalez is the second best receiving Tony Gonzalez I've ever seen. Still though, he's a good receiver, and quite under rated.
7. Mike Tirico knows his Big Ten football. Ordinarily, I find the national coverage to be wanting...but even though he lives in Michigan, his coverage was quite fair, and intelligent.
6. Pittman looked good. This should be fun for a couple of years.
5. Is this defense better than the championship defense? Is it heretical for me to ask that question?
4. The Big Ten may not see four linebackers drafted in the first round of the draft...but it won't be Bobby Carpenter or AJ Hawk's fault.
3. It's fun watching Drew Tate get frustrated. I feel guilty for enjoying it, but it's fun.
2. Troy Smith's interaction with a booster is the reason we won't sniff the championship. Had he not missed the last bowl game, and the first game of this season, he would have been sharp and ready for Texas...like he was ready for Iowa.
1. That we can discuss making a run at the championship is probably largely due to Troy Smith. And herein lies the tension. I really like Justin Zwick (and think he's getting a bit of a raw deal), but there is something special about that run/pass threat. This isn't Steve Bellisari or Stanley Jackson we are talking about. But this guy can actually throw the ball too.
In a way, I feel bad for him. A mistake he made as a very young man may be a major factor in his team not winning the championship. But his play is probably also the only reason the team could be considered a contender for the championship.
(Also, it isn't good that Ted Ginn Junior is not mentioned on this list. GET HIM THE BALL MORE! If not for the sake of victories, for the sake of entertainment.)
10. The kicking game is in good hands (should I say feet) with Houston. I think we all dreaded Nugent's departure, but Houston has done great.
9. Kirk Ferentz has often been referred to as one of the best coaches in college football. His name has even been thrown around for NFL vacancies. I have to admit, I didn't see anything amazing from him on Saturday.
8. Tony Gonzalez is the second best receiving Tony Gonzalez I've ever seen. Still though, he's a good receiver, and quite under rated.
7. Mike Tirico knows his Big Ten football. Ordinarily, I find the national coverage to be wanting...but even though he lives in Michigan, his coverage was quite fair, and intelligent.
6. Pittman looked good. This should be fun for a couple of years.
5. Is this defense better than the championship defense? Is it heretical for me to ask that question?
4. The Big Ten may not see four linebackers drafted in the first round of the draft...but it won't be Bobby Carpenter or AJ Hawk's fault.
3. It's fun watching Drew Tate get frustrated. I feel guilty for enjoying it, but it's fun.
2. Troy Smith's interaction with a booster is the reason we won't sniff the championship. Had he not missed the last bowl game, and the first game of this season, he would have been sharp and ready for Texas...like he was ready for Iowa.
1. That we can discuss making a run at the championship is probably largely due to Troy Smith. And herein lies the tension. I really like Justin Zwick (and think he's getting a bit of a raw deal), but there is something special about that run/pass threat. This isn't Steve Bellisari or Stanley Jackson we are talking about. But this guy can actually throw the ball too.
In a way, I feel bad for him. A mistake he made as a very young man may be a major factor in his team not winning the championship. But his play is probably also the only reason the team could be considered a contender for the championship.
(Also, it isn't good that Ted Ginn Junior is not mentioned on this list. GET HIM THE BALL MORE! If not for the sake of victories, for the sake of entertainment.)
posted by danny2 @ 8:35 PM
2 Comments:
At 8:17 PM,
Anonymous said…
hmmm, you speak as if you know football, but so far (in fantasyland) you've been beat by a 12-yr. old and an old man who hardly ever watched football until recently...
perhaps next year i'll join the league so you have a fighting chance.
At 7:54 AM,
Gary Underwood said…
- I love Zwick too, but he kinda chose his own "raw deal" here. After the Michigan game last year, the offensive coordinator went to him and said, "If you want to transfer, we'll help you." It's bad enough hearing that from the local sportswriter. Imagine hearing that from your offensive coordinator? Zwick is an Ohio kid, all-state at Massillon, who has always dreamed of being Ohio State's QB, which is why he didn't transfer. He also clearly has the talent to be a great QB if given the keys to the offense and the confidence of the coach. For his sake, I wish he would have transferred to Akron and become the next Charlie Frye.
- OSU's linebackers are phenomenal. It's nice to have the days of Robert Reynolds (and his choke holds) behind us.
- A.J. Hawk is probably the best LB I've ever seen at Ohio State. He's actually a football player. Katzenmoyer was a physical specimen, but dumb as rocks. Wilhelm was a great leader and tough player, but just not as fast as Hawk. Tovar and Craig Powell and Greg Bellisari all had their strengths. But Hawk is the most complete and productive LB since Spielman, and we'll see if he can be the same kind of pro. He is indeed bigger than Spielman, but size didn't matter to 36.
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