Fighting the Fighting Illini: Previewing the Ohio State Buckeyes, Part II

In part II of its preview of the Ohio State Buckeyes, Writing Illini asked fellow bloggers at The Buckeye Battle Cry five important questions about the number-two ranked team in the country.

Here are their answers, and what they may mean in the Illinois game on Saturday morning/afternoon.

Writing Illini’s Nick Houska:

Ohio State once again looks like one of the top teams in both the Big Ten and the nation. Most college football fans know about Heisman candidate Terrelle Pryor and other stars such as Dane Sanzenbacher and Dan Herron, but who is someone on offense and defense that Illinois should be sure to keep an eye on?

The Buckeye Battle Cry:

On offense, the player you need to keep your eye on (assuming he’s not injured) is Jake Stoneburner (#11, TE).  For the first time in years, the Buckeyes are utilizing the tight end in the passing game, and Stoneburner has racked up 9 receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown through 3 games played. He did miss the majority of EMU with a minor injury.

On defense, watch out for Nathan Williams (#43 DE).  This is the other bookend to big ol’ Cam Heyward along the defensive front. Williams is  coming off an injury from the preseason which has slowed him a little so far, but it’s only a matter of time before he’s making things happen in the backfield again.  Keep in mind, this kid cracked the two deep as a true freshman two years ago, when the Buckeyes had more than 3 or 4 guys at each end spot competing for playing time, including several starters.

Writing Illini’s Nick Houska:

With four games under the Buckeyes’ belt, what have been the biggest surprises (both good and bad)? What are the team’s strong points and its weaknesses? What must Ohio State improve in order to realize its goal of reaching the BCS championship game?

The Buckeye Battle Cry:

One of the things that has stood out is the amount of trust that the coaching staff has in Terrelle Pryor. After “Purdue Harbor” last year, and with his knee injury, Ohio State turned to the running game and was churning out 200 yard contests every week. Then, we flash forward to the Rose Bowl, and we saw a new offensive strategy and renewed confidence in the QB. It’s his team now, which is a pretty significant move for “The Senator”- many think TP has more “free reign” than Troy Smith did at this point in his career.

The other thing, and we’ve mentioned it earlier, is the play of the fullback and tight end. Mostly just glorified battering rams in the traditional OSU offensive scheme, it’s obvious that this season they are viable weapons in a growing passing attack.

Interestingly enough, we talked about some of the concerns earlier this week. An area that we were afraid would be an issue was the defensive secondary. Losing stars to graduation always hurts, but it’s an area that we’re particularly young at once you get past the starters. With some bumps and bruises over the past three weeks, it will be an area that keeps Columbus antacid sales growing. We also haven’t seen the running game that we’re used to, but we’re not as worried as some people are.

Finally, the play of linebacker Tyler Moeller continues to be a blessing. Given that he was out all of last year following a head injury, to see him flying around the field and leading the team is just a gift, no matter what allegiances you might have.

Writing Illini’s Nick Houska:

How does the 2010 Ohio State team compare to some previous Buckeye teams that have been to the championship game (2002, 2006, 2007)?

The Buckeye Battle Cry:

It’s always hard to compare teams at different points in their existence- how would Butkus match up against modern opposition, for instance. That being said, here are some spitball comparisons to the teams of yore (If by “yore”, we mean 8 years ago).

I’m sure that people will disagree with me, but I think the offense is better than the 2002 team. I love me some Craig Krenzel, but Pryor is definitely an upgrade. The only spot on offense where we may not be better is at tailback, and that’s mostly because we don’t have one feature back, we have 2-4.

I also say we’re better on offense than the 2007 team. Beanie and Hartline and Robo were a solid group, but we’re more ready in 2010. I’d argue that were also better in the offensive line than we were in ’07.

2006 is the team that this offense should have as a benchmark. They were the best we’ve seen in scarlet and gray for a while, and hopefully this unit can surpass them by winning in the place it all went wrong, Arizona.

Defensively, we’re still growing. I think our front seven has the potential to be amazing, and will get there eventually. That’s not to say that the Buckeyes are soft- this team is ridiculously fast and arrives at the ball with bad intentions. They’ve got good leadership and tons of ability, but are still looking to come together as a cohesive unit- the injuries mentioned earlier certainly don’t help. But, for a team that’s got a history of great defenses, it’s not there yet.

Writing Illini’s Nick Houska:

Ohio State comes into the game heavily favored. Forgetting your allegiances, what must Illinois do to be competitive in this game and possibly pull off another 2007-style upset?

The Buckeye Battle Cry:

What does Illinois need to do?  Whatever you do, play a balanced defense.  Going after only the running game will bite you as Terrelle Pryor is gunning it all over the field to the tune of 71/107 for 939 yards and 10 touchdowns.  Remember that the Buckeyes have more passing touchdowns in total (12) than they do rushing touchdowns (11).

That said, going after only the passing game will hurt you as well.  The Bucks have an incredible stable of backs, including Herron and Saine, but along with Sophomore’s Jordan Hall and Jaamal Berry, who are both chomping at the bit for more playing time.

Writing Illini’s Nick Houska:

What is your final prediction for the game?

The Buckeye Battle Cry:

I’m not a “bet on the final” type of guy, much to Vegas’ chagrin. However, I will say that the huge weird turtle trophy is coming back to Columbus. So there’s that.

Until tomorrow.