U Weekly. Serving The Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio

Three yards and a cloud of win

By VR Bryant

It's no secret at this point that Jim Tressel is the messiah of modern football conservatism. But just because Captain Coy isn't liable to blow the doors off anyone any time soon with his buttoned-up game plan, doesn't mean that he can't make you look stupid, which is basically what happened this past New Year's Day in Pasadena.

Most experts agreed that both the Bucks and the Ducks were who we all thought they were - Oregon the flashy, hang-40-on-you offensive juggernaut, Ohio State the spokesmodel for staunch, stingy defense. They also agreed, nearly to the last man, that Oregon had this one in the basket, ready for checkout. What they didn't count on was The Vest's blueprint finally clicking with the 22 men on the field.

Not to take anything away from young Mr. Pryor, who did make an important leap forward in a few areas, but his success seemed to be largely the result of finally "getting" how Tresselball works: Don't lose yards. Protect the football. Don't go off script unless absolutely necessary, and if you must, always be ready to cut your losses.

There were still a couple instances of old TP, which weren't even all bad - see my accompanying article for further analysis of Pryor's performance. But what I saw for most of the game was a quarterback who'd been very well-coached, and the results were roundly positive.

Still, that's not why Ohio State won. Not really.

When Oregon coach Chip Kelly maneuvered his club through a fourth-and-nine and into the end zone from 30 yards out to tie the ball game, the elation of the 10-0 first quarter evaporated and the more panicky elements in all of us Buckeye fans started to bubble to the surface. Fortunately, nobody on the field exhibited any such emotion.

What ensued was a total gut-punch of a drive: 19 plays, 67 yards, eight minutes off the clock. It was a microcosm of the entire game, a game that saw Ohio State hold the ball for more than 41 minutes. This drive (also known as The Boom and Posey Show) saw Pryor go 7-for-10 passing, and Boom Herron and DeVier Posey combine for 52 yards on nine touches. That's a good quarter - even half - in some of OSU's other games. Instead, even though it ended only in a field goal, it was a brilliant bit of keep-away, and it forced desperation and ultimately a turnover in Oregon's last possession of the half.

True, the Ducks came right back out in the second half and, on the strength of yet another fantastic kick return, marched the ball into the end zone and took their first lead of the game. Tressel responded with an 11-play drive, anchored by the 36-yard spike to Posey that they'd been setting up all game, made possible by all of the short, metered strikes that kept the Oregon defense creeping closer and closer to the line of scrimmage.

Ohio State only averaged 4.7 yards per play, and that's including Pryor's three longest passes of 46, 36 and 24 yards. Without those, we're talking 3.6 yards a shot. And the only thing more maddening than having to defend 21 third-down attempts is having to stand on the sideline with your helmet in your hand and watch 11 of them succeed and time melt off the clock.

Tressel's focus on ball control, clock management and special teams found its way back onto the main stage, and shined for everyone to see. It will be interesting to see how Pryor continues to develop in this system. For now, we can all thank them both for engineering one of the more deeply satisfying Ohio State football victories in the last decade.

Originally Published: January 6, 2010

↑ Back to the top