1.QUESTIONS ANSWERED2.QUESTIONS LEFT UNANSWERED 3.THINGS THAT MADE ME FEEL GOOD4.NEW QUESTIONS (Things I Am Concerned About)What a glorious day to attend a game! Literally, there was not a cloud in the sky all day. Kind of on the warm side, but any day in the Horseshoe is a great day!
As usual, there were a lot of question marks going into a new season. For me, some were answered, while some remain unanswered and some new questions arose. Here is my different take on the game and team after this one game.
1.QUESTIONS THAT WERE ANSWERED
QUESTIONS THAT WERE ANSWERED•Who should be the starting QB for the season? > Hands down, Todd Boeckman. What a pleasant surprise for me. His touch on the passes was very impressive. I was very surprised and impressed at his poise, how well he stayed on the pocket and how well he checked off receivers. He made good decisions, is obviously intelligent, and was very well spoken in the post game locker room press conference. Has awesome upside potential. > Personally, I was more impressed with Henton and think he should be number two.•How good will the receiving corps be with the loss of Gonzalez, Hall, Ginn? > If there are things that keep you up at night, THIS topic should NOT be one ofthem. With all due respect and appreciation to Ginn, Gonzalez and Hall, I thinkwe lose practically nothing here. Robiskie is a first round draft choice, Sanzenbacher will be dealt with separately later (great talent), Brian Hartline is the new Gonzalez and Taurian Washington will be a superstar. Sleep tight!•What new Freshmen will stand out?> I had many questions here and was uncertain how any of them would produce. I received some great answers. Eight (Brandon Saine, Dane Sanzenbacher, Taurian Washington, Brian Rolle, Cameron Heyward, Eugene Clifford, James Scott, Devon
Torrence) of the fifteen freshman signed played, with three scoring TD’s (Sanzenbacher,
Saine, Washington). Here are the freshmen who truly shone after week 1:
Brandon Saine – WOW!!!!!! Very impressive, hard to bring down, ran like a junior, unbelievable vision (similar to Archie’s), was uncommonly patient for a true freshman and has at least two or three extra gears in the speed department. His TD run was right up the gut but he can also bounce it outside. Smart, determined runner. I love Beanie Wells but he better look constantly in the rear view mirror!
Dane Sanzenbacher – WOW!!! Fast, smart route runner, excellent hands, super quick feet. Had one TD and should have had two! Expect to hear his number called a lot in
the next few years. Will challenge if not replace Hartline possibly.
Taurian Washington – WOW!! Not just because he scored a TD, but what he did with the ball after he caught it. Has an obvious sixth sense with extraordinary field vision.
Will be the next Brian Robiskie!
Eugene Clifford – WOW! Showed great tackling and defensive instincts. Was in on special teams as well as DB.•How good will the running game be with the loss of Pittman and the lone returning letterman being a true sophomore (Beanie Wells)?> I have to admit that the loss of Pittman was more significant than I realized, but we will be in very good hands at TB. Beanie did not have a superior showing but I am not worried. He seemed to be getting his rhythm back as the game went on. Plus, he does have a
slightly sprained ankle.
> Brandon Saine is AWESOME!!!! I know so far they have been practicing him heavily in last year’s “Shot-Ginn” formation with a lot of success, but he MUST get a lot of
playing time. Simply put, he seems to make more happen than anyone I have seen
at OSU in a LONG, LONG time at TB. Reminds me a lot of #27 once he gets the ball.
> I am sorry, Maurice Wells is a good kid and he did break a few decent runs. But other than two or three times he touched the ball, most of the his time was spent dropping to the ground the minute any kind of contact happened. I think he should be 3rd string. He does seem to shine on the screen plays though.
2.QUESTIONS LEFT UNANSWERED
QUESTIONS LEFT UNANSWERED•Will the defense be as good as advertised?> YES, but it will take a little more time than I first thought. The loss of Lawrence Wilson at DE seemed to take a lot psychologically out of the defense. I am confident they will
adjust and we can fill his shoes, but Wilson is simply a monster. Reminds me a lot of
Will Smith from a few years ago. The LB’s and secondary were very solid and will only
improve with time. Russell Anderson is back and looking great, with excellent
performances given by Larry Grant, Malcom Jenkins and Austin Spitler.
•How good will our offensive line be, given three new starters?> I am sorry to be somewhat negative, but just who REALLY coaches our offensive line? This line, I am sure, will improve over time and probably be very good. Yesterday, they looked to me like the same old slow, weak, sluggish offensive line that we have come to
know and love under Jim Bollman. There is considerable work to be done here.
> Just what will the final “character” of our offense be? Everyone, including myself, was expecting 3 Yds. and a Cloud of Dust, a la 2002. Seemed like the strength, at least
yesterday was the passing game.3.THINGS THAT MADE ME FEEL GOOD
THINGS THAT MADE ME FEEL GOOD>Brandon Saine at TB>The back up LB’s>Dane Sanzenbacher>The entire passing game>Much better usage of the TE’s>It seems like we re-loaded more than replaced>Antonio Henton (should be #2 QB to me)4.NEW QUESTIONS
NEW QUESTIONS >How good will our D-Line be, especially given Lawrence Wilson’s departure? I am sure Dr. Mark will have more on his injury and recovery later this week.> Is the starting offensive line-up set yet?>How weak was Youngstown State vs. any of the Big Ten teams? In other words, was YSU a decent or solid test, or do we have THAT much work to do?>What will it take to get our running game into a higher gear, where it NEEDS to be?Questions, questions. We’ll see.
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Buckeye 50 Editorial -
QUESTIONS / CONCERNS
AFTER GAME 1
9/4/07
By PJSBuck
