Ohio State Loses Another BCS Bowl Game

The Ohio State Buckeyes haven't been great in their last three BCS bowl games. Two seasons ago, the Buckeyes were embarrassed in the National Championship game by the Florida Gators 41-14. Last year, the Buckeyes lost to the LSU Tigers in another National Championship game. Last night, the Buckeyes had a chance to beat the Texas Longhorns. They were leading with 1:58 seconds left in the game. The outcome was more of the same for the Buckeyes as they lost 24-21 to the Longhorns.

The Buckeyes played really well as an underdog. There was no pressure on them to win the game as they were a 10 point underdog agains the explosive Longhorns. To hold the Longhorns to only 24 points is quite an accomplishment. Terrelle Pryor didn't have the greatest game in the world. His stat line was 5/14 for 66 yards and had zero touchdowns or turnovers. He also ran 15 times for 78 yards. Pryor kept his team in the game by managing the game. His stats aren't what you want to see out of the quarterback position but he made good decisions with the football. I thought he threw the football better on the run than in the pocket. He was way off the mark while in the pocket. He kept drives alive with his legs, moving his team into Longhorns territory. The Buckeyes had to settle for field goals though. Chris "Beanie" Wells had a big game too, but left the game late due to injury and never returned. Todd Boeckman was the most effective QB for the Buckeyes because of his ability to throw the football. He even threw a touchdown to Terrelle Pryor. Pryor made it look easy as a wide receiver. The playcalling in this game for the Buckeyes was about as good as there could be in a collegiate game. Most of their drives stalled because Pryor couldn't keep the Longhorns defense honest with his arm, ill-advised penalties, and good defense the Longhorns.

Defensively, the Buckeyes did everything that they could to slow down the high-powered offense of the Longhorns. They blitzed Colt McCoy with every chance they had. The Buckeyes brought more defenders than the Longhorns had blockers. The blitz made McCoy get rid of the football quicker than he would like. The blitz did force a poor throw from McCoy in the redzone which resulted in an interception that helped end the first half. Even though the Buckeyes defense played really well in this game, the game did have a "just a matter of time" feel for it as the Longhorns offense was a little out of sync.

That feeling came fruition in the third quarter, as Colt McCoy began to find his rhythm. The blitz from the Buckeyes bothered him in the first half, but the second half was a different story. McCoy's favorite target in the game was Quan Crosby who had a ridiculous game. Crosby's stat line was 14 receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns. While McCoy found his rhythm throwing, he finally chose his spots to use his legs to keep drives alive. I don't think McCoy even tried to use his legs in the first half. He threw a touchdown to Quan Crosby in the end zone on crossing route for a touchdown, and ran for a TD which included a nice spin to elude a would-be tackler. The running game of the Longhorns was non-existant. There were a few positive gains in the gain, but the Longhorns pretty much won the game on the arm of McCoy. He had a stat line of 41/59 for 414 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The interception probably cost the Longhorns at least a field goal as it happened in the redzone at the end of the second quarter. Here is my play-by-play of the Longhorns touchdown winning drive (it's in all CAPs; so my bad):

WITH 1:58 LEFT IN THE GAME, COLT MCCOY CROWNS THEIR ASSES. QUAN CROSBY SEVEN YARD CATCH, QUAN CROSBY FOR THE FIRST DOWN, INCOMPLETION TO QUAN CROSBY, MCCOY RUNS FOR A TWO YARD GAIN, BRANDON COLLINS FOR THE FIRST DOWN GRAB, BRANDON COLLINS FOR AN EIGHT YARD GAIN, INCOMPLETION TO COLLINS, PASS ATTEMPT BLOCKED BY A LINEMAN (ZONE COVERAGE ON THE PLAY), FIRST DOWN GRAB BY JAMES KIRKENDOLL, FIRST GRAB BY COLLINS, QUAN CROSBY FOR THE TOUCHDOWN ON A SLANT ROUTE, GOOD MORNING GOOD AFTERNOON GOOD NIGHT!

That is actually not bad. One of these days, I'll take over for Jim Nantz.

Anyway, the Longhorn defense had some problems defending Terrelle Pryor's ability to run the football and stopping the run in general. Beanie Wells was running through and around that defense until he got injured. However, they held the Buckeyes to 21 points. That isn't bad. Could be worse. Brian Orakpo will be a solid NFL pro. He has been getting by on his strength and speed with no real go-to move. With solid coaching at the next level, he could be on par with Terrell Suggs, at least that is who he reminds me of at the moment.

Texas could be scary next year with Colt McCoy returning for his senior season. He'll have host of talents at his disposal. Most of their starters are returning on defense with Henry Melton, Brian Orakpo, Aaron Lewis, and Roy Miller moving on to the next level. It'll be a young group but very talented. The Big 12 is in trouble.