Any thoughts yet on the Fiesta Bowl SN?
The Buckeyes have these keys to victory. Any one of these can lead to a Buckeye win:
1. Shut down the Texas running game. When Texas has been unable to run, for nearly the entire first half of the Oklahoma game and the first half of the Texas Tech game, Texas combined for 9 total offensive points. Neither of these two teams will be confused as a Defensive juggernaut. If OSU can force McCoy to be one dimensional, the Buckeyes can slow the Longhorn offense to a crawl opening the door for a Buckeye victory. OSU has an elite run stuffing defense and has only struggled once against USC in that department. Texas' backfield is certainly not in the ballpark of USC's.
2. Terrelle Pryor. Where is this guy in terms of his development? Pryor's first season was a roller coaster. When you get elite Terrelle Pryor, OSU destroys people. When you get average to below average Pryor, OSU treads water or loses. But OSU should have beat Penn State if Pryor doesn't get caught trying to do more than pick up the first down, and that was with an entire game of average Pryor, not elite Pryor. To date, Pryor has nearly an entire season as the starting OSU QB, a pair of games vs. top 3 teams, and an OSU/Michigan game under his belt. On top of that, add another 40 days of practice that he's gotten under his belt now, and who knows who we'll see at QB for the Buckeyes. If he takes the next step, OSU could easily win this game.
3. Ohio State's running game will be key. And the key to a key running game will be OSU's O-line play. These guys are boom or bust week in and week out. Boone is a primary reason why. He's the anchor on this line on the edge, but half the time, he looks like he's bored out there. Jimmy Cordle may not start the game due to an injury, which means Rehring may be back in there. OSU will have to find a way to slow down Orakpo coming off the edge, but most importantly, they'll have to push around a Texas rush defense ranked among the nation's best. If Beanie can't get going, OSU will struggle offensively. The zone read is a fixture in Texas and so there won't be much the Buckeyes will throw at them with that package that they haven't seen yet. The key will be getting enough of a push that Beanie can get a head of steam. 3 yards and a cloud of dust keeps McCoy on the bench.
