Subscribe
Jobs
Cars
Real Estate
Apts
Classifieds
Shop
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State Buckeyes know Oregon tailback LaMichael James and quarterback Jeremiah Masoli headline one of the top offenses in the nation, one that churns out 425 yards and 38 points a game.
They also know they’ve got to come up with a way to stop it on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl.
“You’ve got to play confident yourself. You can’t be so uptight about, ‘Oh, they scored all these points all season, we can’t let them do anything,’ ” safety Anderson Russell said. “Because that’s when you let them make big plays, when you play tight like that.”
It’s not as if the Buckeyes take a back seat on defense. They’ve surrendered 11 touchdowns over the last 43 quarters and rank among the top 10 in the nation in five defensive categories, including rushing defense (fifth at 83 yards a game) and scoring defense (fifth at 12 points a game). No rusher has gained 100 yards on them all season.
To limit the Ducks’ hurry-up, anything-goes, spread attack, the Buckeyes have four major objectives:
•Stifle the run. James, a redshirt freshman scatback, is averaging 123 yards a game and Masoli 60. LeGarrette Blount, the starter a year ago who was suspended for half the season for punching a BYU player in the opener, adds an intriguing element because of his size and strength (6-foot-2, 246 pounds).
•Slow the pace. The Ducks frequently go no-huddle to pose personnel problems for a defense, or to simply wear it down.
•Pressure Masoli. A strength of the Buckeyes all year has been its active, aggressive front wall. It has posted 22 sacks, but more than that many of the game-turning plays of the season were initiated by a lineman getting in the face of the opposing quarterback.
•Play keepaway. Ohio State’s offense has moved the ball in fits and starts most of the season, but it cannot afford to repeatedly give up the ball after short series.
There’s also the viewpoint that the teams’ strengths will negate each other.
“I’ve heard some people say our defense and their offense will cancel each other out and the battle of the game will be our offense against their defense,” offensive lineman Jim Cordle said.
It all comes down to turning a plan into plays.
“We’ve just got to go out there and play ball like we have been, make sure we’re running around and communicating,” Russell said.
