OCT. 5, 2006
OSU-BOWLING GREEN: POINT-COUNTERPOINT
The Falcons are horrible, so this week Cal Remkey and Scott Clifton take turns answering five questions about any OSU-related topic:
1. What effect, if any, will the new Ohio Stadium turf have on the Buckeyes?
>> SCOTT CLIFTON: Probably not much, unless it gives the receivers and backs more confidence that their footing will hold when they make a cut. With this offense, a quality surface is a must. It's not like Notre Dame Stadium where they know they're slower than the opponent so they have to let the grass grow 3 inches! And why is this an issue? Because the grounds crew dropped the ball and didn't recommend a change before the season started.
>> CAL REMKEY: I think that it will help the Ohio State offense to be even more explosive. The Bucks were completely hamstrung against Penn State because of the weather and field conditions. And while the fear is still
there, I am a little less weary of someone tearing, twisting, or breaking a body part of importance. As Scott said above, what were OSU officials thinking? They know that there is a limited lifetime on this turf, why were arrangements not made over the summer? Luckily it didn’t cost Ohio State a season ending injury or a loss. The unfortunate part about the turf replacement is that TSUN’s offense will probably benefit greatly from this change.
2. What effect will the loss of Anderson Russell for the season, have on the Ohio State defensive schemes?
>> CLIFTON: Judging from at least one play at Iowa it will have some effect. The play in question was when Drew Tate was under serious pressure and his receiver ran a poorly executed out and up -- there was no out. And Russell's replacement, Jamario O'Neal -- bit on the out and the Hawkeyes gained 30+ yards on the play. Granted, The Vest plays a ton of people so the players who rotate in will be used to being on the field.
>>
REMKEY: I think that this will have a more serious impact than people are leading on. That position is, in many
cases, the last line of defense. You need someone who will not let people behind them, and is a sure tackler. What I have seen up to this point with O’Neal, has not left me with the impression that he is either of these. Against Northern Illinois, Garrett Wolffe left O’Neal in his dust so many times, that at one point I began longing for the days of Donnie Nickey dragging people down by their shirt tails (but at least he made the tackle).
3. So far this Big Ten season, Ohio State opponents have been penalized the least. Is this a case of the refs swallowing their whistles, or do the Bucks have a tough time selling penalties?
>> CLIFTON: Only four teams in the conference have been penalized less than the Buckeyes. Two of them -- Iowa and Penn State -- have already played OSU. Coincidence? Uh, no. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I think the refs
are trying to keep games close so that more people stay tuned into the game longer. More viewers, more adverstising seen. Advertisers happy, ABC happy. ABC happy, refs keep their jobs. Maybe it's a long shot,
but when Doug Datish gets his helmet ripped off and is subsequently punched in the face four times right in front of the ref and nothing is called that's not right.
>>
REMKEY: I don’t completely disagree with that. I think that on some level there is a vested interest to keep the
games close. But I don’t know if the conspiracy reaches to the upper echelons of the Disney Corporation. I don’t know if it’s a resistance to make a call but I do know that every game, and virtually every play, Vernon Gholston is having illegal things done to him. What does this guy have to do to draw a penalty? Last week, against Iowa, Gholston reached out and close-lined Albert Young while being held and tackled. You could literally see most of Gholston’s shoulder pads because his jersey was so far off his chest. Against State Penn, the announcers were openly calling the refs out for missing holding calls that victimized Gholston. Maybe it’s the new jerseys? The tighter fit must make it even harder for the zebras to see.
4. Which game on Ohio State's remaining schedule scares you the most?
>> CLIFTON: I could say Sparty, but Remkey would call me out again. Glen Mason's bunch up at Minnesota played well in the second half against TSUN, but Ohio State gets the Gophers here. Would you think I was crazy if I
said I'm scared of the Juice? Illinois quarterback Juice Williams -- a true freshman -- is only going to get better as the season goes along. He has some confidence now that he proved he can win on the road in the Big Ten and he is athletic enough that if the Buckeyes stay in that nickel defense they call a base, it could be a long day in Champaign. Hey, I had to pick somebody.
>>
REMKEY: I guess if I absolutely had to pick, it would be TSUN. But as I sit here in October, I cannot envision a
scenario that would allow for an undefeated Ohio State team to lose to TSUN with a chance to go on to the national championship game. I just don’t see it happening. Not with Jim Tressel, and absolutely not with Troy Smith. TSUN is obviously the best team left on the schedule and that’s why I would say them, but I just cannot see it happening.
5. Who do you want to see Ohio State play in Glendale, Ariz. on January 8th?
>> CLIFTON: USC. I want The Vest to go in and "tear their hearts out." It would be the perfect end to the Pete Carroll
regime in Los Angeles. Not only would he lose to the Buckeyes -- thus losing his grip on potential recruits -- it would be the last game pre-probation. Carroll's refusal to have any kind of institutional control over who comes to his practices and who surrounds his players came back and bit him in the ass when the news of Reggie Bush's indiscretions broke. The Trojans will be on probabtion and what better way to send them into the abyss than suffocating them with a sweater vest?
>>
REMKEY: I am in complete agreement. In his last seven games, Tressel has beaten Lloyd Carr, Charlie Weis, Mack Brown, Joe Paterno, and Kirk Ferentz. What better name to add to that who’s who of college coaches, than
Pete Carroll? Yes, the “One-Pete” has carved his name into that elite list of coaches, and it would be wonderful to see Don Tresselli start another fall from graces type scenario with USC as he did with Miami in 2002. The only other teams that I would like to see the Bucks face would be Auburn or Florida. And that is just so the SEC could get a little payback for the Cooper years.
Cal can be reached via email at calremkey@meanbrutus.com
Scott can be reached via email at scottclifton@meanbrutus.com
