We are at the quarter pole of the 2009 season and, while the Buckeyes are not setting a record pace, the Buckeyes are not far off the lead.   We have learned a little, but there is a long way to go.

What are the odds the defense blanks Indiana for their third shutout in a row?  Have the Buckeyes ever done that?

Poe McKnoe: They either score points or they don’t, so I’m going 50-50.  Indiana hasn’t scored an offensive touchdown against Ohio State since 2004.  That’s 5 years (even though they aren’t on the schedule every year).  They’ve put up 3 field goals and an INT return for a TD in 2005 and 2006.  I, for one, do not respect IU’s offense and expect them to get blown up in the trenches sending Ben Chappell into a tailspin.  They will probably throw a trick in there, capitalize on a Pryor turnover, or have 1 good drive and come out with 10 points.

Massey: Not good, imagine. The last time the Buckeyes had three consecutive shutouts was in 1973, when it blanked Northwestern, Illinois and Michigan State.  Honestly, I could not care less if they hold the Hoosiers scoreless.  In fact, when Ohio State is involved with accomplishments like that they only serve as self-perpetuating prophecies for Big Ten haters.  ”The Big Ten totally sucks, bra!  OSU has shut out 3 straight and we know they suck!  Let’s watch Cincinnati,” resident B10 hater says as he opens another Natty Light.

Despite some big plays against Michigan, Indiana has not been an offensive juggernaut so far.  That was actually the first game where they amassed 400 or more yards, and their competition has not been stiff.  They will most likely score, but I am not sure I want to predict an offensive touchdown.

After four games, which is better: Ohio State’s running or passing game? Has either met your expectations?

P: I’m still waiting for OSU to rush for 200 and pass for 250 each game, per Tressel’s ‘goals’.  The passing game has been better than the rushing game, and that’s scary.  Terrelle Pryor doesn’t look like a running QB and doesn’t look like a passing QB, but some unbalanced combo of both.  Hopefully the recent ‘adaptations’ of the offense will help move the ball.  Posey and Pryor have yet to have a real connections and there’s a lot of hands not getting balls.  Boom has been even less effective, rushing for 3.xxx yards per rush.  Now he’s hurt, and Saine looks strong, but the remaining backs are Jordan Hall and Jemil Martin.  Let’s hope the passing game explodes.

M: If either one has impressed someone, they have been watching highlights from 1995.  I think the passing game is closer than the rushing game.  I know that sounds weird considering some of Pryor’s decisions but he has made some throws that I did not think we would see this season.  He still does not  trust himself all the time and I do not always think he is put in the best position, but there have been times where I see the potential for a Troy Smith epiphany.  I have yet to see anything from Herron or Saine that makes me excited or that would make a defensive coordinator worry.  The heavy dose of the read-option looked promising but I heard Tressel say that was more a reaction to Illinois than an actual game plan (ugh).  I may feel differently if Pryor was allowed to run more than 10 times per game, but he isn’t and he never will be.

Now that you have had a chance to watch everyone play, what is the most difficult remaining game on Ohio State’s schedule?

M: Michigan.  Seriously.  They seem to be the only Big Ten team not afraid to score points.  Their defense looks bad, because it is, but I expect an inspired performance from them on November 21.  The Game has taken a few years off but it is going to get back on track sooner rather than later.  Penn State appears to be thin on offense and another loss before OSU visits would confirm our suspicions.  Iowa looked good but you know they will crumble against the Buckeyes.  If they are undefeated on November 14, I hear the pundits saying “This was the game we were hoping for in 2002!”  No, it’s not.  That team had NFL caliber players on offense.  Michigan is the only team that appears capable of coming up with points when they need them.

P: Iowa.  I’ll buy the hype.  Michigan is #2.  Michigan plays two hand tap on defense, but they can score on offense.  Iowa beat an overrated Penn State team and now the Big Ten Network has turned on the hype, especially since they were the only Big Ten team to win a bowl game last year (and an SEC team to boot, woooweee).  Iowa will probably drop their next game, because they are Iowa.  The whole Big Ten is underwhelming, and while OSU may drop a game, can I say their bowl game?

Herron is out against Indiana and Saine will get the start.  Do you think Boom will regain his starting spot?

P: Unless Saine goes all Lydell Ross against IU (check it, Ross’ only good game), I fully expect that the order of things won’t change.  And by order, I mean that they’ll keep splitting carries 45-45 with Jordan Hall taking the rest.  There’s also no plan to redshirt Jamaal Berry, which means he doesn’t want to be redshirted and wants to be in the NFL Draft in 2011.  It’s a running back by committee and it’s effective.

M: God, I hope so.  Herron runs to contact.  I don’t care if it is a defender, an Ohio State blocker, or a downs -marker.  He will run directly towards it.  I simply cannot figure it out.  My any measure, Saine has been the better tailback this season.  He looked far better last week despite Herron’s two scores.  I don’t have a horse in this race, either.  I just want one of them to step up and play like an Ohio State starting running back.

We do this thing every once in a while.  This time we’re talking about the Fighting Zookers chances on Saturday in the ‘Shoe.

The juice is good?  The juice is rancid?  Which version of Juice Williams do you expect to see on Saturday?  The one that surgically dissected OSU in 2007 or the guy that finished 2008 going 1-4 (54% completion rate, 6 TDs, 8 INTs, and 11 sacks)?

Poe: Juice is as hot and cold as either side of pillow.  At any moment, he can explode over teams like Missouri and Michigan but then be ineffective against Western Michigan.  The thing that Juice doesn’t like is good defense and it showed last year against Ohio State.  OSU should be worried that the Juice could get loose (I had to do it), but he was injured against Illinois St 2 week ago.  His game against Ohio State in 2007 was a product of a missed calls, picks made on defenders, and a soft Ohio State scheme made worse by soft tackling.  So far, this OSU defense hasn’t had problem getting pressure or tackling.  Things could change, but coach Ron Zook hasn’t been able to coach in a decade and won’t start Saturday.

Cassius: I echo Poe’s comments about the inconsistency of Juice.  But Ohio State has had a recent track record of having trouble with running quarterbacks.  And while Juice has toned down his straight-up runs, he is still a mobile quarterback who could provide problems for a still inexperienced secondary and linebacker corps. I expect Juice to have a rather poor outing this Saturday, mainly because of the explosiveness of the defensive line.  Expect Thaddeus and the boys to pin their ears back and repay Juice for the 2007 debacle in the ‘Shoe.

Massey: Well, aside from the four touchdown passes Juice had a rather mediocre game against OSU in 2007.  In fact, it was hardly once of his statistical gems.  The thing is, whenever Juice had a big game last season his team lost.  I am not wishing for a big game by Isiah but I think this game will be decided by a lot more than Juice and his production.  Big plays on special teams and timely stops are more likely to make a difference than Williams bombing away for 350 yards.  So, no matter what version shows up on Saturday, he is going to need help.  Perhaps, lots of it.

What did you make of Tressel’s approach against Toledo, specifically his decision to allow Pryor more freedom to run and the QB sneak on 3rd and short?  A reaction to fan criticism, coincidence, or something in between?

C: Say whatever you want about Tressel, but one thing he has never done is give into fan criticism.  I think the decision to allow more QB sneaks on third and short was a matter of game plan.  Tressel probably knew that USC would be ready for the QB sneak on most third and shorts and so stayed away from it.  And since Toledo watched the USC film and saw the reluctance to run Pryor on 3rd down, they were probably more prepared for a handoff which is why Tressel kept it in Pryor’s hands.  I think football is a game of trying to do what the other team doesn’t expect you to do, and I think that’s what Tressel was doing these past two weeks.

M: Something in between, probably.  The sneak on third and short seemed like an obviously concession.  I know it is ridiculous to think that a major D-I coach listens, and even succumbs, to criticism from his fan base but it certainly seems like he was paying some attention. Tressel is conservative.  We all accept that, although more begrudgingly than others.  But he seems to get more conservative when the spotlight is on him.  Maybe that is the reason his teams perform so well in the games when they are favored and not as well in the games where OSU is not a clear cut favorite.  Tressel seems to take the wraps off in games where he knows it is unlikely to backfire while he plays it close to the vest when there is serious opposition.

P: His approach against Toledo was the same approach used against most teams not ranked in the Top 10.   Toledo’s defense is bad bad bad and the outcome was actually lower than I expected, but I figured Toledo would at least score a few points in the beginning.  It’s a good approach that should be expanded to teams with good defense.  The sneak showed Jimmy T has a sense of humor, plus Boom has proven to be as effective as Maurice Wells in short yardage situations.

Arrelious Benn has 4 catches for 72 yards against Ohio State in two games.  Do you think he will eclipse those numbers on Saturday?

M: Actually, no.  I have been wanting to call out Benn as overhyped for two years now and I suppose now is as good a time as any.  Of course, this may jinx the Buckeyes as Benn blows up in the Horseshoe but he has had only one impressive game against a major defense and that was last year at Penn State.  I know he has been banged up in ‘09, but I liked the way the Ohio State secondary played Damian Williams and then the entire Toledo passing attack.  I do not expect a repeat performance from last weekend, but I do not think the Buckeyes will let Benn beat them.  Unless he breaks a big one, I think he ends up with less than 75 yards.

P: It’s a fair pick if Juice is on and Benn isn’t knocked out.  It really depends on the Ohio State defense and if they choose to sell out to stop the pass or stop the run.  The Illini shouldn’t be as bad on offense as they are.  Juice was hurt 2 weeks ago and no one really exploded through the air, but they won 45-17.   Benn has 1 catch for 9 yards this year and will have to explode at some point if he’s going to be a first round draft pick. Maybe Juice will realize his real position in the NFL and steal some catches from Benn.

C: No, I don’t think he will eclipse his career mark in this game.  This isn’t because Benn isn’t a good target, he is in fact Juice’s go-to guy.  But I think its because of the pressure that will be put on Juice by the defensive line.  He may have more than 4 catches on Saturday, but I don’t think Juice will have enough time to get the ball to him downfield.  Unless he somehow manages to make a catch and break a few tackles and get downfield on his own, as Massey says, I think he will end up with around 50 yards.

Finally, Ohio State has not passed for more than 150 yards against Illinois since 2005 (only 49 in 2008).  Tell everyone why the Buckeyes will blow past that number on Saturday.

P: It was actually 156 in 2007 (coupled with 3 Boeckman INTs in his Interceptapalooza), and I know that because I looked it up.  Pryor’s been good for 200+ yards per game on average this year and has no signs of slowing down unless he starts Boeckmaning them into the secondary.  The Illini have been blown up through the air this year and OSU might have to pass if Boom continues to get the bulk of the carries at 3 yard per carry.  Vontae Davis may really have been that good because no one else on the Illini knows how to play defense. If Pryor is clicking and the game is close, he could easily surpass Toledo numbers.

C: Psh, Pryor will easily pass 150 yards, probably in the first half.  In fact, I expect Pryor to eclipse his career high passing game (set last week at 262 yards) and have his first career 300 yard passing game.  Believe it or not, the kid is getting more and more confident in his passing abilities and is still developing as a passer.  Couple that with the fact that Illinois simply does not play pass defense and Pryor could go off…big time.

M: Terrelle and his receivers will blow past 150 yards in the first half.  Illinois is 119th in pass defense. Yes, that is the penultimate position.  The Illini are giving up 340 yards/game (Yikes!), which leaves more than enough room for Pryor to get his first 300 yard passing game.  They actually surrendered more passing yards to Illinois State than Missouri. Ouch.  We may see a lot of different routes this weekend - more screens, quick slants - but the result will still be copious yards for Pryor.

Every Tuesday at lunch, Chef Tress sits down with the media and holds his weekly press conference.  There are a lot of questions and answers, and a lot gets said.  Here is our weekly look at what was “unsaid” by both reporters and Tressel.  We try to read Tressel’s mind … er, between the lines.

Tressel [referring to the defensive effort and the pressure on Opelt]: I’ve probably not seen more throwaways in a game than I saw in that game and obviously the young man was well coached. If there’s nothing there, don’t just throw it up for grabs, and he didn’t. He threw it out of bounds a number of times[.]

Reading between the lines: God, I hope Terrelle was watching that because the next time he gets pressured, get shuffle feet, and throws a jump pass for an interception I am going to body slam the nearest headphone holder.  I mean, jesus, what is that move?  It is not all that often that he receives enough pressure that he needs to throw the ball away so it should be easy for him to recognize that moment.  Obviously, we need to practice that and whatnot.

T: We didn’t have a Jack Tatum hit candidate this particular week and we had some guys do a good job on the scout team.

BTL: They barely had enough plays down field downfield for our guys to make plays. Seriously, I think their longest play was about 28 yards.  You can imagine how hard it is to get a big hit when the other team averages 1 yard per carry.  Our defensive line was gobbling those muthas up so fast that Jermales, Kurt, and B-Rolle barely had a chance to warm up those shoulder pads.  I am not complaining, though.  It is nice to get a gimme every now and ago.

T: And then Chris Fields, wide receiver from Painesville Harvey, I think Chris is going to be a good player. I told Darrell Hazelland those guys more than once that Chris reminds me of the way that Santonio looked as a freshman. I think Chris Fields is going to be a good football player and we’ll see if he gets to the Santonio Holmes level. Santonio obviously climbed, but at this moment, I’ve got a lot of good feel about what he’s going to become.

BTL: This kid is going to be sick.  Remember, when I almost played Santonio against Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl?  Well, I did.  And, then by the end of the next season against Kansas State he was clearly our best player.  Man, those were the good old days.  Anyway, where was I?  Oh yeah, as long as Chris can manage to not get arrested until after he is drafted, we will be cool.

Let’s take some questions…

T [regarding the offensive line play and false starts]: Well, we’ve got to go off on the count, but I thought J.B. did some good things. He’s a young guy playing a tough position. These ends, as we head into Big Ten play, are going to be good ones, but he’s got to progress, as does Mike, as does Andrew. We’ve probably still, in our minds, are thinking that Corey Linsley and Marcus Hall may redshirt, but we’ll just have to keep playing along, because we think that we can be contributors as we go, but they’ve got to keep getting better.

BTL: If they are getting anxious against the Shprockets, they are going to be eaten alive in Happy Valley, I don’t care how many injuries they have.  Do you remember Tamba Hali in 2005?  I guarantee you that Troy does.  Ouch!  Man, he blew right past Kirk Barton on that play.  Whew, bad times.

REPORTER: Did Jordan Hall impress you in his late game running there and how much will that earn him more playing time?

T: You know, Jordan’s been impressive since he’s been here. He’s a hard-nosed kid, studies the game, has done well running the football every chance he’s gotten, so now that we’ve seen him in a game, obviously it makes it easier to put him into a game, but, no, he’s going to be a good player. He’s a tough oh he’s a tough kid.

BTL: Seriously, I just want one guy to step up and play well at tailback.  I don’t care who it is or what year he graduates.  We thought Boom was that guy this season but I think he is barely averaging 2 yards a carry.  It just seems like he runs to contact, like he is looking to engage the defender.  It is weird.  I will not even mention all the short yardage runs he has failed on.  Ick.  Obviously, that is upsetting.  So, yes, Jordan Hall; step right up and take as many snaps as you can handle.  We’re dying over here.

REPORTER: As honorary captain, will Coach Bruce give the pregame speech?

T: Yes. Our honorary captain always addresses the squad at the pregame meal because it’s too late once we get to the locker room.

BTL: Yes, he will address the team and, yes, he will likely scare them and reinforce all stereotypes of the elderly in society. Have you heard him speak recently.  Whoa!  This is going to be hilarious…I mean, inspirational.