Akron Quick Hitters

Time for the first NFL Sunday of the season. Or what all hetrosexual men call "Christmas". But before we start the season, let's take a quick look at the Buckeyes unispiring 20-2 win over Akron.

*With a 3-2 lead at the half, Buckeye fans had to wonder if they were about to get their just desserts for crowing about Michigan's unfortunate start to the season.

*Todd Boeckman did not follow-up on the season opener with a particularly strong performance. He continues to throw a lot of passes that *could* be picked off, though the level of competition thus far has saved him. I'm also a little worried about his inability to check down; he seems to lock on to receivers pretty early.

*Given that the other team was the Zips, the offensive line play was atrocious. They looked slow off the ball and there were a number of times that OSU runners were dodging defenders in the backfield. Steve Rehring look particularly slow, and Alex Boone and Jim Cordle were also disappointing. This has got to be the biggest area of concern for the Bucks heading into Washington.

*Beanie Wells had a "career" day, going for 143 yards on 20 carries. Lioke the rest of the offense, he struggled mightily in the first half. But he got things going in the second half, showing off the power and speed that made him the #1 RB two years ago. He's still a little frustrating, especially when the line doesn't give him a clear lane. But this was encouraging...so let's see how he does against the Huskies.

*What can you say about Brandon Saine? Though he had a a meager 28 yards on 9 carries, his touchdown reception gave the Buckeyes some breathing room. His speed to the outside is very impressive, and he already may have the best vision of the OSU backs. The combination of Saine and Wells is going to be sick nxet season. Stay tuned for very conservative play-calling at USC ;)

*It was Brian Hartline's turn to be the go-to receiver, snagging 6 catches. Brian Robiskie had a quiet first half, but scored the final TD and finished with 82 yards. With Boeckman off target much of the day, none of the other receviers made much impact.

*On the other hand, the defense played extremely well. Akron was held to 69 yards and 1.4 yards per play. Even their two points came on safety against the offense. They averaged 0.2 yards per carry and punted an amazing 14 times during the game. OSU is now allowing just 4 points per game this season.

*The defensive line put on good pressure all day, but the two biggest surprises were Cameron Heyward and Nader Abdullah. Heyward, a true freshman, registered his first sack and is playing well beyond his years. At this point he's been a more consistent rusher than Rose. Abdullah, a redshirt junior, has been somewhat disappoitment thus far. But the big DT was all over the field on Saturday, and looks like he might have turned the corner. The interior linemen as a whole played much better, and you can expect exponential improvement from the group as the season progresses.

*The best linebacker on the field was Ross Homan. He showed good lateral movement, greta form tackling and knack for dropping into the right spot in the zone. Jim Laurinaitis was his usual solid self, though he hasn't shown anything spectacular. Larry Grant continues to show explosiveness in bursts - there will come a time this season when it all comes together and he has a multi-sack, turnover game.

*The Akron offense made it hard to judge the defensive backfield's progress. There appeared to be some open receivers on short to intermediate routes, but they were either missed or dropped the passes. Donald Washington continues to vex me; the coaches think he's NFL caliber and I must be missing it. Kurt Coleman has become a monster at safety - he's mixing it up at the line with abondon, and his coverage skills continue to improve.

*Once again, OSU dropped a few sure interceptions. This will come back to haunt them if they continue to carelessly throw away opportunities. This isn't least year's offense, so the D will need to make more plays.

*A few youngsters to single out...Brian Rolle, Devon Torrence and James Scott are flying all over the field on special teams. And Thaddeus Gibson, despite limited works, looks like he could be a very good weakside linebacker.