No game this coming Saturday also means no weekly press luncheon for Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. However, the coach did participate in the Big Ten teleconference on Tuesday to discuss OSU’s 13-6 loss to Penn State last Saturday and the struggles of the Buckeyes’ offense in general this season.
“We lost a tough one there and Penn State is a good football team,” Tressel said. “Our task now is to use this open week to our best advantage and get ourselves ready to travel to Northwestern the following weekend.”
As lackluster as its offense was, Ohio State was in a pretty good position up 6-3 on Penn State with the ball in the fourth quarter. However, the game changed on a fumble from OSU freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor on a third-and-inches play from midfield. The Buckeyes called a quarterback sneak, but Pryor tried to bounce the play outside and fumbled. Penn State recovered at OSU’s 38 and scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown eight plays later.
Tressel was asked if Pryor was trying to do too much on the play, or if he was doing the right thing because he did see some daylight.
“I think for sure the best decision would have been to stay focused in on what we needed at the moment,” Tressel said. “I think he felt when all of a sudden they dropped a bunch of people into the A gap and crouched in on the B gap there, he felt like he could do a little bit better going wider. And you can see on the film why he felt that way. But staying focused on what we really needed at that moment – which was a first down – obviously would have been the best decision.”
Pryor was dejected after the game and said he’s never faced similar adversity thus far in his life. Tressel was asked how Pryor is doing mentally three days later.
“Oh, I think he’s coming along well,” Tressel said. “I think whenever you are in those competitive situations and they are hard-fought and you feel as if you could have done better, it’s always very, very difficult. But as soon as you can move to the thought of, ‘OK, what do I have to do to be better in the future?’ I think you start feeling a little bit better. So, he’s turned his attention to the future and how he can get much, much better.
“And you’re right, he hasn’t had – especially recently – he hasn’t lost a football game for a couple seasons. Hasn’t lost more than a basketball game or two in the last 30-some. So, whenever you put your heart and soul into something and come up a little short, it’s tough. But we haven’t spent any more outlandish time with him because there’s a lot to do. He’s in school and he’s got work to do and all those things.
“We gave our players Sunday and Monday off totally. So, they’ll be back at it (Tuesday) afternoon looking at some film and then we’ll hit the practice field (Wednesday). But he’ll move forward.”
Tressel also talked about Pryor’s interception on OSU’s final offensive play against Penn State where he was trying to hit Brian Hartline for a desperation touchdown.
“Well, there was a front-side part of the play that we probably could have picked up 15 yards on that would have been my first preference,” Tressel said. “Because then we would have been somewhere inside the 20 and maybe have three shots at the end zone. But he didn’t feel good about what he saw out there. Then he was on the move a little bit and obviously you try and make plays happen sometimes and people jump up and catch them sometimes. Other times the other team jumps up and catches it. But certainly you’d love to throw it away and live to see another play.”
Ohio State’s offense continues to be an extreme disappointment for fans of the program. Tressel was asked what the primary goal of the offense will be during the bye week.
“I think whenever you have a setback typically you go back and examine how well you are doing in your fundamentals,” Tressel said. “That’s hard to do in the course of a season because you go from one week to another facing a different defensive concept. And so you have to do different things against different styles of defenses and so you lose a little bit of that individual fundamental time. I think whenever you go back and look at your film, it’s typically fundamental errors versus anything else.
“So, we’ll have a chance on Wednesday to have a big fundamental day and the same thing on Thursday. A couple good examination days of what it is we feel we can do best. And then Friday we’ll move into a bit of a game-plan type of thing. And again, conceptually you have to go back and say, ‘OK, what are the offensive things that this style of defense lends itself to?’ But we’ll have two good fundamental days.”
Ohio State’s offense is averaging just 318.3 yards per game, which ranks 95th nationally and 10th in the Big Ten (ahead of only Michigan). Even the usually-unflappable Tressel sounded frustrated when pressed about the offensive woes.
“Well, I think the consistency of the offense has not progressed,” he said. “Now, that is not to diminish… in fact, I thought Penn State was very good on defense and it’s not like we should have gone out and scored 35 points or anything. Because usually you don’t do that unless people turn the ball over to you, or make some big special teams plays and so forth.
“Anyhow, the consistency and the fact that we haven’t been able to really find out who we are and what we do best and, ‘Hey, we’re going to do this and you know we’re going to do it but we do it so well that it doesn’t matter that you know we’re going to do it.’ But, we haven’t gotten to that point.”
Tressel was asked specifically about the struggles on the offensive line. The Buckeyes were expected to be extremely good up front with four returning starters this season, but they’ve been average at best.
“Well, we haven’t had the consistency of play that we had hoped,” Tressel said. “I think Alex Boone has consistently been solid. Bryant Browning is a newcomer and he’s playing a difficult position at right tackle and Penn State has got outstanding ends and he had his hands full from that standpoint. I think Mike Brewster has been a pleasant surprise that he’s been able to step in and help us. And Jimmy Cordle is probably doing about as well as guard as he did at center last year, which was solid. Steve Rehring obviously getting injured and Ben Person getting injured and perhaps not playing up or beyond where they have played in the past obviously hasn’t helped us.
“I just think the inconsistency that we’ve had across the board offensively – not just up front – has lent itself to not being ecstatic about our offensive performance.”
On a lighter note, Tressel was asked about junior kicker Aaron Pettrey who is now 5-for-5 on field goals this season and seems to have surpassed senior Ryan Pretorius for the job even on midrange kicks.
“Aaron has done a good job from a consistency standpoint on his field goal kicking,” Tressel said. “We felt as if he’s probably the best guy for the longer field goals. We made a cutoff at the 20-yard-line (37-yard field goal) when we have normal conditions. I felt when we had the ball on the 19 and we were kicking the field goal that with the breeze the way that it was that his type of ball, the more driving ball, would be better in that situation. So, that’s why he had that one.
“But if we had a game today, Ryan would handle the shorter ones and Aaron the longer ones. Plus Aaron would handle the kickoffs.”
