It’s Been a Long Time, Baby

Hello, readers. Sorry for the brief blogging hiatus. It was unintentional, really. Things just seemed to keep getting in the way. First, my DVR seemed to go on overload when I recorded the Navy game (somehow, though, miraculously, my husband’s OK State – Georgia game was still in tact, along with LAST SEASON’s OK State – Texas and OK State – Missouri games). Then, the USC debacle, which had me bummed for longer that I care to admit. A victory over Toledo isn’t much to write home about, which brings us to the present: a solid victory over Illinois. It’s been a long time, baby, but I’m back and better than ever. So, that Illinois game. No, it’s not the same as beating USC, but Juice and Aurrelious are supposed to be two of the best at their respective positions. The game, in my opinion, went about as it should. Solid victory, defense rattled Juice pretty well, got a good running game going. The Bucks looked good against Illinois. But I can’t help but wonder…

Where are we headed this season??

Sure, we beat Illinois. Soundly. But we can beat teams like Illinois and upcoming Indiana and Pur-don’t all season long. It doesn’t seem to help us much when it matters most. Case in point: USC. Two years in a row. I’m more interested in how we fare against Penn State come November. The last three weeks of our schedule are clearly the most crucial. A match-up in Happy Valley is always tough, regardless of whether Joe Pa can actually see the field or not. Iowa seems to be proving themselves decently, raking in the W against Joe Pa’s boys. And of course, the Bucks will meet TSUN as the last game of the season and we face them on the road as well. These games will most likely make us or break us.

But I digress. Let’s get back to the present, a little bit lighter of an attitude. The victory over Illinois had several shining moments. First and foremost, I want to talk about Boom Herron. Finally! He shows us what he’s made of. It’s been a long time, baby, that I’ve been waiting for him to break out. Averaging a little over 5 yards per carry, Boom stepped up and established a great running game for the Bucks. Hopefully the team can build on this, developing an offensive that knows how to score TD’s, not just settle for field goals.

Secondly (and maybe more importantly), the back-to-back shut-out situation. Our defense has come through, big-time in the last two games. Allowing a total of zero points throughout both the Toledo and Illinois games shows improvement. A crucial Rolle interception helped out significantly against the Illini. A solid defense allows for the offense to come out and play with confidence. Which is what needs to continue in the upcoming weeks. I have confidence that the Buckeyes can win out for the rest of the season. But we need to learn all of our lessons now, against the Indianas and Pur-don’ts of the world, so we can finally seal a victory in the national spotlight. After all, it’s been a long time, baby.