Terrifically Thundering Thursday

Second-ranked Ohio State thumped the Thundering Herd of Marshall 45-7 in Thursday night’s season opening game in Columbus. Junior quarterback and one of preseason’s leading Heisman Trophy candidates, Terrelle Pryor, threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ home opening victory. Pryor completed 17 of 25 passes and did not throw an interception in the season debut. Marshall signal caller, Brian Anderson was picked off and was harassed most of the night by the stalwart Ohio State defense. The Thundering Herd lost two fumbles and were limited to 199 total offensive yards.
The first play of the game for Marshall was a flop. Andre Booker had the ball stripped on the opening kickoff return. The ball was recovered by OSU’s Nate Oliver at the Marshall 22 yard line. DeVier Posey hauled in a pass from Pryor seven plays later to give the home team a 7-0 lead. The six-yard touchdown pass was followed up by a Marshall punt and another Buckeye seven. Running back, Brandon Saine, scrambled for 40 yards with 10:27 remaining in the first quarter. Saine, on a sweep, punched into the endzone from four yards out to complete a three-play, 49 yard second drive for OSU. The tailback finished with 103 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Jim Tressel’s talented ground game glistened.
Ahmed Shakoor blocked Drew Basil’s 53-yard field goal attempt later in the first and raced the other way for 61 yards to give Marshall their first touchdown of the season. The Buckeyes responded less than a minute later. Dane Sanzenbacher and Pryor hooked up over the middle for 65 yards and another OSU touchdown. Sanzenbacher led all receivers with 113 yards and it was all Buckeyes the rest of the way.
Ohio State scored twice in the second quarter to stage a 35-7 halftime lead. Saine scurried for his second touchdown of the night, a 41 yard burst up the middle. The offensive line protected well and opened up big holes for the running game. Jaamal Berry, the rookie runner for the Bucks, contributed 80 yards on the ground and Dan Herron carried the ball seven times for 44 yards. Linebacker Brian Rolle’s 30 yard interception return for a touchdown with less than three minutes before the break was the highlight of the half. It was especially important for the secondary, which is depleted with injuries and lacks experience. The secondary was not problematic against Marshall Thursday night, but special teams did display their weaknesses several times. The blocked field goal and a near blocked extra point were the only knocks on the Buckeyes in the opening game. Otherwise, OSU made a strong statement for their national championship candidacy. They lived up to the hype. Pryor was a poised, patient and veteran-like quarterback. The defense, led by Tyler Moeller’s seven tackles, was as nasty as they have been cited. The play calling was sharp through all 529 total yards.
Pryor connected with Posey for 11 yards in the third quarter as the Buckeyes continued to blowout their opponent. Anderson led Marshall deep into Buckeyes territory late in the game, but the Herd fumbled the ball away again. Barclay’s 34 yard field goal through the uprights was the final nail in the coffin for Marshall. Anderson finished with 135 yard and an interception, while completing 17 of 28 passes.
Ohio State takes on Miami next Saturday in a rematch of the national championship Fiesta Bowl game. The tune-up against the Thundering Herd was a terrific one. The Buckeyes were confident and they were aggressive in what I hope to be a national title season.

Parting Points: Keep an eye on the youngster, Beatrice Capa, at the U.S. Open. I would love to see Caroline Wozniacki add another Grand Slam title to her resume, however. The Dane double-bageled second round opponent, Chaing Kai-Chen on Thursday.

Song of the day- “Cold-hearted Snake” by Paula Abdul