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Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2009 > October > 31 > Entry
For OSU — Aggies were like shooting fish in a barrel
COLUMBUS — Ohio State’s annual Scarlet and Gray spring game is more riveting than was the Buckeyes 45-0 rout of New Mexico State, Saturday, at Ohio Stadium.
The athletes are better on both sides of the ball in the practice game, you’re bound to get a surprise or two and anything a player does, you know likely was hard-earned.
Saturday’s game was like shooting fish in a barrel.
New Mexico State took this game strictly for the money. The Aggies — now 3-6 — are the equivalent of a fight game palooka, a boxing opponent. They got $850,000 to let OSU hammer on them.
At least the Aggies are used to it. They haven’t had a winning season since 2002, haven’t been to a bowl game in 49 years and came into Saturday’s game — where they were 44-point underdogs — with the worst offense (statistically) of the 120 teams playing major college football this season. Their defense was No. 75.
Saturday, the over-matched Aggies had just 62 total offensive yards for the day. OSU had 559 and played back-ups a substantial part of the second half..
That said, here are a few observations:
— Receiver DeVier Posey’s tight-spiralled 39-yard touchdown pass to Dane Sanzenbacher in the second quarter was more impressive than any pass OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor threw in his one half of action Saturday.
Pryor over threw several receivers and two of his passes hit New Mexico State defenders in the hands and could have been intercepted.
He didn’t play in the second half, finishing the game with 11 for 23 passing with 135 yards and a 19 yard TD pass to Sanzenbacher. He was more impressive on the ground, running nine times for 89 yards and another score, an eight-yard run.
— Back-up quarterback Joe Bauserman, played the entire second half and was even less impressive throwing the ball, completing 2 of 9 passes for 75 yards.
— If you’re looking for an OSU star from the Miami Valley in this one, how about the special teams play of Donnie Evege, the sophomore from Wayne High, who is a one-man wrecking ball on the kick team. He put jarring hits on three Aggie kick returners Saturday.
— Brandon Saine’s 3-yard touchdown run later in the second quarter was the Piqua High product’s first rushing score of the season. That’s a telling stat about your team’s rushing attack when your starting tailback doesn’t get his first TD until the ninth game of the season
— When OSU kicker Aaron Pettrey suffered a sprained knee in the second quarter — an injury that could prove to be quite troublesome going into next Saturday’s game at Penn State — he was replaced by Devin Barclay, who is not your typical college player.
He’s 26 years old and was a pro soccer player — playing for four teams including the Columbus Crew — before joining the Buckeyes as a walk-on.
Barclay had his own struggles, missing two field goal attempts — from 47 and 36 yards — while making one from 29 yards.
— This was likely a deja vu moment for New Mexico State coach DeWayne Walker. He had been to Ohio State once before. He was a junior defensive back for the 1980 Minnesota team that lost to the Bucks, 47-0, at the Shoe.
“We got killed,” was the way he recollected that game a few days ago.
It was the same Saturday.
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By Tom's the Best
November 1, 2009 10:54 AM | Link to this
Archdeacon, why are you covering OSU when you are CLEARLY not an OSU fan? I have a great amount of respect for you as a writer. But, at least try to be subjective about your analysis of the Bucks. OSU is in a “lose/lose” situation with writers like you. If they win then well, they should have and they weren’t impressive enough, and if they lose then well, you know the usual song and dance. Pryor is clearly not the problem at OSU and certain writers who keep criticizing his every move are showing their ignorance about the sport of football. Jesus himself would have trouble throwing behind the turnstile of an “offensive” line they have, on the other hand even you could throw for 300 yards with a line like USC! Match that with the futile running game lead by Dayton area bust, Brandon “drive me in” Saine, and there you have your QB struggle. Im not so sure you even are watching the game you are calling, your article sounds like it was copied and pasted from 3 weeks ago!