Photo: Bucknuts.com

I would like to apologize for leaving you hanging following the Buckeye victory against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. What took so long, you ask? Well, unfortunately, I cannot truthfully claim to have been on a month-long party cruise celebrating the Buckeyes sixth consecutive win against 'that team from up north' that resulted in the first back-to-back losing seasons by the 'scUMmers' in nearly 50 years (the last time occurring in 1962-1963). The truth is that my brief thoughts on Ohio State's regular season finale aren't really worthy of a full-blown article for two reasons: 1) because any 'team' from that terrible state doesn't deserve that much attention, especially one that finished at the cellar of the Big Televen, and 2) because my thoughts on the victory in Ann Arbor can be summed up in just a few paragraphs:

Photo: ESPN.com

For the first time in 13 years, Ohio State is going to Pasadena to compete in the Rose Bowl. In a thrilling afternoon game in the 'Shoe, the Buckeyes came away with a sensational overtime victory against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Not only will the win send the Buckeyes to the Rose Bowl, but it also clinches the Big Ten title for the fifth straight season. Make no mistake, Iowa battled hard and had their fair share of chances to earn a victory, but the Buckeyes ultimately came out on top thanks to a 39-yard field goal by kicker Devin Barclay.

The fans erupted in passionate excitement after the game as they stormed the field to congratulate their Buckeyes on Senior Day in Columbus. In the first start of his collegiate career, Iowa quarterback James Vandenberg played his heart out as he very nearly led his injury-battled Hawkeyes to a victory in front of more than 105,000 screaming fans. The 2009 season has not been marked by very many 'nail-biting' games (aside from Southern Cal) for the Buckeyes, which made tonight's victory even sweeter. Here are my thoughts on this afternoon's hard fought victory:

Stuffing the Run

The Ohio State defense held Iowa to a mere 67 yards rushing on the game. It is no secret that the staple of our 2009 defense is our defensive line. They have made big plays all year long and seem to improve each week in defending the run. It should be noted that Iowa was utilizing their fourth string (freshman) halfback due to injuries, but holding any team, especially one with an offensive line as talented as Iowa's, to under 70 yards on the ground is quite an achievement. I know I'm not exactly 'going out on a limb' here, but judging by the way this season has gone so far, we are in store for a couple more big plays from this defense that will have a large impact on our next two games.

Photo: Bucknuts.com

Sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor was all smiles after leading his Buckeyes to a resounding victory over the rival Nittany Lions of Penn State. Ohio State now holds an 8-2 (5-1) record on the year. The Buckeye defense proved itself as one of the best in the nation as they held the dangerous Penn State offense to just 201 total yards on the day. Though not necessarily reflected in the 17-point margin of victory, it was clear to anyone watching the game that the Buckeyes were the better team on both sides of the ball. Terrelle played one of his best games of the season and it seems as though the coaches may be finally figuring out what works best for this team. Here are my thoughts on the victory over Penn State:

Poised Pryor

For the first time all season, Terrelle Pryor finished a game without making any glaring mistakes or poor decisions. Pryor finished the game with 125 yards on 8 of 17 passing and 50 yards rushing on 5 carries. He accounted for three touchdowns on the day: two through the air and one on the ground. Though you may think 175 total yards is far from a stellar performance, I must emphasize the fact that Terrelle Pryor managed this game extremely well. He completed passes when we needed them. He scrambled for positive yardage when we needed it. And, most importantly, he refrained from throwing interceptions, fumbling the football, and allowing the defense to record a sack.

Photo: ESPN.com

On Halloween in the 'Shoe, Buckeyes fans were rewarded with a number of "treats" offensively and defensively thanks to a couple of "tricks" against the Aggies of New Mexico State. The Ohio State offense racked up 559 yards while the Buckeye defense held the Aggies to a measly 62 yards on the day. New Mexico State was no match for the talent of Ohio State as Jim Tressel pulled out many of the starters after halftime as the Buckeyes held a four-score lead. I had the pleasure of watching the game from the north stands of the stadium. Here are my thoughts on today's resounding victory:

No Candy for the First Quarter

The first quarter ended scoreless despite Ohio State gaining solid yardage on offense. Tressel tested Pryor's arm several times in the first quarter by letting the Buckeye quarterback throw deep passes to his receivers. These first quarter passes resulted in no "treats" for the Buckeyes as Pryor and his Crew were unable to punch the ball into the endzone.

(On a side note, the second quarter started off with a quick Buckeye rushing touchdown by Terrelle Pryor. Kirk spun the 'Roulette Wheel' and lost horribly as he chose to sit in the south endzone while conceding his ticket in the north stands to a friend. Pryor's rushing TD was the first of six Buckeye touchdowns on the day, all of which were accomplished in the north endzone of the stadium.)

Photo: AP/Jay LaPrete

Today's message was clear: Coach Tressel, Terrelle Pryor, and the offensive unit had to put the Purdue game behind them and make major strides to stay in contention for the Big Ten title. They did just that on a banner day for the offense, which was highlighted by over 500 total yards and five offensive touchdowns as the Buckeyes rolled over the Gophers with 31 second half points.

Replenishing the Line: Today, the Buckeyes got back their starting tackles in a larger capacity. Both Andy Miller and Jim Cordle got more reps this week as they return from the flu and injury respectively, but it seemed like they split their reps at left tackle for the most part. Cordle got the start at left tackle, displacing sophomore Mike Adams, but J.B. Shugarts remained the starter at right tackle. Getting both of these guys back made an immediate impact on the offensive line's performance.

TP Renaissance: Terrelle Pryor truly did make some positive strides today, and it was for multiple reasons. First, let's establish that Minnesota's pass defense is below-average at best. Next, Tressel and the offensive playcaller (probably still mostly Tressel) FINALLY put Pryor in formations and packages in which he can succeed. Third, Pryor simply looked like the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders. Pryor was 13-of-25 passing for 239 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. TP also ran for 104 yards on 15 carries plus a touchdown. With that rushing performance, Pryor joined Cornelius Green, Rex Kern, Art Schlichter, and Troy Smith as the only OSU 1,000 yard career rushers at QB.

Photo: Bucknuts.com

Classifying today's loss to the Purdue Boilermakers as a "nightmare" gives this Ohio State team far too much credit. Ohio State played worse today than I have ever seen them play. There is absolutely no excuse for a team as talented as this Buckeye group to not only lose to, but to be completely embarrassed by, a "turnover happy," 1-5 Purdue team. If not for the fact that I am one of the most die hard Buckeye fans on the planet, I would have mimicked my roommates and stopped watching the game sometime during the third quarter. Here are my discouraged thoughts on today's disastrous debacle against the Boilermakers: