If you ever needed a real-word example to define “winning ugly,” this was your game. Ohio State’s win against Purdue was definitely ugly, but it was also boring and depressing at the same time. It was kind of like a Madonna concert with helmets.

The only bright spot in the day was Toledo’s win over Michigan. I’ve said before that I’m ambivalent about the Wolverines losing to lesser programs. While it’s nice to see our friends up north get humiliated (especially at home), a weak Michigan team doesn’t help the reputation of the Big Ten conference. This is still pretty much my position. But with Rodriguez at the helm of one of the most respected programs in the country, I’ve decided that I must, on occasion, take a certain amount of perverse pleasure in the pain of others. I’m not proud of myself.

It’ll be interesting to see how long the UM faithful can stick with their man.

Here’s the report card for the 2008 OSU - Purdue game:

  • The Opponent - B-. It wasn’t exactly the game Joe Tiller wanted for his Ohio Stadium finale. After more than a decade of fireworks, the once vaunted “basketball on grass” offense went out not with a bang, but a single 53-yard field goal. Curtis Painter, heralded as the next Drew Brees only a few years ago, hasn’t been able to re-capture his earlier form. And his supporting cast of Orton and Sheets was outmanned by superior Buckeye talent. More importantly, the Purdue offense is no longer novel. The Buckeye defense, like the rest the defenses in the Big Ten, has been playing against spreads for several years, including spreads of much better and more innovative teams. Purdue’s spread almost seems quaint by comparison. With a replacement already named for Tiller, they won’t need to rebuild the entire program. But the Boilermakers will have to go back to the drawing board and find a way to score points against good Big Ten defenses.
  • The Defense - B+. I’d like to say that the defense finally put together a solid performance. After all, it was the first time since Youngstown State that they kept their opponent out of the end zone. But I can’t help but wonder whether the Boilermaker offense was any better than that of the Penguins. What is clear is that the secondary, led by Malcolm Jenkins, and linebackers, led by James Laurinaitis, made plays when they had to. Jenkins, in particular, distinguished himself against Purdue, playing like an All-American for the first time this year. We’ll find out if the defense has really turned the corner when we play Michigan State and Penn State.
  • The Offense - C+. The big story is that, in his first year, meaning that he was in high school last year, Terrelle Pryor really is a freshman. And like all freshman, he had an off-game. It’s obvious that he’s thinking too much. But it’s also obvious that he scares the bejesus out of opposing defenses. If the Buckeyes want to make a late run at a BCS game, they’ll have to figure out how to fuse Pryor’s natural ability with the structure of Tressel’s offense. One solution might be to insert Boeckman into the game for a few series, which will allow Pryor time to process and synthesize all the data he’s ingesting. Boeckman is still a terrific quarterback who can contribute in significant ways, especially in resurrecting the deep game. The rest of the offense was mediocre as well. Playing through pain and illness, Beanie looked sluggish. Without his helping hand, the line once again looked confused, overwhelmed and outmatched,
  • The Special Teams - B+ The special teams scored all 16 points against Purdue. The play of the day was the blocked punt, in which Jenkins took advantage of a slight bobble by the punter to execute a textbook block. Sabino picked up the ball and ran 20 yards for the score. Although Pretorius missed from 38 in the second quarter, he and Pettrey teamed up for three field goals.  All in all, not a bad day.
  • My Favorite Play. N/A
  • Game Ball. Malcolm Jenkins.

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