How Bad is it, and How Bad Will it Get?

I will go ahead and say that Ohio State's passing performance last night at Miami had to have been the worst I have ever seen. Literally. I have seriously never seen anything like that before out of an Ohio State team. I lived through the 1999 season. I made it through the Steve Bellisari era. Craig Krenzel, Mr. Clutch, didn't exactly light up the scoreboard and turned the ball over quite a bit his senior year. Justin Zwick was the quarterback for half a year in 2004 (ironically, the last time until today that the Buckeyes were out of the top 25). Justin Zwick!!! THEY WERE ALL LIGHT YEARS BETTER THAN ANYTHING THAT WAS DONE LAST NIGHT!!!!!!

One word: unbelievable. Another word: don't give up hope.

Here is my solution to getting over last night's 24-6 loss in which the passing attack featured only 4 completions: run the ball, run the ball some more, and start the Braxton Miller era. Miller is just as guilty as Bauserman - perhaps even more so - in terms of not getting completions or putting points on the board last night. Miller had an interception and a crucial fumble in the 4th quarter, as a matter of fact, while Bauserman just threw the ball away all game long. The fact is that Bauserman literally has no upside at all, and Miller does. He can move the ball on the ground and hopefully one day through the air, meaning that it gives the offense more options in how they gameplan for their Big Ten opponents.

Jordan Hall proved he is legit, while Hyde and Berry will provide for some nice relief for #7 as the year goes on. The receivers are so young and inexperienced...obviously, since they couldn't catch anything thrown their way last night. However, they will improve. They have the talent, but they need more reps. Philly Brown will return from injury and boost the production in my opinion as the year goes on. Also, let's not forget that DeVier Posey has only two games left being suspended and will be a HUGE target for whoever is at quarterback.

RB Boom Herron and LT Mike Adams return as well, making this offense automatically more lethal. Let's not get too carried away here, folks. This is still a very talented team, albeit very very young. Mesh their constant improvement, along with the return of the suspended players, one of the best offensive lines in the country, and hopefully the steady emergence of Braxton Miller and you have yourself a solid football team.

My prediction: I don't have one. I don't even know who will be lining up under center against Colorado at this point. I will say that I believe this isn't going to be a "bad" season. Bad to me is not going to a bowl game, or even going 7-5. I won't say 8 games isn't out of the realm of possibility, considering the way the offense played last night. 9 games seems to be very reasonable if you follow my line of thinking. This season isn't over yet. It has just begun.

Keep the faith, please.

On to Colorado.