ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

	Kirby Lee/Image of Sport/US Presswire
	The Buckeyes played the way Jim Tressel wanted but could not come away with the victory.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- If Jim Tressel could script the perfect football game, Saturday night's clash against USC would have been pretty close. Except for the final score, of course.

Tressel's hallmarks will always be field position, special teams, stout defense and just enough offense. His best Ohio State teams have reflected his rock-ribbed values, winning games not with flash or flavor, but smarts and toughness.

After numerous big-game stumbles, Ohio State was so close to making The Vest look like a genius again.

"This was definitely an Ohio State game," Buckeyes sophomore wide receiver DeVier Posey said. "It really wasn't like that Pac-10, throwing the ball, all that fancy, NFL style of play. It was just a hard-nosed, hard-fought battle to the end."

But it was a battle the Buckeyes once again lost, as USC's Matt Barkley and Joe McKnight led their team to an 18-15 triumph.

Ohio State's latest big-stage stumble didn't follow the pattern that turned off so many observers to its program and its brand of football. This wasn't Florida or LSU or even USC of last year. Instead, it resembled the loss to Vince Young's Texas team in 2005, the loss to Penn State last fall and the loss to Texas in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl.

So what's worse? Getting blown out or being beaten at your own game?

"Holding them to 18 should be enough," Tressel lamented, "but it wasn't."

Rather than exalting punter Jon Thoma (4 punts inside the 20) or a ferocious defensive front or Ohio State's huge field-position edge, Tressel had to answer questions about several of his own decisions. They weren't surprising choices at all, given his history, but they might have cost the Buckeyes.

At the start of the second quarter, Ohio State faced fourth-and-goal from the USC 2-yard line with the game tied at 7-7. Rather than going for the touchdown, Tressel opted for an 18-yard field goal.

"If it was fourth-and-1, we may have gone for it," he said. "I think your percent chance of making fourth-and-2 probably doesn't weigh as well as getting your three points."

The more questionable move came with Ohio State up 15-10 midway through the fourth quarter. A Terrelle Pryor sack pushed the ball back to the USC 36-yard line for fourth down.

Buckeyes kicker Aaron Pettrey was 4-for-4 in field goals on the season and had converted five attempts of longer than 50 yards in his career. But he didn't get a chance for a 53-yard try as Ohio State opted to punt.

"We did talk about it and we came to the decision that if we didn't make [the field goal] we would have been giving our defense, who had been out there a little bit ... tougher field position to handle," Tressel said.

Tressel made the predictable choices, in many cases the smart ones, but he left some wondering whether he played not to lose against a USC team that always knows how to win. Then again, if Pryor and the Buckeyes offense had done just a little bit more, they would have walked out as winners.

"It comes down to me; I take the whole blame for it," said Pryor, who completed just 11 of 25 passes with no touchdowns and an interception that led to USC's first score. "We had 'em on the ropes. ... We had to punch it in offensively. We didn't help the defense enough, and that's going to happen.

"But we needed this win."

Pryor hit two big pass plays early but never seemed to find a rhythm, continuing a pattern that held true for much of last season. Ohio State had four possessions start in USC territory and got only two field goals out of them.

"We should have beat them by two or three touchdowns, easy," Pryor said. "The ball is floating the wrong way, like I keep saying. We needed this win, and it just hurts right now."

Ohio State proved it can hang with a favored USC team, just as it proved it could hang with Texas in the Fiesta Bowl. But close might not be good enough for a Buckeyes team that has dropped six straight to top 5 opponents and for a beleaguered Big Ten that continues to put its reputation on the shoulders of the Scarlet and Gray.

The Buckeyes gave a tutorial in Tressel ball Saturday night. They just didn't earn a passing grade.

"We felt like whatever was said, "College GameDay," everything, [USC] had to come in Ohio Stadium and play against us," Posey said. "We wanted to battle, we wanted to win, we came up short, but it's alright. We'll bounce back."

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Instant analysis from USC's 18-15 victory against Ohio State at Ohio Stadium.

How the game was won: Backed up to his own 4-yard line, USC freshman quarterback Matt Barkley led a masterful drive against an Ohio State defense that had dominated most of the game. With help from junior tailback Joe McKnight, who made several huge plays, USC went 86 yards in 14 plays and drained 6:10 off the clock. The Trojans finally overcame their terrible field position, while Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeyes never could take advantage of theirs.

Turning point: Facing second-and-19 from the USC 4-yard line, McKnight surged for an 11-yard gain and then caught a 21-yard pass from Barkley for the first down. A second turning point came on fourth-and-inches from the Ohio State 28-yard line, when Barkley sneaked for the first down, his third conversion of the game.

Player of the game: Barkley deserves a ton of credit, but this has to go to McKnight, who came back from cramps in the third quarter to make several key plays on USC's decisive drive. The junior had 61 rushing yards and 45 receiving yards in the victory, but the numbers don't show how much he meant to USC.

Second guessing: Ohio State didn't use Terrelle Pryor as a runner nearly enough. Pryor is always at his best on the move, but he once again tried to be a pocket passer and failed. The Buckeyes couldn't capitalize on favorable field position throughout the second half and scored only one touchdown.

What it means: USC remains the best big-game team in the country, and it has something very special in Barkley, who led his team to victory in an extremely tough environment. The Trojans remain on track for a possible national championship push despite losing the core from last year's team. This is a huge blow for Ohio State, which controlled the tempo and played its type of game (defense, field position, special teams). Pryor will take much of the heat for this one after failing to consistently move the offense. Another big-game loss for the Big Ten, though USC was extremely fortunate to escape Columbus with a win.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Matt Barkley and Joe McKnight just made a record crowd of 106,033 at Ohio Stadium go silent.

The USC freshman quarterback and his junior tailback just went 86 yards on 14 plays, draining 6:10 in the process to give their team its first lead since the first quarter. Barkley was masterful, converting a fourth-down quarterback sneak for the third time in the game. The Trojans finally overcame their horrendous field position and made the big plays when it matters.

Barkley will undoubtedly get much of the credit, but McKnight's play really spurred the offense.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Safety Taylor Mays is back in the game for USC, but the Trojans might be a bit concerned about their young quarterback.

Freshman Matt Barkley has been a bit shaky early on, misfiring on five of his first six attempts and throwing an interception to Buckeyes linebacker Ross Homan. Barkley has missed the open man a few times, though he made a nice third-down throw to David Ausberry.

USC is doing a better job of establishing the run game with Joe McKnight and Stafon Johnson, which should take some of the pressure off of Barkley.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The defining game for Ohio State and the Big Ten Conference is finally here. And USC gets another chance to prove why it's arguably the nation's premier program, especially in big games.

Great atmosphere around the stadium today, though I didn't get much time to enjoy it (terrible traffic pattern). The weather is gorgeous right now, 75 degrees with just a slight breeze out of the northwest. It should be about 70 degrees at kickoff and drop into the high 50s late in the game.

I attended USC's walkthrough at Ohio State on Friday afternoon and it's true: The Trojans are the loosest team in the world. There was a kicking competition, what looked like a football version of ultimate Frisbee and several choreographed dances and chants. This might be a young team, but it won't be a nervous one.

THREE KEYS FOR OHIO STATE

1. Get Terrelle Pryor on the move. Pryor needs to forget about establishing himself as a pocket passer. There isn't a team in the country that can consistently catch him around the edges, and he needs to stretch USC's defense and capitalize on their aggressive style. With few proven offensive weapons around him, Pryor needs to win the game for Ohio State, and he has to use his feet as much as possible.

2. Don't let USC establish an early rhythm with its run game. The Trojans don't want to put too much on freshman quarterback Matt Barkley, and they won't need to if their running backs keep dominating. Ohio State's veteran defense line needs to contain Joe McKnight and Stafon Johnson, get USC into obvious passing situations and then bring the heat.

3. Hold onto the football. Turnovers have just killed Big Ten teams against USC, and Ohio State can't afford many or any giveaways in this game. Pryor needs to be precise on his passes, particularly down the field, and running backs Dan Herron and Brandon Saine must protect the football. USC tied for 25th nationally last year in average turnover margin.

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Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Terrelle Pryor has garnered most of the attention this week, but Ohio State can't beat USC without a superb defensive performance, especially up front. USC boasts arguably the nation's best offensive line and unquestionably the nation's deepest group of running backs, led by junior Joe McKnight. Veteran Buckeyes defensive coordinator Jim Heacock has the challenge of trying to stop the Trojans.

	Jim Rinaldi/Icon SMI
	Jim Heacock has the unenviable challenge of trying to slow down USC's high-powered offense this week.

Heacock stopped by to chat about Saturday's matchup (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET), his new-look defense and who he needs to step up against USC.

USC obviously has a lot of weapons, especially at running back. Where do you start in preparing to defend this team?

Jim Heacock: You look at it all because that's what they are. When you talk about an offensive team, you can't zero in on any one area. They've got the receivers, they've got the running backs, and the offensive line is where it starts. They've got some athletic and experienced offensive linemen. The quarterback had a good game last week, they do a good job protecting him, and the running backs are well documented. Where we start is we've got to stop everything. You can't gang up on the running game or they'll get you, and you can't gang up on the passing game. They're about as balanced as you can get.

Your defensive line is one of your strengths. With their line being so athletic, so lean, do you go at them with speed? How do you attack a line like that?

JH: Well, our defense in general is fairly young, so it's not like we're going to make a lot of changes. At the back end, we're really young and at linebacker, we're awfully young. We're going to do what we do, play our defense, and you're going to hope you can match up. But we're not in a position, with our experience, to make a lot of changes. Our goal is going to be to execute.

How did those young guys grade out last week? Obviously, it's the first game, it's an odd opponent [Navy] with an odd offense. It's clearly a different test this week in many ways.

JH: It's challenging enough for it to be your first start, and then to have to face a disciplined approach from Navy, it was tough for them. I thought they responded well, they graded out well and did a good job. Unfortunately, at times, we'd have a mental breakdown or a physical breakdown. We'd go to the dive when we should have gone to the quarterback, all those things. But they prepared really hard for that offense and they played hard throughout the game. I was really happy to see the turnover with the two-point [conversion attempt] in a critical situation. It sets the tone, and hopefully you can build on it the rest of the season.

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Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

In honor of the dude working the register at my local UPS store, who bears an eerily close resemblance to The Dude, I give you this:

Maude Lebowski: What do you do for recreation?

The Dude: Oh, the usual. I bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback.

• Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Heacock didn't actually say it, but expect Jermale Hines to replace Anderson Russell at safety against USC, Ken Gordon writes in The Columbus Dispatch. High-profile players like Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor will always attract attention, even from the NCAA, Doug Lesmerises writes in The Cleveland Plain Dealer. The criticism of Pryor's Michael Vick tribute is misguided and hypocritical, Yahoo! Sports' Dan Wetzel writes. USC boasts an endless supply of running backs, but junior Joe McKnight has risen to the top, colleague Ted Miller writes.
• Arrelious Benn should be back for Illinois this week, but several other wide receivers are being shuffled, Bob Asmussen writes in The (Champaign) News-Gazette.
• The Big Ten's national reputation is on the line this week, Rivals.com's experts agree.
• Tandon Doss hopes to become Indiana's No. 1 wide receiver this fall, Terry Hutchens writes in The Indianapolis Star.
• A fascinating piece from annarbor.com's Michael Rothstein on how Sept. 11 hits home for Michigan offensive lineman John Ferrara and his family. The Michigan-Notre Dame game actually carries some bragging rights this year, Bob Wojnowski writes in The Detroit News. It looks like Michigan should have Brandon Minor back on the field Saturday, Mark Synder writes in the Detroit Free Press.
• Redshirt freshman Caulton Ray once again will lead the way for Michigan State's running backs on Saturday, Shannon Shelton writes in the Detroit Free Press.
• Wisconsin players are taking extra precautions against the spread of the flu, though the team's core contributors should be ready for Fresno State, Jeff Potrykus writes in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• Talented Minnesota quarterback MarQueis Gray accepts his role in the offense behind Adam Weber, Kent Youngblood writes in the Star Tribune.
• Penn State young wide receivers have waited their turn, Jeff Rice writes in the Centre Daily Times.
• Despite Iowa's recent struggles against Iowa State, Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz sees no reason to drop the series, The (Cedar Rapids) Gazette's Mike Hlas writes in his Hlog. Iowa's offensive line should look whole again in Ames, Marc Morehouse writes in The Gazette.

	AP Photo
	Quarterbacks Terrelle Pryor and Matt Barkley will be the focal point for Saturday's Ohio State-USC throwdown.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg and Ted Miller

All eyes will be on Columbus this weekend as No. 3 USC visits No. 8 Ohio State (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET). Before the two teams lock horns on the banks of the Olentangy River, we debated several key questions heading into the mega matchup.

Adam Rittenberg: Ted, I look at this USC defense and don't see a glaring weakness. Still, several mobile quarterbacks [Vince Young, Dennis Dixon] have hurt the Trojans in the past. How do you expect USC to defend Terrelle Pryor and does Pryor give the Buckeyes a fighting chance in this game?

Ted Miller: I think Pryor gives the Buckeyes a fighting chance because he can make something out of nothing when a play breaks down -- and the USC defense is good at breaking down plays. While USC fans would debate you on the health of their defense vs. Vince Young, the fact is the Trojans learned from that game that you need to account for an athletic quarterback -- you can't just run your base defense and expect gap control and rush lanes to take care of things. There surely will be some sort of spying, whether with one guy or a shift of guys. On the plus side for USC, this is a really fast defense. It's much faster at linebacker than last year. Malcolm Smith is fast -- his brother is an NFL receiver -- and Michael Morgan is a 4.4 guy. Toss in end Everson Griffen and you've got some guys who can really run on the perimeter of the front-seven. Moreover, middle linebacker Chris Galippo implied to me that this will be more disciplined defense. As extraordinary as Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews and Rey Maualuga were last year, they, at times, freelanced, looking for big plays. That means the Trojans won't be as likely abandon their assigned gaps or let contain break down.

As long as we're talking quarterbacks, what do you think about the poise issue for both guys? USC's Matt Barkley claims he doesn't get nervous. You buy that at the Horseshoe? And how will Pryor react on this big stage?

AR: The Shoe remains the toughest place to play in the Big Ten, getting the slightest of edges against Penn State's Beaver Stadium. Barkley's nerves will be put to the test. It will be extremely loud, especially at the start of the game, and the south end zone addition really makes the decibels rise. I'd imagine USC will go to its strength right away, pound away with those tremendous running backs and athletic offensive line and give Barkley some time to get settled. Everything I've heard about this kid -- from yourself and other observers -- is that he's the real deal. I saw true freshman quarterback Tate Forcier show no nerves last week for Michigan in the Big House, but then again, he was playing at home. Ohio State's defensive line is the strength of the team, and it has to rattle Barkley early for the Buckeyes to have a shot. As for Pryor, he has shown some toughness late in games, particularly against Wisconsin last year. He's certainly more comfortable as a passer, but he can't get away from what makes him special and needs to make plays with his feet. I still haven't seen a team contain Pryor on the move, but he needs the freedom from head coach Jim Tressel and the willingness from within to really cut loose against USC.

Ohio State's defensive line is the team's strongest unit. Same could be said for USC's offensive line. How do you see that matchup shaking out, and will Ohio State need to use speed (Thaddeus Gibson, Cameron Heyward) rather than power to beat the Trojans' front?

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Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

After USC's Mark Sanchez had his way in a 35-3 victory last September, Ohio State's defensive linemen convened and made a pact.

The Trojans had won the battle at the line of scrimmage, leaving the Buckeyes beaten and bruised. Senior defensive end/linebacker Curtis Terry did the talking.

"He was really, really honest and put it all on the line," Ohio State defensive tackle Doug Worthington recalled. "We just had a heart-to-heart, so to speak, and just tried to decide what we wanted to do and what we wanted to be for the rest of the season. We kind of turned it around."

Ohio State ended up finishing in the top 20 nationally in both rushing defense and scoring defense, and finished sixth nationally in points allowed (13.9 ypg). The Buckeyes held Penn State's powerful offense to season lows in both points and yards, and limited Texas to just 24 points and 54 rushing yards in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Scarlet and Gray might have fallen short of its goals in 2008, but to no fault of the defensive line.

Ohio State's front four is unquestionably the team's strength this fall, returning seven of its top eight players from last season. The group has combined for 78 career starts, led by Worthington (23) and defensive end Cameron Heyward (21).

The line has drawn comparisons to previous Buckeye fronts in 2002 and 2003, seasons that ended with a national title and a Fiesta Bowl victory.

"Playing with those guys the last few years, being in practices, just hanging with them off the field, has been a great experience for me," said Worthington, a co-captain this fall. "I just know when I'm on the field, and I've got Dex [Larimore] to my right and Thad [Gibson] to my left, that I'm comfortable with those guys.

"It's just a level of comfort when you have a guy you know is very productive and wants it as bad as you do."

Ohio State needs the front four to be at its peak in Saturday's rematch against No. 3 USC (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET). The Trojans no longer have Sanchez, but they're extremely talented on the offensive line and boast an endless supply of running backs, led by Joe McKnight and Stafon Johnson.

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Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

	Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
	Ohio State may be without injured  back Chris Wells for a third game.

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said starting running back Chris "Beanie" Wells heads into practice this week questionable for Saturday's game against Troy. As was the case last week, Wells' response to drills in practice will ultimately determine his availability.

The toe injury clearly is more serious than originally thought, and if Wells has much lingering soreness after testing things out this afternoon, Ohio State won't push him to play. Making cutbacks seemed to aggravate the toe last week.

Ohio State's main goal at this point is winning the Big Ten and going to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1997. Getting Wells to 100 percent by the league opener next week against Minnesota or, at the very latest, for an Oct. 4 trip to Wisconsin, should be the team's top priority.

Wells and Daniel Herron are listed as co-starters on this week's depth chart.

Tressel also weighed in on his quarterbacks earlier today. After rotating senior Todd Boeckman and freshman Terrelle Pryor against USC, the two quarterbacks will compete in practice this week.

"Terrelle has shown he's got an unusual moxie about him," Tressel said. "He didn't seem to be out of place in that football game [USC]. He seemed to have a good presence about him. The thing Todd will tell you first and foremost is he can't throw the ball to the other team, especially when the team is as good as USC. ... We'll have some good lively competition. How much playing time will be based in large part on how practice goes."

Sounds like Boeckman has something to prove this week after getting picked off twice against USC.

Tressel also mentioned Pryor when discussing Ohio State players who could match USC's quickness. The coach said USC's defensive front had more speed than the Buckeyes' offensive line and likened Trojans running back Joe McKnight's quickness to that of former Buckeyes star Ted Ginn Jr. Tressel added that Ohio State's speed matched up in most areas.

"We feel as if we could have made a better performance for ourselves and on behalf of Big Ten," Tressel said. "We made errors you can't afford to make against a team as good as Southern California."

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

As most of you know, I spent part of this week with Ohio State down in C-Bus, and Pac-10 blogger Ted Miller has been hanging out with USC in L.A. As the big game approaches Saturday night at the L.A. Coliseum (ABC, 8 p.m. ET), we decided to touch base and get a sense of the buzz in both camps.

Ted Miller: Folks over here in beautiful Southern California are feeling pretty confident -- read: really confident -- about their Trojans' chances to not only beat but whip Ohio State. What's the feeling over there in the Midwest?

Adam Rittenberg: The feeling here in flyover country is a little more tense. Something to do with a big toe. But they're confident that "Little Animal," AKA James Laurinaitis, and the Buckeyes defense will give Mark Sanchez some trouble on Saturday night. You sounded pretty pumped up the other day after actually getting to watch USC practice. What stood out during the Trojans' workouts?

Ted Miller: What stood out? How good the Trojans look. These guys pass the sight test. Of course, Ohio State would too ... if Jim Tressel let you Big Ten folks into the super-secret football sanctum. Anyway. What caught my eye was 1) Mark Sanchez; 2) Joe McKnight. Sorry to stick with the fancy guys, but Sanchez was sharp this week and he's obviously fired up about leading the Trojans. As for McKnight, he's got the sort of speed and elusiveness that he stands out among a team loaded with fast, elusive guys. So let me ask ... Is Beanie going to play? All the USC folks say yes.

Adam Rittenberg: My sense is he'll play, but probably not much, 5-10 carries. The fact he was still so sore from taking 20 "carries" with no contact in Wednesday night's practice suggests there's still plenty to risk by leaving him out there too long. He obviously gives that offense a ton of confidence and let's be honest, Ohio State needs to win this one to get back to the national title game. But this guy, despite his size, can be labeled injury prone at this point, and Jim Tressel might not want to gamble again. Speaking of injuries, what's the latest on the USC front? Cushing? Hazelton?