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SUGAR BOWL: OSU vs. ARKANSAS

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Wulfgar1224

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TUESDAY

No. 6 Ohio State (11-1) vs. No. 8 Arkansas (10-2), 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Line: Ohio State by 3½.

Series Record: First meeting.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

The Buckeyes are winless in nine tries against the SEC in bowl games, and are playing an Arkansas team making its first appearance in a BCS bowl. Ohio State will have star quarterback Terrelle Pryor and three other offensive starters despite earning suspensions for the first five games next season as NCAA-imposed punishment for selling memorabilia and getting discounts on tattoos. The Razorbacks, meanwhile, haven't played in the Sugar Bowl since 1980, and would love to continue the Big Ten's bowl misery that began with an 0-for-5 New Year's Day.

KEY MATCHUP

Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett against the Ohio State defense. Mallett is a prototypical drop-back passer who helped the Razorbacks average 338 yards per game through the air. The Buckeyes defense was among the best in the nation all season, allowing just 13.3 points per game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Ohio State: Pryor, RB Dan Herron and WR DeVier Posey. The trio of offensive stars, along with OL Mike Adams and DE Solomon Thomas, were suspended for the first five games of next season for NCAA violations, but have been allowed to play in the bowl game after assuring coach Jim Tressel that they will not skip next season for the NFL draft
. Ohio State needs them to have big games — and not be distracted by everything else — to keep up with the Arkansas offense.

Arkansas: RB Knile Davis. Everyone knows to keep an eye on Mallett, but Davis has given Arkansas some balance late in the season. The sophomore has had four straight 100-yard rushing games coming into the Sugar Bowl, including 187 at Mississippi State and 152 against LSU. He's a big reason the Razorbacks have won six straight.

FACTS & FIGURES

Arkansas is making its BCS debut, but coach Bobby Petrino has been here before. He led Louisville to victory in the Orange Bowl after the 2006 season. ... The Razorbacks are 1-4 in the Sugar Bowl, all of those games before the BCS era. ... Mallett has thrown for 7,216 yards and 60 touchdowns over the past two seasons, with nine 300-yard games this year. ... Pryor is 22-3 as the full-time starter the past two seasons, which includes a five-game winning streak to end this past regular season. ... Since Tressel was hired in 2001, Ohio State is 0-3 against the SEC in bowl games — two in national title games — and 5-1 in other bowl games. ... The Buckeyes are playing in their first Sugar Bowl since beating Texas A&M 24-14 after the 1998 season.

I didn't see a thread for the game so I pasted this article and put it up.

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2011/01/03/sugar-bowl-preview-capsule/
 
pig sooie

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OSU is going to lose by 12 minimum. Book it Dan-o
 
So let me get this right, espn thinks Tressel will "miss an oppurtunity" by playing the players in the Sugar Bowl tonight...yet, The Heisman trophy recipient is not mentioned at all??? WoW!!! I think this ish with the tatoos and jersey's, rings! "what the fucc" ??? shitzz absolutely retarded !(don't mean to offend any retards) THE---Ohio State--BUCKEYES!! will destroy Arkansas...they will drop like 5000 birds............book it!! :king:
 
Lets use this motivation
[video=youtube;WHlAN2ouiTs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHlAN2ouiTs[/video]

That pig sooie thing makes me feel embarrassed for America.
 
Gotta have a similar gameplan as we did against Oregon last year. Run the ball, slow the game down, get pressure on Mallet.

Here is the Scouts Inc. insider scouting report:

Matchup Advantages

QB: Arkansas
RB: OSU
WR: Arkansas
OL: OSU
DL: Arkansas
LB: OSU
DB: OSU
ST: OSU
Coach: OSU

Ohio State offense vs. Arkansas defense

• It is not wise to turn your front four loose on Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor because it will eventually lead to gaping holes for him to exploit with his feet. It's also not sound football to blitz Ohio State's offense too often because doing so leaves your secondary vulnerable versus an above-average receiving corps led by DeVier Posey and Dane Sanzenbacher. When studying tape of the games in which Pryor struggled (versus Miami, Illinois, Wisconsin, Penn State and Iowa) the common trend is that opposing defenses create the illusion of chaos without actually leaving themselves vulnerable. In other words, a heavy mixture of zone blitzes, slants, twists and stunts will lead to Pryor feeling as if the pocket is collapsing around him when oftentimes that's not the case. Both of his interceptions versus Iowa and several of his errant throws versus Wisconsin were the result of Pryor's bailing out of the pocket prematurely and throwing the ball up for grabs. Arkansas defensive coordinator Willie Robinson should pick up on this trend and scheme accordingly.

For all the talk of the quarterback duel between Pryor and Arkansas' Ryan Mallett, Buckeyes RB Dan Herron could very easily emerge as the 2011 Sugar Bowl MVP.Arkansas has struggled to stop the run and there are a couple of reasons it matches up poorly versus the Buckeyes' ground attack. First, the Buckeyes have jelled into a very technically sound run-blocking group up front. LG Justin Boren and C Mike Brewster are the best of the bunch and FB Zach Boren has emerged as a human wrecking ball. This group should do a good job of generating creases for Herron -- and occasionally Pryor -- to attack. Secondly, Ohio State's multiple-look ground game makes it difficult for the opponent to pick up on tendencies, which is what the Razorbacks will need to do to offset their personnel disadvantage in this facet of the game. Herron is a big reason for Ohio State's formation and scheme versatility. One of the underrated aspects of his game is his ability to locate holes and time his cuts in all different alignments and schemes. From single-back to I-formation to the shotgun zone-read to the Pistol, the Buckeyes ask Herron to carry the ball from as many different launching points as any back in the country and he has proved more than capable from all of them.

• Depending on coach Jim Tressel's decision regarding the playing time of Pryor, Posey and Herron, Ohio State fans could be in for some old-fashioned "Tressel Ball" in New Orleans. If that's the case, Tressel will need to rely on a special teams group that suffered through several breakdowns early in the season but made significant strides down the stretch. The team had two kicks blocked in the first six outings but have not given up a block during the second half of the season. It also surrendered three returns for touchdowns (two punts and one kickoff) during the first seven games but none in the last five. PK Devin Barclay settled into the full-time role and finished the regular season connecting on 19 of 22 field goal attempts, including a long of 48 yards. Barclay nailed all six attempts in the final three games. Jordan Hall has come on strong in the return game as well. Hall racked up 145 yards on three kickoff returns in his last two outings, including an 85-yard score versus Michigan. Hall will look to exploit an Arkansas kickoff return defense that ranks 111th nationally.

Key individual matchup

Arkansas WR Joe Adams vs.
Ohio State CB Chimdi Chekwa

Chekwa (6-foot, 190 pounds) has developed into one of the better cover corners in college football this season. The senior has a very good combination of size, instincts and athleticism. He is doing a better job of reading opposing receivers' routes and getting earlier jumps on throws, which has paid off in the form of six interceptions this season. Jarius Wright and Cobi Hamilton have stepped up in Greg Child's absence (season-ending injury), but Arkansas is not as deep at wide receiver as it once was and it cannot afford for Adams to be quieted by man-to-man coverage as a result. Adams needs to run impeccable routes and make tough catches with Chekwa draped all over him in order to avoid such a scenario.

Arkansas offense vs. Ohio State defense

Ohio State's Jim Heacock is one of the more underrated defensive coordinators in the country, and as we saw in last year's Rose Bowl against Oregon, when he has time to prepare he and his staff can cripple high-powered offenses. The No. 1 priority for Ohio State's defense in this game is to get pressure on Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett, who is far less effective when forced to reset his feet and make quick decisions under fire. This season's game versus Alabama is the clearest example of Mallett's effectiveness when given time in the pocket versus when he is pressured. We went back and charted every snap of that game and found that the Crimson Tide blitzed only 27 percent of the time in the first half and Mallett burned them for 17 points. That frequency jumped to 43 percent in the second half, when Arkansas scored only three points. Overall, Mallett completed 5 of 12 passes with two interceptions and was sacked twice against the blitz, while he completed 20 of 26 with one touchdown, one interception and no sacks when facing four or fewer pass-rushers.

Arkansas WR Cobi Hamilton is a potential X factor in this game. Hamilton is not a burner but does build speed as he goes and has the length and leaping ability to come down with the jump ball. He also has shown the ability to make the first defender miss after the catch and he is a tough runner to bring down in the open field. Hamilton's production has been very inconsistent but he has the size and acrobatic athleticism to provide some game-breaking plays if Ohio State fails to give him proper attention. In two of the team's final five games of the season -- when he had stepped into the No. 3 starter role for the injured Greg Childs -- Hamilton exploded for 274 yards and three touchdowns on 10 combined catches. But in the three other starts, Hamilton was limited to a combined seven catches for 107 yards and one score.

• Ohio State's defense does not have great size up front and its linebackers, particularly WLB Ross Homan, struggle to get off blocks. The Buckeyes' only loss of the season came against a bigger, more physical Wisconsin team that bullied their defensive front. Arkansas' offensive line is not nearly as overpowering as the Badgers' but it does have good size and was a much-improved run-blocking group during the second half of the season. Also working in Arkansas' favor is the emergence of RB Knile Davis. The 6-foot, 220-pound sophomore took over as the team's bell-cow back during the final six games of the regular season and averaged 148.2 yards on 22.3 carries per game with 12 rushing touchdowns during that span. Davis is a somewhat upright runner who hits the hole hard, shows good burst through the line of scrimmage and knows when to lower his shoulder prior to contact. The passing game is the featured part of coach Bobby Petrino's offensive attack, but more dedication to the run game might be the key to beating the Buckeyes.

Scouts' Edge

All signs point to Pryor, Posey, Herron and the other Buckeyes who have been suspended for the first five games of next season playing most of this game. If that's the case, Ohio State should come out on top. Mallett has the arm and the weapons to rack up yards through the air, but the Buckeyes will get enough pressure on the junior quarterback and force him into some game-changing mistakes. The Razorbacks are not physical enough in their run game to exploit Ohio State's lack of size up front. Pryor will make some mistakes of his own but his dual-threat ability will lead to some big plays and the Buckeyes' run game will excel.

Prediction: Buckeyes 29, Razorbacks 24
 
The little-10 got their doors blown off this bowl season... Perhaps instead of Legends and Leaders the conference should change the name to BIG MAC cause that's the level they are at right now.... Mac football, just on a larger scale...
 
The little-10 got their doors blown off this bowl season... Perhaps instead of Legends and Leaders the conference should change the name to BIG MAC cause that's the level they are at right now.... Mac football, just on a larger scale...

We have 6 more seats open for the Kent St football wagon.
 
Ohio State by 17. One man teams dont beat power houses.
 
Good game so far.
 
defense is getting handled out there. Doesn't look like we're stopping anything.

Doesn't look like they cans top us either, but if we get in to a shootout Pryor will give up this game with a stupid fumble or interception
 

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