College Football is Here at Last

It's finally here! College football season. My favorite sport. Tonight was the first night of many I plan to sit down, prop up my feet, and just watch college ball all night long. And what a great way to start off the season. I know that it's hard to really take a lot away when a team with the talent, history, tradition, and athletic ability of Ohio State plays a team like Marshall. But there are some things worth noting from tonight's game. For one, the offensive line looked vastly improved. Again, I realize they played Marshall, but they held the pocket and opened up holes for Brandon Saine that they weren't opening up against teams like Purdue and Toledo last year. The real test will be if they are capable of doing the same thing against a team like Miami or Wisconsin. We'll find out next week.

The other story tonight was Terrelle Pryor. He looked like the quarterback we saw in the Rose Bowl a year ago. Actually, he looked better than the quarterback we saw in the Rose Bowl a year ago. He kept his eyes downfield, made multiple reads, didn't panic, didn't get happy feet, and made tough throws when he needed to. He missed a couple of passes (he had DeVier Posey wide open for a 50 + yard score in the first half he overthrew by about 5 years) and had a few dropped balls (again, Posey was the guy I noticed dropping a couple of balls), but his numbers were great. 17/25 for 247 yards and 3 TD's. I'm still not ready to say TP is going to contend for a Heisman Trophy, but I will say he's made progress as quarterback. Much of that progress can be attributed to the offensive line playing well tonight, and Pryor therefore not having to run for his life, something which could change against a team like Miami. So again, we have progress. Hopefully it continues.

Then there's the defense. I feel it was hard to get a read on the defense tonight. There seemed to be something missing from the defense tonight that made them special last year. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there was something that just didn't feel right. It could be breaking in new guys and new rotations, and the fact that Chimdi Chekwa didn't start and played sparingly, or even the fact that after the first quarter Ohio State had scored 3 TD's and was basically playing a soft zone. I'm hopeful I am reading too much into things, but something there just didn't feel right.

Last but not least, Tyler Moeller. Tyler Moeller was attacked last year and suffered severe head injuries. He missed the entire season recovering, and at some point I think there was doubt he would ever make it onto a football field ever again. Tonight Tyler Moeller was back on the football field, and he played well. He made plays in the backfield and was a ballhawk as the Nickel corner. I don't know if his play with continue the rest of the year, but I don't care. I'm just glad Tyler Moeller got the opportunity to play football again in an Ohio State uniform.

So the first one is in the bag, and the next one will be a bit tougher against Miami. I'm ready for it. Bring it on. I can't wait. College football season is here.