Expert Roundable: Offensive goals

The pads are still popping over at the Woody Hayes Athletic Complex as the Buckeyes continue to prepare for the Oregon Ducks and the Rose Bowl. The team is healthy and spirits are high but the Buckeyes know that they have to put in a lot of work before breaking for a short holiday respite.

Don't expect the team to reinvent itself during these bowl practices but rather trying to sharpen its edges and play its best game in the Granddaddy of them all.

We are asking a couple of general questions to our own experts and seeing what the Buckeyes will have to do in order to secure the win and come home with a long-awaited bowl victory.

Roundtable Question: What is Ohio State's No. 1 priority on offense in order the win the game?

Kevin Noon, Managing Editor

The Ohio State offense cannot allow itself to become one dimensional by any means but there is one aspect of the offense that means more than anything else. The Buckeyes have got to be able to run the ball and run it well and have prolonged drives. Of course that sounds pretty obvious but there are so many more reasons involved in my selection.

Of course a successful running should lead to crucial points which is the ultimate of goal of any offense. But if the Buckeyes are able to run the ball they will be able to keep the clock moving and more importantly the Oregon offense on the sidelines. The Ducks hurry-up offense can't harm anyone when they are on the sidelines watching Boom Herron, Brandon Saine and even Terrelle Pryor running the ball.

but there is so much more than just that for running the ball because of course it will open up some shots for the passing game and will make Oregon respect play action. Of course going downfield will not serve to the goal of keeping the Oregon offense off of the field but the Buckeyes would gladly accept seven points on every offensive drive and would be hard to beat if they were putting up points on every possession.

So ultimately this means that all of the moving parts of the offense are going to need to be clicking and it is much more than just the running backs going to the light. The offensive line is going to need to hold its blocks and avoid dreaded holding penalties. The wide receivers are going to have to either run off their defenders or be sure to make good blocks as well. The running backs are more than capable and as long as the path is open good things are ahead for the Buckeyes.

Ari Wasserman, Staff Writer

When it comes to the Ohio State football team's offense this season - the laundry list of complains is seemingly never ending. Whether it was the offensive line underperforming, the quarterback not being an effective passer, or the play calling being bland, the Buckeye offense hasn't necessarily looked pretty at times this year. However, though it wasn't pretty, Ohio State did average nearly 30 points per game. Regardless, the team's 364 yards per game were ninth in the Big Ten.

Call it whatever you would like, but the Buckeyes can't afford to be ineffective on offense against a team like Oregon. Though there are plenty of places for improvement -- the coaching staff will be the first to admit that - the biggest thing Ohio State has to do is be innovative and aggressive.

Too many times has this team been unsuccessful in big games because against explosive teams like Oregon can put points on the board. Jim Tressel likes to use his fantastic defense to keep his team in games, and while that is a strategy that tends to work more often than not, it doesn't when the other offense finds the end zone on various occasions. And, make no mistake about it -- Oregon will get theirs sooner or later.

Last season in a similar situation we saw Tressel and his staff open it up with Todd Boeckman and Terrelle Pryor on the field at the same time, and though this season doesn't look to call for those types of heroics, it does need to be different in some ways than what we saw at times this season. He needs to pass on first down, not be afraid to hit the home run, and spread the ball around. Tressel has certainly become a creature of habit, but the second the other sideline can't figure out what he is thinking, that's what makes the Buckeyes really dangerous. It is understood that Pryor has his limitations, but an offensive philosophy that is aggressive and unpredictable is the best medicine for Ohio State to score enough to beat the Ducks.

Andy McLachlan, Staff Writer

Ohio State's offense showed spurts of brilliance during the season. Enough to believe with a little bit of tweaking, they could become one of the better offensive units in the nation. Whether it was the play calling or lack of execution, the Buckeyes struggled moving the ball and failed to meet expectations.

In the Rose Bowl, Ohio State will face Oregon, whose defense has similar traits to the Ohio State offense. Their ranking is solid (39th in rush defense, 37th in pass defense) but have been prone to give up big numbers (505 yards against Stanford, 441 yards against Arizona). To effectively move the ball, the Buckeyes will need to set the tone early with the running game, but also mix in the passing attack.

Head Coach Jim Tressel claims he will let loose the healthy Terrelle Pryor in Pasadena, possibly hoping to have his quarterback breakout like Vince Young did five years ago in the same contest. As talented as Pryor is, he will become very limited if running backs Brandon Saine and Dan Herron fail to move the sticks.

No one who wears scarlet and gray should hope for a shootout. The Ducks' offense is just too explosive and executes like no other spread attack. The Ohio State running game really began to take flight in the final weeks of the season. If they can continue this trend as well as mix a few throws in to Dane Sanzenbacher and DeVier Posey, The Buckeyes should put up enough points to win the game.

Agree, disagree, want to voice your own opinion on the subject? Jump into the discussion right here.