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GAME NOTES: Fresh off yet another narrow loss in a big game, the Ohio State Buckeyes will attempt to get back on track against a dangerous Toledo team on Saturday afternoon in Cleveland. These teams met on only one previous occasion, as OSU crushed UT by a 49-0 final in 1998.

Ohio State entered last Saturday's prime time matchup with USC hoping to get revenge for last season's embarrassing loss to the Trojans. The Buckeyes were 24-1 under head coach Jim Tressel at Ohio Stadium vs. non-conference foes, but they simply didn't get enough offensive production to beat USC. The final score of that game was 18-15, as a late scoring drive by the Trojans was the difference. Considering the fact that the Buckeyes barely beat Navy in the opener (31-27), expectations have to be tempered a bit.

"Our kids played hard," said Tressel after the contest. "They've been preparing hard. They were in a dog fight and flailed right along with it, and what we need to do is keep working, stick together and get better."

Toledo opened the season with a 52-31 loss to Purdue, but the team bounced back strong last Friday with a 54-38 thrashing of Colorado. That victory was the first for rookie head coach Tim Beckman, and it was the third consecutive home victory over a Big 12 foe for the Mid-American Conference squad.

"I couldn't be more proud of my team and my seniors," said Beckman. "It's a dream come true, winning my first game as a head football coach."

The Rockets won't dive into their MAC schedule until October 3rd, as they have another non-conference clash with Florida International scheduled after this weekend's affair.

Ohio State scored just one touchdown against USC, as the offense simply didn't do enough to win. Terrelle Pryor showed that he isn't nearly the star that he is made out to be, completing only 11-of-25 passes for 177 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. DeVier Posey was the most effective of the Buckeye receivers, as he made six grabs for 81 yards. The ground attack was paced by Dan Herron, who had 44 yards and a score on 18 carries -- a poor average of 2.4 yards per attempt. OSU was 4-of-13 on third down conversion attempts and lost the time of possession battle by nearly five minutes.

Through two games, Pryor has completed 54.3 percent of his passes for 351 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, adding 66 rushing yards and one score. He is blessed with a great deal of talent, but he has a long way to go for the production to match the hype. Herron has 116 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries, and he is clearly the go-to guy on the ground despite his poor 3.3 ypc average. OSU is making good on only 28 percent of its third down conversion attempts, and that figure must improve.

Early in the first quarter of Saturday's game, USC intercepted a pass and ran it back to the Buckeyes' two-yard line. The Trojans needed four plays to go just two yards for a touchdown, so it is hard to blame the OSU defense for that score. USC was held out of the end zone from that point on, until a 14- play, 86-yard drive culminated with a touchdown run with 1:05 remaining on the clock. In the end, the Buckeyes had surrendered 18 points and 313 yards to a talent-packed offense.

"Our defense played extremely hard and they came up with plays, they got us a turnover near mid-field and we didn't cash in on it at all," said Tressel.

The fact that the defense played better against USC than against Navy is troubling. Because of that fact, it is hard to predict what we will see from the Buckeyes against an explosive Toledo squad this weekend.

Speaking of the Rockets, it is hard to imagine that they are capable of playing any better offensively than they did against Colorado last Friday. They ranked up 624 total yards en route to 54 points, and the balance was extremely impressive, as they posted 305 yards on the ground and 319 yards through the air. The ground attack averaged 7.1 yards per rush and the passing game yielded 21.3 yards per completion. Aaron Opelt completed 15-of-23 passes with four touchdowns, and four different receivers were on the other end of those scoring strikes. Opelt also did plenty of damage with his legs, gaining 109 yards and scoring twice on only eight attempts. DaJuane Collins paced Toledo with 160 rushing yards.

Opelt, through two games, is completing 62.2 percent of his passes for 742 yards with seven touchdowns and only two interceptions. His leadership has been tremendous, and his ability to make plays as a runner makes him a complete quarterback. The two receivers to keep an eye on against the Buckeyes are Eric Page and Stephen Williams, as both have 15 catches and two touchdowns to their credit thus far. The Rockets have yielded only one sack in two games, a credit to the offensive line and Opelt's quick release.

Toledo was completely dominant defensively in the first half against Colorado, limiting the Buffaloes to three points in 30 minutes of football. Unfortunately, things seemed to fall apart in the second half, as the Buffs posted 21 points in the third quarter alone and 14 points in the final stanza. Fortunately for the defense, the Rockets continued to score on offense, masking what was a modest defensive effort in all. A total of 451 yards were allowed, including 356 yards through the air. But three interceptions and a fumble recovery were registered, so there was no lack of big plays.

"I knew the defense had a lot to prove after last week," said Archie Donald of Toledo after the clash. "We played enthused and with a lot of energy. We were flying around and making plays, all 11 guys to the ball. We bounced back strong. We sharpened up from the mistakes we made last week."

Opponents are scoring 45.0 ppg against Toledo while averaging nearly 500 yards of total offense, so there is no doubt that improvement is needed in a hurry. The fact that the Rockets have allowed such high yardage figures despite intercepting six passes already is undeniably surprising. Keep an eye on Barry Church, as he is a big-time playmaker for the UT defense.

Expect Toledo to push Ohio State in this contest, although the edge has to go to the Buckeyes. The boys from Columbus will do enough to get the neutral-site victory.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Ohio State 28, Toledo 17