Archives for August 2007

Week #1: Youngstown State University – Open Thread

August 31, 2007 by Tony (el Kaiser) 3 Comments

OSU Football I was up much too late last night playing Bioshock, so I didn’t get a chance to work on any kind of preview post for the Youngstown State game. Eleven Warriors have a good preview up and Buckeye Planet’s fabulous coverage is a must read as always.

So here’s the first Open Thread of the season. Feel free to comment on whatever you like — your prediction of the final score, how you plan on watching the game (or will you be listening to it?) and anything else you feel moved to say.

sportsMonkey: So, let’s not kid ourselves – Youngstown is getting almost $700k for playing the Bucks (compare that to Appalachian State, which is only getting $400k for playing UM). So it’s clear that this game is OSU’s “thanks for the Sweatervest” payoff to Youngstown.

Most seem to think that Tressel won’t run the score up against his former team. However, the Penguins are coming to the ‘Shoe during a time when a lot of starting positions are still being fought for. From the players’ perspective, this is their last chance to prove to the coaches that they deserve a starting spot, or at least one on the two-deep. If you don’t play against YSU, then you probably won’t play this season. So I expect these players to be hungry and scary dominant. OSU starts the season with a shutout, 41-0.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

Praise the Lord, hallelujah

August 31, 2007 by Tony (el Kaiser) Leave a Comment

Marcus Freeman, take us to the promised land.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

GameDay Preview, 2007

August 30, 2007 by sportsMonkey 5 Comments

Fowler: Welcome to the GameDay College Football preview, here on ESPN. We’ve got a dandy of a 2007 season waiting in the wings, and it looks to be another exciting, wide open season.

We’re joining you today from Blacksburg, Virginia, where we are in no way exploiting the grief of the sad events of last April. And we’ll prove that to you in an upcoming five-part ESPN series entitled “Massacre near a Football Stadium,” which will begin immediately following this edition of ESPN College GameDay. Check your local listings.

In the meantime, I’m Chris Fowler, here with my coanchors Lou Holtz, Kirk Herbstreit, and Lee Corso; we’ll be joined later by Desmond Howard and Mark May.

All co-anchors: Hi.

Fowler: Let’s get right into it. Are the athletes in the SEC the fastest humans in the history of the Universe, or just the Earth? Lou?

Holtz: The EthEC ith in a league above everyone elth. They are very fast. Except when they get tackled. Then they’re slower than the guy who did the tackling. Its quite thimple, really. Fasth young men.

Corso: I agree. I agree. Look out! Here comes some speeeeed!! And let me tell ya, let me tell ya, [slaps Herbie in the arm], once those boys hit the field, nobody can catch them! [Whistles through teeth] Whoo! Right down the field!! Nobody can beat them!

Herbie: Yeah, I agree that the SEC is known for speed, but historically, it’s a bit overstated. Take the Big Ten. Ron Zook said that the Big Ten is just as speedy as the southern schools he used to play against, and the conference went 4-1 against the SEC last year, so that famous SEC speed really didn’t help those southern schools that much overall. Speed is important, but so is toughness and coaching.

Howard: Yes, but that one loss was in the BCS title game, so nothing else matters.

Fowler: So we’re agreed… they’re the fastest in the Universe. Moving on to teams in the lesser..uh.. other conferences, do you think any of them are coached by men as fast as Urban Meyer?

Corso: Let me tell you something. Urban Meyer is a heck of a guy. I used to be a coach, so I know a little somethin’ about coachin’. Meyer won the championship last year. And he did it by calling plays, and by having players on the field. With the sweat and the oomph and the ZOOM! Listen to me [points pencil at camera]: Urban Meyer is a COACH.

Herbie: I agree. Meyer’s success comes from recruiting great players, like Tim Tebow. It’ll be fascinating to watch this young man take the reins to defend the title.

Holtz: Yes, he getsth great playerth. Fast oneth.

Howard: I’m looking forward to seeing how Meyer does against his ACC conference opponents. Watching Tebow match up against defenses like Virginia Tech and Boston College will be very interesting.

Fowler: Speaking of recruiting great players, Pete Carroll has assembled yet another team capable of winning the BCS national championship. Coach, will that happen?

Corso: Ho boy, watch out! That David Booty John has a cannon for an arm! USC will win the Pac 10, ’nuff said. ‘Nuff said!

Howard: I’m not so sure, Lee. [Talking over footage of Cody Paul] UCLA recruit Cody Paul, who some are calling the white Reggie Bush, should give the USC defense quite a scare this year.

Fowler: This just in to the ESPN news desk… Virginia Tech officials still have nothing further to comment on the tragic massacre in Blacksburg last spring that has nothing to do with football. And the bad news continues to flow here in America’s heartland. And speaking of tragedies, Kirk, how about Ohio State? Do they have a chance to be speedy, like the SEC, this year?

Herbie: Well, any time you start a new quarterback there will be some challenges. And the Buckeyes haven’t had a power rushing game since the days Maurice Clarett was in the backfield, and they’re hoping that Beanie Wells will bring that classic Big Ten style of play back to the capital city. Tressel has put…

Holtz: Trethel is a coach, too.

Herbie: …has put together another team that may challenge for the Big Ten title.

May: Did someone say Clarett? I’m here.

Herbie: I look for this team to resemble the 2002 OSU team. Tresselball has returned to Columbus.

Fowler: Welcome, Mark. What do you think?

May: Look. Ohio State is going to have to overcome all the distraction brought on by Clarett. I mean, he’s in prison now, right? What does that say about the team he played six games for over five years ago? It’s simple. Reggie Bush will lead USC to the title game. It’s that simple.

Fowler: Uhh… Mark, Bush is a running back for the Saints, now. USC has a stable of new RBs.

May: I meant that the legacy of Bush will serve as motivation for USC to win the title.

Corso: That Reggie Bush. BOOM! Ha. Great kid.

Howard: I’m looking forward to seeing if Reggie Bush can beat Barbaro and win the Triple Crown next year.

Holtz: …..zzzzzzzz…fastyngmnnnnn…zzzzzz….

Fowler: This just in to the ESPN newsdesk: Virginia Tech officials, Maurice Clarett, Osama bin Laden, and Michael Vick have all been seen electrocuting dogs at a Caligula-inspired pool party hosted by Paris Hilton.

Herbie: Oh, for pete’s sake. That’s ridiculous. What does any of this have to do with college football?!?

Fowler: That’s what it says, Kirk. We are just reporting.

May: Kirk, are you a Clarett-lover or something?

Herbie: Bite my exquisitely tanned rear end, Mark.

Corso: ZING!

Alberts: Hey guys!

Fowler: Trev?!? How’d you get in here? How’d you get past security?

Alberts: Two words: Sewage. Line. Think “Shawshank” in reverse.

Howard: Ugh. You stink worse than Lloyd Carr in a bowl game.

Corso: Not so fast, my smelly friend! It’s the SEC with the zip and the zoom and the zhrka… Hah!! [singing] “HOT POOCKEETSS!” I Tivo the Teletubbies, my friend!! D’ya hear me, Tinkywinky?!? MMMmmmmbpthphlept!! Owuuuu!!

May: Trev?!? [their eyes lock]

Alberts: Why won’t you return my calls, Mark? How long were you planning to ignore me?!?

Herbie: [head in hands] No way is this happening again. God hates me. I can’t take this anymore.

May: [sniffs] Shut up, Trev. Just shut up [tear rolls down his face]. You had me at Shawshank, Trev. You had me at Shawshank. [sniffs]

Alberts: Oh, Mark!! [they embrace]

Holtz: zzzz… shwshnkkk… zzzzz

Herbie: [takes can of gasoline, pours contents over head, shoulders, and chest] Our father, who art in heaven…

Corso: Aaaughtphbltpgh!!! Hi-yaaaa! Schompquetzlptoooooooo!!!

Howard: [to the hugging couple] Does this mean I have to give up my chair?

Herbie: [lights match] *FOOM* HMMGGHRRFGHhhhh…*cough**gurgle* *hak* [dies]

Fowler: Well, that about wraps it up. For Lou Holtz, the misters Alberts, and the estate of Kirk Herbstreit, I’m Chris Fowler, and we’ll see you on GameDay. Go SEC.

Filed Under: College Football

2007 Preview – Looking at the Offense

August 30, 2007 by Tony (el Kaiser) 1 Comment

OSU Football Finally, we’re tackling the question of what are we looking forward from the offense this year.

sportsMonkey
1 – Beanie. The Bucks haven’t had a power rushing game since [HWSNBN]. With Beanie, Wells, and Seine, it’ll be nice to start seeing 200-yard-plus rushing games become more frequent.

2 – TEs. If we are to assume that 2007 will be the return of Tresselball (and we should assume), then Jake Ballard and Rory Nichol are going to be used more than ever before – maybe even at the same time. I expect Sweatervest to use a lot of double TE sets this season.

3 – Ray Small. Touted as a faster Teddy Ginn, Ray disappeared after getting shot with an elephant gun last season. Will he step up as slot receiver and be OSU’s home-run threat?

Zeke
1 – Is there a receiver or receivers that can stretch the field and keep the defense honest. I don’t care how studly Beanie is, he wont be able to run against 8-9 defenders in the box game after game.

2 – I am looking forward to see if the play calling will change from last year (that includes what formations will be used). Will Tressel lean more toward the run? Will 5 wide receivers/shotgun still be used? Will we be able to break out the old adage “TresselBall” i.e. punt and play defense?

3 – I am looking forward to watching the new guys. Who will be the next star or Heisman contender. Only the games will tell. Is it Saturday yet?

el Kaiser
I can’t help but think back five years and see some obvious similarities (besides a killer D). Let’s hope it plays out in similar fashion:

1 – The QB play. The Buckeyes have a QB that isn’t flashy but has a good arm. Can Boeckman be Krenzel-like and play just well enough to not lose games?

2 – The running game. A very talented and punishing RB will be anchoring the offense as it was back in 2002. At least this time he won’t go crazy on us and have a total meltdown.

3 – The receiver corps. Again, we’ve got solid possession receivers (Robiskie, Hartline) and someone who can stretch the field (Small). I think the WRs will be a barometer for the Buckeyes. If they’re catching a lot of passes, we’ll be doing just fine.

Sylvester-Yon Rambo
1. Will we be as explosive as years past?
2. Is Beanie all that and a bag of chips?
3. Who is our stud QB going to be?

What has you excited? Anything making you nervous? Will Boeckman still be the starter up in Ann Arbor? Inquiring minds want to know!

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

Two slobber-knocking days left.

August 30, 2007 by Tony (el Kaiser) 2 Comments

For my money, Mike Doss is one of my favorite all-time Buckeye defenders. He gets the nod today

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

2007 Preview – Looking at the Defense

August 29, 2007 by Tony (el Kaiser) 2 Comments

OSU Football The next question in our preview of the 2007 Ohio State season is “What 3 Things are you looking forward to this season on Defense.” The MotSaG answers:

Slyvester-Yon Rambo
1 – Will little Animal become the greatest LB in OSU history?
2 – Will V. Gholstons arms explode?
3 – Is our defense good enough to make up for inexperienced offense?

Zeke
1 – I think a key position this season on defense will be DT. I am anxious to see how the rotation will look at that position. It will be important for the DT to allow the linebackers to make plays.

2 – I have always liked Malcolm Jenkins and I think he has a chance to be the next great NFL corner from OSU. My guess is other teams will pick on the corner opposite of Jenkins. That being said, I look for Jenkins to make some big plays this season.

3 – I cant wait until Gholston brings Chad Henne down with his pinky. Can we please see the one armed tackle again? (Sure. – ed) Gholston is going to be a beast this year.

el Kaiser
1 – I was never sold on Jamario O’Neal to begin with, but being leap-frogged by true Sophomore Kurt Coleman on the depth chart is something I’ll be keeping an eye on. Ohio State has always had safeties that could bring the wood. Can (and will) Coleman?

2 – Everyone knows that Little Animal is the man when it comes to the Linebackers, but when are the others going to live up to their potential? Freeman, Homan, Grant, Spitler and others have had moments of brilliance, but we need some consistency. Curtis Terry, WRU? Will the freshmen LBs step up?

3- It’s impossible to hide my man-crush for “He who has Gigantic Pipes,” so I want to see this happen OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

sportsMonkey
1. LBs. How good is Laurinaitis really? How good will he be without Pitcock and Patterson in front of him? We’ll see.

2. Secondary. OSU’s secondary is going to be scary. Scary.

3. Finally, I’m looking forward to watching el Kaiser’s man-crush on V. Gholston develop even further. With every sack and TFL, el Kaiser will come closer to leaving the wife & kids.

Defense wins championships and the defense that will be taking the field on Saturday is one of the defenses. What are you looking forward to?

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

3 days

August 29, 2007 by Tony (el Kaiser) Leave a Comment

Brandon Saine is very fast.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

2007 Preview – Games we’re looking forward to

August 28, 2007 by Tony (el Kaiser) 3 Comments

OSU Football The first question I asked the staff of Men of the Scarlet and Gray was — which 3 OSU games they were looking forward to, and which 3 non-OSU games had piqued their interest the most. Here are their responses:

sportsMonkey –
OSU games:
Sorry, nothing original here. Penn State, Wisconsin, and Michigan, natch.
1. It’ll be interesting to see if OSU can play PSU without JoePa changing diapers.
2. It’ll be interesting to see OSU play Wisconsin at home (ya, we’re still fuming over Alvarez managing to pull the back-to-back Camp Randall games off).
3. And it’ll be just positively fabulous to see Henne and Hart go 0-4 against the Bucks.

Non-OSU games:
1. Oklahoma/Texas. IMO, the winner will go to the BCS title game.
2. USC/UCLA.
3. UM at Wisconsin. However this game ends will make the OSU/UM game the following week that much more interesting.

Zeke –
OSU games:
1. Wisconsin – We have not played them for two years now. The Badgers are receiving a lot of pre-season hype. It will be nice to put them in their place when they visit Columbus.
2. Penn State. I have to give some props to the student body at PSU, I think they put on a good show at night in State College. It will be nice to avenge the loss a couple years ago.
3. Not much to say here, but in my opinion this list would not be complete the Michigan game. It is going to be so sweet to watch Henne, Hart, & company go winless against the Buckeyes.

Non-OSU games:
1. Penn State @ Michigan 9/22 – who is a bigger contender for the Big Ten title
2. Tennessee @ Florida 9/15 – I just want to see Florida lose
3. USC @ Nebraska 9/15 – ditto, I just want to see USC lose

I picked out games from only the first month of the season. It is hard to predict the games that will mean the most toward the end of the season.

4. For selfish reasons, BYU @ UCLA 9/8 – I am looking forward to visiting the Rose Bowl in person.

Sylvester-Yon Rambo
OSU games:
1. Wisconsin
2. scUM
3. Youngstown St. (if the Buckeyes don’t put up 60 points against the Penguins people will call us bad names)

Non-OSU games:
1. USC @ Nebraska
2. Virginia Tech @ LSU and Florida @ LSU
3. Texas vs Oklahoma

el Kaiser
OSU games:
1. Youngstown State – Lots of reasons here. First, I’m very excited about the chance to see Buckeyes for the first time this year in person. Season openers in the ‘Shoe are always fun. The whole Tressel/YSU connection is interesting. I think it’s safe to say he won’t be throwing 60 points on his old team, but will he put them in their place? Finally, mrs. Kaiser is a YSU alum (she even went to the ’94 championship game against Boise State) so I’ve been schooled in all things YSU.
2. Washington – I’ve got to break with the consensus here. I’m not sure if Washington will pose any kind of threat, but Husky Stadium isn’t the easiest place to play. Being away from the comforts of Columbus will hopefully give the new Buckeyes (especially Boeckman) a nice little baptism of noise.
3. Michigan – Count me in with those that can’t wait to see H20-3 and Henne go winless against OSU.

Non-OSU games:
1. Virginia Tech/LSU – Two great defenses slugging it out.
2. West Virginia/Louisville – Who needs defense?
3. Miami/Oklahoma – Watching Miami descend into irrelevance is such a beautiful thing to watch.

So those are the games we’re excited about. What about you guys?

And if it helps, you can always download the handy 2007 Helmet Schedule (Right-click to save) to help you pick them out.

Archives for August 2007

Week #1: Youngstown State University – Open Thread

Praise the Lord, hallelujah

GameDay Preview, 2007

2007 Preview – Looking at the Offense

Two slobber-knocking days left.

2007 Preview – Looking at the Defense

3 days

2007 Preview – Games we’re looking forward to

Four days and counting

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