Archives for August 2010

If you are interested in watching Terrelle Pryor’s replacement in waiting. Tonight at 7 PM on ESPN8 The Ocho errrrr ESPNU you can see Braxton Miller of Huber Heights Wayne play against Powerhouse Cincinnati Moeller. It is a good chance to see this future Buckeye QB play against some top notch HS football talent and on national TV. If nothing else it gives us some football to watch while we wait these last 4 days before KICKOFF. I hope to watch the game and share some of my thoughts and his stats during the game.

So as camp is coming to a close there were several depth chart moves made some surprising and some were expected due to injuries and rumors.

First, the surprise move. Sophomore C.J Burnett has been named the starting Strong Safety. He has beat out Orhian Johnson who is having injury issues and is now listed as the back up to Burnett.

Second, Andrew Sweat has taken the starting Strong Side Linebacker with Jonathan Newsome as his back up. Ettiene Sabino who was suppose to be that starter has moved to Middle Linebacker where he will back up Brian Rolle along with Storm Klein.

Third, Nate Williams who has been out 2 weeks with a knee injury is listed as a starter at Defensive End. He will be backed up by Soloman Thomas. Hopefully Williams will be ready to play by Thursday we need every DL we can get.

Fourth, As I predicted Drew Basil has supplanted Devin Barclay as the starting kicker. I dont think Tressel ever really had trust in Barclay and Basil has the much bigger leg for those long FGA he loves to try. Lets hope he has accuracy as well.

Lastly, a few True Freshman made the 2 deep chart. On Defense, Jonathan “Big Hank” Hankins at 335 pounds will back up Dexter Lattimore and I bet see a lot of time against the run with his wide load. Christian Bryant will back up Tyler Moeller at Nickel Back and will also back up Jermale Hines with Moeller. On Offense, Andrew Norwell will be the back up at right tackle. Corey Brown will help backup the No. 2 WR with Chris Fields to Dane Sanzenbacher.

So we are less than a week away from the start of the season and we here at MOTSAG thought it would be a good day to get some predictions for the CFB season. Hopefully when we look back on this thread in mid January we will know who has the most CFB knowledge. Good luck and try your best not to be to big of a homer and answer all the questions.

1. What will Ohio State’s record be at the end of the season?
2. Who will win the Big Ten?
3. What bowl game will OSU be in?
4. What will scUM’s record be and will they make a bowl game?
5. Will Rich Rod be the head coach at scUM next year?
6. Who will play for the National Championship title?
7. Who will win the Heisman Trophy?
8. Will Illinois win a game?
9. How many All-Big Ten members will OSU have?
10. How many All-Americans will OSU have?

Bonus Question

11.) Will HWNSNBM make the Omaha Nighthawks UFL team?

Mr. Greene was a trend setter and made it possible for players like Troy Smith and Terelle Pryor to not only start but succeed at Ohio State. He was Ohio States first ever African American starting QB in its history.

He was the starter for 3 years compiling a record of 31-3-1 and he was the Rose Bowl MVP in 1974 and Big Ten MVP in 1975. He also was a part of 4 Big Ten Titles and 4 Rose Bowl Rings. In 1975 he even beat out his teammate and 2 time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin to win OSU MVP and Big Ten MVP. He changed the way OSU recruited and played the QB position. In 1998 he was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame. He may be most well known though for wearing Red Shoes and being a fashion guru on the gridiron. Simply put he is an OSU icon and someone all the younger Buckeye fans should learn more about.

Traditionally speaking, of course, Penn State is nicknamed “LBU” by silly pundits and fans of that school. The truth is tOSU has been, for years, been putting out some of the best LBs in college football and they have been doing extremely well in the NFL.

This year is no different and may possibly be one of our deepest positions on the team and maybe one of our best LB crews ever.

The Linebackers:

Ross Homan

This senior out of Coldwater, Ohio is a tackling machine and is on every defensive awards watch-list. He has the size and speed and is smart enough to anchor the defense and be its leader. He has a lot of skills needed to be a dominant player and uses them to his advantage. Homan is technically sound and has that “knack” of being at the right place at the right time, as evidenced by his five interceptions at opportune times. He also averaged 8.3 tackles per game . He has All-American written all over him and the potential to win at the very least the Butkus Award for best LB in the country.

And he’ll do it all quietly and efficiently, just the way he likes it.

His 2009 statistics were 108 tackles, 5 TFL, 5 INT, and 2 fumble recoveries.

Brian Rolle

This senior out of Immokalee, FL lacks the size at 5’8″ and 218 lbs that is normally needed to be a starting linebacker on a top 10 team. So, why is he starting again this year? Simple answer: his speed, explosiveness and toughness makes up for his lack of size. Fundamentally, he has issues (see: his tackling, especially at the goal line versus Jeremiah Masoli in the Rose Bowl) but he makes up for them with the intangibles. He is a Buckeye in the truest sense of the word. All heart and motor. He may not get the press that Homan does but he should get the accolades All-Big Ten this season.

His little, stumpy legs and oversized melon look out of place out there, but Rolle will simply out hussle you.

His 2009 statistics were 95 tackles, 7 TFL, 1 INT, and 1 fumble recovery.

Etienne Sabino

This guy has all the talent in the world and the size to go with it at 6’3 and 240 lbs. He is a junior out of North Miami, FL. He has been given every chance to win the third LB spot on this years team and in the spring it was almost a sure thing it was his. That was the case until this next LB came along.

Sabino has seen the field in the past and he has been effective on special teams but Buckeye fans are still looking for him to reach the potential that fans and coaches have seen in Etienne. Most linebackers seem come into their own during their junior year and there will still be plenty of opportunities for Sabino to make an impact, but it just seems like his time is limited. He can turn the pressure into winning playing time into a great experience.

His 2009 statistics were: 6 tackles, 0.5 TFL, no interceptions and no fumble recoveries.

Andrew Sweat

Andrew seems to be gaining a lot of traction in his bid to getting the starting nod at LB. Buzz out of practice is that he is getting a lot of time with the first team unit during the Jersey Scrimmage game and now the speculation is this 6’2″ 238 lbs junior out of Washington, PA stud is going to be the starter with Sabino backing him up and pushing him every week. From the sounds of it, it’s less of Sabino performing poorly and more of Sweat impressing coaches with his play.

Sweat saw playing time last season but barely enough to really get a bead on his strengths and weaknesses. From what we saw, his technique and strength seem to be there and he’ll just need game experience to go with it.

His 2009 statistics were: 15 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT and no fumble recoveries.

Dorian Bell

Young Puppy is a red-shirt freshman out of Monroeville, PA and at 6’1″ and 225 lbs he is a pure athlete and probably needs to put on some size but he is young and hungry. He should see time on special teams and in mop up duty in games against Marshall and EMU. With Ohio State’s depth at linebacker, it will be tough for Bell to see the field too often, but

His 2008 High School Statistics 113 tackles, 19 TFL, 7 sacks, 4 forced fumbles as a senior.

These Buckeyes should continue the tradition of Ohio State producing high quality linebackers at all three positions.

For only the second time in school history Ohio State will have 6 team captains.

This years captains are all seniors with 3 each from both sides of the ball. From the Offense we have Bryant Browning, Brandon Saine, and Dane Sanzenbacher. From the Silver Bullets side we have Ross Homan, Brian Rolle, and Cameron Heyward.

I cant think of a better leadership team for our beloved Buckeyes lets just hope Bryant Browning plays like a captain all year long the rest are shoe ins for All Big Ten and or All American.

O-H

LeCharles Bentley is a famous former Offensive Lineman at OSU and he was a beast but maybe he is best remembered for his 2 lawsuits. First, while at OSU he pulled a Mike Tyson on Tyson Walters face and knocked him the crap out lol. Tyson sued LeCharles and won 6 grand + medical expenses but lost his manhood in doing so. Now LeCharles is suing the Cleveland Browns for a staph infection he recieved while part of that team.

Mr. Bentley is a Manimal and I cant wait to see how he does hosting his own show. Bentley will co-host the Big Ten Pulse (debuts Sept. 9, airing Thursdays, 9 PM ET). he is just one of a lot of former Big Ten players that the BTN has recently hired to do shows and games on the network. It is apparent that this network is doing well and is going to continue to rise in ratings and fans myself included.