Archives for December 2012

1. Michigan (11-0)- We have a new number one team in the conference after Indiana’s loss last weekend. The Wolverines continue to roll and there is a good chance that they will finish out of conference play undefeated with only Eastern and Central Michigan left on their schedule.

2. Indiana (9-1)- The Hoosiers surprisingly lost to instate rival Butler in overtime last Saturday, suffering their first blemish on the season. Indiana is still loaded though and do not expect them to suffer many more losses.

3. Ohio State (8-1)-  The Buckeyes basically have an exhibition game versus Winthrop tonight before their huge showdown versus the #9 Kansas Jayhawks this Saturday. They need to defeat Kansas to get a much needed marquee win early in the season.

4. Illinois (12-1)- Besides OSU-Kansas, there is another big time game this weekend for the conference as the Illini travel to #12 Missouri. If Illinois can defeat the Tigers they will already have two very good wins after defeating Gonzaga in Spokane, WA.

5. Minnesota (11-1)- The Gophers traveled to the west coast and handled the USC Trojans. They wrap up their non-conference schedule with Lafayette this weekend.

6. Michigan State (9-2)- If Sparty can take care of Bowling Green and Texas this week they will go into conference play with only two losses. Not bad for a team that looked defeated after a loss versus Miami (Fl.) a few weeks ago.

7. Iowa (9-2)- The Hawkeyes also only have two losses on the season and that should remain the same with only South Carolina State and Coppin State on the schedule.

8. Wisconsin (7-4)- Bo Ryan will take care of the defense but the Badgers need to start scoring to keep up with the big boys of the conference.

9. Northwestern (8-3)- The Wildcats welcome the Stanford Cardinal into town on Friday for what would be a good win for Northwestern.

10. Nebraska (6-3)- Nebraska only managed to score 38 points against Oregon, their lowest total of the season.

11. Penn State (6-4)- Delaware State took the Nittany Lions to overtime… Yes, Delaware State. They take on New Hampshire this weekend in what sadly should be a competitive game.

12. Purdue (4-6)- The Boilermakers followed up their loss versus Eastern Michigan with another loss against a solid Notre Dame team.

Verlon Reed showed a lot of promise in 2011 as he started the 1st 7 games and was leading the team in catches before a season ending injury took him out for the rest of the year. He never seemed to be able to overcome the injury and crack the 2 deep of WRs under new coach Urban Meyer. In a move called mutual by Ohio State Verlon has left the team. On a team that is so much in need of play makers this departure hurts and Verlon was a fan favorite. We wish him nothing but the best where ever he ends up.

According to the Columbus Dispatch….

Backup wide receiver Verlon Reed has left the Ohio State football team, an athletic department spokesman confirmed yesterday.

A third-year sophomore , Reed could not be reached for comment about possible transfer plans. The spokesman said coach Urban Meyer called it a mutual parting.

Reed was a dual-threat quarterback in high school at Marion-Franklin, which he led to the state semifinals. He was recruited as an all-around athlete by OSU when he signed in 2010. He was a starting wide receiver at the beginning of the 2011 season, but suffered a major knee injury in the seventh game.

He bounced back to compete in preseason camp last season under Meyer and his new spread offense. But Reed played in just seven games, primarily on special teams, catching one pass.

1. Indiana (9-0)-  The Hoosiers didn’t play anyone of significance last week (sorry Central Connecticut St.,)  but have instate rival Butler this week in what should be a good one.

2. Michigan (9-0)- Michigan took care of Arkansas last week and are off to their best start since the ’88-’89 National Championship season.

3. Ohio State (6-1)- Three more cupcakes for the Buckeyes before their big showdown versus Kansas.

4. Illinois (10-0)- The Illini have passed all their tests so far and have the conference’s marquee win of the season at Gonzaga.

5. Minnesota (10-1)- With a win at Southern Cal, the Gophers continue to roll and they’ll likely finish out of conference play at an impressive 12-1.

6. Michigan State (8-2)- Sparty has dealt with a couple of early season injuries but it is hard to count out a Tom Izzo coached team this early in the season. They’ll be fine.

7. Iowa (8-2)- Defeated a solid Iowa State squad for a big out of conference win that the Hawkeyes desperately needed.

8. Wisconsin (6-4)- Wisconsin started last week with a quality win versus Cal but ended their week with a tough loss versus Marquette. Inconsistencies have bugged the Badgers so far this season during their out of conference schedule.

9. Northwestern (7-3)- The Wildcats have lost their last three out of four games and now have nine days off until they play Texas State.

10. Nebraska (6-2)- The ‘Huskers got destroyed by #16 Creighton last week but look to rebound this week at Oregon.

11. Purdue (4-5)- They were held to only 44 points last game in a loss at Eastern Michigan… Yeah, that does not look good.

12. Penn State (5-4)- The Nittany Lions are shooting %39 from the field this season, good for 310th in the nation.

In a move that probably didn’t surprise anyone Jr. DT Johnathan “Big Hank” Hankins has decided to forego his Sr. year and enter the 2013 NFL draft. Many experts expect Big Hank to go in the top half of the 1st round and that kind of money is just too much to turn down and chance getting hurt or under performing his Senior year and losing stock value. Ohio State issued a statement saying as much and this quote from Big Hank “I have decided, with the support of my family, to forego my senior season at Ohio State in order to enter the NFL Draft.” – Johnathan Hankins.

On behalf of the MOTSAG crew we wish him the best of luck and hope to root for him for many years to come as an NFLer.

You could almost sense this weekend was going to be huge as some of the top targets left for OSU in the 2013 class were going to be in Columbus this weekend and with all the coaches having nothing else to do they would be able to focus on landing the guys they wanted and needed. There was some hope that OSU would get OL David Dawson a former TTUN commit but he canceled his visit and is going back to TTUN next weekend so he is most likely out of the equation. Having said that OSU still wanted an OT/DT and what better way to get one then to land one who can play either position extremely well. So they did just that and got no. 19 for the 2013 recruiting class.

Donovan Munger is a 6’4″ 290 lbs 4 star OL/DL from Shaker Heights, Ohio. Donovan Munger is a beast of a man who is a dominant run stopper at DT or has the ability to be a great run blocker at OG as well. He is a strong and athletic player that can add versatility that OSU needs with scholarship reductions through next year. His ability to play on either line will make him a huge asset. ESPN has him in their ESPN300 as the no. 283 best recruit in the nation. Scout ranks him a 4 star and the 24th best DT in the nation. 247sports ranks him a 4 star and the 18th best DT in the nation. Rivals ranks him a 3 star and the 38th best DT in the nation. Below you can see his Jr. Year highlights.

Remember last summer when a certain team from up north decided it would be cool to flip an OSU recruit from the 2012 class while OSU was in the worst of the tattoo scandal and vulnerable? Well if you don’t I can assure you Coach Meyer does and he just took the first in what could be a few revenge hits back at Coach Hoke and TTUN. Coming off the 12-0 season and the victory over TTUN the Wolverines 2nd highest ranked recruit who was at the game against the rules of Coach Hoke decommitted from the program a week later and took an official visit to OSU that started yesterday and will end tonight but he didnt even make it out of the visit before he committed to become the no 18 recruit for OSUs 2013 class. So here he is….

Gareon Conley is a 6’2″ 175 lbs 4 star DB/WR from Massilon, Ohio. Gareon is being recruited to OSU as an athlete because well he is good enough to play either Defense or Offense. He is a speedster with great hands and feet but he can also hit and cover the WRs with the best of them. If you want to compare him to anyone from OSU past it is definitely Chris Gamble. ESPN ranks Gareon as a 4 star in their ESPN 150 and the 65th best prospect in the country. 247sports ranks him a Top247 at no. 229 and the 17th best DB. Scouts ranks him as a 4 star and the 17th best DB. Rivals ranks him a 3 star and the 40th best prospect in Ohio strangely. Below you can watch his Jr. season highlights.