Friday Open Thread: Cincinnati

Did I spell that right? It always looks wrong to me. That’s usually why I refer to the city as Cincy. I kinda don’t like Cincinnati. If they love Kentucky so much down there they can leave. This state is only big enough for one baseball team and one football team, and let’s be honest, when have the Reds or Bengals done anything? (Okay, don’t answer that.)

So it’s back to the gridiron for our Buckeyes, something all us Ohioans can agree on, that the Buckeyes and Ohio State are superior to the University of Cincinnati Bearcats in every way, shape, and form. Maybe someday it will fall off and sink into the Ohio River and do us all a favor.

Things will be a little somber at the Horseshoe, as a moment of silence is observed for UC walk-on running back Chamoda Kennedy-Palmore and his tragic death. Extremely sad and should put things in perspective as to what really matters. You really only need a few seconds to consider it, though. It’s football. Football matters. And family. And friends. And good times and enjoyable memories. Dang it now it’s dusty in here.

As always, we’ve had a plethora of game coverage. Ronnie looked at the players to watch, but let’s be honest: the only player that should give you pause for concern is Gunner Kiel:

He is a towering player at 6-5 200+ pounds, and with his size comes some surprising mobility. He won’t beat you with his feet, but is more than capable of escaping the pocket and gaining meaningful yardage. Kiel’s real talent lies in his big arm and above average accuracy. Head Coach Tommy Tubberville wanted to find out what he had with Kiel in their first two games and he came away impressed. Kiel went 50 for 76 (65.8%) and threw for ten touchdowns and two interceptions. The Bearcats offense is not very balanced and relies heavily upon Kiel to get the ball to their plethora of wide receivers. This will be the most talented receiving core Ohio State will face this year and Kiel loves to spread the wealth. The Buckeyes will have to bother Kiel in the pocket in order to make their more aggressive pass coverage schemes more effective. If not, expect Kiel to put up big big numbers and really push the Buckeyes to the brink of an upset.

Chip looked at three things to consider for the game, the majority of which deals with trenches.

MotSaG Live continues apace, and Josh and the gang are really hitting it out of the park. Give it a listen!

Jacob previewed the game, which you should read.

After you read it, what do you see happening this Saturday? The Buckeyes will win (duh), but which quarterback racks up more yards? Which freshmen sees the field the most? What margin of victory is “acceptable” to start the way back into the CFB Playoff discussion?

I’ll say:

Ohio State: 45
Cincy: 23

Kiel will out-gun JT “Double” Barret in a shootout. (I’m so sorry)

Raekwon McMillan will see the most snaps this Saturday.

Who cares? Just win BABY!

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