Archives for October 2014

Negative Buckeye: Maryland Week Complaints and Issues

October 7, 2014 by 2 Comments

by: Ryan Black

 

The Ohio State Buckeyes showed off their awesome tackle football skills again last weekend with a murder of some team from Washington D.C. and fans get to look forward to another bye week…

 

Remember in the good ole days when Ohio State would only have one bye week and would be forced to wait almost 3 months until the bowl game at the end of the season? Well this old man does and I miss those times.

Normally I would complain about the anger and stupidity that arose during the game last Saturday but coach Urban Meyer has been making life too pleasant anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I still saw and said some awful words about Maryland players and Ohio State’s secondary but this week I need to complain about something deeper.

This weeks negative view point post will remind the true Ohio State fans how much better the times were before the “ever-so-handsome” Urban Meyer came to Columbus. Old timers always believe that their way is best and I’m no different. Growing up with Ohio State was awesome and kids these days won’t understand how great it truly was in the golden years.

So sit back, grab a liquor drink, and lets reminisce about the better times during the Ohio State baby boomer era (1995-2011)-

 

Best Glory Day Moments:

 

Eddie George Heisman in 1995-

The first memory as a fan that comes to mind is watching the Heisman ceremony in 1995, in which Eddie George took home the ugly statue. With an always smooth look and head, number 27 stole the hearts of America with a dominant senior season.

He had the courage to wear his jersey halfway up his body to show his perfectly sculpted abs; unlike that current punk Ezekiel Elliot kid who wears his halfway down his body.

Joe Germaine vs. Stanley Jackson in 1996-

Ohio State certainly had the capability of going undefeated during the regular season in 1996 (like Urban Meyer has selfishly done twice). But John Cooper is a better man; he wanted to give the opposing teams a chance. Joe Germaine was one of the top quarterbacks in the nation and Stanley Jackson was one of the top 10 quarterbacks named Stanley in Columbus. Coach Cooper used this to make games more difficult for the Bucks.

Using a two quarterback system, John Cooper would often stop Germaine from scoring in the red zone by replacing him with the more mobile Jackson. Many times this replacement would make a bonehead decision and keep the games interesting. The Bucks couldn’t finish off Michigan because of this (in my 8 year old mind at least) but still headed to Pasadena. Here’s to you John Cooper, director of chaos.

Ohio State beats Michigan 31-16 in 1998–

The 1990’s were a great time for true Buckeye fans. Back then beating Michigan actually meant something and was very difficult. In 2014 beating Michigan is easier than my first college girlfriend (I still don’t forget Stacy) and it makes me sick.

Today’s Ohio State fans probably were disappointed after squeaking passed Michigan by 1 point last season. These brats don’t realize that beating Michigan under John Cooper was the equivalent of me landing Gisele Bündchen for a one night stand. Now a days the Ohio State Buckeyes are constantly taking home a 10 out of 10’s and the luster is gone. Been there done that.

Would you really want to bag a super model every time you tried to? (Don’t answer that)

Ohio State wins it all in 2002-

Yea it happened.

Robert Reynolds chokes a bitch in 2003–

Back in my day when Ohio State was losing to a bitter rival they didn’t go down quietly. After a national title in 2002, a still undefeated Ohio State was losing on the road at Wisconsin and things were slipping away. Instead of handling a loss with dignity ,which Urban Meyer stupidly preaches, Robert Reynolds took matters (and throats) into his own hands. This true gangsta started choking out the Badger quarterback Jim Sorgi to teach him a lesson. What that lesson was I don’t know.

I couldn’t sleep the night of the Big Ten Championship loss to Michigan State last year; not because our national championships hope went down the drain, oh no. I was extremely disappointed one of our respectful linebackers did not pile drive, mandible claw or edgecute Connor Cook.

At least we have a former Jim Tressel player on the staff in Anthony Schlegel, who Rock Bottomed a fan to hell last week.

Jim Tressel gives Urban Meyer national title in 2006-2007-

Jim Tressel was getting close to 60 years of age and knew he didn’t have too many years left in the engine to run this great university.  He’d already won a ton of national titles, so he decided to let an up and coming coach from Ohio have his day in the sun in the 2006-2007 national championship game when Ohio State met Florida.

Instead of keeping the game close with dignity, this new hot shot coach (Urban Meyer) came out and depantsed our loves in front of the whole nation. What a freaking jerk.

Jim Tressel falls on the sword for all of us in 2011-

Despite the shenanigans Meyer pulled a few years back, Jim Tressel saw an opportunity to get this now seasoned coach to carry Ohio State flag.  After a health scare, the coach left Florida and joined ESPN for a year in the booth. Coach Tress knew he had to act swiftly.

Being a pro wrestling fan, Jim Tressel knew he wanted to go out on his back with turmoil just like his predecessors:

1. Woody Hayes: Went out swinging and was fired after punching a Clemson player in the neck. That player is still breathing through a machine.

2. Earl Bruce: Was let go after having an above average team for us above average fans for a decade. Brings a tear to my eye.

3. John Cooper: Was canned after his refusal to beat Michigan in the 1990’s. What kind of movie would be good if the bad guys didn’t always win in the end? Man I Loved coach Coop.

The issue in leaving in disgrace was that Tressel never lost any games-ever. And if Jim Tressel ever punched a player, then that young man would be deceased before he hit the ground. How could the coach honor his former brethren and unwritten rule of wrestling if he never loses and doesn’t want to deal with a murder trial?

With a perfect plan of course-Jim decided to make up some scandal about free tattoos for a few of his players and eventually he was “forced” to resign the same year Urban was looking for a head coaching job.  Now don’t laugh, things worked a little differently in my day and free tattoos were a big issue:

Back then if a player got a free tattoo he was a terrorist, see one journalist’s thoughts then and now on player benefits: Jonny Manziel vs Terrelle Pryor

And if a player was overpaid by three dollars he got slapped with a five game suspension: This literally happened and nobody cared.

My how the times have changed and not for the better. I think Posey should have gotten a 307 game suspension, one for every cent he took. Back then kids were forced to follow rules and if they didn’t ESPN would scream for the death penalty of Ohio State.  Now in today’s shameful college football world, players can:

1. be accused of sexual assault

2. steal

3. have bb gun battles in public

with no repercussions at all. No wonder Jim was ready to get out of the business.

Jim Tressel did all that for all of these young jerks who watch Ohio State now and they show no damn respect. What a shame.

 

Currently, Ohio State is doing things with class and winning at a never before seen rate and I don’t know how kids can live with it. If there is a Buckeye god, then please bring back the losses to Michigan, the choke holds and the scandals. Saturdays are too boring anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: B1G Football, Blogging, College Football, Ohio State Football

B1G Weekly Recap: Michigan State Holds On, Northwestern Upset Caps B1G Weekend

October 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment

With just one Big Ten team playing a nonconference game this weekend, it meant a nearly full conference slate of games. The Big Ten lost its last undefeated team when Nebraska’s comeback attempt against Michigan State fell short, leaving the conference with seven one-loss teams. Despite a slow start to the season, Northwestern showed that they’re looking to make a little noise in the Big Ten West race after they upset Wisconsin in Evanston.

Ohio State 52, Maryland 24

The Buckeyes jumped on the Terrapins early and never really let them off the mat, pulling out to a 31-10 lead at halftime. J.T. Barrett put in another good performance, going 18-for-23 passing for 267 yards and four touchdowns while running for 71 yards and another score. Ezekiel Elliot added 139 yards on the ground on 24 carries for Ohio State.

Stefon Diggs was the playmaker for Maryland that Ohio State needed to shut down, and they did a pretty good job of doing so. Diggs had seven catches for just 52 yards and a touchdown that came well after the game had already been decided. The Buckeye defense picked off Maryland QBs four times, including one brought by for a touchdown by Raekwon McMillan. Ohio State is off next week before hosting Rutgers and Maryland is also idle before going to Kinnick Stadium to take on Iowa.

Purdue 38, Illinois 27

Austin Appleby started for the first time in his collegiate career to lead Purdue to the first Big Ten victory since 2012. Appleby finished 15-for-20 for 202 yards and a touchdown and he rushed for 76 yards and two scores as well. The Boilermakers rushed for 349 yards as a team, led by Akeem Hunt’s 177 yards.

Wes Lunt did what he could to keep the Illini in the game, throwing for 332 yards and two TDs before leaving the game in the 4th quarter with what turned out to be a broken leg. Lunt will be out 4-6 weeks with the injury and Reilly O’Toole will take his place under center. Purdue will host Michigan State on Saturday while Illinois will make a visit to Wisconsin.

Indiana 49, North Texas 24

In the lone nonconference game of the weekend, Indiana easily dispatched Sun Belt foe North Texas to get back in the win column. Nate Sudfeld threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Hoosiers over the Mean Green.

Tevin Coleman hit the century mark in rushing yards for the seventh straight game, racking up 150 yards and a score. D’Angelo Roberts got 102 rushing yards for himself and two TDs for the Hoosiers. Next up for Indiana is a trip to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes.

Northwestern 20, Wisconsin 14

Once again, Melvin Gordon played an outstanding game and once again, Wisconsin’s quarterbacks played poorly, this time leading to a Badger defeat. Gordon did his part, toting the ball 27 times for 259 yards and a touchdown. Tanner McEvoy started the game but was replaced late in the first half after starting the game 4-for-10 for just 24 yards and an interception. Former starter Joel Stave came in, but didn’t fare much better, going 8-for-19 for 113 yards, one score, and he was picked off three times.

Justin Jackson had 162 rushing yards for the Wildcats, with Trevor Siemian throwing for 182 yards and a TD in the upset that put Northwestern at 2-0 in the Big Ten West. Wisconsin will look to even their conference record next week when they welcome Illinois to Camp Randall and Northwestern will try to continue their winning ways when they take a trip to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers.

Rutgers 26, Michigan 24

Rutgers got their first Big Ten victory, sending Brady Hoke one game closer to the unemployment line in the process. Gary Nova was the star of the show, throwing for 404 yards and three touchdowns on the Wolverine defense. The loss dropped the Wolverines to 2-4 on the season and 0-2 in the Big Ten, something they haven’t done since 1967 when they started 0-3 in conference play.

Devin Gardner threw for 178 yards with an interception and ran for 40 and two touchdowns. Derrick Green added 74 yards on the ground but is now out for the season with a broken clavicle. Rutgers has a bye week to prepare for Ohio State and the Wolverines will host Penn State next weekend in Ann Arbor.

Michigan State 27, Nebraska 22

Michigan State looked well on its way to another blowout victory at home as it pulled away from the Cornhuskers to lead 27-3 after three quarters. Nebraska made things interesting with 19 straight points in the 4th quarter, and they even had a chance to get the win before Trae Waynes picked off Tommy Armstrong Jr. with less than minute to go with the Huskers driving in Spartan territory.

Ameer Abdullah had just 45 yards on 24 carries as the Spartan defense held Nebraska to just 47 yards rushing as a team. Jeremy Langford had 111 yards on the ground as Michigan State won their conference opener and improved to 4-1 overall on the season. Michigan State will travel to West Lafayette to take on Purdue on Saturday and Nebraska will be idle before taking a trip to Evanston to play Northwestern.

What did you think of this weekend’s set of games? Were you rooting for Nebraska to pull off the comeback to cap a crazy Saturday of college football? Let us know your favorite moment of the weekend in the comments below.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, Ohio State Football

In Depth Recap: Ohio State-Maryland

October 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

J.T. Barrett and Ezekiel Elliott continue to build their case for being Braxton Miller-Carlos Hyde Lite as they combined for 483 of Ohio State’s 533 yards of total offense Saturday afternoon. The young tandem rudely introduced the Maryland Terrapins to the Big Ten with their efficient and dominant performance on, what some experts were calling, a possible upset.

The Buckeyes were very business like in their first true road game of the season. From the first series, the offense set the tempo running the football with ease. The offensive line continued to build on its solid performances, the wide receivers continued to help their young quarterback out by making big plays down the field, and the young quarterback? Well he put it one of his most mature performances of the season as he took charge of the offense and ensured there would be no drop off after a big win at home.

Oh, yeah the defense played too on Saturday. With the stellar play of this offense the defense has not received much love, especially after their three or four horrendous play performance against Cincinnati. But for the third consecutive week they have improved. They allowed one big play of 60 yards that did not result in a touchdown. Outside of that play, the Buckeye secondary did not allow a pass longer than 25 yards the whole game. In fact the Buckeye secondary allowed only 244 yards of passing from two quarterbacks. They allowed one touchdown pass and intercepted Maryland four times.

Now all of this was not the doing of just the secondary. Maryland was the first true drop back team the Buckeyes faced and, wouldn’t you know it, the defensive line ate that up. Often times rushing just four, the Buckeyes got to quarterbacks Caleb Rowe and C.J. Brown early and often. Steve Miller had arguably his best game as a Buckeye, causing several quarterback pressures and planting C.J. Brown on one occasion that almost brought a tear to my eye because of how beautiful it was. Joey Bosa and Michael Bennett played outstanding football proving why both should be first team All Big Ten. It was nice to also see some depth begin to grow as Rashad Frazier recorded a sack. All in all, one of the best games from this unit this season.

Speaking of best games from a unit, I was extremely impressed with the linebacking core. Darron Lee, as some predicted, had a stellar performance harassing quarterback C.J. Brown in the backfield and also recording an interception, that was fumbled by Lee and recovered by Raekwon McMillan. The stellar five star prospect is starting to turn in to the player many thought he could be with his potential. McMillan is receiving more reps and is proving to have a nose for the football recovering Lee’s fumble and also registering a pick 6 which was very impressive.

So yes, I’m impressed, but here are a couple of outstanding story-lines that stood out from the rest this past Saturday.

This Team Gets It

The first obvious problem that you have with a young team is maturity. I do not think the maturity of this performance can be understated. A noon kick off versus a very dangerous team after a big prime time win at home often spells for maybe not an upset, but at least a scare from an opponent like Maryland. But this team was having none of it. They got off the bus and went right to work as if last week did not even happen.

This teams looks like it is buying in to getting better every week and not concerning itself with what happens down the road in the Big Ten. To be a little unfair to them, they do not have any real right to worry about what lies ahead anyway. This team isn’t good enough to coast, they have to keep their foot on the pedal the whole time. Credit the coaching staff for doing that. Coach Meyer echoed that sentiment after the game Saturday. He was obviously impressed with the performance but emphasized the importance for this team to get better. If they stay focused on getting better and taking care of business in October, who knows where they will end up at the beginning of November.

Early Bye’s Help

When the schedule was first released for this season my eyes went to The Game, the visit to East Lansing, and then to the bye weeks. Both of which were extremely early and both of which I was not fond of. However, given the youth of this team, especially at the quarterback position, the early bye weeks are proving to be a blessing in disguise.

The coaches are now able to recap this teams first month. They can go through and show where these players need to improve, but more importantly where they are growing. From the beginning of September to the beginning of October this football team has grown and molded itself very nicely. Mistakes were made, but the good thing for this football team should be as they move forward their biggest mistakes should be behind them. There will be more mistakes, but the majority of them were probably made in the first month of the season.

Now this team can take this week, reflect, and get ready for the grind that is ahead of them.

Shout-out to the Special Teams

This unit gets very little love. But their performance on Saturday was stellar. Maryland’s dangerous return man Stefon Diggs was demolished on his first kick return. He began to bring the ball out of the endzone and was met immediately at the ten yard line by the Buckeye coverage unit. From that point on the tone was set for the day.

Stud Aussie punter Cameron Johnston boomed a 69 yard punt later in the game that completely shifted the momentum for the game. It pinned Maryland against their own endzone, and thanks to some questionable play calling by the Maryland staff, Terps quarterback C.J. brown was picked by Darron Lee. That led to a touchdown toss to Nick Vannett that made the game 31-10 going in to half and halting some momentum Maryland had gained from their previous two drives.

Without a doubt this unit deserves some love. According to Coach Meyer they were sitting first class on the flight home, it was well deserved. This unit’s outstanding performance capped off a great day for the young Buckeyes and completed the full team domination of the Maryland Terrapins.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

Instant Analysis: Ohio State stomps Maryland 52-24

October 4, 2014 by 1 Comment

There is nothing better than clearly hearing “O-H-I-O” loud and proud in an opponent’s stadium. It’s good for Maryland to learn early in their inaugural Big Ten season that Buckeye fans are the best traveling fans in the conference. They may have sold out Byrd stadium but there is always a sea of scarlet and gray.

The Buckeyes came out of their first conference game of the season with a very nice victory, beating the Terps 52-24.

OFFENSE

You can tell J.T. Barrett is gaining more confidence when he’s running the ball; he may not be as flashy as Braxton Miller, but he’s fast and efficient so I’m not mad about it. There were a few times he was surprised by Maryland’s defense from the back, but he just needs to stay aware in the pocket.

Urban Meyer is definitely training Ezekiel Elliott to be the next Carlos Hyde, and he’s getting more powerful by the day. The running game was a big part of the play calling and spreading it out between Elliott and Rod Smith opened up a lot of offensive options.

The Buckeye pass game is so well-rounded and Barrett is making much better decisions in the pocket. 1) We finally saw Jalin Marshall score off a short pass into the endzone; 2) Tight ends Heuerman and Vannett both had great catches; 3) Devin Smith had an incredible catch in the endzone after a quick series in the third.

Side note: when Cardale Jones came in during the fourth quarter, he proved that he could also have a future jumping hurdles.

DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS

My favorite part of the first half may have been the comparison of Joey Bosa to Houston Texans J.J. Watt; if Bosa can keep playing with the same energy, he’ll be a beast for years to come.

All week long, Maryland’s Stefon Diggs was a player to watch out for, and the Buckeye special teams absolutely crushed him on his first return attempt of the game. They stayed tight on Diggs and really took away the power he had coming into the game.

The secondary got a few breaks when Maryland’s quarterback’s inefficiency made up for the defensive backs getting beaten down field throughout the game. The Terps had a huge completion off Doran Grant’s helmet in the third quarter which was QUICKLY rebuffed by Eli Apple with an interception in the endzone. There is still work that needs done, but they were able to create a lot of turnovers which was at least one bright spot.

Filed Under: B1G Football, Ohio State Football Tagged With: , ,

Catching Up With Austin Mack

October 3, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Austin Mack is a top Wide Receiver coming out of the 2016 class. He is from Fort Wayne, Indiana and stands 6-2 weighing 205. 247 Sports has Austin as the top player coming out of Indiana in his class. He is also ranked the 20th Receiver for the class. He has offers from several top programs such as Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan State.

When asked about the recruiting process Mack said “It’s been real good and successful.”. It is important to know that as of know he does not have a list of his top schools. “I’m keeping everything even” he explained.

Austin was able to visit Ohio State for the Cincinnati game. “It was a different night game there is pretty crazy. The whole atmosphere was nuts. And with better competition it was much more fun to watch.”. He along with several other recruits were able to share this experience. When asked about the other recruits visiting Mack stated “I talked to Gibson and that’s about it.” The two of them together on a team could be a very deadly combination.

He plans on committing  next summer at the RAS camp. He is keeping busy with visits as he will visit Notre Dame for the Stanford game. To close up my conversation with Austin he said “I’ll be playing in Columbus on 10/10 against Bishop Hartley so come out and show some love!”. With die hard Buckeye fans I am sure Mack will be satisfied with the love he will get from Buckeye Nation!

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Recruiting, High School Football, Ohio State Football Tagged With:

Terrapins Can Make It Terrible For Ohio State’s First MD Visit

October 3, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Ohio State travels to Byrd Stadium in College Park, Maryland, for its first ever contest against B1G newcomer Maryland. Maryland was projected as having a strong initial season within the B1G, and this trip to Byrd Stadium should prove to be quite a raucous beginning for Ohio State as the Buckeyes begin conference play for the 2014 season.

Last weekend’s contest versus the University of Cincinnati left Ohio State fans curious about the Buckeye pass defense. New co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash was brought in during the offseason to fix what was considered the weakest link in Ohio State’s defense. After allowing Bearcats WR Chris Moore to average nearly 74 yards per reception (3 receptions for 221 yards, 3 touchdowns), who could blame Ohio State fans for feeling somewhat anxious heading into a game that features two of the B1G’s leading receivers in former Ohio State recruiting target Stefon Diggs and Deon Long?

Besides Diggs and Long, Maryland features other players on its roster who may be familiar to Ohio State fans. Players such as OT Damian Prince, OT Derwin Gray, and WR Taivon Jacobs were all recruited by Ohio State, but chose Maryland instead. The lone Ohioan listed on Maryland’s roster is freshman TE Andrew Gray, who did not receive an Ohio State scholarship offer.

Three areas I will focus upon during the game are:

– Ohio State’s Press Coverage With Its Secondary: Anytime a team decides to play aggressively with its pass defense, it is a high risk, high reward situation. Receivers such as Diggs and Long can easily take a pass all the way to the end zone, like Chris Moore did last weekend. Will Ohio State adjust its safety play to offer up more help to its cornerbacks, and help neutralize the threat of big plays?

– Ohio State’s Pass Rush Must Come Up Big: So far this season, sophomore DE Joey Bosa has been causing disruptive plays along the line of scrimmage, resulting in turnovers against the opposition. Will Bosa be able to come up big again, especially against a Maryland team that may double-team him? If Bosa is double-teamed, will Adolphus Washington or Michael Bennett be able to pick up the slack, and create the necessary pressure to help Ohio State’s secondary?

– Ohio State’s Run Game Must Control The Clock: Against Cincinnati, sophomore RB Ezekiel Elliott ran for 182 yards, while teammates J.T. Barrett, Rod Smith, Dontre Wilson, Curtis Samuel, and Jalin Marshall also contributed to the overall team rushing effort (380 yards on the ground). To keep Maryland off the field, Ohio State will need its rushing attack to come through in the clutch time of this contest.

While the oddsmakers have penciled Ohio State as a strong favorite, I believe this game will be in doubt until midway through the fourth quarter. Even though there will be anxious moments for Ohio State fans, players, and coaches, I have it Ohio State 42, Maryland 31, with Ohio State scoring a late touchdown to secure its first B1G victory of the 2014 season.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ohio State vs. Maryland Preview

October 2, 2014 by 3 Comments

osuHelmetWhat started off to be a rough start for the Buckeyes, ended up being a great win. Cincinnati is not a slouch. The Bearcats have a very talented offense. I expect big things from this program and would not be surprised to see the Bearcats win the AAC. Now let’s move on to this current week, as the Buckeye take on the Terrapins.

Quick Rant: As I watched this game I was very frustrated with this Ohio State secondary. Like many of you I wonder when in the world will this secondary get fixed? I did call out one particular player last week on twitter and that was Eli Apple. While I am not the biggest fan of calling out young players, but this kid came to Ohio State for a reason. Over the next few years I expect the talent level to get better in the Big Ten and for Ohio State to get even better recruits. However if this young man wants to start for this football team now and in the future he cannot continue to get beat the way he has been the past few weeks. Apple has a good future and I think he will adjust, but clearly Meyer wants to get more aggressive on the edges. If that is the style the Buckeyes go to, I will say it is about time. I was tired of the defense giving up the short yardage passes because those yards eventually add up and give quarterbacks confidence. With Ohio State’s defensive line, the Buckeyes should be playing press coverage all day. What is the point of having the best defensive line in the country if you’re going to give up those quick passes? The way offenses are going to eliminate your defensive line is by doing those kind of plays. I think the coaching staff for the Buckeyes recognize that and will finally get this issue addressed.

When Maryland is on Offense: Maryland is a team that likes to allow quarterback C.J Brown uses his arm and legs to make plays. Brown is the leading rusher for the Terrapins, with three hundred and forty yards and five rushing touchdowns. Brown likes to take lots of chances with the ball, as can be seen by his three interceptions already this season. Anyone who follows Ohio State recruiting might remember a wide receiver Urban Meyer wanted really badly and that young man is Stefon Diggs. Coming out of high school Diggs was someone who felt would be filling in the role Dontre Wilson is currently playing. However, Diggs decided to stay home and help build the Maryland program up. Wilson is very versatile he can carry the ball, as well as catch the ball. The Terrapins have a smaller offensive line than the Bearcats did last week. While these guys are smaller, that usually means the line is lighter and quicker off the ball. I expect this offense to try and do what Virginia Tech did on offense. Quick throws and let your play makers make plays.

When Ohio State is on Offense: This offense over the past few weeks has really got into a rhythm. I expect the Buckeyes to have a balanced attack. I like the way the Offensive line has played the last few weeks and I think that momentum will continue. The Buckeyes needed to be very focused on holding on to the ball and not committing any turnovers because this Terrapin defense knows how to force turnovers. I would love to see the offense put Michael Thomas or any tight end on the side of Will Likely. There is some big mismatch potential, with Likely on being five foot seven. While Likely is small, this kid is a player. He leads the team in interceptions and is fourth on the team in tackles. However, I want to see the Buckeyes to put a bigger body across from Likely. If the Buckeyes are able to cause a mismatch and make the Terrapins have to use a safety to help Likely out, that is going to cause more holes in the field for receivers to find and Barrett could have a huge day.

Maryland NFL Potential: The offensive side of the ball is what we have focused on the past few weeks in this section. Why don’t we change it up a bit and go on the defensive side of the ball? A guy I really like is Sean Davis. The leading tackler on the team Davis is a big safety and is only a sophomore. He only has two pass break ups and zero interceptions. Davis however does have two tackles for loss and as a safety you have got to love his toughness and willing to get into the backfield. Davis needs to improve his pass coverage skills, but if he is able to become a better cover safety and continues to be a physical safety I would not question his name being called in the third round range come the NFL Draft in 2016.

Buckeye to Watch: I am going with an obvious pick here and going to pick J.T Barrett. I am going with Barrett because to me this is a statement game for the Buckeyes. While this first week has passed and teams seem to be different, the college playoff committee will remember how close West Virginia was to beating Alabama on a neutral site. This Terrapin team only lost to that same West Virginia team by a field goal. If Barrett, and the Buckeyes, goes into Maryland; put up a big W that will look good to the committee. Barrett also needs a big game here because I think he has started to put thoughts into Meyer’s mind about next season. If Barrett continues to light the world on fire does the coaching staff really want to ruin what Barrett has done and turn the team back over to Miller? My opinion is if Barrett is able to lead the Buckeyes into East Lansing and pull out a W. Then go on to win the Big Ten title, the coaching staff sticks with Barrett. Thus leading to Miller Transferring or the Buckeyes move him to another position.

Bottom Line: While I think the Buckeyes need to blow out Maryland, I expect this to be one of those games where whoever has the ball at the end wins. The Terrapins are able to force turnovers at a high level and I think the Terrapins will dare Barrett to beat them. I do believe the Buckeyes defense will hold off the Terrapins long enough for Barrett to lead the Buckeyes to a win in the closing seconds.

Weekly Getting the SEC Fan about the Truth: I want all the SEC East fans plus Indiana to stand up. Now everyone, who is not undefeated in the SEC East, to sit down. You will notice that one team will be standing and that is Indiana. For years we have heard that the middle and lower talented teams in the SEC would be competitive in the Big Ten. Well how the tables have turned this season. Indiana has a very talented offense and the question has always been about their defense. When the defense shows up they can hang with anyone, as seen by them beating a ranked Missouri team on the road. If the defense does not show up then they lose to teams like Bowling Green. I think it is time the whole Country finally gets off the SEC band wagon and look at the conference is carried by the SEC West and there is just so much parody in college football.

Who Should Michigan Hire? This is going to be a new weekly segment. I will talk about how bad Brady Choke is and how terrible this Michigan football team is. Also I will talk about whom I believe the university should actually hire and not some dream fantasy Michigan fans have on who the next coach should be. Brady Hoke is just an awful coach. I mean for heaven’s sake why would you keep Shane Morris in the game? I understand completely that you do not want Devin Gardner in the game because he is horrible, but Morris is the future of this team. Side note I wonder if Desmond Howard still thinks that Gardner is one of the best quarterbacks in the country? Anyways let’s continue about who Michigan should hire. In a previous post I wrote I talked about how the state of Michigan is very important to the Big Ten conference and I still stand by what I wrote. As much as it pains me to say this Ohio State needs Michigan more than Michigan needs Ohio State. As long as college football is played Michigan will brag about all their wins they have and all their championships, that happened like a hundred years ago so who cares? If Michigan and Michigan State are good then that makes Ohio State better. If both or just one of these teams are down it brings Ohio State down because of the national perception. I say Ohio State needs Michigan more because no one expects anything from that embarrassment of a team up north, however if they seem like they are on the rise then it makes Ohio State look good. As Ohio State fans we expect NFL caliber players and national championships. We don’t expect or fans to bring in coke cans just to get into the game. I think the best thing for Michigan is to hire Dan Mullen of Mississippi State. Mullen coached under Meyer at Florida and has been terrific job at Mississippi State. This could bring back memories of when Schembechler and Hayes.

 

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

MOTSAG TV Guide

October 2, 2014 by Leave a Comment

All games Saturday, October 4th, unless otherwise noted.

BUCKEYES

Ohio State @ Maryland. Noon, ABC.

The Big Ten’s new teams have done fairly well so far this season, so this first ever meeting between the Buckeyes and the Terrapins has some real excitement surrounding it. Hopefully, J.T. Barrett and Co. can make a big statement on the road.

UPCOMING OPPONENTS

Purdue @ Illinois. Noon, ESPN2.

North Texas @ Indiana. 2:30p, Big Ten Network.

Michigan @ Rutgers. 7:00p, Big Ten Network.

It looks like Brady Hoke will still be the Wolverines’ head coach for this surprisingly fascinating match up. Will that be true by Monday?

Nebraska @ Michigan State. 8:00p, ABC.

A massive cross-divisional contest that will essentially establish the Big Ten front-runner. For now.

Penn State: no game

Minnesota: no game

OTHER BIG TEN TEAMS

Wisconsin @ Northwestern. 3:30p, ESPN2.

Iowa: no game

OTHER OHIO TEAMS

Buffalo @ Bowling Green. 3:30p, ESPN3 (online)

Memphis @ Cincinnati. 7:00p, CBS Sports Network

Eastern Michigan @ Akron. 2:00p, ESPN3 (online)

Kent State @ Northern Illinois. 5:00p, ESPN3 (online)

Ohio @ Central Michigan. 3:30p, ESPN3 (online)

Toledo @ Western Michigan. 7:00p, ESPN3 (online)

UMass @ Miami (OH). 2:30p, ESPN3 (online)

OTHER BIG NATIONAL GAMES

Florida @ Tennessee. Noon, SEC Network.

Oklahoma @ TCU. 3:30p, Fox.

Stanford @ Notre Dame. 3:30p, NBC.

LSU @ Auburn. 7:00p, ESPN.

Arizona State @ USC. 7:30p, Fox.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

The Spread, Week Six: I Don’t Have The Words

October 2, 2014 by Leave a Comment

There’s really only one topic worth talking about this week, and as I type this, Brady Hoke and Dave Brandon are still employed by the University of Michigan, so I guess enough hasn’t been said. I’m just not sure I know what else needs to be said, what words could possibly convey to those who can make a difference here that they should. And now.

This isn’t just about a bad football coach. We’ve known Brady Hoke was mediocre for a long time. This is a guy who talks about winning championships when his team is 2-3 even though he hasn’t won anything more than a single division title in 11 years of coaching.

This isn’t just about a miscommunication either. How can there be a miscommunication when there’s no communication to begin with? Hoke still refuses to wear a headset on the sideline, which means he can talk to no one who isn’t within a few feet of him at any given time. I’m not the first to wonder if Shane Morris would’ve come out of the game when he should have were Hoke not some kind of technophobe, and I better not be the last.

Honestly, listening to Hoke at his train-wreck of a press conference, I wasn’t even sure if he knew on Monday that Morris had been concussed in the game. He came off as completely oblivious to the goings-on around him, including the actual sport he is supposed to be coaching.

Kirk Herbstreit wonders if anyone would care about this if Michigan was undefeated. He has a point, but it’s still just conjecture, and I’d prefer to think that there would still be outrage.

Because there should be outrage.

Michigan had timeouts. They had a neurologist who, according to Brandon, noticed Morris was exhibiting symptoms of a concussions even though he didn’t personally witness the hit. In fact, according to Brandon, no one saw the hit at all. Not a single staff member on the Michigan sideline was watching the QB when he got drilled, slowly got to his feet, stumbled and grabbed a teammate to barely stabilize himself.

I’m exasperated. Even if everything Hoke and Brandon have said is 100% true (even though it almost certainly isn’t), it’s still enough to fire everyone on that sideline. They all failed at their number one job: improving the lives of young adults.

No one, myself included, can say it any better than the student-run Michigan Daily did, but I guess we all have to keep trying.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

Predicting Every Single FBS College Football Game: Week Six

October 1, 2014 by 1 Comment

There were a few upsets in college football last week, which always seems to happen on weeks where the games look boring on paper. Some of the upsets I predicted and others I didn’t. I was almost right on a couple, but almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades as they say. This led to my worst week yet. My record for week five predictions: 38-16 (70.30% of games predicted correctly). To see my picks for week five, click here. My record for the season: 259-68 (79.20% of games predicted correctly). In week six we’re finally getting into conference play across all of college football, which means the games should get even better and harder to predict. We’re also now starting to see who the bad teams are in college football (don’t ask me about the good teams). Kansas, who just fired Charlie Weis, along with Michigan, who has a lame duck coach in Brady Hoke, are safe to bet against for the rest of the season. Throw in Colorado, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest too. If you’re a bad team and I didn’t mention you, I apologize. You just need to play bad in a more spectacular fashion and I promise I’ll notice you next time. Anyways let’s take a look at a stacked week six slate of games. Look at all of the top 25 match-ups!

Thursday Oct. 2
UCF @ Houston – Pick: UCF
Florida Atlantic @ Florida International – Pick: Florida Atlantic
Arizona @ #2 Oregon – Pick: Oregon

Friday Oct. 3
Louisville @ Syracuse – Pick: Louisville
San Diego State @ Fresno State – Pick: Fresno State
Utah State @ #18 BYU – Pick: BYU

Saturday Oct. 4
Iowa State @ #21 Oklahoma State – Pick: Oklahoma State
#20 Ohio State @ Maryland – Pick: Ohio State
Purdue @ Illinois – Pick: Illinois
Ball State @ Army – Pick: Ball State
Florida @ Tennessee – Pick: Tennessee
SMU @ #22 East Carolina – Pick: East Carolina
#6 Texas A&M @ #12 Mississippi State – Pick: Mississippi State
Southern Miss @ Middle Tennessee State – Pick: Middle Tennessee State
Marshall @ Old Dominion – Pick: Marshall
Virginia Tech @ North Carolina – Pick: Virginia Tech
Eastern Michigan @ Akron – Pick: Akron
North Texas @ Indiana – Pick: Indiana
UMass @ Miami (OH) – Pick: Miami (OH)
Tulsa @ Colorado State – Pick: Colorado State
NC State @ Clemson – Pick: NC State
Wake Forest @ #1 Florida State – Pick: Florida State
#4 Oklahoma @ #25 TCU – Pick: Oklahoma
#17 Wisconsin @ Northwestern – Pick: Wisconsin
Ohio @ Central Michigan – Pick: Central Michigan
#14 Stanford @ #9 Notre Dame – Pick: Stanford
#3 Alabama @ #11 Ole Miss – Pick: Alabama
#7 Baylor @ Texas – Pick: Baylor
New Mexico @ UTSA – Pick: UTSA
Navy @ Air Force – Pick: Air Force
Buffalo @ Bowling Green – Pick: Bowling Green
Kansas @ West Virginia – Pick: West Virginia
Oregon State @ Colorado – Pick: Colorado
Vanderbilt @ #13 Georgia – Pick: Georgia
Kent State @ Northern Illinois – Pick: Northern Illinois
South Alabama @ Appalachian State – Pick: South Alabama
Michigan @ Rutgers – Pick: Rutgers
Toledo @ Western Michigan – Pick: Toledo
#15 LSU @ #5 Auburn – Pick: Auburn
Texas Tech @ #23 Kansas State – Pick: Kansas State
Hawaii @ Rice – Pick: Rice
UTEP @ Louisiana Tech – Pick: Louisiana Tech
Memphis @ Cincinnati – Pick: Cincinnati
LA Monroe @ Arkansas State – Pick: Arkansas State
Idaho @ Texas State – Pick: Texas State
UAB @ Western Kentucky – Pick: Western Kentucky
Georgia State @ Louisiana-Lafayette – Pick: Louisiana-Lafayette
Miami (FL) @ Georgia Tech – Pick: Georgia Tech
Pittsburgh @ Virginia – Pick: Virginia
Arizona State @ #16 USC – Pick: Arizona State (Upset)
South Carolina @ Kentucky – Pick: South Carolina
#19 Nebraska @ #10 Michigan State – Pick: Nebraska (Upset)
UNLV @ San Jose State – Pick: San Jose State
Georgia Southern @ New Mexico State – Pick: Georgia Southern
California @ Washington State – Pick: Washington State
Utah @ #8 UCLA – Pick: UCLA
Boise State @ Nevada – Pick: Boise State

I’ll let you know how I did with my predictions on next week’s post. Let me know in the comments what you think of my picks and feel free to ask me why I picked the way I did. Also you can follow me on Twitter @SchottJosh.

Filed Under: College Football
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