Archives for November 2014

Before focusing upon the Ohio State @ Minnesota game scheduled for 12pm EST on ABC, I want to congratulate Coach Urban Meyer, the Ohio State coaching staff, and most especially, the 2014 Buckeyes on their victory over Michigan State. Like many others, I predicted that Ohio State would lose. Regardless of whether at home or at work, I always strive to admit my mistakes, and I am doing so now. I did the same on the Men of the Scarlet and Gray podcast earlier this week, but I wanted to do it in writing as well. Congratulations, Buckeyes.

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With the victory over Michigan State, Ohio State has climbed back up the College Football Playoff rankings, presently ranked eighth. Many fans are wondering if Ohio State will be able to impress enough in the remaining regular season games to climb up to at least fourth to earn a spot at a possible national championship. My response is comparable to that of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers ~ Relax. There are plenty of games to be played, and the biggest mistake Ohio State can do is not concentrate on what is within their control. Minnesota is 7-2, and ranked twenty-fifth. Focus on defeating the Golden Gophers, and let everyone else play their games out.

The weather will be cold with possible snow, as the present weekend forecast for Minneapolis is for a high of 28 degrees. As Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill said, “I don’t see it being a factor. … That’s the way it is in the Midwest so you deal with it”.

Here are three areas I will be focused upon when the Buckeyes and Golden Gophers meet up for the first time since the 2010 season…

1. Minnesota’s Rushing Offense versus Ohio State’s Defense – Minnesota boasts a very large offensive line that helps pave the way to averaging 224 yards on the ground per game. Ohio State’s defense has improved, and had their positive moments last week versus Michigan State, but how will they do against talented Minnesota running back David Cobb? For those old-school purists out there who long for traditional B1G football, this is the place to see how it will all shake out.

2. Ohio State’s Rushing Offense versus Minnesota’s Defense – Ezekiel Elliott has emerged as one of the best running backs in the B1G. The Ohio State offensive line, which was maligned at the onset of the 2014 season, has truly come together over the last several weeks. Will Ohio State be able to run the ball against a Minnesota defense that will probably stack the box?

3. Will Jalin Marshall Have A Larger Role In The Offense? – The news that Dontre Wilson sustained a broken bone during the Michigan State victory has led to speculation that Jalin Marshall will take on even more responsibilities within the Ohio State offense. Look for Marshall to be on kickoffs, punt returns, possible Wildcat quarterback formations, as well as the traditional H-Back plays that Coach Meyer has usually involved Marshall with this season.

Prediction: While I have concerns that the Ohio State players may come out somewhat sluggish after such an emotional victory high against Michigan State, I believe the superior Ohio State speed will help spark the Buckeyes to a lead that will allow the Buckeyes to leave Minneapolis with the victory. David Cobb will have a good game, as well Minnesota TE Maxx Williams, but the Ohio State defense will have enough to harass Minnesota QB Mitch Leidner throughout the game. I see Ohio State getting a lead, and playing ball control into the second half. I am calling it Ohio State 35, Minnesota 21.

For your Friday Open Thread perusal, a few links from your bloggers here at MotSaG:

Chip sees this as being a smash-mouth, BEE ONE FREAKING GEE three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-frozen-dust, football game. Man on man, strength against strength, as two teams line up and go at it.

The weather will be cold with possible snow, as the present weekend forecast for Minneapolis is for a high of 28 degrees. As Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill said, “I don’t see it being a factor. … That’s the way it is in the Midwest so you deal with it”.

As always, you can see how these two teams stack up statistically in our weekly By The Numbers post.

When Ronnie took a look at which players to watch in Saturday’s game, he singled out the two middle linebackers who hope to stop the opposing running game. It sounds like they have the same style of play, but the edge might go to Minnesota:

Damien Wilson, Middle Linebacker

Wilson is the most NFL ready player on this Gopher roster. The 6’2, 242 pound linebacker leads the Big Ten in tackles with 88 and is beginning to play some of the best football of his career. Wilson is a do it all linebackers as he not only leads the team in tackles, but he also has recorded 8 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 interception, and 1 forced fumble. Wilson will be anywhere and everywhere the Gophers need him to be on Saturday in order to try and contain this Buckeye offense. I would not be shocked to see Wilson have an upwards of 15-20 tackles on Saturday for the future NFL talent.

A lot of people are seeing this as a potential trap/letdown game, but I don’t see it like that at all. I think Urban is going to have the Buckeyes rolling. Their confidence is at an all-time high, this is another chance to put up a good victory against a ranked team, in front of a national audience. I don’t see any chance of a letdown. I say:

Ohio State: 45
Minnesota: 16

What say you?

This week we here at MotSaG had the privilege of working with Rob Litt of Gopherhole.com. Not only was Rob nice enough to join our podcast and bring us great insight into the Minnesota football program but he was kind enough to answer some questions for our Buckeye Nation fans to enjoy. I also hope you enjoy the new set-up I’m trying this week.

Minnesota has 5 consecutive afternoon (11am) kickoffs. does this feel like a slight towards the program?

I think fans are frustrated with having so many 11am kickoffs this season and there is a sense of feeling slighted. It obviously cuts down on tailgating time and the atmosphere isn’t quite as electric at the onset as it could be if it was a later start time. We’d love more night games and hope that the Big Ten loosens their grip on that.

Injury report- WR Drew Wolitarsky (ankle), DE Alex Keith (knee), and RT Ben Lauer (ankle). Any word on their status for Saturday’s game? Any other injuries for the Golden Gophers?

Outside of those three, we’re pretty healthy. We don’t anticipate any additional significant injury updates.

Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer said in a teleconference that Minnesota is a Top 25 team and the stats prove that. Do you feel there is a negative stereotype against Minnesota by the national media?

I think there is certainly a “prove it” mentality and that’s OK. We were on the fringe of the Top 25 a few weeks back and our guys were quoted as saying they like being under the radar, a bit of the underdog. It’s the Jerry Kill mentality and it fits our program well. That being said, we are now in the CFP Top 25 and we’d embrace the pressure of having a national ranking if it was bestowed upon us.

I have to admit I haven’t watched a ton of Minnesota games this season but they are well coached in the fundamentals especially on the defensive side of the ball. Who get the most credit for that head coach Jerry Kills or defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys?

This is a coaching staff that truly is a collective group. Most of these guys have been with Coach Kill for more than a decade. We have very little, if any coaching turnover. So the credit and the blame is shared across the board with the staff. It’s a very close staff and the continuity is embraced here.

Looking at the stats QB Mitch Leidner isn’t a top QB only throwing for 1205 yards, 10 TD’s and 6 INT’s. Do the Gophers rely to much on their running game?

We’re 7-2 with only one bad loss, so the formula is working to date. Mitch is a game manager right now and he was very effective against Iowa. He sells play action pretty well and is becoming more accurate when he does take a shot down field. He’s only a sophomore and he’s progressing well.

Speaking of the running game could you please tell the Buckeye fans about David Cobb and what they are about to witness Saturday with his style of play?

Simply put, he’s a workhorse. He is one of the nation’s leaders in carries and rushing yards. He doesn’t have blazing speed but he is a tough back to tackle, and runs very hard between the tackles. He has a good shot to become the programs all time single-season rushing leader and has been as dependable as they come.

Minnesota’s keys to stopping Ohio States explosive offense?

We have a great secondary. For the first time in years, its a true strength of ours. We also have one of the Big Ten’s top defensive players in Damien Wilson. He’s a tackling machine and the anchor of the defense. We’ll need to create turnovers in this game and hope that the potential for snow slows down the Buckeyes.

Do you feel if Minnesota played TCU now the results would be way different including a win for the Gophers?

I don’t think we would win, though I hope it would have been closer. To be honest, outside of a three minute span against Baylor, TCU might be the best team in the nation this year. They have a fantastic team. We played horribly that game and the score honestly could have been worse, but Gary Patterson took the pedal off the gas a bit in the second half against his good buddy Jerry Kill.

Last week Minnesota played 7 true freshman on the defensive side of the ball and they took it to the Hawkyes. Should the Buckeyes expect the same no fear defense Saturday?

We took a lot of chances on defense which you can do when you build a lead like we had. We got aggressive and really went for the jugular on offense and defense. We feasted on the Hawkeyes and it was oh so fun! We’ll probably call a more conservative defensive game against Ohio State.

Final predictions for the game?

Heart says a big upset, head says a 38-17 Buckeye win. Either way, it’s nice to have the Buckeyes back on the Gopher schedule after a few years of not playing each other. I know a lot of Gopher fans hope to make the trip to Columbus next season.

Once again I thank Rob so much for his help this week not only with today’s piece but with the podcast. It is nice to see Ohio State play Minnesota again especially since the program is turning around and head coach Jerry Kill is doing an outstanding job with his team. Minnesota is going to be making some noise over in the West of the Big Ten for some time as long as Kills is on the sidelines. Speaking of coach Kill it is so great to see such a quality human being and great coach doing such an amazing job with his coaching staff and kids. The Minnesota football team has bought into his philosophy and it shows on the field with their sound fundamental play. It’s also great to see coach Kill on the sideline with his recent history of epilepsy would be great for Buckeye Nation to help support the Epilepsy Foundation in honor of a great man like Jerry Kill.

You can follow Rob and his crew at gopherhole.com on twitter or check out their site Gopherhole.com, lots of great stuff up there. For my prediction like I said on our podcast I predict Buckeyes come home with a win 34-17. Any Buckeyes going to the game stay warm and have fun. Let me know your thoughts on the new format and your predictions on the game.

All games Saturday, November 15, unless otherwise noted.
Rankings reflect current College Football Playoff rankings.

BUCKEYES

#8 Ohio State @ #25 Minnesota. Noon, ABC.

The Gophers give Ohio State a chance at a second consecutive win over a ranked team, except if we beat them, they probably won’t be ranked anymore. Which I guess means it’s not impressive?

UPCOMING OPPONENTS

Indiana @ Rutgers. 3:30p, Big Ten Network.

Michigan: no game

OTHER BIG TEN TEAMS

Temple @ Penn State. Noon, ESPN2.

Iowa @ Illinois. Noon, Big Ten Network.

#16 Nebraska @ #20 Wisconsin. 3:30p, ABC.

Northwestern @ #18 Notre Dame. 3:30p, NBC.

#12 Michigan State @ Maryland. 8:00p, Big Ten Network.

OTHER TOP NATIONAL GAMES

#19 Clemson @ #22 Georgia Tech. Noon, ESPN.

#1 Mississippi State @ #5 Alabama. 3:30p, CBS.

#9 Auburn @ #15 Georgia. 7:15p, ESPN.

#3 Florida State @ Miami. 8:00p, ABC.

MACTION!!

Tueday, November 18.

Northern Illinois @ Ohio. 8:00p, ESPNU (or ESPN3).
UMass @ Akron. 8:00p, ESPNU (or ESPN3).

Wednesday, November 19.

Bowling Green @ Toledo. 8:00p, ESPN2 (or ESPNU).
Kent State @ Buffalo. 8:00p, ESPN2 (or ESPNU).

Every once in a while I use my space here to predict things, and I am a firm believer in holding myself accountable. Unlike the televised talking heads who count up wins and sweep losses under the rug, I’m willing to admit when I get something wrong.

So here we go.

In my post about B1G coaches, I made some projections about how each of them (sans our own Urban and a few others on solid footing) might hold on to their jobs for another year. While we don’t know for sure yet how things will end up, I’ll look at how each is progressing and where I think they’re headed.

Kirk Ferentz. I predicted Ferentz would need to win at least nine games to stick around due to his ridiculously weak conference schedule. I also thought he would pull this off easily and probably snag another undeserved B1G Coach of the Year trophy in the process.

Nine is now the most games Iowa can win this year, and they still have to play Wisconsin and Nebraska. I still have my doubts about the Hawkeyes ever letting Ferentz go, but if they’re going to do it, immediately following losses to the only two good teams they played all year would be the time.

James Franklin. While not in danger of getting fired, I did guess that Franklin would need to go over .500 to keep off the hot seat next year. That looks achievable, with games against Temple and Illinois upcoming before a probable loss to Michigan State to close out the year. Taking the Buckeyes to double overtime will help his case as well.

Jerry Kill. Kill was one of my coaches showing promise for this year, and he’s done well thus far, posting a 7-2 record. His Gophers have a crazy gauntlet coming up with Ohio State, Nebraska and Wisconsin looming, but don’t be surprised if he manages to pull out a win in one of those.

Randy Edsall. My other promising coach has also had a decent first year so far, guiding Maryland to a 6-3 record. He’s got a date with a fired-up Spartan squad this week, but closes out with Michigan and Rutgers, so he’ll probably land on his feet.

Kevin Wilson. I put Wilson on the hot seat, noting that it’s time for the head Hoosier to make a bowl game or get out of town. Despite a bizarre win over Missouri, it still looks like he won’t pull it off with only three wins and games against Rutgers, Ohio State and Purdue upcoming.

Brady Hoke. Yeah, I saved the best for last. Hoke is getting fired this year, and that’s all there is to it. His AD is already gone, and the coach came off like a complete buffoon in the aftermaths of incidents both serious (the Shane Morris concussion) and trivial (the Michigan State sideline stake). Not to mention the continued dismal on-field performance of his team.

As always, presented without comment.

Stats are grabbed from cfbstats.com

The Buckeyes are 2 for 2 so far in this three road test early in November. The third and last road test will come against an up and coming, physical, disciplined Minnesota team led by beloved coach Jerry Kill. The Gophers have been playing good football of late beating both rivals Iowa and TTUN. Lets take a look at the players to keep an eye on this Saturday.

Minnesota

David Cobb, Running Back

The Gophers are a run first football team and it starts with their workhorse David Cobb. Cobb has already registered a 1200 yards accompanied with eight touchdowns. His touchdown numbers wont blow anyone away but explosive isn’t really Cobb’s game. Cobb is a power back weighing around 230 to 235 pounds. He is very methodical averaging 5.3 yards per carry, and only gets better the more he gets the rock. Cobb has recorded 5 games this season where he has registered 25+ attempts and averaged 180.2 yards in those games.

It will be important for Buckeye tacklers to either hit Cobb in the backfield before he is able to gain a head of steam, or gang tackle him. He will shake off arm tackles and simply throwing a shoulder in to him won’t be enough to bring him to the ground. The Buckeyes can not afford a poor tackling performance similar to what they had last week against Michigan State. Stop Cobb and you bring the Gophers offense to a grinding hault. In their two losses this season Cobb only rushed for 79.5 yards. Here is tape of Cobb from one of his more dominant performances this seasons against San Jose State where he rushed for 207 yards on 34 carries.

Damien Wilson, Middle Linebacker

Wilson is the most NFL ready player on this Gopher roster. The 6’2, 242 pound linebacker leads the Big Ten in tackles with 88 and is beginning to play some of the best football of his career. Wilson is a do it all linebackers as he not only leads the team in tackles, but he also has recorded 8 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 interception, and 1 forced fumble. Wilson will be anywhere and everywhere the Gophers need him to be on Saturday in order to try and contain this Buckeye offense. I would not be shocked to see Wilson have an upwards of 15-20 tackles on Saturday for the future NFL talent.

Ohio State

J.T. Barrett

Barrett will look to continue to keep this offense on track and on its record breaking pace. Barrett has already initiated a quarterback controversy for the 2015 season, but before we even get there the Buckeyes have an opportunity to win out, win the Big Ten Title, and maybe find themselves in the playoff. Barrett will need to keep his team focused on the right now. He will need to ensure this offense doesn’t come out slow against the Gophers after a very dominant and emotional win last Saturday night. If Barrett needed anymore motivation, he is on the cusp of being in the Heisman conversation and another big performance on Saturday would keep those hopes alive.

Curtis Grant

While Barrett’s performance is more focused on the mental approach to Saturday’s game, Grant’s is much more X’s and O’s heavy. The Gophers will want to run the ball to control the clock and keep the Buckeye offense off the field. When facing spread teams McMillan has been favored in place of Grant due to his speed in space, however, this type of game fits Grant play style much better. Grant will need to play downhill, stay clean and free from the grasp of those massive Gopher offensive line, and do his best to slow down and contain David Cobb of Minnesota. Expect Grant to have a 10-12 tackle performance.