Archives for November 2021

Shudder. Gag. The Wolverines finally broke two prominent streaks and they did it in dominating fashion. Ryan Day’s undefeated regular season conference streak and the 2nd longest win streak against TTUN are up in smoke.

Like a nightmare, the Buckeyes folded in what was essentially a playoff play-in game within The Game. All they had to do was win, but the Wolverines game plan was too sound and the Buckeyes let them play their brand of football.

With parallels and shades of the early season loss to Oregon, the Buckeyes were exposed once again on the big stage. Poor/questionable offensive play-calling, poor defensive effort, getting mauled at the line of scrimmage, settling for field goals in the red zone, and penalties ultimately killed any playoff and conference game hopes. Those all died in Ann Arbor.

At best, a New Years Six Game is in the cards. At worst a non-New Years Six game where every draft eligible player probably sits out. It is also very doubtful that sure-fire first rounders stay for another shot at revenge. I am crushed. The pipe dream is effectively snuffed out.

What could’ve been done better? Be better with play-calling on offense. They were playing too cautiously on both sides of the ball. They couldn’t do anything on offense and they couldn’t stop the run to save their lives. Discipline. It was not there either cause the penalties killed them.

One team did not come to have a war. The other one did. They executed and won. Simple. I cannot express the disgust right now, but I won’t compound things with more negatives. I have no other way to spin this disaster of a game plan, but what are the positives?

Stroud showed flashes but he still has room to grow. Henderson will build as well. Despite the looming losses of Olave and Wilson, Smith-Njigba will be very good for the Buckeyes. The offensive and defensive lines will have to retool, but they also have young talent inbound.

I will not congratulate them, but they earned it. They seized the moment and snatched everything away from us. This will sting for a year but we will be back. Always, Go Bucks.

• 

The 2021 installment of The Game is just a few days away and like a child waiting patiently to open up his or her presents on Christmas Day—the anticipation and the suspense is killing me! Let me set the stage.

Here are two rivals pitted against each other, filled with hatred for one another, for a division crown and a trip to Indy. It doesn’t get any better than that during rivalry week. Yes, you still have The Iron Bowl, but the stakes aren’t as hazardous as The Game—especially this years.

This year will likely pit two top 5 teams against each other. In a battle against #7 team in the nation, the Buckeyes trampled the visiting Spartans to the tune 56-7. The Buckeyes held Heisman candidate Kenneth Walker III to a paltry 25 yard total with a 4.2 average per rush. The #6 Wolverines thrashed the Terrapins in a lopsided 59-18 victory—effectively setting the stage for this high stakes war of attrition.

This could be a mini preview of how well Ohio State’s explosive offense against a stout, active defense that features two book ends in Hutchinson and Ojabo and athletes at just about every position on defense. Must. See. TV.

Rolling into the game, Ohio State brought it this past Saturday and won convincingly and they did it by scoring at will to put the game out of reach by halftime. They come in with the best offense in the nation and a test is on the horizon against TTUN. They easily defeated Maryland and it should be interesting once the game begins as both teams try to establish their game plans. Here’s my things to watch for.

Battle Of The Trenches

The trench game will be a game within a game. Ohio State and their offensive line versus the TTUN front seven. Gone are the days where TTUN plays their defensive ends with their hand in the dirt as they usher in a new stand up pass rush that could give the Buckeyes fits.

NPF and Jones versus Hutchinson and Ojabo will all be fighting for pride and auditioning for their NFL futures. The TTUN duo accounts for 19 total sacks and 7 forced fumbles. According to NCAA.com, The Buckeyes are tied for 13th in the nation in sacks allowed and they give up 1.18 per game. TTUN is tied for 5th least giving up .82 per game, but they stick to the ground game and they don’t air it out as much as the Buckeyes do, so take that however you want.

The trench game will ultimately decide the contest. Can the Buckeyes offensive line give CJ Stroud enough time in the pocket? Will the Wolverine front seven be a disruptive force?

The Offensive Talent Clashes

The wideouts and the defensive backs in this contest will duel each other and it’s going to be a hell of a show. On one side you have Olave, Wilson, Smith-Njigba at wideout and Ruckert at Tight End. On the other, Johnson, Sainristil, Baldwin, Wilson and All at Tight End.

You have Henderson, Williams and Teague for the Buckeyes and Haskins, Corum and Edwards at Running Back for Ohio State and TTUN respectively. This will be a battle of wills with the talent on the field.

A vertical passing game will go against a power running game—and each side will try to stop the other from scoring points. Who will establish their game plan first? And who will weather the initial flurry at the early stages of the game?

Diamonds On Defense

Will the Buckeye defense continue to improve and can they make the Wolverines a one-dimensional team? I think they can and here’s why. After suffering a home loss to Oregon, it took a couple weeks to regain confidence and play with that swagger at every level.

Gone are the days where the Linebackers get lost behind screens. Gone are the days where they don’t stick their noses into gaps on defense. And gone are the days where they give up untimely splash plays. They are the most imported units and I know they’ll be ready to go this week.

The lure of Gold Pants, a trip to Indianapolis and a CFB Playoff berth is obtainable—and I know they’ll be ready for war. I have a feeling that this game will be a grinder and the Buckeye defense will continue to show the nation that they are big time!

Breakout Star(s) Alert

It always seems like every year of The Game, someone breaks out and becomes legendary. Chris Olave did it in 2018 scoring twice and in 2019, reaching the end zone once. Garrett Wilson had 118 yards in 2019 and a score. So who will be next?

I have seven in mind. CJ Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Treveyon Henderson and Miyan Williams on offense. Steele Chambers, Denzel Burke and Ronnie Hickman on defense.

Technically Stroud is a rising star, but he hasn’t formally introduced himself to the Wolverines—and what better time than now with all that’s at stake? He should be routinely target his receivers and tight ends, while simultaneously leaning on the running game to keep the defense honest and control the flow of the game. It will turn into a “pick your offensive poison” type of game for the Wolverine defense.

For the defense, I’m picking the trio of Chambers, Burke and Hickman. With the dark horses being Tyliek Williams, JT Tuimoloao and Jack Sawyer. Stuffing the run and coverage will be the name of the game and each player mentioned could ultimately break out.

There are so many to choose from but final answer from breakout stars? On offense it’ll be Henderson and Steele Chambers on defense. Think Zach Boren photo. Someone will make a play and shine among the chaos. So many possibilities but let’s see who seizes the opportunity.

My Prediction: 59-28 Buckeyes

#GoBucks

• 

This weekend will signal the final home game for our Ohio State Buckeyes and Senior day for our seniors and the players that are draft eligible. The Buckeyes will be tested as they face another dynamic offense at homecoming because the #7 Michigan State Spartans will be rolling into town to rumble.

This contest has all the makings of a barnburner and I’d like to thing that my article will be the tinder to light the fire for fans just like me. Both teams are poised for a shootout and the anticipation is spiraling out of control, but this is why we all love CFB!

Let’s Get Offensive
Offense, offense, offense! The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan State Spartans possess two of the most prolific offenses and boast playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. This will likely be a high scoring game, a barnburner, a shootout, or whatever you call it—the anticipation off that alone, is enough.

The Buckeyes operate like one of the best offenses in the nation and average the most points per game to boot. They’re are equipped with a standout at quarterback in CJ Stroud that is paired with a talented group of wideouts in Olave, Wilson and Smith-Njigba. Oh, and a pair of beasts at running back in Henderson and Williams in the backfield.

On the other hand, the Spartans have a beast of a Heisman hopeful Kenneth Walker III and a pair of wideouts in Reed and Nailor that tend to give opposing defenses fits. They also have a sneaky good quarterback in Thorne to lead the team.

Expect fireworks and a lot of chunky plays. This game will be wild, they’ll be points, it’ll be a rollercoaster of emotions on every play.

Stonewall Time?

The defense has been performing better as of late, but these next two weeks is go time. The defense has made timely plays on defense, but more consistency and poise will be needed against Michigan State.

Having a leaky defense can be frustrating, but I believe the defense will play lights out from here on out. No sacks were had against Purdue, but the turnover battle was won. I feel like the Buckeyes will open up the playbook a bit and get some pressure on Thorne.

They won’t completely shut down this offense, but if they get enough pressure, sacks and interceptions will come—and I’m certain that is the game plan this week. Play soundly in the gaps and cover on the boundaries is the name of the game this week. Can the defense play that way the full 60 minutes? Stay tuned!

Chess Match

Coach Day versus Coach Tucker will be interesting. An offensive minded coach versus a defensive minded one will be fun to see and I think it’ll be a chess match for both coaches.

Will Coach Day give fans and get their teams a sneak peek of his full playbook? Will he dazzle you with perfectly called chunk plays? Or will he conceal everything and just run a vanilla offense to keep TTUN guessing? Will his defense step up and turn it up a notch?

Will Coach Tucker bring the heat? Will his offense light up the scoreboard? Can he bring kicker air guitars back into style with a signature win against a team that he used to coach at?

The game within the game will be interesting and fun to watch!

Prediction: 48-35 Buckeyes

#GoBucks

The Buckeyes ousted the Purdue Boilermakers at home and it’s awesome seeing the offense operate at a high level for an entire game. The last two games definitely left more to be desired offensively and this game had a lot riding on it looking ahead to, but now it’s time to prepare for Michigan State.

The impressive part was the near perfect execution and balance of the offense and play-calling. The offensive line also came to play and showed why they are considered one of the best groups—if not the best in the nation in 2021. They did not allow a sack or get flagged for a penalty, so it was a good day for them.

Stroud was equally as impressive, slinging it for 361 yards and 5 scores, but his receivers—namely Garrett Wilson stole the show in his return after missing last weeks contest against Nebraska. He tallied 10 grabs for 126 yards and 3 scores. He also took an end around for 51 yards and a TD. Chris Olave and Jaxon Smith-Njigba also had 9 grabs and a score a piece.

The ground game came back to focus as Henderson and Williams rumbled through some tiny holes to rush for 215 yards combined and 2 scores. Williams went over 100 yards in garbage time, and as much as I wanted him to score—he looked good.

Defensively, it was another strong start but weak finish type of game. Despite the two turnovers, there was little to no pressure on O’Connell and they were nickeled and dimed the entire game with curls and swing passes along the perimeter. Yes, Bell was held to zero score but he went over 100 yards, but they need to generate more pressure along the edges and they need to stop biting on play action passes at safety.

Special teams wise, they balled out despite the limited amount of opportunities given. One FG and one punt inside of the 20 is plenty good enough for Ruggles and Mirco. The offensive game plan just flourished. But don’t discount the skills of these two specialists because when they’re needed, they’ll come through.

All in all, good performance from the Buckeyes. A well needed rekindling of our offensive potential, but an underwhelming performance from the defense for the third straight week. Coverage and block shedding should be worked on this week because Michigan State is another potent team offensively. Onto Beat Sparty week!

MOTSAG Game Grades:

• QB: A (Efficient and on target with throws)
• RB: A (Both hit the holes with reckless intent)
• WR: A+ (YAC/CIT all game. Cerberus of WR’s)
• TE: B (Blocked well despite bogus holding call)
• OL: A- (Executed well and we’re not penalized)
• DL: C (No block shedding/pressure/sacks)
• LB: C (No block shedding on swing passes)
• CB: C (Nickeled and dimed all game)
• S: C- (Bit too much on backend coverage)
• K: B (Limited but did not miss)
• P: B (Limited but the offense didn’t get stalled)

#GoBucks