(Hello everyone! My Name is Chris and I am one of the newest writers over here at the oldest and the best damn Buckeye blog on the internet. I am from Boston but have been raised as a Buckeye fan my whole life. Hope you enjoy reading my blogs throughout the season! Follow me @cjason112 on Twitter, as I usually live tweet during games.)

Anyways, here is what we learned versus Miami (OH.):

1. Devin Smith. Catch of the year. Enough Said.
2. Although Meyer has coached Alex Smith, Tim Tebow and Chris Leak in the past, he has not had the opportunity to coach a supreme athlete like Braxton Miller at quarterback before. Tebow was the master of the zone read/spread option at UF, but he usually stayed between the tackles when he decided to run the ball. Miller uses his speed to get to the corner and gives himself a chance to make a play in space. We’ll come back to this subject in a few…
3. It took a full quarter, but once this offense gets its no huddle going it will be very difficult to stop. Urban will be hard on the offense this week, especially Miller, to get settled in earlier in the future. It was okay to start off slow against Miami (OH) but they cannot dig themselves into a hole against more formidable opponents later on in the season.
4. Although Miller had a couple of overthrows and underthrows in the first quarter, wasn’t it refreshing to see the Bucks go deep early and often throughout the game? Although the offense gained a paltry 48 yards in the first quarter and gave us Buckeye fans Jim Bollman flashbacks, they exploded for 292 yards in the second quarter and we were quickly reminded that we have the best offensive mind in the country on our sidelines.
5. There was massive miscommunication the first three drives for the OSU secondary, which luckily only lead to a field goal. Zac Dysert made plays for Miami (OH) and really showed flashes of greatness in the pocket. The Bucks could have easily been down two scores going into the second quarter if their receivers could catch a pass. The corners and safeties will have to sure that up in the future with one of the better receivers in the country, Keenan Allen, coming to the ‘Shoe in two weeks (Cal.)
6. One player who caught my eye and has taken a step forward from last year is Bradley Roby. He was tremendous in run support and did everything on Saturday with six tackles, one fumble recovery, two passes defended and he was a half a shoe size away from having a great INT. I cannot wait to see Roby the rest of this year.
7. Besides Devin Smith’s insane one- handed catch, Braxton Miller’s 65 yard touchdown run was a prime example of things to come in this spread offense. Corey Brown came into motion from the slot to the backfield next to miller. Miller then executed the triple option to perfection by faking the inside handoff to Carlos Hyde (who had a great game himself) then getting to the corner and putting the cornerback from Miami (OH) into a tough position to either take Miller or Brown. Jake Stoneburner walled off the safety that came down quickly into run support and with a slight hesitation, Miller faked the pitch to Brown that froze the cornerback and it was off to the races. Miller then showed his athleticism with a jaw dropping stutter step on poor D.J. Brown at the 30 yard line and the rest was history. This play is the best example of what this offense is capable of when ran to perfection.

Look for the Bucks offense to get off to a fast start versus UCF next week, as I guarantee that will be the focus of practice this week.

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Sorry this is a day late but because of the holiday weekend I was very busy. The guys had another huge week this past weekend. So without further a do here goes week 2.

Jalin Marshall– His team Middletown Middies beat Springfield 31-0. Jalin had a big day rushing 10 times for 65 yards. He also completed 6 of 14 passes for 112 yards and 3 TDs.
Eli Woodard– Team did not play a game yet.
Cam Burrows– His team Trotwood-Madison beat Dayton Dunbar 63-0. Cam helped keep Dunbar scoreless.
Joey Bosa– His team St. Thomas Aquinas defeated Columbus 38-28. Joey helped his team force 5 TOs.
Marcus Baugh– His team John W North def. Colton 41-0. Marcus had 5 catches for 75 yards.
Evan Lisle– His team Centerville lost to Springboro 42-32. As an O-lineman he didnt have any stats but his team did rack up 302 rushing yards.
Ezekiel Elliott– His team John Burroughs HS beat Lutheran South 35-0. He scored 4 TDs in the game. Runs of 64 and 63 and 19 yds, a 89yd rec TD. He scored on 4 of the first 5 times he touched the ball.
Billy Price– His team Austintown Fitch beat Bishop Hoban 49-9. Billy helped to hold Hoban to 49 yards rushing and force 4 INTs.
Jayme Thompson– His team Toledo Central Catholic won 35-0 over Bedford, MI. He returned a 32 yard INT for a TD.
J T Barrett- His team Rider lost to Cooper 43-36. JT had a monster game in the loss. He rushed for 178 yards on 23 carries with 2 TDs. He also went 9-20 for 271 yards and 2 more TDs.
Michael Hill– His team Pendleton defeated West Oak 63-0. He helped keep West Oak to NEGATIVE -21 yards in offense in the 1st half.
Taivon Jacobs– His team Suitland beat McKinley Tech 39-0. He had 4 catches for 95 yards.
Darron Lee– His team New Albany lost to Westerville Central 23-20 in OT. He returned a punt for a TD.
Tracy Sprinkle– His team Elyria defeated Elyria Catholic 43-7. Tracy had aanother MONSTER game. Tracy had nine tackles, 5½ sacks, seven tackles for loss, four quarterback hurries and forced a fumble.
Tim Gardner– His team Lawrence Central defeated Meridian 42-6. Tim helped three running backs rush for over 100 yards
Johnny Townsend– His team Boone beat West Orange 37-31. I couldn’t find any stats for the punter.

There you have it guys week 2 is in the books for these recruits. Some of the guys are really starting to show why they are future Buckeyes. JT Barrett and Jalin Marshall and Ezekiel Elliott are really going to flourish in Urban Meyers Offense. Tracy Sprinkle is proving the recruiting experts aren’t nearly as expert as Coach Meyer and staff at evaluating talent. I will see you all next Sunday for a wrap up of week 3 stats.

Hey there Buckeye fanatics, it’s “Porter,” a new blogger to the staff at MotSaG, checking in.  I am fortunate to have been provided the forum to one of, if not the largest, college football fan bases in the country.  As one of the over 275,000+ Alumni in the State of Ohio, I aspire to provide insight and excitement in covering all things Buckeye.  Thanks for checking us out.

DISCLAIMER:  I have drunk the “JUICE” and I am all in on the new coaching staff and the future of the Buckeyes.

I’m not sure about you, but I cannot remember a time when I have been this excited to see the Scarlet and Gray take the field, which is saying something because I love that first football Saturday more than a fat kid loves cake (but let’s be honest, who doesn’t love cake).  Before we see Captain Urban ride through the tunnel and into the Shoe (or Ohio Stadium if that is your preference) on his white stallion in his white polo as he leads our beloved Buckeyes into another decade of dominance though, let’s take a look at some of the stories that came out of Urban’s first camp at the helm.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention ESPN’s production of Training Days: Ohio State.  The staff could not be a more polar opposite than it was under Tressel. Can you imagine Coach Tressel ever opening the doors on a training camp and allowing ESPN the access it had to the Buckeyes?  I can’t.  One thing on the staff … I love it.  The coaches’ energy is contagious and it seems like the Buckeyes take on the enthusiasm and energy exuded by the staff.  I think Training Days will pay dividends on the recruiting front and it only solidifies the Buckeyes as a desired destination for the nation’s top talent.

In a new tradition Meyer brought to tOSU each freshman is required to lose their stripe as a rite of passage in order to become a full-fledged member of the Buckeyes. As part of the tradition, each incoming freshman was assigned a big brother from the upperclassmen and the freshmen were required to use the upperclassmen’s nicknames, some examples are Braxton “Jerry Curl” Miller (big brother to Cardale Jones) and Orhian “Flavor Flav” Johnson (big brother to Devan Bogard).  To date nine freshmen have earned the removal of their stripes, including (in order) Devan Bogard, Noah Spence, Tommy Schutt, Taylor Decker, Adolphus Washington, Warren Ball, Cardale Jones, Joe Burger and Bri’onte Dunn.  With numerous other freshmen in the two deep, I expect more black stripes will be removed before noon this Saturday.  An observation on the depth chart – a noticeable departure from the previous staff, this coaching staff has adopted the philosophy of playing the best player regardless of class (this should also pay dividends in recruiting).

Throughout camp, there were various themes that highlight Meyer’s desire to discern those players who thrive in a competitive environment and will strive to not be average.  Meyer often stressed the importance of doing everything any coach asked of the players plus two, while also identifying those players who were able to get from point A to point B.  Another key word of the new Buckeye staff was “JUICE” meaning “energy, excitement … you either have it or you don’t” – Etienne Sabino.  The measure of one’s juice and competitive nature was exhibited on the field in drills such as the circle drill, which Coach Meyer unveiled to Buckeye faithful prior to the Spring Game, and off the field in activities such as Gatorade chugging contests.

Since his arrival at tOSU, Coach Meyer has stressed the importance on leaders, meaning those players who are able to pull the younger ones through tough practices.  In the offseason, John Simon was not allowed to go to the gym alone for his early morning workouts; instead he included the likes of Curtis Grant, Ryan Shazier, and Noah Spence.  John “half man, half beast” Simon’s leadership was shown  throughout Training Days also as I often observed him coaching up the younger defensive lineman, primarily blue chipper Noah Spence.  Another leader Urban hopes to get back in action this Saturday is veteran Nathan Williams, and a sign that the stars are aligning – he was ruled healthy enough to see limited playing time.  The addition of Williams to an already stout line has the makings of something special as Meyer has compared the Buckeyes defensive line with Williams to those lines he fielded at Florida during his two national championship runs.

Yet another key difference between the new staff and the prior coaching staff that was apparent during camp is that the new staff is candid in letting players know exactly where they stand PUBLICLY.  While I don’t know the kind of criticism delivered by Coach Tressel behind closed doors, the Senator would have undoubtedly resorted to the puzzled coach speak we were all accustomed to.  In particular, Coach Meyer and Herman have been very vocal regarding the lack of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, especially in the passing game describing it as “non-functional” and “inadequate.”  Meyer questioned the wide receivers heart, effort, and skill.  Rather than shy away as a result of the criticism, Braxton and the wide receivers dedicated themselves to getting better in the offseason and throughout camp and Coach Meyer has seen a transformation in the receivers saying that “they’re competing now.  It means something to them.  That’s kind of neat to see.”  Coach Herman also said that he has seen “potential,” but “it’s up to those guys and the coaches to [make sure] that potential turns into performance.”  The fact that players are buying in even when Meyer’s criticism was downright brutal will yield results on and off the field, rather than a recurrence of the disjointed performance from last year

While Meyer has introduced new traditions like requiring freshman to lose their stripe to become Buckeyes, terminology such as JUICE, competition in every activity on and off the field, and the pregame Quick Cal (video by Ozone), the overwhelming theme I have taken from Urban Meyer’s first camp is that every Buckeye from the current team, the student body, and Buckeye Nation has bought in to what Coach Urban Meyer is selling.  And, this buying in is not simply to turn the page on a tumultuous season.  However, with the unity of the team, staff, student body, and fans all working together, I think Buckeye Nation better buckle up and hold on tight because we are about to embark on a path of dominance, beginning this Saturday.

Well, it is game week and that means a brand new depth chart. Listed below you will find the 2-deep depth chart for both the offense and the defense.

Some things of note on it:

• Reid Fragel won the RT spot over Freshman Taylor Decker.
• Travis Howard beat out rising star Doran Grant for a CB slot.
• Jeff Heurmann and Nick Vanett are both listed as starters at TE.
• The most surprising thing to me though is Adam Griffin is a back up CB. Although it shouldnt surprise me too much he is after all Archies son.
• There are 14 Redshirt or True Freshman on the 2 deep for this game.
• Brionte Dunn beat out Rod Smith for the back up RB to Carlos Hyde.

Overall, on paper this is a strong 2-deep, maybe the best I have seen for a first game in a long time. OSU’s future is very bright to say the least.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK
5 Braxton Miller (6-3, 210, So.)
13 Kenny Guiton (6-3, 206, rJr.)

TAILBACK
34 Carlos Hyde (6-0, 235, Jr.)
25 Bri’onte Dunn (6-1, 214, Fr.)

FULLBACK
44 Zach Boren (6-1, 246, Sr.)
49 Adam Homan (6-3, 245, Sr.)

SPLIT END
15 Devin Smith (6-1, 196, So.)
83 Mike Thomas (6-2, 193, Fr.)

FLANKER
10 Corey Brown (5-11, 182, Jr.)
16 Evan Spencer (6-1, 190, So.)

SLOT
11 Jake Stoneburner (6-5, 245, rSr.)
80 Chris Fields (6-0, 180, rJr.)

TIGHT END
81 Nick Vannett (6-6, 248, rFr.) OR
86 Jeff Heuerman (6-6, 247, So.)

LEFT TACKLE
74 Jack Mewhort (6-6, 310, rJr.)
76 Darryl Baldwin (6-6, 292, rSo.)

LEFT GUARD
78 Andrew Norwell (6-6, 304, Jr.)
73 Antonio Underwood (6-2, 301, So.)

CENTER
71 Corey Linsley (6-3, 292, rJr.)
50 Jacoby Boren (6-2, 283, Fr.)

RIGHT GUARD
79 Marcus Hall (6-5, 315, rJr.)
57 Chase Farris (6-4, 285, rFr.)

RIGHT TACKLE
77 Reid Fragel (6-8, 298, Sr.)
68 Taylor Decker (6-8, 313, Fr.)

DEFENSE

LEO
54 John Simon (6-2, 260, Sr.)
88 Steve Miller (6-3, 255, So.) OR
8 Noah Spence (6-3, 240, Fr.)

DEFENSIVE TACKLE
52 Johnathan Hankins (6-4, 317, Jr.)
92 Adolphus Washington (6-3, 289, Fr.) OR
90 Tommy Schutt (6-2, 305, Fr.)

NOSE TACKLE
53 Garrett Goebel (6-4, 285, rSr.)
51 Joel Hale (6-4, 295, So.)
72 Chris Carter (6-4, 358, rFr.)

STRONGSIDE END
63 Michael Bennett (6-3, 277, So.)
50 J.T. Moore (6-3, 250, rSo.)

WILL LB
10 Ryan Shazier (6-1, 226, So.)
36 Conner Crowell (6-1, 233, rFr.)
25 David Perkins (6-2, 220, Fr.)

MIKE LB
14 Curtis Grant (6-2, 235, So.)
5 Camren Williams (6-1, 225, Fr.)

SAM LB
6 Etienne Sabino (6-3, 237, rSr.)
15 Josh Perry (6-4, 231, Fr.)

CORNER
1 Bradley Roby (5-11, 185 rSo.)
12 Doran Grant (5-11, 188, So.)

CORNER
7 Travis Howard (6-1, 196, rSr.)
9 Adam Griffin (5-8, 180, rSo.)

SAFETY
2 Christian Bryant (5-10, 190, Jr.)
19 Orhian Johnson (6-3, 210, rSr.)

SAFETY
4 C.J. Barnett (6-1, 202, rJr.)
3 Corey Brown (6-1, 197, rJr.)

H/T to Brandon Castel (@BCastOZone) from Ozone for the Offense and Defense Depth charts.

I was sitting in bed Friday night refreshing twitter for 30 minutes waiting for updates on the Middletown HS football game and the stats for Jalin Marshall. Needless to say as his stats skyrocketed every few minutes and excitment built for the talent he is it hit me I am sure there are other people who would love to hear how the OSU commits for the current class were doing in their weekly games. So starting with this weeks games we will give a weekly overview on their stats and how their teams did. These stats aren’t the end all be all of how well a recruit will do at OSU in the future but it does give some insight into what we can expect. So without further ado here goes week 1.

Jalin Marshall– His team Middletown Middies lost a heart breaker 43-39 to St. Xavier. Jalin had a massive day rushing 23 times for 322 yards and 3 TDs. He also completed 6 of 13 passes for 87 yards and 1 TD.
Eli Woodard– Team did not play a game yet.
Cam Burrows– His team Trotwood-Madison lost 33-14 to University High. Cam was never really challenged in the game as UHS stayed away from his side. He did have at least one nice pass break up and a couple of big hits in the run game.
Joey Bosa– Team did not play a game yet.
Marcus Baugh– Team did not play a game yet.
Evan Lisle– His team Centerville lost to Cincinnati Elder 34-21. As an O-lineman he didnt have any stats but by all reports he played well.
Ezekiel Elliott– His team John Burroughs HS beat Cape Central 43-14. He scored 4 TDs in the game. Runs of 13 and 36 yds, a 49-yd rec and a 62 yd punt return for a TD. He also had 15 carries for 112 yards and 2 rec for 68 yds.
Billy Price– His team Austintown Fitch beat Harding 24-10. Billy had the game winning tackle and forced fumble and he recovered it to seal the win. No other stats are known.
Jayme Thompson– His team Toledo Central Catholic won 66-14. His stats if any are unknown at this time.
J T Barrett- His team has not played a game yet.
Michael Hill– His team Pendleton defeated Pickens 56-14. He had at least one sack but no other stats are available.
Taivon Jacobs– His team has not played a game yet.
Darron Lee– His team New Albany lost to Reynoldsburg 10-9. Darron was 2-for-8 passing for 52 yards and one interception and had (minus)-16 yards rushing on 10 attempts.
Tracy Sprinkle– His team Elyria defeated Steele 63-28. Tracy had 11 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 TFL, 2 forced fumbles.
Tim Gardner– His team Lawrence Central defeated North Central 38-3. As an O-lineman he has no stats.
Johnny Townsend– His team has not played a game yet.

As the season progresses hopefully we will have more games played and more stats available for us. Look for this post to go live every Sunday evening during the High School football season. If OSU lands any new recruits we will add them to this list as well. There are just too many possibles to keep a list of all the guys not committed yet.

As a person who really enjoys the recruiting process and all the drama it produces, the one thing I have always found most difficult to pin down is how big any year’s class can be. If you ask any recruiting expert how big or small any school’s class size will be they will generally give you a range and not a number. How hard can it be to see how many players are on scholarship and how many graduating seniors there are? Therein lies the problem: between players leaving or getting kicked off the team and players jumping early to the NFL and figuring in red shirt years it seems that the math is just too difficult to compute for seemingly smart human beings. So I have set out on a conquest to figure out just how big the Buckeyes 2013 class will be so we can figure out exactly who we will be taking. This is a scientific experiment and as such will have a +/- but I hope to try and get us the most accurate number possible.

So lets do some math (bear with me as I had to take Algebra 3 times in high school due to horrific math skills):

• OSU is allowed to have 82 players on scholarship for 2013. (Thanks a lot NCAA)
• OSU finished 2012 with 81 players on scholarship. (Thanks a lot Stefon Diggs)
• By my count there are 18 Seniors on Scholarship.
• Storm Klein kicked off the team.
• Kenny Hayes leaves the team due to medical reasons.
• Adam Bellamy has been absent from team activities and was not in official team photo (OSU has NOT confirmed he has left the team but rumors are rampant).
• I can’t include any JRs who may leave OSU early for the NFL but I dont think we will have any either so I will assume zero will be the number for this experiment.

So here is where we currently sit: 1 + 18 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 22 players in the 2013 class. So far we have 16 members of the 2013 class. That leaves us with 6 spots left in the class. In my educated opinion that will include 2 linebackers, 2 wide receivers, 1 offensive lineman, and 1 defensive back.

Based on a collection of most of the recruiting experts that I read and listen too (even though they seem to be wrong more then right since Urban took over the team) I am going to make an educated guess as to who we fill up those 6 spots with. Based on the last 5-6 guys who joined the team though I am sure I will be dead wrong.

LINEBACKERS

1. Mike Mitchell is a 6’4″ 220 lbs LB from Plano Texas and is rated the 121st best player in the nation by ESPN. Mitchell broke the SPARQ record this summer and is an off the charts athlete he said he plans to visit OSU before he makes his decision.

2a. Daniel McMillian is a 6’2″ 220 lbs LB from Jacksonville, Florida and is rated the 43rd best player in the nation by ESPN. He is currently committed to Florida but has announced he will visit OSU soon and if he gets on campus anything can happen.

2b. Tyquan Lewis is a 6’3″ 225 lbs DE/LB hybrid player rated a 3 star by ESPN. Honestly it seems like he has wanted to commit for a long time but for whatever reason just hasn’t pulled the trigger. He is starting to feel a lot like fellow North Carolina natives Lewis Neal and Josh McNeil who were both heavy OSU leans or commits who were just waiting for SEC offers to flee. OSU is just getting their foothold in NC and a lot of players down there still want to go to SEC/ACC schools.

WIDE RECIEVERS

1. Shelton Gibson is a 5’11” 173 lbs WR from Cleveland, Ohio and is rated as the 196th best player in the nation according to ESPN. Honestly I just don’t know why he hasn’t committed yet. He is as heavy of a lean as you can get.

2a. James Quick is a 6’0″ 180 lbs WR from Louisville, Kentucky and is rated the 57th best player in the nation by ESPN. This one seems to be destined to play for Louisville but never doubt Coach Meyer.

2b. Devon Allen is a 6’0″ 187 lbs WR from Phoenix, Arizona who is a 3 star by ESPN. This one will probably come down to his hose state schools and OSU.

2c. Robert Foster is a 6’3″ 190 lbs WR from Monaca, PA and is rated the 23rd best player by ESPN. This guy has been up and down on his love for OSU but is currently up so who knows.

2d. Tony Stevens is a 6’4″ 184 lbs WR from Orlando, Florida and is rated the 173rd best player in the nation by ESPN. He is currently committed to Florida St. but also has said he will visit OSU and loves Urban Meyer. If he gets to campus look out.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN

1. Donovan Munger is a 6’3″ 280 lbs DL/OL from Shaker Heights, Ohio who is rated the 281st best player by ESPN. Munger is a DT prospect but projects as an OLman at OSU if he chooses to join the class. Honestly I think that may be the hold up with him.

2. Dorian Johnson is a 6’6″ 285 lbs OT from Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania who is rated the 27th best player in the nation by ESPN. He was a PSU commit before they got destroyed by the NCAA. Recently he said it is down to Pitt and OSU. He fits what Urban wants in body style but I feel like he is more likely to end up at Pitt.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

1. Vonn Bell is a 6’0″ 190 lbs Safety from Rossville, Georgia and is rated the 60th best player in the nation by ESPN. Vonn is wanted by just about everyone in the country. It will be tough to get him to leave the south but in Urban we trust.

2. Christopher Worley is a 6’3″ 190 lbs Athlete from Cleveland, Ohio and is not rated by ESPN. Glenville Pipeline is all that needs to be said.

So those are the biggest candidates to fill those last six spots. It will be a slow race for sure as Coach Meyer doesnt seem in a hurry to finish off the class. If I had to guess right now on which six it would be. I would say Mike Mitchell would be the only LB. I think they go three wide receivers with Gibson, Stevens, and Foster. One offensive lineman and I think it will be Munger. One defensive back and I think they will hold a spot for Bell until signing day.

So there you have it folks I did the math for the size of the class and gave the names of possible recruits and finally named who I thought the final six would be. More likely then not I am completely wrong so don’t hold it against me if I am after all I am just a fan and not an expert.

What do you think? How many will we have in this class and who will fill out the class in your opinion?