An Ohio State Sports Blog
The 2015 class is going to be a great class full of star players and one way or another they were destined to get a former Michigan Running Back Commit. The question was which one Mike Weber or Damien Harris? Both are highly ranked RBs both were once committed to Michigan. Both decommitted as things went down the drain for UM. Both had OSU at the top of their lists. It was a race to land the spot and it went back and forth all year who would they land.
Today that question was answered….
Brandon Stephens is a running back from Plano, Texas. He stands at 6-1 and weighs 200 pounds. Over the course of 2014 in his junior season at Plano High School, he rushed 196 times for 1,268 yards and 21 touchdowns. And he’s been getting more attention as of late, visiting Baylor in November and receiving an offer from Tulsa on November 7. When I talked to Stephens I asked him how the recruiting process is going for him.
“It’s been very good, not too stressful just yet but I’ve been building many relationships with coaches, trying to get familiar with them,” said Stephens.
Stephens made his unofficial visit to Ohio State back on July 21 and was offered by Ohio State the very next day. I asked him what he thoughts of the experience and the impression he came away with from the visit.
“It was definitely amazing. Got to meet most of the coaches. The environment on and off campus was just right. It was a good visit all-around.”
Stephens was recruited by running backs coach Stan Drayton and corner backs/special teams coach Kerry Coombs (Stephens also plays corner back). I asked what he thought about the coaches and if they gave him any advice when talking to them. He said they gave him a couple of things to work on in his game and felt like they truly had his back. He really enjoyed talking to them. And when I asked him what his familiarity is with Ohio State football he simply replied: “7 Heisman winners, 7 national champions, 37 conference titles.”
Along with offers from Ohio State and Tulsa, Stephens also received an offer from Wisconsin back in June. I asked him which schools are currently showing the most interest and he replied: “Ohio State is showing a lot of interest, also LSU and Baylor.” Stephens also said he plans on visiting Wisconsin and possibly “many more,” but he isn’t completely sure. Right now he doesn’t have a list of top schools he’s considering and hopes to commit to a school by the beginning of next season.
The last question I asked Stephens about was what a team gets when they get Brandon Stephens. His response:
“A hard-working, unselfish player. I’m a player that shows resiliency. I’m also a person of leadership and character.”
You can follow Brandon Stephens on Twitter here: @BFame24
To see all of his highlights on Hudl, click here.
Update…..
Officers responded early Tuesday morning to a disturbance at Ohio State Quarterback J.T. Barrett’s apartment, according to a report from the Columbus Division of Police.
In the report, Barrett says a woman identified as his girlfriend — Alexandria Barrett-Clark — refused to leave his apartment after he asked her to do so. Barrett says she “ran at him and pushed him.”
Barrett says Barrett-Clark hit him. In the report, he say he pushed her awy in self-defense, which caused her to fall to a bed. Barrett says he again asked her to leave. Agan, he says, she refused.
Barrett-Clark says she told Barrett that she would leave in the morning.
She told police that Barrett confronted her in his bedroom and “choked her on the bed.” She said Barrett used his forearm to apply pressue to her neck before taking her phone away from her.
Barrett-Clark told police she managed to get away from Barrett and call police.
Police say a witness told them that he was upstairs when he heard arguing. But, he says, he did not see any kind of fight between Barrett and Barrett-Clark.
Police said neither Barrett, nor Barrett-Clark, had any visible injuries and refused medical treatment.
Police did not make any arrests and no charges were filed.
The incident has been referred to the Prosecutor’s Office.
3
You can see the full report here.
It’s time for Bowl Mania! MotSaG writers Josh, Shannon and Chip along with their special returning guest Kevin McGuire broke down and picked the Big Ten bowl games, the New Year’s bowls and of course made their predictions on the first ever FBS college football playoffs. By the way you can check out Kevin’s work at collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com and follow him on Twitter: @KevinonCFB. They’re a little more optimistic on the Big Ten in their bowl games than Vegas is. Two of the four chose Ohio State as the national champion, while the other two chose Alabama. Also somebody made peace with Tim Beckman. Sort of.
J.T. Barrett has been tabbed as the CFPA National Freshman Performer of the Year, the organization announced today.
Barrett, 11-1 as Ohio State’s starting quarterback before suffering a season-ending injury against Michigan, became a Heisman Trophy candidate after finishing his campaign with school record totals of 3,772 total yards and 45 touchdowns responsible for. His touchdowns total is a Big Ten record. He passed for 2,834 yards and a school-record 34 touchdowns and he rushed for an additional 938 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Barrett etched his name throughout the Ohio State record book in 2014, setting school records in seven different categories, including touchdown passes, touchdowns responsible for, total offense, longest run by a Ohio State quarterback (86 yards), rushing yards by a quarterback (189), touchdown passes in a single game (six) and touchdown passes for a three-game span (14). Additionally, he was the Big Ten Freshman of the Week a conference-record seven times.
See the entire release here from Ohio State Athletics.
There isn’t much to say that these can’t-Here is how I have felt since late Saturday night and it’s still going…
   
It’s a feeling I don’t think I’ve felt since the end of the Ohio State Michigan game of 2006. We all know the man who came out on top that year so let’s hope that is a sign of things to come.
The best part of being a negative pathetic P.O.S. fan like myself when something like Saturday night happens, is a feeling of pure surprise and joy that is indescribable. It’s like a perfect cocktail of a fine vodka shaken with man-emotion and a dash of rainbows. All you believers who saw this coming weren’t near as giddy as me and my father,Mr. Negabuck, were sitting in the stands Saturday night.
OK you probably were…
Here is how someone with a brain disorder like mine thinks from start to finish in a blowout:
7-0 “O.k. great start, wasn’t expecting that. It’s going to be a shootout.”
14-0 “Alright alright, pile on the points before the Badgers get going.”
17-0 “Daggumit we will regret not punching that in for 6; Melvin Gordon is too dangerous.”
24-0 “Couldn’t ask for a better start I guess.”
31-0 “I think the Big Ten record for points come back from is 31, need to get off that number.”
38-0 “What the hell is going on?”
45-0 “I think we may have enough points to start running out the clock.”
52-0 “This is certainly a dream; any second now I’m going to wake up in my hotel’s bed on Saturday morning. At least I’ll get to eat that free breakfast again.”
59-0 “…Speechless.”
Clock hits 00:00
It was the best performance for the Bucks under Urban Meyer and they’ll be plenty of time to look ahead to Bama. I say we take some time to enjoy a truly special season.
With a million new faces on the field and the Buckeyes in danger of losing the season opener Darron Lee punched momentum right in the face and kidnapped his children.
After solid games against Kent State and Cincinnati, the freshmen quarterback showed he was legit in his first road game at Maryland. The one that sticks out is his first touchdown pass (second highlight of video) in which he audibles, brings in an extra blocker and hits Jalin Marshall before he even cuts in the endzone.
Ohio State was ready to lose against a hated rival after a dismal offensive performance in the second half in Happy Valley. Then, after two gutty J.T. Barrett td’s in double overtime, Joey Bosa decided to run through Penn State running back Akeel Lynch to sack Christian Hackenburg and keep the season alive.
In the previous week at Minnesota, Jalin Marshall fumbled two crucial balls away to cost Ohio State important style points. Urban Meyer didn’t waver; he said the freshmen is not coming out of the game against Indiana. The most important of Marshall’s FOUR TOUCHDOWNSÂ was the punt return to take back the lead for good.
Ohio State dismantled the favorite Wisconsin by 59 points to clinch the Big Ten Title and cement their spot in the Final Four. The team had a blast after the game.
The regular season ended with a bang but the fun aint over yet…
Ohio State players and fans get to measure up against the top dog- Alabama. Have the Buckeye’s used up all of their magic this season? Or does it reset to full in 2015?
Either way I know I’ll be high stepping and grooving through Christmas, still high off an outstanding year.
Bonus: This looks like fun for some reason, though I’m not sure he was trained properly…
Double Bonus: Don’t forget that Cardale Jones once killed a man:
As you can see the uniforms are amazing and typically awesome considering OSUs colors.
You can see more about the uniforms here.
The last memory most Buckeye fans have of the Big Ten Championship game, up until Saturday night, was Braxton Miller being stuffed short on 4th down, shortly followed by the infamous picture of Coach Meyer sitting on a golf cart eating Papa John’s pizza. It was a heartbreaking night for the Buckeye head coach, his team, and all of Buckeye nation. Win and you’re in. However, the Spartans of Michigan State had a much different plan as they played spoiler to the Buckeyes national title hopes.
Fast forward to Saturday December 6th, 2014 and wouldn’t you know, the Buckeyes seem to be in a similar position as they were the year before. Maybe there was less of a certainty to it, but it turned out being, win and you’re in. The difference between last years Buckeye team and this years was evident from the kick off. This team played with a level of emotion, passion, anger, and down right nastiness that last years team lacked.
When Urban Meyer arrived at Ohio State he had two demands from what he wanted from his football team. He wanted a hungry and angry football team. That team showed up Saturday night as they drubbed the 13th ranked team in the nation 59-0. They had been told all week by “experts”, Vegas odds, and whoever had a voice in college football, that they would lose to Wisconsin due to their inferior run defense and being down to their third string quarterback, Cardale Jones. When Ohio State took the field Saturday night, they did not need any extra motivation, with the world around them doubting, and the love and memory of their fallen teammate Kosta Karageorge, the Buckeyes played their best game under Urban Meyer.
From the opening drive Tom Herman wanted to get Cardale Jones comfortable so he opened with a roll-out to the right side and completed the pass to former Fork Union teammate Michael Thomas, who ended the night with 3 receptions for 41 yards. The pass was low and away from Thomas, but he made a nice diving grab to help his quarterback out. 5 plays later Jones would hook up with Devin Smith for 39 yard touchdown pass that put Jones at ease, Buckeye nation in a frenzy, and most importantly, Ohio State in the lead.
That script would repeat itself 2 more times in the night as Jones and Smith connected on a 44 yard touchdown and 42 yard touchdown, which led to Devin Smith’s ridiculous stat line of 4 catches, 137 yards, and 3 touchdowns. However, it wasn’t just his receivers that gave Jones an enormous amount of help. Jones was given very good protection from his offensive line. He was very efficient and did not abuse the amount of time his protection provided him. On several occasions Jones would work through his first, second, and third read, tuck the ball and scramble for whatever yardage he could get.
The offensive line also did a hell of a job blocking for running back Ezekiel Elliott. The sophomore stole the spotlight which was intended for Heisman candidate Melvin Gordon. Elliott went off, rushing 20 times for an astounding 220 yards and two touchdowns. His night was highlighted by an explosive 81 yard run on the Buckeyes second drive. Once again, the credit for that score goes largely to the offensive line who opened up a whole, led by Jacoby Boren, that you could drive a semi-truck through.
As dominant as the offensive line was, the defensive line was as equally imposing. Joey Bosa and Michael Bennett were the main disruptors on the evening, but there were contributions from everyone. Starting on the opening drive the Badgers rushed Gordon twice for a total of 1 yard and were forced to punt. On Wisconsin’s second drive Gordon began to have more success pulling off an 8 and 6 yard gain, but the Buckeye defense stiffened and forced yet another punt. Gordon ended his night and his Heisman campaign with a mere 26 rushes for 76 yards and a 2.9 yards per carry average, and also one fumble that was recovered by Joey Bosa and returned for a touchdown.
The key to shutting Gordon down was the exceptional play of the defensive line, either occupying blockers or creating penetration. They were quickly followed by Lee, Grant, and Perry flowing downhill faster than they have played all season. I suspect Ash had them playing relatively conservative this season to help out in the play action game which helped control the middle of the field, but given that Wisconsin had posed no legitimate threat to the middle of the field, Ash and Fickell gave the LB’s a green light to play downhill which suits Grant’s and Perry’s playing style.
While the front seven did their job, the back four of the Buckeyes defense, led by senior Doran Grant, played outstanding. Sophomore Vonn Bell baited Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave in to an early interception. Bell sat in zone coverage and tracked Stave’s eyes back to the middle of the field which led Bell directly to the Stave’s target and the ball. Senior Doran Grant also got in on the interception action as he had two of his own. Stave finished his forgettable night just 17/43 for 187 yards and 3 interceptions.
It is safe to say that the Badgers were overwhelmed and outmatched Saturday night. They had little to no answer for the Buckeyes athleticism, speed, and depth. This was a program building win. In my opinion, this was the first time this program, under Urban Meyer has been able to establish itself as the top dog in the conference. Meyer has his recruiting classes rolling in, his players have bought in to what he and his staff are teaching, and the Buckeyes are the king’s of the Big Ten Conference. Next up: Alabama.
Saturday will mark the second straight year Ohio State has reached Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship, and the Buckeyes are headed into battle without Heisman contender J.T. Barrett for the first time this season. The game Saturday night also marks the 3rd trip in 4 years to Indy for an also dinged up Wisconsin squad.
This game may be one of the biggest question marks in Ohio State history and anybody who knows how it will play out is a fraud. This match-up is riddled with questions and should make for entertaining TV, even for somebody not pulling for the Badgers or Buckeyes.
All of these will be answered in this article Saturday night. Until then, here is what to look out for in this intriguing match-up:
I don’t know. You don’t know. Hell, I don’t even think Cardale knows what kind of quarterback he is and Ohio State can use this to their advantage. Wisconsin knew what they were getting into with the 6’2″, 215 pound Barrett- an accurate passer with great vision and a decent arm.
Now Bucky has to prepare for a monstrous unknown in 6’5″, 250 pound Cardale Jones with a supposed cannon for an arm. It will be interesting to see whether the Badgers will try an attacking approach to try and rattle the newbie, or if they will sit back and force Jones to be accurate.
No matter the strategy, the goal of Gary Andersen will be to make Jones and OSU’s wideouts move the ball- not Ohio State’s explosive backs in Ezekiel Elliott, Curtis Samuel and Jalin Marshall. The latter will most likely see numerous snaps at the wildcat quarterback position this week. I would be absolutely shocked if Marshall does not throw at least a couple of passes.
Wisconsin doesn’t have a JJ Watt or Chad Borland on the 2014 team, but they are an outstanding unit. The numbers tell the story on the defense (national ranks):
These numbers are a little inflated by two factors, however. The Badgers are a top 7 team in time of possession so the defense is not facing a lot of plays from the opposition and teams they have played have been wretched on offense.
Wisconsin has faced one offense inside the top 40 in the country in yards per game (#35 Nebraska), with 7 match-ups against teams ranked 80 or higher. While this doesn’t prove that Wisconsin is a fraud, it should ease worried Buckeye fans a little bit.
Conversely, Ohio State has faced 4 top 20 defenses and 3 in the top 10 in yards allowed.
Honestly, these numbers mean nothing the second Cardale walks out of that huddle but they do paint an interesting picture.
While both teams have plenty of solid players on their respective units, both the Badgers and the Buckeyes have one guy who gets the pub.
Melvin Gordon is statistically one of the greatest players of all time and there is no arguing that from anybody. He looks to be a lock to head to New York for the Heisman ceremony next week and he was named Big Ten Offensive player of the year on Monday. His strength and speed has NFL scouts drooling and all eyes will be on him Saturday. A big play running back facing a defense of OSU that has been burned the whole month of November by explosive plays is a frightening thought for the scarlet and gray.
The scary part from the Wisconsin side is that Gordon is a little dinged up and two of his big guys up front are questionable to play. This could mean big things for Ohio State’s defensive line whom also boast one of the nations best players, Joey Bosa. The young man is the Big Ten Defensive player of the year and will need to make an impact to slow down the Badgers running game.
Bosa may be the best in the country at rushing the passer but is less consistent as a run stopper. If you’re Wisconsin’s coach Gary Andersen, do you stay away from him on first and second down, or are you going right at him hoping he over pursues?
Ohio State will need to focus on stopping the running game and dare Joel Stave to make the throws downfield to win. The Badgers are one of the worst passing teams in the nation statistically. No real threats have emerged for the Badgers and OSU needs to keep it that way. A team cannot stop MG3 for 60 minutes and needs to contain all other threats to keep the Badgers from going off.
Here are both teams by the numbers:
The game may be decided by red zone trips and Wisconsin definitely holds the kicking edge.
This may be the most difficult game to predict of the weekend, even for the sharpest bettors. There are way too many unknowns with injuries and unproven players, but I believe the good guys pull it out.
Ohio State 27 Wisconsin 20.
This game is going to be a lot of fun and the pressure has dropped immensely after Barrett’s injury. Most analysts are picking Wisconsin and saying how unfortunate the Buckeye’s luck has been.
But if they can pull it off…
