An Ohio State Sports Blog
The Votes are in!!
| Teams | Points | Record | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
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8 | 10-0 (6-0) | 1 |
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18 | 10-0 (6-0) | 2 |
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25 | 9-1 (5-1) | 4 |
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31 | 8-2 (5-1) | 3 |
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43 | 8-2 (5-1) | 6 |
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45 | 8-2 (4-2) | 5 |
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57 | 7-3 (4-2) | 7 |
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69 | 4-6 (1-5) | 8 |
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75 | 5-6 (3-4) | 11 |
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75 | 4-6 (0-6) | 9 |
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85 | 5-5 (2-4) | 10 |
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99 | 3-7 (1-6) | 13 |
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103 | 2-8 (0-6) | 12 |
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109 | 2-8 (1-5) | 14 |
Welcome back to my weekly column, A Look Around the Country. I’m highlighting notable games from the previous week, the week ahead and of course, the Heisman and Playoff race. Special features include an in-depth look at the Ohio State and a Michigan update, mainly for folks to bask in their misfortunes. Feel free to comment with your opinions, I hope you enjoy!
Notable Games Last Week
Clemson 23, Florida State 13
The Tigers solidified their Number One ranking against the Seminoles with a 10 point win at Memorial Stadium. Florida State stayed close for most of the game but could not close. Moving forward, Clemson has a cake walk into the ACC Title Game where they will most likely play North Carolina who is no slouch. With a win there, they are in.
Oklahoma State 49, TCU 29
The Pokies made a huge statement in Stillwater after demolishing TCU, who was a preseason playoff favorite. They completely shut down Trevone Boykin who had been putting up crazy numbers against everyone they played so far. Okie State closes the season against Baylor and Oklahoma and if they win those, I’d say they’re in the Playoff.
Nebraska 39, Michigan State 38
Another week, another crazy ending. The Huskers were able to pull off the impossible (I say impossible because that touchdown shouldn’t have counted) and upset Michigan State. Mike Riley was finally able to get a big win in Lincoln which should help as they close the season. Michigan State is now out of playoff contention barring craziness.
Alabama 30, LSU 16
The Tide made a huge statement as they shutdown Leonard Fournette and the rest of the Tigers on Saturday in Tuscaloosa. Alabama is quickly looking like one of the top teams in the country and now control their own destiny in the playoff picture.
Big Games This Week
Ohio State at Illinois
J.T. Barrett will be back in action as the Buckeyes head to Champaign for the right to the Illibuck Trophy. Illinois has traditionally been a pesky out for Ohio State so they will have to stay focused and not overlook this weekend especially considering what is looming on the schedule. This will be the last tune-up for Urban Meyer’s squad before heading into the stretch run.
Saturday, November 14 at Noon on ABC
Alabama at Mississippi State
Coming off a big win over LSU, Alabama will travel to Starkville to take on the Bulldogs. These are usually the types of games that Alabama loses so we will see if Nick Saban is able to get the Tide a win. I expect a great game as Dak Prescott has been playing lights out lately and seems to be peaking at the right time. Don’t be surprised if Dan Mullen pulls off the upset.
Saturday, November 14 at 3:30 on CBS
Oklahoma at Baylor
The second week of the Big 12 round-robin will kick off as Baylor will finally get an opportunity to show that they are for real. The Sooners may be peaking at the right time and if they can somehow win out they might find themselves in the playoff. The same goes for Baylor as they will have to win out in a grueling schedule to have a chance to be in the playoff.
Saturday, November 14 at 8pm on ABC
Michigan Update
The Wolverines destroyed Rutgers and now only have 2 games (Indiana and Penn State) between them and the Buckeyes. Harbaugh has done a masterful job with this team and I am sure they are already watching film on Ohio State. It is going to be an atmosphere for the ages in Ann Arbor in 3 weeks.
Heisman Watch
1. Derrick Henry, Alabama
2. Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State
3. Leonard Fournette, LSU
4. Deshaun Watson, Clemson
My Playoff if the Season Ended Today
*Editor’s Note: This will be a volatile poll every week based on performance in the past week and resume to date, very similar to the Playoff Committee.
1. Ohio State
2. Clemson
3. Baylor
4. Alabama
Just Missed the Cut
5. Oklahoma State
6. Notre Dame
7. Iowa
8. Stanford
9. Oklahoma
10. LSU
The bye week is over and we can talk about an actual football game. Chip and I reviewed the Minnesota game, I may or may not have had a hot take about Buckeye fans and Cardale Jones.
We had the great privilege of discussing the Illinois Fighting Illini with Robert Rosenthal from illiniboard.com. We discussed what is going on in Champaign in regards to the coaching search, athletic director search since it just became available this week. We eventually actually discussed the Illinois football team, he had to bring up 2007 and I had to talk about Eddie George and if it’s possible Zeke can go Eddie George mode on them Saturday.
Robert was nice enough to join us for our MotSaG Pick ’em segment, we also answered our listener questions in the #askmotsag segment. We once again want to thank our listeners for submitting questions and love that you all are helping the show grow so much. Without you, we are nothing so we surely appreciate you all.
We know your a huge Ohio State football fan just like us otherwise why would you be here right. When is the last time you were able to enjoy a game at Ohio Stadium? Have you been able to experience a lot of what goes on? I know for a fact its impossible to experience every single thing just on one trip alone. Getting Buckeye tickets is hard, have to pray you can come across some great deals or find unfortunate folks that have to sell theirs allowing the door to open for you. This year I have been grateful for being able to experience four different games.
I have never had the opportunity to enjoy a night game before this season, I have gone to the last three in a row. It is a magical time. The electricity in the air, the fans that are literally all over the area. The sea of Scarlet is amazing (sea of Black for Penn State was even more incredible). The tailgating set up everywhere, the RV lot, Undisputed Ln (Lane Ave.) and so many more. Seeing how there is so many different things to enjoy from Skull Sessions, the player walk, the band entering stadium and I am sure missing so much more. I made it an effort to try and bring some of the experiences from this past Saturdays game against Minnesota to you all.
Experienced very first Skull Session:
An added treat the United States Army Drill Team did some showing off:
You leave the Skull Session head over to Ohio Stadium getting more excited (i know how can you get more excited) to experience all that will go on inside the Mecca of college football.
First after all the warm-ups and all that takes place there here is some of the really big stuff like that crazy tradition of Script Ohio I know probably never heard of it.
Then the team comes out to little fanfare:
Then the National Anthem, did I mention about Military Appreciation?
Well the game gets going and you have everything that goes with that, might want to listen to MotSaG Podcast tomorrow for mine and Chips hot takes.
Halftime and The Best Damn Band in the Land nothing else needs to be said except its A Back to the Future Tribute:
Did you know its Brutus Buckeye’s 50th Birthday?
As you can see the fans decided to take their smartphones and turn on the flashlights, it was a moving experience.
Well these are some of the things I wanted to share with you Buckeye Nation, hope you enjoyed and please let me know what your favorite Buckeye tradition is to enjoy on gameday.
Iowa took another step towards an undefeated regular season and a trip to Indianapolis in early December (it can be more fun than it sounds – I promise) when they held on to beat Indiana. Penn State lost any chance it had of representing the Big Ten East in Indy when they dropped a tight affair at Northwestern. Nebraska knocked off Michigan State late to end any chance of a three-way tie at the top of the East.
Northwestern 23, Penn State 21
It looked like Northwestern was going to run away with one early, as the Wildcats jumped out to a 20-7 halftime lead. Saquon Barkley’s second touchdown of the day gave the Nittany Lions the 21-20 lead early in the 4th quarter which is where it would stay until Jack Mitchell won the game for Northwestern with a 35-yard field goal with :09 on the clock.
The running backs were the stars of the show, with Barkley racking up 120 yards to go with his pair of touchdowns and Justin Jackson shouldering the load with 186 yards for a Clayton Thorson-less Wildcat bunch. Penn State gets a week off to heal and rest up for a home game against the Wolverines and Northwestern will take on Purdue in Evanston.
Iowa 35, Indiana 27
When Griffin Oakes hit a 28-yard field goal to cut the Hawkeye lead to 21-20 early in the 4th quarter, it looked like the Hoosiers’ upset bid might be in the cards. However, Iowa took the punch and responded with one of their own in the form of a 9 play, 75 yard drive that culminated in LeShun Daniels Jr.’s second rushing touchdown of the day.
C.J. Beathard combined with George Kittle on the Hawkeyes’ next drive from 10 yards out to put the game out of reach. Jordan Howard was impressive yet again for Indiana, rushing for 174 yards on 22 carries that included two 2nd quarter touchdowns that gave the Hoosiers the lead. Iowa heads back home to face Minnesota and Indiana will welcome some visitors from Ann Arbor.
Michigan 49, Rutgers 16
Another day, another blowout suffered by the Rutgers football program. Once again, the Scarlet Knights proved just how inept they can be, scoring no offensive touchdowns and finishing the day with 225 yards of total offense. Janarion Grant took a kickoff back to the house that was the only trip to the end zone on the day for Rutgers.
The Wolverines easily outmatched their opponents, thanks in large part to a solid outing from QB Jake Rudock. Rudock had his best game, statistically, as a Wolverine, completing 18-25 for 337 yards and two touchdowns. Rutgers needs to win out to gain bowl eligibility and they’ll start that road next week at home against Nebraska while the Wolverines will be on the road as they head to Bloomington.
Nebraska 39, Michigan State 38
In the upset of the day, Michigan State went in to Lincoln and left with their tails between their legs. Tommy Armstrong Jr. took Nebraska 91 yards in just 38 seconds to win the game with a controversial touchdown pass from 30 yards out to Brandon Reilly. Armstrong finished the day with 320 yards passing and two touchdowns each on the ground and through the air.
Connor Cook did a lot for the Spartans, throwing for 335 yards and four scores, but it wasn’t enough to keep Michigan State undefeated. Sparty will look to get back on track on home turf next week against Maryland and Nebraska will head to Rutgers with bowl eligibility still a possibility.
Ohio State 28, Minnesota 14
It wasn’t always the prettiest game for Ohio State, but Cardale Jones stepped up in J.T. Barrett’s absence and got the job done. A win is a win and that’s all Ohio State needs to keep doing to earn another spot in the College Football Playoff. Jones finished the night with 187 yards passing and a touchdown pass to Michael Thomas. Jones also sealed the victory late in the 4th with a 38 yard touchdown run.
Ezekiel Elliott hit the 100-yard plateau for the 14th straight game for the Buckeyes while K.J. Maye was the star for the Golden Gophers, hauling in 10 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. Minnesota will hit the road against another undefeated team next week in Iowa while the Buckeyes will head to Champaign to battle for the Illibuck.
How are you handicapping the B1G East race now that Michigan State has fallen? Will Iowa take care of business and continue their stranglehold on the B1G West against Minnesota?
The Votes are in!!
| Teams | Points | Record | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
|
8 | 9-0 (5-0) | 1 |
|
18 | 9-0 (5-0) | 3 |
|
24 | 7-2 (4-1) | 4 |
|
30 | 8-1 (4-1) | 2 |
|
42 | 7-3 (3-2) | 6 |
|
46 | 8-2 (5-1) | 5 |
|
60 | 7-3 (4-2) | 7 |
|
66 | 4-5 (1-4) | 8 |
|
72 | 4-5 (0-5) | 9 |
|
81 | 5-4 (2-3) | 11 |
|
81 | 4-6 (2-4) | 13 |
|
100 | 2-7 (0-5) | 12 |
|
101 | 3-6 (1-5) | 10 |
|
111 | 2-7 (1-4) | 14 |
The Return of the King:
This was the week that King Cardale Jones returned as the starter of the reigning National Champions Buckeyes. Â This was also the week that Captain J.T. Barrett had to sit out after his OVI fiasco from last week. Â The Minnesota game was interesting and as expected the Buckeyes pulled away in the second half while Jones is at the helm. Â I am not a Cardale hater by any means. Â I mean, I have no need or want to because he brought us the National Championship, but I also call it like I see it. Â Without the reliable deep threat, he cannot spread defenses out. Â The lack of mobility is evident and he just flat out struggles in the offense. Â With that being said he also seems to be distracted for some reason. Â I don’t know what it is and I cannot put my finger on it, but he looks like something is bothering him. Â It isn’t affecting his production on the field, but as a fan, it is getting annoying. Â I for one know that the Buckeyes should be destroying everyone they have played, but with Jones as the starter, the offense as a whole plays to the level of their opponents. Â It has to stop. Â Please make it stop.
Recruiting Battles:
Well it finally happened! Â The Kareem Walker drama finally revealed it’s ugly head. Â At last it is finally over. Â The “I am committed, but I will continue to take my visits” drama is finally over! Â Walker would’ve been a nice addition to this years class but he is obviously scared of competition. Â I mean we have Mike Weber from last years class and Antonio Williams from this years class. Â We sorely needed another slot to maximize the talent pool as well so good luck young man! Â I am not bitter, we needed an opening and we can now focus on recruiting more talent.
With the extra slot, we have 3-5 more spots and it will be an interesting couple of months prior to National Signing Day. Â I am hoping that we snag a couple of blue-chippers that will contribute as soon as they arrive on campus. Â The targets that are still high up on the board are Michigan Linebacker Daelin Hayes, California Linebacker Mique Juarez. Â Hayes was present during the Minnesota – Ohio State game and he came away impressed. Â Certainly an interesting turn of events, but I do not expect anything concrete. Â Although it is well known that the Buckeyes want to add one more linebacker to this years class, but I won’t be a bit surprised if they take both of the ones mentioned above.
The Buckeyes are also looking to add a top-tier Defensive Tackle and they have a shot at a few of them. Â Louisiana’s own Rashard Lawrence, Georgia’s Antwuan Jackson, Texas’ Chris Daniels and North Carolina’s Dexter Lawrence. Â I believe with the recent Walker defection, it pretty much puts Rashan Gary out of the Buckeyes grasp.
The Buckeyes are also looking at bringing in another Wide Receiver to pair with Austin Mack and a pair of Florida products in Binjimen Victor and Nate Craig-Meyers. Â Binjimen Victor is the one who is most likely Buckeye-bound but with recruiting, you never now. Â Craig-Meyers would be a nice addition but he is currently trending toward Gainesville.
Lastly, the Buckeyes are still working to find 1-2 more Defensive Backs. Â Georgia’s Nigel Warrior, Pennsylvania’s Damar Hamlin and New Jersey’s Jordan Fuller are at the top of the Buckeye’s wish list. Â They are all playmakers and blue-chip prospects and it would be a welcomed addition to the class. Â They both are still up in the air and now it is just a waiting game.
Braxton Boo Boo:
This past week, Braxton Miller suffered an injury against Minnesota. Â A potential concussion to be exact. Â Coach Meyer said that Braxton just got the wind knocked out of him and now it is just a waiting game to see what the exact injury is or was. Â Coach Meyer said that he looked to be fine after they dressed down. Â Hopefully he comes back and hopefully the injury in question wasn’t that bad.
Poor Spartans:
Did you see the Spartans this past weekend? Â I for one think that caught a bad break. Â The receiver was not forced out of bounds. Â To make it worst, they lost to a lucky Nebraska team who are flat out terrible this year. Â Ohio State better trounce Illinois prior to their showdown with a potentially angry Spartans team who were robbed of a victory.
We were able to discuss the head coaching vacancy since Jerry Kill stepped down last week. Jerry Kill was a very good coach and sad to see him have to walk away from the game he loves and the players he cherishes. We talked a little about the clock mismanagement, The slow start the Gophers seem to have in the first quarter this year. We asked Rob about the Gopher offense and defense to try and get some of a breakdown. We even touched on them trying to get a bowl bid and what they need to do in order to accomplish.
Rob was so kind to join us for MotSaG Pick ‘Em. Chip is forcing me to have to change my teams in order to try and hopefully catch up on him. Chip and I answered some listener questions for the #AskMotSaG segment and we talked about the J.T. Barrett arrest/suspension and Damon Webb being cleared to rejoin the team after his 6 game suspension.
We hope everyone enjoys the show as much as we enjoy putting it all together, Thank You for listening and helping us grow. Buckeye Nation is the best.
It was a big week for some of the top teams in the B1G. Penn State took care of Illinois to remain near the top of the East while the Wolverines found a way not to lose in Minnesota to do the same. Wisconsin stayed the course and remain primed to pounce should undefeated Iowa slip up down the stretch.
Penn State 39, Illinois 0
The Illini’s trip to Penn State was anything but happy after they were completely dominated all day by the Nittany Lions. Christian Hackenberg had one of his best games of the season, throwing for 266 yards and two touchdowns while also catching a 14-yard TD from Nick Scott.
Illinois just couldn’t get anything going on offense, managing just 167 yards of offense and 12 first downs on their way to being shut out. The Illini lost their third straight game and will look to get back above .500 with a win at Purdue while Penn State will try to move to 5-1 in conference play at Northwestern.
Purdue 55, Nebraska 45
9-4 and Bo Pelini at the helm is looking pretty good right about now, huh, Nebraska fans? Mike Riley’s squad now sits at 3-6 on the season after a pitiful performance in West Lafayette. The Cornhuskers turned the ball over five times, with Purdue cornerback Anthony Brown grabbing three interceptions for himself.
David Blough threw for 274 yards and four touchdowns for the Boilermakers while also adding a 56-yard touchdown run that gave Purdue the lead for good with 5 minutes left in the 1st quarter. An undefeated Michigan State team awaits Nebraska when they return home this week and Purdue looks to start a winning streak at home against Illinois.
Wisconsin 48, Rutgers 10
Corey Clement returned for the Badgers and it appears so did the Wisconsin rushing attack. Clement carried the ball just 11 times but managed to find the end zone on three of those carries and compiled 115 yards in his first game action in eight weeks.
The Badger defense did its part, allowing no offensive touchdowns for the Scarlet Knights and holding them to a lone first half field goal. Rutgers gained just 165 yards and scraped together 8 first downs over the course of the game but somehow managed to win the time of possession battle. Rutgers will head to Ann Arbor for another tough test and Wisconsin will take a trip east for their first B1G visit to Maryland.
Iowa 31, Maryland 15
There is a very real possibility of Iowa being 12-0 heading in to Indianapolis the first weekend of December. It was a slow day on offense for the Hawkeyes, with C.J. Beathard throwing for just 183 yards and the team racking up just 293 yards of total offense.
Desmond King sealed things midway through the final frame when he picked off Perry Hills and took the interception 88 yards to the house. Maryland will look to find a win for the first time since mid-September when Wisconsin visits College Park and Iowa starts their stretch run with a matchup against the Hoosiers in Bloomington.
Michigan 29, Minnesota 26
It took a goalline stand on 4th down as time ran out (which may or may not have been aided by several defenders lining up in the neutral zone), but the Wolverines managed to get out of Minnesota with their B1G East Division title hopes still somewhat within reach.
Despite being outgained 461-296 and losing the turnover battle 2-0, the Wolverines pulled out a victory after Wilton Speights found Jehu Chesson from 12 yards out with less than minutes to play. The Wolverines are back in the Big House to take on Rutgers this weekend and Minnesota comes to Columbus for a primetime matchup with the Buckeyes.
Is Iowa a legitimate playoff contender? Is Mike Riley already dead in the water at Nebraska after being embarrassed at Purdue?
I don’t have any documented proof of this, but back in August I had a conversation with friends that went a little something like this:
Me – “If the Bucks can make it past the Fightin’ Goiters (Virginia Tech) unscathed, then the next most dangerous opponent on the schedule will not be Michigan State. It will be the bye week.â€
Friend – “The what? Fightin’ Goiters?â€
So it’s pretty obvious that I need to get some new friends that can understand the reference to Frank Beamer’s surgically repaired neck. But the point was that the most difficult opponent the Buckeyes would face before the back to back meetings with the teams from That State Up North would be… themselves. The injuries and off-the-field issues would be the only true obstacles between our Buckeyes and a 10-0 start before hosting the Spartans. And what do you know, for once in my life I was unfortunately correct.
Will we see the Cardale of old? Will an impressive performance against Minnesota keep J.T. on the bench for good? Will Braxton line up as the Red Zone Quarterback? Only time will tell. #BringBackProhibition
#1: Long Live Jerry Kill
If I were forced to trade Urban Meyer for another head coach within the conference there is no doubt it would be Jerry Kill. I’m not even salty that he won B1G Coach of the Year last season. There is no way to dislike that guy.
#2: Minnesota’s coaching search officially started Saturday evening
The Little Brown Jug was there for the taking. Harbaugh was losing his mind on the sideline. My eyes were glued to the television as my heart thumped with glee and schadenfreude. But then this all happened. Ed Warinner, could you turn your cell phone off please?
#3: The B1G Title will likely run through Iowa
I know it won’t literally run through Iowa, but there doesn’t seem to be another team in the West Division that can contend with the Hawkeyes.  They excel in all facets of the game. They will be a tough test for whoever comes out of the East (crossing my fingers for the boys in Scarlet and Gray) and the CFP committee really needs to take a look at this team before releasing their rankings.
#4: Nebraska has given up
LINK?
Why do I have no link here? Because if you go to the University of Nebraska’s YouTube page you will see that they haven’t posted a football video in a month.  They gave up 55 points in a loss to Purdue this past Saturday to drop to 3-6. I guess I would start posting basketball videos by now as well, especially considering that they play Michigan State this week.
#5: J.T. has words with the media, drowns them in Four Loko
Okay so I’m only speculating that it was Four Loko. But do you think these two events were related? Barrett was incredibly uncharacteristic during this interview just days before finding himself uncharacteristically in trouble. Is the pressure of his position as Ohio State’s quarterback getting to him? Or did he just make the same mistake that countless other college students make every semester?
