A Look Around the Country

September 30, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Pac 12 teams shine in Week Four

Welcome back to my weekly column, A Look Around the Country. I’ll be highlighting notable games from the week before, the week ahead and of course, the Heisman and Playoff race. Special features include an in-depth look at the Buckeyes and a Michigan update, mainly for folks to bask in their misfortunes. Feel free to comment with your opinions, I hope you enjoy!

At the beginning of the year, who saw Utah beating Oregon by six touchdowns? Not me. Another barnburner included UCLA demolishing Arizona by 26. Both teams have shot up in the polls and look to contend for the Pac 12 crown now that the Oregon reign appears to be over.

Notable Games Last Week

TCU 55, Texas Tech 52

The Horned Frogs should have dropped this one in Lubbock, but they were able to escape after a score late in the game. TCU was picked by many to be in the playoff this year but have been underwhelming thus far. Trevone Boykin has been amazing but their defense is terrible and will ultimately lead to a loss.

UCLA 56, Arizona 30

Josh Rosen and the Bruins were able to take care of business against Arizona and are now the favorite in the Pac 12 to reach the Playoff. They end the season with Utah and USC which sounds much tougher than it did a year ago. Until then, expect them to continue climbing up the polls.

Utah 62, Oregon 20

Going into Autzen Stadium and beating Oregon by 42 is no easy task. Now that Utah has done it, many experts have crowned them as the number 1 team in the land. I am very impressed with them thus far but do not see them continuing on this trajectory. The Utes still have USC and UCLA and I expect them to drop one of those. Mark Helfrich and Oregon have to go back to the drawing board now.

Big Games this Week

West Virginia at Oklahoma

Slowly but surely, the Sooners have been improving and are now increasing their rankings in the polls. All eyes have been on TCU and Baylor, but we might see Oklahoma creep back into the Big 12 picture (their archrival, Texas, sure as hell isn’t). West Virginia has also improved throughout the year but I think there’re still a step or two away.

Saturday, October 3 at Noon on Fox Sports 1

Minnesota at Northwestern

Who would have thought that this would ever be a big game in the Big Ten? Northwestern is ranked 16th in the AP Poll while Minnesota’s (who should be ranked) only loss is to TCU. It seems that every year Pat Fitzgerald has the Wildcats on the brink of a West Division crown but the wheels always come off. With a wide open race to Indianapolis, maybe this is the year. Expect a classic in Evanston.

Saturday, October 3 at Noon on Big Ten Network

Alabama at Georgia

The Tide have underachieved this year which is something that Georgia almost always does (thanks to Mark Richt who by some miracle still has a job). However, Nick Chubb has been a wrecking ball this season and should be a problem for Nick Saban’s coveted defense. Lane Kiffin hasn’t been able to get his offense going either. Sanford Stadium will be rocking both between and in-between the hedge rows for this one. Tuscaloosa will cease to exist at around 7pm Eastern time.

Saturday, October 3 at 3:30pm on CBS

Ohio State at Indiana

The Buckeyes took a step in the right direction against Western Michigan with Cardale Jones taking all of the reps as QB. He is now listed as the sole starter on the depth chart, which means he’ll get the majority of the reps in practice instead of splitting time with J.T. Barrett. The defense didn’t play as well as they have been, but I don’t think its cause for concern. The Hoosiers are 4-0 and although they haven’t played anyone yet, look halfway decent. There will be more IU fans at Memorial Stadium than usual but I still expect it to turn into Ohio Stadium West.

Saturday, October 3rd at 3:30pm on ABC or ESPN 2

Notre Dame at Clemson

Death Valley is one of the great atmospheres in college football and Saturday Night will be no different with the Irish coming to town. But I don’t expect it to be electric for long. Notre Dame is for real (despite injuries) and I see them running through the Tigers. Clemson looked horrible as they escaped Louisville last week and that will translate into this game. People need to start taking Notre Dame seriously.

Saturday, October 3rd at 8pm on ABC

Michigan Update

So, Michigan is good. After blasting BYU 31-0 in impressive fashion, it appears the Wolverines are on their way back with Jim Harbaugh at the helm. With two months before the Buckeyes roll into Ann Arbor, it’s starting to look like that may be one for the ages.

Heisman Watch

1. Leonard Fournette, LSU

2. Trevone Boykin, TCU

3. Nick Chubb, Georgia

4. Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State

5. Josh Rosen, UCLA

6. Derrick Henry, Alabama

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 (beat Western Michigan, plays Indiana)

2. Michigan State (beat Central Michigan, plays Purdue)

3. Baylor (beat Rice, plays Texas Tech)

4. LSU (beat Syracuse, plays Eastern Michigan)

Just Missed the Cut

5. Ole Miss (beat Vanderbilt, plays Florida)

6. Notre Dame (beat UMass, plays Clemson)

7. UCLA (beat Arizona, plays Arizona State)

8. Georgia (beat Southern, plays Alabama)

9. Utah (beat Oregon, plays Cal)

10. TCU (beat Texas Tech, plays Texas)

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Playoff, Ohio State Football

Men of The Scarlet and Gray Podcast Invading the Hoosier State

September 30, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Chip takes charge of the show today. He was responsible for steering into the Hoosier State after we discussed kicking Western Michigan Broncos back to the mitten state. We went over what we felt impressed, gave us cause for concern and even handed out a grade to the Buckeye football team as a whole. Surprisingly its not as high as it will be at the end of the season but good enough for now. Key is to keep getting better.

We go into Indiana and get with Kyle Swick of the Crimson Quarry to discuss the undefeated Hoosiers. Kyle explains to us who to keep an eye on, keys to the Hoosier offense. Can they step up and stop a potentially potent offense? Did the special teams improve of will Jalin Marshall have another great game.

We even had a great time giving our predictions and Chip has to copy everything I do to not allow me to catch up after a bad weekend. Riverboat gambling I believe was the mention. Kyle was nice enough to inform us about construction in Bloomington which is weird he said it was everywhere very bad and should stay at home. He told us some places to possibly enjoy a nice adult beverage and some food if able to get through the extremely bad construction. This show really is worth the listen. Chip did an outstanding job and Kyle was another great guest.

Check out this episode!

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, Ohio State Football, Podcast Tagged With: ,

5 B1G Observations: Week 4

September 29, 2015 by Leave a Comment

So I spend most of my weekends with my in-laws on Sandusky Bay.  My wife’s grandmother is always there, watching the game right along with us.  She just turned 90 this summer and is starting to get to the point where she’s a bit more wily or maybe even crass.  Like any person of her age she runs into the typical problems while watching a football game: she can’t see the score, she forgets which team is wearing which color, she asks multiple times where they are playing the game, she likes to mention the weather conditions on the field, etc.  But there is one unique thing that she does that just… it gets under my skin a little.  Almost every play in football today is immediately followed by an instant replay from a different camera angle.  Well grandma sees those replays and – you guessed it – she thinks it is live football.  Sure, it’s cute the first five or six times.  Try the entire game.

Either way I wouldn’t trade her for anything.  Well, other than maybe a ticket to the game.  You keep on cheering, Grandma!

simpsonsB1G

#1: De’Veon Smith is going to be a handful

Well I don’t think we can avoid this topic any longer.  That Team Up North might just be the real deal.  I know Big Ten play doesn’t start until this upcoming Saturday but there is no denying what the Wolverines did to BYU this weekend.  And after watching Utah destroy Oregon, you can’t exactly call Michigan’s loss to the Utes a blemish anymore.  The scariest part, to me, was this run by De’Veon Smith.  The dude is a beast.  He may not have explosive speed but he’s got a real knack for slowing himself down and bouncing off of defenders, bulldozing his way to pretty much anywhere he wants to go.  I know you’ve probably heard this comparison already, but he reminds me a hell of a lot of Mike Hart.  Am I telling you to be nervous about this game?  Well first, you should always be nervous about THE GAME.  And secondly, even Mike Hart couldn’t manage to win a single game against our Buckeyes.  Take that however you want to, but I’m keeping my head up.

#2: Indiana is undefeated – no that’s not a typo

BLOOMINGTON, IN - SEPTEMBER 27: Damon Graham #38 of the Indiana Hoosiers runs the ball as Kenneth Goins Jr. #30 of the Maryland Terrapins converges for the tackle at Memorial Stadium on September 27, 2014 in Bloomington, Indiana. Maryland defeated Indiana 37-15. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 513036555 ORIG FILE ID: 456214910So the Hoosiers, despite their awful candy cane uniforms, are preparing to host the number one team in the country this Saturday with a squeaky clean 4-0 record.  According to people who took the time to look it up, this is the first time the Buckeyes and Hoosiers have met as undefeated teams since 1954.  It’s about time, Indiana!  No offense to our neighboring state, but you can’t really blame the Buckeyes for this 61 year drought.  Ohio State should be close to a 20 point favorite by Saturday.  Why, you ask, will the point spread be so much in favor of the Buckeyes when Indiana is undefeated and hosting the contest?  I would say it has something to do with who the Hoosiers have played and how close those victories actually were.  Any defense that gives up an average of 32 points per game to Southern Illinois, Florida International, Western Kentucky, and Wake Forest should have a really hard time with the Scarlet and Gray.  Just sayin’.

#3: Maryland is fighting Purdue for worst team in the conference

So Purdue is not a good football team.  This isn’t news to anyone.  I had high hopes for Darrell Hazell when he left Kent State for West Lafayette.  He did, after all, turn a graveyard Golden Flashes team into an 11-3 squad with a bowl appearance after only two seasons.  Unfortunately for him, Purdue is worse than a graveyard.  It’s the Dante’s Inferno of college football.  Hazell only has one conference win in two seasons and probably won’t get another one this year.  I’m saying that, of course, because the Boilermakers don’t have the luxury of playing Maryland.  The Terrapins are miraculously 2-2 this season after laying an egg against West Virginia this past weekend.  With the Wolverines and Ohio State on tap to start the Big Ten Conference schedule, Maryland may not win another game until it faces Rutgers in the season finalé.

#4: Iowa might have the third most impressive B1G resumé this season

HBeathardKWith victories over Iowa State and Pittsburgh as well as blow-outs against Illinois State and North Texas, one could argue that the Hawkeyes are the best team in the B1G West.  ESPN has them fourth in their Big Ten Power Rankings this week and for good reason.  Quarterback C.J. Beathard is playing lights out: he’s got six touchdowns to only one interception, he’s completing 68% of his attempts, and has a QBR of 80.7.  To put that into perspective, Cardale Jones’ numbers in those categories are 4 TD, 4 INT, 57%, and 66.7 QBR.  No, he’s not a better quarterback than Cardale, but the kid is playing lights out.  AND he looks startlingly similar to my favorite professional wrestler of all time.  So there’s that going for him too.

#5: Buckeyes getting back into form

We’ve been waiting for this one, haven’t we?  I don’t know about you guys but this is the first game since Virginia Tech that I didn’t walk away from the television with a foul taste in my mouth.  No, the Buckeyes didn’t bulldoze the Broncos the way I would have liked them to.  But what I liked about it was that they never truly let Western Michigan into the game.  The defense was stout, particularly against the pass.  Adolphus Washington did his best J.J. Watt impression and returned his first career interception into his first career touchdown.  Raekwon McMillan (16 tackles, 1 sack) and Joshua Perry (13 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack) showed up big in a game where the Broncos spent a vast majority of the contest trying to establish the run.  Ezekiel Elliot still didn’t see the ball as often as I would have liked – he only got 16 carries – but he did lead the team in all purpose yards with 153.  Maybe WMU’s 15 minute edge in time of possession had something to do with that.  Whatever way you look at it, I imagine we can all say this: the outlook for Ohio State is better this week than it was last week.

Filed Under: B1G Football, Ohio State Football

Five Quick Questions with an Opponents Blogger

September 26, 2015 by Leave a Comment

motsagbbshared

Big game is fast approaching. Even though we were fortunate to have Justin Coffin from hustlebelt.com on our podcast I wanted to share some questions along with his thoughts to those questions. We had Justin on our MotSaG Podcast so if you haven’t heard you can now. You can follow Justin on Twitter, very appreciative of him taking the time out to share Western Xichigan football with all of us.

MotSaG: What are the biggest concerns for the Broncos this weekend entering The Shoe?

1. The biggest concern for the Broncos is their run defense and by extension Ezekiel Elliot. In the Broncos’ two losses they gave up over 300 yards per game on the ground to both Michigan State and Georgia Southern, the latter of which rushed for 413 yards. If the Broncos are to contain the Buckeyes in any way, it will have to start by stopping the run to some degree, which is something the Broncos have yet to prove they can do. Another concern I think the Broncos should have is absorbing the initial punch by Ohio State. Last week NIU struck first and really set the tone for the rest of the game, and WMU must be prepared to handle some pressure should they fail to do the same.

MotSaG: Do you think Western Michigan will come in with a hybrid defense like others have been doing to disrupt the Buckeyes offense?

HB: The defensive schemes of Hawaii and Northern Illinois seem to be the hot topic surrounding the Buckeye’s recent struggles offensively. I’m not really in a position to gauge what WMU’s coaching staff is thinking coming into this game, but I think it would certainly be foolish not to try something similar. Personnel differs from team to team, and I’m sure Urban Meyer has something up his sleeve to beat some of these “hybrid” schemes, so WMU will have to put its own spin on what the Huskies did last week in order have similar success. Whatever that wrinkle is, the Broncos will have to commit players to the box to stop Elliot and the rushing attack. The defensive front is simply too undersized – while not lacking for speed – and will have its hands full if too many players are committed to pass coverage. The Bronco pass defense has some new faces this season that are coming into form like safety Asantay Brown, and old faces looking to find their previous form – Ronald Zamort, the nation leader in passes defended last season, but perhaps the most interesting piece is last year’s third leading wide receiver, Darius Phillips, who made the switch to defense and has quickly become the best corner on the team.

MotSaG: What do you think or have seen is the weaknesses of the Buckeyes defense?

HB: Well, the Buckeye defense is only allowing just over 12 points per game, so they are definitely doing something right to cause these power outages. I’m not sure there is one, true weakness. I’m not even sure Northern Illinois did much to expose anything on that side of the ball, either. They amassed just 190 yards of total offense and didn’t even crack the century mark through the air, the beneficiaries of some good field position and turnovers. Speaking of which, Ohio State is very lucky the defense has been so good. Insulating an offense from five turnovers is difficult, and I’m not sure it can be done two weeks in a row. But since I can’t answer by saying Ohio State’s offense is its defense’s biggest weakness, I suppose I need to find something else. If Ohio State has a vulnerability it will be through the passing game, and WMU has a wide receiving corps that can expose just about any secondary in the country if its quarterback has time to throw.

MotSaG: Three keys for the Broncos to walk out Columbus with a victory?

HB: Three keys for a Bronco victory on Saturday

Contain Zeke Elliot

WMU isn’t going to take anybody’s run game away completely, but if you look at WMU’s first two games of the season, the defense gave up a ton of yards on the ground but felt good coming out of the first game and, well, not so much in the second. The reason for this is the lack of a big play on the ground. The Broncos gave up a ton of yards rushing to Michigan State, but never allowed scampers of over half a football field like it did to Georgia Southern a week later. I looked at the box score for OSU’s most recent game (one that I watched start to finish) and was pretty shocked that Elliot’s numbers were still pretty good. He’s going to get his yards, but I think if the Broncos make it difficult to find space, they have a chance to stick around in this one.

Keep Terrell Upright

To win you have to score more points than the other team, right? Ohio State is giving up just 12 per game and I’ll guarantee WMU gives up quite a few more than 12 points on Saturday. If the Broncos are going to keep pace with the Buckeyes, they need to give their quarterback time to throw. Zach Terrell (Fort Wayne, Indiana) is regarded as one of the best in the MAC, and completed 67.9% of his passes last season. So far this year it’s been a bit of a roller coaster for Terrell, going from being very good against Michigan State to very poor against Georgia Southern. If the Broncos get the best of Terrell on Saturday, they can pick apart a very good secondary, but Bronco fans won’t get a chance to see that if Joey Bosa and company are pounding him into the turf.

Score without your offense

A major reason WMU was able to stick around against the Spartans was a 100 yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Darius Phillips. In fact, Phillips had a career high in return yards in a game that day, and he did it all in just the first quarter. Another performance like that out of Phillips will go a long way towards taking some of the pressure off of the Bronco offense to move the ball.

MotSaG: What are your predictions for the game?

HB: I don’t take pleasure in picking against my alma mater, but if NIU couldn’t do it with 5 turnovers, then I don’t see any way the Broncos can pull this off in Columbus. P.J. Fleck was an assistant on Jim Tressel’s staff in 2006, so maybe he will have some insight for WMU on how to deal with the environment at The Shoe, but words can only help so much. I think WMU responds well to an initial punch by the Buckeyes and fades gradually into the fourth quarter. 42-17 in favor of Ohio State sounds about right to me.

Once again thank you to Justin for all his help this week. Lets go Buckeyes!!

Filed Under: B1G Football, Blogging, College Football, Ohio State Football

The Silver Bullets are Back!

September 24, 2015 by Leave a Comment

You guys know the old saying, “Defense wins Championships.” As old as that is, and how disputed that often is, it consistently turns out to be true. Just look at XLVIII between the Broncos and the Seahawks. A case of offense vs defense, and we all remember how that turned out; 43-8, Seahawks were champions.

Ohio State is one of the most historic and most prolific programs in college football history. With each championship was a great defense. In the latest championship before Urban’s arrival, the 2002 season, the Ohio State defense was one of the best in the nation, with 24 points being the most allowed all season. That 24 points was in a double overtime game against Miami (FL) that was arguably one of the best teams in college football history. Although the offensive game has certainly evolved since then, that number is extremely impressive.

 

Over the years, the Ohio State defense has taken the name of “The Silver Bullets.” A bunch of fast, angry, and hard hitting football players. In 2012, Urban Meyer’s first year as the Buckeyes’ Head Coach, he wanted the defense to play like like their predecessors. Although Urban didn’t have anything near the skill or depth that he wanted, they did fairly well. They consistently held their opponents below or around the 20 point area, but they did have a rough two game stretch where they allowed 38 and 49 points against Nebraska and Indiana respectively. As you may remember, that team ended up a scrappy 12-0, but with a bowl-ban, they couldn’t go any farther.

Then in Urban’s second year the team had high expectations. Junior QB Braxton Miller was a huge heisman candidate, and with more depth built, some had projected this team to potentially make it to the National Championship. The team and defense were rolling early, but at the end of the Wisconsin game, tragedy struck the Silver Bullets. Safety captain and leader Christian Bryant went down with a season ending injury.

“We lost Christian Bryant last year, one of the best safeties in the country,” Meyer said after the 2013 season. “I knew deep in my heart when I saw his leg break against Wisconsin that there was a chance that we wouldn’t be able to go play for a national title.” “When I saw that leg snap right in front of me, it’s a tough game, on the second-to-last play against Wisconsin, I knew in my heart we had a problem. But I thought we might be able to overcome it. We did not. We did not.”

 

There were some very tough, and surprising games for the Buckeyes down the stretch, such as the 60-35 victory against Illinois and the 42-41 victory against TTUN,  and many people knew this would not get it cut. The Buckeyes were, of course, 12-0 going into the B1G championship game, though. After the historic Alabama defeat at the hands of a field goal return for a TD against Auburn, the Buckeyes were a lock for the National Championship if they could beat a Michigan State team that had greatly struggled on the offensive side of the ball all year.

As Urban alluded to, the Buckeyes did not get the job done. Not only was Michigan State’s defense extremely tough, but our defense got embarrassed by Connor Cook and Sparty. After a rough regular season for the Buckeyes on the defensive side of the ball, this was the near tipping point for Ohio State fans everywhere. #FireFickell was definitely trending.

 

Like I said, Michigan State was the NEAR tipping point, the Orange Bowl was certainly THE tipping point. Although the Orange Bowl definitely wasn’t what the Buckeyes wanted, it was a BCS Bowl, and Urban wasn’t going to let them get purely embarrassed by Clemson on a huge primetime stage. After a fairly close game between two teams that were famous for scoring, Clemson edged Ohio State 40-35. Even though it was just a 5 point loss, everyone knew that consistently  allowing 35 points was never going to win a National Championship.

Then, start the 2014 season, and exit Everitt Withers, and enter Chris Ash. “We’ve competed against a Chris Ash defense before and I have respect for him as a coach,” Meyer said after Chris’s hiring. “I like the fact he has experience in the Big Ten Conference and that he is a great recruiter. He was highly recommended by everyone I spoke to.” This man, Chris Ash, was expected to turn around the Ohio State defense.

With the injury of Braxton Miller and the relative inexperience of many positions, this team was expected to be good, but probably one year away from a national championship. In the first two games of the season, the Buckeyes allowed 17 and 21 points, which was slightly disappointing for many people. There was a good reason for it, though; there first game was against Navy, which is obviously a challenging triple-option offense. After preparing for that all off-season, and then having a week to prepare for a regular spread, the Buckeyes were a bit behind, but shortly afterward they started rolling.

Their next game was against Kent State whom they shutout, then they allowed 28 points against a high-powered Cincinnati offense led by a highly recruited QB named Gunner Kiel. The Buckeyes next main challenge was against Michigan State who was vastly improved from the year before. Ohio State ended up victorious with a 49-37 win, with the defense coming up with a few huge stops.

 

The Buckeyes then embarked on their famous 3 game journey against 3 of the top teams in the nation in Wisconsin, Alabama, and Oregon. Against Wisconsin, many people were questioning Ohio State’s run defense. They went against the (at the time) top running back in the nation in Melvin Gordon, and ended up holding him to under 100 rushing yards, and they shutout the Wisconsin offense. Next came Alabama, and the best WR in the nation, Amari Cooper. The defense held Amari Cooper to under 100 yards receiving, and although they allowed 35 points, they had huge stops at certain times to end up beating one of the most physcial teams in the nation.

The final test came against one of the best offenses of this decade, and their heisman winning QB, Marcus Mariota. After a first drive TD, the Buckeyes held Mariota and their up-tempo offense in check. Oregon scored just 13 points the rest of the game. Ohio State won 42-20, holding Oregon to their lowest point total in over 2 years. “I think the defense the last 3 games was as good as I’ve ever witnessed.” said Coach Urban Meyer.

Were the Silver Bullets actually back? That was the question during the off-season. Can the defense replace Doran Grant, Curtis Grant, and Michael Bennett? Will it ever be as good as the offense? Well, so far, 3 games into the season, the Buckeyes have seemed to sufficiently answer that question. In the 3 games, the defense has only allowed a total of 37 points, with 24 coming in the 1st game of the season against VA Tech, and many of them coming off a series when the offense turned the ball over. Going against a fairly high-powered offense in Northern Illinois, Ohio State only allowed 13 points, even though the offense turned the ball over 5 times.

“Haven’t watched all the secondaries in the country, the defensive back fields, but I take ours, especially the way they’re playing, the way they worked, the way they’re coached. We went from one of the worst pass defenses in America two years ago — I know we’re No. 1 in the Big Ten, but we have to be up there in the national rankings. I haven’t seen that. But playing at a high, high level.” said Urban when asked about the play of the DBs this season.

 

“Offensively there are going to be great days and there are going to be bad days. Defensively, there are going to be great games and already going to be bad games,” Chris Ash said. “But the true measure of a great team is you can balance each other out and pull through tough times when one side of the ball maybe didn’t have a great game or the other side of the ball didn’t; the playmakers on the opposite side pulled the team through and you get a victory.”

It’s different to see the Urban Meyer – led Buckeyes defense having to pull out a victory for Ohio State considering the offense this team has had and was suppose to have this season. Though the offense may not struggle like this again, it’s good to know the other side can step up and win the game. We hope they don’t have to do what they did against NIU again, but if they do, they will be ready. The Silver Bullets are back.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, Ohio State Football

MotSaG Podcast Special edition with Bill King

September 24, 2015 by Leave a Comment

You ever wish you could maybe talk to a national radio personality for longer than the few minutes allowed when on air? Honestly I have always wished I could sit down and discuss sports with a lot of different sports talk show hosts. I can say I have’t called into any shows, nothing against it, I just never found the time to be on hold waiting in line (patience isn’t my thing). I decided for the heck of it a couple of weeks ago to tweet out to a national treasure, a walking college encyclopedia of college football to see if they would be willing to join the MotSaG Podcast. Now nine out of ten times you never hear anything back, but this day I had a response within minutes.

Bill King who has been a staple in college football, was the radio host I reached out to. Mr. King was kind enough to honor Chip and myself by joining our show to discuss Ohio State football. We were so fortunate to talk about the SEC, college playoff expansion, why won’t the SEC travel North, etc.

We had a great time talking with Bill King, we shared some laughs even surprisingly talked about beer. Now remember to smoke your brisket fat side up y’all and go give Bill a follow and if you haven’t heard his show before, take a listen I am sure you will enjoy it. Again thanks to Bill for honoring us with taking the time out of his busy schedule and discussing with us what we all love – college football.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Playoff, Ohio State Football, Podcast Tagged With:

MotSaG Podcast Western TUN Preview with Huskie Dissection

September 23, 2015 by 1 Comment

Welcome to another great show. Chip and myself breakdown, discuss the possible offensive woes plaguing the Buckeye offense. We go over some of the Northern Illinois game while also giving high praise to a stellar defensive performance by the Silver Bullets- they are back.

We had the great pleasure of previewing the Western TUN game with hustlebelt.com Justin Coffin. It was great to get to discuss the upcoming game against the Broncos with him while also sneaking in some adult beverage talk.

Chip and I give our game predictions for a few games that are coming up this weekend, I have gained some ground. Only being a game behind this week looms big for our predictions since this was the first time we didn’t agree with each other at all.

Hope you enjoyed the show don’t forget you can listen to us on iTunes (subscribe, rate and comment-we appreciate it), Soundcloud, Stitcher, etc. Also we can be heard on Buckeye Sports Radio. Please follow our twitter @motsagpodcast and like us on Facebook.

We also had a major show announcement, we will be dropping another show this week. We will be having the great honor of discussing Buckeye football and college football in general with the King, Bill King.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Playoff, Ohio State Football, Podcast

B1G Weekly Recap: Northwestern Impresses Again, Michigan State Jumps to No. 2

September 22, 2015 by Leave a Comment

The majority of the Big Ten continued non-conference play this week, and was successful for the most part, racking up a 9-3 record with all three losses coming to Power 5 opponents. In the first conference game of the season for the Big Ten, Penn State easily handled Rutgers.

Maryland 35, South Florida 17

Caleb Rowe got his first start of the year at quarterback for the Terrapins and it went well, at least on the scoreboard. Rowe did throw for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns but he also was intercepted three times and put the ball on the ground another three times. Fortunately for Maryland, they were able to recover all of those fumbles.

The Terrapins improved to 2-1 on the season and face a tough test next week when they go on the road to face Big 12 foe, West Virginia.

Michigan 28, UNLV 7

Ty Isaac paved the way this week for the Wolverines, rushing for a career high 114 yards on just eight carries. The USC transfer essentially ended any chance of UNLV making a game of this one when he took a toss 76 yards to the house halfway through the 2nd quarter.

Jake Rudock did his best to manage the game for the Wolverines, throwing for just 123 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. Another home game awaits Jim Harbaugh’s 2-1 crew, this time with BYU coming to town.

Michigan State 35, Air Force 21

In a game that was not as close as the score indicates, Michigan State was impressive enough in victory over the Falcons to jump to No. 2 in the polls after Alabama’s loss and TCU’s struggle with SMU. Connor Cook stole the show for Sparty, throwing for 247 yards and four scores.

Aaron Burbidge had his way with the Air Force’s secondary, catching eight passes for 156 yards and finding the end zone three times. The Spartans will face their second Directional Michigan of the season this week when the Chippewas come to East Lansing.

North Carolina 48, Illinois 14

Woof. This is more of what people were expecting out of the Illini when Tim Beckman was fired just a week before the season started. A Josh Ferguson 2nd quarter touchdown was the only score for the game until there was less than a minute left in the game, down 48-7 at that point.

Ryan Switzer hit pay dirt twice, catching one of Marquise Williams’ three touchdowns and returning a punt 85 yards to put an exclamation point on the victory. Illinois looks to bounce back next week when they face off against Middle Tennessee.

Minnesota 10, Kent State 7

In an ugly scrum of a game, Minnesota’s defense stepped up and made sure the Golden Gophers got the W. Kent State managed just 142 yards of total offense (79 rushing, 63 passing) and got their only score of the game when Demetrius Monday picked up a fumble and scampered 80 yards to the end zone.

Mitch Leidner hit KJ Maye from 14 yards out late in the 2nd quarter to give Minnesota what would end up being the game-winning score. Another MAC school makes a trip to Minnesota when the Ohio Bobcats will face off against the Gophers.

Northwestern 19, Duke 10

Special teams and the running attack carried the Wildcats to their first 3-0 start since 2013, which was also the last time Northwestern was ranked in the Top 25. Down 7-3 at half, Solomon Vault returned the 2nd half kickoff 98 yards to the house to give the Wildcats a lead they would never relinquish.

Warren Long sealed the victory in multiple ways, first by rushing 55 yards on a 3rd and 1 to give Northwestern a 19-10 lead and then later picked up a fumbled punt return. The Wildcats return to Evanston for a primetime game on Saturday against Ball State.

Ohio State 20, Northern Illinois 13

In one of the worst offensive displays by the Buckeyes under Urban Meyer, the Silver Bullets stepped up to save the day and avoid a major upset at the hands of the perennial MAC power. Darron Lee picked off Drew Hare late in the 3rd quarter and returned it 41 yards for the third touchdown of his young career.

Ezekiel Elliott rushed for over 100 yards yet again and the quarterback situation remains unclear, as J.T. Barrett replaced Cardale Jones in the first half and threw a touchdown pass to Michael Thomas. The Buckeye offense will look to get back on track in another home game Saturday when Western Michigan comes to Columbus.

Miami (FL) 36, Nebraska 33 (OT)

Nebraska nearly pulled off an improbable comeback victory on the road in this one. The Cornhuskers were down 33-10 with just 8:36 left in the game before Tommy Armstrong Jr. threw three touchdowns and completed two two-point conversions to tie up the game.

Brad Kaaya threw for 379 yards and two touchdowns for the Hurricanes while Michael Badgley kicked five field goals, including a 28-yard game-winner in overtime. Nebraska falls to 1-2 and will try to get back to .500 when Southern Miss takes the trip into Lincoln.

Virginia Tech 51, Purdue 24

Purdue played their ACC foe tough for a half in West Lafayette before the Hokies stormed out of the locker room in the 2nd half, outscoring the Boilermakers 27-7 over the final two periods. Austin Appleby struggled with the Virginia Tech defense, completing just 9 of 28 passes for 110 yards and was intercepted two times.

The Boilermakers were outgained 471-265 and converted on just 2 of a possible 15 third downs in the loss. Things might not get any easier next week when Bowling Green visits.

Wisconsin 28, Troy 3

The Badgers were consistent in victory over their Sun Belt visitors, passing for 202 yards and rushing for 199 as a team while not turning the ball over a single time. Joel Stave did well, going 13-17 passing for those 202 yards and a 4th quarter touchdown pass.

Dare Ogunbowale spearheaded the rushing attack for Wisconsin, rushing for 75 yards including a game-opening touchdown early in the 1st quarter. Hawaii makes another trip east on Saturday when they check out Camp Randall.

Indiana 38, Western Kentucky 35

Another lesser conference opponent, another closer game than Hoosier fans would have been hoping for. After trailing the Hilltoppers 28-17 at the break, Indiana used a huge 21-point 3rd quarter to move to 3-0 on the season.

Nate Sudfeld threw for 355 yards and three touchdowns while Jordan Howard added 203 yards on the ground. Next up for the Hoosiers is a trip into ACC country to take on a poor Wake Forest team.

Penn State 28, Rutgers 3

It’s a good thing Rutgers brought that TV market with them to the Big Ten, because they’re not offering a whole lot else. Penn State ran the ball for 330 yards as a team to overcome another so-so day of quarterback play from Christian Hackenberg.

Hackenberg was just 10-19 passing for 141 yards and an interception. Chris Laviano threw for 251 yards and two picks for the Scarlet Knights as they fell to 1-2 on the season. Rutgers hosts Kansas in what is sure to be a thrilling game while San Diego State will try to take down Penn State in Happy Valley.

Iowa 27, Pittsburgh 24

Marshall Koehn started and finished the scoring in this Big Ten-ACC matchup in Iowa City. Koehn hit a 43-yarder in the 1st quarter and bombed a 57-yarder as time expired to give the Hawkeye faithful a thrilling victory.

Tyler Boyd caught an 8-yard touchdown pass with 52 seconds left before C.J. Beathard drove down the field to get Koehn in position. Iowa moved to 3-0 for the first time in six years and will look to stay undefeated when North Texas comes to town Saturday afternoon.

Who were you most impressed with this weekend from the Big Ten? Is there any chance that the conference could actually get two teams into the College Football Playoff at the end of the year?

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, Ohio State Football

Don’t Let High Expectations Mask Your Enjoyment of Buckeye Football

September 22, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Ohio State’s national championship victory was a bittersweet moment for me this past January, and I’m sure that the rest of Buckeye Nation felt the same way. While that might sound ridiculous at first, it’s true – after all the exuberant yelling, celebratory text messages and tweets shared with friends, and a futile attempt to get a solid night of sleep, the reality settled in: college football season was over.

Sure, I was excited to watch SportsCenter highlights and listen to college football analysts talk about how impressive Ohio State’s playoff run had been, and couldn’t wait to buy my “Undisputed National Champs” t-shirt from the local sporting goods store. But it still meant that, for the first time in four months, I didn’t have another OSU football game to look forward to.

The college football offseason lasts a painfully long time, leaving fans craving August training camp. It’s this mentality we should keep in mind as Ohio State continues to navigate its way through this 2015 season. Think about it – not counting a potential appearance in the Big Ten championship game and the College Football Playoffs, this season is already 25 percent complete. Think about that the next time you want to fast-forward the season to see Urban Meyer square off against Jim Harbaugh or a potential “Game of the Century 2.0” against Michigan State in late November.

It’s important that Ohio State fans cherish the moment. The 2015 Buckeyes are a talented bunch that, three weeks into the season, certainly isn’t without flaws. It has surprisingly seemed like the opposite – as if OSU has had more “lowlights” than highlights – at least on the offensive side of the ball – despite putting together a 3-0 record. There is a lot of chatter about the offense lacking an identity, the lack of an established full-time quarterback hurting the team’s rhythm, and a lack of touches for arguably the country’s best running back. While that’s all true, fans shouldn’t let those concerns completely cloud the excitement and potential that each week presents over the course of the season. We should all embrace each week for what it is: a work in progress; improvements being made and chess pieces being moved so that the Buckeyes are playing championship-level football in November, December and January.

Fans should continue to look forward to each Saturday, whether Ohio State is playing against a marquee opponent at 8 p.m. or against a heavy underdog at noon with Beth Mowins announcing. It’s the coaching staff’s responsibility to figure out solutions to any shortcomings the team might have less than a month into the season; it’s important to use some good wet pour safety surfacing to keep things safe. Don’t fret about how the Buckeyes offense will fare against more athletically gifted defenses when they only score one touchdown against Northern Illinois; enjoy the triumphant return of the Silver Bullets defense. Don’t waste your energy arguing on behalf of J.T. Barrett or Cardale Jones taking 100 percent of the quarterback reps; focus on the Dez Bryant-esque body control and playmaking ability of Michael Thomas.

The college football season is too short to put too much attention on the negatives. Ohio State has an elite coaching staff to go along with elite facilities and elite players. Regardless of this season ends months from now, embrace each week for what it is – one of the last few times that Braxton Miller will don the Scarlet and Gray; potential All-American performances by multiple players; young players beginning to scratch the surface of their OSU legacy. Trust in the process and enjoy the three hours of Buckeye football we get to watch every week. Don’t take it all for granted because, before you know it, we’ll be stuck with nothing but baseball and an anxious anticipation of the 2016 season.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Playoff, Ohio State Football

5 B1G Observations: Week 3

September 22, 2015 by Leave a Comment

And we thought last week was ugly, am I right?  Look, I know you don’t want to read another person’s take on how awful the game was or how Ohio State is under-performing or how the sky is falling etc. etc.  So I won’t be doing any of that.  I’m an optimist.  And to me there is only one direction this team can go from here: up.  I already feel bad for Western Michigan.  Now, to the Big Ten.

#1: Heartbreak for the Huskers

When Bo Pelini was shown the door in Lincoln my reaction was one of shrugged shoulders and an uninterested blink or two.  The volatile nature of the man was both his allure and his downfall.  He is like Kerry Coombs if Kerry Coombs had a mean streak and a drinking problem.  So now that Pelini has been replaced by the nicest guy in the game, I kind of expected Nebraska to play a more feng shui style – good for interior decorating, bad for football.  This was exactly the product Nebraska put on the field for three quarters on Saturday when the Miami Hurricanes went ahead by a score of 30-10.  But something put a pep in these corn-eater’s step in the fourth quarter.  Tommy Armstrong suddenly looked like Pelini was personally chasing him all over the field.  He connected on three touchdown passes AND completed a pair of two-point-conversion passes, including the game-tying score with only 33 seconds remaining in regulation.  Nebraska had all the momentum in the world… until they didn’t.  Miami’s field goal won the game in overtime.  Nebraska is 1-2 on the season and is more brokenhearted (after this game and the BYU Hail Mary) than a Taylor Swift song.

#2: Wolverines prepare for another West Coast Test

Remember back when everyone was complaining about the Buckeyes schedule a couple of weeks ago until they realized how much bad #karma it was?  My biggest gripe on all of that was the fact that schedules are made years and years in advance – Virginia Tech was probably still in beast mode when we agreed to the home-and-home.  Now transfer that logic to the Wolverine’s 2015 schedule and it’s almost comical how it has turned out for them.  Five years ago or so the likes of Utah and Brigham Young would sound a lot like tune up games.  But as it turns out, Utah (who beat Michigan) and Brigham Young (who comes into Ann Arbor this Saturday) are ranked 18 and 22 respectively.  I don’t know what the infatuation is with bringing in teams from the west coast (the other two opponents have been Oregon State and UNLV) but it could bite the weasels in the ass if the Cougars can put another loss on Michigan’s record before Big Ten play even begins.

#3: So much for Illinois being good

So for the last few weeks I’ve been harping on the Illini and their ability to put the Beckman garbage behind them and really crush some teams that, admittedly, they should be crushing.  We Buckeye fans know that even the lowliest of opponents can give you fits.  So when Illinois managed to go ham for the first two weeks of the season, I started to believe that they just might surprise some people.  Then Saturday happened and North Carolina put them back in their place again.  A 48-14 loss to a middle of the road ACC team sounds bad enough, but when you see the box score it looks even worse.  The Illini allowed two Tarheel running backs to accumulate 234 yards on the gournd with an average of 9.4 yards per carry.  Ouch.  Even the special teams was markedly un-special with two missed field goals and a punt return for 85 yards and a score allowed.  #BringBackBeckman?

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#4: Buckeye Spartan Showdown

Sparty is good, really good.  And they will probably get better as the season progresses.  I’m not sure if that means that they can keep their record without a blunder up until we meet in November, but time will tell.  The big development from this weekend wasn’t the victory over Air Force but the victory in the AP poll.  The Big Ten is well represented now with both the #1 and #2 teams in the country.  With the Alabama loss, Michigan State has jumped up just beneath the Buckeyes, setting up for a potential massive showdown on November 21st in the Horseshoe.  I was in Ohio Stadium the last time the top two teams in the country met in Columbus.  Wouldn’t it be something if history would repeat itself this season?

#5: The best Buckeye fan I know

It was a morose afternoon in Buckeye nation this past Saturday.  When all were hoping for a rebound game of punishing football against an over-matched foe, the resulting defensive struggle was both unsettling and uninspiring.  But even during these more bleak times, I still get to enjoy the game with the best Buckeye fan in the Land.  Lot’s of friends used to ask me to meet them at the bar or maybe Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the game.  But in all honesty, I’d rather not.  Because right at home I’ve got one of the few people that understands my passion for Ohio State football.  This person shares my sentiment of the importance of Buckeye football Saturdays and agrees that any interruptions are completely egregious and will not be tolerated regardless of the circumstances.  This person is savvy enough to pick up on the small things like seeing blitzes before they happen and catching missed calls by the referees.  And as far as emotion goes… ha!  I’ve never heard someone demand more pain and agony for the opposing team than her.  Oh, did I say her?  Yes, yes I did.  That’s because this person is my wife, Michele.  She doesn’t only understand my obsession with Buckeye sports, she echos it.  While her fellow female students at Ohio State would take out their phones for a selfie in the stands during the game, Michele would berate them for not paying attention.  In fact she still does it today, yelling at the television, “Get off your phone and watch the game you dumb broad!!”  And it’s even more volatile now that she’s pregnant.  She’s awesome.  She lives through the fall from one Saturday to the next, hinging her emotion on those few glorious hours of Buckeye football.  I wouldn’t want to watch the game with anyone else, ever.  If you’re reading this, Shelly, know this: you’re the best Buckeye fan I know.  I love you.

Filed Under: B1G Football
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