All Things Buckeyes

January 5, 2016 by Leave a Comment

The Battle of CFB’s Storied Programs:

Well after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Fiesta Bowl, the Buckeyes season ends on a high note.  Although, it was only a 16 point win, the Buckeye defense showed promise after DE Joey Bosa exited the game mid to late first quarter.  Backup Sam Hubbard took Bosa’s place and did an admiral job during his absence.  Tyquan Lewis was also playing at a high level throughout the game and as the only starter left on the defensive line, he definitely will have momentum in the upcoming season.  It was evident that Bosa was sorely missed after his untimely exit, but the Buckeyes possess talent all over the depth chart and at every position.  But like always the next man up mentality that is instilled into the culture of the Buckeyes thrived and showed out once again.  Bosa being out and Lewis as the only remaining starter left on the defensive line, with Adolphus Washington serving a suspension and Tommy Schutt out with a broken foot, the reserves show that talent is there at every position.  The struggled in the beginning but came up clutch in the end registering back to back sacks and Darron Lee capped it off with a strip sack to seal the game in the end.

The offense was running on all cylinders and J.T. Barrett and Ezekiel Elliot had their way with the injury-riddled Notre Dame defense who also lost a star in the first quarter in Jaylin Smith, who in fact was a huge Buckeye target and the brother of former Buckeye Running Back, Rod Smith.  Michael Thomas also had a good game scoring a touchdown on a hitch route in the redzone.  The game was never in doubt.  The Buckeyes saw Sparty get demolished by Alabama and the questions and thoughts of “what could have been” plagued the Buckeyes.  In the game it showed the angry and motivated team that should use this as a kickstarter to next years season.  As displayed and heard by Ezekiel Elliot, the Irish “did not want to be there anymore”.  The passion and the motivation was there and it could springboard next years team who, if I am not mistaken, travel to Oklahoma for what is a home and home.  The Buckeyes definitely proved that when they are motivated and when they want to, they cannot be stop and they are one of the best teams in the nation, if not the best.  They will most undoubtedly use this as fuel for next year but it is the end and I am looking forward to National Signing Day.

The Exodus Begins:

It is now official, the Buckeyes season is done and now it is just a waiting game to see who will stay and who will go.  As of now, Bosa, Lee, Powell and Elliot have all declared.  Bell and Thomas are also expected to follow suit, but haven’t let their intentions known.  I will continue to update you on this, but for now let us savor that Fiesta Bowl victory.

The Recruiting Wars:

The Buckeyes received a commitment by way of New York in Jahsen Wint.  The Buckeyes get their yearly flip and there could be one or two more coming.  There is definitely a few more precious spots left and with the potential early NFL Draft departures, there could be more scholly’s up for grabs.  The Buckeyes are looking to close out strong with the number one recruiting class and with the recent LSU commitments, we need a huge effort to close out this year.  My wish list would be Victor, Corley, Gary (Longshot), Lawrence (Another one), Fuller, Hamlin and Haskins.  I am definitely dreaming but anything can happen so we shall see if we can get another few surprises on National Signing Day.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Playoff, College Football Recruiting, NFL, NFL Draft, Ohio State Football

The 2016 Fiesta Bowl: A Desert Showdown

January 1, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of Battlefrog Fiesta Bowl

Image courtesy of Battlefrog Fiesta Bowl


Ten years ago Jim Tressel and the Ohio State Buckeyes traveled to Arizona to play in the Fiesta Bowl against the Charlie Weiss Notre Dame Fighting Irish. During that time Weiss was suppose to be the hottest coach in America bringing the Golden Domers back into national prominance.

Little did we know that the next ten years Notre Dame would play in one national championship game and Weiss wasn’t their coach. The Buckeyes played in three national championships games, they went 1-3 in those games. Ironically losing one to the Urban Meyer Florida Gators, who is now Head Coach for the Buckeyes. You might have heard he won a national title last year.

Before we go and bust out the split Hawk/Quinn jersey reminiscing, just wanted to really say who would have thought how much things have changed for both teams.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had a few good seasons under Weiss but faltered which brought in Brian Kelly. Kelly has done what Weiss (who is finally done milking the Golden Domer cow) wasn’t able to do. Kelly had the Irish going undefeated in 2012 and played Alabama in National Championship. It is this contributors contention the Buckeyes should have self-imposed a 2011 bowl ban. Thus allowing two undefeated teams having played each other, my bias has me believing Ohio State would have won another major trophy.

Now here we are after the ball dropped last night, officially making it 2016.

The Ohio State Buckeyes facing off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Urban Meyer versus Brian Kelly.

Naturally there are some story lines like Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford having Urban Meyer connections and the alleged story he might have turned down the Buckeyes position allowing Tim Beck to be the man. There is also former running backs coach from Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame team leaving after national signing day to join the Buckeyes.

This game will have repercussions on the recruiting circuit. Both coaches are flipping and flopping each other commits, with them looking for a lot of the same players in order to be at that elite level. The other repercussion would be the fan bases. The winner gets to brag about which team truly elite. Both universities are a couple of the top teams in the nation with gigantic following’s and naturally lots of hate too.

Fun Fact All-time Fiesta Bowl Record

The Ohio State Buckeyes are 4-2 (the Florida title game wasn’t a Fiesta Bowl)

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are 1-3

Today at 1 PM EST is the kickoff from the desert of Arizona

TELEVISION

ESPN national telecast with Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Chris Spielman (analysis), Todd
McShay (sideline).

Notre Dame has played a pretty tough schedule, being an independent school allows this. Even though they are somehow connected with the ACC but aren’t (that’s a rant for another time). They lost to Clemson (who will be playing Alabama in the championship game) and Stanford (who will face Iowa in the Rose Bowl). Those two losses were by a total of four points combined. The Fighting Irish suffered a lot of major injuries during the beginning of the season but have shown the next man up mantra. They were a team a lot of folks picked to be in the playoffs this season but unfortunately for them it didn’t happen.

Ohio State hasn’t played as difficult schedule because well some of the Big Ten weren’t that strong but hopefully the tide will be turning on that. The had one lone loss in the second to last week against Sparty (who got embarrassed by Alabama last night). The season for Ohio State, which many national media picked to win back to back championships, was a disappointment for many a fan like myself not because of not making the playoffs but as the offensive struggles went. The Buckeyes had to endure major injuries to the wide receiver position losing Noah Brown before the season then Corey Smith. There were lots of suspensions to players on the team then, besides the offensive play calling, there seemed like the offensive players didn’t execute as well as last season.

Let’s get into the meat of this preview and start breaking it all down shall we.

Notre Dame Offense vs Ohio State Defense

The Fighting Irish run a spread type offense like Ohio State does but its more of balanced attack. The Golden Domers can run the ball well averaging 215.17 yards per game. having an offensive line that averages 6 feet 5.5 inches and weighing 313 pounds allows C.J Prosise to average a little ove a hundred yards a game (103.2) and quarterback Deshone Kizer who has some wheels average almost 42 a game (41.6).

Speaking of Kizer he does a good job throwing the pigskin with a completion rate of 62.6 percent and averaging 256.3 yards per game in the air. His main target is 6 ft 1 inch Will Fuller (he announced hes coming back for 2016 season). Fuller who weighs 185 pounds has 50 receptions for over a thousand yards (1009) this season. He has averaged 20.2 yards per reception, he also has 9 drops on the season with 21 first downs and 12 touchdowns.

The keys for Buckeyes on defense will be to obviously stop the run especially keeping Kizer contained which running quarterbacks have shown to be an issue for them. Being down two defensive lineman (Washington and Schutt) this can create some problems. Ohio States secondary has shown they can match up and lock players down. The combo of Eli Apple and Gareon Conley has only allowed 32 receptions on 85 targets on the season (37.65%). The linebacker corp of Raekwon McMillen, Joshua Perry and Darron Lee is one of the best and they will be creating havoc. Safeties Vonn Bell and Tyvis Powell will also be all over the field. Hopefully the Silver Bullet defense shows up for many of these awesome defensive players who will probably be playing their last game wearing Scarlet and Gray.

Ohio State Offense vs Notre Dame Defense

All season the Buckeye offense seemed dazed and confused. Many Ohio State fans were blaming Cardale Jones for the ineffectiveness, it all wasn’t his fault as proven by Barrett struggling also during key points of the season. The Buckeyes have a major weapon with running back Ezekiel Elliott who will be playing in his final game. The Scarlet and Gray have been having issues throwing the ball but they kind of opened up the offense more against the Wolverines in the regular season finale. Barrett and company showed in that final regular season game tempo is the key and a major advantage for them. I am looking to see some special plays for Braxton Miller who will be also playing his final game. I have a feeling we will finally see the alleged double pass in this game and maybe more than once if used early and successfull.

Notre Dame defense is pretty good having a national ranking of 38. They surrender 166.75 yards on the ground, that is one of the major kinks in their armour. Their secondary has allowed just under 200 (195.7) a game in the air but took some hits with starting cornerback Devin Butler suffering a broken foot during Monday’s practice. Starting safety Max Redfield has been sent home for violating team rules. Their secondary had some hits already this season so this isn’t a good thing for the Fighting Irish. The Buckeye offensive line, who had their best game against TUN, will be having their hands full with defensive tackle Sheldon Day and defensive end Romeo Okwara. The Irish also are getting defensive tackle Jarron Jones back from a torn MCL.

Closing Thoughts

The keys for each team is going to be the offensive lines. The team that can control the line the most will come out of this game with the win. Buckeyes will need their offense to move the ball, allowing the defense to get some rest (unlike the MSU game). A lot of these players for Ohio State be playing for the Buckeyes for the final time. Will they give Buckye Nation their all for their final game? There is going to be a lot of talent on both sides of the field with a bunch of NFL scouts keeping their eye on this game.

Prediction

I stated on the Men of the Scarlet and Gray podcast I am going with Ohio State 42-34. The Buckeyes have experienced some good fortune in the desert, hopefully that continues allowing these Buckeyes to be remebered as some of the best ever.

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

Men of The Scarlet and Gray Podcast Fiesta in the Desert

December 30, 2015 by 1 Comment

Ohio State and Notre Dame are about to face off on New Years in the Fiesta Bowl. Who else better to discuss this match-up than with Tony Gerdeman from theozone.net. We discuss the suspensions, Buckeyes offense, play calling, defense and match-ups we are going to be keeping an eye on.

We also discussed with Tony his book Thrillogy which recaps the last three games of the amazing run to the National Championship last season. It is a must have for Buckeye fans and as we discuss the book you will see there is a theme involved that you really didn’t realize until they started putting the book together

As always we answered #AskMotSaG questions and gave our predictions for the Fiesta Bowl.

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

Will Zeke Crash Hurt Buckeyes

December 28, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Early this morning word started to spread like wildfire that Ohio State junior running back got himself into a little trouble with the law after losing control of his car and causing an accident.

https://twitter.com/craigcalcaterra/status/681467068286414853

According to 10tv.com Zeke was alone, traveling to meet up with team for flight to Phoenix and incident happened at 1:30pm on State Route 315 and Lane Ave.

Elliot was cited for not having operators license, faluire to control and driving under suspension.

No court date has been set.

The star running back has already said he isn’t coming back next season to play for the Scarlet and Gray choosing to join the NFL. One has to wonder like Adolphus Washington have we seen the last of Zekemode already? Patrick Murphy of theozone.net has reported this:

I’m really not sure what to make of all of this. First I am concerned, there is a ton of time before the game on Friday. Usually when the SEC fan base protests they tend to get what they want being the best conference in American College Football.
oklahoma-confederate-flag-protest-8a35e86c0d7aa303
Second my concern is the rush to judgement over Elliot driving with a suspended license. I can say with certainty if the young man has a State of Ohio license that you do not know the very second that it is revoked. Personally having to deal with the fine institute that is the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, they mail out said paperwork and usually arrives about a week after. With that being said I don’t know if this could be the case so I am reserving judgement.

Sure its easy for anyone to say the young man shouldn’t have been driving, or point out he did know and there were minor infractions so no harm no foul. I will say based on Ohio laws about driving under suspension, I was under the impression that if you were caught and there wasn’t a licensed driver with you, you would be placed under arrest and your vehicle would be impounded. We all know how much the City of Columbus enjoys impounding ones car.

Urban Meyer is running another dirty program in Columbus they say. Sure just like Florida has suspended how many players now for their bowl game and um coach Meyer hasn’t coached there since when? Exactly every program has to endure issues so stop the hate.

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

A surgeon’s lasting legacy

December 17, 2015 by Leave a Comment

mag_doc_andrews02jr_300

At the age of 72 years young, physician and author of ‘Any given monday’ Dr. James Andrews is arguably the most well-known Orthopaedic surgeon in the world. Andrews has been the go-to-guy, for the last thirty years, when it comes to treating professional and collegiate athletes. The list of athletes, that have trusted the future of their careers to the surgical skill of Andrews, is quite impressive; including but not limited to: Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, Charles Barkley, Peyton Manning, Mariano Rivera, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and John Smoltz just to name a few. Yet, you would hardly know that Andrews is such renowned and accomplished man by listening to him speak, as he will tell you that “humility is the first step to greatness and if you don’t have humility,  you probably won’t get very far in any profession.” No doubt, a lesson he learned from his modest upbringing in north Louisiana.

In 1942, Andrews was born in the small town of Homer, Louisiana, about three hours east of Dallas. During the early 60’s, he was an undergraduate and All-SEC pole-vault champion at Louisiana State University. Ultimately Andrews stayed at LSU until he graduated from med school in 1967. After graduation, now Dr. Andrews, left Baton Rouge and headed to New Orleans, where he completed his surgical residency at Tulane.

Fast forward about a decade, as he prepares himself to perform a procedure on a patient, a young James Andrews has become starstruck by the man that lies on his table awaiting operation. This particular patient is not just any patient, this is Jack Nicklaus, the number one golfer in the world. Andrews begins to gather his focus, and he proceeds with the procedure. Just months later, Nicklaus would go on to win the Masters. About six months later, Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens won the American League Cy Young, with the throwing shoulder that had been surgically repaired by Dr. Andrews. Both of these major successes put Andrews on the map as one of the best specialist in sports medicine.

Fast forward to the present and Dr. Andrews is still the best Orthopaedist in sports medicine. He has performed over 2,500 Tommy John procedures, more than anyone else in the world. He has performed over 40,000 surgeries; and to this day, performs over 1,100 surgeries per year. Most notably in recent years he has operated on Drew Brees, Joe Flacco, Tom Brady, LeBron James and Braxton Miller just last year.

After all he has accomplished, Dr. Andrews surely has nothing left to prove in his profession. Through medicine, he has left his mark on the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, PGA and NCAA. Yet, he shows no signs of slowing down. He still makes himself available, not only to the rich and famous but to the average joe as well, as he strives to help more and more patients each day. Not only is Dr. Andrews striving help patients surgically but he continues his research, at the Andrews Institute, on sports mechanics in an effort to mitigate preventable injuries. Dr. Andrews has not only changed patient care with respect to Orthopaedic surgery, he has extended the careers of thousands of athletes.

Filed Under: College Football, High School Football

Men of the Scarlet and Gray Big Ten Bowl Game Predictions

December 16, 2015 by 1 Comment

Chip and I are back!! This week we discuss Ohio State getting a New Year Six Bowl. Buckeyes will be heading to the desert to face Notre Dame a rematch of 2006. We don’t break down the game this week (that will be coming up shortly), but we do discuss how the Buckeyes got into the Fiesta Bowl. We also discuss the Adolphus Washington suspension and what it could mean for the Buckeyes against the Fighting Irish.

 

We did our MotSaG Pick’Em segment and this week it’s all about the Big Ten teams and which bowls they will be playing in. We discuss the reason Nebraska and Minnesota were able to get bowls this year with a losing record. Naturally we had our #AskMotSaG segment with a couple of questions this week and we briefly discussed Star Wars. We want to thank You all again for listening and helping us grow, what our awesome listening audience has meant to us this year just cannot be said in enough words about how appreciative we are for each and every one of you.

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

All Things Buckeyes

December 14, 2015 by Leave a Comment

There is only 19 more days until our new years date with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and I am definitely craving some Buckeye football.  I for one cannot wait for the New Years Six Bowl Game.  The Fiesta Bowl will have nothing short of a spectacular show and I am hoping that it is a one-sided type in favor of the Scarlet and Gray.  It would put a meaningful grin onto Buckeye fans worldwide and it would cap off a season that didn’t go as planned.  Now, all Coach Urbs and company have to do is finish with a bang and finish so that the outgoing seniors and the NFL early entrees leave for greener pastures.

So if you have been living underneath a rock, we have a ton of talent that are both leaving and that are thinking about taking the leap to the next level.

Here is a list:

  • Joey Bosa, DL (Jr.)
  • Ezekiel Elliot, RB (Jr.)
  • Vonn Bell, DB (Jr.)
  • Eli Apple, DB (Rs So.)
  • Cardale Jones, QB (Rs Jr.)
  • Taylor Decker, OL (Sr.)
  • Adolphus Washington, DT (Sr.)
  • Chase Farris, OL (Sr.)
  • Jacoby Boren, OL (Sr.)
  • Michael Thomas, WR (Rs Jr.)
  • Braxton Miller, H-Back/WR (Sr.)
  • Darron Lee, LB (Rs So.)
  • Joshua Perry, LB (Sr.)
  • Tyvis Powell, DB (Jr.)
  • Tommy Schutt, DL (Sr.)
  • Nick Vannett, TE (Sr.)
  • Cam Williams, LB (Sr.)

Now this isn’t a confirmed list of the players who are leaving.  This is just to show you that we are about to look different on both sides of the ball.  This isn’t as alarming though because we have one of the best recruiters in the land in Coach Urban Meyer and not to mention he has a ton of All-Star recruiters as well so we will be in good hands.  Reload and replenish.  Reload and replenish.  Now with who you might ask?

Here is another list of potential recriuts:

  • Dexter Lawrence, DT (North Carolina)
  • Rashard Lawrence, DT (Louisiana)
  • Rashan Gary, DT (New Jersey)
  • Dwayne Haskins, QB (Maryland)
  • Binjimen Victor, WR (Florida)
  • Nate Craig-Meyers, WR (Florida)
  • Donnie Corley, WR (Michigan)
  • Jahsen Wint, SS (New York)
  • Demetris Robertson, LB (Georgia)

There are countless more recruits but these are the ones that the Buckeyes have a punchers chance at getting on National Signing Day.  We still have a while until that happens and anything can happen.  Here is to another potentially successful recruiting season.

Bringing In A New Era:

After this bowl season, we will have to say goodbye to Coach Ash and he will be on the opposing sideline next season for Big Ten foe, Rutgers.  Coach Ash will be sorely missed and his recruiting prowess will be too.  Don’t fret Buckeye fans because Urban Meyer once again pulled a rabbit out of his hat and scored a suitable replacement in Greg Schiano.  Former Rutgers Head Coach.  Which is ironic.  Coach Schiano is also the former head coach of the Tampa Bay Bucs and after some time off he will join the Buckeyes and light a fire underneath his players.  I cannot think of a better coach than Coach Schiano.  Sure he is known as a control freak and his players in Tampa eventually tuned him out due to his personality, but he is a huge hire.  He will prove that he can move past that and he will also become an asset in the recruiting game.  I cannot wait to see who he can score in the recruiting scene.  Here is to a year or two worth in the Schiano Era.

 

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Recruiting, NFL Draft, Ohio State Football

Why Ohio State is unequivocally one of the four best teams.

December 3, 2015 by Leave a Comment

473015_1280x720

The college football playoff committee has set forth a standard that a non-conference champion or independent must meet, to play in the college football playoff. The standard is rather simple and sounds essentially like a team must meet the eye-test. A non-champion or independent can be chosen for the college football playoff under the circumstances that the non-champion or independent is unequivocally one of the four best teams in the country. During the last two weeks, we have heard it said repeatedly, that Ohio State must, unequivocally, be one of the top four teams in football to get into the playoff. Verne and Gary from “Sec on CBS” even defined the term ‘unequivocally’ during the iron bowl. But what does it all mean? How do we know that Ohio State is, undeniably one of the best teams in America?

Recent History

We know by looking at recent history that Ohio State is undeniably or unequivocally one of the best. Now I know certain fans of a particular university in the south are going to say “don’t live in the past” or “the past doesn’t matter.” Yet they would be the first ones to bring up the number of championships that their team won thirty years ago under coach Bear Bryant, but I digress. In the last four seasons, the Ohio State Buckeyes have a win-loss record of 49 wins and just 4 losses. That’s a win percentage of .925. In that same span, Ohio State has accomplished more than anyone in college football.  They have completed two undefeated regular seasons, won a Big Ten championship, won a national championship,  completed win streak of 23 games and another win streak of 24 games. There isn’t another team in in the country, that has been more consistent and has won at the level that the Buckeyes have in the last few years. Thats undeniable.

This season

Because I’ve talked about the past, I should talk about the present as well. This season, Ohio State has an average margin of victory of 21 points per game. In the entire country, that is second only to Oklahoma.

Why is margin of victory important? Because we need some basis of comparison in order to accurately answer the question of who the best teams in the country are. The first and most obvious comparable variable is head-to-head match ups. OSU has only played against one team that is ranked ahead of them as of now. They played against Michigan State two weeks ago and lost by a field goal on the last play of the game. So it is obviously fair to say that Michigan State should be ranked above Ohio State because MSU won the head to head match up. On the other hand, Ohio State hasn’t played another team this season that is currently in the top four. So how do we compare these teams? We can use the teams average margin of victory; which basically says on average Ohio State beat every one they played by three touchdowns, while another team may have beaten the teams they played by less or more than that. This is an unbiased way to judge how well a team has performed, due to the fact that every power five team in college football plays essentially the same level of competition.

S.o.s rankings are irrelevant. 

The naysayers will say that other teams had stiffer competition than Ohio State and Oklahoma. That simply isn’t true. The Crimson Tide has played only two games against teams that are currently ranked in the top 25. They lost one of them. Not to mention, the second best team in the SEC, the Florida Gators, that have absolutely ran through the conference this season, lost 27-2, the first time they faced another major program from outside of the SEC. The same was true last post season, when the SEC won just two out of seven bowl games, its teams played in. Its safe to say, that the almighty SEC hasn’t looked all that mighty as of late; so why should SEC teams get more credit for playing against each other when they have shown time and time again, in games against major non-conference opponents(including Ohio State), that the SEC is not what it once was.

Lastly, Ohio State’s major non-conference opponent this season was Virginia Tech in Week 1. They won by a score of 42 to 24. I say that to say, everyone essentially plays the same level of competition. The myth that SEC teams play a gauntlet of a schedule that is harder than everyone else’s schedule simply because its the SEC, is simply not true.

There is absolutely no doubt that Ohio State has proven to be one of top programs in country, if not the very best program in America over the last four years. If we go strictly by the numbers where records are the most important statistic, head to head wins are the second most important and margin of victory (a more objective stat than s.o.s) as the third most important statistic, the top four team performances this season in order are:

Clemson 12-0
Oklahoma 11-1
Michigan State 11-1
Ohio State 11-1

Ohio State is undeniably and unequivocally one of the four best teams in America.

Filed Under: College Football, Ohio State Football

B1G Weekly Recap: Iowa Finishes Undefeated, Michigan State Takes the East

December 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment

A playoff spot will be on the line this weekend in Indianapolis when Iowa and Michigan State square off for the Big Ten Championship. Iowa had sewn up their spot a week ago but still had to take care of Nebraska to finish off an unbeaten regular season. Michigan State only needed a home victory over Penn State to head back to Indy for the third time in five years.

Iowa 28, Nebraska 20

Nebraska dominated on the box score in every category except the one that matters as their upset bid of undefeated Iowa fell short. Tommy Armstrong threw for 296 yards but also threw four interceptions, including a pick-six that gave the Hawkeyes a lead they would never relinquish.

Iowa’s two scoring drives in the second half lasted a combined total of three plays, two of them being long touchdown runs by Jordan Canzeri. Canzeri finished the day with 140 yards on 17 carries to go with his two scores. Nebraska awaits their bowl fate despite finishing the season 5-7 thanks to not enough teams getting to six wins and Iowa will make the trip east to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship.

Ohio State 42, That Team Up North 13

It’s a good thing Urban Meyer didn’t listen to all of the Twitter hot takes and bench Ezekiel Elliott for this one, huh? The junior running back earned his third pair of gold pants while running all over the Wolverine defense. Elliott finished with 214 yards on the ground to go with a pair of touchdowns.

The offense ran at tempo for much of the game until it was well in hand, allowing for J.T. Barrett to pick apart the Wolverines both on the ground and through the air. Barrett had three rushing touchdowns and a passing score to Jalin Marshall on the opening drive of the second half. Both teams now wait to see where they will be going bowling, with Ohio State still having a slim chance at getting in the College Football Playoff.

Indiana 54, Purdue 36

Indiana’s going bowling! No, not down at the local alley but in a real bowl game! The team that started out 4-0 and dropped to 4-6 looked like it was going to be on the outside looking in once again come bowl season but the Hoosiers rebounded to win their last two and earn a spot in the postseason.

Nate Sudfeld threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns while Devine Redding carried the rock for a career-high 144 yards as Indiana took the Old Oaken Bucket back to Bloomington.

Maryland 46, Rutgers 41

In one of the more exciting games of the B1G weekend, it was a battle with nothing but pride on the line as both teams had already been knocked out of bowl eligibility. The teams combined for nearly 1,200 yards of offense and Maryland finished the game on a 43-17 run after the Scarlet Knights jumped out to a 24-3 midway through the 2nd quarter.

Both teams will be looking to rebuild for the future this offseason, as they will be searching for head coaches following the dismissal of Randy Edsall during the season and Kyle Flood’s firing after this game.

Wisconsin 31, Minnesota 21

Five turnovers by the Golden Gophers doomed their chances of gaining automatic bowl eligibility against Wisconsin. Minnesota drops to 5-7 but have said they will accept a bowl bid should one come their way.

Wisconsin quietly put together another 9-win season, riding the legs of Dare Ogunbowale 33 times for 155 yards and a score in this one. It was the Badgers’ 11th straight victory over Minnesota.

Michigan State 55, Penn State 16

Once the rout in Ann Arbor was over, Buckeye Nation turned a hopeful eye to East Lansing, needing a Penn State miracle to get in to the Big Ten Championship. Prayers were denied seeing as James Franklin is still the coach of the Nittany Lions and still getting blown out by ranked teams as the coach of the Nittany Lions.

Connor Cook came back from his shoulder injury for Senior Day at Spartan Stadium and put on a show for the crowd. Cook threw for 248 yards and three TDs in his final home game. Penn State drops to 7-5 on the season and Michigan State will be playing a de facto College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Iowa in the Big Ten Championship.

Northwestern 24, Illinois 14

Despite dropping to 5-7 on the season and possibly on the outside looking in of a bowl game, Illinois rewarded interim coach Bill Cubit with a 2-year contract. Wes Lunt threw for 241 yards with 100 of them going to Josh Ferguson, but the Illini offense could only muster one scoring drive on the day.

Somehow Northwestern managed to win 10 games without anybody really knowing about it. Stanford will certainly point to that when they make their case for the Playoff should they take down USC in Santa Clara. Justin Jackson took the lead for the Wildcats, rushing for 172 yards and a score on 37 carries in Soldier Field.

Who do you have winning this year’s Big Ten title? Can the Buckeyes sneak in the back door of the College Football Playoff?

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

All Things Buckeyes

December 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Wolverine Tears:

These Wolverine tears taste amazing!  After a heartbreak at home, the Buckeyes once again showed that they should at least be considered as a potential College Football Playoff candidate.  The Buckeyes entered the game limping after a home loss to those darn Spartans and a major heartbreaker.  The gameplan was not working and the Buckeyes couldn’t maintain control in the trenches.  Fast forward to this past weekend, the Buckeyes demonstrated that they should at least be considered to be a part of this years playoffs, IF and I mean IF, chaos happens during the Conference Championship weekend.

A couple of losses to for the teams that are ahead of the Buckeyes would do wonders for their cause.  While we are all hoping for a miracle, I will hold out just a smidgen of hope for this to happen.  I will pray to the College Football gods for a miracle.  Just like 2007 when the Buckeyes utilized said “chaos” to sneak into the BCS Championship Game, but now it will be used to get into the CFB Playoff.  A Conference Championship Game would’ve helped the Buckeyes cause, but that is just how it is and that is how it will stay.  For now at least.  I for one would be hoping for a miracle.

Now, back to the tears, that taste SO GOOD!  This was supposed to be a tightly contested game.  The Game of all games.  The Scarlet and Gray versus The Maize and Blue.  The first installment of Urban Meyer VS Jim Harbaugh.  It went the way that I wanted it to go.  I was screaming well into the fourth quarter for Coach Meyer and the Buckeyes to run up the score.  This was no time for pity.  We needed to crush the Wolverines in the fashion that we had done to get the attention of the Committee.  To keep the Buckeyes fresh in their minds.

The Buckeyes offense rose from the dead.  Literally!  After a snoozer and after poor game planning, Coach Meyer assisted in the play calling.  And it worked and/or helped.  Tremendously.  J.T. Barrett looked less predictable as opposed to the Michigan State game, the play calling was more straight forward, the execution was crisp and ZEEEEEEEEEEKE RAN WILD!!!  Let’s feed this man and help his cause for the Heisman or should I say HE15MAN.  The Silver Bullets returned and stuffed every run, but it did enough to disrupt the Wolverines.  Yes, they passed on us, but could they run?  NO!  Meh!  Well there are 363 days left until TTUN comes into the Shoe for a date with Coach Meyer, round 2!

All The Gold Pants:

For what its worth, I find it interesting how recruiting works out.  After terrible seasons, like Coach Fickell’s Interim Head Coaching year after the ousting of the one and only Jim Tressel, the one’s who were a part of that class and for those who have stayed, congrats to you all.  Congratulations are in store for the players who have been there through those tough times.  Players like Taylor Decker, who stuck with their commitment have had quite the career.  Case and point, four, I say again FOUR pairs of gold pants.  Now for all the noobs who just started following the Buckeyes, Gold Pants are gained after defeating that team up north.  The ones who have stuck with their commitment have four of them.  The class of 2011 also have a Conference Championship AND a National Title.

Now, a certain recruit comes to mind, Kyle Kalis.  I follow recruiting closely and I remember all the fuss and all the talking that he was doing after he flipped to play for Coach Hoke.  I guess the Buckeyes get the last laugh.  What do you have to show for yourself?  I guess you thought that Coach, ahem Former Coach would still be around or that Michigan would go back to how they were in the early years.  I think that it is comical and I could name a bunch of other Michigan players who were once Buckeye targets.  Jabrill Peppers, Jake Butt, and so on and so fourth.  They made careers out of what they had accomplished, but until you guys can consistently beat the Scarlet and Gray, (shrug).

The Waiting Game:

This will be a weekend to watch.  As opposed to putting hope out there and hoping that Penn State would help us out, it is just laughable right now.  I want to believe but we will just have to see.  Either way, I see the Buckeyes still getting a great bowl game.  Either way, here’s to hoping for the Football gods to answer.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Playoff, Ohio State Football
« Previous Page
Next Page »