We haven’t been following the recent NFL draft declarations and transfer goings-on (hit up 11W for that) but we definitely feel moved to wish MotSaG’s el Kaiser’s man-crush-4-life, Vernon Gholston, some well deserved love.

First, just read this quote from the Dispatch last week:

“As a son and as a man, it is my duty to serve and support my family to the best of my abilities. My childhood dream was, and still is, to one day be fortunate enough to do just that. I feel that time has come.”

College players come and go, most leaving little or no impression after they’ve gone. Yes, they are all Buckeyes and we love them for that, but, for the most part, they are simply fleeting memories of autumns past. Every once and a while, an athlete comes along and leaves an indelible impact. Unfortunately, the impact isn’t always a positive one. There are players like Reggie Germany and HWSNBN who, through actions off the football field, leave a bitter taste in your mouth and Ohio State with a black eye. They are just kids, which must never be forgotten. But they are agents unto themselves and are perfectly capable of doing the right thing. Sadly, they hardly ever do.

On the other side, through events on and off the field, you get momentary glimpses of true greatness. Vernon Gholston was one of those players, one of the good guys. It’s easy to think everybody is innately good. It’s even easier to think when you witness someone like Vernon.

Put aside the freakish nature of the man’s physique (pshaw, like that’s possible) and read that quote again. Don’t tell me that’s something someone told him to say. I’m not buying that. It is heartfelt and genuine. Anyone who sees an opportunity to better not just his life, but that of those he loves, is one who deserves our respect. He also deserves our gratitude. Through the four years he was a Buckeye, he was a class act. There was never even a whisper of trouble or scandal. Vernon kept his nose clean and did his thing through his play on the field. I can’t remember a single personal foul penalty called on the man. If it’s possible to be proud of someone you’ve never met and have no connection to, I’d like to think Buckeye Nation as a whole was proud of our version of the Incredible Hulk.

So with that, we wish Vernon Gholston the best of luck in the NFL and we throw our considerable weight behind any movement that wants to convince the Cleveland Browns into trading Derek Anderson for a first round draft pick and snatch up #50 before someone dirty like the Steelers or the Raiders get their grubby hands on him. (That’s right, I said Derek Anderson. I’m ready for the Brady Quinn Experiment to start NOW.) Keep Vernon in Ohio!

As for MotSaG’s 2008 man-crush? We’re still taking applications. Right now, the leading Candidate is Curtis Terry. Have you seen that guy’s arms?

First Quarter

Not getting ahead of ourselves here, just wanted to let everyone know that Beanie is a man among little boys with long hair. Gholston isn’t even on the same plane of existence as these boots.

OSU – 10
LSU – 3

Second Quarter

Our defensive end caught their running back in the backfield. Still waiting for that speed.

Who already has the game on mute? These guys are moronic. Actually, that’s an insult to morons.

LSU is looking good, 17 24 unanswered points. No need There may be a slight reason to fret. LSU looks good so far.

OSU – 10
LSU – 24

Halftime

Two touchdowns are nothing. Ohio State is not out of this by any measure, but they’re pretty fricken far from okay. The defense has to come out and absolutely shut down LSU on this first possession. A turnover would be even better.

Third Quarter

The roughing the kicker call was killer. We are not playing fundamental football. We can’t tackle, we can’t do anything right right now.

Still waiting for the speed, though.

Okay, okay. Malcolm Jenkins is a beautiful man and Beanie and Brian Robiskie breathe life back into OSU’s chances. If nothing else, things are more respectable now. When the defense gets a stop here, things get interesting.

OSU – 17
LSU – 31

Hold on to your potatoes.

Fourth Quarter

Just so you LSU mouth-breathing fans understand, this is my blog and I get to say what I want to say. You get to say what I want you to say. Comprende?

Some links to chew on:

The Wizard of Odds asks “Who Is Going to Win the BCS Title Game?” What I want to know is, where is this huge talent disparity between OSU and LSU? The experts call it out all the time, but how about some proof? Top-to-bottom, the Buckeyes look mighty talented.

I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who sees Beanie as a major key to victory. Keith has broken down what makes Beanie go.

Don’t miss 11 Warriors game preview.

Sunday Morning Quarterback does what he does best in three parts: One, two, three.

Mike Lanese thinks the Buckeyes are going to run away with the BCS Bourbon Bowl, 45-28. Man, I wish I had that kind of confidence.

We were rooting for the Wolverines last week to pull off the upset, so it’s nice to see those guys up North reciprocating. I know it hurts at first, but but the payoff feels oh-so-good.

Update: ESPN has posed the question “Who will win?” to the unwashed masses. Surprise of surprises, 64% of the nation thinks OSU is toast. In fact, no one but Ohioans are giving them much of a shot. Is everybody crazy?!

We’ll be updating this with additional info as the day goes on, but we wanted to get an Open Thread up so everyone can post their final score predictions, things they’re excited about, things that make them nervous, things that make them go, “Hmmmmmm….” If nothing else, hopefully it will help the day go by faster!

sportsMonkey says:
The biggest mismatch on the field tonight? LSU is 84th in the nation in sacks allowed. OSU is 5th in the nation in getting them. Combined with Flynn’s 55% CMP number – which is pathetic for any national-title-contending QB – this is the largest potential game-changing situation for either team. Result? I expect Red Beaulieu will use Perriloux and the spread option way more than people think. LSU may try a lot of spread/moving pocket plays when Flynn’s in, even.

As far as the offense goes, my personal opinion is that the game will come down to whether or not Boeckman has a solid performance. It’ll be up to whether or not the OSU offense avoids making mistakes, particularly in both the QB and coaching parts of the offensive game. We don’t need stellar Boeckman, we just need a steady- and mistake-free one.

OSU must pass early and often, and hope to take advantage of the mismatch between its receiver corps against the weaker LSU secondary. Beanie will be important, but I’m hoping he’ll get the bulk of his yards in the second half, as OSU tries to protect a lead with the clock-chewing power game.

On paper, if both teams play a clean game, and the officials are transparent: OSU will survive a late rally to win 30-20.

UPDATE
ESPN has their usual “10 Reasons” post up, and this point from Maisel caught my eye:

“Ohio State allowed 128 points, or 10.7 per game, but even that number is inflated. Opponents scored four touchdowns by returns (two kick, two defensive) and a safety, so the defense really allowed 98 points, or 8.3 points per game. Take out 14 points scored by opponents (Washington, Purdue) in the final minute of games that Ohio State led by at least 20 points, and you have only 78 points scored against presumably the starters. That’s not seven points per game. To put it another way: Ohio State gave up two rushing touchdowns all season. Arkansas ran for five touchdowns versus LSU.“

I would add to that one more thing: Ohio State put up those numbers even though three of their opponents were in the top 20 in rushing offense.

el Kaiser’s says:
OSU 27 LSU 17

We know that our readers, Ohio State fans especially, are very smart football fans. We don’t need to tell you guys what to look for during the BCS Bourbon Bowl. We definitely don’t need to tell you when to get nervous nor when to spontaneously break into Carmen Ohio.

Nevertheless, here are five things we’ll be looking for Ohio State to do when they take the field as the #1 defense in the country:

5. Aggressive start – If we can take anything away from Michigan’s trouncing of Florida or West Virginia’s wild upset of Oklahoma, it’s that the defense can set the tone with an aggressive start. Flynn isn’t as much of a threat to run as say, Tebow, or to throw it downfield as say, Bradford, but the Buckeyes need to get pressure early and often.

4. How will the interior lineman play? Denlinger and Worthington are a little undersized for defensive tackles. The Tigers are huge up the middle, especially with 6-7, 356 pound human-side-of-beef guard Herman Johnson. If you want to know why LSU averages almost 220 yards a game on the ground, look no further than these bulldozers. Hopefully the Buckeye defensive tackles will be able to absorb some blockers and let Little Animal and company roam free.

3. Defensive secondary – The LSU pass offense doesn’t really scare too many people (Flynn’s completion % hovers around 55%), but they still have playmakers, especially Doucet. If Jenkins shuts him down, that will go miles in assisting the defense on many levels. The secondary is also going to have to defense the run effectively. This has been a hallmark of Buckeye DB’s in the past, let’s hope that trend continues.

2. Which Laurinaitis shows up? The Laurinaitis that took over the Washington game and played like a Big Animal or the Laurinaitis that showed up at the Penn State game? Will he be a defensive force all over the field or will he struggle to stop the run when 300 lb guards push him around like so many rag dolls? As Little Animal goes, so will go the Buckeyes.

1. Finally, you knew it was coming — Vernon Gholston. Vernon has been playing like a man possessed the second half of the season and played unconscious against Michigan. Don’t look now, but LSU likes to give up a lot of sacks. If Vernon is terrorizing Flynn and Perrilloux then there will be no amount of hammers that will be able to beat the smile of my face.