Ignore Hoke

December 2, 2014 by Leave a Comment

He’s outta there! Brady Hoke is out as Michigan’s Head Football Coach:

Brady Hoke’s tenure at Michigan has been terminated, finally. The school’s interim AD Jim Hackett opted to move in a different direction. The decision, a fait accompli for quite a few weeks, surprised no one.

Back a couple years ago, a popular App had everyone playing Pictionary 2.0, called Draw Something.

ignorehoke_2I played quite a few rounds with my fellow MotSaG’er (and much better artist than me) Jason. The game started out innocently enough, each of us drawing something for words like butterfly and totem pole. Then Jason started adding a little flair to his posts:

Around this same time, there was another guy adding some “flair” to some of the things he was drawing. His instructions to his friend were to “ignore Hitler”. He then collected them in a Tumblr called (appropriately enough) “Ignore Hitler“. I told Jason I was saving his pictures and I was going to start a Tumblr called “Ignore Hoke”. We had a good laugh, and because I’m a lazy bum, I half-assed it and saved a bunch of his pictures but never actually followed through and started that Tumblr. Yet another quality opportunity to troll gone by.

I see those pictures on my phone all the time and I have a pang of guilt because that window of timeliness has come and go. But I’ve held on to the pictures nonetheless because they bring me joy.

And now, in honor of Brady Hoke’s firing, I FINALLY have a reason to share them here.

So, in the immortal words of Jason, IGNORE HOKE (click to behold the Hokeness in all its glory):

ignorehoke_12 ignorehoke_1

ignorehoke_13 ignorehoke_11

ignorehoke_10 ignorehoke_9

ignorehoke_8 ignorehoke_7

ignorehoke_6 ignorehoke_3

ignorehoke_4 ignorehoke_5

Filed Under: B1G Football Tagged With:

Let Me Fix Your Team – Michigan Wolverines

October 31, 2014 by Leave a Comment

I look around college football and I see a lot of disgruntled fan bases. They aren’t happy with their team whether it’s the coaching, the play on the field, all of the losing or a combination of these three. When I see these problems I start to think of a solution for these teams, but I never put them on paper before. But in you’re luck now downtrodden schools! Now I’ve decided to use my expertise to help you through your issues. With my help you’ll be a winner in no time. Just call me Doctor Josh! After helping Florida with their problems, I decided to take on an even bigger problem this week. It’s my toughest patient yet…

Patient: Michigan Wolverines
Status: 3-5 (1-3 in Big Ten)
Current Fan Base Mood: Most of the fan base is starting to realize their program hasn’t been relevant in decades, which has led to depression and heavy drinking. Also: #FireHoke #FireBrandon
Most Embarrassing Moments: Getting shutout by Notre Dame, losing to Minnesota, concussion management of Shane Morris, Brady Hoke’s press conferences, Dave Brandon in general, getting beat by their “little brother” (Mike Hart’s words, not mine) Michigan State, Devin “Pastry Chef” Gardner serving up turnovers and suffering a humiliating blowout loss to Ohio State. Wait that last one hasn’t happened. Yet.

Devin the Pastry Chef

Dr. Josh’s Advice: Well it’s good to hear Michigan fans are starting to accept what they are: a shell of how great their program was back when they were winning multiple national titles in the 1800s when there were only two other teams playing football. People say Notre Dame has issues with this, but at least they went to a national championship game in the last decade (even though they got smoked). Anyway the point is accepting your football team sucks is the first step.

Next you need to go out into the wilderness and go on a spiritual quest to discover who should be the true “Michigan Man” to lead your program back to being great. Of course the wilderness you’ll probably be taking your journey in is located in Ohio because that’s where the greatest Michigan Man ever came from. Come to think of it most great coaches around the country come from Ohio (Urban, Tressel, Stoops, Miles, etc.).

One more thing: I know it’s going to be tough getting through the rest of the season, so you might as well pick up some Domino’s pizza and a Coca-Cola. You should at least have some comfort food in your time of misery.

Prescription: As a certified college football doctor, I’ve sat back and watched fans along with “experts” say who should be the next head coach at Michigan. I laugh at these suggestions though because they’re all wrong. The Harbaugh brothers seem like fine gentlemen, but they don’t fit the recent competitive culture of the program. You’re overreaching and they’re unlikely to leave the NFL. Then there’s Les Miles, who is from Ohio and has previous ties to the program of course. Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? Wrong! He’s currently a head coach in the SEC, which is the greatest conference God has ever delivered to mankind according to Paul Finebaum and the College Football Playoff Committee. You can lose three games in that conference and still compete for a national title. No way he’s leaving easy street.

Rich & Les

Last, but not least I’ve seen Ron Zook’s name thrown out there as a “joke” candidate. That’s just wrong, man. This is a serious situation and as you know I take my job quite seriously. Just look at the fine prescriptions I made for Illinois and Florida. Their fans have done nothing but praise my miracle work.

I have the perfect coach in mind for the University of Michigan. This man was born right in Ann Arbor, Michigan! He’s fairly young at 49 years old and played at Michigan State in college. In fact he was a starting center for three years and earned All-Big 10 Conference honors. He was the co-captain of the team when they defeated USC in the Rose Bowl in his senior season. Not only a great player, but a great student too! He was the first ever graduate student to play on the football team at Michigan State. In addition to this Big Ten experience and hometown lineage, he has three years experience of being a head coach in the NFL and is currently the offensive coordinator for one of the hottest offenses in the league. Aren’t you dying to know who this is?

Can I get a drumroll please? This man deserves it!

This mystery man and the guy I feel should be the next head coach of the Michigan Wolverines is…

Pat Shurmur!

Shurmurnator

You won’t find another coach that battles as hard as this guy. He battled so hard that the Browns had to fire him because they knew he was going to deliver success and battle them to Super Bowls, something that the football gods won’t allow. So I’m going to list the reasons this is a homerun hire: 1) He’s forthright and open about injuries, something that is the exact opposite of Hoke. Proof? This quote describes Shurmur after his first preseason game with the Browns: “When his first game was over, he was open about injuries and honest in his assessment of individual players.” 2) You would be sticking it to your rival Michigan State, just like you stuck that spike in their field before losing to them last Saturday, which led to Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio sticking a late touchdown right up Michigan’s…. well you know. 3) It would bring back to life the once greatest parody account in Twitter history, fake Pat Shurmur. Fake Shurmur could then have epic Twitter battles with the current greatest parody account, Fake Bo Pelini. So if you’re losing you still get entertainment!

I don’t think I need to list any more reasons at this point because you’re probably at Shurmur’s front porch right now begging him to come to Michigan. In fact since you guys like hashtags so much, here’s one for you: #ShurmurToMichigan. I’m a genius!

Happy Halloween Michigan fans! For next week’s post I would like to take questions from you the appreciative audience. It’ll be a Q&A session where Dr. Josh can solve any problems you may have or are curious about. You can put those questions in the comments sections below or send them to Twitter: @SchottJosh. Be sure to send some questions!

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

Michigan AD Admits No One Watches Their Football Games

September 30, 2014 by 3 Comments

Did you think this media storm and public outcry was just going to go away for Michigan? Dave Brandon apparently hopes it will with his statement that was released at cover your butt AM, not sure if that’s still central time or what. I would put the whole statement on here but really you can click the link to read it, besides wouldn’t it be more fun to dissect some of it together. Let’s show that either a cover up has been going on or,here’s my favorite, no one in Ann arbor really knows what the heck is going on. With the whole Brandon release we might as well and splice in some of Brady Hokes press conference too right.

Before we begin I just want to point out that in no way am I calling anyone a liar, I truly don’t believe that there is a cover up going on either. I do however believe that there is complete and utter incompetence coming out of the athletic department, the coaching staff, and medical staff but that is my own opinion.

During the Monday afternoon Brady Hoke press conference, where he was questioned like a billion times about the upcoming Rutgers game, I mean the “consussiongate”.

“The one thing I can tell you is during the process of… let me share this first. Number one, we practiced yesterday. We practiced last night and Shane Morris would have practiced were it not for a high ankle sprain, and that’s one reason I’m telling you that is because that’s what I’ve been told and a high ankle sprain, they have a new word for it that I can’t really pronounce but he would have practiced if it wasn’t for that.

I don’t know coach but either someone is throwing you under the bus or your previous concussions have made you forget that that new medical term is called a Concussion.

From Dave Brandon:

Following the game, a comprehensive concussion evaluation was completed and Shane has been evaluated twice since the game. As of Sunday, Shane was diagnosed with a probable, mild concussion, and a high ankle sprain. That probable concussion diagnosis was not at all clear on the field on Saturday or in the examination that was conducted post-game. Unfortunately, there was inadequate communication between our physicians and medical staff and Coach Hoke was not provided the updated diagnosis before making a public statement on Monday. This is another mistake that cannot occur again.

Here’s my thing on these two statements. Sunday the medical staff had informed Hoke that yes Shane Morris has indeed suffered a high ankle sprain, but from the time of that conversation to the wee early morning hours of Tuesday NO ONE has informed him that the kid suffered a ” probable” concussion? Are you kidding me what kind of outfit are you running up there? You are suppose to be the University of Michigan on the forefront of concussion research and prevention.

You mean to tell me you got it right in 2008 when you took Denard Robinson’s helmet and wouldn’t let him play, Tate Forcier had to play in the third quarter and onto multiple overtimes? You mean to tell me that being on the forefront, having helped so many programs across the country set up guidelines and protocols about concussions, that after the Concussion-Gate that the Cleveland Browns went through certain things never crossed anyone’s minds in Ann Arbor?

More from Brandon:

Going forward, we have identified two changes in our procedures that we will implement immediately:

We will have an athletic medicine professional in the press box or video booth to ensure that someone will have a bird’s eye view of the on-field action, have television replay available and have the ability to communicate with medical personnel on the sidelines.

We are also examining how to reinforce our sideline communication processes and how decisions will be made in order to make sure that information regarding student-athlete availability to participate is communicated effectively amongst the medical team and to our coaches

So why wasn’t this done across the NCAA after the Browns incident in the first place? The NFL changing their concussion protocols? Remember you are U of M and are on the forefront of these things.

More from Brandon:

In the fourth quarter, Shane took a significant hit and stumbled after getting up. From the field level and without the benefit of replays, medical and coaching staffs did not see the hit. Because they did not see the hit, the athletic training staff believed Shane stumbled because of his ankle injury. The team neurologist, watching from further down the field, also did not see the hit. However, the neurologist, with expertise in detecting signs of concussion, saw Shane stumble and determined he needed to head down the sideline to evaluate Shane.

Not to make light of the situation here but your telling me that NO ONE on that sideline had seen that hit or that young man stumble and being held up? Yeah why would you I would be watching on my phone the big ten network to see a real team move the football up and down the field too. I guess that even everyone on the sideline wasn’t into the game and you trying to sell this to your fan base?
.

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

Hoke fails to Deliver on Promise of Player Safety

September 28, 2014 by 9 Comments

Something appalling , disturbing and reprehensible happened Saturday at the Big House in Ann Arbor. No I am not talking about the loss the Wolverines suffered to the Minnesota Gophers. You have to give Jerry Kill and staff credit for having their game plan together and the Gopher players executed it, basically handing Michigan a old fashion butt whooping. The situation I am talking about is with Brady Hoke and Shane Morris.

“We’re not going to talk about injuries and I might as well bring that out now. And some of that is because you can say something about something and then you’re wrong. Everybody heals a little differently, and the other thing is for our kids. I want to make sure we’re doing a good job protecting them.”

That quote was from Brady Hoke at his press conference on 9/17/14 via mgoblog.com.

Saturday night versus Minnesota Shane Morris was taking a beating and on one play it appeared he hurt his left leg pretty bad after getting up from avoiding a safety, as the game wore on he continued to get hit and fall awkwardly on that bad leg. You could see Brady on the sideline watching Morris the entire time trying to encourage him. During this stretch something should have clicked in Hoke’s mind that we need to pull this kid before something really serious happens to him right. Nope later in the game Morris takes a shot that was flagged for unnecessary roughness on the passer and when Shane got to his feet and took a few steps he almost fell down and looked woozy. One of his offensive linemen caught him helping prop himself up then Morris decided to kind of shake it off and say no I’m good I’m staying in.

Here is the video of about six minutes of what was going on:

Here is where the very appalling, very disturbing, and very reprehensible actions took place from head coach Brady Hoke and the University of Michigan medical staff. Michigan has touted that they are on the forefront of concussion research and prevention. They have even helped coaches and athletes across the country identify and educate them on concussion symptoms and awareness. When Shane Morris was finally pulled and Devin Gardner was inserted into the game you could see the medical staff start to “work and talk” with Morris on the sideline. Couple of plays into Gardner’s possession after taking over for the injured Morris, Gardner’s helmet came off meaning he had to sit out a play or Michigan burn a time-out.

Michigan easily could have inserted the third string QB for one play just to hand the ball off for a running play or clearly used a time-out. Nope that’s not what happened. Morris went back into the game for that one play. No he didn’t get hurt again on that play but Hoke and the medical staff clearly dropped the ball and should have never let him back into the game period.

Brady, curious as to the decision to leave Shane in after he got hit. Might’ve had a concussion…

“Well, you know, I don’t know. I don’t know if he might’ve had a concussion or not. I don’t know that and that wasn’t something- Shane’s a pretty competitive, tough kid and Shane wanted to be the quarterback and so believe me, if he didn’t want to be he would’ve come to the sideline or stayed down.”

Was it your decision then to leave him in after the late hit foul?

“The late hit foul…yes.”

Brady, just to be clear on when Shane Morris got the hit to the head, did you see him kind of wobbling and fall?

“I did not.”

Okay, because it looked like he was out on his feet. Nobody saw that on the sideline?

“I didn’t see it. I can only answer for me.”

These quotes are from mgoblog.com post game press conference.

How did Hoke not see Morris after that hit stumble and being helped stay on his feet by his offensive lineman? How was Hoke not paying attention to what was going on?
When Morris came to the sideline and the medical staff was evaluating him how do they not go to the coach and say he can’t play we are still evaluating him even if the kid didn’t have a concussion?

Hoke has clearly shown he seems to have no clue as to what he is witnessing right in front of him or he is in denial. This is definitely a case were wearing headphones on the sidelines communicating with other coaches upstairs would have helped.

Today I am not here to bash the Michigan program or make fun of them but what Brady Hoke and the medical staff did Saturday night was beyond the scope of looking out for a players safety and something needs to be done to Hoke. Yes if this were to happen at Ohio State I would be calling out Urban Meyer, Hoke failed his players. Have to wonder if recruits are rethinking their commitment to Michigan when it looks like the head coach doesn’t seem to be looking out for them.

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

The B1G Is In BIG Trouble On The Coaching Front

September 17, 2014 by Leave a Comment

There is an old axiom that football teams take upon the personality of their head coach. For Ohio State fans, think back to when Jim Tressel was on the sidelines as Ohio State’s head coach from 2001-2010. During close games, most especially during the 2002 national championship season, Tressel remained calm and composed. Consequently, a player such as Craig Krenzel seemed to also remain calm and focused, especially when the game was on the line for the Buckeyes.

This article is not going to be about how Ohio State has taken upon the personality of Coach Urban Meyer. Ohio State fans, and college football fans everywhere, will generally acknowledge that Coach Meyer is one of the best coaches in college football. Ohio State does not have to worry about the positive direction of the football program under Coach Meyer.

The rest of the B1G? I will be charitable when I say, “Ugh”.

There are so many theories that are being offered up for the decline of B1G football – Population shifts to the Southern areas of the country. Oversigning of recruits by other conferences, most notably from the SEC.

My theory? It all starts with the coaching, or lack thereof.

For example, here are some of the names who were B1G coaches in 2004: The aforementioned Jim Tressel. Lloyd Carr, who shared the national title in 1997, and won five B1G titles during his tenure. Joe Paterno, who won two national championships while at Penn State (1982, 1986), and could have arguably won others, such as the 1994 season. Joe Tiller, who won the B1G title in 2000 and led Purdue to the 2001 Rose Bowl. Barry Alvarez, who built Wisconsin football into a top program and won three B1G titles. Glen Mason, who made every school he coached at into a competitive team (Kent State, Kansas, Minnesota). Randy Walker, the winningest coach in Miami University football history and the man who helped to make Northwestern competitive via the spread offense.

Now think about who is on the sidelines today: Only a few truly respected coaches, such as Coach Meyer. James Franklin has won at Vanderbilt, and will win at Penn State. Mark Dantonio won the B1G in 2013 and his Michigan State team ranked fourth in the nation at season’s end.

The reality is the rest of the conference have entrusted their programs to individuals who are not necessarily in-demand on the coaching front. I believe Darrell Hazell of Purdue has potential, but will Hazell be able to turn Purdue around? Pat Fitzgerald may have done all he can at Northwestern. Jerry Kill may have done the same at Minnesota. I believe Brady Hoke is demonstrating to fans of That Team Up North what is meant by The Peter Principle. And Kirk Ferentz of Iowa, who has been the team’s head coach since 1999, has a contract that makes it virtually impossible to be replaced. Tim Beckman of Illinois has taken a bad situation from Ron Zook, and somehow made it worse.

December is usually when programs determine to replace their head coaches. Based upon the dismal performances and reputation of B1G football in 2014, do not be surprised if the axe falls more frequently than ever before. What remains to be seen is if the respective B1G institutions decide to open up their checkbooks to truly bring in quality coaches, like other conferences seem to be willing to do to be relevant within the college football landscape.

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

Ranking The 2014 Ohio State Football Schedule (Part Two)

August 19, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Part one reviewed the 2014 Ohio State football schedule, ranking games from easiest to more challenging, as I perceive them to be. Part two will pick up from where we left off, reviewing the games I consider to be within the “Trap Games” category for Ohio State.

7. @ Minnesota (11/15/2014 – kickoff and telecast TBD): This game at Minnesota will be Ohio State’s first game versus the Golden Gophers since the 2010 season, a now-vacated 52-10 victory. Why am I concerned about this game? As in life, timing is everything. Ohio State will be coming off a visit to East Lansing, MI, on 11/08. Even if Ohio State wins versus Michigan State, will Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer be able to have the Buckeyes “up” for a game on the road, against an opponent that plays a physical style of offense, in what could be less than ideal weather conditions? Perhaps I am giving Minnesota too much credit, but I believe this game could be closer than most Ohio State fans realize.

8. @ Navy (08/30/2014 – 12pm EST kickoff, CBS Sports Network telecast): In 2009, Navy came into Ohio Stadium, and nearly pulled off an upset, but were thwarted by former Buckeye linebacker Brian Rolle. While Ohio State has far superior speed and athleticism than the Naval Academy, Navy’s triple option offense will keep Ohio State’s newly-revamped defense off balance all game. For an Ohio State defense that has struggled the past two seasons, it is truly a baptism by fire for new Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash. Throw in the fact that the triple option offense is difficult for a scout team to adequately simulate, and you may understand why I am ranking this game so highly in terms of difficulty for Ohio State in the season opener.

9. Cincinnati (09/27/2014 – 6pm EST kickoff, BTN telecast): Ohio State has defeated Cincinnati in its previous visits to Ohio Stadium over the years (1999, 2004, 2006). With Cincinnati head coach Tommy Tuberville at the helm, Cincinnati went 9-4 in 2013. The old 2002 storylines will be in overdrive leading up to this game. Be on the lookout for stories involving how Coach Tuberville has a winning record vs Coach Meyer, when both were in the SEC. With a 6pm kickoff, this should be a good one.

10. Virginia Tech (09/06/2014 – 8pm EST kickoff, ESPN telecast): The 2014 home opener for Ohio State should be rocking. Virginia Tech is the marquee non-conference opponent for Ohio State this season, and I expect Coach Meyer will try to use this game to highlight the program with recruits in attendance, as well as impress a national television audience. Virginia Tech’s defense, which ranked eleventh in the country in points allowed in 2013, may be disruptive to a still-developing Ohio State offensive line. The special teams battles between both squads will also be something to watch.

III. Rivalry Games: Throw out the records in these contests. Ohio State fans should not be surprised if these games come down to the final play, with Ohio State emerging as the victor or the victim. (Note: In fairness to Penn State, I believe the Nittany Lions will again be in this category for Ohio State, but not this season, with remaining NCAA sanctions against the program.)

11. Michigan (11/29/2014 – kickoff and telecast TBD): That Team Up North. THE GAME. In 2012, Ohio State rallied to win, 26-21. In 2013, Ohio State survived on the road, 42-41. With Michigan head coach Brady Hoke under fire to turn the Wolverines around from a disappointing 2013 season, does anyone doubt that this game will be lacking any suspense or intensity? This could be a game that saves Coach Hoke’s job, or seals his fate. In addition, this could be a game that determines the representative from The B1G’s East Division for its 2014 B1G Championship Game.

12. @ Michigan State (11/08/2014 – 8pm kickoff, ABC telecast): Here is the game that all Ohio State coaches, players, and fans have been looking toward since the Michigan State Spartans ruined Ohio State’s chances to compete for the 2013 BCS Championship. In 2012, Ohio State eked out a 17-16 victory in East Lansing. With an 8pm kickoff, the coaches for both sides will have their hands full making sure their players are not too high for this game, after a full day of probable intensive media attention. I doubt that there is anything that will be done to help the fans, who will have a full day to properly imbibe at tailgates and parties.

There you have it – my perspective on the 2014 Ohio State football schedule, from easiest to most difficult. Let me know what you think. The 2014 football season is just around the corner.

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

Three Yards and a Cloud of Links

February 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Good morning Buckeye Nation. Today I am speaking to you from the frozen tundra of Antarctica. Whats sad is if you actually looked up the weather conditions for Antarctica its actually warmer in many places than Ohio. OK so lets grab our cups of coffee or hot cocoa and get started.

Broken Tater? Word out of Pickerington Central is that Jae’Sean Tate has been shut down for the rest of the year due to a shoulder injury. Tate who is a senior forward for the Tigers signed in November to be a Buckeye next season. Reports are saying he needs surgery for a torn labrum which has been hurting him since May.

We here at MotSaG are hoping Tate makes a full and speedy recovery and is at full strength for the Buckeyes next season. Get well soon young man.

Buckeye Tabloid Gossip: Apparently the Internets were sent a buzzing recently. I’ll be honest here I am not sure of the who when and where, but someone or something was putting out there that coach Meyer and former coach Vrabel had some kind of falling out. Now since I don’t know the story I am going to put my shiny little two cents in here. Mike Vrabel left for the Houston Texans to coach the linebackers leaving behind his alma mater. I truly believe this was his choice and his alone. The man bleeds Scarlet and Gray and I feel did one heck of a job for the Buckeyes and it was great having him on the sidelines helping these kids become men. Vrabel had an opportunity to coach in the NFL which maybe in his mind (and buy his actions) was much bigger than the collegiate level. He might have aspirations of being a head football coach in the NFL. The reason I bring all this up is that coach Meyers wife had to go to twitter Thursday to set the record straight.

Good luck in the NFL coach Vrabel and you will always be a Buckeye in my and many many of Buckeye Nations hearts. Chase your dream and may you encounter success where ever you turn.

Step Back from the Ledge: I know Buckeye fans we have had some trying times this season watching the mens basketball team. We have been spoiled and expect nothing but the best because lets face it this is The Ohio State University and nothing but the best will do for ANYONE wearing Scarlet and Gray. How spoiled have we become in mens basketball? Well Doug Lesmerises of cleveland.com (Clevleand Plain Dealer) has a nice story on how the Buckeyes program has been the third most successful team in the nation during the regular season. During the last four years the Buckeyes have averaged a 2 seed for the NCAA tournament. That’s pretty impressive when Kansas has averaged a 1 seed and Duke 1.5 seed during the same span.

Speaking of the men’s basketball team don’t forget to watch them go for three in a row versus Purdue tonight and read Josh Schott’s preview on the game.

Breaking cHoke Steps Down: Word out of Ann Arbor is that Brady cHoke is stepping down. The Big House Report is reporting yesterday that cHoke is stepping down as the defensive lines coach. Apparently he wants to be the “head coach” now or something along those lines. Seems that his failures to date have his seat a little hot (must be the reason he doesn’t need a long sleeve shirt on a cold day) so he wants to concentrate on being a the head guy. This is Brady cHokes comments on the move.

Until next time Buckeye Nation stay warm and stay safe.

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

Q&A with an Opponents Blogger:TTUN

November 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Well here we are at the last game of the regular season, its the most anticipated game of the regular season. This is The Game really nothing in all of sports compares. Folks down south like to think that the Iron Bowl is the best but lets face facts I believe only twice have those teams met when they were both Top 5 or Top 10 something like that. It seems like 9 out of 10 times that the wolverines of TSUN and the Buckeyes of The Ohio State University meet there is something on the line.

I know you are all just waiting for this weeks post on who I’m talking with and what kind of hard hitting questions I can come up with for TTUN. Well this week Joshua who is the editor of The Big House report was ever so gracious enough to work with me on this weeks post.

MotSaG: I wanted to start out with what the hell is going on with the Michigan fan base? I’m seeing they are getting rid of their tickets online and ready to burn Ann Arbor down, is it that bad or just the Wolverine boards I’m reading greatly exaggerated?

TBHR: It’s not fun to be a Michigan fan right now. The season hasn’t gone as planned and the fans are acting accordingly. A lot of the message board fodder you are mostly reading are from fans who have a tendency to freak out. Most fans dont understand the meaning of “perspective” and just want to automstically result in fire and pitchfork protesting.

MotSaG: Do you think enough bandwagon fans get ride of there tickets Scarlet and Gray will overrun the Big House?

TBHR: Ohio State fans always travel well, it’s not a huge secret. Considering how big this game is, I expect the stadium to be filled with plenty of scarlet. Those fans who are willingly giving their tickets to Buckeye fans are part of the problem.

MotSaG: Brady cHoke is in his 3rd season and he seems to be getting worse (record wise) with his own hand picked talent, Is it him or the coordinators failing him?

TBHR: I wouldn’t necessarily call Hoke’s tenure a failure yet. Hoke is trying to rebound from a senior-heavy squad in 2011, the team is young. I’m not trying to excuse the lack of results, it’s just the way it is right now. Is Al Borges to blame for a lack of offense? Probably. I give Hoke one more season before the heat gets turned up on his seat.

MotSaG: One of Michigan’s biggest problems this season is the offensive line, will they be able to patchwork something to keep OSU’s defensive line away from Gardner?

TBHR: Simply put, no. Michigan has shuffled that line way too many times this season. There really isn’t much chemistry there, as you can see from the terrible year they are having.

MotSaG: Whats the over/under on Devin The Pastry Chef Gardners turnovers vs Buckeyes?

TBHR: Believe it or not, Gardner has cut down on the turnovers as the season has progressed. Although that won’t help him this weekend. Considering Michigan will be desperate, they will try to force plays. With that being said, I expect Gardner to have at least two turnovers.

MotSaG: Being this is The Game and the greatest rivalry in ALL of sports Buckeye fans know and expect Michigan to bring their best and then some but my question is have they played their best yet this season at any game or is there to many problems?

TBHR: Notre Dame was arguably Michigan’s most complete game. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really mean much. I am hoping that Michigan is leaving the best for last. But, again, that’s going to be tough.

MotSaG: Seen a report come out Sunday I believe that cHoke has lost the team do you feel this to be true?

TBHR: Don’t believe those reports, they are not true. Hoke is still respected by the team.

MotSaG: With the issues the Wolverines have been having this season what effect is it having on recruiting? I seen Jabrill Peppers is taking official visits after his season ends I thought that was a big no non in cHokes eyes?

TBHR: I think losing out on Hand is good enough evidence that the season is taking its toll on recruiting. The Peppers thing was overblown, he said he wanted to have a backup plan because of fake rumors floating around that Hoke will be let go after the season. So far, there are zero decommits and I dont really expect any changes with the current class. What happens in the future remain to be seen.

MotSaG: Before the season started I wrote my first post hoping and thinking Michigan was going to be a good team and I also wrote about The Pastry Chef and our site thinking he was going to be the in the Top 25 of the B1G talent as much as I don’t like Michigan I do respect the heck out of them so my question is, is the talent on the team overrated or the coaching overrated?

TBHR: I think it’s just a simple fact of the players not living up to expectations I don’t think the coaching or players are overrated, I still think the team needs one more offseason to be coached up before we can make a determination.

MotSaG: Buckeye fans keep hearing Michigan fans say that Ohio State has a cupcake schedule and they haven’t played anyone ( you know riding the coat tails of national media). If Ohio State schedule is so easy why did Michigan need OT to beat Northwestern lost to Iowa and Penn State and barely beat the cupcakes Akron and UConn? Michigan’s schedule isn’t harder than the Buckeyes yet tOSU is undefeated and Michigan is 7-4.

TBHR: Every team plays each other differently. Northwestern gave Ohio State all it could handle, while they sucked when they played Michigan (as did the wolverines.) The lopsided records to conference strength between the two teams is due to the Buckeyes being a vastly superior team. Its as simple as that.

MotSaG: What does your gut tell you to expect from this game? Final score prediction and if you feel Michigan wins what do they have to do to beat the Buckeyes?

TBHR: I’m thinking Ohio State will put up 35-40 points this weekend. Michigan will lose, obviously. It could be worse, considering the Buckeyes need style points in the BCS.

I’m at a loss here because honestly I have been hoping that TTUN was turning things around and this was going to start another Ten Year War or something along those lines. I’m not sure what the problem is up there nor do I really care but I do know rest assured as much as we Buckeye fans are beating our chests that this should be a slam dunk kick their butts type of game, it won’t happen till the end. As much as I feel that Brady cHoke is vastly overrated and in over his head those kids putting on those putrid maize and blue helmets and jerseys they will come to play.

One of the many reasons I can never look past this team no matter the coach no matter the year 2 games stick out in my mind from all of my many years of watching this rivalry. The kid from Cleveland striking that damn pose and the one which that kid ran all over us for over 300 yards and while he wasn’t doing his Forest Gump impression on the field he was riding a stationary bike on the sideline for which we recommended envy reaper scooter bars. I refuse to mention them by name because when I hear their names I feel that same pain in my heart all over again and if your to young to know I bet they will remind us Saturday.

Like many of you I will be going out early for kegs and eggs and I will make sure I sit next to my friend who is a TSUN fan and revel in his misery I hope. Seriously the Buckeyes could really make a statement in this game early and quickly like they have done this season. This is the game where if the Buckeyes get up early and are firing on all cylinders you better believe the main man from Astubula, Oh will be going for the kill and when asked after the game why did you run up the score. “Because its TTUN”

I as many of you are hoping for a can of whoop ass to be open up on the wolverines but history and my gut tell me the odds makers are probably right with the 13 point spread. The Buckeyes defensive line is going to need to pin their ears back and constantly beat the hell out of The Pastry Chef and Carlos Hyde is going to have to do what he does best run over them again and again.

I want to thank Joshua from The Big House Report again for being a great sport and taking the time out to help me with this weeks post. Please go check out his site they do great work over there even if its for TTUN.

If you want to get involved and have questions about THE B1G Championship Game feel free to send them in to me and I can send them on. Email your questions to AskMotSaG@gmail.com or MotSaG@gmail.com. Would love to know your thoughts on this post and hope you enjoyed it.

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

The Spread, Week 3: An L For An L

September 11, 2013 by 2 Comments

This weekend, Alabama and Texas A&M meet for a much-anticipated follow-up to last year’s thrilling game, a surprise Aggie upset that put Johnny Manziel on the map, for better or worse. Okay, definitely for worse.

Alabama is loaded again this year and still coached by Nick Saban, the Dark Lord of College Football. It’s no secret that Saban is a great coach, but he is especially adept at revenge. In fact, if there’s one thing that makes Nick Saban happy (if that is indeed an emotion he is capable of experiencing), I’d bet it’s beating the tar out of a team who bested him in their previous meeting.

I’ve examined Saban’s career as a head coach, from Michigan State through the present day (he was only at Toledo for a year, so there were no revenge opportunities), and I have found that Saban has a career Revenge Percentage of 71%. This is pretty good, considering his early MSU days were not kind to him. If you ignore his time with the Spartans, that number jumps to a staggering 88.2%, as he has lost just two revenge opportunities since the year 2000. With Alabama, he is currently at an impressive 87.5% (which would increase to 88.9% with a win this weekend).

But enough about those SEC jerks, what about our own favorite and least favorite coaches?

While Urban Meyer would first have to lose a game at Ohio State before he could avenge said hypothetical loss, it’s not a bad idea to check into his history with such things, just so we’re prepared. And it’s no surprise that I have good news: Meyer has a career Revenge Percentage of 80%, with only two losses ever, both at Florida (one to Nick Saban). This is a reflection of two qualities that have made Meyer such a successful coach: he doesn’t lose much and his teams tend to improve, especially from his first year to his second.

On the flip side, there’s Brady Hoke, who has done more than his fair share of losing. One need only look at his days at Ball State and San Deigo State to see that success does not come as easily for That Coach Up North. Neither does vengeance, as Hoke’s career Revenge Percentage sits at a mediocre 51.5%. A bright spot for Wolverine fans: He is 3-0 at UM so far, including last weekend’s victory over Notre Dame. It may be difficult for Hoke to maintain that perfection for long though, with revenge games against Nebraska and Ohio State (and possibly South Carolina?) still to come this season.

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