“Put Me In Coach”

osuHelmet“Oh, put me in, Coach – I’m ready to play today;

Put me in, Coach – I’m ready to play today;”

~ John Fogerty, Centerfield

I realize that I am mixing sports metaphors here, as “Centerfield” was written about baseball, and this article is about Ohio State football, but please bear with me. No, this article is not being intended to serve as a voice of doom and gloom for this upcoming week’s contest against California.

For the first two weeks of the 2013 season, Ohio State has held commanding leads late in the game, and has won convincingly. While this is not surprising to me, what is surprising is how the coaching staff is not using these opportunities to provide the backup players, especially on the offensive side of the ball, some game-time experience.

For example, in game one against Buffalo, Braxton Miller suffered cramps, and was ably replaced by Kenny Guiton. When Miller was able to return into the game, Guiton went back to the sidelines, and Ohio State remained in complete control, defeating Buffalo 40-20.

Late in the contest, with Buffalo clearly defeated, Braxton Miller was in the game. Why not give Kenny Guiton even more playing time?

Versus San Diego State, Ohio State was forced to play Guiton, with Miller suffering a knee injury early in the game. Again, Guiton played well.

Winning the game against San Diego State 42-7, Guiton was in the game, well after the game was decided. Why not use this opportunity to give playing time to Cardale Jones?

I could make the same argument regarding players such as Warren Ball (only carried the ball twice against San Diego State), or Bri’onte Dunn (no carries yet this season). Yes, I understand that Jordan Hall, Dontre Wilson, Rod Smith, and Ezekiel Elliott all carried the ball against San Diego State – why not give players such as Ball or Dunn playing time late in the contest?  I even tweeted something along those lines ~

A case in point – notice how Ohio State’s defense has seemingly substituted many defensive backups into the games, and the benefits that this has provided Ohio State’s defense…

My article may seem alarmist or overly pessimistic by Ohio State fans, but please keep in mind the following points ~

1) Even Coach Meyer stated in his press conference on 09/09/2013 that Braxton Miller was a “day to day decision” (see below). Yes, I have complete confidence in Kenny Guiton.

What happens if Miller cannot go versus Cal, and Guiton is hurt during the game? Now Cardale Jones, or J.T. Barrett, enter into the Cal game, with NO game experience. And that scenario could have been completely avoided, by playing them late versus Buffalo and San Diego State.

2) Yes, I understand that it will be difficult to keep all of the running backs happy. Yes, I know that Dunn has not played because Dunn has not played on special teams. But think about this – running back depth is something to protect, not take for granted. I can certainly recall many seasons when Ohio State seemingly had to scramble to find capable running backs – is 2003 too far back for people to remember?

My point is, players can go down to injury quickly. Considerable depth can be eliminated very easily. Play as many players as possible, to provide experience if needed.

Players to Watch: San Diego State Week 2

San Diego State

Colin Lockett #24:  Despite San Diego State’s embarrassing loss, to FCS side Eatern Illinois, Lockett’s performance was one of the bright spots of the day, for the Aztecs.  Lockett registered 8 catches, for 98 yards, and also had one rushing attempt, for 48 yards, that went for a touchdown.  Lockett is a wide receiver that stands 5-11, 180 pounds, and is a speedster.  The Buckeyes will need to keep Lockett in front of them, and wrap him up whenever they get the opportunity, due to his ability to blow the top off a defense, with one touch of the ball.  Lockett will most likely be matched up against Bradley Roby, so I would expect Lockett to have a pretty quiet afternoon.

[Read more…]

The Best of the B1G, #1 Braxton Miller

b1g_iconThe returning B1G Offensive Player of the Year promises frightening new potential in Urban Meyer’s second year. A very early Heisman favorite, Braxton Miller will have several advantages this year that he did not have last year, including experience, continuing improved passing and a second year in Urban’s system. However, the strongest new development is the emergence of the receiving corps which for the two years prior was the Achilles heal of the offense. After the 2011 tat-gate suspensions deprived the offense of its only experienced receiver DeVier Posey, the offense has had to struggle with young receivers not yet strong enough to separate themselves with frequency.

Braxton Miller

Braxton Miller


That has all changed now. Not only does Braxton have a strong group of hardened veterans, but a strong recruiting class, highlighted by what should be the immediate impact of JUCO signee Corey Smith and playmakers Dontre Wilson, Jalin Marshall and James Clark. Also, not to be overlooked is the prospect of a healthy Jordan Hall catching passes out of the backfield alongside the power of Carlos Hyde. And we have not even gotten to tight end where Nick Vannett and Jeff Heuerman promise to be as robust as any unit. If I had to pick a surprise bust out darkhorse, I would go with junior Evan Spencer who has all the athleticism, strength and now experience to be a guy who can make a big play. But if you want to make an impact in this group, Evan you better start early.

One group that Braxton does not have to worry about is the offensive line. Replacing Reid Fragel will not be easy but there are several strong contenders and the unit, which was strong to begin with, is otherwise intact.

Funny how you can talk about Braxton’s potential and how great it looks by spending so much time on others before getting to Braxton himself. For the record, in 2012, Ohio State led the B1G in scoring offense and was third in total offense. The Buckeyes were also second in passing efficiency, rushing offense and red zone conversions. But they were eighth in passing offense, and Braxton was 7th in YPG. Braxton himself was second in overall offense and fourth in rushing but only the seventh leading passer.

The point is, Braxton has carved out his success largely by himself, that is mostly with his feet. He had no choice really, with such an inexperienced receiving corps and with banged up running backs. So the prospect of a Braxton Miller sitting in the middle of many other explosive weapons is tantalizing indeed. But from a different perspective, it was kind of like he has been strafing, with deadly precision, the B1G in a WWII Mustang fighter. Now it looks like he will be dropped in to seize the controls of a jet fighter. Perhaps that is a challenge in itself–it remains to be seen whether he can pull all the right levers with so many potential options, but given the experience he now has, one has to like his odds.

Every Reason to Smile

Every Reason to Smile

Immediately after the 2012 season ended, Braxton, got together with noted “quarterback whisperer” George Whitfield, Jr., who said , “Braxton has one of the biggest arms in college football. “I know people see his speed and his playmaking ability. But I am talking about, he’s got rare, rare arm talent.” The Spring Game obviously has been the only opportunity to view Braxton since working with Whitfield, but the results, admittedly limited, were all thumbs up. And of course, Ohio State is blessed with a very capable backup in fan favorite Kenny Guiton. So Ohio State fans can expect to buckle up and enjoy the ride–it promises to be a blast.

Previously on MotSaG’s Best of the B1G
#2 Taylor Martinez
#3 Bradley Roby
#4 Ryan Shazier
#5 Taylor Lewan
Best of the B1G, #10-6
Best of the B1G, #15-11
Best of the B1G, #20-16
Best of the B1G, #25-21

Braxton Miller cleared in Autograph Scandal

OSU Football

OSU Football

As anyone who follows sports will know Johnny Manziel is the target of an NCAA investigation for several autograph signing sessions where he was allegedly paid large amounts of money in return for signing 100s of items. You can read all about those claims by reading Joe Schad’s report on ESPN.

Today some of those same brokers had items by lots of CFB players including Jadaveon Clowney and Braxton Miller. As was first reported in this article on Busted Coverage.

After a brief investigation by myself you can find items by nearly every player on every team in CFB on Ebay. No one is exempt from it and 99% of those players on there will never be accused of doing anything illegal. Johnny Manziel has a real issue facing him as there are multiple dealers saying they paid him to sign stuff. Those dealers though will only tell their story to ESPN and wont tell it to the NCAA so most likely nothing will ever come of it.

What we are seeing though is this… Players and schools are coming out and saying their players did nothing wrong.

Such as this…

Of course now Ohio State has also released their own investigation report on the issue. Gene Smith had this to say to Cleveland.com…

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith told Cleveland.com today that Ohio State received a call on Sunday night that Miller was the college athlete with the second-most memorabilia on a website where Manziel had the most items for sale. Manziel is reportedly being investigated by the NCAA for selling his autographs for money.

“We were told our guy was number two,” Smith said. “So we started checking on that. We went through all that stuff, and there’s no connection.”

Smith said the compliance department met with Miller sometime on Monday or Tuesday, and it was determined that most of the Miller merchandise for sale was signed during an hour-long autograph session held in Chicago in late July as part of Big Ten media days. The Buckeyes and Michigan had the longest lines there.

Which led to this discussion today with B1G commish Jim Delaney who was in town today to watch OSU practice and talk to OSU staff…

With Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany in Columbus today as part of his tour of the conference, Smith said he brought up that issue, and questioned whether such a large autograph signing was the best idea in the future, in light of the recent and past autograph sales that aroused NCAA concerns.

“A lot of that is from there, and we’re doing it to ourselves,” Smith said.

Ohio State, for example, has greatly curtailed the autographs signed by its athletes and instead gives photo cards to its high-profile players, like Miller, to pass out. Less than three years removed from memorabilia violations that brought sanctions down on the football team, Smith said the athletic department chases any potential issues when they arise, and in this case, Ohio State is confident that Miller did nothing wrong.

“We’ve been on it,” Smith said. “There’s nothing there. There’s nothing there.”

Which leads itself to a lot of discussion about whether schools and conferences should be holding signing sessions for fans that are filled with autograph dealers that will lead to profits made off those signatures and questions of the integrity of the players doing the signing.

Impact Performers

OSU FootballMuch of the country, along with all of Buckeye Nation, is expecting Ohio State to be in prime position for the BCS National Championship come November. Looking at the schedule that is put in front of us, I would agree with that assumption. However, not every game will be “#easy” as “Philly” Brown put in a tweet earlier today. There will be expected and unexpected challenges as the season progresses. Ultimately we could end up at the national title game facing the first or second best team in the country. In order to conquer the hurdles the regular season will present to this team, and also put ourselves in the best position to lift that crystal ball, certain players must improve and have a major impact on this team. I have comprised a list of five players I have pegged that need to have a larger impact on the field this upcoming season in order for Buckeye Nation to take over Pasadena and the title of being College Football’s Best.

Joel Hale

The defensive line, along with the linebacking core, seems to be the largest area of concern for the Buckeyes this season. This is not completely due to a lack of talent, but due to a lack of experience as well. The largest hole that must be filled is one that can only be filled by a 300 pound plus guy. Johnathan Hankins was the rock of the defensive line last year. He consistently wrecked havoc up the middle in the pass and run game. Joel Hale has to, at minimum, resemble that kind of rock when it comes to the run game. He must learn how to occupy two blockers in order to free up linebackers and he must also be able to shed some of those double teams. In order for the Buckeyes rush defense to remain a force, Hale will have to improve his initial burst off the line and move opposing lineman in to the backfield allowing for our athletic ends and linebackers to gain leverage on the play and wrap up the ball carrier. I would not expect much from Hale in the pass rush nor do I think we need much from him in the pass rush area, but in order to face the likes of an SEC run game and other Big Ten opponents such as that Team Up North, the middle of the Ohio State defensive line will have to be extremely physical and dominant and that will start with Hale this year.

Chris Fields

Jordan Hall is not reliable. There- I said what the rest of Buckeye fans will not. He is good when healthy but that seemed to be a rarity these past two seasons. Throughout his career, Chris Fields has underachieved but this year will have to be his year to step up. He has to become the big play, multi-threat weapon that this Ohio State offense has been begging for. He has the speed and versatility to do everything the coaching staff asks of him and, for the first time, he sounds and looks like he knows what they are asking from him. In order for this offense to be effective that “Percy Harvin” or pivot role player has to be a game breaker and a consistent game breaker. Judging from the spring game, it looked as though Fields is ready to accept that role. However, do be careful with spring game stats (reference Michael Thomas 2012 Spring Game), as they can lead fans to jump the gun a little.

fields

Devin Smith

Lethal but inconsistent seems to be the story with Devin Smith. He can make you pull your hair out at times but with one play he makes up for it all. This year, however, that will not be good enough. Herman is looking for his wide receivers to develop into becoming real wide receivers this year. For Devin Smith that will require running more crisp routes, getting off of jams quicker, and also consistently busting the top off of coverages. This will keep defenses honest deep, open up the middle of the field, and allow for the intermediate passing game to develop.

brown_smith

Curtis Grant

Unfortunately, cloning Ryan Shazier is not an option for the Buckeyes. We are stuck with that former 5-star linebacker out of Hermitage High School, Curtis Grant. Grant has also been one to underachieve during his time at Ohio State. Like Chris Fields, I believe much of it has to do with his mental approach to the game. I do not think Curtis Grant has committed himself to becoming the best linebacker he can be, but it sounds like he is turning the page, which is a huge step forward. Teams such as Alabama have had consistent linebacker play in their national championship runs. Grant will need to be smart and disciplined in his play. I’m not worried about his speed or strength: the guy is a freak of nature athlete. However if this defense wants to become elite, Grant must become a more efficient and smarter football player.

Braxton Miller

Are you surprised? The quarterback on every team gets all the glory when winning and all the blame when things go wrong. Accuracy is the magic word for Miller this upcoming season. Last year it was his deep ball that we were concerned about and he made large strides in quelling our doubts. This year the Buckeyes need Braxton to improve on the intermediate passing game. His total passing percentage last year was 58.3% which, in my opinion, is pedestrian. I understand it was his first year in the offense, but that was not the whole reason behind his inaccuracy. On several occasions Braxton reverted to back yard football and would replace mechanics with athleticism, which is great for pretty much any other skill position besides quarterback. Quarterbacks need to be smart and calm during chaos. If Ohio State faces the likes of an Alabama or Florida defense chaos will be continual. Braxton will need to be able to keep his feet tied to his eyes, his weight balanced, and deliver accurate passes during the several big games Ohio State will be playing this year.

miller

Another key skill Braxton must work on is his situational awareness. Several times last year he held onto the ball too long, scrambled with it loosely, or became forceful with a pass and turned the ball over. Ohio State gave up 39 sacks last year behind a pretty good offensive line which leads me to believe that Braxton held onto the ball too long on several occasions. He has to learn to get rid of the ball intelligently, whether it is throwing it away or finding a route late and getting the ball to his receiver. He must also grow to understand that while fighting for every last yard is admirable, he has to get down or get out of bounds to avoid excessive hits. He is the perfect conductor for this offense and in order for it to run on all cylinders he must be the guy taking the snaps and delivering the ball in order for Ohio State to win a national title.

With a further understanding of the offensive and defensive schemes, along with a new found commitment and opportunity presented to these five guys, the Buckeyes could see themselves lifting a crystal ball in Pasadena.

Photos by HoneyChild Photography (used with permission)

Award Watchlist Watch: Walter Camp

OSU FootballWatchlists? Watchlists:

Walter Camp Award (Player of the Year)
Braxton Miller, QB
Bradley Roby, DB

It’s of course no surprise, but Troy Smith was the last Buckeye to be honored with the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, back in 2006:

Previous Watchlists:
Award Watchlist Watch: Outland, Nagurski, Maxwell, Bednarik, Rimington, and Mackey
Award Watchlist Watch: Butkus, Thorpe, and Lombardi
Award Watchlist Watch: Biletnikoff
Award Watchlist Watch: Davey O’Brien
Award Watchlist Watch: Doak Walker

(You can also see the entire list here, on our Awards Page)

Top Five Heisman Candidates [Guest Post]

Football(This is a guest post by Chris Williams, one of many applicants for the recently open positions on the MotSaG staff.)

With just a little less than 60 days until the first game of the college football season, the itch to write was too strong not to scratch. I don’t normally encourage preseason rankings, whether it is polls or Heisman predictions, but I was asked to list my top five Heisman candidates for the upcoming season. I have not listed them in any particular order (it’s the preseason, there’s no need to get too crazy) and these are the top five players who I think have a great chance to make a run at the trophy formerly known as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy.

Several others were considered: AJ McCarron will likely break the Alabama record for passing yards this season, but I fear TJ Yeldon will take votes away from him. I also think that the focus will be on his pursuit of a fourth ring rather than this season’s accomplishments and this is not a career award. Lache Seastrunk will have a great year at Baylor, but voters tend to shy away from players whose team doesn’t have a fantastic record so he may be in trouble. Marcus Mariota will turn some heads again this year, but we’ll see if there’s any post-Kelly drop off. Finally, I’m a huge JaDaveon Clowney fan, but I don’t think we’ll see a purely defensive player win this trophy any time soon.

1. Marqise Lee, WR, USC: Lee was the best player in the country last season, in my view, and was stuck on an unbelievably underachieving team. He was in the top three in the country in receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, receptions per game, and yards per game. Additionally, he was in the top ten in the nation in average punt return yardage. He did all that while playing opposite Robert Woods, who was drafted 41st overall in April’s NFL draft and in a season which saw Matt Barkley fall from being potentially the top pick in the 2012 NFL Draft (had he left) to being a fourth-round pick in 2013.

A wide receiver hasn’t won the Heisman since current College GameDay cast member (and former member of TTUN), Desmond Howard, won it in 1991. Football, on every level, has become a pass-centric game over the years and because of that, only twice since 2000 a non-quarterback has taken home the 25-pound trophy (both were running backs). I think it’s time that a receiver gets some of the credit for the success of the passing game because someone is beating defenders and then catching the balls that these quarterbacks are throwing. The only thing that may hold Lee back this year is the uncertainty at quarterback for the Trojans this season, but then again it’s not as if Barkley was solid last year.

2. Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville: Bridgewater is the trendy pick right now due to a combination of the Cardinals’ destruction of the Gators in the Sugar Bowl and the easy schedule that lies ahead in 2013. Bridgewater easily had the best game that any quarterback had against the Gators defense all last season. He threw for more yards (266) and was the only quarterback who threw for more touchdowns (2) than interceptions (1) against them.

Louisville’s schedule this season isn’t exactly daunting either. That might have been helped had Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas opted for the NFL as it is rumored that had he done so, Frank Beamer was going to try to get out of the Alabama game in Week 1 and Charlie Strong was going to try to jump into it. However, that didn’t happen and Louisville has a schedule that only has games in which the Cardinals should be the favorite. Only Kentucky and Cincinnati, both with new head coaches, have any hope of ruining an undefeated season. However, with this schedule, Bridgewater would need another great bowl performance to get the public’s attention — too bad Heisman voting is before bowl season.

3. Johnny “Football” Manziel, QB, Texas A&M: Only former Buckeyes running back Archie Griffin has won the Heisman twice, winning it his junior and senior seasons, in 1974 and 1975. Manziel was the first freshman (redshirt or otherwise) to take the trophy home last season after becoming one of five players in college football history to throw for 3000 yards and rush for 1000 yards (and he’s the only one of the five that didn’t need a conference championship or bowl game to reach either milestone.) The bright side is that Manziel should have a much stronger understanding of Kevin Sumlin’s system in his second season (and first full offseason as the starter). Offensive Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury leaving to be head coach at Texas Tech will hurt some, but Jake Spavital (a Dana Holgerson prodigy) should fill in just fine. The loss of All-American (and second overall pick in April’s NFL Draft) left tackle Luke Joeckel is certainly a concern, but the return of senior (and fellow All-American) Jake Matthews lessens that to some degree as he will move from right to left tackle. Manziel is eligible for the NFL after this season and that may inspire him to put up video game numbers again, but it will be much harder with a target on that number 2 this time.

4. Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson: Tajh Boyd was commit to the Buckeyes in 2009, but chose the Tigers late in the process, presumably because he didn’t want to wait out the Terrelle Pryor era (… and what an era that was). It looks like he made a choice that works for him as he seems to fit well in Chad Morris’ (offensive coordinator). Boyd threw for nearly 4000 yards (3896) last season and didn’t have his best receiver, Sammy Watkins, at full strength for most of the season. Boyd ended his redshirt junior season with a great performance against LSU in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. He threw for 346 yards against the Tigers defense (only Tyler Wilson threw for more against them) and orchestrated an impressive game-winning drive, which included converting a 4th and 16 with just over a minute remaining. Watkins is reportedly healthy this season and if he stays that way, expect big numbers for him and Boyd both because they have a great connection.

Boyd has a great chance to fuel the fire for his candidacy in Week 1 this season as the Tigers host SEC East Champions Georgia on August 31st. The Tigers host Florida State in Week 8 and Boyd will be matched up against freshman sensation Jameis Winston (keep an eye on this kid) and then finish their regular season with a visit to Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks. Boyd will have several chances to get Heisman-worthy attention; all he has to do is step it up just as he did against LSU.

5. Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State: Historically, quarterbacks in their second year under Urban Meyer thrive as they have a better understanding of his offensive philosophy and the required reads (i.e. Alex Smith, Chris Leak, Tim Tebow). Last year’s undefeated run and Meyer’s past success will give Miller some early Heisman hype. The Buckeyes’ success was far too dependent on Miller’s legs last season, specifically because when he didn’t know what to do, or the play broke down, his answer was to run. If I had compiled this list just a few weeks ago, I definitely would not have included Miller due to the Buckeyes’ lack of a punter. Field position would then, potentially, have seriously hurt his chances of success with punting duties being the responsibility of a placekicker (Drew Basil) and/or a wide receiver (Frank Epitropolous) after they were unable to offer a scholarship to Johnny Townsend due to scholarship reductions (he ended up going to Florida). However, with the signing of Australian Cameron Johnston, that concern has calmed significantly. Miller threw considerably better this spring and he looked a lot more comfortable doing so and I expect a breakout season for sophomore wide receiver Michael Thomas who is a big target that Miller should be able to rely upon to convert first downs.

Miller, by far, isn’t the favorite to win the Heisman, but there’s absolutely no reason he shouldn’t have a season worthy of a trip to New York as a finalist.

In Case You Missed It

OSU LogoIn Case You Missed It is Men of the Scarlet and Gray’s semi-regular curated look at items that would interest the casual and hard-core Ohio State fan. These include news items, interesting blog posts and the occasional meme you’ve probably already seen. It’s all here and it’s all for you. Have a tip that should be included in the next ICYMI? Drop us a line at motsag@gmail.com or through our Contact Page

PAYDAY FOR JOHN SIMON. The Baltimore Ravens have come to terms with John Simon, their fourth round pick in this year’s NFL Draft:

Simon’s contract has a total value of $2.545 million, including a $385,652 signing bonus. The deal includes base salaries of $405,000, $495,000, $585,000 and $675,000.

As much as it pains me to see Buckeyes in Steeler Black or Ravens

The article at the Baltimore Sun also notes that, “Simon is an avid weightlifter.”

Yes, and Joey Chestnut is an “avid” hot dog eater.

WATCH LISTS: The off-season isn’t just hard for sports writers and bloggers. It appears to affect the choosers of year-end awards, as they release preseason “watch lists” that basically list half of the eligible players (Exhibit A: The Rimington Trophy).

That being said, Corey Linsley, Ryan Shazier and Bradley Roby have all been added to preseason watch lists.

I wonder if an award has ever been won by someone not on the preseason watch list?

I WONDER WHAT HE WOULD HAVE CALLED VERNON GHOLSTON? Super recruit Raekwon McMillan is keeping a recruiting diary for 247 Sports, relating stories of his recruitment. He says Urban Meyer is the funniest head coach and that Urban has a fascination with McMillan’s backside:

He calls me “Bubble.” That’s because he said I have a linebacker butt. I have a wide butt with a great leg base.

Every time we talk, he calls me that.

He says all great athletes have huge butts and great strength bases there. He was telling me about guys like Tim Tebow, Brandon Spikes and Percy Harvin. Guys like that. He said they were built the same way.

If you’ll recall, Meyer had the same glowing(?) remarks about Braxton’s bodacious backside last year during ESPN’s All-Access look at Ohio State’s fall camp.

No word on what Urban thought of Jared Sullingers ample ass(ets).

EVERY VOTE COUNTS. We are still pitting the top football moments from the 2012 season against each other to pick the best defensive and offensive moment of the season, ultimately to pick the greatest single Football Moment. We are down to the final eight. You can vote for your favorite Offensive Moment here and your favorite Defensive Moment here.

AND JUST FOR FUN. The Man of Steel. Since 2011, Braxton Miller has had the most rushes of 10-plus by a quarterback with 79. So they announced a new Xbox and they showed it’s TV capabilities. Of course, Price is Right was on and of course Ohio State was represented.