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LGHL Visiting Locker Room: Talking Terps with Testudo Times
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Visiting Locker Room: Talking Terps with Testudo Times
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images
Injuries are hitting Maryland, but still feature a transfer star in Kaylene Smikle.
When the Big Ten paired teams together, many of them were due to geographical rivalry. The Los Angeles teams were matched up, Michigan and Michigan State paired up but for the No. 12 Ohio State women’s basketball team, it was the No. 8 Maryland Terrapins. Outside of the top 5 battles in Southern California, it’s the toughest home-and-home battle in the conference.
On Thursday, the Bucks and Terps play their first game against each other, but the two ranked sides aren’t entering it in good shape. Ohio State lost its first game of the season against a 9-9 Penn State team without a single Big Ten win. On Monday, things were even worse for the Terrapins.
To talk about the uphill battle Maryland has this week, and possibly for the next few weeks, Max Schaeffer of Testudo Times gave up his time to discuss key injuries, the addition of a former Big Ten standout freshman, and the no good, very bad, Tuesday for the Terps.
Land-Grant Holy Land: Maryland had a rough Monday on and off the court. Earlier in the day, the program announced Bri McDaniel is out for the rest of the season with an ACL tear. Before we get into the game against Texas that followed the announcement, what do the Terps miss with McDaniel out?
LGHL: A few hours later, the No. 7 Texas Longhorns absolutely handled Maryland but Shyanne Sellers leaving the game limping is the long-term concern. Any word on how Sellers is doing?
LGHL: There have been a number of injuries plaguing this side over the last few weeks but still have a ranked win against Minnesota and played the No. 4 USC Trojans to the brink before falling late. When Maryland is at their best, what are they doing better than most sides this season?
LGHL: Kaylene Smikle was the big transfer in the offseason, joining from the neighboring Rutgers Scarlet Knights. How has she adjusted to Brenda Frese’s game?
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images
Injuries are hitting Maryland, but still feature a transfer star in Kaylene Smikle.
When the Big Ten paired teams together, many of them were due to geographical rivalry. The Los Angeles teams were matched up, Michigan and Michigan State paired up but for the No. 12 Ohio State women’s basketball team, it was the No. 8 Maryland Terrapins. Outside of the top 5 battles in Southern California, it’s the toughest home-and-home battle in the conference.
On Thursday, the Bucks and Terps play their first game against each other, but the two ranked sides aren’t entering it in good shape. Ohio State lost its first game of the season against a 9-9 Penn State team without a single Big Ten win. On Monday, things were even worse for the Terrapins.
To talk about the uphill battle Maryland has this week, and possibly for the next few weeks, Max Schaeffer of Testudo Times gave up his time to discuss key injuries, the addition of a former Big Ten standout freshman, and the no good, very bad, Tuesday for the Terps.
Land-Grant Holy Land: Maryland had a rough Monday on and off the court. Earlier in the day, the program announced Bri McDaniel is out for the rest of the season with an ACL tear. Before we get into the game against Texas that followed the announcement, what do the Terps miss with McDaniel out?
LGHL: A few hours later, the No. 7 Texas Longhorns absolutely handled Maryland but Shyanne Sellers leaving the game limping is the long-term concern. Any word on how Sellers is doing?
LGHL: There have been a number of injuries plaguing this side over the last few weeks but still have a ranked win against Minnesota and played the No. 4 USC Trojans to the brink before falling late. When Maryland is at their best, what are they doing better than most sides this season?
LGHL: Kaylene Smikle was the big transfer in the offseason, joining from the neighboring Rutgers Scarlet Knights. How has she adjusted to Brenda Frese’s game?
Continue reading...
LGHL Five interesting stats from Ohio State’s College Football Playoff win on Monday night
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Five interesting stats from Ohio State’s College Football Playoff win on Monday night
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The numbers never lie, so we found interesting stats to illustrate why Ohio State was able to defeat Notre Dame in Atlanta on Monday night.
On Monday night Ohio State won their ninth national championship with a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in Atlanta. The win was the third straight year the Buckeyes have beaten the Fighting Irish, and the seventh straight win over the team from South Bend. The victory capped off a memorable four-game run for Ohio State, which was fueled by the players and coaches digging deep following an embarrassing 13-10 loss to Michigan in Columbus in the final game of the regular season.
Along with a bunch of memorable moments from Monday night’s game for Buckeye fans to look back on, there were a number of interesting stats from the game that tell a lot of the story we saw on the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Today we are going to revisit five of the most interesting stats to come out of the title game victory over the Fighting Irish, as well as the four-game run for Ohio State in the College Football Playoff.
Monday night’s game got off to a rough start for the Ohio State defense. Notre Dame received the opening kickoff and reeled off an 18-play touchdown drive that ate up 9:45 of the first-quarter clock. With the methodical drive down the field that included nine runs from quarterback Riley Leonard, the Fighting Irish became the first team in this year’s College Football Playoff to hold a lead over the Buckeyes.
Ohio State wouldn’t trail for long, as they responded with an 11-play drive that took 6:05 off the clock and ended with a Jeremiah Smith receiving touchdown. After Notre Dame looked like they had the early momentum after their touchdown drive, the Buckeyes came right back with a drive that was pretty much effortless. With the score back to even, Ohio State started to take control, only allowing the Fighting Irish to run seven more plays the rest of the first half.
Just imagine telling someone after Notre Dame’s first drive of the game that Ohio State would win the first-half time of possession battle by three minutes. The Fighting Irish took nearly a third of the first half off the clock with their first drive. Instead of getting rattled, Ryan Day’s team kept their composure and stuck to their game plan. Following their first drive that lasted 6:05, the next drive for the Buckeyes lasted 6:06, and their third possession of the half totaled 4:26.
Many teams might have seen their confidence take a big hit after Notre Dame opened the game with a nearly 10-minute touchdown drive. Instead, Ohio State not only responded to tie the game on the next drive, they got even stronger after.
The calming force for Ohio State in the title game, as well as throughout the CFP, was quarterback Will Howard. In the biggest game Howard has ever played, all the former Kansas State quarterback did was complete his first 13 passes, setting a record for most consecutive completions to start a College Football Playoff game. The performance was a stark contrast to what we saw from Howard to open the Penn State game in early November, when it was obvious nerves got the best of him on the first couple of series as he was playing the school he dreamed about playing for as a kid.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25840680/2194547124.jpg "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: JAN 20 CFP National Championship - Notre Dame vs Ohio State")
Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Howard was one of the most accurate passers in college football this season. Of the 16 games Ohio State played, Howard completed at least 80 percent of his passes in half of those games. By comparison, Kyle McCord only completed 80 percent of his passes in one game as a Buckeye quarterback last year, which came in the 63-10 win over Western Kentucky. There were only three games this season where Howard missed on at least 10 passes in a game. The only one of those inaccurate games from Howard the Buckeyes lost was the Michigan game.
Heading into the regular season, as well as a good portion of the way through the 2024 season, there were numerous people who wondered if Ryan Day made the right decision in letting McCord hit the transfer portal and bringing in Howard. Even though McCord had a fun season throwing the football for the Orange, there is no question Howard was the right choice to lead the Buckeyes. Not only do the stats Howard posted speak for themselves, but his leadership of the team was massive. It’s hard to imagine Ohio State replicating their success this year if McCord was still in Columbus.
Entering Monday night’s game, Emeka Egbuka had caught 199 passes in his Ohio State career, putting him three shy of overtaking K.J. Hill for most receptions in school history. The title game against Notre Dame would be Egbuka’s final contest in the scarlet and gray, and he made sure to put his stamp on the school’s record book. By the midway point of the first half, Egbuka had already hauled in three passes to move past Hill’s mark. The wide receiver from Washington would catch three more passes during the game to finish with 205 career catches.
While Egbuka was able to set the school’s career receptions record, he fell just short of topping the career receiving yardage list. Egbuka finished with 64 yards receiving against the Fighting Irish, finishing his time as a Buckeye with 2,868 receiving yards. Despite his mark being threatened, Michael Jenkins still has the most receiving yards in a career in school history with 2,898 yards. At least Egbuka can hang his hat on moving past David Boston on Monday night, now sitting 13 yards ahead of Boston in the school’s all-time ranks.
Will Egbuka join the ranks of recent Ohio State receivers to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft? That remains to be seen. Even though Egbuka might not be headed to the NFL with the hype of guys like Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, or Marvin Harrison Jr., what Egbuka has that those talented receivers he played with in Columbus doesn’t have is a national championship.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day improved his coaching record at Ohio State to 70-10 with Monday night’s win over Notre Dame. Day’s 87.5 winning percentage is not only the best among active college football coaches who have coached at least 50 games, Day has one of the top winning percentages of all-time in college football. Even crazier about Day’s coaching record is nearly half of the 10 losses he has suffered as a head coach have come to Michigan.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25840683/2195011596.jpg "2025 CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T- Ohio State v Notre Dame")
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
The national title is vindication for the Buckeye head coach. Following the Michigan game, there were many Ohio State fans that would have gladly helped Day pack his bags so they would never have to see him coach another game for the Buckeyes. Now less than two months later Day is finally a national champion. Ohio State put together a four-game run that will never be forgotten in Columbus, and the first game of that stretch was a game against Tennessee where Buckeye Nation was on edge heading into the game since they didn’t know what they would see from the team following the deflating performance against Michigan.
Who knows what lies ahead for Day, whether he is head coach at Ohio State for a year or another decade. There still is the Michigan hurdle that Day has to find a way to clear, but it’s a lot easier to handle as a national champion. Who knows if Jim Harbaugh still thinks Ryan Day was born on third base?
It doesn’t matter, since Day now has as many national titles as Harbaugh, and at least Day can say what he did this year was clean, which is something Harbaugh certainly can’t say about Michigan’s title last season.
After rushing for over 40 yards on their opening touchdown drive, Notre Dame finished Monday’s game with just 53 yards rushing. By suffocating the rushing attack of the Fighting Irish, Ohio State secured their third game in the playoff where they held their opponent to less than 60 yards rushing. As a whole, Ohio State’s rush defense only gave up 244 yards rushing over their four CFP games. The only team that was able to find some success on the ground against the Buckeyes was Tennessee, who ran for 156 yards in the first-round game in Columbus. If we’re being honest though, the Volunteers were able to roll up most of those yards after the Buckeyes already had a healthy lead.
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles pushed the right buttons following the first game against Oregon, as well as after the loss to Michigan. Just look at how the Buckeyes were able to bottle up Jordan James in the Rose Bowl after the Oregon running back was tough to tackle in the first game between the teams in Eugene back in October. It was obvious the defense was playing with a chip on their shoulder following the loss to the Ducks, and the chip got even bigger after Michigan ran for 172 yards at Ohio Stadium in late November.
Ohio State made Notre Dame one-dimensional after the first drive. Riley Leonard was stuffed in his next eight carries after the nine totes he had on the opening drive. What was most curious about the Fighting Irish on offense is they didn’t try to get Jeremiyah Love involved in the rushing attack, with the 1,000-yard rusher having just four carries in the game. Knowles will undoubtedly get head coaching interest next year, but it feels like if he hasn’t led a program by now, he might not have any designs on becoming a head coach. Here’s to Knowles sticking around in Columbus for as long as Ohio State can hold on to him.
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The numbers never lie, so we found interesting stats to illustrate why Ohio State was able to defeat Notre Dame in Atlanta on Monday night.
On Monday night Ohio State won their ninth national championship with a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in Atlanta. The win was the third straight year the Buckeyes have beaten the Fighting Irish, and the seventh straight win over the team from South Bend. The victory capped off a memorable four-game run for Ohio State, which was fueled by the players and coaches digging deep following an embarrassing 13-10 loss to Michigan in Columbus in the final game of the regular season.
Along with a bunch of memorable moments from Monday night’s game for Buckeye fans to look back on, there were a number of interesting stats from the game that tell a lot of the story we saw on the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Today we are going to revisit five of the most interesting stats to come out of the title game victory over the Fighting Irish, as well as the four-game run for Ohio State in the College Football Playoff.
16:37-13:23 time of possession in first half
Monday night’s game got off to a rough start for the Ohio State defense. Notre Dame received the opening kickoff and reeled off an 18-play touchdown drive that ate up 9:45 of the first-quarter clock. With the methodical drive down the field that included nine runs from quarterback Riley Leonard, the Fighting Irish became the first team in this year’s College Football Playoff to hold a lead over the Buckeyes.
Ohio State wouldn’t trail for long, as they responded with an 11-play drive that took 6:05 off the clock and ended with a Jeremiah Smith receiving touchdown. After Notre Dame looked like they had the early momentum after their touchdown drive, the Buckeyes came right back with a drive that was pretty much effortless. With the score back to even, Ohio State started to take control, only allowing the Fighting Irish to run seven more plays the rest of the first half.
Just imagine telling someone after Notre Dame’s first drive of the game that Ohio State would win the first-half time of possession battle by three minutes. The Fighting Irish took nearly a third of the first half off the clock with their first drive. Instead of getting rattled, Ryan Day’s team kept their composure and stuck to their game plan. Following their first drive that lasted 6:05, the next drive for the Buckeyes lasted 6:06, and their third possession of the half totaled 4:26.
Many teams might have seen their confidence take a big hit after Notre Dame opened the game with a nearly 10-minute touchdown drive. Instead, Ohio State not only responded to tie the game on the next drive, they got even stronger after.
13-of-13
The calming force for Ohio State in the title game, as well as throughout the CFP, was quarterback Will Howard. In the biggest game Howard has ever played, all the former Kansas State quarterback did was complete his first 13 passes, setting a record for most consecutive completions to start a College Football Playoff game. The performance was a stark contrast to what we saw from Howard to open the Penn State game in early November, when it was obvious nerves got the best of him on the first couple of series as he was playing the school he dreamed about playing for as a kid.
Howard was one of the most accurate passers in college football this season. Of the 16 games Ohio State played, Howard completed at least 80 percent of his passes in half of those games. By comparison, Kyle McCord only completed 80 percent of his passes in one game as a Buckeye quarterback last year, which came in the 63-10 win over Western Kentucky. There were only three games this season where Howard missed on at least 10 passes in a game. The only one of those inaccurate games from Howard the Buckeyes lost was the Michigan game.
Heading into the regular season, as well as a good portion of the way through the 2024 season, there were numerous people who wondered if Ryan Day made the right decision in letting McCord hit the transfer portal and bringing in Howard. Even though McCord had a fun season throwing the football for the Orange, there is no question Howard was the right choice to lead the Buckeyes. Not only do the stats Howard posted speak for themselves, but his leadership of the team was massive. It’s hard to imagine Ohio State replicating their success this year if McCord was still in Columbus.
205
Entering Monday night’s game, Emeka Egbuka had caught 199 passes in his Ohio State career, putting him three shy of overtaking K.J. Hill for most receptions in school history. The title game against Notre Dame would be Egbuka’s final contest in the scarlet and gray, and he made sure to put his stamp on the school’s record book. By the midway point of the first half, Egbuka had already hauled in three passes to move past Hill’s mark. The wide receiver from Washington would catch three more passes during the game to finish with 205 career catches.
While Egbuka was able to set the school’s career receptions record, he fell just short of topping the career receiving yardage list. Egbuka finished with 64 yards receiving against the Fighting Irish, finishing his time as a Buckeye with 2,868 receiving yards. Despite his mark being threatened, Michael Jenkins still has the most receiving yards in a career in school history with 2,898 yards. At least Egbuka can hang his hat on moving past David Boston on Monday night, now sitting 13 yards ahead of Boston in the school’s all-time ranks.
Will Egbuka join the ranks of recent Ohio State receivers to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft? That remains to be seen. Even though Egbuka might not be headed to the NFL with the hype of guys like Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, or Marvin Harrison Jr., what Egbuka has that those talented receivers he played with in Columbus doesn’t have is a national championship.
.875
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day improved his coaching record at Ohio State to 70-10 with Monday night’s win over Notre Dame. Day’s 87.5 winning percentage is not only the best among active college football coaches who have coached at least 50 games, Day has one of the top winning percentages of all-time in college football. Even crazier about Day’s coaching record is nearly half of the 10 losses he has suffered as a head coach have come to Michigan.
The national title is vindication for the Buckeye head coach. Following the Michigan game, there were many Ohio State fans that would have gladly helped Day pack his bags so they would never have to see him coach another game for the Buckeyes. Now less than two months later Day is finally a national champion. Ohio State put together a four-game run that will never be forgotten in Columbus, and the first game of that stretch was a game against Tennessee where Buckeye Nation was on edge heading into the game since they didn’t know what they would see from the team following the deflating performance against Michigan.
Who knows what lies ahead for Day, whether he is head coach at Ohio State for a year or another decade. There still is the Michigan hurdle that Day has to find a way to clear, but it’s a lot easier to handle as a national champion. Who knows if Jim Harbaugh still thinks Ryan Day was born on third base?
It doesn’t matter, since Day now has as many national titles as Harbaugh, and at least Day can say what he did this year was clean, which is something Harbaugh certainly can’t say about Michigan’s title last season.
244
After rushing for over 40 yards on their opening touchdown drive, Notre Dame finished Monday’s game with just 53 yards rushing. By suffocating the rushing attack of the Fighting Irish, Ohio State secured their third game in the playoff where they held their opponent to less than 60 yards rushing. As a whole, Ohio State’s rush defense only gave up 244 yards rushing over their four CFP games. The only team that was able to find some success on the ground against the Buckeyes was Tennessee, who ran for 156 yards in the first-round game in Columbus. If we’re being honest though, the Volunteers were able to roll up most of those yards after the Buckeyes already had a healthy lead.
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles pushed the right buttons following the first game against Oregon, as well as after the loss to Michigan. Just look at how the Buckeyes were able to bottle up Jordan James in the Rose Bowl after the Oregon running back was tough to tackle in the first game between the teams in Eugene back in October. It was obvious the defense was playing with a chip on their shoulder following the loss to the Ducks, and the chip got even bigger after Michigan ran for 172 yards at Ohio Stadium in late November.
Ohio State made Notre Dame one-dimensional after the first drive. Riley Leonard was stuffed in his next eight carries after the nine totes he had on the opening drive. What was most curious about the Fighting Irish on offense is they didn’t try to get Jeremiyah Love involved in the rushing attack, with the 1,000-yard rusher having just four carries in the game. Knowles will undoubtedly get head coaching interest next year, but it feels like if he hasn’t led a program by now, he might not have any designs on becoming a head coach. Here’s to Knowles sticking around in Columbus for as long as Ohio State can hold on to him.
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LGHL Hangout in the Holy Land: The mission is complete, no doubt was left!
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Hangout in the Holy Land: The mission is complete, no doubt was left!
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the 2024-25 national champions, and no one will forever forget this group of players
The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL personalities as they discuss Ohio State football, basketball, recruiting, and much more! Come for the hot takes. Stay for the warm ones.
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
For the final recap episode of Hangout in the Holy Land of the 2024-25 season, Justin Golba is joined by Land-Grant Holy Land Managing Editor Gene Ross to talk about the 2024 National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes defeated Notre Dame 34-23 to finish the season 14-2 and at the top of the mountain in college football. We give a full game recap, breakdown, and our full thoughts on the 2024-25 season that will go down in the history books. It is safe to say the 30 for 30 this season will be a must-watch.
Thank you for following along all season and staying with us through the offseason.
Make sure to like and subscribe to the podcast. As always, Go Bucks!
Connect with the pod:
Twitter: @HolyLandPod
Connect with Justin Golba:
Twitter: @justin_golba
Connect with Gene Ross:
Twitter: Gene_Ross23
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the 2024-25 national champions, and no one will forever forget this group of players
The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL personalities as they discuss Ohio State football, basketball, recruiting, and much more! Come for the hot takes. Stay for the warm ones.
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
For the final recap episode of Hangout in the Holy Land of the 2024-25 season, Justin Golba is joined by Land-Grant Holy Land Managing Editor Gene Ross to talk about the 2024 National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes defeated Notre Dame 34-23 to finish the season 14-2 and at the top of the mountain in college football. We give a full game recap, breakdown, and our full thoughts on the 2024-25 season that will go down in the history books. It is safe to say the 30 for 30 this season will be a must-watch.
Thank you for following along all season and staying with us through the offseason.
Make sure to like and subscribe to the podcast. As always, Go Bucks!
Connect with the pod:
Twitter: @HolyLandPod
Connect with Justin Golba:
Twitter: @justin_golba
Connect with Gene Ross:
Twitter: Gene_Ross23
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State men’s basketball vs. No. 11 Purdue: Game preview and prediction
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Ohio State men’s basketball vs. No. 11 Purdue: Game preview and prediction
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
After three consecutive games decided by just one score, the Buckeyes hit the road for West Lafayette to face the No. 17 Boilermakers.
After losing their last three in close decisions, Ohio State (10-8, 2-5 B1G) heads to West Lafayette, Ind., tonight to face No. 11 Purdue (15-4, 7-1 B1G), at a point in the season where each game becomes critical for conference tournament success and NCAA tournament hopes.
The Boilermakers, for their part, have just one conference loss this season, an early December contest against Penn State in their first conference game of the season. That loss is also their lone blemish against an unranked team this year.
The teams last met in February of 2024, when Purdue—then the No. 2-team in the country—was upset by Ohio State, 73-69. It was Buckeye head coach Jake Diebler’s debut in the role, as he was serving as interim head coach at the time after Chris Holtman’s midseason firing.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25839784/usa_today_25212291.jpg "NCAA Basketball: Indiana at Ohio State")
Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
Bringing with them a record that doesn’t tell the full story, Ohio State sits just above .500 but teeters near the bottom of the conference, their lone conference victories coming against Rutgers and Minnesota (their most recent win).
Each of the Buckeyes’ last four contests were neck-and-neck (including that win against Minnesota — OSU came out ahead in double-overtime, 89-88). Then three consecutive losses followed.
Still, despite being on a three-game losing streak, the numbers don’t show how close those games were, decided by two points or fewer. Two of those games came against ranked opponents (then-No. 15 Oregon and No. 24 Wisconsin), one on the road in one of the toughest venues in college basketball (on the road in Madison). Their most recent loss was an overtime thriller against Indiana, which the Hoosiers took, 77-76.
Do the Buckeyes need a reset? Sure. But they also have more gas in the tank than the numbers show. It might not matter come March, but a win at Purdue would be a huge way to get Ohio State’s train back on its tracks.
Against the Hoosiers, the Buckeyes carried a 35-29 lead into halftime after shooting 46.2 percent in the first half, but five quick points from Luke Goode cut the lead to just one, four minutes into the second half. It remained neck-and-neck for a bit, with a few lead changes, until the Hoosiers gave themselves a 10-point buffer. Still, the Buckeyes had a little fight left in them, cutting that lead down to just three in the final 90 seconds of regulation, forcing overtime off a three from John Mobley Jr.
In overtime, back-and-forth baskets kept things close, but Goode landed a three with just over a minute left, and Indiana’s Anthony Leal blocked a Mobley jumper in the final seconds. Bruce Thornton was there with the rebound, setting up the chance for a buzzer-beating OSU victory, but his clean look at the three bounced in and out, ending the game with the Hoosiers ahead.
As the Buckeyes attempted to cover the 7-foot Oumar Ballo (who finished the game with 21 points and 15 rebounds for the double-double, along with four assists and two blocks), Goode was able to seize his moment, finishing with a career-high 23 points.
Mobley led for the Buckeyes with 22 points, while Micah Parrish added a season-high 19 points, along with four rebounds and three steals (tying his season-high). Thornton added 18 points of his own.
One of the biggest differentiators between Indiana and OSU in the matchup came down to offensive rebounds—while the Hoosiers turned 14 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points, the Buckeyes only grabbed nine rebounds, good for six points.
So far this year, Ohio State has four guys averaging in double-digit scoring: Thornton (17.4 ppg, the eighth-best in the Big Ten), Devin Royal (13.8 ppg), John Mobley Jr. (12.5 ppg), and Micah Parrish (10.5 ppg). Royal also leads in rebounds with 7.4 per game, and Thornton leads with 4.3 assists.
Royal was out against Indiana with a right wrist strain and his status remains questionable at Purdue.
On the other side, the Boilermakers have won their last seven, most recently earning a 7-point victory on the road at No. 13 Oregon, 65-58. Excepting their first conference game this season, against Penn State, their only losses have come against ranked teams, most recently against No. 2 Auburn. They haven’t dropped a contest since the holiday break.
They are led in scoring by forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, who is averaging 17.9 points per game, along with 6.5 rebounds. In Purdue’s last outing, a 65-58 road win over Oregon, Kaufman-Renn shot just 7-of-20 from the field but still managed to secure the double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. He also had 100 percent free throw shooting (6-of-6) and six offensive rebounds.
Behind Kaufman-Renn, guard Braden Smith is averaging 15.1 points per game and leads the team in assists (8.9 per game) and steals (2.4 per game). Against the Ducks, Smith contributed 15 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals.
Rounding out their double-digit scoring is guard Fletcher Loyer who is averaging 13.1 points per game.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25839785/usa_today_25220546.jpg "NCAA Basketball: Purdue at Oregon")
Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images
The Buckeyes got it done last year against a better Purdue team under far more unlikely circumstances, but while they’ve been knocking at the door of a big win for a few games now, last season also gave them the advantage of home court against the Boilermakers.
This time, they’ll have to head to West Lafayette to play in Mackey Arena, where the Buckeyes haven’t come out on top since the 2017-2018 season. Add to this the fact that last year’s upset is probably still fresh for Purdue players and fans alike, and this one is an uphill battle for the Buckeyes, who are facing a Purdue team that has been hot since the holiday break.
While Purdue hasn’t been shooting as efficiently on this recent road stretch as they usually do, the friendlier atmosphere of their home court should help them get back on their feet, so the Buckeyes will need to be able to cover them closely. Defensively, the Boilermakers are currently ranked 20th on KenPom, making them a formidable defensive foe for the Buckeyes.
Purdue is the better team on paper, but OSU has faced a few teams consecutively who are the better team on paper and still gave them a good fight. Victory is not impossible for OSU, but this hard-knock team will need to execute flawlessly, knock down shots, force turnovers, and capitalize on all second-chance opportunities if they have any hope of coming back to Columbus with this win under their belt.
Whether they manage to pull off the upset or not, the Buckeyes should be able to keep this one closer than people expect. They’re overdue for a tight matchup to end in their favor, and it could be exactly what they need to turn it around for the rest of the season.
ESPN BPI: Purdue 77.1%
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: Peacock
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Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
After three consecutive games decided by just one score, the Buckeyes hit the road for West Lafayette to face the No. 17 Boilermakers.
After losing their last three in close decisions, Ohio State (10-8, 2-5 B1G) heads to West Lafayette, Ind., tonight to face No. 11 Purdue (15-4, 7-1 B1G), at a point in the season where each game becomes critical for conference tournament success and NCAA tournament hopes.
The Boilermakers, for their part, have just one conference loss this season, an early December contest against Penn State in their first conference game of the season. That loss is also their lone blemish against an unranked team this year.
The teams last met in February of 2024, when Purdue—then the No. 2-team in the country—was upset by Ohio State, 73-69. It was Buckeye head coach Jake Diebler’s debut in the role, as he was serving as interim head coach at the time after Chris Holtman’s midseason firing.
Preview
Bringing with them a record that doesn’t tell the full story, Ohio State sits just above .500 but teeters near the bottom of the conference, their lone conference victories coming against Rutgers and Minnesota (their most recent win).
Each of the Buckeyes’ last four contests were neck-and-neck (including that win against Minnesota — OSU came out ahead in double-overtime, 89-88). Then three consecutive losses followed.
Still, despite being on a three-game losing streak, the numbers don’t show how close those games were, decided by two points or fewer. Two of those games came against ranked opponents (then-No. 15 Oregon and No. 24 Wisconsin), one on the road in one of the toughest venues in college basketball (on the road in Madison). Their most recent loss was an overtime thriller against Indiana, which the Hoosiers took, 77-76.
Do the Buckeyes need a reset? Sure. But they also have more gas in the tank than the numbers show. It might not matter come March, but a win at Purdue would be a huge way to get Ohio State’s train back on its tracks.
Against the Hoosiers, the Buckeyes carried a 35-29 lead into halftime after shooting 46.2 percent in the first half, but five quick points from Luke Goode cut the lead to just one, four minutes into the second half. It remained neck-and-neck for a bit, with a few lead changes, until the Hoosiers gave themselves a 10-point buffer. Still, the Buckeyes had a little fight left in them, cutting that lead down to just three in the final 90 seconds of regulation, forcing overtime off a three from John Mobley Jr.
In overtime, back-and-forth baskets kept things close, but Goode landed a three with just over a minute left, and Indiana’s Anthony Leal blocked a Mobley jumper in the final seconds. Bruce Thornton was there with the rebound, setting up the chance for a buzzer-beating OSU victory, but his clean look at the three bounced in and out, ending the game with the Hoosiers ahead.
As the Buckeyes attempted to cover the 7-foot Oumar Ballo (who finished the game with 21 points and 15 rebounds for the double-double, along with four assists and two blocks), Goode was able to seize his moment, finishing with a career-high 23 points.
Mobley led for the Buckeyes with 22 points, while Micah Parrish added a season-high 19 points, along with four rebounds and three steals (tying his season-high). Thornton added 18 points of his own.
One of the biggest differentiators between Indiana and OSU in the matchup came down to offensive rebounds—while the Hoosiers turned 14 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points, the Buckeyes only grabbed nine rebounds, good for six points.
So far this year, Ohio State has four guys averaging in double-digit scoring: Thornton (17.4 ppg, the eighth-best in the Big Ten), Devin Royal (13.8 ppg), John Mobley Jr. (12.5 ppg), and Micah Parrish (10.5 ppg). Royal also leads in rebounds with 7.4 per game, and Thornton leads with 4.3 assists.
Royal was out against Indiana with a right wrist strain and his status remains questionable at Purdue.
On the other side, the Boilermakers have won their last seven, most recently earning a 7-point victory on the road at No. 13 Oregon, 65-58. Excepting their first conference game this season, against Penn State, their only losses have come against ranked teams, most recently against No. 2 Auburn. They haven’t dropped a contest since the holiday break.
They are led in scoring by forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, who is averaging 17.9 points per game, along with 6.5 rebounds. In Purdue’s last outing, a 65-58 road win over Oregon, Kaufman-Renn shot just 7-of-20 from the field but still managed to secure the double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. He also had 100 percent free throw shooting (6-of-6) and six offensive rebounds.
Behind Kaufman-Renn, guard Braden Smith is averaging 15.1 points per game and leads the team in assists (8.9 per game) and steals (2.4 per game). Against the Ducks, Smith contributed 15 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals.
Rounding out their double-digit scoring is guard Fletcher Loyer who is averaging 13.1 points per game.
Prediction
The Buckeyes got it done last year against a better Purdue team under far more unlikely circumstances, but while they’ve been knocking at the door of a big win for a few games now, last season also gave them the advantage of home court against the Boilermakers.
This time, they’ll have to head to West Lafayette to play in Mackey Arena, where the Buckeyes haven’t come out on top since the 2017-2018 season. Add to this the fact that last year’s upset is probably still fresh for Purdue players and fans alike, and this one is an uphill battle for the Buckeyes, who are facing a Purdue team that has been hot since the holiday break.
While Purdue hasn’t been shooting as efficiently on this recent road stretch as they usually do, the friendlier atmosphere of their home court should help them get back on their feet, so the Buckeyes will need to be able to cover them closely. Defensively, the Boilermakers are currently ranked 20th on KenPom, making them a formidable defensive foe for the Buckeyes.
Purdue is the better team on paper, but OSU has faced a few teams consecutively who are the better team on paper and still gave them a good fight. Victory is not impossible for OSU, but this hard-knock team will need to execute flawlessly, knock down shots, force turnovers, and capitalize on all second-chance opportunities if they have any hope of coming back to Columbus with this win under their belt.
Whether they manage to pull off the upset or not, the Buckeyes should be able to keep this one closer than people expect. They’re overdue for a tight matchup to end in their favor, and it could be exactly what they need to turn it around for the rest of the season.
ESPN BPI: Purdue 77.1%
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: Peacock
LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 73, Purdue 72
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LGHL Ohio State has won the most impressive national title in college football history
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Ohio State has won the most impressive national title in college football history
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
The Buckeyes navigated a never-before-seen postseason field and emerged victorious.
It wasn’t without its bumps and bruises along the way, but Ohio State’s 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff National Championship put an exclamation point on the most impressive title run in the sport’s history. On top of a navigating the first-ever 12-team postseason field, winning four games in a row against high-quality opponents, the Buckeyes accumulated no shortage of historical accolades along the way.
There has never before been a more deserving champion.
For starters, Ohio State played and defeated six of the top eight teams in the final CFP rankings, doing so by an average of almost 17 points. Four of those six wins came in the College Football Playoff, defeating Tennessee (No. 7), Oregon (No. 1), Texas (No. 3) and Notre Dame (No. 5) in succession. The other two came in the regular season, with victories over Penn State (No. 4) and Indiana (No. 8) to add to the ledger.
The only two teams in the top eight that escaped the Buckeyes’ wrath was Georgia (No. 2), whom they did not have to play, and themselves (No. 6).
Ohio State becomes the first team in college football history to knock off five AP Top-5 ranked teams in a single season. Only three teams ever before had defeated four AP Top-5 teams in a single campaign before, with 2019 LSU being the most recent to accomplish such a feat alongside 1967 USC and 1943 Notre Dame. The Buckeyes’ came into Monday night tied for that record, but now own it all to themselves as the only program to play and defeat five opponents of that magnitude over the course of a year.
Ryan Day and Ohio State obviously wouldn’t have been able to achieve this storybook ending if it weren’t for an elite group of players, and those guys made their own history along the way as well.
With their performances against the Fighting Irish, Ohio State became the first program ever to boast four 1,000-yard players in a single season.
Both TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins each managed to rush for over 1,000 yards, as Henderson finished with 1,016 yards and 11 total touchdowns and Judkins with 1,060 yards and 16 touchdowns, three of which came against Notre Dame. The Buckeyes also had a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka. The five-star freshman ultimately finished with 1,315 yards and 15 TDs, while Egbuka racked up 1,011 yards and 10 scores.
That mark comes on top of the myriad of individual history made by this talented collection of guys.
Smith’s historical season has been well-documented, as the 19-year-old put together the greatest freshman season of any wide receiver in Ohio State history — and likely the country. Egbuka, meanwhile, surpassed K.J. Hill as Ohio State’s all-time program record-holder in career receptions with 205 after hauling in six catches for 64 yards against Notre Dame. In addition, Will Howard’s 73% completion percentage is also the best in Ohio State history, beating C.J. Stroud’s mark of 71.9% in 2021.
Ohio State did all of this without its two best offensive linemen, missing starting left tackle Josh Simmons for the final 10 games of the season and starting center Seth McLaughlin for the last five, with both guys out for the entirety of the College Football Playoff. All the other accolades and accomplishments aside, there is a real argument to be made that Donovan Jackson was Ohio State’s MVP this season for the tremendous job he did moving over from guard to tackle.
A lot of guys had to step up in order for the Buckeyes to make it here, and Jackson is chief among that list.
Speaking of stepping up, Jim Knowles deserves a ton of credit for what he was able to do with this Ohio State defense. Following a one-point loss to Oregon back in early October, the Buckeyes made significant changes to its defensive structure. The result was a stretch of seven-straight games without allowing a touchdown pass, and a group that finished the season ranked No. 1 in scoring defense, allowing just 12.9 points per game.
Against its four College Football Playoff opponents — four teams that each averaged more than 32 points per game heading into the CFP — Ohio State allowed an average of 18.8 points, holding both the Volunteers and the Longhorns under 20 points.
In the end, Ohio State can now lay claim as the winners to both the first-ever four-team College Football Playoff and now the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. No program in the sport’s history has had to face a gauntlet of four games quite like the Buckeye just did in order to secure a national title, and Ohio State managed to navigate that path while winning each of its four postseason games by double-digits, including a 25-point win over eighth-seeded Tennessee and a 20-point win over No. 1 Oregon.
Ohio State tackled the most difficult test of any national title winner before them, and it passed with flying colors. Ryan Day and the Buckeyes, who experienced perhaps the absolute darkest of days at the end of the regular season, bounced back to achieve the highest of highs. A campaign that looked dead in the water on Nov. 30 turned into one of redemption and glory.
You couldn’t write a better story, and nobody else ever has.
The 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes: the most impressive, deserving and undisputed national champions in college football history.
Continue reading...
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
The Buckeyes navigated a never-before-seen postseason field and emerged victorious.
It wasn’t without its bumps and bruises along the way, but Ohio State’s 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff National Championship put an exclamation point on the most impressive title run in the sport’s history. On top of a navigating the first-ever 12-team postseason field, winning four games in a row against high-quality opponents, the Buckeyes accumulated no shortage of historical accolades along the way.
There has never before been a more deserving champion.
For starters, Ohio State played and defeated six of the top eight teams in the final CFP rankings, doing so by an average of almost 17 points. Four of those six wins came in the College Football Playoff, defeating Tennessee (No. 7), Oregon (No. 1), Texas (No. 3) and Notre Dame (No. 5) in succession. The other two came in the regular season, with victories over Penn State (No. 4) and Indiana (No. 8) to add to the ledger.
The only two teams in the top eight that escaped the Buckeyes’ wrath was Georgia (No. 2), whom they did not have to play, and themselves (No. 6).
Ohio State becomes the first team in college football history to knock off five AP Top-5 ranked teams in a single season. Only three teams ever before had defeated four AP Top-5 teams in a single campaign before, with 2019 LSU being the most recent to accomplish such a feat alongside 1967 USC and 1943 Notre Dame. The Buckeyes’ came into Monday night tied for that record, but now own it all to themselves as the only program to play and defeat five opponents of that magnitude over the course of a year.
Ryan Day and Ohio State obviously wouldn’t have been able to achieve this storybook ending if it weren’t for an elite group of players, and those guys made their own history along the way as well.
With their performances against the Fighting Irish, Ohio State became the first program ever to boast four 1,000-yard players in a single season.
Both TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins each managed to rush for over 1,000 yards, as Henderson finished with 1,016 yards and 11 total touchdowns and Judkins with 1,060 yards and 16 touchdowns, three of which came against Notre Dame. The Buckeyes also had a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka. The five-star freshman ultimately finished with 1,315 yards and 15 TDs, while Egbuka racked up 1,011 yards and 10 scores.
That mark comes on top of the myriad of individual history made by this talented collection of guys.
Smith’s historical season has been well-documented, as the 19-year-old put together the greatest freshman season of any wide receiver in Ohio State history — and likely the country. Egbuka, meanwhile, surpassed K.J. Hill as Ohio State’s all-time program record-holder in career receptions with 205 after hauling in six catches for 64 yards against Notre Dame. In addition, Will Howard’s 73% completion percentage is also the best in Ohio State history, beating C.J. Stroud’s mark of 71.9% in 2021.
Ohio State did all of this without its two best offensive linemen, missing starting left tackle Josh Simmons for the final 10 games of the season and starting center Seth McLaughlin for the last five, with both guys out for the entirety of the College Football Playoff. All the other accolades and accomplishments aside, there is a real argument to be made that Donovan Jackson was Ohio State’s MVP this season for the tremendous job he did moving over from guard to tackle.
A lot of guys had to step up in order for the Buckeyes to make it here, and Jackson is chief among that list.
Speaking of stepping up, Jim Knowles deserves a ton of credit for what he was able to do with this Ohio State defense. Following a one-point loss to Oregon back in early October, the Buckeyes made significant changes to its defensive structure. The result was a stretch of seven-straight games without allowing a touchdown pass, and a group that finished the season ranked No. 1 in scoring defense, allowing just 12.9 points per game.
Against its four College Football Playoff opponents — four teams that each averaged more than 32 points per game heading into the CFP — Ohio State allowed an average of 18.8 points, holding both the Volunteers and the Longhorns under 20 points.
In the end, Ohio State can now lay claim as the winners to both the first-ever four-team College Football Playoff and now the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. No program in the sport’s history has had to face a gauntlet of four games quite like the Buckeye just did in order to secure a national title, and Ohio State managed to navigate that path while winning each of its four postseason games by double-digits, including a 25-point win over eighth-seeded Tennessee and a 20-point win over No. 1 Oregon.
Ohio State tackled the most difficult test of any national title winner before them, and it passed with flying colors. Ryan Day and the Buckeyes, who experienced perhaps the absolute darkest of days at the end of the regular season, bounced back to achieve the highest of highs. A campaign that looked dead in the water on Nov. 30 turned into one of redemption and glory.
You couldn’t write a better story, and nobody else ever has.
The 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes: the most impressive, deserving and undisputed national champions in college football history.
Continue reading...
LGHL Four-star defensive end prospect has Ohio State in top schools
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Four-star defensive end prospect has Ohio State in top schools
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2026 four-star defensive edge Cam Brooks | via 247Sports
Ohio State made the cut for one of the nation’s top prospects in the 2026 class Monday afternoon.
Ohio State’s 2024-25 season has come and gone. While there were many ups and downs during a campaign that held immense levels of expectations, there is no doubt that Ryan Day and the Buckeyes ended things much better than what many thought possible in late November, and are now national champions.
With the season wrapped up, Day and the ret of Ohio State coaching staff and players will get some much deserved rest. There will be many headlines in the coming days revolving around this historic season, roster attrition and the state of the program heading into next season
Ohio State will still have a massive amount of pressure and expectations to meet next season, and the coaching staff will quickly get to work on ensuring the roster is as sure-fire as possible. This includes making more moves in the transfer portal, as well as adding to the team with the traditional recruiting tactics.
While many of the headlines will center around last night’s game, Ohio State did find a way to also make the recruiting headlines. They did so Monday afternoon, when the Buckeyes made the cut for one of the top recruits in the 2026 recruiting class.
Four-star defensive edge Cam Brooks (Thomasville, GA / Thomas County Central) released his top nine schools, and Ohio State was one of the remaining programs he is still interested in.
Alongside Ohio State, Brooks also included Cal, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida State, Michigan, Miami, Clemson and Auburn in his top schools list, giving the Buckeyes some tough competition.
Brooks has been able to visit with all of the above teams, including Ohio State, outside of Cal, Clemson and Michigan but he will likely schedule visits with the three remaining teams shortly. He was unable to visit many of his top schools this past season for an in-game atmosphere, and because of that he may try and wait until after next season to make a decision.
His visit with Ohio State occurred in June when he attended a recruiting camp held on Ohio State’s campus. Brooks impressed during the camp and was able to leave with an official scholarship offer from the Buckeyes. Expect the Buckeyes to try and get him back on campus this offseason for another recruiting camp and if the two parties remain interested in each other, an in-game visit for Brooks to Columbus would go a long way.
Brooks is the No. 9 defensive edge in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and he is the No. 82 overall prospect. He is also the No. 10 recruit from the talent-rich state of Georgia.
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Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2026 four-star defensive edge Cam Brooks | via 247Sports
Ohio State made the cut for one of the nation’s top prospects in the 2026 class Monday afternoon.
Ohio State’s 2024-25 season has come and gone. While there were many ups and downs during a campaign that held immense levels of expectations, there is no doubt that Ryan Day and the Buckeyes ended things much better than what many thought possible in late November, and are now national champions.
With the season wrapped up, Day and the ret of Ohio State coaching staff and players will get some much deserved rest. There will be many headlines in the coming days revolving around this historic season, roster attrition and the state of the program heading into next season
Ohio State will still have a massive amount of pressure and expectations to meet next season, and the coaching staff will quickly get to work on ensuring the roster is as sure-fire as possible. This includes making more moves in the transfer portal, as well as adding to the team with the traditional recruiting tactics.
While many of the headlines will center around last night’s game, Ohio State did find a way to also make the recruiting headlines. They did so Monday afternoon, when the Buckeyes made the cut for one of the top recruits in the 2026 recruiting class.
Four-star defensive edge Cam Brooks (Thomasville, GA / Thomas County Central) released his top nine schools, and Ohio State was one of the remaining programs he is still interested in.
NEWS: Four-Star EDGE Cam Brooks is down toSchools, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 6’3 235 EDGE from Thomasville, GA is ranked as a Top 95 Recruit in the ‘26 Class (per On3 Industry)
Where Should He Go?https://t.co/iao3MeJr42 pic.twitter.com/9gY5iGHdPU
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 20, 2025
Alongside Ohio State, Brooks also included Cal, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida State, Michigan, Miami, Clemson and Auburn in his top schools list, giving the Buckeyes some tough competition.
Brooks has been able to visit with all of the above teams, including Ohio State, outside of Cal, Clemson and Michigan but he will likely schedule visits with the three remaining teams shortly. He was unable to visit many of his top schools this past season for an in-game atmosphere, and because of that he may try and wait until after next season to make a decision.
His visit with Ohio State occurred in June when he attended a recruiting camp held on Ohio State’s campus. Brooks impressed during the camp and was able to leave with an official scholarship offer from the Buckeyes. Expect the Buckeyes to try and get him back on campus this offseason for another recruiting camp and if the two parties remain interested in each other, an in-game visit for Brooks to Columbus would go a long way.
Brooks is the No. 9 defensive edge in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and he is the No. 82 overall prospect. He is also the No. 10 recruit from the talent-rich state of Georgia.
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