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LGHL Softball: Buckeyes split series with Rutgers through Saturday
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Softball: Buckeyes split series with Rutgers through Saturday
meganhusslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
@OhioStateSB
The rubber match is today, Easter Sunday. Hopefully the Easter bunny finds the scarlet and gray basket.
After getting swept at Indiana last weekend, the Buckeyes were looking forward to home-field advantage and getting back on track. Ohio State (now 22-13) fell in its first game to Rutgers (now 30-13) Friday before a game full of fireworks Saturday righted the ship for the Bucks.
Game 1
The game started just like it typically has the past few weeks— with a Melina Wilkison home run. This was her fifth home run in the past six games. Also important to note, this was Wilkison’s 100th career hit— in just her 83rd game, as she is only a sophomore.
Then, the next inning, second baseman Kaitlyn Farley showed off her power with a grand slam, putting the Buckeyes up 5-0 early on.
On the defensive side, pitcher Allison Smith started to struggle in the third. She loaded the bases, then walked in a run, then hit a batter to score another run. The fourth inning wasn’t any better, as she gave up a three-run home run to the Scarlet Knights, as they tied the game at five.
The fatal blow came in the sixth inning as Smith gave up a solo homer to give Rutgers the lead which it would not relinquish. However, there was some controversy in the bottom of the seventh. Kami Kortokrax reached on a walk, then made it home after Sam Hackenbracht hit a double to center. Kortokrax was initially called safe, which would’ve tied the game, but after video review, the call was reversed and she was called out.
Heartbreaking way to lose for the Buckeyes.
Game 2
After five-straight losses, Ohio State desperately needed to get back in the win column, and that is exactly what it did Saturday after a couple of key home runs blasted it to victory.
Farley picked up where she left off Friday and led off the bottom of the first with a home run to get the Buckeyes on the board first. Emily Ruck was on the bump for Ohio State and absolutely cruised in this one. Her lone mistake came in the third inning when she gave up a two-run home run to give Rutgers the lead, but her offense would bail her out.
Wilkison doubled in the fifth inning, then advanced to third on a throwing error, now perfectly set up in scoring position for Hackenbracht. The clutch designated player lined out to center field which allowed Wilkison to score the tying run. The next inning, Jaycee Ruberti called game as her solo home run would end up being the winning run for the Buckeyes.
Ruck had a 1-2-3 seventh and threw a complete game, giving up two runs on six hits, four walks and four strikeouts.
Fun Facts (from ohiostatebuckeyes.com)
The softball team is certainly gaining some traction in Columbus, and rightly so! They play their rubber match against Rutgers today at noon, and it is streaming on BTN+. So, while you are chowing down on your Easter candy, kick back and watch some softball!
Continue reading...
meganhusslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
@OhioStateSB
The rubber match is today, Easter Sunday. Hopefully the Easter bunny finds the scarlet and gray basket.
After getting swept at Indiana last weekend, the Buckeyes were looking forward to home-field advantage and getting back on track. Ohio State (now 22-13) fell in its first game to Rutgers (now 30-13) Friday before a game full of fireworks Saturday righted the ship for the Bucks.
Game 1
The game started just like it typically has the past few weeks— with a Melina Wilkison home run. This was her fifth home run in the past six games. Also important to note, this was Wilkison’s 100th career hit— in just her 83rd game, as she is only a sophomore.
Then, the next inning, second baseman Kaitlyn Farley showed off her power with a grand slam, putting the Buckeyes up 5-0 early on.
On the defensive side, pitcher Allison Smith started to struggle in the third. She loaded the bases, then walked in a run, then hit a batter to score another run. The fourth inning wasn’t any better, as she gave up a three-run home run to the Scarlet Knights, as they tied the game at five.
The fatal blow came in the sixth inning as Smith gave up a solo homer to give Rutgers the lead which it would not relinquish. However, there was some controversy in the bottom of the seventh. Kami Kortokrax reached on a walk, then made it home after Sam Hackenbracht hit a double to center. Kortokrax was initially called safe, which would’ve tied the game, but after video review, the call was reversed and she was called out.
Heartbreaking way to lose for the Buckeyes.
Game 2
After five-straight losses, Ohio State desperately needed to get back in the win column, and that is exactly what it did Saturday after a couple of key home runs blasted it to victory.
Farley picked up where she left off Friday and led off the bottom of the first with a home run to get the Buckeyes on the board first. Emily Ruck was on the bump for Ohio State and absolutely cruised in this one. Her lone mistake came in the third inning when she gave up a two-run home run to give Rutgers the lead, but her offense would bail her out.
Wilkison doubled in the fifth inning, then advanced to third on a throwing error, now perfectly set up in scoring position for Hackenbracht. The clutch designated player lined out to center field which allowed Wilkison to score the tying run. The next inning, Jaycee Ruberti called game as her solo home run would end up being the winning run for the Buckeyes.
Ruck had a 1-2-3 seventh and threw a complete game, giving up two runs on six hits, four walks and four strikeouts.
Fun Facts (from ohiostatebuckeyes.com)
- Five of Ohio State’s last eight games have been decided by one run. For the season, the Buckeyes are 9-4 in one-run games.
- Melina Wilkison reached base for the 27th consecutive game. She also extended her hitting streak to seven games.
- Ohio State played in front of a crowd of 1,000+ for the third consecutive game.
The softball team is certainly gaining some traction in Columbus, and rightly so! They play their rubber match against Rutgers today at noon, and it is streaming on BTN+. So, while you are chowing down on your Easter candy, kick back and watch some softball!
Continue reading...
LGHL The problem in overlooking Taylor Mikesell in the WNBA Draft
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- 0 Replies
The problem in overlooking Taylor Mikesell in the WNBA Draft
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Ohio State guard’s final NCAA season should help draft stock, not hurt it
The WNBA Draft, and making it in the United States’ top women’s basketball league, is tough business. As of April 6, 112 players put their name in for draft eligibility for one of 36 draft spots. That means 76 won’t be drafted at all. Then, for the 36 lucky players who hear their name called, over half aren’t likely to make their team.
Odds are certainly stacked against any player that takes a chance on the draft, but former Ohio State women’s basketball guard Taylor Mikesell shouldn’t be overlooked for one of those few spots.
In current mock drafts, Mikesell’s name won’t come up in the first round. After the surefire picks like South Carolina forward Aliyah Boston, likely the first overall pick, Maryland’s Diamond Miller and Tennessee’s Jordan Horston, it gets a bit foggy though.
It’s likely that Mikesell goes in the second or third rounds. However, there’s evidence to support Mikesell going higher. In the 2023 group of draftees, Mikesell is the most dangerous shooting guard available.
Whoever gets Mikesell doesn’t simply get a player who tied the Buckeyes’ postseason record of seven made three-point shots in a game, in the last game of her career in the Elite Eight, but a deep threat the likes of a Courtney Vandersloot or Kelsey Mitchell.
Last season, Mikesell was number one overall in all of NCAA women’s basketball in long range shooting, going 47.5% from beyond the arc. It wasn’t an odd outlier year either. In three of the four seasons Mikesell played in the Big Ten, two years with the Maryland Terrapins followed by her final two with the Buckeyes, Mikesell sat atop the league in shooting from deep.
What puts a shadow on Mikesell’s draft stock is the 22-23 season. In the guard’s final year, Mikesell was third in the conference with a still impressive 41.4% efficiency from beyond the three-point line. It put Mikesell at 22nd best in the country, the guard’s lowest in four seasons of starting at least 30 games.
Looking at the guard’s output directly, it’s less than last year’s numbers, sure. Putting additional perspective on it though, Mikesell performed her best this season because of the environment in which she accomplished it.
For two years, this year especially, Mikesell was the Ohio State Buckeyes. The guard joined the Scarlet & Gray before the 21-22 season, coming into a team where the scoring identity was focused on shooting. To put it bluntly, all the team had was shooting.
The post play for the Buckeyes suffered a massive blow following the 20-21 season. Ohio State lost forwards Dorka Juhasz and Aaliyah Patty to the transfer portal. That’s 11.1 and 5.8 rebounds per game lost in an offseason.
In the 21-22 season, nobody on the Buckeyes grabbed more than five rebounds a game. Due to the size of the program changing, Ohio State shifted to a more pressing side on defense and offensively its 5-out offensive set meant the Buckeyes were going to hurt teams from deep.
Mikesell thrived, hitting that top three-point shooting efficiency level that topped the NCAA, even hitting 50% shooting late in the season, and sixth best overall field goal percentage for the Big Ten at 48.2%. The guard accomplished it with a quick release that started with extra practice in high school that Mikesell took to the NCAA level, often times shooting alone an hour and a half before games tip.
This season though, it was difficult all-around for the Buckeyes. Sure, making it to the Elite Eight doesn’t necessarily show a team struggling, but the reason Ohio State made it that far was in large part because of Mikesell.
Fellow guard Jacy Sheldon, who led the Scarlet & Gray’s scoring in the 21-22 season, missed 23 games of the regular season. Also, point guard Madison Greene, who stepped in to start during Sheldon’s absence, suffered an injury on Dec. 20 that took her out the remainder of the campaign. So, without a top post presence or a fellow consistent shooter, Mikesell received the brunt of the attention.
With at least one player glued to Mikesell all game on offense, with or without the ball, the guard still shot over 40% from long range. Also, Mikesell added more point guard duties to her repertoire and increased her assists and steals per game. Mikesell’s 2.3 assists this year is the second best of her career.
Back in Mikesell’s first two years of college basketball, with the Terrapins, her 3.3 assists as a freshman and 2.3 as a sophomore per game were good or better than Mikesell’s Ohio State years. However, that was in a team with three future members of the WNBA.
This year, Mikesell had those assists mostly through lowerclassmen stars in forwards Cotie McMahon and Taylor Thierry. Each dynamic young player on Ohio State benefited from Mikesell. McMahon’s blistering runs to the basket were made easier with Mikesell getting additional attention on defense.
Defensively, Mikesell has room for improvement. When Mikesell goes from perimeter to defending a player going into the paint, the guard doesn’t do well against players prone to going to the rim. At the WNBA level, it doesn’t get any easier but the offensive work outweighs the need for the defensive improvement.
Also, looking at the work ethic of Mikesell in her shooting, applying that to her game in other areas only strengthens her as a pick in the draft. When Mikesell tied that program record with seven three-point shots in the NCAA Tournament, the guard did it injured. The toughness and commitment to the game can leak into other competencies.
Overall though, the dip in offensive stats aren’t a bad thing. Even with a lower three-point efficiency this season, Mikesell still led all shooters in the NCAA who took at least 250 shots from deep.
That and the context of how Mikesell scored this season makes Mikesell’s 22-23 season the best of her career. Look at Boston in South Carolina as a similar example.
The national champion Boston averaged double-doubles in her sophomore and junior seasons. In the forward’s final year though, she had her “worst” year since coming into college. Boston averaged 13.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. A decline of 3.8 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
Nobody is holding that against Boston. There aren’t talks of Boston’s draft stock slipping after looking at the game footage. The forward faced double, triple and sometimes quadruple coverage when she got the ball anywhere close to the paint.
While they play two different positions, and have different games altogether, they were both still impactful even with the added attention. On Monday, April 10th, when the WNBA Draft starts on ESPN, Mikesell should be afforded similar grace.
Continue reading...
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Ohio State guard’s final NCAA season should help draft stock, not hurt it
The WNBA Draft, and making it in the United States’ top women’s basketball league, is tough business. As of April 6, 112 players put their name in for draft eligibility for one of 36 draft spots. That means 76 won’t be drafted at all. Then, for the 36 lucky players who hear their name called, over half aren’t likely to make their team.
Odds are certainly stacked against any player that takes a chance on the draft, but former Ohio State women’s basketball guard Taylor Mikesell shouldn’t be overlooked for one of those few spots.
In current mock drafts, Mikesell’s name won’t come up in the first round. After the surefire picks like South Carolina forward Aliyah Boston, likely the first overall pick, Maryland’s Diamond Miller and Tennessee’s Jordan Horston, it gets a bit foggy though.
It’s likely that Mikesell goes in the second or third rounds. However, there’s evidence to support Mikesell going higher. In the 2023 group of draftees, Mikesell is the most dangerous shooting guard available.
Whoever gets Mikesell doesn’t simply get a player who tied the Buckeyes’ postseason record of seven made three-point shots in a game, in the last game of her career in the Elite Eight, but a deep threat the likes of a Courtney Vandersloot or Kelsey Mitchell.
Q4 | Our-point @TMikesell23 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/0miTcar7XM
— Ohio State WBB (@OhioStateWBB) March 28, 2023
Last season, Mikesell was number one overall in all of NCAA women’s basketball in long range shooting, going 47.5% from beyond the arc. It wasn’t an odd outlier year either. In three of the four seasons Mikesell played in the Big Ten, two years with the Maryland Terrapins followed by her final two with the Buckeyes, Mikesell sat atop the league in shooting from deep.
What puts a shadow on Mikesell’s draft stock is the 22-23 season. In the guard’s final year, Mikesell was third in the conference with a still impressive 41.4% efficiency from beyond the three-point line. It put Mikesell at 22nd best in the country, the guard’s lowest in four seasons of starting at least 30 games.
Looking at the guard’s output directly, it’s less than last year’s numbers, sure. Putting additional perspective on it though, Mikesell performed her best this season because of the environment in which she accomplished it.
For two years, this year especially, Mikesell was the Ohio State Buckeyes. The guard joined the Scarlet & Gray before the 21-22 season, coming into a team where the scoring identity was focused on shooting. To put it bluntly, all the team had was shooting.
The post play for the Buckeyes suffered a massive blow following the 20-21 season. Ohio State lost forwards Dorka Juhasz and Aaliyah Patty to the transfer portal. That’s 11.1 and 5.8 rebounds per game lost in an offseason.
In the 21-22 season, nobody on the Buckeyes grabbed more than five rebounds a game. Due to the size of the program changing, Ohio State shifted to a more pressing side on defense and offensively its 5-out offensive set meant the Buckeyes were going to hurt teams from deep.
Mikesell thrived, hitting that top three-point shooting efficiency level that topped the NCAA, even hitting 50% shooting late in the season, and sixth best overall field goal percentage for the Big Ten at 48.2%. The guard accomplished it with a quick release that started with extra practice in high school that Mikesell took to the NCAA level, often times shooting alone an hour and a half before games tip.
This season though, it was difficult all-around for the Buckeyes. Sure, making it to the Elite Eight doesn’t necessarily show a team struggling, but the reason Ohio State made it that far was in large part because of Mikesell.
Fellow guard Jacy Sheldon, who led the Scarlet & Gray’s scoring in the 21-22 season, missed 23 games of the regular season. Also, point guard Madison Greene, who stepped in to start during Sheldon’s absence, suffered an injury on Dec. 20 that took her out the remainder of the campaign. So, without a top post presence or a fellow consistent shooter, Mikesell received the brunt of the attention.
With at least one player glued to Mikesell all game on offense, with or without the ball, the guard still shot over 40% from long range. Also, Mikesell added more point guard duties to her repertoire and increased her assists and steals per game. Mikesell’s 2.3 assists this year is the second best of her career.
Back in Mikesell’s first two years of college basketball, with the Terrapins, her 3.3 assists as a freshman and 2.3 as a sophomore per game were good or better than Mikesell’s Ohio State years. However, that was in a team with three future members of the WNBA.
This year, Mikesell had those assists mostly through lowerclassmen stars in forwards Cotie McMahon and Taylor Thierry. Each dynamic young player on Ohio State benefited from Mikesell. McMahon’s blistering runs to the basket were made easier with Mikesell getting additional attention on defense.
Defensively, Mikesell has room for improvement. When Mikesell goes from perimeter to defending a player going into the paint, the guard doesn’t do well against players prone to going to the rim. At the WNBA level, it doesn’t get any easier but the offensive work outweighs the need for the defensive improvement.
Also, looking at the work ethic of Mikesell in her shooting, applying that to her game in other areas only strengthens her as a pick in the draft. When Mikesell tied that program record with seven three-point shots in the NCAA Tournament, the guard did it injured. The toughness and commitment to the game can leak into other competencies.
Overall though, the dip in offensive stats aren’t a bad thing. Even with a lower three-point efficiency this season, Mikesell still led all shooters in the NCAA who took at least 250 shots from deep.
That and the context of how Mikesell scored this season makes Mikesell’s 22-23 season the best of her career. Look at Boston in South Carolina as a similar example.
The national champion Boston averaged double-doubles in her sophomore and junior seasons. In the forward’s final year though, she had her “worst” year since coming into college. Boston averaged 13.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. A decline of 3.8 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
Nobody is holding that against Boston. There aren’t talks of Boston’s draft stock slipping after looking at the game footage. The forward faced double, triple and sometimes quadruple coverage when she got the ball anywhere close to the paint.
While they play two different positions, and have different games altogether, they were both still impactful even with the added attention. On Monday, April 10th, when the WNBA Draft starts on ESPN, Mikesell should be afforded similar grace.
Continue reading...
LGHL The Ohio State offense would be wise to feature more of a running game this year
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The Ohio State offense would be wise to feature more of a running game this year
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
The return of a healthy TreVeyon Henderson, Miyan Williams, and Evan Pryor would take some pressure off of a new starting quarterback
It feels like these days Ohio State has little trouble replacing departing talent on the offensive side of the football. Just look at the quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs, and offensive linemen that have come through Columbus over the last decade.
This year is no different. While Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Cade Stover, and a number of others remain from last year’s team, Ohio State will have to replace quarterback C.J. Stroud and three starters on the offensive line.
Head coach Ryan Day hasn’t made an official announcement yet on whether Kyle McCord or Devin Brown will replace Stroud behind center, and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if Day didn’t name a starter after Saturday’s spring game even though it sounds like McCord is trending towards winning the battle with Brown.
McCord does have a bit of an edge, not only having one more year at Ohio State than Brown, but he also was Harrison’s quarterback in high school, so there is more of a rapport between McCord and the star receiver.
Even though Ohio State will have a new quarterback as well as some new starters on the offensive line, one thing the Buckeye offense will have entering this season that they didn’t over the last half of last season was a lot more stability at running back. Not only will TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams enter this season healthy after battling injuries for much of last year, Evan Pryor will also return to the fold after missing all of last year with a knee injury.
With all three of those running backs sidelined for at least a portion of last season, it allowed Dallan Hayden to see some carries late in the season, which he might not have seen if Henderson and Williams were available to play.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24571631/1245967526.jpg "Ohio State University vs University of Georgia, 2022 CFP National Semifinal")
Set Number: X164267 TK1
Ohio State has become a lot more pass-happy since Day arrived in Columbus, and it’s not that playing that style of football is a bad thing. Relying too much on the pass can get teams into trouble when they only need a few yards. Had Henderson and Williams been healthy in the second half of the season, you likely don’t see the amount of bubble screens that we saw run by the Buckeye offense. It’s understandable to want to try and easily get the football into the hands of guys like Egbuka and Harrison, but I can’t remember one bubble screen that worked last season.
Unlike last year when Notre Dame had to come into Ohio Stadium with a new starter in the first game of the season, Ohio State will have a couple games to get McCord or Brown comfortable with game speed before throwing them into the fire in South Bend at the end of September. Even though the Buckeyes do open up the season on the road against Indiana, it’s not like Buckeye Nation doesn’t fill up Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, so it’s not like they are going to see a real hostile environment against the Hoosiers.
The smart move for Day, Brian Hartline, and Justin Frye this year would be to lean on the running backs a little more, especially early on in the season. Unlike the last few years where Stroud was so accurate that some passes were essentially a long handoff, I think it will be better to use the run game to open up the pass for McCord or Brown. Don’t ask either quarterback to do too much early on, instead allow them to have some success on the field and gradually build on what you are asking them to do.
There is no question that both quarterbacks have tremendous talent, but you don’t want to shake their confidence by expecting them to do too much early on and then get down on themselves if things don’t click immediately.
Another reason to feature Henderson, Williams, and the rest of the running backs a little more this year is because they definitely have something to prove. Following a tremendous freshman campaign, Henderson didn’t live up to expectations last season because of the injuries he was dealing with. The junior running back is hoping he can replicate the same type of success J.K. Dobbins had. Following a great first year in Columbus, Dobbins struggled in his sophomore season before exploding in his junior year for 2,003 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24571629/1244916147.jpg "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 19 Ohio State at Maryland")
Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Henderson doesn’t have to go quite as wild as Dobbins did since there is a ton of talent in the backfield with Henderson. Last year we saw Williams tie a single-game school record with five rushing touchdowns against Rutgers. “Chop” also had a number of other strong performances, as he led the team with 825 yards rushing in the 11 games he appeared in.
Along with the duo, there’s a reason why Evan Pryor was such a highly-touted recruit coming out of high school. If he is fully recovered from the knee injury he suffered before last season, Pryor could be a real sleeper this year. All this and we haven’t even mentioned Dallan Hayden yet, who was thrown into the fire a few times last season and was able to hold his own in his freshman year.
Not saying that I need the offense to return to “Tresselball”, but I do like it when football teams have a little more balance. Urban Meyer had the right idea at the college level when he wanted his teams to run for 250 yards, as well as pass for 250 yards. I know the Buckeyes have enough talent in the passing game to rely more on the pass, I just think they’ll be better off if they feature the run more this year now that their primary backs will enter the season healthy.
That ability to mix the run and the pass could be the difference that puts them over the top this year in their quest for a national title.
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
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
The return of a healthy TreVeyon Henderson, Miyan Williams, and Evan Pryor would take some pressure off of a new starting quarterback
It feels like these days Ohio State has little trouble replacing departing talent on the offensive side of the football. Just look at the quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs, and offensive linemen that have come through Columbus over the last decade.
This year is no different. While Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Cade Stover, and a number of others remain from last year’s team, Ohio State will have to replace quarterback C.J. Stroud and three starters on the offensive line.
Head coach Ryan Day hasn’t made an official announcement yet on whether Kyle McCord or Devin Brown will replace Stroud behind center, and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if Day didn’t name a starter after Saturday’s spring game even though it sounds like McCord is trending towards winning the battle with Brown.
McCord does have a bit of an edge, not only having one more year at Ohio State than Brown, but he also was Harrison’s quarterback in high school, so there is more of a rapport between McCord and the star receiver.
Even though Ohio State will have a new quarterback as well as some new starters on the offensive line, one thing the Buckeye offense will have entering this season that they didn’t over the last half of last season was a lot more stability at running back. Not only will TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams enter this season healthy after battling injuries for much of last year, Evan Pryor will also return to the fold after missing all of last year with a knee injury.
With all three of those running backs sidelined for at least a portion of last season, it allowed Dallan Hayden to see some carries late in the season, which he might not have seen if Henderson and Williams were available to play.
Ohio State has become a lot more pass-happy since Day arrived in Columbus, and it’s not that playing that style of football is a bad thing. Relying too much on the pass can get teams into trouble when they only need a few yards. Had Henderson and Williams been healthy in the second half of the season, you likely don’t see the amount of bubble screens that we saw run by the Buckeye offense. It’s understandable to want to try and easily get the football into the hands of guys like Egbuka and Harrison, but I can’t remember one bubble screen that worked last season.
Unlike last year when Notre Dame had to come into Ohio Stadium with a new starter in the first game of the season, Ohio State will have a couple games to get McCord or Brown comfortable with game speed before throwing them into the fire in South Bend at the end of September. Even though the Buckeyes do open up the season on the road against Indiana, it’s not like Buckeye Nation doesn’t fill up Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, so it’s not like they are going to see a real hostile environment against the Hoosiers.
The smart move for Day, Brian Hartline, and Justin Frye this year would be to lean on the running backs a little more, especially early on in the season. Unlike the last few years where Stroud was so accurate that some passes were essentially a long handoff, I think it will be better to use the run game to open up the pass for McCord or Brown. Don’t ask either quarterback to do too much early on, instead allow them to have some success on the field and gradually build on what you are asking them to do.
There is no question that both quarterbacks have tremendous talent, but you don’t want to shake their confidence by expecting them to do too much early on and then get down on themselves if things don’t click immediately.
Another reason to feature Henderson, Williams, and the rest of the running backs a little more this year is because they definitely have something to prove. Following a tremendous freshman campaign, Henderson didn’t live up to expectations last season because of the injuries he was dealing with. The junior running back is hoping he can replicate the same type of success J.K. Dobbins had. Following a great first year in Columbus, Dobbins struggled in his sophomore season before exploding in his junior year for 2,003 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns.
Henderson doesn’t have to go quite as wild as Dobbins did since there is a ton of talent in the backfield with Henderson. Last year we saw Williams tie a single-game school record with five rushing touchdowns against Rutgers. “Chop” also had a number of other strong performances, as he led the team with 825 yards rushing in the 11 games he appeared in.
Along with the duo, there’s a reason why Evan Pryor was such a highly-touted recruit coming out of high school. If he is fully recovered from the knee injury he suffered before last season, Pryor could be a real sleeper this year. All this and we haven’t even mentioned Dallan Hayden yet, who was thrown into the fire a few times last season and was able to hold his own in his freshman year.
Not saying that I need the offense to return to “Tresselball”, but I do like it when football teams have a little more balance. Urban Meyer had the right idea at the college level when he wanted his teams to run for 250 yards, as well as pass for 250 yards. I know the Buckeyes have enough talent in the passing game to rely more on the pass, I just think they’ll be better off if they feature the run more this year now that their primary backs will enter the season healthy.
That ability to mix the run and the pass could be the difference that puts them over the top this year in their quest for a national title.
Continue reading...
LGHL BOOM! Ohio State finds its 2024 quarterback in Georgia four-star Air Noland
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BOOM! Ohio State finds its 2024 quarterback in Georgia four-star Air Noland
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Twitter | @AirNoland_
The No. 84 player in the country will play his college football in Columbus.
Business has been BOOOOOOMing for the Buckeyes lately, both on the gridiron and on the hardwood. But on Saturday, it was the football team’s turn to get back on the commitment train as Ryan Day found his quarterback for the 2024 class in Fairburn, Ga. top-100 prospect Prentiss “Air” Noland.
The No. 84 player in the country according to 247Sports Composite Ratings — though No. 55 in 247’s internal rankings — is a 6-foot-3, 195-pound left-handed quarterback who had 35 offers, but ultimately chose the Buckeyes over Alabama, Arkansas, Clemson, Miami, Oregon, Texas A&M, and many more.
Though Noland had been high on OSU’s list for months, he did not officially earn an offer until last weekend when he visited Columbus for an unofficial visit. Despite the fact that Day, quarterback coach Corey Dennis, and offensive coordinator Brian Hartline have been recruiting the QB for a while, they wanted to make sure that they could see him throw in person before making it official, and they did that last weekend, and obviously, both sides were impressed with that they saw on the visit.
Since the beginning of 2023, Noland has been hitting up some of the best programs in the country, visiting Alabama’s Junior Day in January, then Clemson’s, Arkansas, Miami, and Texas A&M before coming to Columbus. He did make one more trip to Tuscaloosa this past Monday, but apparently, it was not enough to persuade him away from OSU.
In December, following the conclusion of his junior season, 247Sports’ Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins compared him to former Indiana Hoosier QB Michael Penix Jr.
“A lefty that can attack all three levels of the field ... Owns a quick, compact release that is believed to be one of the fastest –if not the fastest– in the 2024 cycle. More than comfortable on the move and has plenty of experience running RPOs out of a single-back spread attack. Will beat defenders to the sticks with his legs, and is more than creative when the pocket starts to break down, but shouldn’t be considered a run-first quarterback as he keeps his eyes downfield while working through his progressions and always seems to be looking for the home run.”
Noland was just one touchdown pass from tying the Georgia single-season record of 55. During his junior season, his Langston Hughes High School team went 15-0 to win the AAAAAA state title. Ivins believes that Noland could end up as an NFL starter if he finds the right college home and continues his development.
He should have a pretty good chance to do that working under Day and Dennis. Since The former came to Columbus he has coached three-straight first-round selections at the position (presuming C.J. Stroud doesn’t unthinkably fall out over the next few weeks). All three players — Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields, and Stroud — also finished as Heisman Finalists and have earned the last five Big Ten Quarterback of the Year awards.
Based on his film and all of the scouts, it seems like Noland has the chance to eventually follow in their footsteps.
“Accurate and not one to make too many mistakes,” Ivins said. “Must adjust to the speed and everyday demands of big-time college football, but has the tools and mechanics to not only win games on Saturdays, but also be a true difference-maker on offense.”
Noland is the ninth player to join the 2024 class, which is already loaded with offensive talent. Ohio State has already landed the No. 2 player in the country in wide receiver Jeremiah Smith along with No. 27 player nationally WR Mylan Graham, No. 69 prospect running back James Peoples, and No. 88 interior offensive lineman Ian Moore.
Also in the class are No. 139 linebacker Garrett Stover, offensive line twins Deontae Armstrong (No. 313) and Devontae Armstrong (No. 354), and IOL Marc Nave (No. 551).
The commitment keeps OSU at No. 4 in the national recruiting rankings, but the team is now within 1.37 points of No. 3 LSU. The Buckeyes’ average player ranking of 94.23 is third nationally behind Alabama (95.09) and Florida (94.93).
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The No. 84 player in the country will play his college football in Columbus.
Business has been BOOOOOOMing for the Buckeyes lately, both on the gridiron and on the hardwood. But on Saturday, it was the football team’s turn to get back on the commitment train as Ryan Day found his quarterback for the 2024 class in Fairburn, Ga. top-100 prospect Prentiss “Air” Noland.
The No. 84 player in the country according to 247Sports Composite Ratings — though No. 55 in 247’s internal rankings — is a 6-foot-3, 195-pound left-handed quarterback who had 35 offers, but ultimately chose the Buckeyes over Alabama, Arkansas, Clemson, Miami, Oregon, Texas A&M, and many more.
Though Noland had been high on OSU’s list for months, he did not officially earn an offer until last weekend when he visited Columbus for an unofficial visit. Despite the fact that Day, quarterback coach Corey Dennis, and offensive coordinator Brian Hartline have been recruiting the QB for a while, they wanted to make sure that they could see him throw in person before making it official, and they did that last weekend, and obviously, both sides were impressed with that they saw on the visit.
Since the beginning of 2023, Noland has been hitting up some of the best programs in the country, visiting Alabama’s Junior Day in January, then Clemson’s, Arkansas, Miami, and Texas A&M before coming to Columbus. He did make one more trip to Tuscaloosa this past Monday, but apparently, it was not enough to persuade him away from OSU.
In December, following the conclusion of his junior season, 247Sports’ Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins compared him to former Indiana Hoosier QB Michael Penix Jr.
“A lefty that can attack all three levels of the field ... Owns a quick, compact release that is believed to be one of the fastest –if not the fastest– in the 2024 cycle. More than comfortable on the move and has plenty of experience running RPOs out of a single-back spread attack. Will beat defenders to the sticks with his legs, and is more than creative when the pocket starts to break down, but shouldn’t be considered a run-first quarterback as he keeps his eyes downfield while working through his progressions and always seems to be looking for the home run.”
Noland was just one touchdown pass from tying the Georgia single-season record of 55. During his junior season, his Langston Hughes High School team went 15-0 to win the AAAAAA state title. Ivins believes that Noland could end up as an NFL starter if he finds the right college home and continues his development.
He should have a pretty good chance to do that working under Day and Dennis. Since The former came to Columbus he has coached three-straight first-round selections at the position (presuming C.J. Stroud doesn’t unthinkably fall out over the next few weeks). All three players — Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields, and Stroud — also finished as Heisman Finalists and have earned the last five Big Ten Quarterback of the Year awards.
Based on his film and all of the scouts, it seems like Noland has the chance to eventually follow in their footsteps.
“Accurate and not one to make too many mistakes,” Ivins said. “Must adjust to the speed and everyday demands of big-time college football, but has the tools and mechanics to not only win games on Saturdays, but also be a true difference-maker on offense.”
Noland is the ninth player to join the 2024 class, which is already loaded with offensive talent. Ohio State has already landed the No. 2 player in the country in wide receiver Jeremiah Smith along with No. 27 player nationally WR Mylan Graham, No. 69 prospect running back James Peoples, and No. 88 interior offensive lineman Ian Moore.
Also in the class are No. 139 linebacker Garrett Stover, offensive line twins Deontae Armstrong (No. 313) and Devontae Armstrong (No. 354), and IOL Marc Nave (No. 551).
The commitment keeps OSU at No. 4 in the national recruiting rankings, but the team is now within 1.37 points of No. 3 LSU. The Buckeyes’ average player ranking of 94.23 is third nationally behind Alabama (95.09) and Florida (94.93).
Check out Air Noland’s Junior Season Highlights:
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