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LGHL MC&J: Ohio State-Michigan is the star of Week 13 in the Big Ten
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MC&J: Ohio State-Michigan is the star of Week 13 in the Big Ten
Brett Ludwiczak 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
All eyes will be on The Game on Saturday afternoon in the final week of the Big Ten regular season
My picks for Oregon State-Oregon, Washington State-Washington, and six other interesting national games can be found here.
No. 17 Iowa v. Nebraska (-2.5) - Friday 12:00 p.m. ET - CBS
It’s incredible that for as bad as Iowa has been offensively this year they have won nine games and will be representing the West in the Big Ten Championship Game next Saturday. The Hawkeyes have scored at least 24 points in just three games this year, with the last of those occurrences coming at the end of September against Michigan State. To be as successful as Iowa has been with no offense just tells you how good their defense and special teams has been.
Nebraska has been just as dreadful on offense as Iowa has this season. Much like the Hawkeyes, the Cornhuskers have reached 24 points in just three games this season. After a 5-3 start to the season, Nebraska has fallen flat, losing their last three games, putting their dreams of making a bowl game in Matt Rhule’s first season in Lincoln in serious jeopardy. Last week in the 24-17 overtime loss to Wisconsin, the Cornhuskers turned to Chubba Purdy at quarterback.
In a game where the offenses aren’t going to have much success, I’ll take the points and the team that has experience winning tight games. Nebraska has made losing one-score games an art-form over the last few years. This year four of their six losses have been by seven points or less. Iowa gets some revenge for last year when the Cornhuskers snapped a seven-game losing streak in the rivalry.
Iowa 17, Nebraska 10
No. 11 Penn State (-21.5) v. Michigan State - Friday 7:30 p.m. ET - NBC
I would say this game feels so weird being played at Ford Field in Detroit, but it’s not like Michigan State has much of a home-field advantage this year. Plus, at least this way they won’t have a chance to put anything embarrassing up on their scoreboard before the game. Still, college football regular season games played at NFL stadiums sucks all the fun out of the game.
Penn State enters this game with some uncertainty when it comes to quarterback Drew Allar. While it sounds like Allar is going to play on Friday, it’s obvious the first-year starter isn’t anywhere close to 100 percent. Last week against Rutgers, Allar and Beau Pribula combined to throw for just 88 yards in the 27-6 win. Luckily the Nittany Lions have running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton to lean on.
Even though Penn State is great at beating up on bad teams, Michigan State does come into this game with a little confidence after beating Indiana last week. We should see a spirited effort from the Spartans since this will be their final game of the season, while Penn State still has a bowl game to prepare for. The Nittany Lions keep things pretty vanilla as they try and earn the win while not accumulating any more injuries ahead of their bowl game.
Penn State 28, Michigan State 13
Indiana v. Purdue (-3.5) - 12:00 p.m. ET - Big Ten Network
Unless you’re an alum of either of these schools, or a true degenerate gambler, there really is no reason to watch this game. Honestly, they shouldn’t even award the Old Oaken Bucket this year since both of these teams have been awful, with both entering Saturday’s game with 3-8 records.
Indiana at least has been somewhat competitive recently, losing their last two games by a combined six points. Purdue lost 23-15 to Northwestern last week after somehow beating Minnesota a few weeks ago. While the future of Indiana head coach Tom Allen is uncertain, at least for Ryan Walters it is his first year at Purdue, so he’ll get some time to show some positive results before his seat starts to get hot.
I can’t say I’m totally comfortable with backing Purdue here, but I do at least feel a little more confident taking the Boilermakers than I would if I picked the Hoosiers. Purdue has at least found their running game recently, rushing for over 300 yards in each of their last two contests. Devin Mockobee and Tyrone Tracy Jr. help the Boilers control the clock, wear out the Indiana defense, and eventually it will open things up for Hudson Card to make a couple throws to lead Purdue to victory.
Purdue 27, Indiana 17
Northwestern v. Illinois (-5.5) - 3:30 p.m. ET - Big Ten Network
Northwestern undoubtedly is one of the most improved teams in the country from the start of the season. In early October the Wildcats barely beat Howard, and now they’re bowl eligible and head coach David Braun had the interim tag removed from his job title because of how well Northwestern has been playing under him. Last week the Wildcats beat Purdue 23-15 to secure bowl eligibility a year after going 1-11.
On the other side, a year after playing in a January bowl game, Illinois needs a win this week just to become bowl eligible. Last week the Fighting Illini fell to Iowa 15-13. John Paddock again started at quarterback for Illinois, and it’s likely to see him behind center again since he has started the last two games and has played pretty well.
Taking the points in this game is very attractive since each of the last five games for Illinois have been decided by four points or less. Northwestern is playing with a lot of confidence, while the Fighting Illini could be pressing in this game because they know this is their last chance to become bowl eligible. I just like how the Wildcats are playing right now, so I’ll side with them to deny their in-state foe.
Northwestern 24, Illinois 20
Wisconsin (-1.5) v. Minnesota - 3:30 p.m. ET - FS1
The Badgers avoided Luke Fickell’s first year in Madison being a total failure by beating Nebraska 24-17 in overtime last week to become bowl eligible. Don’t get it twisted, the first season for Fickell as the head coach of the Badgers has been disappointing. Injuries haven’t helped Fickell’s cause, as both quarterback Tanner Mordecai and running back Braelon Allen have missed time because of injuries.
Last week we saw just how basic Minnesota is. The Golden Gophers can’t really throw the football, and their running game isn’t nearly as prolific as it has been in the previous few years. After being just a win away from bowl eligibility, Minnesota has now lost three straight games. Along with the losing streak, their latest loss came to Ohio State, and we know there can be a hangover after being run over by the Buckeyes.
I think Wisconsin builds off their win last week. Mordecai is back at quarterback, so the Badgers can at least throw the football a little to take some of the pressure off of Allen and the running game. Plus, I think Fickell is a better coach than P.J. Fleck, so give me the better all-around team that has a better coach.
Wisconsin 23, Minnesota 13
Maryland (-1.5) v. Rutgers - 3:30 p.m. ET - Big Ten Network
Neither of these teams enter this game with much confidence. Rutgers has lost three straight games, while Maryland has dropped five of six after a 5-0 start to the season. At least the Terrapins show bit of fight last week in their 31-24 loss to Michigan. The same can’t be said for the Scarlet Knights, who were rolled 27-6 by Penn State. Each of the three straight losses for Rutgers have come by at least 19 points.
We know Maryland does have some weapons of offense with Taulia Tagovailoa at quarterback. The same can’t be said for Rutgers. Who do the Scarlet Knights turn to when they need someone to make a play on offense? Nobody really comes to mind, which is why Rutgers relies so heavily on trick plays. With a short line, I feel a lot more comfortable taking the Terrapins here. While Tagovailoa hasn’t announced otherwise, who would blame him if he skipped Maryland’s bowl game this year to prepare for the NFL Draft? If that ends up being the case, expect to see him make some plays in his final game at Maryland.
Maryland 27, Rutgers 14
No. 2 Ohio State v. No. 3 Michigan (-3.5) - 12:00 p.m. ET - FOX
We have finally made it to the most anticipated game on this year’s schedule. As if there wasn’t already enough hate between the rivals, the vitriol has been ratcheted up following the Michigan sign stealing scandal. Now we wonder how much Connor Stalions had to do with the last two years, which were Michigan victories after a decade of domination by Ohio State.
The punishment for Michigan by the Big Ten was the suspension of head coach Jim Harbaugh for three games, with the last of those games being Saturday’s contest. The formula under interim head coach Sherrone Moore has been simple: jump out to a lead and then plod along and don’t blow it. The Wolverines have been so successful at this because of their ability to run the football.
One good thing for Ohio State heading into this game is Michigan isn’t quite as dominant on either line. While Michigan has been able to run the football on all their previous opponents this year, they certainly haven’t had to line up against a defense as good as what they’ll see from the Buckeyes. Ohio State hasn’t given up more than 17 points in a game this year, and they have been stout against the run.
If Michigan can’t run the football, it will force the Wolverines to put the football in J.J. McCarthy’s hands more. That strategy worked last year against Ohio State, who was burnt for a number of huge passing touchdowns in the game in Columbus. Jim Knowles has transformed the defense this year, and the Buckeyes have only given up one play of more than 40 yards, and that was on a “fumblerooski” on fourth down against Rutgers.
Ohio State doesn’t have a C.J. Stroud or Justin Fields at quarterback this year. Kyle McCord has gained more confidence throughout the season, though. McCord already has played in a hostile environment went the Buckeyes went to Notre Dame at the end of September. It also helps that he has TreVeyon Henderson, Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and Cade Stover lining up with him on offense.
Rent will be due on Saturday in Ann Arbor. Honestly, I wish Jim Harbaugh was on the sidelines since I don’t want there to be any excuse when the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines. Of course this is a homer pick, but I also think Ohio State is a better team. The Buckeyes not only have more talent on both sides of the football, they are the most tested team. Ohio State returns to the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff by beating Michigan in The Game.
Ohio State 24, Michigan 17
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Brett Ludwiczak 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
All eyes will be on The Game on Saturday afternoon in the final week of the Big Ten regular season
Last week ATS: 9-6 (5-3 National, 4-3 B1G)
Season ATS: 98-93-1 (45-54-1 National, 53-39 B1G)
My picks for Oregon State-Oregon, Washington State-Washington, and six other interesting national games can be found here.
B1G games
No. 17 Iowa v. Nebraska (-2.5) - Friday 12:00 p.m. ET - CBS
It’s incredible that for as bad as Iowa has been offensively this year they have won nine games and will be representing the West in the Big Ten Championship Game next Saturday. The Hawkeyes have scored at least 24 points in just three games this year, with the last of those occurrences coming at the end of September against Michigan State. To be as successful as Iowa has been with no offense just tells you how good their defense and special teams has been.
Nebraska has been just as dreadful on offense as Iowa has this season. Much like the Hawkeyes, the Cornhuskers have reached 24 points in just three games this season. After a 5-3 start to the season, Nebraska has fallen flat, losing their last three games, putting their dreams of making a bowl game in Matt Rhule’s first season in Lincoln in serious jeopardy. Last week in the 24-17 overtime loss to Wisconsin, the Cornhuskers turned to Chubba Purdy at quarterback.
In a game where the offenses aren’t going to have much success, I’ll take the points and the team that has experience winning tight games. Nebraska has made losing one-score games an art-form over the last few years. This year four of their six losses have been by seven points or less. Iowa gets some revenge for last year when the Cornhuskers snapped a seven-game losing streak in the rivalry.
Iowa 17, Nebraska 10
No. 11 Penn State (-21.5) v. Michigan State - Friday 7:30 p.m. ET - NBC
I would say this game feels so weird being played at Ford Field in Detroit, but it’s not like Michigan State has much of a home-field advantage this year. Plus, at least this way they won’t have a chance to put anything embarrassing up on their scoreboard before the game. Still, college football regular season games played at NFL stadiums sucks all the fun out of the game.
Penn State enters this game with some uncertainty when it comes to quarterback Drew Allar. While it sounds like Allar is going to play on Friday, it’s obvious the first-year starter isn’t anywhere close to 100 percent. Last week against Rutgers, Allar and Beau Pribula combined to throw for just 88 yards in the 27-6 win. Luckily the Nittany Lions have running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton to lean on.
Even though Penn State is great at beating up on bad teams, Michigan State does come into this game with a little confidence after beating Indiana last week. We should see a spirited effort from the Spartans since this will be their final game of the season, while Penn State still has a bowl game to prepare for. The Nittany Lions keep things pretty vanilla as they try and earn the win while not accumulating any more injuries ahead of their bowl game.
Penn State 28, Michigan State 13
Indiana v. Purdue (-3.5) - 12:00 p.m. ET - Big Ten Network
Unless you’re an alum of either of these schools, or a true degenerate gambler, there really is no reason to watch this game. Honestly, they shouldn’t even award the Old Oaken Bucket this year since both of these teams have been awful, with both entering Saturday’s game with 3-8 records.
Indiana at least has been somewhat competitive recently, losing their last two games by a combined six points. Purdue lost 23-15 to Northwestern last week after somehow beating Minnesota a few weeks ago. While the future of Indiana head coach Tom Allen is uncertain, at least for Ryan Walters it is his first year at Purdue, so he’ll get some time to show some positive results before his seat starts to get hot.
I can’t say I’m totally comfortable with backing Purdue here, but I do at least feel a little more confident taking the Boilermakers than I would if I picked the Hoosiers. Purdue has at least found their running game recently, rushing for over 300 yards in each of their last two contests. Devin Mockobee and Tyrone Tracy Jr. help the Boilers control the clock, wear out the Indiana defense, and eventually it will open things up for Hudson Card to make a couple throws to lead Purdue to victory.
Purdue 27, Indiana 17
Northwestern v. Illinois (-5.5) - 3:30 p.m. ET - Big Ten Network
Northwestern undoubtedly is one of the most improved teams in the country from the start of the season. In early October the Wildcats barely beat Howard, and now they’re bowl eligible and head coach David Braun had the interim tag removed from his job title because of how well Northwestern has been playing under him. Last week the Wildcats beat Purdue 23-15 to secure bowl eligibility a year after going 1-11.
On the other side, a year after playing in a January bowl game, Illinois needs a win this week just to become bowl eligible. Last week the Fighting Illini fell to Iowa 15-13. John Paddock again started at quarterback for Illinois, and it’s likely to see him behind center again since he has started the last two games and has played pretty well.
Taking the points in this game is very attractive since each of the last five games for Illinois have been decided by four points or less. Northwestern is playing with a lot of confidence, while the Fighting Illini could be pressing in this game because they know this is their last chance to become bowl eligible. I just like how the Wildcats are playing right now, so I’ll side with them to deny their in-state foe.
Northwestern 24, Illinois 20
Wisconsin (-1.5) v. Minnesota - 3:30 p.m. ET - FS1
The Badgers avoided Luke Fickell’s first year in Madison being a total failure by beating Nebraska 24-17 in overtime last week to become bowl eligible. Don’t get it twisted, the first season for Fickell as the head coach of the Badgers has been disappointing. Injuries haven’t helped Fickell’s cause, as both quarterback Tanner Mordecai and running back Braelon Allen have missed time because of injuries.
Last week we saw just how basic Minnesota is. The Golden Gophers can’t really throw the football, and their running game isn’t nearly as prolific as it has been in the previous few years. After being just a win away from bowl eligibility, Minnesota has now lost three straight games. Along with the losing streak, their latest loss came to Ohio State, and we know there can be a hangover after being run over by the Buckeyes.
I think Wisconsin builds off their win last week. Mordecai is back at quarterback, so the Badgers can at least throw the football a little to take some of the pressure off of Allen and the running game. Plus, I think Fickell is a better coach than P.J. Fleck, so give me the better all-around team that has a better coach.
Wisconsin 23, Minnesota 13
Maryland (-1.5) v. Rutgers - 3:30 p.m. ET - Big Ten Network
Neither of these teams enter this game with much confidence. Rutgers has lost three straight games, while Maryland has dropped five of six after a 5-0 start to the season. At least the Terrapins show bit of fight last week in their 31-24 loss to Michigan. The same can’t be said for the Scarlet Knights, who were rolled 27-6 by Penn State. Each of the three straight losses for Rutgers have come by at least 19 points.
We know Maryland does have some weapons of offense with Taulia Tagovailoa at quarterback. The same can’t be said for Rutgers. Who do the Scarlet Knights turn to when they need someone to make a play on offense? Nobody really comes to mind, which is why Rutgers relies so heavily on trick plays. With a short line, I feel a lot more comfortable taking the Terrapins here. While Tagovailoa hasn’t announced otherwise, who would blame him if he skipped Maryland’s bowl game this year to prepare for the NFL Draft? If that ends up being the case, expect to see him make some plays in his final game at Maryland.
Maryland 27, Rutgers 14
No. 2 Ohio State v. No. 3 Michigan (-3.5) - 12:00 p.m. ET - FOX
We have finally made it to the most anticipated game on this year’s schedule. As if there wasn’t already enough hate between the rivals, the vitriol has been ratcheted up following the Michigan sign stealing scandal. Now we wonder how much Connor Stalions had to do with the last two years, which were Michigan victories after a decade of domination by Ohio State.
The punishment for Michigan by the Big Ten was the suspension of head coach Jim Harbaugh for three games, with the last of those games being Saturday’s contest. The formula under interim head coach Sherrone Moore has been simple: jump out to a lead and then plod along and don’t blow it. The Wolverines have been so successful at this because of their ability to run the football.
One good thing for Ohio State heading into this game is Michigan isn’t quite as dominant on either line. While Michigan has been able to run the football on all their previous opponents this year, they certainly haven’t had to line up against a defense as good as what they’ll see from the Buckeyes. Ohio State hasn’t given up more than 17 points in a game this year, and they have been stout against the run.
If Michigan can’t run the football, it will force the Wolverines to put the football in J.J. McCarthy’s hands more. That strategy worked last year against Ohio State, who was burnt for a number of huge passing touchdowns in the game in Columbus. Jim Knowles has transformed the defense this year, and the Buckeyes have only given up one play of more than 40 yards, and that was on a “fumblerooski” on fourth down against Rutgers.
Ohio State doesn’t have a C.J. Stroud or Justin Fields at quarterback this year. Kyle McCord has gained more confidence throughout the season, though. McCord already has played in a hostile environment went the Buckeyes went to Notre Dame at the end of September. It also helps that he has TreVeyon Henderson, Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and Cade Stover lining up with him on offense.
Rent will be due on Saturday in Ann Arbor. Honestly, I wish Jim Harbaugh was on the sidelines since I don’t want there to be any excuse when the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines. Of course this is a homer pick, but I also think Ohio State is a better team. The Buckeyes not only have more talent on both sides of the football, they are the most tested team. Ohio State returns to the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff by beating Michigan in The Game.
Ohio State 24, Michigan 17
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LGHL Eight of Ohio State’s best individual performers in “The Game”
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Eight of Ohio State’s best individual performers in “The Game”
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Neal C. Lauron / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes have had some incredible performances in The Game, but which has been the best?
As we approach the 2023 edition of “The Game,” one of the biggest things we always try to predict is who will have the biggest impact for each team.
From Troy Smith to Dwayne Haskins to Chris Spielman, many Buckeye greats cemented their names in history with a great game against the Team Up North. Let’s take a look at some of the greatest individual performances by those in the Scarlet and Gray in college football’s biggest rivalry.
These are not in any particular order.
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Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
In one of the most anticipated games in the history of college football, Smith led the Buckeyes to the 42-39 win and a berth in the 2007 National Championship game (we don’t have to talk about that).
Smith threw for 316 yards on 29-of-41 passing with four touchdowns and just one interception against an exceptional Michigan defense, and went on to win the 2006 Heisman Trophy. Ted Ginn Jr. was his top target, catching eight passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. In a back-and-forth game, Smith made every play to secure the victory.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25107034/usa_today_2155811.jpg "USA TODAY Sports")
Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Even though Michigan won this game 26-24, and most of these performances are in wins, what Chris Spielman did in 1986 cannot be left out. He put together one of the greatest defensive performances in college football history.
The do-it-all linebacker recorded 29 tackles to break Ohio State’s single-game record. It was an iconic performance from Spielman, whose game solidified his status as an All-American that year.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25107030/usa_today_18340222.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Haskins put together one of the greatest single seasons by a quarterback in Big Ten history, and it was capped off by one of the greatest performances in the history of this contest, leading OSU to its highest point total in the rivalry in a 62-39 win. Haskins threw for 396 yards on 20-for-31 passing with an incredible six touchdowns.
He averaged a ridiculous 20 yards per completion in this game, including four touchdowns of 24 yards or more. Haskins’ six touchdowns in this game brought his season total to 42, which set the Big Ten record.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25107027/usa_today_4807816.jpg "USA TODAY Sports")
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
There is a long list of All-American wide receivers to play at Ohio State, but none of them had a performance against Michigan as good as Boston did in 1998. Boston recorded 10 catches for 217 yards and two touchdowns in Ohio State’s 31-16 win. Boston is one of the greatest receivers in Buckeye history, leaving Ohio State with a then-school record 191 receptions, 2,855 receiving yards and 34 receiving scores.
Ohio State traveled to Ann Arbor in 2007 looking to secure consecutive outright Big Ten titles for the first time in 50 years. Wells ran for a career-high 222 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Buckeyes to a 14-7 victory, their fourth-straight win in the series. Holding a 7-3 lead early in the third quarter, Wells busted open a 62-yard run for a touchdown, which ended up sealing the victory.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25107024/usa_today_21947321.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
There have been plenty of standout performances from the running back position in this classic Big Ten matchup, but Dobbins’ showing in 2019 was one of the best in the 116-year rivalry. Dobbins carried the ball 31 times for a career-high 211 yards and four touchdowns in OSU’s 56-27 win. Dobbins’ performance helped stamp the Buckeyes’ ticket to the Big Ten Championship Game, where they defeated Wisconsin and went on to play in the College Football Playoff.
While Spielman’s memorable 29-tackle game in 1986 is the greatest defensive performance in this rivalry, Jones’ outing all the way back in 1972 wasn’t too far behind. The talented Buckeyes’ linebacker was all over the field that day, recording 24 tackles while helping hold Michigan to just 11 points in an impressive defensive performance.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25107022/usa_today_8306873.jpg "NCAA Football: Sugar Bowl-Ohio State vs Alabama")
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Elliott had plenty of outstanding performances during his time at Ohio State, but the standout running back saved his best for last. Elliott rushed for 214 yards and two touchdowns in 2015, helping lead OSU to a commanding 42-13 win over Michigan.
Elliott surpassed 1,500 rushing yards for the season in the contest, joining the great Archie Griffin as the only player in Ohio State history to reach that mark more than once in their career.
Honorable Mentions:
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justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Neal C. Lauron / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes have had some incredible performances in The Game, but which has been the best?
As we approach the 2023 edition of “The Game,” one of the biggest things we always try to predict is who will have the biggest impact for each team.
From Troy Smith to Dwayne Haskins to Chris Spielman, many Buckeye greats cemented their names in history with a great game against the Team Up North. Let’s take a look at some of the greatest individual performances by those in the Scarlet and Gray in college football’s biggest rivalry.
These are not in any particular order.
Troy Smith – 2006
In one of the most anticipated games in the history of college football, Smith led the Buckeyes to the 42-39 win and a berth in the 2007 National Championship game (we don’t have to talk about that).
Smith threw for 316 yards on 29-of-41 passing with four touchdowns and just one interception against an exceptional Michigan defense, and went on to win the 2006 Heisman Trophy. Ted Ginn Jr. was his top target, catching eight passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. In a back-and-forth game, Smith made every play to secure the victory.
Chris Spielman - 1986
Even though Michigan won this game 26-24, and most of these performances are in wins, what Chris Spielman did in 1986 cannot be left out. He put together one of the greatest defensive performances in college football history.
The do-it-all linebacker recorded 29 tackles to break Ohio State’s single-game record. It was an iconic performance from Spielman, whose game solidified his status as an All-American that year.
Dwayne Haskins - 2018
Haskins put together one of the greatest single seasons by a quarterback in Big Ten history, and it was capped off by one of the greatest performances in the history of this contest, leading OSU to its highest point total in the rivalry in a 62-39 win. Haskins threw for 396 yards on 20-for-31 passing with an incredible six touchdowns.
He averaged a ridiculous 20 yards per completion in this game, including four touchdowns of 24 yards or more. Haskins’ six touchdowns in this game brought his season total to 42, which set the Big Ten record.
David Boston - 1998
There is a long list of All-American wide receivers to play at Ohio State, but none of them had a performance against Michigan as good as Boston did in 1998. Boston recorded 10 catches for 217 yards and two touchdowns in Ohio State’s 31-16 win. Boston is one of the greatest receivers in Buckeye history, leaving Ohio State with a then-school record 191 receptions, 2,855 receiving yards and 34 receiving scores.
Chris “Beanie” Wells - 2007
Ohio State traveled to Ann Arbor in 2007 looking to secure consecutive outright Big Ten titles for the first time in 50 years. Wells ran for a career-high 222 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Buckeyes to a 14-7 victory, their fourth-straight win in the series. Holding a 7-3 lead early in the third quarter, Wells busted open a 62-yard run for a touchdown, which ended up sealing the victory.
JK Dobbins - 2019
There have been plenty of standout performances from the running back position in this classic Big Ten matchup, but Dobbins’ showing in 2019 was one of the best in the 116-year rivalry. Dobbins carried the ball 31 times for a career-high 211 yards and four touchdowns in OSU’s 56-27 win. Dobbins’ performance helped stamp the Buckeyes’ ticket to the Big Ten Championship Game, where they defeated Wisconsin and went on to play in the College Football Playoff.
Arnie Jones - 1972
While Spielman’s memorable 29-tackle game in 1986 is the greatest defensive performance in this rivalry, Jones’ outing all the way back in 1972 wasn’t too far behind. The talented Buckeyes’ linebacker was all over the field that day, recording 24 tackles while helping hold Michigan to just 11 points in an impressive defensive performance.
Ezekiel Elliot - 2015
Elliott had plenty of outstanding performances during his time at Ohio State, but the standout running back saved his best for last. Elliott rushed for 214 yards and two touchdowns in 2015, helping lead OSU to a commanding 42-13 win over Michigan.
Elliott surpassed 1,500 rushing yards for the season in the contest, joining the great Archie Griffin as the only player in Ohio State history to reach that mark more than once in their career.
Honorable Mentions:
- Carlos Hyde (2013) - 27 carries for 226 yards and a TD
- Vernon Gholston (2007) - four tackles for loss, three sacks
- Jim Otis (1968) - 34 carries for 143 yards and four TDs
- Troy Smith (2004) - 241 yards and two TDs passing, 145 yards and one TD rushing
- Antonio Pittman (2006) - 18 carries for 139 yards and a TD
- Ted Ginn Jr. (2006) - eight catches for 104 yards and a TD
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LGHL Ohio State gets flurry of crystal balls to land Michigan native offensive line
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Ohio State gets flurry of crystal balls to land Michigan native offensive line
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Gabe VanSickle is looking like the next in line to join Ohio State’s 2024 class.
First and foremost, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! We have much to be thankful for as Ohio State fans and one of those is that we follow a football program that doesn’t — and never ever has in the history of the sport — cheat. Go Bucks!
In the last couple of weeks, Ohio State has made an effort to flip Michigan native, Gabe VanSickle. The Coopersville product committed to Northwestern in May and was solid in his verbal to the Wildcats for months, but a de-commitment earlier this week opened the door for the Buckeyes to make progress. With everything that has gone on in the Wildcat program, VanSickle’s decision to reopen his recruitment isn’t overly surprising, but the timing is pretty telling for where this could be headed.
Taking multiple trips to Ohio State in the past month, including an official visit, the de-commitment comes at a time when the momentum strongly suggests that Gabe will wind up in Ohio State’s 2024 class. For further proof, hours after his choice to end his Northwestern ties, a flurry of 247Sports crystal balls favoring the Buckeyes were submitted. While the crystal ball isn’t a lock, the predictions coming from Director of Recruiting for 247Sports Steve Wiltfong and Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts.com pretty much tell you all you need to know.
Make no mistake about it, the Buckeyes are still trying desperately to get offensive tackle target, Jordan Seaton on campus so this isn’t a this-or-that-type of recruitment with VanSickle. Though Gabe plays tackle for his prep team, he will surely line up as a guard at the next level. The No. 613 player nationally, VanSickle is the 41st best interior offensive lineman for the 2024 class per the 247Sports Composite grades.
Having coached against VanSickle and his prep team the last two seasons, the 6-foot-5, 285-pound athlete is a wrecking ball in the trenches and is way more athletic than he’s probably credited for being. All that to say, if Ohio State is able to secure the commitment here and land a late addition to its 2024 offensive line haul, this is a solid depth piece and someone who has the work ethic to really develop over the next couple of seasons.
Add another to the list. Ohio State, like many other top programs, watch their commits play their last prep football contest at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas and this year’s edition will have another solid amount of 2024 Buckeyes on the rosters.
The latest to receive his jersey, current 2024 quarterback commit Air Noland. The No. 34 player nationally and the fourth-best quarterback in the class per the 247Sports Composite grades, it will be a treat for Buckeye fans to see him compete on national television in January just before he gets to campus.
Knowing how important it is to build a wall around Ohio’s borders, Ohio State’s staff is already starting to lock it down in 2025 and beyond. With two in-state players already in the fold for 2025, the Buckeyes are off to a good start and are seeing both of their guys bring home accolades that further show why Ohio State was so interested.
Linebacker commit Eli Lee has only been committed for about a month now, but is already a really important piece to this next cycle. Maybe a bit lower ranked than the linebackers Ohio State usually lands, it’s really only a matter of time before Lee gets the rankings boost that tends to come with an Ohio State commitment. But until then the awards keep coming in for his play.
Named to the All-District First Team selection, Eli’s junior campaign is a solid sign of the caliber of player the Buckeyes are getting. Much like current linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, Lee is a little bit softer-spoken off the field, but a hard-hitting, old-school type of player on the field. Certainly, this won’t be the last award Lee receives for his play this season.
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Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Gabe VanSickle is looking like the next in line to join Ohio State’s 2024 class.
First and foremost, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! We have much to be thankful for as Ohio State fans and one of those is that we follow a football program that doesn’t — and never ever has in the history of the sport — cheat. Go Bucks!
A Boom in the near future could be coming
In the last couple of weeks, Ohio State has made an effort to flip Michigan native, Gabe VanSickle. The Coopersville product committed to Northwestern in May and was solid in his verbal to the Wildcats for months, but a de-commitment earlier this week opened the door for the Buckeyes to make progress. With everything that has gone on in the Wildcat program, VanSickle’s decision to reopen his recruitment isn’t overly surprising, but the timing is pretty telling for where this could be headed.
Taking multiple trips to Ohio State in the past month, including an official visit, the de-commitment comes at a time when the momentum strongly suggests that Gabe will wind up in Ohio State’s 2024 class. For further proof, hours after his choice to end his Northwestern ties, a flurry of 247Sports crystal balls favoring the Buckeyes were submitted. While the crystal ball isn’t a lock, the predictions coming from Director of Recruiting for 247Sports Steve Wiltfong and Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts.com pretty much tell you all you need to know.
Make no mistake about it, the Buckeyes are still trying desperately to get offensive tackle target, Jordan Seaton on campus so this isn’t a this-or-that-type of recruitment with VanSickle. Though Gabe plays tackle for his prep team, he will surely line up as a guard at the next level. The No. 613 player nationally, VanSickle is the 41st best interior offensive lineman for the 2024 class per the 247Sports Composite grades.
Having coached against VanSickle and his prep team the last two seasons, the 6-foot-5, 285-pound athlete is a wrecking ball in the trenches and is way more athletic than he’s probably credited for being. All that to say, if Ohio State is able to secure the commitment here and land a late addition to its 2024 offensive line haul, this is a solid depth piece and someone who has the work ethic to really develop over the next couple of seasons.
Quick Hits:
Add another to the list. Ohio State, like many other top programs, watch their commits play their last prep football contest at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas and this year’s edition will have another solid amount of 2024 Buckeyes on the rosters.
The latest to receive his jersey, current 2024 quarterback commit Air Noland. The No. 34 player nationally and the fourth-best quarterback in the class per the 247Sports Composite grades, it will be a treat for Buckeye fans to see him compete on national television in January just before he gets to campus.
Southpaw named AIR
Welcome️
— All-American Bowl (@AABonNBC) November 23, 2023
Knowing how important it is to build a wall around Ohio’s borders, Ohio State’s staff is already starting to lock it down in 2025 and beyond. With two in-state players already in the fold for 2025, the Buckeyes are off to a good start and are seeing both of their guys bring home accolades that further show why Ohio State was so interested.
Linebacker commit Eli Lee has only been committed for about a month now, but is already a really important piece to this next cycle. Maybe a bit lower ranked than the linebackers Ohio State usually lands, it’s really only a matter of time before Lee gets the rankings boost that tends to come with an Ohio State commitment. But until then the awards keep coming in for his play.
Named to the All-District First Team selection, Eli’s junior campaign is a solid sign of the caliber of player the Buckeyes are getting. Much like current linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, Lee is a little bit softer-spoken off the field, but a hard-hitting, old-school type of player on the field. Certainly, this won’t be the last award Lee receives for his play this season.
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LGHL Bucketheads Podcast: Ohio State takes down Western Michigan, looks ahead to Emerald Coast Classic
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Bucketheads Podcast: Ohio State takes down Western Michigan, looks ahead to Emerald Coast Classic
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Plus, we play a game of “overreaction or not” two weeks into the season.
“Bucketheads” is LGHL’s men’s basketball podcast, hosted by Connor Lemons and Justin Golba. Every episode, they give you the latest scoop on the Ohio State Buckeyes and everything else happening in the college hoops world.
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
In episode 93 of ‘Bucketheads,’ Connor and Justin talk about the Buckeyes’ 3-1 start to the season. Even though it was just Merrimack and Western Michigan, what was promising in the wins, and what can a team take away from blowouts?
Connor and Justin also play a game of “overreaction or not” as we enter the third week of the college basketball season. Can Michigan State recover from their early season losses, and what do we make of Indiana? To close, we preview Alabama and the upcoming Emerald Coast Classic, and give our Ohio State-Michigan predictions on the gridiron.
Be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast and leave a review of what you think of the show!
Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @BucketheadsLGPN
Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor
Connect with Justin:
Twitter: @justin_golba
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
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Plus, we play a game of “overreaction or not” two weeks into the season.
“Bucketheads” is LGHL’s men’s basketball podcast, hosted by Connor Lemons and Justin Golba. Every episode, they give you the latest scoop on the Ohio State Buckeyes and everything else happening in the college hoops world.
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
In episode 93 of ‘Bucketheads,’ Connor and Justin talk about the Buckeyes’ 3-1 start to the season. Even though it was just Merrimack and Western Michigan, what was promising in the wins, and what can a team take away from blowouts?
Connor and Justin also play a game of “overreaction or not” as we enter the third week of the college basketball season. Can Michigan State recover from their early season losses, and what do we make of Indiana? To close, we preview Alabama and the upcoming Emerald Coast Classic, and give our Ohio State-Michigan predictions on the gridiron.
Be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast and leave a review of what you think of the show!
Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @BucketheadsLGPN
Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor
Connect with Justin:
Twitter: @justin_golba
Continue reading...
LGHL Column: Ohio State’s most important player in The Game might not be a starter
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Column: Ohio State’s most important player in The Game might not be a starter
Gene Ross 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
Could a Buckeye backup be the key to victory in Ann Arbor?
In a game of this magnitude, so much of the attention has been focused on the stars — and rightfully so. On the Ohio State side, guys like Marvin Harrison Jr., TreVeyon Henderson, Denzel Burke and Sonny Styles have been the focal point, while JJ McCarthy, Blake Corum, Will Johnson and Mike Sainristil lead the charge for Michigan.
Harrison Jr. is the best player in this matchup, and college football at large for what its worth, and the other big names for each program will also be pivotal in the final outcome of The Game. But what if I told you that one of the most important players for the Buckeyes in this game might be a guy that doesn’t even start? Not only that, but this player has not actually seen the field since the Penn State game at the end of October...
The man is question is none other than backup quarterback, Devin Brown.
Now, this isn’t a shot at Kyle McCord by any means, as I’m not saying that Brown is going to replace McCord or anything like that. Brown’s contributions to this game would be purely in some form of a red zone package, something Ohio State had gone to earlier in the year. Of course, this relies on Brown being healthy enough to play, as the sophomore has missed each of the last four games with an injury, but it sounds as though he will be ready to go for Saturday if called upon — and I think he will be.
Ohio State’s offense under Ryan Day has been consistently one of the best units in the country year-in and year-out. However, for as consistent as the offensive output has been, so too have the red zone issues that have plagued Day’s teams. Regardless of talent and personnel, the Buckeyes have had more than their fair share of drives stall out in the red zone. It is a glaring shortcoming that has costed them in a handful of big games, including the 2019 Fiesta Bowl against Clemson and the 2022 loss to Michigan.
This season, Ohio State ranks 60th in the country in red zone offense, scoring points on 40 of 47 trips inside the 20-yard line. However, 11 of those scoring drives ended with field goals instead of touchdowns. The Buckeyes have only gotten into the end zone on 29-of-47 red zone trips — just a 61.7% clip. With the amount of offensive skill talent OSU has at its disposal, that is simply not going to cut it. You can afford to kick a few short field goals against the lesser teams on your schedule, but you cannot waste what few red zone trips you may have against a team like Michigan.
That is where Devin Brown comes into play. McCord, especially with a banged up ankle, is not a threat to run. He has shown a willingness to pick up a few yards with his legs when a play breaks down, but he isn’t a mobile quarterback that you have to worry about on something like an option keeper or a designed QB draw. Brown, on the other hand, is that running threat. While he has only ran for 35 yards on 19 carries this season, Brown showed his potential as a short-yardage scoring option when the Buckeyes deployed him in a red zone package against Purdue.
This wasn’t even a particularly well-executed play, as Chip Trayanum hardly sold the fake before running to block, but Ohio State was still able to score as Brown laid the shoulder and pushed his way forward into the end zone. In a game where the Buckeyes didn’t have the added threat of a healthy Henderson to include as another option in the backfield, putting a mobile quarterback on the field like Brown opens up the playbook wide. Especially since Brown can also throw the ball, it gives the opposing defense so much more to think about. Any little bit of hesitation from a defender can be the difference in scoring a touchdown or being stopped short and forced to kick.
If Brown is truly healthy, I would be very surprised if Day does not go to this package in the red zone should the opportunity present itself. Ohio State could flank Brown with both Henderson and Trayanum in the backfield, with Chip playing the role of lead blocker for whoever winds up with the football between Brown and Tre. The Buckeyes haven’t had a chance to use a personnel package like this all season, and it could really throw off the Wolverines defensively. Plus, if Michigan does defend the option well and fully commits to the run, you could always flip it to Harrison Jr. instead, adding another wrinkle for the defense to have to account for.
We’ve seen guys come out of nowhere in the past and play a pivotal role in The Game, like Chris Olave’s two-touchdown performance in 2018 before he became a household name. This matchup will still most likely come down to the play of the star players on each side, but Devin Brown could etch his name into Ohio State history as a crucial part of the Buckeyes’ red zone offense if he helps lead the scarlet and gray to a victory in Ann Arbor.
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
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Could a Buckeye backup be the key to victory in Ann Arbor?
In a game of this magnitude, so much of the attention has been focused on the stars — and rightfully so. On the Ohio State side, guys like Marvin Harrison Jr., TreVeyon Henderson, Denzel Burke and Sonny Styles have been the focal point, while JJ McCarthy, Blake Corum, Will Johnson and Mike Sainristil lead the charge for Michigan.
Harrison Jr. is the best player in this matchup, and college football at large for what its worth, and the other big names for each program will also be pivotal in the final outcome of The Game. But what if I told you that one of the most important players for the Buckeyes in this game might be a guy that doesn’t even start? Not only that, but this player has not actually seen the field since the Penn State game at the end of October...
The man is question is none other than backup quarterback, Devin Brown.
Now, this isn’t a shot at Kyle McCord by any means, as I’m not saying that Brown is going to replace McCord or anything like that. Brown’s contributions to this game would be purely in some form of a red zone package, something Ohio State had gone to earlier in the year. Of course, this relies on Brown being healthy enough to play, as the sophomore has missed each of the last four games with an injury, but it sounds as though he will be ready to go for Saturday if called upon — and I think he will be.
Ohio State’s offense under Ryan Day has been consistently one of the best units in the country year-in and year-out. However, for as consistent as the offensive output has been, so too have the red zone issues that have plagued Day’s teams. Regardless of talent and personnel, the Buckeyes have had more than their fair share of drives stall out in the red zone. It is a glaring shortcoming that has costed them in a handful of big games, including the 2019 Fiesta Bowl against Clemson and the 2022 loss to Michigan.
This season, Ohio State ranks 60th in the country in red zone offense, scoring points on 40 of 47 trips inside the 20-yard line. However, 11 of those scoring drives ended with field goals instead of touchdowns. The Buckeyes have only gotten into the end zone on 29-of-47 red zone trips — just a 61.7% clip. With the amount of offensive skill talent OSU has at its disposal, that is simply not going to cut it. You can afford to kick a few short field goals against the lesser teams on your schedule, but you cannot waste what few red zone trips you may have against a team like Michigan.
That is where Devin Brown comes into play. McCord, especially with a banged up ankle, is not a threat to run. He has shown a willingness to pick up a few yards with his legs when a play breaks down, but he isn’t a mobile quarterback that you have to worry about on something like an option keeper or a designed QB draw. Brown, on the other hand, is that running threat. While he has only ran for 35 yards on 19 carries this season, Brown showed his potential as a short-yardage scoring option when the Buckeyes deployed him in a red zone package against Purdue.
This wasn’t even a particularly well-executed play, as Chip Trayanum hardly sold the fake before running to block, but Ohio State was still able to score as Brown laid the shoulder and pushed his way forward into the end zone. In a game where the Buckeyes didn’t have the added threat of a healthy Henderson to include as another option in the backfield, putting a mobile quarterback on the field like Brown opens up the playbook wide. Especially since Brown can also throw the ball, it gives the opposing defense so much more to think about. Any little bit of hesitation from a defender can be the difference in scoring a touchdown or being stopped short and forced to kick.
If Brown is truly healthy, I would be very surprised if Day does not go to this package in the red zone should the opportunity present itself. Ohio State could flank Brown with both Henderson and Trayanum in the backfield, with Chip playing the role of lead blocker for whoever winds up with the football between Brown and Tre. The Buckeyes haven’t had a chance to use a personnel package like this all season, and it could really throw off the Wolverines defensively. Plus, if Michigan does defend the option well and fully commits to the run, you could always flip it to Harrison Jr. instead, adding another wrinkle for the defense to have to account for.
We’ve seen guys come out of nowhere in the past and play a pivotal role in The Game, like Chris Olave’s two-touchdown performance in 2018 before he became a household name. This matchup will still most likely come down to the play of the star players on each side, but Devin Brown could etch his name into Ohio State history as a crucial part of the Buckeyes’ red zone offense if he helps lead the scarlet and gray to a victory in Ann Arbor.
Continue reading...
LGHL No. 15 Ohio State women’s basketball beats Oklahoma State with defense, win 75-57
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No. 15 Ohio State women’s basketball beats Oklahoma State with defense, win 75-57
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State University athletic department
Buckeyes win the battle of the OSUs in a rough shooting night for both sides
Before the cold grip of winter hits, the Ohio State women’s basketball team got its last taste of summer Wednesday night. It’s when the battle of OSU, featuring the Buckeyes and Oklahoma State Cowgirls, featured on the final night of the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship.
Ohio State held Oklahoma State’s two best scorers to eight total points, beating the Big 12 side 75-57.
The Buckeyes began quickly, getting off to a 5-0 lead in the first 1:16 of the game. It featured a Cowgirls foul on the jump ball, an offensive rebound and put in by Buckeyes’ forward Taylor Thierry and a three-point shot by forward Cotie McMahon. Then clock issues stopped the game as the referee and IT crew at the Baha Mar resort.
When the clock continued, so did Ohio State. Coach Kevin McGuff’s side increased the lead up to a 12-2 scoreline. The Buckeyes got there with energy on the court and making small plays turn into big ones.
Guard Celeste Taylor leapt to save two balls from going out of bounds and giving Oklahoma State possession. Thierry grabbed two early rebounds on the offensive boards and McMahon was the key benefactor on the scoreboard. Within five minutes, the sophomore had 10 points, two rebounds and an assist.
Oklahoma State made adjustments though, mainly in improved rebounding. The Cowgirls sent numbers inside the paint and stopped Thierry after three early offensive rebounds.
At the end of the first quarter, Ohio State had a 24-13 lead, but Oklahoma State outscored the Buckeyes 11-6 in the final five minutes of the quarter. The problem was from deep. Guards Rikki Harris and Jacy Sheldon couldn’t hit and on the other end of the court the Cowgirls answered.
The poor shooting followed the Buckeyes into the start of the second quarter, and Oklahoma State quickly tacked on four more points to put the game within seven points. The side from Stillwater, Oklahoma could’ve tacked on more but it had shooting issues of its own. Through a quarter and a half, the Cowgirls were 1-for-9 from beyond the arc, with many misses on open looks. Make them and it’d require a Buckeyes comeback.
Instead, Ohio State made shots sporadically to keep Oklahoma State in the rearview mirror. Thierry was the catalyst at the start of the second quarter, picking up five points which was important considering the Buckeyes were only 2-for-7 from the floor. What kept Oklahoma State in the game was rebounding.
Oklahoma State continued dominating the boards in the second, out rebounding the Buckeyes 20-6, outscoring Ohio State too, 17-12. What makes the quarter more impressive for the Cowgirls is guard Anna Gret Asi scoring none of Oklahoma State’s points, although she entered the game leading the Big 12 side in scoring with 17.5 points per game. Even so, the first quarter for the scarlet and gray gave them the lead going into the halftime locker room.
Guard Emma Shumate hit one of the nine Buckeye-attempted shots from beyond the arc in the quarter, keeping Ohio State ahead two possessions. Thierry tried to bump it up to an eight-point lead at the buzzer, but was blocked under the rim.
To start the second half, the game plan on offense changed for the scarlet and gray. Instead of trying open looks from deep, the Buckeyes went into the paint, courtesy of forward Rebeka Mikulášiková. The Slovakian graduate senior scored four quick points, and Ohio State’s defense stifled the Cowgirls on the defensive side of the court. Ohio State pushed its lead up to 14 points halfway through the quarter.
Hurting the Cowgirls too was an early third quarter injury. Senior guard Chandler Prater, who led the team with 10 points and 11 rebounds, fell hard with an apparent ankle injury. After Ohio State started the quarter on a 10-2 run, the Cowgirls responded offensively, allowing them to put a half court press in play.
With their preferred defense set, Ohio State’s shooting suffered. The Buckeyes were 1-for-5 following a big start to the quarter. With two minutes remaining, Oklahoma State trimmed the Ohio State lead from 11 to five, and Coach McGuff saw enough, calling a timeout late in the quarter.
From the timeout, passing looked more crisp. Moving the ball around the perimeter, Ohio State was patient, waiting for Oklahoma to close two defenders in. Sheldon benefited, hitting a three-point shot, adding a defensive stop and Thierry layup to shoot the lead back up to double-digits.
The start of the fourth quarter was delayed because of clock issues inside the Baha Mar Resort ballroom. Once it did begin, the slow scoring game continued for the Buckeyes. Although rebounding improved, grabbing six quick rebounds (four on offense), the second chance shots couldn’t land. However, the scoring for Oklahoma State didn’t improve. After a three-point shot by Sheldon, the Ohio State lead increased to 12 points with six minutes remaining in the game.
With Prater out, Oklahoma State seemed to lose that fire on the offensive side of the board, and the Buckeyes slowly grew their lead, ultimately winning 75-57.
The dynamic sophomore played the McMahon basketball folks are used to in the first five minutes of the game, scoring 10 quick points. For the next two and a half quarters though, it was tough going for the forward.
Fouls hurt McMahon, picking up three. In seven third quarter minutes, McMahon only took one shot, missing the chance. It wasn’t a huge blow though for Ohio State with Thierry and Sheldon backing up their teammate. Last year, a quiet game by the Buckeyes best players would cause the team to sink, but 13 Sheldon points and 12 for Thierry through three quarters.
In the fourth, McMahon started with her first points since that first quarter, but provided energy on defense and frustrated the Oklahoma State Cowgirls.
For the first time since March 4, 2023, in the historic Buckeyes comeback win against the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal, Thierry secured a double-double. After having 11 games within two rebounds of the statistical feat, the forward did it on the offensive boards.
Thierry had nine of her 14 rebounds come on the offensive side of the court. Even though the guard/forward hybrid had her worst shooting effectiveness of the season, going 6-for-13, the points and rebounds were key in the Buckeyes pulling out an at times nervy victory.
The forward ended the game with 16 points and 14 rebounds, second behind Sheldon’s 20 points.
Ohio State is back to the court soon after the Thanksgiving holiday. Sunday, the Buckeyes welcome the Ivy League to Columbus with Cornell University’s Big Red. Cornell was 10-17 last season, and enter the Schottenstein Center with a 2-3 record.
It’s the final game before the scarlet and gray travel to orange country, facing the University of Tennessee on Dec. 3. Last season, Ohio State began the year against the SEC side, shocking the nation with an 87-75 victory.
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ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State University athletic department
Buckeyes win the battle of the OSUs in a rough shooting night for both sides
Before the cold grip of winter hits, the Ohio State women’s basketball team got its last taste of summer Wednesday night. It’s when the battle of OSU, featuring the Buckeyes and Oklahoma State Cowgirls, featured on the final night of the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship.
Ohio State held Oklahoma State’s two best scorers to eight total points, beating the Big 12 side 75-57.
The Buckeyes began quickly, getting off to a 5-0 lead in the first 1:16 of the game. It featured a Cowgirls foul on the jump ball, an offensive rebound and put in by Buckeyes’ forward Taylor Thierry and a three-point shot by forward Cotie McMahon. Then clock issues stopped the game as the referee and IT crew at the Baha Mar resort.
When the clock continued, so did Ohio State. Coach Kevin McGuff’s side increased the lead up to a 12-2 scoreline. The Buckeyes got there with energy on the court and making small plays turn into big ones.
Guard Celeste Taylor leapt to save two balls from going out of bounds and giving Oklahoma State possession. Thierry grabbed two early rebounds on the offensive boards and McMahon was the key benefactor on the scoreboard. Within five minutes, the sophomore had 10 points, two rebounds and an assist.
Oklahoma State made adjustments though, mainly in improved rebounding. The Cowgirls sent numbers inside the paint and stopped Thierry after three early offensive rebounds.
At the end of the first quarter, Ohio State had a 24-13 lead, but Oklahoma State outscored the Buckeyes 11-6 in the final five minutes of the quarter. The problem was from deep. Guards Rikki Harris and Jacy Sheldon couldn’t hit and on the other end of the court the Cowgirls answered.
The poor shooting followed the Buckeyes into the start of the second quarter, and Oklahoma State quickly tacked on four more points to put the game within seven points. The side from Stillwater, Oklahoma could’ve tacked on more but it had shooting issues of its own. Through a quarter and a half, the Cowgirls were 1-for-9 from beyond the arc, with many misses on open looks. Make them and it’d require a Buckeyes comeback.
Instead, Ohio State made shots sporadically to keep Oklahoma State in the rearview mirror. Thierry was the catalyst at the start of the second quarter, picking up five points which was important considering the Buckeyes were only 2-for-7 from the floor. What kept Oklahoma State in the game was rebounding.
Oklahoma State continued dominating the boards in the second, out rebounding the Buckeyes 20-6, outscoring Ohio State too, 17-12. What makes the quarter more impressive for the Cowgirls is guard Anna Gret Asi scoring none of Oklahoma State’s points, although she entered the game leading the Big 12 side in scoring with 17.5 points per game. Even so, the first quarter for the scarlet and gray gave them the lead going into the halftime locker room.
Guard Emma Shumate hit one of the nine Buckeye-attempted shots from beyond the arc in the quarter, keeping Ohio State ahead two possessions. Thierry tried to bump it up to an eight-point lead at the buzzer, but was blocked under the rim.
To start the second half, the game plan on offense changed for the scarlet and gray. Instead of trying open looks from deep, the Buckeyes went into the paint, courtesy of forward Rebeka Mikulášiková. The Slovakian graduate senior scored four quick points, and Ohio State’s defense stifled the Cowgirls on the defensive side of the court. Ohio State pushed its lead up to 14 points halfway through the quarter.
Hurting the Cowgirls too was an early third quarter injury. Senior guard Chandler Prater, who led the team with 10 points and 11 rebounds, fell hard with an apparent ankle injury. After Ohio State started the quarter on a 10-2 run, the Cowgirls responded offensively, allowing them to put a half court press in play.
With their preferred defense set, Ohio State’s shooting suffered. The Buckeyes were 1-for-5 following a big start to the quarter. With two minutes remaining, Oklahoma State trimmed the Ohio State lead from 11 to five, and Coach McGuff saw enough, calling a timeout late in the quarter.
From the timeout, passing looked more crisp. Moving the ball around the perimeter, Ohio State was patient, waiting for Oklahoma to close two defenders in. Sheldon benefited, hitting a three-point shot, adding a defensive stop and Thierry layup to shoot the lead back up to double-digits.
The start of the fourth quarter was delayed because of clock issues inside the Baha Mar Resort ballroom. Once it did begin, the slow scoring game continued for the Buckeyes. Although rebounding improved, grabbing six quick rebounds (four on offense), the second chance shots couldn’t land. However, the scoring for Oklahoma State didn’t improve. After a three-point shot by Sheldon, the Ohio State lead increased to 12 points with six minutes remaining in the game.
With Prater out, Oklahoma State seemed to lose that fire on the offensive side of the board, and the Buckeyes slowly grew their lead, ultimately winning 75-57.
Quiet Scoring Quarters for McMahon
The dynamic sophomore played the McMahon basketball folks are used to in the first five minutes of the game, scoring 10 quick points. For the next two and a half quarters though, it was tough going for the forward.
Fouls hurt McMahon, picking up three. In seven third quarter minutes, McMahon only took one shot, missing the chance. It wasn’t a huge blow though for Ohio State with Thierry and Sheldon backing up their teammate. Last year, a quiet game by the Buckeyes best players would cause the team to sink, but 13 Sheldon points and 12 for Thierry through three quarters.
In the fourth, McMahon started with her first points since that first quarter, but provided energy on defense and frustrated the Oklahoma State Cowgirls.
Thierry Double-Double
For the first time since March 4, 2023, in the historic Buckeyes comeback win against the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal, Thierry secured a double-double. After having 11 games within two rebounds of the statistical feat, the forward did it on the offensive boards.
Thierry had nine of her 14 rebounds come on the offensive side of the court. Even though the guard/forward hybrid had her worst shooting effectiveness of the season, going 6-for-13, the points and rebounds were key in the Buckeyes pulling out an at times nervy victory.
The forward ended the game with 16 points and 14 rebounds, second behind Sheldon’s 20 points.
What’s Next
Ohio State is back to the court soon after the Thanksgiving holiday. Sunday, the Buckeyes welcome the Ivy League to Columbus with Cornell University’s Big Red. Cornell was 10-17 last season, and enter the Schottenstein Center with a 2-3 record.
It’s the final game before the scarlet and gray travel to orange country, facing the University of Tennessee on Dec. 3. Last season, Ohio State began the year against the SEC side, shocking the nation with an 87-75 victory.
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LGHL MC&J: Week 13’s national schedule will have plenty on the line
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MC&J: Week 13’s national schedule will have plenty on the line
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 Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Outside of the Big Ten, there are a number of games with huge implications.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Hopefully over the next few days we’ll stuff ourselves with copious amounts of delicious food to go along with these winning picks. There is some great games spread over the next few days, so enjoy the last week of the regular season before the conference championship games next week,
No. 9 Missouri (-7.5) v. Arkansas - Friday 4:00 p.m. ET - CBS
Last week’s game against Florida wasn’t the prettiest game for Missouri, but all that matters is the Tigers earned the victory over the Gators. With the win, Missouri kept their hopes for a New Year’s Six bowl bid alive. It was a group effort on Saturday night for the offense of the Tigers. Brady Cook threw for over 300 yards, Luther Burden hauled in nine passes for 158 yards, while Cody Schrader rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown in the victory.
This year will be one to forget for Arkansas. The Razorbacks enter Friday’s game with a 4-7 record, falling well short of expectations heading into the season. The only win for Sam Pittman’s team in SEC play this year was a 39-36 victory over Florida in overtime a few weeks ago. The problem for Arkansas this year is quarterback KJ Jefferson hasn’t gotten much help on the offensive end, and since the Razorbacks have had trouble moving the football, it has put more pressure on the defense.
There’s no question Missouri is the better team right now. It’s not like Arkansas has to play hard for head coach Sam Pittman, since the athletic department already announced Pittman would return for the 2024 season. Missouri will be looking for their 10th win of the season while the Razorbacks will be looking forward to their season finally ending.
Missouri 38, Arkansas 17
Texas Tech v. No. 7 Texas (-12.5) - Friday 7:30 p.m. ET - ABC
This isn’t the Texas Tech team we have become accustomed to over the years. The Red Raiders actually prefer to run the football over throwing it. Tahj Brooks has rushed for 1,352 yards and nine touchdowns this year. Just how much is Texas Tech running the football? They actually have 18 more rushing attempts than passing attempts through the first 11 games of the season.
Texas is certainly going to need some help if they are going to make the College Football Playoff this year. Even if the Longhorns don’t earn a spot in the playoff, at least they still have a chance to win the Big 12 crown in their final year in the conference. Currently Texas controls their own destiny when it comes to earning a spot in next week’s Big 12 Championship Game. Last week the Longhorns earned a gritty 26-16 win over Iowa State in Ames.
Texas Tech has found something lately with their running game, as they enter this contest on a three-game winning streak. Texas has dealt with a lot this season. The loss to Oklahoma, an injury to Quinn Ewers that cost him a couple games, and the season-ending knee injury to running back Jonathon Brooks. 12.5 points feels like a few too many points to lay with a Texas team that has won four of their last five games by 10 points or less. The Red Raiders shorten the game by keeping it on the ground, putting a bit of a scare into Texas in their final meeting as conference foes.
Texas 28, Texas Tech 24
No. 16 Oregon State v. No. 6 Oregon (-13.5) - Friday 8:30 p.m. ET - FOX
Last week felt like Oregon State’s Super Bowl. Had the Beavers been able to beat Washington, not only would they have thrown a wrench into the playoff hopes of the Huskies, they would have also put themselves in position to make the Pac-12 Championship Game. Not that the Beavers won’t be hyped for Friday night’s final conference game against their in-state rivals, there just isn’t as much juice flowing as there could have been if they had defeated Washington.
Right now Oregon is playing like the best team in the country. The Ducks left no doubt last week against Arizona State, with Bo Nix throwing six touchdowns in the first half of the blowout of the Sun Devils in Tempe. For as many weapons as Oregon State had to deal with last week against Washington, they’ll have even more on their plate this week when they travel to Eugene to take on the Ducks.
There is a lot going on in this matchup. Not only will Oregon be looking to state their case as a playoff contender, they’ll be trying to make the Pac-12 Championship Game, along with avenging last year’s loss to Oregon State. Maybe if the Beavers had won last week I’d like their chances to keep this game within two touchdowns, but the loss took a lot of wind out of their sails. Oregon jumps out to an early lead, forcing the Beavers and quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei to throw the football more than they’d like to.
Oregon 45, Oregon State 21
Kentucky v. No. 10 Louisville (-6.5) - 12:00 p.m. ET - ABC
Last week Louisville was able to clinch a spot in the ACC Championship Game with their 38-31 win over Miami. In the grand scheme of things, this week’s game doesn’t mean much. Sure, the Cardinals would love to beat their in-state rival in Jeff Brohm’s first year as head coach. A loss to the Wildcats wouldn’t be the end of the world, though. Plus, Louisville saw their chances of winning an ACC Championship increase last week after Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a devastating leg injury.
After a 5-0 start to the season, the Kentucky train has derailed, as the Wildcats have lost five of their last six games. Even if Kentucky loses this game at least they have already secured the six wins necessary for bowl eligibility. What the Wildcats need to do in this game is get back to running the football, since running back Ray Davis has been very quiet over the last six games.
Kentucky feels like they are catching Louisville at the right time here. Even though this is a rivalry game, I could see Jeff Brohm not putting quite as much into this game since he knows how much next week’s game against Florida State will mean. Even if the Cardinals win, it feels like it will be by less than a touchdown.
Kentucky 24, Louisville 20
Texas A&M v. No. 14 LSU (-11.5) - 12:00 p.m. ET - ESPN
Now that LSU is out of the SEC Championship Game picture, it’s quite obvious Brian Kelly just wants quarterback Jayden Daniels to put up some huge numbers to possibly earn a spot in New York City in a couple weeks as a Heisman Trophy finalist. Last week in the fourth quarter with LSU up 49-14 on Georgia State, Daniels was still in there slinging it. I doubt Daniels would have still been out there at that point if LSU was still in contention for the SEC title or a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Following their 51-10 win over Mississippi State a couple weeks ago, Texas A&M shocked everyone by firing head coach Jimbo Fisher, agreeing to pay the $75 million dollar buyout on Fisher’s contract. There is still this game left, as well as a bowl game, but I’m not expecting a lot from the Aggies in those games. Sure, they’ll play loose football, I just don’t know if they’ll end up playing sound football.
Texas A&M will put some points on the board against a poor LSU defense, it just won’t be enough to threaten LSU, who will want Daniels to put up some more monster numbers in their final regular season game. The Tigers should win this by at least two touchdowns.
LSU 48, Texas A&M 28
No. 8 Alabama (-14.5) v. Auburn - 3:30 p.m. ET - CBS
Auburn just lost by 21 points to human gopher Jerry Kill and New Mexico State. Do you really think the Tigers have what it takes to stay within the spread against an Alabama team that has figured things out after a shaky start to the season? After pretty much leaving the Crimson Tide for dead after their loss to Texas, Alabama is heading to the SEC Championship Game next week, and a win over Georgia would see them head to another College Football Playoff.
Even though stranger things have happened in sports, it’s almost impossible to see Auburn keeping this game close. Hugh Freeze hasn’t brought in enough talent yet to challenge the Crimson Tide. Things will likely be different in a couple years, but right now signs are pointing to Alabama destroying Auburn on Saturday afternoon.
Alabama 37, Auburn 13
Washington State v. No. 4 Washington (-16.5) - 4:00 p.m. ET - FOX
Think back to the last time Washington won a football game by at least 17 points. It was all the way back in September when they beat Cal 59-32. Since then the biggest margin of victory for the Huskies was a 10-point win over USC. Some of the Washington wins during that span have had a bit of a Tresselball feel to them, especially last week’s 22-20 victory in rainy Corvallis over Oregon State.
Last week Washington State humbled Colorado 56-14 in Pullman. Unfortunately for Washington State, it’s unlikely they’ll be bowling this year since they enter this game with just five wins on the season. Expect the Cougars to put everything they have into this game, since not only do they have a chance to spoil Washington’s perfect season, it will be their last game against their in-state rival before Washington heads to the Big Ten.
Washington State has nothing to lose in this game, while Washington has everything to lose. The Huskies are heading to the Pac-12 Championship Game next week, so they’ll likely be happy with a win here, it doesn’t have to be some huge blowout. With Washington’s habit of playing close games lately, it’s hard to see them winning by more than 17 points here. Washington State quarterback Cam Ward makes enough plays to keep the margin of victory for Washington at two touchdowns or less.
Washington 35, Washington State 24
No. 1 Georgia (-24.5) v. Georgia Tech - 7:30 p.m. ET - ABC
The Bulldogs have won “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate” by at least 23 points in each of their last five meetings with the Yellow Jackets. Even though Georgia Tech has been better this year than they have been over the last few years, Georgia is still miles ahead of their in-state foe. The Bulldogs are nearing full strength after Brock Bowers returned a couple weeks ago after missing a few weeks because of surgery. Kirby Smart will want his team to go into next week’s matchup against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game with confidence. An easy win to do just that is by tuning up one of your rivals.
Georgia 49, Georgia Tech 17
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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 Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Outside of the Big Ten, there are a number of games with huge implications.
Last week ATS: 9-6 (5-3 National, 4-3 B1G)
Season ATS: 98-93-1 (45-54-1 National, 53-39 B1G)
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Hopefully over the next few days we’ll stuff ourselves with copious amounts of delicious food to go along with these winning picks. There is some great games spread over the next few days, so enjoy the last week of the regular season before the conference championship games next week,
National games
No. 9 Missouri (-7.5) v. Arkansas - Friday 4:00 p.m. ET - CBS
Last week’s game against Florida wasn’t the prettiest game for Missouri, but all that matters is the Tigers earned the victory over the Gators. With the win, Missouri kept their hopes for a New Year’s Six bowl bid alive. It was a group effort on Saturday night for the offense of the Tigers. Brady Cook threw for over 300 yards, Luther Burden hauled in nine passes for 158 yards, while Cody Schrader rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown in the victory.
This year will be one to forget for Arkansas. The Razorbacks enter Friday’s game with a 4-7 record, falling well short of expectations heading into the season. The only win for Sam Pittman’s team in SEC play this year was a 39-36 victory over Florida in overtime a few weeks ago. The problem for Arkansas this year is quarterback KJ Jefferson hasn’t gotten much help on the offensive end, and since the Razorbacks have had trouble moving the football, it has put more pressure on the defense.
There’s no question Missouri is the better team right now. It’s not like Arkansas has to play hard for head coach Sam Pittman, since the athletic department already announced Pittman would return for the 2024 season. Missouri will be looking for their 10th win of the season while the Razorbacks will be looking forward to their season finally ending.
Missouri 38, Arkansas 17
Texas Tech v. No. 7 Texas (-12.5) - Friday 7:30 p.m. ET - ABC
This isn’t the Texas Tech team we have become accustomed to over the years. The Red Raiders actually prefer to run the football over throwing it. Tahj Brooks has rushed for 1,352 yards and nine touchdowns this year. Just how much is Texas Tech running the football? They actually have 18 more rushing attempts than passing attempts through the first 11 games of the season.
Texas is certainly going to need some help if they are going to make the College Football Playoff this year. Even if the Longhorns don’t earn a spot in the playoff, at least they still have a chance to win the Big 12 crown in their final year in the conference. Currently Texas controls their own destiny when it comes to earning a spot in next week’s Big 12 Championship Game. Last week the Longhorns earned a gritty 26-16 win over Iowa State in Ames.
Texas Tech has found something lately with their running game, as they enter this contest on a three-game winning streak. Texas has dealt with a lot this season. The loss to Oklahoma, an injury to Quinn Ewers that cost him a couple games, and the season-ending knee injury to running back Jonathon Brooks. 12.5 points feels like a few too many points to lay with a Texas team that has won four of their last five games by 10 points or less. The Red Raiders shorten the game by keeping it on the ground, putting a bit of a scare into Texas in their final meeting as conference foes.
Texas 28, Texas Tech 24
No. 16 Oregon State v. No. 6 Oregon (-13.5) - Friday 8:30 p.m. ET - FOX
Last week felt like Oregon State’s Super Bowl. Had the Beavers been able to beat Washington, not only would they have thrown a wrench into the playoff hopes of the Huskies, they would have also put themselves in position to make the Pac-12 Championship Game. Not that the Beavers won’t be hyped for Friday night’s final conference game against their in-state rivals, there just isn’t as much juice flowing as there could have been if they had defeated Washington.
Right now Oregon is playing like the best team in the country. The Ducks left no doubt last week against Arizona State, with Bo Nix throwing six touchdowns in the first half of the blowout of the Sun Devils in Tempe. For as many weapons as Oregon State had to deal with last week against Washington, they’ll have even more on their plate this week when they travel to Eugene to take on the Ducks.
There is a lot going on in this matchup. Not only will Oregon be looking to state their case as a playoff contender, they’ll be trying to make the Pac-12 Championship Game, along with avenging last year’s loss to Oregon State. Maybe if the Beavers had won last week I’d like their chances to keep this game within two touchdowns, but the loss took a lot of wind out of their sails. Oregon jumps out to an early lead, forcing the Beavers and quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei to throw the football more than they’d like to.
Oregon 45, Oregon State 21
Kentucky v. No. 10 Louisville (-6.5) - 12:00 p.m. ET - ABC
Last week Louisville was able to clinch a spot in the ACC Championship Game with their 38-31 win over Miami. In the grand scheme of things, this week’s game doesn’t mean much. Sure, the Cardinals would love to beat their in-state rival in Jeff Brohm’s first year as head coach. A loss to the Wildcats wouldn’t be the end of the world, though. Plus, Louisville saw their chances of winning an ACC Championship increase last week after Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a devastating leg injury.
After a 5-0 start to the season, the Kentucky train has derailed, as the Wildcats have lost five of their last six games. Even if Kentucky loses this game at least they have already secured the six wins necessary for bowl eligibility. What the Wildcats need to do in this game is get back to running the football, since running back Ray Davis has been very quiet over the last six games.
Kentucky feels like they are catching Louisville at the right time here. Even though this is a rivalry game, I could see Jeff Brohm not putting quite as much into this game since he knows how much next week’s game against Florida State will mean. Even if the Cardinals win, it feels like it will be by less than a touchdown.
Kentucky 24, Louisville 20
Texas A&M v. No. 14 LSU (-11.5) - 12:00 p.m. ET - ESPN
Now that LSU is out of the SEC Championship Game picture, it’s quite obvious Brian Kelly just wants quarterback Jayden Daniels to put up some huge numbers to possibly earn a spot in New York City in a couple weeks as a Heisman Trophy finalist. Last week in the fourth quarter with LSU up 49-14 on Georgia State, Daniels was still in there slinging it. I doubt Daniels would have still been out there at that point if LSU was still in contention for the SEC title or a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Following their 51-10 win over Mississippi State a couple weeks ago, Texas A&M shocked everyone by firing head coach Jimbo Fisher, agreeing to pay the $75 million dollar buyout on Fisher’s contract. There is still this game left, as well as a bowl game, but I’m not expecting a lot from the Aggies in those games. Sure, they’ll play loose football, I just don’t know if they’ll end up playing sound football.
Texas A&M will put some points on the board against a poor LSU defense, it just won’t be enough to threaten LSU, who will want Daniels to put up some more monster numbers in their final regular season game. The Tigers should win this by at least two touchdowns.
LSU 48, Texas A&M 28
No. 8 Alabama (-14.5) v. Auburn - 3:30 p.m. ET - CBS
Auburn just lost by 21 points to human gopher Jerry Kill and New Mexico State. Do you really think the Tigers have what it takes to stay within the spread against an Alabama team that has figured things out after a shaky start to the season? After pretty much leaving the Crimson Tide for dead after their loss to Texas, Alabama is heading to the SEC Championship Game next week, and a win over Georgia would see them head to another College Football Playoff.
Even though stranger things have happened in sports, it’s almost impossible to see Auburn keeping this game close. Hugh Freeze hasn’t brought in enough talent yet to challenge the Crimson Tide. Things will likely be different in a couple years, but right now signs are pointing to Alabama destroying Auburn on Saturday afternoon.
Alabama 37, Auburn 13
Washington State v. No. 4 Washington (-16.5) - 4:00 p.m. ET - FOX
Think back to the last time Washington won a football game by at least 17 points. It was all the way back in September when they beat Cal 59-32. Since then the biggest margin of victory for the Huskies was a 10-point win over USC. Some of the Washington wins during that span have had a bit of a Tresselball feel to them, especially last week’s 22-20 victory in rainy Corvallis over Oregon State.
Last week Washington State humbled Colorado 56-14 in Pullman. Unfortunately for Washington State, it’s unlikely they’ll be bowling this year since they enter this game with just five wins on the season. Expect the Cougars to put everything they have into this game, since not only do they have a chance to spoil Washington’s perfect season, it will be their last game against their in-state rival before Washington heads to the Big Ten.
Washington State has nothing to lose in this game, while Washington has everything to lose. The Huskies are heading to the Pac-12 Championship Game next week, so they’ll likely be happy with a win here, it doesn’t have to be some huge blowout. With Washington’s habit of playing close games lately, it’s hard to see them winning by more than 17 points here. Washington State quarterback Cam Ward makes enough plays to keep the margin of victory for Washington at two touchdowns or less.
Washington 35, Washington State 24
No. 1 Georgia (-24.5) v. Georgia Tech - 7:30 p.m. ET - ABC
The Bulldogs have won “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate” by at least 23 points in each of their last five meetings with the Yellow Jackets. Even though Georgia Tech has been better this year than they have been over the last few years, Georgia is still miles ahead of their in-state foe. The Bulldogs are nearing full strength after Brock Bowers returned a couple weeks ago after missing a few weeks because of surgery. Kirby Smart will want his team to go into next week’s matchup against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game with confidence. An easy win to do just that is by tuning up one of your rivals.
Georgia 49, Georgia Tech 17
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LGHL Uncut Podcast: Day, Knowles provide injury updates while avoiding bulletin board material
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Uncut Podcast: Day, Knowles provide injury updates while avoiding bulletin board material
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
There’s no reason to throw even more fuel on the fire at this point.
Throughout the year, the Land-Grant Podcast Network will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On today’s episode of “Land-Grant Uncut,” we are bringing you unedited audio from the Tuesday, Nov. 21 press conference featuring head football coach Ryan Day and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Since this is Thanksgiving Week, there will not be any other media availabilities before The Game, aside from Day’s radio show responsibilities, but reporters were able to talk to a handful of players on Tuesday. That audio will be in Thursday’s episode of “Land-Grant Uncut.”
Both Day and Knowles attempted to stay as vanilla as they don’t want to set off another firestorm of controversy before heading up to Ann Arbor this weekend. However, they did discuss a handful of injuries and how they are progressing, some schematic changes that could come into play on Saturday, and some hindsight quarterback recruiting questions.
Watch the full press conference on the Ohio State Athletic Department’s Facebook: Login to view embedded media
Contact Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt
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Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
There’s no reason to throw even more fuel on the fire at this point.
Throughout the year, the Land-Grant Podcast Network will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On today’s episode of “Land-Grant Uncut,” we are bringing you unedited audio from the Tuesday, Nov. 21 press conference featuring head football coach Ryan Day and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Since this is Thanksgiving Week, there will not be any other media availabilities before The Game, aside from Day’s radio show responsibilities, but reporters were able to talk to a handful of players on Tuesday. That audio will be in Thursday’s episode of “Land-Grant Uncut.”
Both Day and Knowles attempted to stay as vanilla as they don’t want to set off another firestorm of controversy before heading up to Ann Arbor this weekend. However, they did discuss a handful of injuries and how they are progressing, some schematic changes that could come into play on Saturday, and some hindsight quarterback recruiting questions.
Watch the full press conference on the Ohio State Athletic Department’s Facebook: Login to view embedded media
Contact Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt
Music by: www.bensound.com
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LGHL Ohio State and TTUN at No. 2 and No. 3 in the CFP rankings, but this game is No. 1 historically
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Ohio State and TTUN at No. 2 and No. 3 in the CFP rankings, but this game is No. 1 historically
Matt Tamanini 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
It might not technically be No. 1 on your score cards, but it will be No. 1 in the history books.
As announced last night, the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs are again atop the College Football Playoff rankings for the second week in a row, with the Ohio State Buckeyes and Mitten Men in second and third respectively. That means that for the second year in a row, The Game will be between the No. 2 and No. 3 teams. Of course, last year, one of those squads was deeply enmeshed in a widespread cheating scheme that has landed its team’s head coach his second three-game suspension of the season and is currently threatening to bring down the entire program in a mass of crumbling destruction.
Even though neither side is the top-ranked team in the country, this game, for reasons on the field and off, is simply the biggest game in the history of the rivalry, and — with all due respect to Princeton and Rutgers — quite possible, in the history of college football.
Now, I know what you are thinking. Yes, I have a tendency to get swept up in the emotions of the moment, but I have been thinking this for a couple of weeks now, and I believe many of the other reporters and commentators around the beat believe this is true as well.
Let’s break it down from both the on-field and off-field perspectives.
What Is at Stake for the Teams in the 2023 Ohio State vs.
What Is at Stake for the Coaches in the 2023 Ohio State vs.
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Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
What Is at Stake Historically in the 2023 Ohio State vs.
What Is at Stake for the Fans in the 2023 Ohio State vs.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25106156/usa_today_21699251.jpg "NCAA Football: Penn State at Ohio State")
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
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Matt Tamanini 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
It might not technically be No. 1 on your score cards, but it will be No. 1 in the history books.
As announced last night, the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs are again atop the College Football Playoff rankings for the second week in a row, with the Ohio State Buckeyes and Mitten Men in second and third respectively. That means that for the second year in a row, The Game will be between the No. 2 and No. 3 teams. Of course, last year, one of those squads was deeply enmeshed in a widespread cheating scheme that has landed its team’s head coach his second three-game suspension of the season and is currently threatening to bring down the entire program in a mass of crumbling destruction.
Even though neither side is the top-ranked team in the country, this game, for reasons on the field and off, is simply the biggest game in the history of the rivalry, and — with all due respect to Princeton and Rutgers — quite possible, in the history of college football.
Now, I know what you are thinking. Yes, I have a tendency to get swept up in the emotions of the moment, but I have been thinking this for a couple of weeks now, and I believe many of the other reporters and commentators around the beat believe this is true as well.
Let’s break it down from both the on-field and off-field perspectives.
What Is at Stake for the Teams in the 2023 Ohio State vs. 
ichigan Game?
- The final Big Ten East title
- A berth to the Big Ten Championship Game
- An almost certain Big Ten Conference title
- A nearly guaranteed spot in the College Football Playoff
- TTUN players want to prove that their success in recent years was not dependent on sign-stealing.
- If the Corn and Blue win the game, it would mean that Ohio State’s entire 2020 recruiting class would have gone four years without beating their rivals.
- For the Buckeyes, a pair of gold pants are on the line.
- Based on the amount of tearful tributes that we’ve seen coming out of Ann Arbor in recent weeks, clearly the players want to win for their coach.
What Is at Stake for the Coaches in the 2023 Ohio State vs. ichigan Game?
- OSU’s Ryan Day needs a win to fend off fans and boosters unhappy with his inability to win the big games.
- Day wants to prove that not only was he not born on third base, but the only way that Jim Harbaugh can beat him is to cheat.
- TTUN’s Jim Harbaugh — though he won’t be at the game — wants to prove that his program is the best in the conference and that sign-stealing had nothing to do with their recent rise.
- This very well might be Harbaugh’s final home game as his alma mater’s head coach, either because he wants to jump back to the NFL, or the threat of multiple looming NCAA violations necessitates it.
- These two guys absolutely hate each other.
What Is at Stake Historically in the 2023 Ohio State vs. ichigan Game?
- This is the final season of the Big Ten’s divisional lineup. So, starting in 2024, Ohio State and TTUN can meet in back-to-back weeks, first in the regular season finale and then in the conference title game. Therefore, this is officially the end of an era when it comes to the importance of The Game.
- With the CFP expanding to 12 teams next season, it will be far easier for the loser of this game to receive a berth into the playoffs. So, again, the end of an era in the rivalry.
- If Ohio State wins, they will forever have the ability to dismiss the 2021 and 2022 losses, especially if the NCAA vacates the Harboys’ wins. Since they still shouldn’t count those games as wins, that would put the Buckeyes’ winning streak at nine games, and OSU would not have lost to their rivals since 2011.
- If the Fighting Ferrets win, it would be the first time that they would have posted three consecutive wins in the rivalry since 1995-97.
What Is at Stake for the Fans in the 2023 Ohio State vs. ichigan Game?
- Bragging rights for the next calendar year
- The validation of their increasingly insane online rhetoric
- For many fans, their entire personalities are based on the outcome of this game.
- The ability for some fans to continue their unhinged conspiracy theories and history-rewriting fanfiction.
- The amount of hate between the most vocal members of these two fan bases has always been uncomfortably high, but over the past month — as there has been a new sign-stealing revelation every other day — the intensity between the two camps seems to have only intensified. With tin-foil hat conspiracy theories on both sides of the proverbial aisle, the animosity feels like it has grown from the typical levels of quasi-performative “sports-hate” to IRL venom where if a dude wearing scarlet and gray encounters a Michigan Man in a dark alley, I might put money on neither of them ever emerging.
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LGHL Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: We don’t give a da*n for the whole state of *ichigan... Especially this week.
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Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: We don’t give a da*n for the whole state of *ichigan... Especially this week.
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State Football - X/Twitter
Josh and Chuck preview The Game. Because sometimes it’s better to just keep it simple.
The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL’s Josh Dooley and Chuck Holmes as they discuss Ohio State football, recruiting, and much, much more! Come for the hot takes, stay for the warm ones.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
On this episode of “Hangout in the Holy Land,” Josh and Chuck focus solely on The Game and the best rivalry in sports: Ohio State vs.M*ichigan aka TTUN.
It’s here! We’re talking about Rivalry Week, baby! The Buckeyes and Wolverines will once again do battle on the gridiron, this time with a Big Ten title game and College Football Playoff implications on the line...
Oh, there might also be some reputations and various other things on the line as well.
As the Hangout Boys take a look at this year’s OSU vs. TTUN matchup, they see two great CFB teams, both capable of winning it all. So what will — or has the potential to — set them apart come Saturday? How much will coaching play a role? And which players need to step up and/or have a career-defining performance?
The hosts break it all down and then give predictions for the biggest game of the year.
Please make sure to like, rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast! And as always, Go Bucks!
Connect with the pod
Twitter: @HolyLandPod
Connect with Josh Dooley
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye
Connect with Chuck Holmes
Twitter: @ctholmes3
Continue reading...
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State Football - X/Twitter
Josh and Chuck preview The Game. Because sometimes it’s better to just keep it simple.
The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL’s Josh Dooley and Chuck Holmes as they discuss Ohio State football, recruiting, and much, much more! Come for the hot takes, stay for the warm ones.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On this episode of “Hangout in the Holy Land,” Josh and Chuck focus solely on The Game and the best rivalry in sports: Ohio State vs.
It’s here! We’re talking about Rivalry Week, baby! The Buckeyes and Wolverines will once again do battle on the gridiron, this time with a Big Ten title game and College Football Playoff implications on the line...
Oh, there might also be some reputations and various other things on the line as well.
As the Hangout Boys take a look at this year’s OSU vs. TTUN matchup, they see two great CFB teams, both capable of winning it all. So what will — or has the potential to — set them apart come Saturday? How much will coaching play a role? And which players need to step up and/or have a career-defining performance?
The hosts break it all down and then give predictions for the biggest game of the year.
Please make sure to like, rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast! And as always, Go Bucks!
Connect with the pod
Twitter: @HolyLandPod
Connect with Josh Dooley
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye
Connect with Chuck Holmes
Twitter: @ctholmes3
Continue reading...
LGHL What do you think is the No. 1 key to Ohio State winning The Game on Saturday?
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What do you think is the No. 1 key to Ohio State winning The Game on Saturday?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
Throughout the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.
I know this week often means that people are getting nervous about having to sit around a table with family members with polar opposite political views, or having to cook mountains of food, or having to withstand the hoards of people trying to get the best Black Friday deals, but for those of us in Buckeye Nation, all of the stress of Thanksgiving Week are about Saturday at 12 noon ET.
It is Rivalry Week, it is Hate Week, it is Beatichigan Week, it is The Game Week! So, since the turkey hasn’t yet been carved and the levels of existential dread haven’t yet reached their fevered pitch, we wanted to check in and take the fandom’s temperature on how they were feeling about things.
So, in this week’s fan survey, we’ve got a couple of questions about The Game; one about what you think is the most important key to OSU’s victory and the other predicting the final score.
Take a look below and make sure to register your vote in the survey. Then, if you have additional thoughts, hit up the comments at the bottom of the page!
I would honestly love it if the Buckeyes did every single one of these things on Saturday in Ann Arbor; if they did, I would feel really good about their chances to win the game. But, I didn’t make that an option in this week’s survey. So, I suppose that I will need to just pick one. I don’t want to prejudice your selection though, so I will hold off on sharing my thoughts until after the results are in.
But, I do think that there are some interesting things to consider here. Starting first at the 10,000-foot level, do you go offense or defense? While it seems counterintuitive following the first four years of Ryan Day’s tenure as head coach in Columbus, I feel far more confident in the defense’s ability to find answers this season than the offense’s.
So, I think I would have to go with something on offense, because even if the D doesn’t get pressure on J.J. McCarthy, or they don’t clog up holes in the running game, or they don’t get UM off the field on third down regularly, or they don’t limit explosive plays, I think that they have enough other answers to pick up the slack.
Therefore, I am going to eventually pick one of the offensive options, because I have far less confidence in that unit’s ability to overcome things that don’t go its way.
Personally, I am not yet in the proper headspace to make a score prediction on this game; that will come in our “Tailgate” podcast on Saturday morning (I’m going to try and put that off until the last possible minute). Obviously, I’m going to be picking Ohio State to win, but beyond that, I have no idea. So, let’s take a look at some data to see if we can start to narrow things down.
Advanced Analytic Projections:
Statistical Breakdown:
Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
Throughout the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.
I know this week often means that people are getting nervous about having to sit around a table with family members with polar opposite political views, or having to cook mountains of food, or having to withstand the hoards of people trying to get the best Black Friday deals, but for those of us in Buckeye Nation, all of the stress of Thanksgiving Week are about Saturday at 12 noon ET.
It is Rivalry Week, it is Hate Week, it is Beat
ichigan Week, it is The Game Week! So, since the turkey hasn’t yet been carved and the levels of existential dread haven’t yet reached their fevered pitch, we wanted to check in and take the fandom’s temperature on how they were feeling about things.So, in this week’s fan survey, we’ve got a couple of questions about The Game; one about what you think is the most important key to OSU’s victory and the other predicting the final score.
Take a look below and make sure to register your vote in the survey. Then, if you have additional thoughts, hit up the comments at the bottom of the page!
Question 1: What is the one thing that the Buckeyes have to do to beat their rivals?
I would honestly love it if the Buckeyes did every single one of these things on Saturday in Ann Arbor; if they did, I would feel really good about their chances to win the game. But, I didn’t make that an option in this week’s survey. So, I suppose that I will need to just pick one. I don’t want to prejudice your selection though, so I will hold off on sharing my thoughts until after the results are in.
But, I do think that there are some interesting things to consider here. Starting first at the 10,000-foot level, do you go offense or defense? While it seems counterintuitive following the first four years of Ryan Day’s tenure as head coach in Columbus, I feel far more confident in the defense’s ability to find answers this season than the offense’s.
So, I think I would have to go with something on offense, because even if the D doesn’t get pressure on J.J. McCarthy, or they don’t clog up holes in the running game, or they don’t get UM off the field on third down regularly, or they don’t limit explosive plays, I think that they have enough other answers to pick up the slack.
Therefore, I am going to eventually pick one of the offensive options, because I have far less confidence in that unit’s ability to overcome things that don’t go its way.
Question 2: What will the result of The Game be?
Personally, I am not yet in the proper headspace to make a score prediction on this game; that will come in our “Tailgate” podcast on Saturday morning (I’m going to try and put that off until the last possible minute). Obviously, I’m going to be picking Ohio State to win, but beyond that, I have no idea. So, let’s take a look at some data to see if we can start to narrow things down.
Advanced Analytic Projections:
- SP+ Score Projection: TTUN 26, OSU 20
- College Football Nerds Model Projection: TTUN 23.2, OSU 16.9
- NCAA Game Simulator Projection: OSU 24.1, TTUN 22.0
Statistical Breakdown:
Share your thoughts here:
Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
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LGHL I-80 Football Show: It all comes down to The Game
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I-80 Football Show: It all comes down to The Game
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images
The end of the season is here, it’s rivalry week, and once again “The Game’ is for all the marbles!
Welcome to a new episode of Fans First Football Network’s I-80 Football Show. On this show, we travel down I-80 to talk all things Big Ten Football. This is the only Big Ten Podcast that’ll cover all 18 teams. After every week of action, we will catch you up on all the conference’s games and look ahead at the matchups, storylines, and players you should be paying attention to for the next week. My name is Jordan Williams, and I am joined by my co-host Dante Morgan.
Welcome to a new episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s I-80 Football Show. On this show, we talk about all things Big Ten football and basketball from New Jersey to California. With four new teams joining the conference in 2024, we’ll integrate them in the show, getting a head start on the 18-team conference.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
After a break from the podcast, the guys catch up on a lot of the news they missed. We discuss fired coaches, USC struggles, Northwestern’s turnaround, and the Michigan cheating scandal. While many in college football are too harsh on Caleb Williams, Jordan is happy that Lincoln Riley is struggling. Riley is self-absorbed and refuses to change, he now has to deal with the fact that he could not win the PAC-12 with Caleb Williams and wasted his most talented quarterbacks last season losing five games before Williams heads to the NFL.
It. Is. Time.
Rivalry week — a.k.a. Hate Week — is here. In the Big Ten, there are a bunch of rivalry games with meaning. Nebraska, Illinois, and Minnesota need wins against their rivals to reach bowl eligibility and end the season on a positive note. Rutgers, already bowl-eligible, is trying to end Maryland’s two-game win streak and finish the season on top of their East Coast counterpart.
The biggest game of all is of course ‘The Game’. Ohio State vs. Michigan is the best rivalry in all of sports and this time it’s for all the marbles. Two undefeated teams, the winner gets a chance to bully Iowa en route to a playoff berth while the loser has to watch the other compete for a national championship. This iteration of the game has massive stakes on its own but when you include the Michigan cheating scandal and Jim Harbaugh’s three-game suspension it has even bigger implications. Dante and Jordan both believe Ohio State gets the win, Dante has it 30-27 while Jordan has it 30-20. Put 60 minutes on the clock, the latest edition of ‘The Game’ is around almost here.
Follow the show on YouTube: @JordanW330
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
Connect with us on Twitter: Jordan: @JordanW330 and Dante: @DanteM10216
Continue reading...
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images
The end of the season is here, it’s rivalry week, and once again “The Game’ is for all the marbles!
Welcome to a new episode of Fans First Football Network’s I-80 Football Show. On this show, we travel down I-80 to talk all things Big Ten Football. This is the only Big Ten Podcast that’ll cover all 18 teams. After every week of action, we will catch you up on all the conference’s games and look ahead at the matchups, storylines, and players you should be paying attention to for the next week. My name is Jordan Williams, and I am joined by my co-host Dante Morgan.
Welcome to a new episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s I-80 Football Show. On this show, we talk about all things Big Ten football and basketball from New Jersey to California. With four new teams joining the conference in 2024, we’ll integrate them in the show, getting a head start on the 18-team conference.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
After a break from the podcast, the guys catch up on a lot of the news they missed. We discuss fired coaches, USC struggles, Northwestern’s turnaround, and the Michigan cheating scandal. While many in college football are too harsh on Caleb Williams, Jordan is happy that Lincoln Riley is struggling. Riley is self-absorbed and refuses to change, he now has to deal with the fact that he could not win the PAC-12 with Caleb Williams and wasted his most talented quarterbacks last season losing five games before Williams heads to the NFL.
It. Is. Time.
Rivalry week — a.k.a. Hate Week — is here. In the Big Ten, there are a bunch of rivalry games with meaning. Nebraska, Illinois, and Minnesota need wins against their rivals to reach bowl eligibility and end the season on a positive note. Rutgers, already bowl-eligible, is trying to end Maryland’s two-game win streak and finish the season on top of their East Coast counterpart.
The biggest game of all is of course ‘The Game’. Ohio State vs. Michigan is the best rivalry in all of sports and this time it’s for all the marbles. Two undefeated teams, the winner gets a chance to bully Iowa en route to a playoff berth while the loser has to watch the other compete for a national championship. This iteration of the game has massive stakes on its own but when you include the Michigan cheating scandal and Jim Harbaugh’s three-game suspension it has even bigger implications. Dante and Jordan both believe Ohio State gets the win, Dante has it 30-27 while Jordan has it 30-20. Put 60 minutes on the clock, the latest edition of ‘The Game’ is around almost here.
Follow the show on YouTube: @JordanW330
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
Connect with us on Twitter: Jordan: @JordanW330 and Dante: @DanteM10216
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LGHL Game Preview: No. 15 Ohio State women’s basketball vs. Oklahoma State
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Game Preview: No. 15 Ohio State women’s basketball vs. Oklahoma State
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
MITCH ALCALA/ FOR THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Big Ten and Big 12 sides battle for OSU supremacy
The Ohio State women’s basketball team is back for its final game in the Bahamas. Up next in the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship is a matchup against the Oklahoma State University Cowgirls.
Its a game between two Power Five conference schools, and an increase in opponent difficulty for a Buckeyes team still searching for a marquee victory.
The matchup for Wednesday’s game against the other OSU couldn’t be more different than Monday’s game against the East Carolina Pirates.
Against the Pirates, the Buckeyes had a team that lives on forcing turnovers and making high percentage shots. Also, a side that doesn’t turn those quick changes in possession into shots from deep. Wednesday’s game against Oklahoma State University sits on the other side of the basketball tactical spectrum.
Oklahoma State has strong shooters and will stretch the Buckeyes’ half court defense like few teams have so far in the 2023-24 season. Anchoring the Cowgirls from deep is a familiar name to Big Ten fans in forward Lior Garzon.
Older sister to Indiana University forward Yarden Garzon, the Oklahoma State Garzon has similar tendencies to the Hoosier — mainly in shooting from deep. Last season, Garzon broke the Oklahoma school record for made threes in a season, with 80. That was in the forward’s first year with Oklahoma State following a transfer from Villanova after her sophomore season. This season, Garzon is on track to hit more, with a caveat that the Buckeyes will need to watch.
On Monday, the Cowgirls faced another Big Ten school in the Penn State Nittany Lions. Garzon made three from deep, but took 10 shots. This year, the Israeli big is shooting more than any previous season, and hitting far fewer shots. That means the Buckeyes could be more busy on the perimeter than they’ve been all season, because it's not just Garzon Ohio State needs to worry about.
Leading Oklahoma State is junior guard Anna Gret Asi. This season, Asi is taking only two less threes per game than Garzon (6.3) but is making 44% of her long distance attempts. The former Arizona Wildcat’s been on a tear in her second season with the Cowgirls.
Before traveling for the Pink Flamingo Championship, Asi helped Oklahoma State University stay competitive against the then No. 5 ranked Colorado Buffaloes. Asi went 6-for-10 from deep, leading all OSU scorers with 25 points in the 86-75 defeat.
That’s going to make for a busy day on defense for the duo of guards Jacy Sheldon, Celeste Taylor and Taylor Thierry. The 6-foot-1 Garzon can take Thierry out of the paint where the Buckeye’s been effective this season, leading Ohio State with 26 rebounds in four games. The other option is the slightly shorter Taylor, who was put on ECU’s top scorer, guard Danae McNeal, and held the 19 points per game averaging guard to 11 points Monday.
Either Taylor of Sheldon will give Asi troubles, both playing with speed and strong work defensively. Screens and Oklahoma State working on mismatches on defense will be something that can hurt the Buckeyes against confident deep shooters.
Against Penn State Monday, the Cowgirls played a back-and-forth first half before falling to a double-digit deficit. That’s when defensively, Oklahoma State shifted. The Cowgirls moved to a half court press, causing issues at mid-court for whoever brings the ball up. Oklahoma State transformed a third quarter nine-point lead to a three-point advantage before the Nittany Lions ultimately pulled away.
Fortunately for the scarlet and gray, Ohio State faced a press in droves on Monday against ECU. As long as shooting can stay consistent, something the Buckeyes struggled with against the USC Trojans and in the second quarter against the Pirates, it should be a game favoring the Buckeyes.
It will be an Ohio State victory, but how close it is depends on the Buckeyes ability to keep its scoring diverse. Without a strong presence in the paint on the Cowgirls, Mikulášiková and Thierry will have more chances at points in the paint, and additional room for forward Cotie McMahon.
Taylor will have her best scoring game as a Buckeye, passing the 11 points scored against IUPUI on Nov. 12. Oklahoma State will hit shots from deep but not at a strong clip with the work of Ohio State’s guards.
Date: Monday, Nov. 20, 2023
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Where: Baha Mar Resort, Nassau, Bahamas
Stream: FloHoops
Wednesday is only the second time the two most popular OSU schools have faced off. Back in 2009, Ohio State defeated Oklahoma State in the preseason NIT. Back then it was different Buckeyes stars putting in the work, like forward and All-American Jantel Lavender scoring a team high 26 points. Also, guard and eventual 2009 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Samantha Prahalis had nine assists.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25103687/usa_today_3650312.jpg "NCAA Womens Basketball: Division I Championship-Ohio State vs Sacred Heart")
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
That season Ohio State had a 31-5 record but a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a Big Ten Tournament championship wasn’t enough to get the Buckeyes out of the second round. That’s when an upset-minded No. 7 seed, Mississippi State, beat the scarlet and gray 87-67.
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ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
MITCH ALCALA/ FOR THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Big Ten and Big 12 sides battle for OSU supremacy
The Ohio State women’s basketball team is back for its final game in the Bahamas. Up next in the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship is a matchup against the Oklahoma State University Cowgirls.
Its a game between two Power Five conference schools, and an increase in opponent difficulty for a Buckeyes team still searching for a marquee victory.
Preview
The matchup for Wednesday’s game against the other OSU couldn’t be more different than Monday’s game against the East Carolina Pirates.
Against the Pirates, the Buckeyes had a team that lives on forcing turnovers and making high percentage shots. Also, a side that doesn’t turn those quick changes in possession into shots from deep. Wednesday’s game against Oklahoma State University sits on the other side of the basketball tactical spectrum.
Oklahoma State has strong shooters and will stretch the Buckeyes’ half court defense like few teams have so far in the 2023-24 season. Anchoring the Cowgirls from deep is a familiar name to Big Ten fans in forward Lior Garzon.
Older sister to Indiana University forward Yarden Garzon, the Oklahoma State Garzon has similar tendencies to the Hoosier — mainly in shooting from deep. Last season, Garzon broke the Oklahoma school record for made threes in a season, with 80. That was in the forward’s first year with Oklahoma State following a transfer from Villanova after her sophomore season. This season, Garzon is on track to hit more, with a caveat that the Buckeyes will need to watch.
On Monday, the Cowgirls faced another Big Ten school in the Penn State Nittany Lions. Garzon made three from deep, but took 10 shots. This year, the Israeli big is shooting more than any previous season, and hitting far fewer shots. That means the Buckeyes could be more busy on the perimeter than they’ve been all season, because it's not just Garzon Ohio State needs to worry about.
Leading Oklahoma State is junior guard Anna Gret Asi. This season, Asi is taking only two less threes per game than Garzon (6.3) but is making 44% of her long distance attempts. The former Arizona Wildcat’s been on a tear in her second season with the Cowgirls.
Before traveling for the Pink Flamingo Championship, Asi helped Oklahoma State University stay competitive against the then No. 5 ranked Colorado Buffaloes. Asi went 6-for-10 from deep, leading all OSU scorers with 25 points in the 86-75 defeat.
That’s going to make for a busy day on defense for the duo of guards Jacy Sheldon, Celeste Taylor and Taylor Thierry. The 6-foot-1 Garzon can take Thierry out of the paint where the Buckeye’s been effective this season, leading Ohio State with 26 rebounds in four games. The other option is the slightly shorter Taylor, who was put on ECU’s top scorer, guard Danae McNeal, and held the 19 points per game averaging guard to 11 points Monday.
Either Taylor of Sheldon will give Asi troubles, both playing with speed and strong work defensively. Screens and Oklahoma State working on mismatches on defense will be something that can hurt the Buckeyes against confident deep shooters.
Against Penn State Monday, the Cowgirls played a back-and-forth first half before falling to a double-digit deficit. That’s when defensively, Oklahoma State shifted. The Cowgirls moved to a half court press, causing issues at mid-court for whoever brings the ball up. Oklahoma State transformed a third quarter nine-point lead to a three-point advantage before the Nittany Lions ultimately pulled away.
Fortunately for the scarlet and gray, Ohio State faced a press in droves on Monday against ECU. As long as shooting can stay consistent, something the Buckeyes struggled with against the USC Trojans and in the second quarter against the Pirates, it should be a game favoring the Buckeyes.
Lineup Notes
- After a slow start to the season offensively, forward Rebeka Mikulášiková got hot in the second half against the Pirates, scoring eight points and going 2-for-2 from deep.
- Guard Jacy Sheldon had no steals against ECU, the first time the point guard hasn’t logged a steal in 20 games, dating back to the 2022 Big Ten Tournament semifinal against the Indiana Hoosiers.
- Although guard Celeste Taylor is fifth on the team in scoring, the graduate senior leads the Buckeyes in assists (3.5) and steals (3.9) per game.
Lineup Notes
- The Cowgirls will rotate like the Buckeyes, with two Oklahoma State players averaging more minutes than starters in forward Chandler Prater and guard Kennedy Fauntleroy.
- Of Oklahoma State’s five starters, only one hasn’t transferred into the program. Only two players overall who have seen the court this season started their college basketball careers in Stillwater, OK.
- Against Penn State, three OSU players hit three shots from deep: Asi, Garzon and guard Quincy Noble. Only three of the 10 Cowgirls who received minutes on Monday took at least two shots from beyond the arc.
Prediction
It will be an Ohio State victory, but how close it is depends on the Buckeyes ability to keep its scoring diverse. Without a strong presence in the paint on the Cowgirls, Mikulášiková and Thierry will have more chances at points in the paint, and additional room for forward Cotie McMahon.
Taylor will have her best scoring game as a Buckeye, passing the 11 points scored against IUPUI on Nov. 12. Oklahoma State will hit shots from deep but not at a strong clip with the work of Ohio State’s guards.
How to Watch
Date: Monday, Nov. 20, 2023
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Where: Baha Mar Resort, Nassau, Bahamas
Stream: FloHoops
LGHL Prediction: 87-75 Ohio State Buckeyes
OSU v OSU
Wednesday is only the second time the two most popular OSU schools have faced off. Back in 2009, Ohio State defeated Oklahoma State in the preseason NIT. Back then it was different Buckeyes stars putting in the work, like forward and All-American Jantel Lavender scoring a team high 26 points. Also, guard and eventual 2009 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Samantha Prahalis had nine assists.
That season Ohio State had a 31-5 record but a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a Big Ten Tournament championship wasn’t enough to get the Buckeyes out of the second round. That’s when an upset-minded No. 7 seed, Mississippi State, beat the scarlet and gray 87-67.
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LGHL Stock Market Report: Ohio State’s defense impressed against Minnesota, but it’s time to focus on Ann Arbor
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Stock Market Report: Ohio State’s defense impressed against Minnesota, but it’s time to focus on Ann Arbor
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Clare Grant/The Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
It is time, folks. Ohio State and Michigan are 11-0, and they are two freight trains heading toward each other
I am not going to waste time on this one. Ohio State and Michigan fans have been waiting for this week for 11 months, and it is finally here. The No. 2 Buckeyes (11-0) are coming off a 37-3 win over Minnesota (5-6), and now they will go to Ann Arbor, Mich., to play the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines (11-0).
Let’s take a look at who has helped their stock heading into “The Game.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25103861/usa_today_21947341.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
“The Game”: Folks. The time is here. The game everyone has circled on their calendar. Just like last season, Ohio State and Michigan are 11-0, and they will face off for a spot in the Big Ten Championship game on Dec. 2.
This is the most anticipated college football game of the year, and to be honest, I am sick of the discourse around this game this season. I just want the two teams to get on the field and play a 60-minute football game. And that time has finally come. Let’s do it.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25103862/usa_today_21934628.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Jack Sawyer: Sawyer has taken some heat from Ohio State fans since he arrived in Columbus for not quite living up to expectations as a five-star prospect out of high school. However, he has been solid this season and has seemingly improved every week. He is coming off the best game of his career, and as the Buckeyes stare down Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, they will need the best version of Jack Sawyer to stop the run.
Emeka Egbuka: Egbuka has not had the season he has wanted, and that is through no fault of his own. When healthy, Egbuka has been incredibly productive and was one of the main reasons the Buckeyes were able to get past Notre Dame. However, since has come back from injury, it has taken him a while to get back into the flow of things. He had five catches for 83 yards against Minnesota and looked like he is getting close to 100 percent health-wise. And that is key at this point in the season.
Starting field position: Through the first half of this contest, the Buckeyes starting field position for their drives was their own eight-yard line.
This doesn’t make much of a difference against Minnesota or really anyone else they have played this year, but against Michigan, that could be a real problem when a three-and-out on offense could set up the Wolverine’s offense at midfield. They have to do a better job flipping field position as the games get into the postseason.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25104162/usa_today_21934698.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Buy: Running game. The running game issues are fixed. And the answer was simple. A healthy TreVeyon Henderson is the answer. He is averaging about 700 yards a game over the last three weeks, and what used to be a multiple-back backfield is now seeing Henderson get the bulk of the carries, and the results speak for themselves. Blake Corum and TreVeyon Henderson must-see TV on Saturday.
Buy: Rivalry Week. Obviously, this week is highlighted by Ohio State-Michigan, but there are some awesome games every year when Thanksgiving weekend comes around. The Iron Bowl, The Egg Bowl, Oregon-Oregon State, and, of course, Iowa-Nebraska for the sickos. There are so many others as well. We just have to get Texas and Texas A&M back together to play annually. I miss that game.
Sell: Penalty for posing. This was just lame. Let the players have fun. They are hurting no one and not holding up the play of the game. What did hold up the game was the referee calling out eight different numbers of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for celebrating a big play in the game.
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justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Clare Grant/The Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
It is time, folks. Ohio State and Michigan are 11-0, and they are two freight trains heading toward each other
I am not going to waste time on this one. Ohio State and Michigan fans have been waiting for this week for 11 months, and it is finally here. The No. 2 Buckeyes (11-0) are coming off a 37-3 win over Minnesota (5-6), and now they will go to Ann Arbor, Mich., to play the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines (11-0).
Let’s take a look at who has helped their stock heading into “The Game.”
Blue Chip
“The Game”: Folks. The time is here. The game everyone has circled on their calendar. Just like last season, Ohio State and Michigan are 11-0, and they will face off for a spot in the Big Ten Championship game on Dec. 2.
This is the most anticipated college football game of the year, and to be honest, I am sick of the discourse around this game this season. I just want the two teams to get on the field and play a 60-minute football game. And that time has finally come. Let’s do it.
Solid Investments
Jack Sawyer: Sawyer has taken some heat from Ohio State fans since he arrived in Columbus for not quite living up to expectations as a five-star prospect out of high school. However, he has been solid this season and has seemingly improved every week. He is coming off the best game of his career, and as the Buckeyes stare down Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards, they will need the best version of Jack Sawyer to stop the run.
Emeka Egbuka: Egbuka has not had the season he has wanted, and that is through no fault of his own. When healthy, Egbuka has been incredibly productive and was one of the main reasons the Buckeyes were able to get past Notre Dame. However, since has come back from injury, it has taken him a while to get back into the flow of things. He had five catches for 83 yards against Minnesota and looked like he is getting close to 100 percent health-wise. And that is key at this point in the season.
Junk Bond
Starting field position: Through the first half of this contest, the Buckeyes starting field position for their drives was their own eight-yard line.
This doesn’t make much of a difference against Minnesota or really anyone else they have played this year, but against Michigan, that could be a real problem when a three-and-out on offense could set up the Wolverine’s offense at midfield. They have to do a better job flipping field position as the games get into the postseason.
Buy/Sell
Buy: Running game. The running game issues are fixed. And the answer was simple. A healthy TreVeyon Henderson is the answer. He is averaging about 700 yards a game over the last three weeks, and what used to be a multiple-back backfield is now seeing Henderson get the bulk of the carries, and the results speak for themselves. Blake Corum and TreVeyon Henderson must-see TV on Saturday.
Buy: Rivalry Week. Obviously, this week is highlighted by Ohio State-Michigan, but there are some awesome games every year when Thanksgiving weekend comes around. The Iron Bowl, The Egg Bowl, Oregon-Oregon State, and, of course, Iowa-Nebraska for the sickos. There are so many others as well. We just have to get Texas and Texas A&M back together to play annually. I miss that game.
Sell: Penalty for posing. This was just lame. Let the players have fun. They are hurting no one and not holding up the play of the game. What did hold up the game was the referee calling out eight different numbers of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for celebrating a big play in the game.
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LGHL If This Were A Movie: Ryan Day and Jim Harbaugh star in ‘Grumpy Old Men’
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If This Were A Movie: Ryan Day and Jim Harbaugh star in ‘Grumpy Old Men’
Jami Jurich 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
On insults, practical jokes, and kicking the rivalry up a notch this Thanksgiving.
Grab your popcorn and get ready for pop culture references, a hint of snark, and a trip back in time to the Blockbuster Video days.
While the rest of America focuses their attention on turkeys, any true Ohio State or TTUN fan knows Thanksgiving is only the second-most important holiday happening this week. I say this as someone who loves Thanksgiving — it still gets trumped this week. That’s because we have finally entered Rivalry Week, and we have complete tunnel vision on The Game.
But since we do have to go through Glutton Fest to get to The Game, we’re bringing you an extra special Thanksgiving/Rivalry Week preview edition of “If This Were A Movie.”
As we near the end of college football’s regular season, fans of these rival schools seem even more fired up than usual, in large part because we are the Wolverines’ last remaining obstacle, and they, ours. The winner is guaranteed a spot in the Big Ten Championship, and a CFP playoff berth is on the line, with both teams currently sitting in the top four.
Nothing stokes the flames of a rivalry quite like having your sights set on the same end goal and having to go through each other to get there. It’s like the wildest game of Musical Chairs you’ve ever played. One chair remains, two teams want it. No one is going down without a fight.
Add to that the drama around what Buckeye fans would call “cheating,” and what the blue and yellow guys would call, “an act of injustice” or “cruel and unusual punishment” (aka the Sign Stealing Scandal) and everyone is at a boiling point.
Somewhere out there are two fictional feuding next-door neighbors who can relate to what Buckeye and Wolverine fans are going through right now because their neighborhood rivalry came to a head over the week of Thanksgiving too.
That’s right—I’m talking about none other than John Gustafson, Jr. (Jack Lemmon) and Max Goldman (Walter Matthau)—everyone’s favorite “Grumpy Old Men,” whose longstanding feud manifests in ways familiar to OSU and UM fans: insulting each other, name-calling, and playing practical jokes and pranks on each other just to get under each other’s skin; a tale as old as time.
Their neighbors and friends find their rivalry to be soul-crushing and irritating, and OSU and Michigan are nothing if not annoying to everyone else in the Big Ten/College Football (whether it’s because our teams are better than theirs or because we have overinflated egos and the volume of 10,000 screaming teenage girls at a boy band concert is a debate for another day).
Their disdain for each other is an ongoing part of everyday life, just as it is for Buckeye fans who don’t give a damn for the whole state of Michigan 365 days a year. The feeling is mutual, too.
But the Grumpy Old Men really take their rivalry up a notch when they realize they both have their eyes on a National Championship a.k.a. the same lady, Ariel Truax (played by Ann-Margret), who recently moved to their street.
As John begins to court Ariel, Max finds himself jealous, and it is eventually revealed that John and Max had their own Bo and Woody drama back in the day: Bo Schembechler betrayed everything good and holy to kick off the Ten Year War, John married Max’s high school sweetheart. Same thing, basically.
Now, as John and Max find themselves reliving the drama of competing over the same woman for a second time in their lives, OSU and TTUN find themselves competing for stakes as high as a National Championship.
“Grumpy Old Men” has a happy ending, and while one team will enjoy fleeting happiness on Saturday, I don’t anticipate that either school will let bygones be bygones any time in the next century. Certainly not while Jim Harbaugh is coaching (which is something I actively love about him as a rival coach—he and his team hate us as much as we hate them, and it ups the ante a bit). Certainly not while both teams are powerhouses with playoff shots.
But if you want to kill two birds with one stone during your time off this week, pop on “Grumpy Old Men” for some festive Thanksgiving fun that will also fuel your hatred for that team up north. You could even borrow from John and Max’s playbook and play some petty practical jokes on any Wolverine fans in your life!
From everyone here at Land-Grant Holy Land, may your Thanksgiving be full of good food and good company. Here’s to stuffing both turkeys AND Wolverines this week.
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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
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
On insults, practical jokes, and kicking the rivalry up a notch this Thanksgiving.
Grab your popcorn and get ready for pop culture references, a hint of snark, and a trip back in time to the Blockbuster Video days.
While the rest of America focuses their attention on turkeys, any true Ohio State or TTUN fan knows Thanksgiving is only the second-most important holiday happening this week. I say this as someone who loves Thanksgiving — it still gets trumped this week. That’s because we have finally entered Rivalry Week, and we have complete tunnel vision on The Game.
But since we do have to go through Glutton Fest to get to The Game, we’re bringing you an extra special Thanksgiving/Rivalry Week preview edition of “If This Were A Movie.”
As we near the end of college football’s regular season, fans of these rival schools seem even more fired up than usual, in large part because we are the Wolverines’ last remaining obstacle, and they, ours. The winner is guaranteed a spot in the Big Ten Championship, and a CFP playoff berth is on the line, with both teams currently sitting in the top four.
Nothing stokes the flames of a rivalry quite like having your sights set on the same end goal and having to go through each other to get there. It’s like the wildest game of Musical Chairs you’ve ever played. One chair remains, two teams want it. No one is going down without a fight.
Add to that the drama around what Buckeye fans would call “cheating,” and what the blue and yellow guys would call, “an act of injustice” or “cruel and unusual punishment” (aka the Sign Stealing Scandal) and everyone is at a boiling point.
Somewhere out there are two fictional feuding next-door neighbors who can relate to what Buckeye and Wolverine fans are going through right now because their neighborhood rivalry came to a head over the week of Thanksgiving too.
That’s right—I’m talking about none other than John Gustafson, Jr. (Jack Lemmon) and Max Goldman (Walter Matthau)—everyone’s favorite “Grumpy Old Men,” whose longstanding feud manifests in ways familiar to OSU and UM fans: insulting each other, name-calling, and playing practical jokes and pranks on each other just to get under each other’s skin; a tale as old as time.
Their neighbors and friends find their rivalry to be soul-crushing and irritating, and OSU and Michigan are nothing if not annoying to everyone else in the Big Ten/College Football (whether it’s because our teams are better than theirs or because we have overinflated egos and the volume of 10,000 screaming teenage girls at a boy band concert is a debate for another day).
Their disdain for each other is an ongoing part of everyday life, just as it is for Buckeye fans who don’t give a damn for the whole state of Michigan 365 days a year. The feeling is mutual, too.
But the Grumpy Old Men really take their rivalry up a notch when they realize they both have their eyes on a National Championship a.k.a. the same lady, Ariel Truax (played by Ann-Margret), who recently moved to their street.
As John begins to court Ariel, Max finds himself jealous, and it is eventually revealed that John and Max had their own Bo and Woody drama back in the day: Bo Schembechler betrayed everything good and holy to kick off the Ten Year War, John married Max’s high school sweetheart. Same thing, basically.
Now, as John and Max find themselves reliving the drama of competing over the same woman for a second time in their lives, OSU and TTUN find themselves competing for stakes as high as a National Championship.
“Grumpy Old Men” has a happy ending, and while one team will enjoy fleeting happiness on Saturday, I don’t anticipate that either school will let bygones be bygones any time in the next century. Certainly not while Jim Harbaugh is coaching (which is something I actively love about him as a rival coach—he and his team hate us as much as we hate them, and it ups the ante a bit). Certainly not while both teams are powerhouses with playoff shots.
But if you want to kill two birds with one stone during your time off this week, pop on “Grumpy Old Men” for some festive Thanksgiving fun that will also fuel your hatred for that team up north. You could even borrow from John and Max’s playbook and play some petty practical jokes on any Wolverine fans in your life!
From everyone here at Land-Grant Holy Land, may your Thanksgiving be full of good food and good company. Here’s to stuffing both turkeys AND Wolverines this week.
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LGHL Uncut: McGuff, Thierry talk confrontation; Mikulášiková on improved shooting
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Uncut: McGuff, Thierry talk confrontation; Mikulášiková on improved shooting
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State University athletic department
It was an up and down game for the Buckeyes, but following the win there are a lot of positives to cover
Throughout the year, Land-Grant Holy Land will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.
Monday, the Ohio State women’s basketball team played its second neutral site game of the season. This time, at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship, against the East Carolina Pirates.
In a game where the Pirates came within one point of the Buckeyes in the second quarter, Ohio State adjusted and turned up the intensity in the second half to pull away with a comfortable 79-55 win.
After the game, head coach Kevin McGuff and forwards Taylor Thierry and Rebeka Mikulášiková spoke with the media. Coach McGuff discussed a contentious third-quarter moment after Thierry went to the ground on an intentional foul on ECU. Also, improved rebounding and playing against a similar style of full-court press as their own.
Thierry and Mikulášiková talked about staying cool in a physical game and Mikulášiková talked about her improved shooting as the game went on, especially from deep. Finally, Thierry talks about the moment when teammate Celeste Taylor stepped in to defend her following a hard fall to the ground and how it represents the Buckeyes’ team chemistry.
Connect with Thomas:
Twitter: @1ThomasCostello
Theme music provided by www.bensound.com
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ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State University athletic department
It was an up and down game for the Buckeyes, but following the win there are a lot of positives to cover
Throughout the year, Land-Grant Holy Land will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.
Monday, the Ohio State women’s basketball team played its second neutral site game of the season. This time, at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championship, against the East Carolina Pirates.
In a game where the Pirates came within one point of the Buckeyes in the second quarter, Ohio State adjusted and turned up the intensity in the second half to pull away with a comfortable 79-55 win.
After the game, head coach Kevin McGuff and forwards Taylor Thierry and Rebeka Mikulášiková spoke with the media. Coach McGuff discussed a contentious third-quarter moment after Thierry went to the ground on an intentional foul on ECU. Also, improved rebounding and playing against a similar style of full-court press as their own.
Thierry and Mikulášiková talked about staying cool in a physical game and Mikulášiková talked about her improved shooting as the game went on, especially from deep. Finally, Thierry talks about the moment when teammate Celeste Taylor stepped in to defend her following a hard fall to the ground and how it represents the Buckeyes’ team chemistry.
Connect with Thomas:
Twitter: @1ThomasCostello
Theme music provided by www.bensound.com
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LGHL In Conversation Podcast: Mike Golic Jr. breaks down The Game and laughs at the sign-stealing idiocy
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In Conversation Podcast: Mike Golic Jr. breaks down The Game and laughs at the sign-stealing idiocy
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
We definitely agree with GoJo that the scandal coming from Ann Arbor is pure comedy.
On Land-Grant Holy Land In Conversation, we talk to people in and around Ohio State athletics, and the sporting world at large, to bring you a different insight and perspective to the teams, athletes, and university that you love.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
On the show today, Matt Tamanini is in conversation with DraftKings college football analyst, the host of “The GoJo Podcast,” and former Notre Dame offensive lineman Mike Golic Jr. GoJo breaks down this Saturday’s Ohio State game against That Team Up North. That includes taking a trip through the trenches and examining both offensive and defensive lines and how important their play will be to determining the Big Ten East champion.
Matt and Mike also discuss the ridiculousness of the entire sign-stealing scandal and whether or not it has any significant impact on the actual game itself.
Connect with Mike Golic Jr.:
Twitter: @mikegolicjr
The GoJo Podcast: https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/gojo-show
Connect with Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt
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Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
We definitely agree with GoJo that the scandal coming from Ann Arbor is pure comedy.
On Land-Grant Holy Land In Conversation, we talk to people in and around Ohio State athletics, and the sporting world at large, to bring you a different insight and perspective to the teams, athletes, and university that you love.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On the show today, Matt Tamanini is in conversation with DraftKings college football analyst, the host of “The GoJo Podcast,” and former Notre Dame offensive lineman Mike Golic Jr. GoJo breaks down this Saturday’s Ohio State game against That Team Up North. That includes taking a trip through the trenches and examining both offensive and defensive lines and how important their play will be to determining the Big Ten East champion.
Matt and Mike also discuss the ridiculousness of the entire sign-stealing scandal and whether or not it has any significant impact on the actual game itself.
Connect with Mike Golic Jr.:
Twitter: @mikegolicjr
The GoJo Podcast: https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/gojo-show
Connect with Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt
Theme music provided by www.bensound.com
Continue reading...
Microsoft to exit gaming business?
- Gaming
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Microsoft May Exit Gaming Business If Game Pass Subscribers off Console Don't Increase Enough by 2027
Microsoft's Phil Spencer said in testimony that the company may exit its gaming business if GP subscribers off consoles don't increase a lot.
wccftech.com
LGHL B1G Thoughts: It’s Ryan Day vs. Sherrone Moore in ‘The Game’
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B1G Thoughts: It’s Ryan Day vs. Sherrone Moore in ‘The Game’
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It’s Rivalry Week, can Ohio State and Ryan Day reclaim the Big Ten throne or will Michigan make it three straight without Harbaugh on the sideline?
Every week after the Big Ten slate of games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and maybe a joke. With the Big Ten expanding from 14 teams to 18 teams in 2024 this article will also include the newest members, Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington. Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
Ryan Day is either 1-0 or 1-2 against Michigan and Jim Harbaugh depending on who you ask and how much you weigh the sign-stealing scandal. If you believe the sign stealing scandal had a major impact on “The Game” then it’s fair to say that the scandal caused Day to almost become a pariah to his fan base with many Ohio State fans calling for his job. It also cost the Buckeyes a chance at a national championship in 2021 and it cost C.J. Stroud at least one Heisman trophy. If you’re an Ohio State fan this scandal has changed the fortunes of this program in a major way. That could all be hyperbole but tell your average Ohio State fan that, I dare you.
With that in mind, Ryan Day needs this win more than any coach has ever needed a win in the Game. This win not only rights the ship and puts the Buckeyes back on top of the Big Ten but it allows Day to compete for another national championship with Marvin Harrison Jr. on the roster. Day needs to shut the door on Michigan and let the narrative machine hit overdrive. If the Buckeyes win this game, and god forbid they win big, the narrative that Michigan only won because they cheated could feed the hungry. No one knows the full extent of the scandal, most people don’t care. For whatever reason, Harbaugh has had Day’s number the past two seasons and it’s time for Day to right the wrong or risk reaching a place with the fanbase he can never come back from.
For the first time in close to two decades, Michigan may have a better quarterback entering ‘The Game’ than Ohio State. To be clear, I do not think J.J. McCarthy is a better quarterback than Kyle McCord but I am probably in the minority of that opinion. Regardless of which side you land on, it is a fair question for the first time in a long time. Both teams enter amazing defenses and good running backs but this game will be won or lost by the quarterback.
McCord is a full step down from C.J. Stroud and Justin Fields but he has enough juice and mettle to win this game. He has faced tough tests and led the Buckeyes on a game-winning drive to save their season versus Notre Dame. He also continues to make boneheaded plays and struggles massively in the first half.
McCarthy is in my opinion an average quarterback at best but he has improved this season. Despite the improvement, he has severely regressed in the last two games. Against Penn State and Maryland, he has gone 19-31 for 201 yards and one interception. That is not good enough to win “The Game.”
McCord and McCarthy have to play the best game of their season to put their team in the best position to win. Both quarterbacks have warts, whoever makes the least mistakes and capitalizes on what the opposing defense gives them will get a chance to leave the field with bragging rights.
This week we may finally get an answer to a question that is almost impossible to answer. How important is a head coach on game day, specifically when the head coach doesn’t call plays? Gamedays in most cases are where coordinators and position coaches make their money. They call plays, handle substitutions, and relay information to their players. Head coaches who do not call plays largely make in-game decisions such as timeouts, challenges, and key decisions like when to punt, kick a field goal, or go for it on fourth down.
Those are important decisions but how much do they affect a game? It’s hard to quantify but we will get a chance to find out when Michigan plays Ohio State without Jim Harbaugh on the sideline. Harbaugh will have to watch the game from home due to being suspended, again, this time because of sign stealing. The head coaching duties fall on offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore who will be the man in charge for the fourth time this season. So far, Moore is 3-0 as a head coach but the last two games have been Michigan’s worst performances of the season.
Is that because Harbaugh isn’t on the sideline? Is that because they finally played an opponent with a pulse? Not sure but Moore has his toughest test yet having to lead his program against Ryan Day and Ohio State.
Let’s be clear, there is a very slim chance Marvin Harrison Jr. wins the Heisman. He is clearly the best player in college football but the Heisman has turned into a quarterback award. Anyone who watches the game understands that Harrison is the engine that pushes Ohio State offense but he won’t have the requisite stats to win the award. In 11 games he has 1,093 yards and 13 touchdowns on 62 catches.
A great season, but not Heisman-worthy in most years. Harrison Jr. should absolutely be in New York at the end of the season but to win the Heisman he needs to have a Heisman moment in “The Game.” If he goes for over 150 receiving yards and two or more touchdowns and Ohio State wins he will boost his case especially if one of Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr. has a bad game and loses to their rivals. Ohio State needs a big game from Marv to reclaim the Big Ten throne but a big game could serve to bolster Marv’s Heisman chances as well.
It’s time for a prediction. I believe that Ohio State is the better team. The best way I can say it is that Michigan reminds me of Ohio State in 2021. They have holes in the roster and bad moments that are being glossed over because of their recent success. Fairly or unfairly Michigan has earned the benefit of the doubt and no one they’ve played has been able to capitalize on their weaknesses.
Just like Michigan was the team that could capitalize on Ohio State’s weaknesses in 2021, the Buckeyes are the team. Michigan’s offensive line is not great, it may still be better than Ohio State but it is not in contention for the Joe Moore Award like it has been in the years it won. Their running game hasn’t been as effective and it seems as though Sherrone Moore does not trust McCarthy to win them a game in the air. Harbaugh might but he is not on the sideline making those decisions.
Michigan has the best defense in the country, ranking No. One in-stop rate for the entire season. Kyle McCord will need to take a step up if the Buckeyes want to win the game but they have the best player in the country on their team in Marvin Harrison Jr. Ohio State has the second-best defense in the country according to to stop rate and they have one of the better run-stopping defenses in the country. Ohio State has stepped back on offense but their defense has taken a massive jump forward. I believe Ohio State has arguably the three best players in the game with Marvin Harrison Jr., JT Tuimoloua, and Sonny Styles. That hasn’t stopped them from losing the past two years though.
Ultimately, this game will be won in the trenches. If Ohio State wins this game it means their offensive line has improved enough to withstand Michigan’s incredible interior defensive line. Michigan wins this game by bullying Ohio State up front and making McCord uncomfortable. Ohio State is better in every area on defense from last year and their offense is starting to click. Ohio State will win this game and win the Big Ten.
Ohio State- 30 Michigan- 20
Nebraska has had a very up-and-down season in Matt Rhule’s first year as head coach. At times they’ve looked like a much-improved team who could contend for the West division title. Then they turn around and look like a team that can’t get the Scott Frost stink out of the program. Despite all of this, Nebraska goes into the last week with a chance to do what Frost could never do and that’s make a bowl game.
The problem, they have to get through Iowa to do it. It would not be the worst thing for Rhule not to make a bowl game in year one, the roster is in a tough place and he’s shown enough progress to prove he’s better than Frost ever was. Despite that, it would be very beneficial to Rhule, his program, and the long-suffering Nebraska fans for them to make a bowl game. Iowa, despite winning the West again, is not as good as they have been the previous few years. Nebraska can pull the upset in this game, it won’t be easy but they have a defense that can stop Iowa’s putrid offense.
They just need to not make mistakes on offense and special teams that led to Iowa points. Nebraska can survive one more season without bowl eligibility but Rhule should go and win this game to end this season on a high note.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have once again won the Big Ten West with one of the worst offenses in the country. I’m sure Kirk Ferentz is out here somewhere smiling smugly and bemoaning the audacity of interim Athletic Director Beth Goetz’s decision to fire his son and offensive coordinator. This is a terrible outcome because everyone besides Kirk knows he needs to change but if they keep reaching his goals then he will never change.
The new Big Ten can’t get here fast enough some Ferentz can pay for his unwillingness to adjust to the times. Congrats to the players though, they faced a lot of coaching-led adversity but found a way to win games.
Pat Fitzgerald lost his fastball. No one wants to admit it, and he would still be the coach here without being caught for hazing but he was not a good coach the last four years. David Braun is all the proof you needed, this is the same team everyone predicted to win one or two games under Pat. After taking over the interim title in the summer, Braun has brought life into this team, and going into the last game of the season they have a chance to win seven games.
For reference in Fitzgerald’s last three non-pandemic seasons, he won seven games total going 3-9 twice and 1-11 last season. Braun has rightly been awarded for his efforts with the interim tag being removed. I have no idea how this will work out in the future, the conference is getting much harder for teams like Northwestern but Braun is a good step in the right direction for this once lifeless program.
I do not think Caleb Williams is a generational NFL prospect. He is, one of the most talented college quarterbacks we’ve ever seen, and his talent was wasted by Riley who is considered one of the brightest offensive coaches in the sport. USC was good last season, they should have won the PAC 12 and made the playoffs but their defense was horrid, and couldn’t stop giving up 40-plus points in big games.
Despite this, Riley made no changes to his defensive staff and decided to double down for this season. He’ll regret that decision for a lifetime. There is a lot of conversation about USC’s defense and he finally fired Alex Grinch, but his offense was also broken this year relying too much on magical moments from Williams instead of succeeding in structure. USC was a bad team in all three phases of the game.
Williams is the most talented quarterback in a long run of talented quarterbacks for Riley and there is nothing to show for it. This is the most important offseason of Riley’s career, especially considering that they have one of the toughest schedules next year in their first season in the Big Ten.
Riley needs to find a new defensive coordinator, and a new quarterback, and rebuild his offensive and defensive lines. This team will not survive a Big Ten schedule as it’s currently constructed. Riley should also consider giving up playcalling. I have no faith Riley will learn the lessons this season is trying to teach him but I’ll be paying attention.
As you are all aware, Oregon and Washington are entering the Big Ten next season and leaving their in-state rivals in conference purgatory. This is added fuel to the fire of two already heated rivalries and I can’t wait to watch these games. Washington at 11-0 with a win over Oregon already controls their destiny, if they win out they make the playoffs. Oregon may not fully control their destiny but it’ll be hard to imagine the playoff committee leaving out a one-loss Oregon if they are the PAC 12 champs and avenged their only loss to Washington in the conference championship game.
Enter Oregon State and Washington State. Washington and Washington State have signed a five-year contract to continue the Apple Cup but this could be the last iteration of the Civil War for a long time. The “little brothers” of these rivalries have a chance to ruin the seasons of their in-state counterparts while simultaneously getting a lot of anger out of their system for being left for dead. It’s probably fair to assume that both Oregon and Washington win but anything can happen on rivalry weekend, especially with the added stakes. Let’s get weird! We deserve at least one upset.
Follow The I-80 Football Show on YouTube: @JordanW330
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JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It’s Rivalry Week, can Ohio State and Ryan Day reclaim the Big Ten throne or will Michigan make it three straight without Harbaugh on the sideline?
Every week after the Big Ten slate of games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and maybe a joke. With the Big Ten expanding from 14 teams to 18 teams in 2024 this article will also include the newest members, Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington. Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
Ryan Day, It’s up to you to right this wrong
Ryan Day is either 1-0 or 1-2 against Michigan and Jim Harbaugh depending on who you ask and how much you weigh the sign-stealing scandal. If you believe the sign stealing scandal had a major impact on “The Game” then it’s fair to say that the scandal caused Day to almost become a pariah to his fan base with many Ohio State fans calling for his job. It also cost the Buckeyes a chance at a national championship in 2021 and it cost C.J. Stroud at least one Heisman trophy. If you’re an Ohio State fan this scandal has changed the fortunes of this program in a major way. That could all be hyperbole but tell your average Ohio State fan that, I dare you.
With that in mind, Ryan Day needs this win more than any coach has ever needed a win in the Game. This win not only rights the ship and puts the Buckeyes back on top of the Big Ten but it allows Day to compete for another national championship with Marvin Harrison Jr. on the roster. Day needs to shut the door on Michigan and let the narrative machine hit overdrive. If the Buckeyes win this game, and god forbid they win big, the narrative that Michigan only won because they cheated could feed the hungry. No one knows the full extent of the scandal, most people don’t care. For whatever reason, Harbaugh has had Day’s number the past two seasons and it’s time for Day to right the wrong or risk reaching a place with the fanbase he can never come back from.
Kyle McCord vs. J.J. McCarthy
For the first time in close to two decades, Michigan may have a better quarterback entering ‘The Game’ than Ohio State. To be clear, I do not think J.J. McCarthy is a better quarterback than Kyle McCord but I am probably in the minority of that opinion. Regardless of which side you land on, it is a fair question for the first time in a long time. Both teams enter amazing defenses and good running backs but this game will be won or lost by the quarterback.
McCord is a full step down from C.J. Stroud and Justin Fields but he has enough juice and mettle to win this game. He has faced tough tests and led the Buckeyes on a game-winning drive to save their season versus Notre Dame. He also continues to make boneheaded plays and struggles massively in the first half.
McCarthy is in my opinion an average quarterback at best but he has improved this season. Despite the improvement, he has severely regressed in the last two games. Against Penn State and Maryland, he has gone 19-31 for 201 yards and one interception. That is not good enough to win “The Game.”
McCord and McCarthy have to play the best game of their season to put their team in the best position to win. Both quarterbacks have warts, whoever makes the least mistakes and capitalizes on what the opposing defense gives them will get a chance to leave the field with bragging rights.
How important is a head coach on game day?
This week we may finally get an answer to a question that is almost impossible to answer. How important is a head coach on game day, specifically when the head coach doesn’t call plays? Gamedays in most cases are where coordinators and position coaches make their money. They call plays, handle substitutions, and relay information to their players. Head coaches who do not call plays largely make in-game decisions such as timeouts, challenges, and key decisions like when to punt, kick a field goal, or go for it on fourth down.
Those are important decisions but how much do they affect a game? It’s hard to quantify but we will get a chance to find out when Michigan plays Ohio State without Jim Harbaugh on the sideline. Harbaugh will have to watch the game from home due to being suspended, again, this time because of sign stealing. The head coaching duties fall on offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore who will be the man in charge for the fourth time this season. So far, Moore is 3-0 as a head coach but the last two games have been Michigan’s worst performances of the season.
Is that because Harbaugh isn’t on the sideline? Is that because they finally played an opponent with a pulse? Not sure but Moore has his toughest test yet having to lead his program against Ryan Day and Ohio State.
A Heisman Moment for the Chosen Son
Let’s be clear, there is a very slim chance Marvin Harrison Jr. wins the Heisman. He is clearly the best player in college football but the Heisman has turned into a quarterback award. Anyone who watches the game understands that Harrison is the engine that pushes Ohio State offense but he won’t have the requisite stats to win the award. In 11 games he has 1,093 yards and 13 touchdowns on 62 catches.
A great season, but not Heisman-worthy in most years. Harrison Jr. should absolutely be in New York at the end of the season but to win the Heisman he needs to have a Heisman moment in “The Game.” If he goes for over 150 receiving yards and two or more touchdowns and Ohio State wins he will boost his case especially if one of Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr. has a bad game and loses to their rivals. Ohio State needs a big game from Marv to reclaim the Big Ten throne but a big game could serve to bolster Marv’s Heisman chances as well.
Ohio State Wins! #GoBucks
It’s time for a prediction. I believe that Ohio State is the better team. The best way I can say it is that Michigan reminds me of Ohio State in 2021. They have holes in the roster and bad moments that are being glossed over because of their recent success. Fairly or unfairly Michigan has earned the benefit of the doubt and no one they’ve played has been able to capitalize on their weaknesses.
Just like Michigan was the team that could capitalize on Ohio State’s weaknesses in 2021, the Buckeyes are the team. Michigan’s offensive line is not great, it may still be better than Ohio State but it is not in contention for the Joe Moore Award like it has been in the years it won. Their running game hasn’t been as effective and it seems as though Sherrone Moore does not trust McCarthy to win them a game in the air. Harbaugh might but he is not on the sideline making those decisions.
Michigan has the best defense in the country, ranking No. One in-stop rate for the entire season. Kyle McCord will need to take a step up if the Buckeyes want to win the game but they have the best player in the country on their team in Marvin Harrison Jr. Ohio State has the second-best defense in the country according to to stop rate and they have one of the better run-stopping defenses in the country. Ohio State has stepped back on offense but their defense has taken a massive jump forward. I believe Ohio State has arguably the three best players in the game with Marvin Harrison Jr., JT Tuimoloua, and Sonny Styles. That hasn’t stopped them from losing the past two years though.
Ultimately, this game will be won in the trenches. If Ohio State wins this game it means their offensive line has improved enough to withstand Michigan’s incredible interior defensive line. Michigan wins this game by bullying Ohio State up front and making McCord uncomfortable. Ohio State is better in every area on defense from last year and their offense is starting to click. Ohio State will win this game and win the Big Ten.
Ohio State- 30 Michigan- 20
Can Matt Rhule do what Scott Frost couldn’t?
Nebraska has had a very up-and-down season in Matt Rhule’s first year as head coach. At times they’ve looked like a much-improved team who could contend for the West division title. Then they turn around and look like a team that can’t get the Scott Frost stink out of the program. Despite all of this, Nebraska goes into the last week with a chance to do what Frost could never do and that’s make a bowl game.
The problem, they have to get through Iowa to do it. It would not be the worst thing for Rhule not to make a bowl game in year one, the roster is in a tough place and he’s shown enough progress to prove he’s better than Frost ever was. Despite that, it would be very beneficial to Rhule, his program, and the long-suffering Nebraska fans for them to make a bowl game. Iowa, despite winning the West again, is not as good as they have been the previous few years. Nebraska can pull the upset in this game, it won’t be easy but they have a defense that can stop Iowa’s putrid offense.
They just need to not make mistakes on offense and special teams that led to Iowa points. Nebraska can survive one more season without bowl eligibility but Rhule should go and win this game to end this season on a high note.
Kirk Ferentz did it again…
The Iowa Hawkeyes have once again won the Big Ten West with one of the worst offenses in the country. I’m sure Kirk Ferentz is out here somewhere smiling smugly and bemoaning the audacity of interim Athletic Director Beth Goetz’s decision to fire his son and offensive coordinator. This is a terrible outcome because everyone besides Kirk knows he needs to change but if they keep reaching his goals then he will never change.
The new Big Ten can’t get here fast enough some Ferentz can pay for his unwillingness to adjust to the times. Congrats to the players though, they faced a lot of coaching-led adversity but found a way to win games.
Northwestern Head Coach David Braun
Pat Fitzgerald lost his fastball. No one wants to admit it, and he would still be the coach here without being caught for hazing but he was not a good coach the last four years. David Braun is all the proof you needed, this is the same team everyone predicted to win one or two games under Pat. After taking over the interim title in the summer, Braun has brought life into this team, and going into the last game of the season they have a chance to win seven games.
For reference in Fitzgerald’s last three non-pandemic seasons, he won seven games total going 3-9 twice and 1-11 last season. Braun has rightly been awarded for his efforts with the interim tag being removed. I have no idea how this will work out in the future, the conference is getting much harder for teams like Northwestern but Braun is a good step in the right direction for this once lifeless program.
Lincoln Riley wasted Caleb Williams, will he learn his lesson?
I do not think Caleb Williams is a generational NFL prospect. He is, one of the most talented college quarterbacks we’ve ever seen, and his talent was wasted by Riley who is considered one of the brightest offensive coaches in the sport. USC was good last season, they should have won the PAC 12 and made the playoffs but their defense was horrid, and couldn’t stop giving up 40-plus points in big games.
Despite this, Riley made no changes to his defensive staff and decided to double down for this season. He’ll regret that decision for a lifetime. There is a lot of conversation about USC’s defense and he finally fired Alex Grinch, but his offense was also broken this year relying too much on magical moments from Williams instead of succeeding in structure. USC was a bad team in all three phases of the game.
Williams is the most talented quarterback in a long run of talented quarterbacks for Riley and there is nothing to show for it. This is the most important offseason of Riley’s career, especially considering that they have one of the toughest schedules next year in their first season in the Big Ten.
Riley needs to find a new defensive coordinator, and a new quarterback, and rebuild his offensive and defensive lines. This team will not survive a Big Ten schedule as it’s currently constructed. Riley should also consider giving up playcalling. I have no faith Riley will learn the lessons this season is trying to teach him but I’ll be paying attention.
The Civil War and The Apple Cup, let’s get weird
As you are all aware, Oregon and Washington are entering the Big Ten next season and leaving their in-state rivals in conference purgatory. This is added fuel to the fire of two already heated rivalries and I can’t wait to watch these games. Washington at 11-0 with a win over Oregon already controls their destiny, if they win out they make the playoffs. Oregon may not fully control their destiny but it’ll be hard to imagine the playoff committee leaving out a one-loss Oregon if they are the PAC 12 champs and avenged their only loss to Washington in the conference championship game.
Enter Oregon State and Washington State. Washington and Washington State have signed a five-year contract to continue the Apple Cup but this could be the last iteration of the Civil War for a long time. The “little brothers” of these rivalries have a chance to ruin the seasons of their in-state counterparts while simultaneously getting a lot of anger out of their system for being left for dead. It’s probably fair to assume that both Oregon and Washington win but anything can happen on rivalry weekend, especially with the added stakes. Let’s get weird! We deserve at least one upset.
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LGHL Silver Bullets Podcast: Minnesota rewind and Michigan preview
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Silver Bullets Podcast: Minnesota rewind and Michigan preview
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Now that the preliminaries are out of the way, let’s get to The Game.
Ohio State handled its “trap” game with no real difficulty, dispatching the Minnesota Golden Gophers 37-3 at the Horseshoe on Saturday. The Buckeyes easily marched down the field for the first score and then the offense struggled for much of the rest of the first half. Meanwhile, the defense was stifling and kept the Gophers from getting anything going all game long.
We looked back at Saturday’s win over Minnesota and broke down how the game unfolded. We also looked back at our score predictions and our picks to click to see how our forecasting skills worked out for us against the Golden Gophers.
We took our weekly walk through the other Big Ten scores to see how the rest of the conference made out. There honestly weren’t a ton of surprises around the league on Saturday, although Michigan struggled a bit after jumping on top early. If not for a lot of self-inflicted wounds, Maryland might have stunned the Wolverines. As it turned out, the Terps only lost by a touchdown.
After checking the scoreboard, we dove into the happenings at Michigan, including all that has transpired since our last show. Jim Harbaugh did not have his day in court, a defensive coach deleted his Twitter account, another one was fired, and the University of Michigan doesn’t seem interested in wording its statements in a way that aligns with those coming out of the Big Ten offices. It’s a strange situation that will likely only get weirder as more is uncovered.
Finally, we looked ahead to The Game. It’s what we’ve all been waiting for all season and both teams enter the rivalry matchup without a loss. Both seem vulnerable at times and unbeatable at others. We also made our picks to click and our score predictions.
We’ll be here with you every week from now until the end of the 2023 Ohio State football season (and then monthly). We’d love to hear from you, so please reach out with your feedback and questions below in the comments section or send us an email.
Be sure to subscribe, rate, review, share, and follow the show over on Twitter at @SilvrBulletsPod.
As always, thanks for listening!
Continue reading...
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Now that the preliminaries are out of the way, let’s get to The Game.
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Ohio State handled its “trap” game with no real difficulty, dispatching the Minnesota Golden Gophers 37-3 at the Horseshoe on Saturday. The Buckeyes easily marched down the field for the first score and then the offense struggled for much of the rest of the first half. Meanwhile, the defense was stifling and kept the Gophers from getting anything going all game long.
We looked back at Saturday’s win over Minnesota and broke down how the game unfolded. We also looked back at our score predictions and our picks to click to see how our forecasting skills worked out for us against the Golden Gophers.
We took our weekly walk through the other Big Ten scores to see how the rest of the conference made out. There honestly weren’t a ton of surprises around the league on Saturday, although Michigan struggled a bit after jumping on top early. If not for a lot of self-inflicted wounds, Maryland might have stunned the Wolverines. As it turned out, the Terps only lost by a touchdown.
After checking the scoreboard, we dove into the happenings at Michigan, including all that has transpired since our last show. Jim Harbaugh did not have his day in court, a defensive coach deleted his Twitter account, another one was fired, and the University of Michigan doesn’t seem interested in wording its statements in a way that aligns with those coming out of the Big Ten offices. It’s a strange situation that will likely only get weirder as more is uncovered.
Finally, we looked ahead to The Game. It’s what we’ve all been waiting for all season and both teams enter the rivalry matchup without a loss. Both seem vulnerable at times and unbeatable at others. We also made our picks to click and our score predictions.
We’ll be here with you every week from now until the end of the 2023 Ohio State football season (and then monthly). We’d love to hear from you, so please reach out with your feedback and questions below in the comments section or send us an email.
Be sure to subscribe, rate, review, share, and follow the show over on Twitter at @SilvrBulletsPod.
As always, thanks for listening!
Continue reading...
LGHL A letter to this year’s Buckeyes from an Ohio State senior, pleading for a win
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A letter to this year’s Buckeyes from an Ohio State senior, pleading for a win
Megan.Husslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
I have never seen the Bucks beat TTUN while I’ve been an OSU student
Dear The Ohio State Football Team,
My name is Megan Husslein and I am a senior at Ohio State looking to go into sports broadcasting. I have been a Buckeye fan my entire life, born and raised in Columbus. All I have ever known was Ohio State beating TTUN every single year, but unfortunately, when I got to college, the script was flipped.
My freshman year, in 2020, That Team was way too scared to face Justin Fields & Co., so they canceled the game. Sophomore year was the beginning of the cheating scandal, but we didn’t know it at the time. That was an unfortunate beatdown led by Aidan Hutchinson.
Then, came last year, my junior year. I was so amped up. My first Ohio State/TTUN game! Plus, the fact that I was a student and in the student section made it so much more special. I was so confident in the Bucks. C.J. Stroud, Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka... how could they lose?
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25099860/1245862986.jpg "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 26 Michigan at Ohio State")
Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Well, I was apparently overconfident. That was such a miserable day. I cried multiple times in the fourth quarter and as I was leaving The Shoe. Yeah, yeah, some might say I was being dramatic, but I had been waiting for 20 years to witness The Game in person, so I was definitely disappointed that the Buckeyes didn’t come away with a win.
Now, it is my senior year. I graduate in the spring. This is my final opportunity to witness an Ohio State victory over TTUN while I am still a student. Plus, to make it even better, I have been covering the team all season long for The Lantern, so I’ve been filming every game on the field.
I will get to be on the field in The Big House as well, and I am ecstatic. While I do wish The Game was home this year, especially with the whole cheating scandal, I am excited to go to Ann Arbor. The fact that I could actually be there for a rivalry win is awesome. Then I would race back to Columbus to celebrate with all of my other Buckeyes.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25099865/1777170271.jpg "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 11 Michigan State at Ohio State")
Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
So, I beg and I plead, Buckeyes, PLEASE WIN. TTUN is not America’s Team. Ohio State is. Marvin Harrison Jr. is the best player in the country, and TreVeyon Henderson is going to run with the team on his back. The defense has been playing out of their minds all season long, and this is the game they have been looking to redeem themselves for since last year.
THIS IS YOUR TIME! You have the talent and the heart. You just have to execute. I know you can do it. It’s going to be a hostile environment, but that’s the best kind of environment. I can’t believe that Rivalry Week is officially here. I believe in you and so does the rest of Buckeye Nation. Let’s do this!
Sincerely,
Megan Husslein
Ohio State class of 2024
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Megan.Husslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
I have never seen the Bucks beat TTUN while I’ve been an OSU student
Dear The Ohio State Football Team,
My name is Megan Husslein and I am a senior at Ohio State looking to go into sports broadcasting. I have been a Buckeye fan my entire life, born and raised in Columbus. All I have ever known was Ohio State beating TTUN every single year, but unfortunately, when I got to college, the script was flipped.
My freshman year, in 2020, That Team was way too scared to face Justin Fields & Co., so they canceled the game. Sophomore year was the beginning of the cheating scandal, but we didn’t know it at the time. That was an unfortunate beatdown led by Aidan Hutchinson.
Then, came last year, my junior year. I was so amped up. My first Ohio State/TTUN game! Plus, the fact that I was a student and in the student section made it so much more special. I was so confident in the Bucks. C.J. Stroud, Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka... how could they lose?
Well, I was apparently overconfident. That was such a miserable day. I cried multiple times in the fourth quarter and as I was leaving The Shoe. Yeah, yeah, some might say I was being dramatic, but I had been waiting for 20 years to witness The Game in person, so I was definitely disappointed that the Buckeyes didn’t come away with a win.
Now, it is my senior year. I graduate in the spring. This is my final opportunity to witness an Ohio State victory over TTUN while I am still a student. Plus, to make it even better, I have been covering the team all season long for The Lantern, so I’ve been filming every game on the field.
I will get to be on the field in The Big House as well, and I am ecstatic. While I do wish The Game was home this year, especially with the whole cheating scandal, I am excited to go to Ann Arbor. The fact that I could actually be there for a rivalry win is awesome. Then I would race back to Columbus to celebrate with all of my other Buckeyes.
So, I beg and I plead, Buckeyes, PLEASE WIN. TTUN is not America’s Team. Ohio State is. Marvin Harrison Jr. is the best player in the country, and TreVeyon Henderson is going to run with the team on his back. The defense has been playing out of their minds all season long, and this is the game they have been looking to redeem themselves for since last year.
THIS IS YOUR TIME! You have the talent and the heart. You just have to execute. I know you can do it. It’s going to be a hostile environment, but that’s the best kind of environment. I can’t believe that Rivalry Week is officially here. I believe in you and so does the rest of Buckeye Nation. Let’s do this!
Sincerely,
Megan Husslein
Ohio State class of 2024
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2025 TX WR Kaliq Lockett (Texas Signee)
- By brodybuck21
- Football Recruiting
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247
Rivals
HUDL
ON3
Class: 2025 (high school)
Position: Wide Receiver
School: Sachse (TX) Sachse
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 175 lbs
Made a huge jump in the new 247sports ranking after he put up 1300 receiving yards and 13 TDs this season, he’s now ranked as the #12 player in the nation and #3 WR. He told Wiltfong he believes Ohio State will be offering soon.
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Rivals
HUDL
ON3
Class: 2025 (high school)
Position: Wide Receiver
School: Sachse (TX) Sachse
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 175 lbs
Made a huge jump in the new 247sports ranking after he put up 1300 receiving yards and 13 TDs this season, he’s now ranked as the #12 player in the nation and #3 WR. He told Wiltfong he believes Ohio State will be offering soon.
Login to view embedded media
LGHL In physical Ohio State win, Celeste Taylor has her team’s back
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In physical Ohio State win, Celeste Taylor has her team’s back
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ohio State University athletic department
With the game going the Buckeyes’ way, the transfer guard stepped in when a moment got out of hand.
Monday afternoon, Ohio State women’s basketball played in paradise. At the Baha Mar resort in Nassau, Bahamas, the Buckeyes dispatched the East Carolina Pirates, but it wasn’t always an easy feat. It was a game that didn’t match up with the relaxing, tropical, locale. Instead, when the game got away from the Pirates, tensions grew high.
In the third quarter, that hit a pinnacle when forward Taylor Thierry went up for a close range shot, interrupted by Pirates guard Jade Tillman. The play happened right in front of the Buckeyes bench and head coach Kevin McGuff.
“TT (Thierry) got hit in the head on the shot pretty hard,” said McGuff. “And then there were some words exchanged.”
Before there were words, there was a moment when transfer guard Celeste Taylor wasn’t having any of the situation. On the way to help Thierry, and Tillman walking away from the foul without looking back, Taylor didn’t walk around but through the ECU Pirate.
It was a moment that showed what many people don’t see watching games alone: The leadership of guard Celeste Taylor.
In practice, Taylor’s walking through plays with fellow guard Jacy Sheldon and letting her teammates know what needs to change. Before the season, Taylor was offering a shoulder to cry on and getting new players acclimated to drills and the Buckeyes’ system, although the graduate senior Taylor is new to the team herself.
“That shows just our team culture and how we have each other’s backs,” said Thierry. “We can rely on each other through thick and thin.”
Also included in the fold was guard Rikki Harris, not shown on the game stream because of an in-game replay. For their troubles, both Harris and Taylor received technical fouls, on top of an additional technical for Pirates forward Amiya Joyner and both an intentional foul and technical foul ejection for Tillman.
It’s easy for moments like that to dishevel a team, but it didn’t for a Buckeyes side full of experienced players.
“They’re a very physical team and Coach McGuff was talking about it a lot,” said Thierry. “And so we just tried to prepare for this game during practice. He kept emphasizing how physical they are. They go for rebounds, steals. So we were prepared.”
The preparation was evident. Immediately following the two technical free throws made by Sheldon, Harris hit her third three-point shot of the game, going perfect on three attempts from deep.
For Taylor, who hasn’t hit a stride offensively yet for the Buckeyes, the guard led the team in steals. In addition, Taylor held East Carolina standout guard Danae McNeal to 11 points, under her 19-point average entering Monday.
What the moment, and lack of reaction in the run of play afterwards, was what the team’s said behind the scenes all along: The team chemistry is on a different level. Also, interactions like these only make the team stronger.
“I was very happy to see my teammates have my back,” said Thierry. “And I know that my teammates can be confident that I’ll have their back as well.”
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
Ohio State University athletic department
With the game going the Buckeyes’ way, the transfer guard stepped in when a moment got out of hand.
Monday afternoon, Ohio State women’s basketball played in paradise. At the Baha Mar resort in Nassau, Bahamas, the Buckeyes dispatched the East Carolina Pirates, but it wasn’t always an easy feat. It was a game that didn’t match up with the relaxing, tropical, locale. Instead, when the game got away from the Pirates, tensions grew high.
In the third quarter, that hit a pinnacle when forward Taylor Thierry went up for a close range shot, interrupted by Pirates guard Jade Tillman. The play happened right in front of the Buckeyes bench and head coach Kevin McGuff.
“TT (Thierry) got hit in the head on the shot pretty hard,” said McGuff. “And then there were some words exchanged.”
Before there were words, there was a moment when transfer guard Celeste Taylor wasn’t having any of the situation. On the way to help Thierry, and Tillman walking away from the foul without looking back, Taylor didn’t walk around but through the ECU Pirate.
It was a moment that showed what many people don’t see watching games alone: The leadership of guard Celeste Taylor.
In practice, Taylor’s walking through plays with fellow guard Jacy Sheldon and letting her teammates know what needs to change. Before the season, Taylor was offering a shoulder to cry on and getting new players acclimated to drills and the Buckeyes’ system, although the graduate senior Taylor is new to the team herself.
“That shows just our team culture and how we have each other’s backs,” said Thierry. “We can rely on each other through thick and thin.”
Also included in the fold was guard Rikki Harris, not shown on the game stream because of an in-game replay. For their troubles, both Harris and Taylor received technical fouls, on top of an additional technical for Pirates forward Amiya Joyner and both an intentional foul and technical foul ejection for Tillman.
It’s easy for moments like that to dishevel a team, but it didn’t for a Buckeyes side full of experienced players.
“They’re a very physical team and Coach McGuff was talking about it a lot,” said Thierry. “And so we just tried to prepare for this game during practice. He kept emphasizing how physical they are. They go for rebounds, steals. So we were prepared.”
The preparation was evident. Immediately following the two technical free throws made by Sheldon, Harris hit her third three-point shot of the game, going perfect on three attempts from deep.
For Taylor, who hasn’t hit a stride offensively yet for the Buckeyes, the guard led the team in steals. In addition, Taylor held East Carolina standout guard Danae McNeal to 11 points, under her 19-point average entering Monday.
What the moment, and lack of reaction in the run of play afterwards, was what the team’s said behind the scenes all along: The team chemistry is on a different level. Also, interactions like these only make the team stronger.
“I was very happy to see my teammates have my back,” said Thierry. “And I know that my teammates can be confident that I’ll have their back as well.”
Continue reading...
