Game Notes: No. 3 Ohio State women’s basketball downs No. 14 Michigan in hard-fought victory
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ben Cole - Land-Grant Holy Land

The Buckeyes were the tougher side against a formidable Wolverines side.

The Ohio State women’s basketball team ended the 2022 calendar like the 2022/23 season began — beating a ranked team. This time around it was the No. 14 Michigan Wolverines, a team themselves who’ve amassed an impressive season in the first two months of the campaign. Even so, the Scarlet & Gray picked up their fourth win against a ranked team in a 66-57 defeat of their rivals.

Here’s what set Ohio State apart.

The Tougher Team


After the game, head coach Kevin McGuff was clear with his team.

“I thought we showed a lot of toughness with our press, continuing to press and I think it kinda wore on them a little bit,” said McGuff.

At the start of the fourth quarter though, with Ohio State’s 16-point third-quarter lead shrunk down to only nine points, it looked like Michigan was on its way to a road win. The Wolverines went on a seven-point run and sat only two points down.

With Ohio State’s lead cut to one possession, enter guard Hevynne Bristow. Receiving more minutes due to two injuries at point guard, Bristow received a pass near the top of the key, and Euro-stepped her away through the lane, hitting the layup.

Then, on the Michigan inbound, who was it creating a turnover for Ohio State? Bristow, of course. The New York City native won the possession, with help from teammates to create the bad Michigan pass, and found guard Taylor Mikesell near the basket for an eventual foul and two made free throws.

Within 20 seconds, Bristow helped turn a two-point lead into six points and Ohio State took it from there. The Buckeyes went on an eight-point run, capped off with forward Rebeka Mikulášiková’s only points of the night — a three to put the home team back up double-digits.

Bristow had eight points, four rebounds, and three steals on the day. They came at pivotal moments in the Buckeyes' win and earned her a second dub chain of the season.

Turnovers


For anyone who’s new to the Buckeyes women’s basketball team, the Wolverines out-rebounding the Buckeyes 45-33 is alarming. For anyone who’s watched this team over the past two seasons, it’s another example of sacrificing rebounds for wins.

The way Ohio State does it is through its pressing defense. For the 14th time in 15 games, the Scarlet and Gray grabbed over 20 rebounds. Saturday it was 27, causing fits for the Michigan Wolverines. Only two of the Buckeyes’ eight players who saw minutes didn’t grab a steal, with three grabbing three steals apiece.

Ohio State made a well-disciplined Michigan side turn the ball over five times in the fourth quarter. While they didn’t always turn into points for the Buckeyes, it was part of another goal of the Scarlet and Gray’s press.

“I didn’t know how many times we’d turn them over but I knew that could be a big part of our strategy,” said McGuff. “Even if it wasn’t turning them over, kind of wear on them with our pressure and our full court style.”

It had its intended effect. Wolverines guard Leigha Brown, a leader on offense and defense, committed eight turnovers and scored eight points on the day after averaging 15.3 entering Saturday. The only other game this season where Brown scored less than 10 points in a start was Michigan’s other loss, in a 71-68 defeat to the Toledo Rockets of the MAC.

Season Low in Scoring


Before Saturday, Ohio State averaged 88.8 points per game. Seeing the 66-point game is a shock initially, but it points back to how gritty of a game it was at the Covelli Center.

It was Big Ten basketball featuring two of the best in the conference. Michigan also entered the game-holding teams to the lowest points per game in the Big Ten with 57.2. After the game, guards Rikki Harris and Hevynne Bristow were asked if Michigan has the best defense they’ve faced this season.

“No, I feel like we’ve played good defenses against all teams at different points in different games, so not really,” said Harris. “Their defense wasn’t bad, it was good.”

Clearly not overly impressed by the Maize and Blue, but Harris has a point. Look at the first quarter for the Buckeyes, where they scored a game low nine points compared to the other three quarters.

It wasn’t necessarily because of a stout Michigan half-court defense. A lot of the errors were self-inflicted. The Buckeyes began the game missing their first five shots — and some of those from open looks.

“They’ll force you into some tough shots early and we were doing that too much,” said McGuff. “So, I think once we got past the first quarter, our ball movement and execution got way better and we generated a lot better shots.”

Once Ohio State moved the ball more before taking their chances, the scoring improved greatly. The Buckeyes scored 57 points after the first quarter, showing that the Wolverines' defense could be broken down.

“I don’t think it was the toughest defense either,” said Bristow. “I just think they executed well but we executed better. Good defense, better offense.”

Next Buckeye Up


With the obvious weakness of being down two starting point guards, it still hasn’t turned into a Buckeyes loss. After Harris stepped into the point guard position with less than 24 hours till a game against a ranked Oregon Ducks side, Ohio State’s continued their unbeaten run to match their program record.

In that run was of course Saturday’s rivalry win. Bristow’s night was great, and Harris followed suit. The Indiana-raised guard scored 14 points, and added three rebounds and three assists. It was Harris’ best scoring night of the season, and Ohio State needed it.

Harris came out of halftime and got the Buckeyes going early, hitting a layup and subsequent shot from the foul line. In the fourth, Harris led the Buckeyes with five points — all from the free throw line — as she continued to attack the paint.

Then, going in for another layup, Harris drew multiple defenders so she had the awareness to dish back to forward Rebeka Mikulášiková for an open three. It was the shot that took. the air out of the Wolverines' comeback.


The guard wasn't alone either. Substitute guard Emma Shumate played more minutes in big moments and created a highlight reel three at the halftime buzzer.


What made the shot even more impressive is that it came after Shumate had a difficult time scoring, missing three layups in a row under the rim. It showed that the Newark, Ohio guard wasn’t phased by the early difficulties and instead showed why Coach McGuff got her to transfer to Ohio State.

Fellow substitute Bristow isn’t surprised by any of these performances.

“It just shows to prove what a good team we are because we’re down two starters and everybody next up is ready still,” said Bristow. “So, one through 15, we’ll be ready.”

Rivalry Heightened


After the game, Harris was coy in saying that it was “just a win”. It looked and felt like anything but “just a win” on the court.

Throughout the game, the emotional reactions to bigger baskets were more than in a usual Buckeyes victory. Forward Cotie McMahon and Mikesell each showed on their faces that it was a game that was more important than others.

In the fourth quarter, after fouling out herself, McMahon jumped to her feet and waved goodbye to Michigan’s Brown after she joined McMahon on the stat sheet in earning five fouls.

Also, Wolverine players were dishing their fair share of trash talk from the bench throughout the 40 minutes. It all adds to a rivalry that, until recent history, Ohio State’s dominated.

With Ohio State’s win, they move to 58-16 against the Maize & Blue. The win also ended a three-game winning streak for Michigan, tied for their longest win streak in the series that dates back to 1978.

The back-and-forth results are good for the rivalry, and the conference overall.

“It’s a great rivalry because we’ve both got great programs, that’s probably the way it should be,” said McGuff. “I think it makes it a lot more exciting when both programs are good and right now both programs are operating at a high level and I think it will continue to be a very tense rivalry.”

There’s not a long wait for the two programs to create another chapter in the rivalry. Ohio State travels to Ann Arbor, Michigan on Feb. 20. After Saturday’s win, Michigan has a good chunk of new motivation to add to their locker room board.

Continue reading...

Buckeye Stock Market Report: So close, yet it wasn’t meant to be
David M Wheeler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Buckeyes and Bulldogs battle in a playoff game to remember – and to relive over and over

After each Ohio State game during the 2022 football season, LGHL will offer its market analysis of the Buckeyes’ performance. Using a standard bond rating system, we’ll evaluate the offense, the defense, and the special teams, according to this formula:

AA: Very Strong
A: Strong
BBB: Adequate
BB: Facing Major Uncertainty

Then, we’ll take a look at any individual players whose performance stood out (in one way or another!) and assign them a stock rating: Blue Chip, Solid Performance, Penny Stock (akin to a junk bond, dangerously high risk).

Quick Overview


Ohio State entered the playoffs with the sting, the embarrassment of the Michigan loss still fresh enough to raise questions about whether they belonged, whether they’d even be able to play with Georgia. Well, the questions were answered last night. The Buckeyes did belong, and they certainly could play with the Bulldogs. They didn’t get blown out, as they did in the second half against Michigan. They didn’t get beaten physically on the lines of scrimmage. But, as they did against the Wolverines in the second half, they did give up big, explosive plays that finally spelled their doom.

The Buckeyes put up a touchdown on their second position, and, except for a short spell at the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second, when the score was tied 7-7, they led the whole game. Until they didn’t at the very end.

Ryan Day’s team was considerably more aggressive. There was no attempt “to establish the running game.” Nobody had run on Georgia all year. No, the Bucks’ strength was the passing arm of C.J. Stroud, and they would take their chances with that. It worked. At intermission, with OSU ahead 28-24, Stroud had thrown for 238 yards and three touchdowns.

The Buckeyes owned the third quarter, scoring 10 more points and shutting out the Dogs. Especially notable was that the Buckeyes had shut down Georgia’s vaunted running attack. But in the fourth quarter, we saw why Stetson Bennett was a Heisman finalist, why he doesn’t lose many games. Time and again, his receivers burned the Buckeye secondary, and he hit them in stride with deadly accuracy.

All season Stroud had to make do without key players at times: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, TreVeyon Henderson, Miyan Williams, and even Evan Prior. Last night two more weapons from his offensive arsenal were removed, as Cade Stover went down and Marvin Harrison, Jr. followed him at the beginning of the fourth quarter. It was all Stroud. As the Bulldogs disrupted the Buckeye passing game with a vicious blitzing rush, Stroud started to scramble, determined to win the game by himself, if he had to. And until the final three seconds, I thought that he would.

We’ll remember this game for a long time. So close. With a game like this one, there are individual plays that stand out – difference makers. There were the key injuries, of course. And then the two reversed calls that went against the Buckeyes. The targeting that put Harrison, Jr. on the sidelines. The fourth down attempt that upon review gave the Dawgs a first and goal. The illegal motion call against Mitch Rossi that negated a converted Buckeye fourth down and forced a punt. The shrewd time-out called by Kirby Smart that canceled a successful OSU fake punt. The successful two-point conversion. And — yes — the missed 50-yard field goal attempt at the very end. Had any one of these plays gone differently, the outcome probably would have been reversed.

Offense


Overall rating: A Strong

For the past several years the Georgia Bulldogs have been defensive giants. Opponents can’t run against them, can’t score. This year, however, they were somewhat vulnerable to the pass. Ryan Day and Stroud exploited this “weakness” for 348 yards and four passing TDs. The Dawgs couldn’t cover Harrison, Emeka Egbuka, or Julian Fleming one-on-one. They were continually open, as the offensive line provided good protection, and Stroud burned them.

Once Stroud began to run, even the running game opened up a bit, as the Bucks accumulated 119 net rushing yards (there were four sacks). In the fourth quarter, though, Smart changed strategies, and rather than guard against the big play, he started blitzing. The Buckeye line broke down, and Stroud was on the run. Ohio State managed only three points in the final frame, and Georgia got 18.

467 total yards, 41 points, and control of most of the game was a valiant offensive effort against the likes of the Georgia Bulldogs. But not quite good enough. The opportunities were there, and that’s what makes this loss such a bitter one.

Defense


Overall rating: BBB Adequate (i.e., good enough to win)

You might say that the defense wasn’t good enough to win. But it was. Those few, decisive plays made all of the difference. Georgia finished with only 134 rushing yards and converted only two of 10 third down attempts. Good enough to win.

But once again, the Buckeyes’ weakness all season – the defensive secondary – gave up the big plays. Cam Brown generally played pretty well. But not always. Denzel Burke had good moments. And bad. The three safeties – Ronnie Hickman, Tanner McCalister, and Lathan Ransom – had trouble keeping the speedy Bulldog receivers in check. In fact, they couldn’t do it. And the Buckeye pass rush could hurry Bennett but could rarely bring him down. He rose to the occasion in the fourth quarter and played like a champion.

Special Teams


Overall rating: BBB Adequate

The only blemish on special teams for the Buckeyes was the missed field goal that effectively ended the game. I must say, though, that was a big blemish. Noah Ruggles has played well for two seasons with the Buckeyes, and the blame can’t fall on only his shoulders. There were lots of plays, lots of chances. It didn’t have to come down to that long kick.

Individual Performances

Blue Chip


C.J. Stroud. Playing in what was, no doubt, his final game in scarlet and gray, Stroud was magnificent. He played smart. His passing was sharp. His determination to win took my breath away. Stroud finished with 23 completions in 34 passing attempts (exactly the same numbers as Bennett). That’s a fine 68% against a very rugged defense. He’ll go down as one of the great ones.

Emeka Egbuka. Harrison gets star billing for the Buckeyes, but Egbuka outplayed him in this game. He caught eight passes for 112 yards and a touchdown, and he was especially important after Harrison went down.

Steele Chambers. Chambers not only had the second-quarter interception that led to a quick Buckeye TD and a 14-point lead, but he finished with eight total tackles and was largely responsible for stymying the Bulldog runs in the second half.

Solid Performance


Marvin Harrison, Jr. Harrison, Jr. had a remarkable first half. His performance – five catches for 106 yards and two TDs – put Ohio State in command of the game. But Harrison also had a couple of rare drops, one on a slant over the middle, the other on a sideline pass. Again – little things, key plays.

Julian Fleming. Fleming had to step up, and he did. He got open, and he got yards after the catch. He gained 71 yards on his five receptions.

Zach Harrison. Harrison, probably also playing in his final collegiate game, was a strong presence in both the pass rush and the rush defense.

Penny Stock


One could probably put a couple of defensive backs in this category, but, finally, what’s the point? They played hard, and the secondary problem is perhaps more of a coaching and scheme issue than it is execution. I’m not sure.


I had said to myself before the game, “If the Bucks can somehow beat Georgia, they’ll win the national championship, and all of the problems will be forgotten.” Finally, they couldn’t quite do it. The defensive issues of giving up the big play and defending the pass, in general, will be top priorities for the off-season. And, of course, there will be a new quarterback. I guess that it’s already time to look ahead to next season.

In consolation: at least Michigan lost.

Continue reading...

nice to see scum lose.

Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Northwestern: Game preview and prediction
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports

What better way to kick off the new year than with Big Ten hoops?

New year, new Buckeyes. The Ohio State Buckeyes men’s basketball team is jumping into 2023 with their second Big Ten matchup of the season against Northwestern this evening.

The Buckeyes have their first true road game of the season tonight since they fell to Duke in Durham to close out November. The squad has a quick turnaround since facing Alabama A&M to wrap up the 2022 slate Thursday.

Ohio State emerged with a 90-59 win over its final non-conference foe of the season to improve to 9-3 on the season, but the game was not always that one-sided. The Buckeyes went into halftime up just 36-33 over the Bulldogs. In fact, Ohio State didn’t lead by more than seven during the opening half.

Fortunately, freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh, who’s won two-straight Big Ten freshman of the week honors, was an anchor for the Buckeyes with a team-high 21 points on the day. It was Sensabaugh’s third-straight game leading Ohio State in scoring. Senior forward Justice Sueing added 18 points while freshman guard Bruce Thorton had a dozen.

A true team effort, 12 players scored for Ohio State as fresh faces returned to the lineup, including junior guard Gene Brown and senior guard Isaac Likekele. Brown had missed the first part of the season with a concussion while Likekele was out due to personal reasons. It was the first time all thirteen scholarship players on the roster were available this season.

The Buckeyes finished the game shooting 52.5% from the field. After making just 2-of-12 three-point attempts in the first half, Ohio State surged in the second half, righting the ship from range and making 7-of-13. The Buckeyes outrebounded Alabama A&M 42-30 and had 10 turnovers to the Bulldogs’ 17. Unfortunately, Ohio State continued to struggle from the free throw line, connecting on just 17-of-29 attempts.

The performance against the Bulldogs was the tuneup the Buckeyes needed before heading into the meat of conference play — and on the road, no less. Now, Ohio State looks to take those learnings to Welsh-Ryan Arena this evening to face a surging Northwestern squad.

Preview


The Buckeyes’ opponent for this afternoon might not spark fear in your hearts by reputation (the Wildcats famously made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 2017 and haven’t won a Big Ten title since 1933), but Northwestern is riding a five-game win streak and is one of the top defensive squads in the country. And according to KenPom, the Wildcats are ranked as the No. 45 team in the nation.

This season, the Wildcats are off to a hot start, especially by Northwestern basketball standards. The smallest Big Ten school already has big wins on its resume with 10 wins on the schedule so far. Notably, the Wildcats had a 15-16-overall record last season, so those 10 wins are really impressive. It’s their best start since the 2016-17 season that saw their NCAA Tournament berth.

The Wildcats, like Ohio State, are 1-0 in conference play so far this season with a W over Michigan State on the road (the Spartans were also ranked No. 20 at the time).

The claim to fame for this Wildcat squad has been its strong defensive play to open the season. Northwestern has the No. 7 scoring defense in Division I, allowing less than 56 points per game. The Wildcats are also second in the Big Ten in steals per game with 8.6 and turnover margin (+4.2). Coincidentally, all those stats put them directly behind Rutgers, who is Ohio State’s sole conference win thus far this season. One area Northwestern leads the conference in is field goal defense, with the Wildcats holding opponents under 35% shooting.

Most recently, Northwestern pulled out a 63-58 win over Brown. The Wildcats shot just 34.5% from the field (and an abysmal 19% from three-point range), but who needs offense when you have great defense? Northwestern outrebounded the Bears 38-31 and recorded nine steals on the afternoon. The Wildcats also shot 90.5% from the free-throw line.

Leading the way in scoring for Northwestern was senior guard Chase Audige, who had an impressive 24 points against the Bears. Fellow senior guard Boo Buie added 15 while junior guard Ty Berry had 12. The starting lineup anchored the Wildcats, who had just four points off the bench and just eight players seeing time on the court.

Audige leads the Wildcats in scoring this season, putting up 14.5 points per game. He’s also second in the Big Ten in steals per game with 2.6. Buie and senior forward Robbie Beran are the other players averaging in double figures for Northwestern. Once again, though, offense doesn’t seem to be a big priority for the Wildcats, who are averaging a Big Ten-worst 39% from the field and are 13th in the conference in scoring offense.

Northwestern brings one of the most experienced squads in the game. All five starters are upperclassmen and, with the exception of Audige who spent his first collegiate season at William and Mary, all have spent their collegiate careers in Evanston. All have at least three seasons playing for the Wildcats.

The Wildcats are led by head coach Chris Collins, who is in his 10th season in Evanston. He’s amassed a 143-152 overall record, including 57-113 in conference play. Before coming to Northwestern, Collins spent 13 seasons as an assistant at Duke, his alma mater, under Coach K’s tutelage. Having played high school ball in Northbrook, another north shore Chicago suburb, Collins was also Illinois Mr. Basketball in 1992.

Prediction


If we were to look at Ohio State’s schedule so far this season for a comparable matchup, Northwestern plays strong defense with a more limited offense, similar to Rutgers. Ohio State pulled out a win against the Scarlet Knights at home earlier this season, but it wasn’t easy.

Ohio State has emerged with the second-best scoring offense in the Big Ten, averaging 82 points per game. It doesn’t hurt that the Buckeyes returned to full strength before facing Alabama A&M and had that game to gel before getting back into conference play.

The added personnel seemed to help fix some of the kinks we’d seen from the Buckeyes, who’d been struggling with turnovers. Ohio State had been averaging a dozen turnovers on the season (and many more in recent games, including 16 in the loss to North Carolina), but 10 turnovers versus the Bulldogs felt a lot cleaner.

Still, the Buckeyes’ free throw shooting was just 59% Thursday. Considering Northwestern plays such tight games (and that the Wildcats simply don’t seem to miss their free throws), that could be a problem if things come down to the wire this evening.

There’s also the bit that this game will be on the road in Big Ten play, which has tended to be a massive advantage for the home team in recent seasons. Then again, Welsh-Ryan Arena is the smallest of the conference’s basketball venues and Northwestern’s average attendance for home games has been around 3,300 fans (Ohio State’s home attendance has been closer to 11,000). And we all know how Ohio State fans turn out for Northwestern vs. Ohio State football games.

Northwestern has had a better-than-expected start to the season and surprised many with a conference win over Michigan State. They’re certainly not the same Wildcats who Ohio State beat in Columbus last season. While there’s a lot of basketball left to be played (and the leaderboard will almost assuredly shift as teams enter the grind of Big Ten play), Northwestern is looking more and more like a Tournament team.

Still, Ohio State has been able to match up against similar teams, even when not at full strength. We have to believe that the Buckeyes will be a better team in conference play with the complete roster at their disposal.

Things start to get real serious for Ohio State this week. We haven’t even addressed that, hot on the heels of Northwestern, the Buckeyes return home to face No. 1 Purdue Thursday. There’s certainly no time to waste in the New Year.


ESPN BPI: Ohio State 56.2%
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: BTN

LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 66, Northwestern 59

Continue reading...

Irrational Overreactions(?): Day should call plays like that all the time; secondary let down the rest of the team
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Also, C.J. Stroud is one of the best QBs in Ohio State history.

Ohio State fans live in the extremes, whether good or bad. As they say, we have no chill. So, I am going to give voice to those passionate opinions by running through my completely level-headed, not-at-all over-the-top, 100% unbiased takeaways from Saturday’s 42-41 defeat to the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

C.J. Stroud is one of the three best quarterbacks in Ohio State history


Throughout his time as Ohio State’s starting quarterback, C.J. Stroud has bizarrely, and unfairly, never been accepted by a certain vocal portion of the Ohio State fanbase. I’ve never been able to identify exactly why that is (although I have my suspicions), but in what will prove to be his final as a Buckeye, he showed that he absolutely belongs in the conversation for best QB in program history.

I have said since 2019 that, ultimately, that title belongs to Justin Fields, and I stand by that, but after I allow the fog of this game clear, I think there is a pretty likely chance that he slots in directly behind his predecessor. I think that OSU’s last Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith deserves to be in the discussion as well, but in the decade and a half since he played, the game and position have changed so much, that I’m not sure how to evaluate that.

J.T. Barrett might arguably have the best career of any Buckeye quarterback, but his skillset doesn’t warrant his inclusion. Terrelle Pryor might be the most physically gifted QB to ever wear the scarlet and gray, but his time beyond center (and how his career in Columbus ended) doesn’t stack up.

Obviously, I’m not counting any quarterbacks from before the invention of the forward pass, and maybe Art Schlichter or someone else I’m forgetting deserves to be in the running; but right now, it’s Justin Fields at No. 1 with C.J. Stroud — or maybe Troy Smith — at No. 2.

If Ryan Day calls plays like that all the time, the Buckeyes will never not be the best offense in the country.


I’ve been on (leading?) the Ryan-Day-Should-Give-Up-Play-Calling train for over a year now for a variety of reasons. Many of them are logistical, having to do with the other responsibilities of a head coach, not being able to fully see what the defense is doing from the sideline, and more.

But the other part of it has been that I think Ryan gets in his own way far too often to be entrusted with that specific responsibility. Whether it’s trying to prove a point about toughness, trying to play nine-dimensional chess when checkers would do, or being too stubborn, it just feels like far too often, he lets something other than the guys on the field determine if the offense plays to its potential on any given day.

Then there are games like this. Was it a perfectly called game? No, of course not; but playing the best defense in the country will do that to you. Was it miles better than what we saw most of the season, especially against Michigan? Damn straight.

So, if Day is going to keep the play-calling responsibilities (which I have resigned myself to accepting until he actually pulls the trigger) then he has to figure out how to replicate this creativity, this precision, this fun every game. No more coasting on talent, Ryan, that shit won’t fly anymore. It is not acceptable to only have games like this every few years in the playoff because you are smarting from being embarrassed.

This type of playcalling performance must be the standard, because if it is, Ohio State will never not be the best offense in the country... I mean, they already are — at least statistically — but we all know they can be so much better. Call plays like this and you will have the best players in the country wanting to be a Buckeye (even more than they already do). Call plays like this with that type of roster and you will be an absolute offensive Deathstar.

Or, you can settle for being an underachieving unit that gets by on talent because the head coach can’t be bothered to get in his bag for 95% of the games. Eventually, if you miss on a few recruits or some players don’t live up to expectations, the talent won’t be there to coast on, and it could be a precipitous fall from there.

The secondary is a major problem and I’m not sure that the current coaches are able to fix it


Let’s be 100% clear here, the Ohio State defense lost this game. Day, Stroud, and company did just about everything that you could hope that they would against the best defense in the country, but far too often, the defense got absolutely toasted. Whether it was a safety not getting deep enough or a corner not getting his hands up, despite being in position, a DB falling down, or a linebacker missing a tackle in the backfield, something stupid always seemed to happen when OSU needed a stop the most... and more often than not, that stupidity was emanating from the secondary.

I know that there are a lot of people in Buckeye Nation (and some that write for LGHL) that want to get rid of both Perry Eliano and Tim Walton (and maybe even Jim Knowles), but I’m not sure making massive coaching changes for a second year in a row helps all that much, but this has been a recurring theme for this team for quite a while — save for 2019 when Jeff Hafley was in charge,

I’ll have to go back and watch the game again (or maybe I just won’t), but I feel like the defensive line mostly played tremendous football, and I think the linebackers were mostly solid, but the safeties and corners? Woof.

Part of that is poor coaching. Part of that is poor execution (which can at least partially be attributed to poor coaching). Part of that is regular recruiting failures by pretty much every defensive coaching staff under Day.

Sure, Sonny Styles was the No. 12 player in 2022 and JK Johnson was No. 50 in 2021, but beyond those two, do you know how many DBs that have signed with Ohio State have been in the top 100? Two: Jordan Hancock was No. 73 in 2021 and Calvin Simpson-Hunt was the No. 79 player when he signed two weeks ago.

For a program that not that long ago bragged about its secondary being the “Best In America” (RIP #BIA), how is that possible? Two top-50 guys and four top-100 DBs in five classes (yes I know the 2023 cycle isn’t technically over yet); that is flat-out embarrassing.

Obviously, I don’t put all of the recruiting failures on this coaching staff, but they certainly haven’t done anything to turn the tide. But what they have done is seemingly not much to prepare the current players that they inherited to play at the requisite level to keep up with either the defensive front or the entire offense.

I would say that Lathan Ransom has had a pretty solid season but beyond that... I’m struggling to come up with anyone else in the secondary that has been consistently reliable. Whether it is cornerbacks using their athleticism to keep pace with receivers only to have their technique fail them at the point of the catch or safeties routinely overcommitting and getting burned deep, that’s as much on the coaching as it is on the players and despite their impressive resumes, I haven’t seen much that has given me confidence in Eliano or Walton (especially Walton) being able to fix that moving forward.

If they can’t figure something out, I’m afraid we are going to be subjected to seeing elite offenses and sturdy defensive fronts routinely let down by ill-prepared secondaries time and time again, and I don’t know if I can handle that.

Quick hitters


1) The targeting rule sucks. If the rule is designed to protect defenseless players and yet it doesn’t protect defenseless players, fix the rule.

2) I think not having Jaxon Smith-Njigba or TreVeyeon Henderson available for the entire game, and Miyan Williams, Cade Stover, and Marvin Harrison Jr. available for large portions of the game is a bad thing for an offense.

3) It was pretty clear that something was wrong with Stover on his last play, it looked to me like he might have landed oddly on his back, but having to go to the hospital during a game is always scary and I’m sending him all the best.

4) Similarly, I really hope Marv is ok long-term. He appeared to be doing fairly well (all things considered) on the sideline, but anytime you are (presumably) dealing with a concussion, you get nervous.

Continue reading...

Instant Recap Podcast: Pain and suffering, Ohio State loses a heartbreaker to Georgia to end the season
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Ohio State Buckeyes left it all on the field, mistakes get to them late in loss to Georgia.

Ohio State loses in a heartbreaking fashion to the Georgia Bulldogs 42-41 in a Peach Bowl Showdown for the ages.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio


To get the show started, we get into their initial reactions to the game and why this loss will sting for quite a long time. After that conversation we get into C.J. Stroud’s performance and how this was one of the greatest games from an Ohio State quarterback. We also discuss the narratives around the Buckeye signal-caller and why those might be unfair to continue down the road – including a suspect defense.

Ohio State’s secondary was atrocious once again in key moments, and let the Buckeyes down multiple times in the second half. We discuss these problems and why the Buckeyes will need to take a long look in the mirror heading into the new year. This conversation also includes some discussion about position groups who also struggled;

After that, our conversation moves to the job Ryan Day did as a play-caller and how he called his best game in over two years. This conversation starts with a discussion about strategy and turns to talk about the impact injuries had on this offense,

To conclude the show, we give our final thoughts on the season, our final takeaways from the matchup with Georgia, and discuss the expectations for next year as Ohio State begins their offseason


Connect with Chris Renne:
Twitter: @ChrisRenneCFB

Connect with Justin Golba
Twitter: @Justin_Golba

Continue reading...

Thump said:

https://michigan.rivals.com/news/what-jim-harbaugh-said-after-cfp-loss-to-tcu

Click to expand...

Oh great, so he actually doesn't even understand why we lost? Awesome, that ends well...

No. 3 Ohio State women knock off No. 14 Michigan in New Year’s Eve thriller 66-57
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ben Cole - Land-Grant Holy Land

It was a fiery game at the Covelli Center on Saturday between bitter rivals, and one that likely fuels the bitterness even more.

On the final day of 2022, the Big Ten saved the best for last with a conference match-up that could define the Big Ten early in the season. The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes welcomed rival No. 14 Michigan Wolverines to a smaller, but rowdier, Covelli Center. Both sides had their chances in the game, but it was the Buckeyes holding on in the fourth quarter and ending a three-game losing streak to Michigan, winning 66-57.

Excitement was high in the 3,700-seat gymnasium, and maybe it was that energy that impacted the Scarlet and Gray early. Michigan came out and went up eight points quickly. Part of that run was on Ohio State shooting 0-for-5 and giving up the ball more than their rivals.

The deficit forced a quick timeout by head coach Kevin McGuff, but the timeout helped. Out of the 30 seconds, guard/forward hybrid Taylor Thierry got Ohio State going. The sophomore attacked the basket and the layup sent the sellout crowd to their feet.

Off the make, the Buckeyes’ defensive press got the home side the ball back right away, this time forward Cotie McMahon getting the make after the turnover. From there though, the quarter was difficult for both sides.

Michigan and Ohio State shot 22.2% and 25% overall, respectively. Then, with 18 seconds left in the first quarter, the Wolverines had ad scare. Forward Emily Kiser, who leads the team in scoring this season, went down after the Buckeyes forced a turnover on the Michigan big. Kiser needed medical attention, and help walking off the court.

The two sides ended the first quarter scoring a combined 19 points and 16 turnovers. Although Ohio State only had six of those swaps in possession, they were down 10-9 with three-quarters remaining.

Michigan wasn’t without Kiser for long. The forward rejoined the game at the 7:05 mark, allowing Wolverine fans to breathe a sigh of relief. But not for long.

A highlight of the first half was the number of fouls. The two teams split the 22 fouls called, and Michigan had eight of theirs in the second quarter. That meant Ohio State went to the line a lot more often, with the Buckeyes going into the bonus with 6:41 left in the quarter.

Ohio State hit 6-of-9 from the free throw line, but what got the Buckeyes fans excited was the work done away from the charity stripe. The Buckeyes overcame their deficit overall, eventually getting ahead of the Wolverines for the first time in the game.

The Scarlet and Gray got there by timely defense and beginning to hit shots from deep. Michigan isn’t a team known to hit shots from behind the arc, making only 79 attempts in 13 games compared to 111 made by Ohio State in 14 games.

With 3:51 remaining in the second quarter, it was point guard Rikki Harris who hit the first one for Ohio State after going 0-for-7 to start the game. That three also put the Buckeyes and Wolverines even at 19 apiece.

That lead wouldn’t last long, with Michigan guard Maddie Nolan hitting the Wolverines’ first three on the visitor’s next possession. Not to be outdone, guard Taylor Mikesell followed that three up with one of her own, three of her seven second-quarter points.

Like Michigan, Ohio State also gave the Wolverines free trips to the line, sending them to the bonus much later in the second quarter. After guard Leigha Brown hit one of two from the line, the Buckeyes earned their first lead of the game, albeit a short one.

Substitute guard Hevynne Bristow, who also had a massive block earlier in the quarter, hit a layup that put Ohio State up a point. Michigan cut the lead down again but their lead didn’t last much longer.

With the clock winding down before halftime. Mikesell looked to hold the ball for the last shot. Michigan knew what Mikesell wanted to do, but their defense on the Ohio State guard was strong in the first half. Instead, Mikesell and the Buckeyes passed the ball around to transfer Emma Shumate.

Even though the Newark, Ohio native hasn’t had a lot of minutes for Ohio State this season, Shumate got possession, made a move like she was headed to the basket, and then cut to her left and hit a step-back three to put the Scarlet and Gray up 30-27 entering the locker room.

To start the second half, the same foul trend hurt the Wolverines. It began with Harris going to the rim with authority, hitting the layup and a bonus shot from the line. It was the beginning of a quarter that ended up being mostly Buckeyes.

Ohio State outscored the visitors 20 to 14 in the third, holding the Wolverines to 4-for-11 shooting, and forcing seven turnovers.

Offensively, it was the two Taylors running things for the Buckeyes. First, it was Mikesell. Mikesell saved an errant pass in the offensive half of the court, and with the play close to blown up, Mikesell decided to take the shot from five feet outside of the three-point line. Mikesell hit the three, sending the Covelli Center into a frenzy. That three put the home team up seven with seven minutes remaining in the quarter.

Thierry was the other Taylor making the third quarter difficult on Ohio State’s rivals. The forward/guard led the Buckeyes in the third with six points and six rebounds, four on the offensive boards.

Coach McGuff’s side went up 16 points on the Wolverines, but the away team fought back. Ohio State committed turnovers late, including two in the final minute of the third quarter. Michigan clawed back to cut the deficit to nine points with 10 minutes left in the game.

Michigan’s momentum continued into the fourth. They did that by exploiting a weak Ohio State presence in the paint. Forwards Kiser and Cameron Williams scored six to start the quarter, with Ohio State forward Rebeka Mikulášiková having trouble stopping their attack.

A 6-to-2 run to start the last quarter forced coach McGuff to use a timeout with 7:44 left, in hopes of regrouping his team for the final stretch of the game.

The final quarter was as even as things could be between the two teams. Michigan trimmed Ohio State’s once 16-point lead down to two at one point, but it’s a 40-minute game for a reason.

Ohio State answered a seven-point run by the visitors with an eight-point run of their own. It was Harris and a surprise in substitute guard Hevynne Bristow who scored a majority of the Buckeyes fourth quarter points.

Ohio State ballooned their lead up with an eight-point run, beating their hated rivals 66-57, with three players fouling out in the game (two for Michigan and one for Ohio State.)

Cotie McMahon Brings Intensity


Ohio State’s dynamic freshman forward isn’t a stranger to having big performances in the last three weeks, but against the Wolverines, she brought another level of energy.

It wasn’t necessarily leading to a better scoring night. Her 12 points aren’t close to her high of 30. Also, it hurt her own game, fouling out with four minutes left in the game, but it was infectious to her teammates.

Multiple times in the game, McMahon hit a layup and responded with an enthusiastic scream or cheeky smile.

In the fourth, moments after McMahon fouled out, Michigan’s Brown fouled out too, prompting a jump up by McMahon with a smile and wave to the Michigan star.

It showed that the rivalry between these two teams is one of the more exciting in the nation, and not just on the football field.

Stopping the Streak


With the win, the Buckeyes snap a three-game losing streak to their rivals. After losing two games last year by 19 points each, revenge was served to the Wolverines thanks to a game where Buckeyes point guards Mikesell and Harris led the way, scoring a combined 30 points.

What’s Next


The Big Ten calendar rolls on as 2022 changes to 2023. Ohio State is back on the road this week, heading to Minnesota with a game against the Golden Gophers on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. ET.

Then, another test comes to Columbus, with the Illinois Fighting Illini and Scarlet and Gray playing Sunday in an afternoon tip. It’s also a return to the Schottenstein Center for the Buckeyes.

Continue reading...

In Conversation: Lori Schmidt on if Ryan Day feels pressure, Ohio State keys to victory
Matt Tamanini 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 Columbus Dispatch assistant sports editor is one of the absolute best covering the Buckeyes.

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 | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio


On our final podcast before Ohio State takes on Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinal in the Peach Bowl, Matt Tamanini talks to the assistant sports editor for The Columbus Dispatch Lori Schmidt. Every week during the season, Lori profiles current and former Ohio State football players peeling back the curtain a bit to show who they are as human beings off the field.

This gives her a unique insight into the makeup of this year’s team as they prepare to rebound from a demoralizing loss to Michigan in the regular season finale. Matt and Lori discuss how the players have responded to the disappointing outcome from The Game, how Ryan Day deals with the pressures inherent to his job, and what the Buckeyes need to do in order to leave Atlanta with one more game to play this season.


Connect with Lori Schmidt
https://www.dispatch.com/staff/7714074002/lori-schmidt/
Twitter: @LoriSchmidt

Connect with Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt

Continue reading...

You’re Nuts: What is the biggest key to an Ohio State victory over Georgia?
Matt Tamanini 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

Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.

Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.

In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.

Today’s Question: What is the biggest key to an Ohio State victory over Georgia?

Jami’s Take: A Persistent Running Game


This is one of those rare, beautiful football seasons where I truly believe on any given day, any team in the top 10 could have taken down any other team depending on which way the wind blew. Hopefully, this works in the Buckeyes’ favor tonight against Georgia in the Peach Bowl, where the Bulldogs are favored (but not by much).

Ohio State can’t count on the wind blowing in our favor, though. We’ll need near-perfect execution on the field, and the ultimate key to victory lies in the Buckeyes’ ability to establish the run.

Now “Establish the run” is a bit watered-down, especially against a team like Georgia. OBVIOUSLY the Buckeyes need to be able to run the football well against a top opponent - this is not exactly revolutionary stuff. Running backs Miyan Williams, Dallan Hayden, and Chip Trayanum (who switched to the RB position from linebacker due to late-season injuries) hold the keys to the kingdom in many ways.

But in the Buckeyes’ case, it also doesn’t go without saying that the run game doesn’t start and end with the running backs.

In past years, part of OSU’s domination was wrapped up in the fact that at any point, the quarterback might go for a little jog (sometimes straight to the endzone). It made them very hard to defend. We haven’t seen much of that from Heisman finalist C.J. Stroud, who let me be clear – is as capable of running the ball as past quarterbacks, if not as comfortable.

But the other issue we’ve seen in the Buckeyes’ run game is that they get a little panicky if their opponent shuts it down for a play or two. An immediate stop or loss of a few yards on two or three plays does not a whole game make (or break), and yet, we’ve seen OSU abort mission when they come up against good defensive stops a few plays in a row.

Now, I’m not saying the Buckeyes should keep running the ball if it’s absolutely NOT working the entire game. But Georgia has a good defense. They’re going to stop a few plays. If the Buckeyes are going to win this game, it’s absolutely crucial that they keep running even if Georgia gets a big stop.

Persistent running is going to be huge against this Bulldog squad. I’m talking down-in-the-mud, fighting-for-every-last-yard running. OSU needs to be pounding the Bulldogs constantly, which means the running backs also can’t be afraid to play a really physical football game. I want them winning physical battles against the safeties and defensive linemen.

If OSU can get the running backs moving down the field, even in short or intermediate spurts, it will open up the possibility for Stroud to take a few long shots from mid-field or the back of the red zone, and possibly connect for some major scoring plays. We know there are holes in the Bulldogs’ pass defense, seeing as they allowed 502 passing yards in the SEC Championship game against LSU. So if the Buckeyes can use the run to keep their options open and position Stroud to go long, they just might win the war.

Matt’s Take: Keeping C.J. Stroud Free from Pressure


Here’s the thing, there are A LOT of things that will have to go right for the Buckeyes to win the Peach Bowl tonight, but to me, the game will not be decided by how Jim Knowles’ defense handles UGA’s pair of dynamic tight ends, or even if Miyan Williams and the Buckeye’s stable of backs are able to establish the run (although, I do agree with Jami that this will be crucial). Instead, I think the biggest thing that Ohio State needs to do in order to win, is keep quarterback C.J. Stroud clean.

The best part of OSU’s team on either side of the ball is obviously their passing game with two-time Heisman finalist Stroud and Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and Julian Fleming. But with a defense as stout as Georgia’s it would be foolish to expect OSU to operate at the same level that they have all season. But, for the Buckeyes to have the best chance to succeed on that side of the ball, Stroud will have to have a solid game, and given what we’ve seen from him over two seasons, for that to happen, he has to have time to throw the ball.

This isn’t exactly a hot take, but QBs are better when they aren’t facing pressure than when they are, and that has been evident with Stroud during his entire time in scarlet and gray. When he has pressure in his face, Stroud has had a bad habit of falling backward and not committing to his fundamentals, often resulting in poorly thrown balls.

Georgia’s defense, led by unanimous All-American defense tackle Jalen Carter, will likely look to create a pass rush with just four or five up front and it will be incumbent on the offensive line to keep the Dawgs at bay. UGA doesn’t wrack up a ton of sacks or tackles for loss — the Dawgs are 73rd nationally with two sacks per game and 51st in TFLs with 5.85 — but they won’t need to necessarily get home to disrupt OSU’s offensive flow.

So, if the Buckeyes want to have any shot to utilize its incredible array of offensive weapons, they will have to give Stroud time and opportunities to survey the field and get the ball out in rhythm.

Continue reading...

Jaxbuck said:

It was Jim Kelly. but I agree with you. I don't think the lifeline of an expanded playoffs is going to be enough if he can't get back to beating tsun.

@sflbuck is right though, Woody's career at OSU was saved by a goal line stand in The Game but it was a last minute reprieve. They were going to fire him for the start he got off to in the first 3+ years. Day has a chance with this CFP and next year. I hope to Woody he turns it around starting tonight.

Click to expand...

Interesting sidenote, Woody's second loss to SCUM (1953 in Ann Arbor), OSU was actually favored. But 5 interceptions and tackling that in media accounts of the game was described as "miserable" sealed their fate 20-0.

It's stupid stuff like this (5 interceptions in 1953 vs 5 long TD's this year) that give me hope that this team can maximize their potential, just like the 1954 team did.

We will see.

Behind Enemy Lines: Inside information on Georgia before today’s Peach Bowl
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Our friends from Dawg Sports pull the curtain back to give us the unbiased truth about the Bulldogs.

In preparation for the Peach Bowl between the No. 4 Ohio Buckeyes and the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs today, we chatted with Jeremy Attaway the managing editor of Dawg Sports, our SB Nation sibling site that covers UGA athletics.

If you want more of the Bulldogs’ perspective on the game, make sure that you check out all of Dawg Sports’ coverage on their website or on Twitter @dawgsports.


LGHL: What do most people across the country get wrong about Stetson Bennett? His invitation to the Heisman Trophy ceremony was received mostly with jokes around the CFB Twittersphere, but he appeared to be far more dynamic than most casual fans give him credit for.

Dawg Sports: Bennett has developed a bit of a reputation as a “game manager.” In fact, he’s got a pretty strong riverboat gambler streak, often improvising with his legs and extending plays to make throws downfield. It’s even given rise to a nickname among Bulldog fans, who fret about occasional appearances by “Bad Stetson.” He’s kind of like Bad Santa, right down to the cigars, but with the addition of occasional ugly interceptions or strip fumbles from backside defenders.


LGHL: Ohio State’s offense lives and dies on its ability to throw the ball seemingly at will. While OSU’s passing game is substantially different from Tennessee’s, UGA shut down the Vols earlier this season. Do you think that they will run a similar scheme against the Buckeyes, or will they bring out a different plan for a less tempo-focused attack?

Dawg Sports: Kirby Smart conceded after the Tennessee game that Georgia really ran its base defense against Tennessee. The Bulldogs’ staff was confident that corners Kelee Ringo, Kamari Lassiter, Javon Bullard, and Tykee Smith could match up man-on against Tennessee’s receivers, jamming them at the line and relying on the pass rush to force premature or errant throws. By and large, that worked.

In fact, the only points of emphasis that varied from Georgia’s usual scheme were rushing to get lined up after each play and being mindful of rare substitution opportunities.

I don’t expect Smart and co-defensive coordinators Glenn Schuman and Will Muschamp to reinvent the wheel against Ohio State. They’ll rush four or five on most downs and play man with either one high or cover two safeties. Ohio State will likely have some shots open downfield as a result. You can’t put defenders on an island against dynamic playmakers like the Buckeyes have without somebody getting open.

But the calculated risk of the Georgia defense is that you won’t get the combination of a clean pocket, an out-of-position defender, and a QB and receiver both making the required play on more than a handful of occasions per game.


LGHL: Georgia has struggled a bit at times this season against obviously inferior opponents (Kent State, Missouri, Kentucky). Was that more about the Dawgs taking their foot off the gas (unlikely to happen on Saturday) or those teams doing something(s) that the Buckeyes can attempt to replicate in the Peach Bowl?

Dawg Sports: You know how all the major dictionaries this time of year release their “word of the year”, the one that sort of sums up the zeitgeist of the moment? Georgia’s phrase of the year has been “playing with their food.” The Red and Black have looked disinterested against lesser opponents. But the granular view of each of those games is a little different. Kent State hit some big plays and did some unexpected things schematically, but that game was never really in doubt.

Against Kentucky, the Bulldogs played it close to the vest offensively, built a 16-0 lead, then really throttled it down to prevent injuries and get out of a cold Lexington. The Missouri game, however, is the one that could be instructive as a blueprint for beating the ‘Dawgs. “Bad Stetson” made it out for that one, with some head-scratching throws and a costly fumble. It was one of two fumbles in the first half that likely took points off the board and contributed to a 16-6 halftime deficit.

The Bulldogs stormed back with 20 points in the second half, taking the lead with four minutes and change to go, but Bulldog fans have been cognizant ever since of the fact that this team is more of a danger to stop itself offensively than it is to be stopped by opponents (more on that below).


LGHL: Jalen Carter has missed some time this year, but still has seven tackles for loss and three sacks. Is there any way to stop him whatsoever?

Dawg Sports: If someone has found a way, they’ve kept it quiet. I remain committed to the position that Carter was actually the best player on the UGA defense in 2021, which is saying something for a unit that produced the top pick and five first-rounders in the NFL Draft.

He’s extremely strong, plays with good leverage, and has both impressive straight-line speed and a quick first step. To top it off he plays with a relentless energy that means he’s never really out of the play. You can certainly double-team him, but that’s an iffy proposition in part because it means another All-SEC caliber defender (Nazir Stackhouse, Robert Beal, or perhaps freshman phenom Mykel Williams) is going to have a shot to come free.

To paraphrase renowned football strategist Ferris Bueller, if you have the chance to add a Jalen Carter to your defense, I highly recommend you pick one up.


LGHL: Georgia has three running backs that essentially have split the carries this season. How does that generally work in-game? Does offensive coordinator Todd Monken ride the hot hand, or is the rotation set in stone — each back getting a certain number of carries/possessions — or is it more situational, with specific backs better suited for different situations? And how do you think that plays out against Ohio State?

Dawg Sports: Georgia’s tailback rotation has settled into a pretty solid pattern. Kenny McIntosh is the putative starter and the most versatile back, a solid runner with good vision who’s also a reliable blocker and a weapon in the passing game. He’ll be spelled by Daijun Edwards, a shifty back who runs well behind his pads and rarely loses yardage. Edwards has become the workhorse when Georgia wants to run out the clock on the ground, in part because he has great ball security habits.

Behind him are a pair of big backs, Kendall Milton and Branson Robinson. Those players have both broken some nice runs this year and will certainly be fixtures moving forward, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see all four backs in this game.


LGHL: Is there any crack in Georgia’s defensive armor that Ryan Day and the Buckeyes can exploit, or will they just have to hope that their defense can slow Bennett and company down enough for the offense to scrape enough points together to pull off the upset?

Dawg Sports: As I noted earlier Georgia has been somewhat prone to giving up big plays. It’s just the nature of the game when you play the type of defense they do. LSU for example was able to throw for a whopping 502 yards on the Bulldog defense, and while a lot of those were in garbage time when Georgia was just keeping the ball in front of them and keeping the clock moving, there were touchdown passes of 53, 33, and 35 yards.

Again, Kirby Smart’s gamble is that you won’t be able to beat the pass rush, beat the defender, and execute yourself enough times to consistently move the ball on his squad. Ohio State’s best bet against this defense is to win that bet by executing well. If CJ Stroud is half a turn off on deep balls or if Buckeye receivers don’t consistently win those one-on-one battles and come down with the ball, Georgia will have a distinct advantage.

On the other hand, if the Georgia offense turns the ball over and gives the Scarlet and Gray shorter fields, the odds of putting points on the board go up dramatically. It sounds a bit trite, but if Georgia wins the turnover margin, I really like the Dawgs’ chances. If it’s even or Ohio State has the advantage in the turnover column, this one is going to be tough for the favorite.


LGHL: Ok, you don’t have to pick a score if you don’t want to (although you are more than welcome to), but what do you think happens in the Peach Bowl on Saturday night?

Dawg Sports: I would expect these two very talented teams to feel each other out a little bit in the early going. Both squads are also coming off long layoffs, which seem to affect teams in unpredictable ways. In the end, I think Georgia’s in good shape if it doesn’t give Ohio State a lead to work with, and Ohio State is in good shape if they get that lead. I see a close game with Georgia pulling away with a punishing drive on the ground in the fourth quarter to win 34-24.

Continue reading...

Bold Predictions: A close halftime margin and a New Year’s surprise
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by John Adams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Plus more bold predictions for tonight’s CFP matchup against Georgia.

Before each Ohio State game this year, LGHL is going to bring you some “bold predictions”. This will include somewhere a few hot takes for the game, whether it be passing yards, points scored, sacks, or some other things that we could see happening during the game.

We’d love to hear your bold predictions. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your bold predictions in the comments.


Ohio State has a halftime lead

Ohio State is entering the game as a 6.5-point underdog to the Bulldogs, so a first-half lead might come as a surprise especially given what we saw in games like Maryland and Penn State when the Buckeyes needed a second-half surge to secure the W. However, the Buckeyes are third in the nation in first-half points on the season (22.6 per game) and they do have the weapons to jump ahead early.

With a strong defense that’s able to make adjustments, Georgia has allowed an average of just eight second-half points per game this season (though the Bulldogs gave up 20 to LSU during the SEC Championship when Georgia had the game very much in hand in the first half).

Under 100 net-rushing yards

When two great rush defenses clash, what else would we expect? Georgia is tops in the FBS, allowing just 77 yards on the ground per game. Ohio State is No. 25, giving up just under 120. On the flip side, both rushing offenses are averaging around 200 yards per game. Something’s got to give and given long seasons and injuries at various times in both running back rooms, it feels like the defenses might hold the edge here.

Then again, there’s a lot of benefit to having a month of rest, especially for running backs.

More than 100 receiving yards from tight ends

It almost happened against Iowa. Why not now? Georgia’s first and fourth-leading receivers are both tight ends who collectively haul in an average of 88 receiving yards per game. Ohio State’s Cade Stover isn’t pulling in quite that much, but the crew of Bulldog and Buckeye tight ends might just make the mark together.

We’ll ring in 2023 in the fourth quarter

We all know that networks love having Ohio State in their lineup because we, obviously, get the best ratings. For a spectacle such as the College Football Playoff, sponsors and advertisers will be paying top-dollar for commercial spots and you can bet we’ll see a whole bunch of media timeouts.

With kickoff scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and an average game length of 3:22, it will be a stretch to make it to midnight — but not totally unreasonable.

Uga will bark at the new Peach Bowl mascot

And maybe Brutus. While we can have all of our competitive feelings about the Georgia team, we at least have to reserve some positive feelings for its live mascot. Still, Uga will definitely be startled by the new Peach Bowl mascot. (FWIW I think Huddles is adorable.)


Continue reading...

Running through the Ohio State vs. Georgia Peach Bowl prop bets
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Taking a look at some of the odds when the Buckeyes take on the Bulldogs.

Ohio State enters their College Football Playoff matchup against Georgia in the Peach Bowl as six-point underdogs as things stand on Friday night, and are currently listed at +200 to win straight up with the total set at 62.5. However, as most sports gamblers know, there are more ways to bet a game than just who is going to win and how many points are going to be scored. We are of course talking about player props.

Here is a look at some of the marquee player prop bets you can take on Saturday night. As always, be sure to bet responsibly if you’re going to throw a wager down on the Buckeyes (or the Bulldogs, if you’re so inclined or going with the emotional hedge).

All odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

Passing TDs — C.J. Stroud: o/u 1.5


The line for Stroud’s passing touchdowns is set at 1.5, the same line given to Georgia’s Stetson Bennett. Looking at Strouds scoring prowess this year, the Ohio State QB threw 37 touchdowns over 12 games, which comes out to an average of a little over three per game. As far as the actual games go, there were only three contests this season where Stroud failed to thrown at least two TDs — Penn State, Northwestern and Maryland. Stroud only needs to find the end zone twice on Saturday to hit the over.

On the other side, Bennett has thrown for 20 TDs over 13 games, which puts his average right around the total at a tad over 1.5. The Bulldogs’ QB has failed to reach that total in five games this season.

Passing Yards — C.J. Stroud: o/u 279.5


Stroud threw for over 3,300 yards this season in 12 games, averaging 278.3 yards per contest — pretty darn close to his total here set by Vegas. However, if you remove the outlier game against Northwestern, in which he threw for only 76 yards in basically hurricane-like conditions, his average over the other 11 games was 296.7 yards. Georgia’s passing defense this season ranked 49th in the country, allowing 215.3 yards through the air per game.

Bennett’s line is set a little lower than Stroud’s at 275.5. With 3,425 yards over 13 games, his average is down at 263.5. Bennett hasn’t reached the 275-yard mark in six different games this season, and while Ohio State’s pass defense statically ranks 14th in the nation, that is far more a reflection of the Big Ten offenses they played rather than the actual play of their defensive secondary.

Rushing Yards — Miyan Williams: o/u 68.5


With TreVeyon Henderson out for the rest of the year with an injury, Miyan Williams will feature as Ohio State’s lead back on Saturday. Missing time with injuries at points this year as well, the month off has hopefully given him time to get back to full strength. Chop ran for 817 yards in the 10 games he played, which puts him near 82 yards per game on the ground — even with a two-carry, nine-yard performance against Penn State. If he is truly healthy, he will shoulder the majority of the workload in the run game for the Buckeyes against Georgia.

Georgia has a pair of running backs with prop yardage, with Daijun Edwards’ total set at 47.5 and Kenny McIntosh set at 59.5. As a team, the Bulldogs’ offense averaged 207 yards per game on the ground this year, but the Buckeyes have proven stingy against the run. Even if Georgia is able to put together a strong rushing attack, it is tough to say which of their trio of backs will shoulder the load.

Receiving Yards — Marvin Harrison Jr.: o/u 90.5 | Emeka Egbuka: o/u 71.5


If Ohio State is going to win this game, they will need big contributions from their star wide receivers in Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. Harrison Jr. has the highest total set for any pass-catcher in this game at 90.5 yards, while Egbuka is second on that list at 71.5. Harrison Jr. totaled 1,157 yards receiving this year (96.4 YPG) and reached the 90-yard mark in six different games, while Egbuka totaled 1,039 receiving yards (86.5 YPG) and reached the 70-yard plateau in nine separate games.

On the Georgia side, Brock Bowers is the only player with odds, with his total listed at 58.5. He totaled 726 yards this year in 13 games (55.8 YPG) and reached at least 58 yards in a game five times. The other players listed with receiving props are Julian Fleming (o/u 41. 5) and Cade Stover (o/u 29.5).

Anytime TD scorer odds:

• Marvin Harrison Jr.: -140
• Miyan Williams: -130
• Emeka Egbuka: +130
• Chip Trayanum: +180
• Dallan Hayden: +180
• Cade Stover: +200
• Julian Fleming: +240
• OSU Def/ST: +340
• C.J Stroud (rushing): +450

Harrison Jr. is the favorite to score a touchdown in the game for Ohio State at -140, but there is some good value here as you go lower down the list. Julian Fleming caught six TDs this year in 10 games, which is behind only Harrison Jr. (12) and Egbuka (9) in two less games, so he could be a potential candidate to score in this one. Of course, you could really test the odds and bet on Stroud to score his first rushing touchdown of the year (and second ever) at +450.

On the Georgia side, McIntosh has the best odds of any player to score a TD at -190, followed by Ladd McConkey (-140), Bowers (-140) and Edwards (+140).

Ohio State team total: o/u 27.5


This is a real tricky one, as it is tough to determine which Ohio State offense we see against Georgia in their road to try and score 28 points to go over their team total. The Buckeyes scored the second most points of any team in the country, trailing only Tennessee with 44.5 points per game, but head coach Ryan Day tends to call an incredibly conservative offense against the better teams he faces. This year alone, Ohio State scored just 21 points against Notre Dame in the season opener, and just 23 points in the loss to Michigan.

Overall, Ohio State is undefeated in the Ryan Day era where scoring more than 30 points. The problem will be getting there against one of if not the best defenses in the nation.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

Continue reading...

OHIO STATE GAMEDAY: It’s a bad day to be a Georgia Bulldog
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Buckeyes are looking for redemption on New Year’s Eve.

Wake up, everyone. It’s Ohio State game day!

After a month of waiting, the Buckeyes’ Peach Bowl matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs has finally arrived. Ohio State is looking for redemption in the College Football Playoff, as the entire program from the head coach down to the players has been questioned ever since their regular season finale against Michigan. Ryan Day has a lot to prove in this one, as his team was fortunate enough to sneak into the CFP despite failing to win the Big Ten for the second year in a row. Still, somehow, a national title is within reach.

Over the past week, our talented group of writers and podcasters have put together preview pieces, analytical breakdowns, and everything in-between.

If you missed out on any of the coverage, we have you... well, covered. Below, each type of story is categorized. If you’re looking for podcasts and previews we’ve done, you can find them; if you’re looking for the betting lines and film studies, they are there, too.

Enjoy the day everyone. As always, Go Bucks!

Football Podcasts

• I-70 Football: Big Ten recruiting, College Football Playoff semi-final previews
• Silver Bullets: Early Signing Day recap, Georgia preview
• Hangout in the Holy Land: Previewing College Football Playoff against Georgia
• Buck Off: Previewing Ohio State and Georgia’s Peach Bowl matchup
• In Conversation: Mike Golic Jr. on what Ohio State needs to do to beat Georgia
• Play Like a Girl: Breaking down the keys to beating Georgia

Previews

• Ohio State vs. Georgia: 2022 game preview and prediction
• Three Things To Watch from the Georgia Bulldogs
• Defensive Player to Watch: DL Jalen Carter
• Offensive Player to Watch: TE Brock Bowers
• What are the injury situations for Georgia, Ohio State ahead of the Peach Bowl?

Sports Betting

• Ohio State heads to Atlanta as 6.5-point underdogs
• College Football Playoff, New Years Six picks

Film Studies

• Film Preview: Final thoughts on what Ohio State will need to do to beat Georgia
• Film Preview: Georgia’s defensive line is elite, Ohio State’s offensive line performance will tell story of the game
• Film Preview: Georgia’s offensive line is consistent, run game is eerily similar to Ohio State’s
• Film Preview: Don’t underestimate Stetson Bennett, Georgia’s passing game
• Film Preview: What makes Georgia’s defense so difficult for opposing offenses to break down?

Basketball

• Women’s: Injuries shift Buckeyes basketball to “point guard by committee”
• Women’s: Four Storylines — No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 14 Michigan on Saturday
• Men’s: Buckeyes bury Bulldogs in the second half, close 2022 with 90-59 win
• Women’s: You need to care about the Ohio State vs. Michigan women’s basketball game
• Women’s: Ohio State point guard Madison Greene out for season with injury

Recruiting

• Buckeyes keeping Georgia on their mind on the recruiting front as well as on the field
• A closer look at preferred walk-on running back commit, Willtrell Hartson
• Buckeyes still in pursuit of big time 2024 linebacker, keeping up with portal targets
• Four-star athlete from Tennessee includes Ohio State as a top school
• Five-star wide receiver from Florida includes Ohio State on top group
• Three early enrollees for 2023 to watch from the recruiting class

Other Podcasts

• In Conversation: Comps for OSU football players on women’s basketball team
• LGHL Uncut: Thornton, Holden, Holtmann talk Alabama A&M win, looming trip to Evanston
• Bucketheads: Ohio State women’s basketball is on a heater, Brice Sensabaugh could be league-bound
• Play Like a Girl: Was Ryan Day on the Naughty or Nice List this year?

Other Columns

• Preview: Michigan, TCU to kickoff 2022 College Football Playoffs
• Comparing the 2014 Sugar Bowl to Saturday’s Peach Bowl
• Who will be the ‘next man up’ in the College Football Playoff?
• What is your new year’s resolution for any Ohio State team?
• As Buckeyes head to Atlanta for the playoffs, it’s time for redemption

Continue reading...

Game Preview: No. 3 Ohio State women’s basketball vs. No. 14 Michigan Wolverines
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Rivalry hits the hardwood Saturday between two ranked powers of the Big Ten

The final day of the 2022 calendar features not one but two Ohio State athletic events that will create ripple effects throughout respective sports. While one is a football game in Atlanta, Georgia with “win or go home” implications, the other is the No. 3 team in the country versus the No. 14 side. It’s the Ohio State women’s basketball team against the Michigan Wolverines.

Win and the Buckeyes maintain not only their ranking but their spot atop the early Big Ten standings and their place as the only remaining undefeated team in the conference. Lose and Michigan gets the bragging rights plus pushes their streak against Ohio State to four games.

Preview


The Buckeyes and Wolverines need little introduction for rivalries’ sake, but both teams are sides that’ve changed over the past year.

For Michigan, their biggest difference is the departure of forward Naz Hillmon. The 2021 Big Ten Player of the Year and four-time All-American left the Wolverines with a legacy that propelled Michigan to their best basketball in program history.

Hillmon left Michigan averaging 18.7 points and 8.9 rebounds pre-game. In the 2020-21 season where she won conference Player of the Year, Hillmon averaged a double-double with 23.9 points and 11.4 rebounds per game.

Her departure meant that Michigan could have taken a dive without their star, but this season they’ve overcome Hillmon’s move to the WNBA. Michigan is 12-1 coming to Columbus on Saturday, with a lone slip-up in an upset defeat against the Toledo Rockets.

Outside of their fall to some MACtion, the Wolverines have two wins against top-25 sides, including a standout 76-68 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels. Leading the way in that game and on the season is guard Leigha Brown.

Brown played three years at Nebraska, winning B1G Sixth Player of the Year and in the last two years, she’s come on strong for Michigan.

The Indiana native is a guard who specializes in attacking the basket and shooting midrange. Brown is third on the Wolverines in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game, but she has a knack for coming on strong against the toughest opponents.

Against the USF Bulls, then No. 22 Baylor Bears, and against then No. 6 North Carolina, Brown scored 23, 26, and 25 points respectively. As the spotlight gets brighter, so does Brown’s play, but she’s not alone.

Other players to watch for the Wolverines are guard Laila Phelia and forward Emily Kiser. Phelia, a sophomore out of Cincinnati, Ohio, started only 14 of Michigan’s 29 games last season, but this year she’s shown how even one year of NCAA basketball under their belt can help a player grow.

Phelia’s second on the Maize and Blue in scoring, averaging 16.6 points and shooting 45.2% from deep. An area where she can be exploited though is that youth, should Ohio State’s press get into form in the game, with Phelia giving the ball away 32 times this season.

In terms of replacing Hillmon, there’s Kiser. Last season, next to Hillmon, Kiser played a more subdued role, scoring less than 10 points per game but playing strong on the boards. This year, Kiser’s improved that scoring, and opponents no longer see a gap in that presence in the paint role for Michigan.

Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Emily Kiser (33) is the new force for the Wolverines in the paint. Can Ohio State stay away from fouls enough to stop her?

This season, Ohio State started the year playing bigs well. In the campaign opener against Tennessee, the Buckeyes held center Tamari Key to eight points and three rebounds. In the next game against Boston College sophomore Maria Gakdeng, the Scarlet and Gray held her to under her season average in rebounds, grabbing only five.

However, when foul trouble hits Ohio State, things change. In last week’s San Diego Invitational, the Buckeyes were dominated by USF Bulls forward Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu. The Cameroonian lit up Ohio State with 34 points and 17 rebounds, with Buckeyes’ forward Rebeka Mikulášiková and guard Rikki Harris both fouling out.

If the Scarlet and Gray can avoid hearing the referee’s whistle too often, they’ll have a better chance at slowing down Kiser.

Overall, Michigan is a team that will keep the game in the half-court, meaning Ohio State’s half-court defense needs to be on point. There’s a reason Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico celebrated 500 career wins Thursday, after beating the Nebraska Cornhuskers — she coaches a disciplined, high-performing, team.

Projected Starters

Lineup Notes

• Forward Taylor Thierry still leads the nation in FG%, hitting 73% of her shots.
• Ohio State’s rebounding margin is .6.
• Rikki Harris leads the Buckeyes' healthy players with 40 assists.

Lineup Notes

• Forward Emily Kiser is third in the conference averaging 18.4 ppg.
• Guard Laila Phelia leads the Wolverines in blocks with 12.
• Michigan’s defense leads the Big Ten, holding opponents to an average of 57.2 ppg.

Prediction


The score prediction below says Michigan wins a close game but this one can go either way. Michigan had the tiebreaker because of a healthy and lethal Brown, but if Ohio State hits its shots it's going to be a tough day for the Maize and Blue.

Saturday’s game will be close regardless, with Mikesell meeting the gravity of the moment and playing one of her best games with the Scarlet and Gray.

Ohio State won’t have an answer for Kiser, but slowing down two of the Wolverines’ three threats will keep the game exciting. It’s going to come down to the final moments of the game, and the winner will show how close the Buckeyes really are to being at the top of the Big Ten.

How to Watch


Date: Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Where: Covelli Center, Columbus, Ohio
Television: Big Ten Network
Stream: FOX Sports with Big Ten Network subscription

LGHL Prediction: 78-76 Michigan Wolverines

Sell Out at Covelli


The Schottenstein Center isn’t available Saturday, but it’s probably for the best. The Buckeyes move down the street to a venue that only holds 3,700, but it’s a story of quality versus quantity.

The Covelli Center is loud, and formidable to opponents. It’ll feel like the crowd is on the court, and the lower ceiling means that sound is amplified easier. To make matters better in terms of the home-court advantage, on Friday the Ohio State University announced the game will be a sellout.


While it isn’t Taylor Swift-level ticket selling, it’s a sign that people want to watch the No. 3 team in the country play live.

Now if only fans came out to the Schottenstein Center for the women’s team like they do the unranked men’s team.

Continue reading...

LGHL Tailgate Podcast: Everything you need to know to watch today’s Ohio State vs. TTUN game
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The only Ohio State game day podcast you need.

Before every Ohio State football game, Matt Tamanini will get you ready with all of the information that you need for that day’s game on the “LGHL Tailgate” podcast.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio

No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 1 Georgia (-6) | over/under 62.5


Game Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET
Location: Atlanta, Ga.
TV: ESPN
Online: Sling TV
Radio: 97.1 FM/1460 AM

After fives weeks of hearing that they were outplayed, outclassed, and outcoached the last time they were on the field, the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes will have an opportunity to prove their doubters wrong tonight in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. To do that, they will need to play an incredible game against the top-ranked and defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs.

No matter who has the ball, tonight’s matchup will be a battle of strengths-on-strengths with Ohio State’s No. 2 ranked scoring offense facing off against Georgia’s No. 2 scoring defense. Then when UGA has the ball, the Bulldogs have the 10th-rated scoring offense vs. OSU’s 13th-ranked scoring defense.

Though stud offensive weapons Jaxon Smith-Njigba and TreVeyon Henderson won’t be in uniform for Ohio State, the rest of the Buckeye roster is relatively healthy. Running back Miyan Williams missed a pair of early-week practices this week due to illness, but was back on Thursday and has nearly fully recovered from the lower-leg injury that hampered him throughout the season.

On Jan. 9, 2023, the winner of the Peach Bowl will take on the winner of the Fiesta Bowl matchup between No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 TCU.

Matt’s Heart Prediction: Ohio State 31, Georgia 30

Matt’s Head Prediction: Georgia 42, Ohio State 24

Continue reading...

Ohio State vs. Georgia: Game time, TV schedule, streaming, more
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It’s finally game day, which means that it’s time for redemption.

If you would have told Ohio State fans 35 days ago that their favorite team would spend their New Year’s Eve playing for a spot in the national championship game, I imagine that you would have been met varying levels of confusion with apprehension. Nonetheless, the No. 4 Buckeyes will kick off against the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs at 8 p.m. ET in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl in the second of two College Football Playoff semifinal matchups happening this afternoon.


For the first time this season, Ryan Day’s crew will enter a game as the underdog, with UGA currently sitting as six-point favorites. The defending national champions will present an interesting challenge for the Buckeyes tonight; while they share some offensive DNA with the Michigan Wolverines, they come to their run-first offense much differently. The Dawgs’ most dynamic offensive weapons are likely to be tight ends Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington. Bowers — who is 6-foot-4, 240 pounds — leads the team with 726 receiving yards and six touchdowns, and Washington — 6-foot-7 (yes, 6-foot-7) and 270 lbs. — has 417 and two.

It will be interesting to see how OSU’s defensive coordinator Jim Knowles attempts to contain the mass of humanities posing as pass-catchers. Since the Buckeyes tend to play with just two linebackers, they will either need to change their primary defensive scheme to add another bigger body onto the field, do they attempt to walk up one of their bigger safeties to mark him, or is this the moment that Ohio State decides to employ their secret weapon of true-freshman 6-foot-4, 222-pound safety Sonny Styles?

It might be too early to make Styles the primary defender on one of these tight ends, but his presence in a defensive rotation could be the perfect type of bowl-season addition that OSU could make that Georgia would have no ability to prepare for.

On the other side of the ball, the fate of the Buckeyes’ chances might hinge on how well they can contain unanimous All-America defensive tackle Jalen Carter. Even though he missed a decent amount of time, he still recorded seven tackles for loss and three sacks and has the ability to blow up any play that he’s on the field for. Fortunately, though, he is an interior defensive lineman, which Ohio State has had a better track record against — we certainly don’t want to see a repeat of last year’s rivalry game in which Michigan’s Aiden Hutchinson and David Ojabo wreaked havoc coming from the outside.

However, Ohio State’s starting right guard Matthew Jones is still dealing with the lingering effects of a high ankle sprain that kept him out of the Michigan game five weeks ago. While guards have the benefit of being able to double-team defensive linemen with the help of centers and tackles, anything that limits Jones’ ability to move could pose a problem in attempting to keep quarterback C.J. Stroud’s jersey clean.

Ultimately, tonight’s matchup will be a battle of strengths-on-strengths with Ohio State’s No. 2 ranked scoring offense facing off against Georgia’s No. 2 scoring defense, and when UGA has the ball, the Bulldogs have the 10th-rated scoring offense vs. OSU’s 13th-ranked scoring defense.

Ohio State coaches this week have talked about the necessity to score in at least the 30s, if not the 40s, in order to have a chance to win. If the Buckeyes can find a way to keep scoring near their season average, they should have a pretty decent shot to win the game. However, I tend to think that Ohio State’s defense will fare better against the Dawgs’ offense than many are anticipating, so I would not be surprised if it ends up being under the total points mark of 62.5 that DraftKings Sportsbook has set for the game.

When is the game and how can I watch it?


Game Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET
Location: Atlanta, Ga.
TV: ESPN
Online: Sling TV
Radio: 97.1 FM | 1460 AM

DraftKings Sportsbook line: Georgia -6 | o/u 62.5

Official LGHL Prediction: Ohio State 31, Georgia 27

Matt’s Heart Prediction: Ohio State 31, Georgia 30

Matt’s Head Prediction: Georgia 42, Ohio State 24

Join the conversation


Below is your Ohio State vs. Georgia GameThread. Be respectful, be kind and — as always — keep it classy, BuckeyeNation. If you like GIFs, lay ‘em on us. In all, be good fans, cheer for your teams, be cool to each other (even if somebody else isn’t) and everyone wins. Let’s finish the season strong!

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

Continue reading...

MC&J: Picks for the College Football Playoff semifinals and what’s left of bowl season
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 Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Buckeyes have had a month to stew over the loss to Michigan and prepare for Georgia.

Season ATS: 107-123-6 (58-72-3 National, 49-51-3 B1G) - With a few Friday games still pending

Bowls ATS: 11-18-1 (10-16-1 National, 1-2 B1G)


After not a bad start to bowl season, things really went off the rails over the last few days. Arkansas blew a big lead, Syracuse scored a late touchdown, and a number of other teams I picked had terrible performances. While we can’t even up our season record, hopefully we can still have some fun with these last games of bowl season. Who knows, maybe these picks for bowl games on January 2nd can help you win a little coin since sports betting will be legal in Ohio then!

Bowl games 12/31/22 - 1/2/23


(All lines courtesy of Draftkings Sportsbook.)

Sugar Bowl: No. 5 Alabama (-6.5) v. No. 9 Kansas State - Saturday 12/31 12:00 p.m. - ESPN

Will Alabama care about this bowl game? There was a few instances when the BCS where the Crimson Tide laid an egg in the Sugar Bowl. In 2009 Alabama lost to Utah, and in 2014 they were beaten in New Orleans by Oklahoma. Even though this is only the second time the Crimson Tide hasn’t played in the College Football Playoff, it sounds like Nick Saban’s team will be ready for this game. Both Bryce Young and Will Anderson will play even though nobody would have blamed them if they wanted to sit out and protect themselves for the upcoming NFL Draft.

Kansas State doesn’t quite have the athletes that Alabama has. One thing you can’t take away from the Wildcats is the fundamentals and attention to detail that they play with. Deuce Vaughn is a tremendous running back and Will Howard has found some comfort at quarterback after taking over for Adrian Martinez. Working in their favor is the Alabama defense doesn’t quite squeeze the life out of their opponents as we have seen in the past.

Having said that, I still think Alabama is the right side in this game. Even though he might have not quite lived up to the expectations coming into the year, I think Anderson has a big game to put a little more juice behind his name ahead of the draft. Jahmyr Gibbs is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches that ball, and I think he goes for over 100 yards and a couple of scores as the Crimson Tide win by double digits.

Alabama 38, Kansas State 24


Music City Bowl: Iowa (-2) v. Kentucky - Saturday 12/31 12:00 p.m. - ABC

After the Titans had to use their third-string quarterback on Thursday night against the Cowboys, neither starting quarterback from either team will play in this game. We know Iowa will start third-string quarterback Joe Labas since Spencer Petras won’t be playing in this game and Alex Padilla is in the transfer portal. Kentucky’s Will Levis has already opted out of this game, leaving either a couple of freshmen or an Iowa transfer to take the snaps. As if that wasn’t enough, running backs Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Kavosiey Smoke won’t play for the Wildcats.

These teams met in the Citrus Bowl with Kentucky beating the Hawkeyes 20-17 on the first day of 2022. Now they’ll close out the year with another defensive slugfest. This time I think Iowa wins a low-scoring affair. It sounds like there is a bit of excitement amongst Hawkeyes fans since Labas will play. Then again, the bar is low when it comes to quarterback play in Iowa City.

Iowa 20, Kentucky 13


ReliaQuest Bowl: No. 22 Mississippi State (-1.5) v. Illinois - Monday 1/2 12:00 p.m. - ESPN2

Are you picking against a Mississippi State team that will put forth a spirited effort after the death of Mike Leach? I’m certainly not. The Bulldogs will certainly want to honor their coach with a great performance to close out the year. Also, Mississippi State won’t have to worry about trying to stop Illinois running back Chase Brown, who opted out of this game. Without Brown, Illinois has a hard time getting much going on offense.

Mississippi State 31, Illinois 20


Cotton Bowl Classic: No. 16 Tulane v. No. 10 USC (-2) - Monday 1/2 1:00 p.m. - ESPN

Tulane feels a bit like Utah light. They have some pop on offense and a really tough defense. The Green Wave did have a bit of trouble stopping the run, averaging 153 yards per game on the ground this year, but the Trojans lost a key part of their running game earlier this year when Travis Dye was injured.

USC obviously had bigger aspirations at the end of the year. Had the Trojans not laid an egg against the Utes in Las Vegas, they would be playing in the College Football Playoff. Now USC will be without wide receiver Jordan Addison for this game after he opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft. Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams will play in this game but the last time we saw him he was obviously dealing with some injuries. Plus, we have seen how Heisman winners sometimes come out flat after hitting the banquet circuit.

Tulane is going to throw everything they have at USC in this game. I’m not convinced the Trojans have the mental toughness to handle it. Alex Grinch is such a bad defensive coordinator that it feels like the Green Wave can do whatever they want because they are so sound on offense. I’ll take Willie Fritz’s team to cap off an incredible turnaround after going 2-10 in 2021 with one of the biggest wins in school history.

Tulane 34, USC 27


Citrus Bowl: No. 17 LSU (-14.5) v. Purdue - Monday 1/2 1:00 p.m. - ABC

At first, this feels like a lot of points to be laying, especially with the way LSU played in their last two games, losing at Texas A&M and in the SEC Championship Game to Georgia. Then you look at what Purdue will have available in this game. Quarterback Aidan O’Connell, wide receiver Charlie Jones, and tight end Payne Durham have all opted out of this game. As if that wasn’t enough, head coach Jeff Brohm took the Louisville job, which leaves Drew Brees as the interim head coach in this game.

I just don’t feel good about backing Purdue in this game since they’ll be without their three best guys on offense. Jayden Daniels has had some time to get healthy and he should be able to throw the Boilermakers for some loops with his ability to throw and run. If the Tigers get up by a couple of touchdowns it’s hard to see Purdue having the horses to be able to keep LSU from running away with this game.

LSU 41, Purdue 21


Rose Bowl: No. 11 Penn State v. No. 8 Utah (-2) - Monday 1/2 5:00 p.m. - ESPN

Penn State isn’t getting the respect they deserve ahead of this game. The two losses the Nittany Lions suffered this year came to Michigan and Ohio State, with both of those teams playing in the College Football Playoff. Now the Nittany Lions will try and end quarterback Sean Clifford’s 61-year career at Penn State with a victory.

Utah does have some recent experience in Pasadena, taking Ohio State to the limit on the first day of 2022. This isn’t quite the same Utah team we saw in last year’s Rose Bowl. The Utes will be without running back Tavion Thomas and tight end Dalton Kincaid, putting even more pressure on quarterback Cam Rising. The Utah defense has to be breathing just a little easier since Penn State wide receiver Parker Washington won’t be playing in this game.

Unlike USC, Penn State does have some toughness. The Utes were able to run over the Trojans in the Pac-12 Championship Game because USC is soft. The Nittany Lions have been through some wars in the Big Ten, so they won’t be scared to not only take some hits but also dish them out. For the second year in a row, Utah comes up short in the “Granddaddy of Them All” against a Big Ten team in Pasadena.

Penn State 35, Utah 31


Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 TCU v. No. 2 Michigan (-7.5) - Saturday 12/31 4:00 p.m. - ESPN

Just a few years ago who would have thought Jim Harbaugh would lead the Wolverines to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances? I know I certainly didn’t. For a while, it looked like Harbaugh was trying to fit a square peg in a round hole but he has really gotten things to work in Ann Arbor. I thought the Wolverines might take a step back this year after how many players they lost to the NFL. Luckily for Michigan fans, I’ve made quite a habit of being wrong about their program.

TCU played with a lot of fire late in the season, and it burned them in the Big 12 Championship Game when they lost to Kansas State in overtime. Luckily for the Horned Frogs, the loss didn’t keep them out of the College Football Playoff. Max Duggan had a great season, throwing 30 touchdowns while running back Kendre Miller ran for 1,342 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Where TCU is a bit lacking is with their defense. Even though Michigan is going to be without Blake Corum, Donovan Edwards has proven he can handle the workload at running back. Just look at what he did in the fourth quarter in Columbus last month where he uncorked a couple of long touchdown runs to seal the victory for the Wolverines. The Horned Frogs feel a bit more like a finesse team, and we all saw how that worked out for Ohio State against Michigan. TCU might hit a couple of shots early, I just don’t think it’ll be enough as the Wolverines wear down Sonny Dykes’ team.

Michigan 37, TCU 23


Peach Bowl: No. 4 Ohio State v. No. 1 Georgia (-6.5) - Saturday 12/31 8:00 p.m. - ESPN

We have finally made it to this game! I’m already having PTSD from Ohio State playing on New Year’s Eve and getting shutout against Clemson in Arizona in a semifinal and hoping we aren’t in for something similar in Atlanta to close out 2022. This has been such a strange season for the Buckeyes. After watching years of terrible Buffalo Bills football, I’m still trying to wrap my head around feeling so miserable about a team that has only lost one game.

Of course, that one loss came in the biggest game of the season (so far) when Michigan ran away from the Buckeyes in the fourth quarter last month. Before The Game, I was thinking some of the criticisms of Ryan Day were a little unfair. I can’t say as much anymore. Luckily for Day, he has a chance to redeem himself. Ohio State’s head coach and the rest of the coaching staff better have been locked inside their offices for the last month just eating tape and coming up with the perfect game plan for Georgia.

The Bulldogs are certainly a scary team, but I think they are able to be beaten, though. There are a few things Ohio State must do to upset the defending national champs. Miyan Williams has to be a big part of Saturday night’s game plan. The Buckeyes need to get some sort of running game going to keep Georgia guessing. I’m begging Day and Kevin Wilson to mix in some Dallan Hayden on the ground. Hayden is a great compliment to Williams, as he brings some speed and elusiveness while Williams is a bruising back.

Can J.T. Tuimoloau please repeat his performance against Penn State? Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, Zach Harrison, and the rest of the defensive line have to get in Stetson Bennett’s face early. I know Bennett is 27-3 as a starter and has seen pretty much everything on the football field, but Ohio State has to make him uncomfortable and hurry his throws. There has to be a bit of a fine line though since the Buckeyes have to create pressure without sacrificing their coverage, which we saw Michigan exploit.

Even though the players and coaches are different, we’ve seen this play out before. Ohio State was an underdog against Alabama in the first College Football Playoff and went out and shocked the world. The Buckeyes are going to have to work insanely hard to keep Jalen Carter and the rest of the Georgia defense off C.J. Stroud, but it’s not impossible. I think Ohio State uses the chip on its shoulder to its advantage and sets up a rematch with Michigan. Day gives himself and his team a chance for revenge.

Ohio State 31, Georgia 27

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

Continue reading...

Herb Kirkstreit said:

Better Cheddars

Click to expand...

You win.

Play Like a Girl Podcast: Breaking down the keys to beating Georgia
meganhusslein 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’s Peach Bowl week! And apparently there are some other CFB games, too.

On LGHL’s “Play Like a Girl” podcast, Megan Husslein and Jami Jurich welcome in friends from around the LGHL, Ohio State, and sporting worlds to talk about everything from Ohio State sports to advocacy for women in sports and all the happenings in between.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio


The time has finally come: Ohio State plays Georgia this Saturday in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. On this episode, Megan and Jami discuss the major storylines heading into the College Football Playoff semifinal, and what the Buckeyes need to do in order to upset the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs.

The duo also discusses TCU’s chances against Michigan (they’re not great), talk about a few other bowl games, and the latest transfer portal news. Sam Hartman to Notre Dame, anyone?


Contact Megan Husslein
Twitter: @meganhusslein

Contact Jami Jurich
Twitter: @JamiJurich

Continue reading...

Injuries shift Buckeyes women’s basketball to “point guard by committee”
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

What the point guard spot looks like without either starting player available.

Losing a basketball team’s starting guard to injury is hard to overcome. Losing both starting-caliber facilitators is a whole different level. That’s the environment at UConn, losing top-ranked Azzi Fudd on Dec. 7 for three-to-six weeks and college superstar Paige Bueckers for the season with an ACL tear.

It doesn’t get the same attention as the Conn-sphere, but the Ohio State Buckeyes women’s basketball team is going through similar problems. Now, the Scarlet & Gray prepare for the start of their toughest stretch of the year, and they’re doing it in a different way.

The 2022-23 season started off like a dream for the Buckeyes at point guard. Senior guard Jacy Sheldon amassed 27 steals in the first four games, led the Buckeyes past a No. 5 seed Tennessee Volunteers and was the catalyst for the start of Ohio State’s best start to a season in 11 years.

Then, Sheldon went down with a lower leg injury, missing two games before returning for the ACC/B1G Challenge against the Louisville Cardinals. As is the case of every game the Buckeyes have played this year, it ended with a victory, but it created a loss for Ohio State. Sheldon hasn’t played since that Nov. 30 win in Kentucky.

Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Jacy Sheldon (center) hasn’t played a game in December.

It’s not ideal, but the Scarlet & Gray had Madison Greene — a redshirt junior who started for the Buckeyes in the 2020-21 season before requiring season ending knee surgery in the week leading up to the start of the 2021-22 season. Greene didn’t bring the same out-of-this-world number of steals as Sheldon, but brought a steady defensive presence, assists on offense and better control of the ball than any other Buckeye.

The starter turned back-up turned back into a starter, leading the way in seven games before Dec. 20. That’s when Greene went down clutching her knee in the final minutes of regulation against the USF Bulls. Within a minute of hitting a deficit-cutting three, Greene was in serious pain on the court, with teammates in tears near the scorers table and on the bench.

Wednesday, head coach Kevin McGuff announced after the Buckeyes’ 81-48 victory over Northwestern that Greene’s done for the remainder of the season. Also, there’s no sure timetable for Sheldon’s return, although it’s likely this season. Those injuries create a hole for the Scarlet & Gray, but so far coach McGuff’s “point guard by committee” is working.

That’s what the coach McGuff calls Ohio State’s current position at point guard. Unlike UConn, the Buckeyes don’t have a star-studded list of five-star recruits at the position. Instead, they have a pair of guards who bring different skillsets to the role. The primary name being Rikki Harris.

Greene’s injury put the Buckeyes in a tough position. Ohio State had less than 24 hours to incorporate another point guard, with a match-up against the then No. 16 Oregon Ducks looming, but Harris stepped up. The Indianapolis, Indiana area guard had eight assists in the 84-67 win over the Ducks, a career high.

That continued after the holiday break against the Wildcats. Harris had eight points, eight rebounds and six assists. Ohio State features two underclassmen in the starting lineup, so it’s assumed that it’s tough for them to adjust to the revolving door at point guard, but it’s the opposite.

“She’s (Harris) a really good playmaker,” said sophomore forward/guard Taylor Thierry. “She’s able to handle the ball, look up the court and see who’s open. Just a really good facilitator and its helpful. It showed in this game.”

That facilitation comes with Harris turning off any of the ego, or missing the chance to be more of a point-scorer. She’s making her young teammates better.

“She also puts a lot of trust in us,” said freshman forward Cotie McMahon. “She wants us to get the bucket more so than herself. That’s really good to have as a point guard.“

Another good thing to have as a point guard is Taylor Mikesell playing alongside you. That’s what Harris has but lately, Mikesell’s role has changed. When Harris goes to the bench to rest, Mikesell’s sliding into the point guard role and its paying dividends. Mikesell’s had nine assists in the two games since Greene’s injury. Also, nine steals and 14 rebounds. It’s a surprise for everyone except for the people she sees day in and day out — her teammates.

“We all know she’s a great shooter but it goes back to what I was saying about we’re all versatile,” said Thierry. “We all can do multiple things and today it showed she was able to execute in other areas.”

That versatility Thierry talks about spreads across the roster too. The five starters for Ohio State all move around the offensive side of the court, can shoot from deep and force turnovers on defense.

This means, at least on the surface, the Buckeyes aren’t showing any panic. Instead, players are stepping up to the challenge. To the team, it’s no big deal.

“We practice with Rikki (Harris) at the one, T-Mike (Mikesell) at the one, Rikki at the two, T-Mike at the two, so we’ve all seen different kinds of positions, we’re all kind of used to it,” said McMahon. “It’s nothing major. It has been a little bit of an adjustment, but nothing too crazy.”

Now, the committee of the Buckeyes welcome their biggest test when the Michigan Wolverines come to town on New Year’s Eve. Win and maybe it isn’t such a big deal?

Continue reading...

In Conversation Podcast: Finding comps for Ohio State football players on women’s basketball team
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK | Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images

LGHL’s women’s basketball beat writer Thomas Costello joins the pod to draw comparisons between the two highly rated teams.

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 | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio


On this very unique episode, Land-Grant Holy Land’s Matt Tamanini and Thomas Costello take a look at two of Ohio State’s most highly rated and highest profile teams and look to draw some comparisons between their rosters.

On Saturday, Dec. 31, the No. 3 Ohio State women’s basketball team will host No. 14 Michigan at 1 p.m. ET looking to get revenge having lost three straight in the series. Then, later that night at 8 p.m. ET, the No. 4 Ohio State football team will look to rebound from a second-straight loss to Michigan as they take on the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff Semifinals.

So, if Buckeye fans are unfamiliar with some of the talents on the WBB roster, Saturday is a perfect opportunity to embrace one of the best teams in the country. So, Matt has picked five of the most popular OSU football players and Thomas is going to try and find a women’s basketball player who has a similar background and traits to make it easy for predominantly football fans to find their favorite women’s basketball player


Connect with Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt

Connect with Thomas:
Twitter: @1ThomasCostello

Continue reading...

Georgia Defensive Player to Watch: Defensive lineman Jalen Carter
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Carter was one of only a few impactful players up front who returned for the defending champs, but their defense has not skipped a beat.

Ryan Day’s Ohio State Buckeyes are heading into the belly of the beast on New Year’s Eve, as they look to knock off Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs in the defending champs’ own backyard. As if UGA needed any additional help, this year’s Peach Bowl is being played in Atlanta, creating an inherent home field advantage for the Dawgs.

But a team as talented as the one from Columbus, OH should never be counted out. The Big Ten underdogs have an opportunity to shock the college football world, but it will take an aggressive gameplan and 60 minutes of high-level execution.


Both (gameplan and execution) failed OSU in their last game — a defeat at the hands of TTUN. Now they will face a team which, frankly, needs no help in beating opponents senseless. So the Buckeyes must evaluate and address what failed them in late November, on both sides of the ball.

From a defensive perspective, Ohio State coaches, players, and even fans know that big plays – or “explosives” – were at fault for their loss to the Wolverines. Great. Now that we’ve all pointed out the obvious, how does OSU prevent those big plays from becoming long, back-breaking touchdowns?

Georgia is basically just a souped-up version of the other Big Ten team in this College Football Playoff, so Jim Knowles’ gameplan will likely not differ that much from the one we saw in November. However, that poor performance was primarily a result of horrendous execution and failed assignments — not some half-brained plan of attack. If the Buckeyes eliminate mental mistakes and shore up their tackling, I believe that Knowles’ defense can at least limit the effectiveness of any offense in this CFP. Easier said than done though, especially against the Bulldogs.

Offensively, Ohio State’s recent struggles are much harder to swallow. A unit led by quarterback and Heisman finalist C.J. Stroud and loaded with skill position stars such as Marvin Harrison Jr. should never have trouble scoring points. But this OSU offense, despite being ranked No. 2 nationally in points (scored) per game, has not been consistently crisp down the stretch.

The Northwestern game was a slog, the trip to Maryland left much to be desired, and the second half against TTUN was... shocking? Confusing? An abject failure? Call it whatever you like, but Day’s offense looked completely lost. And as a result, the Buckeyes will now be tasked with rediscovering their swagger against one of the best defenses in college football.

Georgia ranks No. 8 nationally in total defense and No. 2 in scoring defense. This, after the team lost their top four tacklers from a season ago — in addition to first overall draft pick Travon Walker and fellow first-rounder Jordan Davis. The amount of pure talent UGA has on that side of the ball is truly absurd.

But the Bulldogs are not without subtle flaws. They are tied with Ohio State in team interceptions – putting them outside the top-50 – and sometimes struggle to get after the quarterback. Smart’s defense has totaled just 26 sacks in 13 games, ranking outside the top-75. Sure, they don’t have to blitz a ton to be effective, and sacks are not entirely reflective of pressure created, but still... this defense bleeds. The players are human.

With the possible exception of defensive lineman Jalen Carter.


A candidate to go first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, Carter is one of the more impressive athletes you will ever find — on a football field or elsewhere. This 6-foot-3, 300-pound destroyer of dreams might even turn out to be a mutant disguised as a Georgia Bulldog, but at the very least, he is the closest thing to Aaron Donald since... well, AD himself. Regardless of whether or not he is a legitimate Space Jam monstar, we do know this much to be true about Carter: He is undeniably good at football, cementing his status as the Peach Bowl’s Defensive Player to Watch.

Hailing from the Sunshine State, Carter was a five-star recruit in the 2020 class. 247Sports ranked him as the No. 3 defensive tackle and No. 18 player overall, leading to no shortage of suitors for his elite services. Interestingly enough, Carter rose in national recruiting rankings despite making the switch from offense to defense prior to his senior season. That’s right. This big man was primarily a tight end until 2019! Florida schools were obviously in on Carter, but he could likely smell their respective dumpster fires from his own backyard. So the freak athlete committed to Georgia, joining a dynamic defensive core.

As a true freshman, Carter played in all 10 games (pandemic) and earned two starts. Pretty impressive, considering he belonged to the same position group as older players like Devonte Wyatt, Travon Walker, and the aforementioned Davis. But there were plenty of reps to go around, and Carter earned his fair share. He finished with just 14 total tackles, but an impressive 13 QB pressures. His impact was felt and clearly noticeable, leading to an increased role as part of an otherworldly 2021 UGA defense.

Led by five first-round draft picks, the Bulldogs surrendered a paltry 10.2 PPG last season. Carter was consistently involved in the action, despite again splitting reps. Not even listed as a full-time starter due to his team’s ridiculous rotation, the star sophomore was still a fixture in opponents’ backfields, racking up 8.5 tackles for loss and 33 QB pressures. Carter “only” added three sacks, but that is not what his game is about. He is a space-eating, block-deflecting, gap-shooting disruptor. His mere presence on the field makes 10 other players exponentially better. And last year, he managed to stand out on a defense which featured a 2004 Miami-level collection of talent.

Georgia obviously won last year’s CFP, and though that could cause some championship-winning returnees tend to rest on their laurels, Carter has returned with a vengeance, leading the Bulldogs’ 2022 defense (and repeat title chase). In 11 games played, big #88 has totaled 29 tackles and 7.5 TFL, while also forcing two fumbles.

But remember, as an interior defensive lineman, he is not likely to stuff the stat sheet with traditional “counting” stats. He is a disruptor and a run stuffer, with the added ability to rush if/when called upon. His presence in the middle of the defensive line has helped UGA limit opponents to an average of 77 rushing yards pre game. And this is with virtually no returning experience up front, outside of Carter.

He has been a one-man wrecking crew; one who will absolutely challenge the Ohio State front throughout this weekend’s Peach Bowl.


It is not hyperbole to say that Jalen Carter might be a generational talent. Credit goes to his coaches as well, but we’re talking about an interior defensive lineman who significantly impacts (and sometimes even changes) his opponent’s entire gameplan. And he has continued to do so, despite losing five first-round teammates from a year ago! Carter and Kelee Ringo are the next guys up, and I would not be surprised if the block-shedding, hard-hitting, quarterback-lifting lineman is drafted first overall in late April.

It is not a stretch to say that Ryan Day’s team will have its hands full on Saturday night. But Ohio State is just as talented as the defending champs — if not more so. Their chance of success will hinge on gameplan and execution, as well as their ability to limit the effectiveness of Georgia’s stars. Carter is certainly one of them, so much will be asked of Justin Frye’s position group. But I have faith in the boys up front. And I have faith in the Buckeyes. It feels like Ohio against the world, so here’s hoping the Scarlet and Gray can make a run another special run as an underdog 4-seed.

Go Bucks!

Continue reading...