Battleground Columbus: Clash of The Blue Blood Programs
Richard Tongohan via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



Welcome Home, but

As another offseason draws to a close, we are three days away from the start of the 2022 CFB season. Excitement is definitely in the air and this year will feature a pair of Buckeye great for a homecoming of sorts against Notre Dame.

Former Buckeye stars Coach Freeman and Coach Laurinaitus will return home donning the Irish green and gold. They will also be looking to upset the Buckeyes in each of their debuts.

Coach Freeman coming off of a successful year got the head coaching job after Coach Kelly departed for LSU. He then hired his old teammate Laurinaitus as a Graduate Assistant for the defense.

The Goal is Disruption

This will be a big test for the Buckeyes, who suffered two losses last year to stout defenses with talent on the edge. This time around they face the All-American, Isaiah Foskey.

Aside from Foskey, the front seven is solid and they will look to disrupt Coach Day’s offense. On the backend, there might be a few question marks, but we shall see how they fare.

Stroud has JSN and friends on the perimeter, the chimera of RB’s and a mystery at TE. If they can stop the run and make the new starters on the perimeter outside of JSN make plays, there is a chance.

Offensive Adversity?

ND just named Tyler Buchner the starter at Quarterback. He will lead this years offense and is a bit of a mystery.

Joining him in the backfield are Chris Tyree and Logan Diggs. They will be leaned on to change things up and to lessen the offensive burden on Buchner.

The reason? The injury bug has taken away two of his veteran options at WR after losing Avery Davis (ACL) and Joe Wilkins Jr. (foot). Luckily they have Michale Mayer at TE to help lift the offense.

Buckeye Defensive Resurgence?

After a disastrous defensive showing in 2021, there is a ton of anticipation for the 2022 version. Resurgence or Regression? Feast or famine?

With an embarrassment of talent and a new defensive coach, they made the necessary changes to repair a struggling defense that often underperformed.

With a young team with a new QB, WR’s and RB’s they should be able to contain things, but the risk of the unknown is something to keep an eye on. The Irish have a star TE in Mayer, so things will get interesting.

This is a certain group, but there will be a few new faces that will find ways into the game. This will be the test to hopefully set the tone on this side of the ball for the entire year.

Offensive Firepower

The offense will be deadly again with the return of CJ Stroud at QB. The trio of Henderson, Williams and Hayden will be a threat and JSN returns to lead his Zone 6 brethren to another stellar year.

You would think losing Wilson and Olave in the first round in last years draft would hurt, but Zone 6 has stockpiled a nice group of players to take over for instances like this.

Enter MHJ, Fleming and Egbuka. This is going to be a make or break year for those just mentioned. There were reports of a six-man rotation, but until I see it I’ll reserve judgment.

Cade Stover and Gee Scott Jr. are the two TE’s to keep an eye out for. Stover was voted captain and Scott will be a matchup nightmare in the seams.

Definitely excited and could go on and on but I’ll cut it short. I can talk about the obvious, but the unknowns are what intrigues me. Breakout candidates galore.

Finally, this O-Line will have to be aggressive and consistent to have any succes at crating balance with play calling. They will be raked to stop the All-American and his fiends from harassing Stroud and his teammates.

Predictions:

1. The defense shows dramatic improvement under Knowles (at least 1 INT and 1 sack; 4 TFL’s)
2. The offensive line dominates the LOS (at least 100 yards rushing & 280 yards passing)
3. A few players breakout and/or show flashes (Egbuka/Fleming/Scott on offense & JTT/Sawyer/Hancock on defense)

Final Score:

42-20 Ohio State Buckeyes defeat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

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Column: Notre Dame is a must-win for Ohio State, but the reasons are strange
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 Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Related, it’s helpful to set expectations.

There are few opportunities for hiccups in today’s college football landscape. Ohio State, as we well remember, barely made the College Football Playoff in 2014 after a single, early loss.

What does that mean for this Saturday’s matchup against No. 5 Notre Dame? Ohio State has to win. Obviously. Or maybe not so much.

Granted, it’s hard to extrapolate this data for Ohio State, because the Buckeyes simply do not have that many losses. Ryan Day has amassed a 34-4 record through four full seasons at Ohio State (plus three games in 2018). Last season was by far the worst showing a Day-coached team has had, and the Buckeyes remained in the playoff discussion until the bitter end.

The Buckeyes have made the College Football Playoff four total times. In 2014 and 2016, Ohio State made the Playoff after losing to unranked Virginia Tech and Penn State teams, respectively. Of course, Penn State ended up running the table in the Big Ten in 2016.

The other two times Ohio State made the CFP, they were undefeated (2019 and 2020). Those undefeated seasons sure make it easy for the CFP committee to make their selections.

However, the times Ohio State has missed the Playoff included:

• 2015: Loss to No. 9 Michigan State
• 2017: Losses to No. 5 Oklahoma and unranked Iowa
• 2018: Loss to unranked Purdue
• 2021: Losses to No. 12 Oregon and No. 5 Michigan

Early losses are generally more forgivable than ones later in the season. In 2021, even with an early loss to Oregon, Ohio State was in the Playoff conversation leading up to November’s loss to Michigan. The narrative was that the winner of that game, assuming a follow-up win in the Big Ten Championship, would be Playoff-bound. In other words, the early loss didn’t matter so much.

When it comes to forgivable losses, the opponent also plays a role — but it’s not as clear-cut as you might think. When Ohio State loses to a highly ranked team that loses games throughout the season (like last year’s Oregon team), Ohio State’s initial loss tends to matter less. That’s because the CFP committee doesn’t want to see rematches in the Playoff between two teams that remained highly ranked — unless, of course, it’s two SEC teams. Cue eye roll.

Losing to a highly ranked opponent clearly positions Ohio State behind the other team, but losing to an unranked opponent means Ohio State had a bad day.

Take Ohio State’s loss to Purdue in 2018 compared to its loss to Michigan in 2021 as examples. Here, we have another instance where the transitive property doesn’t apply in college football. Losing to a bad team does not mean that the losing team is worse than the bad team. No one would argue that Purdue was a better team than Ohio State in 2018. The Boilermakers finished the season 6-7, including a 5-4 conference mark. Ohio State, meanwhile, wrapped the season with Purdue as its only loss. Ultimately, the Buckeyes beat Washington in the Rose Bowl.

Meanwhile, against Michigan, two teams with similar records and rankings were essentially racked-and-stacked against one another. In short, a loss meant Ohio State was the comparatively worse team in 2021.

Perhaps it’s because teams like Purdue are not in the consideration set for the College Football Playoff year in and year out. When Michigan played Iowa for the Big Ten Championship last year, there was only discussion of Michigan wins and they’re in. There was little consideration of the Hawkeyes making a Playoff run. We saw a similar discussion, or lack thereof, around Northwestern in 2020.

Some of that has to do with the record. The Hawkeyes had two regular-season, in-conference losses. It would be hard to make an argument for them to go to the CFP. But branding plays a big part, too — and for brands as big as Ohio State, the story tends to revolve around them. Again, the narrative around the loss to Purdue was how Ohio State had a bad day.

This brings us to expectations. The over-under for Ohio State regular season wins is just 10.5, which is absurdly low. The Buckeyes are one of just six teams favored to win all their games and the only team in the Big Ten.

Knock on wood, but Ryan Day has not dropped the ball on regular season games in the same way Urban Meyer seemed to. Sure, losses for both coaches have been few and far between, but it takes a high level of discipline to do what Day has in his tenure at Ohio State. The closest Day has come to such a loss, in many ways, was the Buckeyes’ loss to Oregon last season — and even that is a stretch.

The curse of having a team as great as Ohio State is that anything less than 11 regular season wins means a disappointing year. While the CFP committee might forgive an early loss to a Notre Dame team over the course of a season, Ohio State fans will remember. And, as a result, Saturday is a must-win for the fanbase.

Moreover, it’s a heck of a lot easier to make the College Football Playoff as an undefeated conference champion.

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Columbus, Ohio State welcome NCAA in hopes of hosting another Women’s Final Four
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Greater Columbus Sports Commission on Twitter @ColumbusSports

The Greater Columbus Sports Commission welcomes the NCAA in a site visit, part of the process to secure a spot on the 2027-31 calendar.

Apr. 1, 2018, the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Mississippi State Bulldogs sat level at 58-58 with three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The Fighting Irish inbounded the ball, finding guard Arike Agunbowale who drained a three, sending a sellout crowd to its feet and earning Notre Dame their second National Championship. Now, in 2022, Columbus is trying to earn a second championship of its own, bidding for another spot on the NCAA Final Four calendar.

Tuesday, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, a group responsible for elevating sports in — and attracting sports to — Central Ohio, ended a two-day tour of the city with an NCAA Site Committee. Columbus is one of seven finalist cities working towards earning one of the five available National Championship Final Four tournaments from 2027 to 2031.

“We were very proud of the tournament that was here in 2018,” said Linda Logan, CEO of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission. “We all know that we can never rest on our laurels. So, as a community, and the team that’s surrounding us today, they really put their arms together to elevate the experience, we’ve been able to showcase a lot of things that are new.”

During the site visit, the commission took the NCAA committee through new spots around the city. New professional soccer stadium Lower.com Field, the home of Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, the new Hilton Tower opening in two weeks, and a trail of other updates highlighted by tour guides with stickers placed around the city; all located at renovations and additions since the last time the city hosted the NCAA.

In 2018, Columbus sold out all three games, rolled out a literal red carpet (for the first time in tournament history), and broke market ratings and social media engagement numbers, helping the continued growth of women’s basketball.

When you look at the growth and trajectory of women’s sports in the last 10-15 years, specifically the women’s basketball championship and our women’s Final Four,” said Lynn Holzman, Vice President for NCAA Women’s Basketball. “We continue to be very very bullish around what’s happening around our championship.”

Part of that bullishness is what the NCAA committee asks of potential hosts. Columbus, and the six other finalists, are all on board with hosting not only the Division I championship but Divisions II and III. In 2016, Indianapolis, Indiana played host to all three NCAA championships, with Dallas, TX following suit in 2023.

If chosen, Columbus could become the third city to host all three. It gives student-athletes from each division the chance at a Division I experience – playing in an arena and all the fanfare that comes along with it.

There is a slight wrinkle in the process. Ohio is hosting another Women’s Final Four, in Cleveland, Ohio in 2024. It doesn’t mean that it’s impossible, as there’s no known rule within the committee to avoid a certain state due to frequency. However, a six-year gap between the 2018 Columbus edition and Cleveland’s 2024 hosting could mean that Columbus is scheduled to host a final, but not till later in the five-year planning process.

Even so, the tournament bid has something that not a lot of other cities do – the backing of the Ohio State University.

“The Ohio State University (note I used the correct title there) they have a great track record in supporting NCAA championships and obviously have a very successful athletic program,” said Holzman. “With the leadership of its president, Gene Smith its athletic director, they’ve continued to invest and support NCAA championships and also in particular the women’s basketball championship.”

In December 2021, Ohio State, in partnership with Nationwide Arena, hosted the NCAA Women’s Volleyball National Championship. The Buckeyes were also part of the 2018 basketball finals and have recently hosted bowling and swimming & diving collegiate title events.

In addition to the Buckeyes are the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League. After all, the games would be hosted in the Blue Jackets’ arena, a venue that Nationwide Arena leadership sees as a space for the community to highlight the city. The arena’s going through updates, as evidenced by Tuesday’s media availability with the sound of construction on the suite levels as the tour came to its end.

By the time any games would tip, the arena is likely to have updates that aren’t even planned yet with the first games not happening for at least five years.

It is a long game when bidding on a tournament of this magnitude, but the city could know soon where they stand in the running. Columbus was halfway through the site visit process, with only a few cities remaining for the NCAA selection committee.

Columbus is competing with San Antonio, Dallas, Tampa, Portland, Sacramento, and Indianapolis to host.

In mid-November, the final seven cities descend on Indianapolis, Indiana to make their final presentations. From there, the committee decides the tournament’s fate. It could take days or weeks for a decision to be handed down and longer to become public. Either way, by the end of 2022, Columbus should know where they stand.

If 2018 is any measure of Columbus’ chances of hosting again, they make a compelling argument to run the tournament back in Central Ohio.

“We could not do it without communities, hosts, and places like Columbus that have supported this championship in the past,” said Holzman. “As we look forward to the future, we’re excited about what that holds.”

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Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: Previewing Michigan in 2022, Ohio State’s season opener vs. Notre Dame
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 Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Buckeyes are set to kick off their season this weekend against the Fighting Irish.

The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast ‘Hangout in the Holy Land’ is here! Join LGHL’s co-managing editor Gene Ross alongside his co-host Josh Dooley as they cover everything from football to basketball to recruiting and more!

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

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


On this week’s episode, Gene and Josh wrap up their Big Ten season previews with everyone’s favorite reigning conference champions: the Michigan Wolverines. From there on the focus is all on Week 1, where Ohio State will kick of its season with a massive opener in Columbus against Notre Dame. The Buckeyes’ offense is expected to keep on humming under C.J. Stroud and his supporting cast of Uber-talented running backs and receivers, but can Jim Knowles successfully turn around an OSU defense that has been dreadful for a few years in a row? What exactly will the Fighting Irish bring to Ohio Stadium on Saturday?

“Hangout in the Holy Land” will be back to two episodes per week during the regular season, with an episode before and after each Ohio State game to give you all the preview and recap content you may need. Be sure to download and listen in wherever you get your podcasts, and leave us a review on Apple to let us know your thoughts and how we can make things even better!

You can also follow us on Twitter @HolyLandPod, where we will want to hear from you guys even more! If there’s anything you’d like us to talk about on the show, @ us and let us know!

As always, Go Bucks.


Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @HolyLandPod

Connect with Gene:
Twitter: @Gene_Ross23

Connect with Josh
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye

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Why is this News? All the articles and tweets Buckeye fans need for August 31, 2022
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.

Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.

Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.

You’re welcome!

For your Earholes...


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

Ask LGHL


Introducing ‘Ask LGHL,’ asking and answering questions throughout the football season
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land

LGHL Asks: Buckeye fans predict how Ohio State’s season will go; needless to say, they think it will go well.
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land

On the Gridiron


Three Takeaways as Buckeyes ramp up for Notre Dame (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes

‘This team is hungry’: OSU ready for opener vs. No. 5 Notre Dame
Bill Rabinowitz, The Columbus Dispatch

Practice Report: Confident Buckeyes locked in, set to unveil offseason changes in opener
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row

Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Says Ohio State “Wants to Be Great” and Has “A Lot to Prove,” Jim Knowles Says Buckeye Defense Is “100% Ready” for Notre Dame
Griffin Strom, Eleven Warriors

Other than Clemson, I feel like Barrett stole my predictions!


Ohio State names Kyle McCord backup quarterback for Notre Dame
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch

Jim Knowles, Buckeyes expecting defensive line to ‘attack,’ have major impact (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row

Knowles notes: Ohio State DC on preparing for Notre Dame’s first-time starting QB
Dave Biddle, Bucknuts


Will Allen, Michael Doss to unveil sculpture to honor 2002 OSU team
Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch

Members of 2002 Ohio State football team to appear on ‘College GameDay’
Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch

Column: Big Ten needs to stop letting Notre Dame have its cake and eat it too
Jami Jurich, Land-Grant Holy Land

Jim Knowles is such a weird dude, and I love it.


Column: The Buckeyes won’t crumble under pressure this season and this is why
Megan Husslein, Land-Grant Holy Land

C.J. Stroud’s legs could unlock even more for potent Ohio State offense (paywall)
Bill Landis, Dotting the Eyes

You’re Nuts: Who scores the first touchdown of the season for Ohio State?
Brett Ludwiczak and Meredith Hein, Land-Grant Holy Land


51 Ohio State Players Make Initial 53-Man Rosters for 2022 NFL Season
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors

Cardale Jones in mentorship role for Ohio State commit, prospect
Matt Parker, Lettermen Row

On the Hardwood


Column: Make Covelli Center the home of Ohio State women’s basketball
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land

Outside the Shoe and Schott


Men’s Soccer: Wootton Named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week
Gaurav Law, The Lantern

And now for something completely different...


This one gets me every time.


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Five-star defensive end from California to visit this weekend
Bret Favachio via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Matayo Uiagalelei | 247Sports

The Buckeyes will play host to yet another big-time visitor on Saturday with a five-star making his way to Columbus from California.

Just a few days after learning that 2023 five-star defensive end Keon Keeley of Berkeley Prep (FL) would be in attendance for this weekend’s contest against Notre Dame, another highly-coveted defensive prospect was confirmed as a visitor on Tuesday. Plus, head coach Ryan Day briefly discussed the upcoming recruiting weekend in Columbus.

Uiagalelei to visit for ND game


As expected, Ohio State will indeed get a weekend visit from 2023 five-star defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei of St. John Bosco (CA) as confirmed on Tuesday by 247Sports Greg Biggins.


The weekend visit from Uiagalelei to the Buckeyes campus will be the first trip to Columbus since taking an official visit to the program back in June. That means the upcoming stop at Ohio State will be on the Bellflower natives own dime, further showing the major interest he has in the program.

Uiagalelei is part of a highly-coveted trio of defensive lineman for 2023 that includes the aforementioned Keeley and four-star EDGE Damon Wilson of Venice (FL) that will get a first hand viewing of the Buckeyes new look defense. A positive visit for Ohio State would be one that could ultimately give them some momentum in this recruitment with Alabama, Oregon, and USC also very much in-play.

The 6-foot-5, 265-pounder is currently graded as a Top 10 prospect in the class at No. 8 overall, Uiagalelei also slots in as the second highest graded edge defender and the third best prospect from the state of California.

Day talks recruiting weekend


It has been no secret for some time now that the weekend contest against Notre Dame would be a major recruiting event for the Buckeyes. It seems that each passing day another blue-chip prospect gets added to the visitor list and head coach Ryan Day noted as much on Tuesday when meeting with the media.

“We are going to have a big number here,” Day said. “We have a lot of people flying in from different parts of the country. They play on Friday night, and they’re able to come in on Saturday because it’s a night game, so this is unique that way, and we have big numbers.”

Among the expected visitors aside from the three mentioned above, Ohio State will also 20 Buckeye pledges and numerous elite level 2024 prospects including five-star linebacker Sammy Brown of Jefferson (GA), five-star athlete Joshisa Trader of Chaminade-Madonna Prep (FL), and five-star wide receiver Ryan Wingo of St. Louis University (MO), among many others.

“I think most of the conversation leading up to the game has been the recruiting. Now it’s time to go play the game and just allow them the opportunity to see what an atmosphere at Ohio State is like, playing in Ohio Stadium. It’s a top 10 matchup, ESPN game, you know, just the whole atmosphere, just take it all in and then picture themselves being on that field.”

Quick Hits

• According to Travis Branham of 247Sports, 2023 four-star small forward Dailyn Swain of Columbus Africentric Early College (OH) will be making his commitment on Friday at 5:00 p.m. EST. The 6-foot-6, 170-pounder will make his choice between Arizona State, Arkansas, Clemson, Xavier, and Ohio State.

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colobuck79 said:

At least he didn’t delete the tweet. Login to view embedded media

Click to expand...

Yes, you are, Brett. Yes, you are.

LGHL Asks: Buckeye fans predict how Ohio State’s season will go; needless to say, they think it will go well.
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 Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

They also pinpoint which position group they think will show the most improvement.

Every day for the entirety of the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.

Last week, we asked you, the brilliant, incredibly insightful, stunningly beautiful, and overall good people of Buckeye Nation, what you thought the Ohio State football season would look like. Our friends at SB Nation Reacts compiled your responses and, I’ve gotta say, I love you, you easily exciteable group of homers!

Question: How do you think OSU’s season will go?



I’m not going to lie, when our annual LGHL staff predictions article comes out later this week, I too will be picking the Buckeyes to win the national championship, but I am a little surprised by how big of a margin there is between winning the natty and losing in the final.

Given how snake-bitten the fan base has been in the last few years, I thought that there would be at least a certain segment of the fandom who would consciously be guarding against setting themselves up for potential disappointment. However, I suppose the excitement of a new, confident defensive coaching staff and the return of the best offense in the sport is enough to get people over whatever psychological hangups that they might have.

I love that a combined 95% of the survey respondents have the Buckeyes at least making it to the College Football Playoffs. To be completely honest, I think at this point, it should be considered not only a disappointing season but an outright failure of a season if Ohio State doesn’t make the CFP.

Now, those types of years are bound to happen on occasion — not even Alabama makes the playoff every year (although they’re pretty darn close) — but the way that Ryan Day and company recruit, it should be considered the base minimum every year for OSU to make the playoffs. If you want to be considered in the same echelon as Alabama, it’s gotta start there.

Question 2: Which position group will have the biggest improvement?


Unlike the first question — which I knew what the top answer would be — I was unsure of how this one would shake out. New defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is also the Buckeyes’ linebacker coach, so that makes sense, but he is also known for his safety-focused schemes, which I thought might have pushed them a bit higher in the rankings.

The defensive ends are an interesting selection though, because — other than the wide receivers — that group is probably the most talent-laden in terms of recruiting profile, but they just haven’t been able to put it together since Chase Young departed for the NFL. So I could have seen Buckeye fans place them higher.

But, when it came down to it, more Ohio State fans went with the linebackers than the safeties and ends combined. I hope y’all are right!



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Stick to Sports Podcast: Should Notre Dame be allowed to play Big Ten teams? Do they have the smuggest fans?
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 Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Matt and Jami also discuss their typical college football watching traditions and expectations for the game.

Land-Grant Holy Land’s Stick to Sports is unlike any podcast you’ve heard on the Ohio State beat. Your hosts, Matt Tamanini and Jami Jurich, will (of course) talk Ohio State sports, but the primary focus of the show will be on what’s going on around the periphery, such as weird/funny happenings in college football and the sports world at large, as well as other things that keep us interested in between games.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

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


On today’s episode, Matt and Jami geek out that the college football season is finally here and the Buckeyes will be back on the field in a matter of days. They discuss their normal football-watching setups, how much of Week 0 they consumed, and their feelings about the Notre Dame game coming up on Saturday.

They also discuss how they feel about Fighting Irish fans’ general level of smugness and how it compares to that of the fans of TTUN. They also dive into whether ND should be allowed to play Big Ten teams after spurning invitations to join the league multiple times in the past two decades.

Then, as they are wont to do, they share a couple of pop culture recommendations.

Jami’s Recommendation: “A League of Their Own” series on Prime Video
Matt’s Recommendation: Season 2 of “Only Murders in the Building” (especially the finale) on Hulu


Connect with Jami Jurich
Twitter: @JamiJurich

Connect with Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt

Theme music provided by www.bensound.com

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Crump's brother said:

Does that include stoned pizza delivery guys?

Click to expand...

No.
Just food delivery services.

Column: Make Covelli Center the home of Ohio State women’s basketball
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 Graham Stokes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

How volleyball shows what could be possible for basketball.

Friday night, the Covelli Center, tucked right behind the scoreboard of Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, hosted the first Ohio State Women’s Volleyball match of the season. The No. 7 Buckeyes welcomed the No. 2-ranked Texas Longhorns for the first of two games over the weekend. While the Buckeyes lost Friday and Saturday, the atmosphere and energy made a basketball writer jealous. But there’s a way to fix it: put the Ohio State women’s basketball team in Covelli for their home court.

Before there’s too much said on this topic, this is not an attempt at St. John’s Arena erasure. Land-Grant Holy Land has a rich history of being on the side of the house former men’s basketball coach and athletic director Lynn St. John built, but we’re dealing with a more realistic idea in 2022.

While the volleyball results didn’t fall Ohio State’s way, the Covelli Center was electric. Before the first serve, a capacity crowd of 3,700 held up scarlet glow sticks in a pitch black arena, captured by the Big Ten Network below.


In that crowd were members of the women’s basketball team. Here are a few reasons why head coach Kevin McGuff’s side should pack up and head down to Covelli too.

Atmosphere


The most obvious is the atmosphere. For anyone that’s been in the Schottenstein Center to watch the Buckeyes, it’s a hollow cavern made more for concerts and Monster Jam events than collegiate competition.

Even with a covered nosebleed section, there are large gaps of empty seats for a team that has 16 Big Ten regular season titles — six more than anyone else in the conference. There’s no home court advantage when the arena can’t get filled with noise. When it can’t fill with noise, it’s not an environment that attracts casual fans.

For casual fans, it’s not exactly an atmosphere that brings you back. Even with the media and arena teams doing an amazing job of having games, creative engagement on the videoboard and more to keep all ages connected, the Schott is a place where a newcomer can get lost easily.

Access is key. The Covelli Center corridor is what you see above the court. Instead of trying to find the right stairwell or an escalator that probably isn’t going the direction you want, everything is within close proximity. Unless you like the excess thousands of steps you get at the Schott, the Covelli Center is central and easy to get around.

Currently, games feature a crowd of devoted fans, friends and family. Every so often the band joins the fun and a few rows of the student section get filled. In the 2021-22 championship season, only twice did Ohio State bring in more than Covelli’s 3,700 capacity. A loss against the Michigan Wolverines and a convincing senior day victory against the Wisconsin Badgers.

In 16 home games last season, the Buckeyes averaged 3,274 spectators per game. Put that amount of fans in the Covelli center, with its more inviting and what real estate agents would call “cozy” confines, it would help with the next point.

Home Court Advantage


With games played at Covelli, where people feel part of the action, more people will want to attend. When more people attend, it does a couple things.

First, it allows less opposing fans into the building. No one watches a Duke men’s basketball game to hear visiting fans cheering against the home team. When Ohio State welcomes rivals like Michigan, or what will happen this year when the Tennessee Volunteers come to town, it becomes a game of which team has more fans.

Ohio State fans, family of players, students and alumni would much rather have a large crowd of scarlet than orange or Michigan yellow in the stands. Create an allotment for the team’s family, students, the general public and then some for the visiting team. More than likely it’ll be the Buckeyes receiving more representation in the seats.

Even better, make a devoted student section and get it filled game in and game out, something that isn’t happening today.

Second, it creates demand. When there are less seats available for a building that gives the home team a boost of crowd energy, the demand is higher. It goes back to the old saying, “people want what they can’t have.”

If there are situations where the demand for tickets warrants it, then sure, open up the Schott. Better yet, open St. John’s for Michigan every season that the building still stands. Make it even more of an event that people can circle on their calendars.

Player’s Choice


A final element that should be a large slice of the “why Ohio State women’s basketball should play at the Covelli Center” pie chart are the players themselves. Last season, the Buckeyes faced the Cincinnati Bearcats at Covelli. After the game, when asked by the media about the Covelli Center, players liked playing there.

The facilities are newer and its built exclusively for college athletics. The Buckeyes began playing there for closed door games during the height of the pandemic. Having fans in attendance heightened it for those competing.

Also, a small benefit to the players, and a lone positive for media folks covering, is the player interview environment. Currently, at the Schottenstein Center, select players and coach McGuff meet the media in a hallway that’s usually interrupted with arena crew breaking down for the next event or the occasional men’s basketball player leaving their area of the Schott.

At the Covelli Center, there’s a dedicated media room that doubles as a film space for teams. In it, a player can stand behind a podium and answer questions uninterrupted. A little detail that makes the moment feel more professional.

Whether the Buckeyes stay in their current arena, move to Covelli or continue to split their time every now and then, Ohio State is a team that’s shown that they’re deserving of being a hot ticket in town for sports fans.

Its time for the players to know that when they stop onto the court.

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Column: Big Ten needs to stop letting Notre Dame have its cake and eat it too
JamiJurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Irish need to join up or get lost for good.

Notre Dame is the F-Boi of college football.

Hear me out.

Thanks to their lucrative media rights deal, the Fighting Irish have no incentive to join a conference. And yet, they get all the perks of high-profile matchups with Big Ten and ACC teams while avoiding any of the real commitments required for membership. Yes, they have a unique arrangement with the ACC, but it still doesn’t require them to actually join a conference.

If one of my friends were dating Notre Dame in real life, I’d lovingly pat her hand and say, “He’s just not that into you.” So this is me metaphorically patting the Big Ten’s hand.

The Big Ten is basically a Notre Dame booty call, and it’s time that we as a conference stop answering. Notre Dame needs to make the relationship Facebook official or hit the road for good.

I recognize that there are perks to playing Notre Dame — they have a huge and very loyal fan following (which, as we all know, equals big dollar signs), and there are historic rivalries against some Big Ten teams. In all reality, NBC — who owns both the Notre Dame media rights deal and has a partnership with the Big Ten — probably wouldn’t be too keen on the conference putting a complete kibosh on matchups with the Irish, but the B1G should do it anyway.

With the shift to NCAA superconferences seeming more and more likely, Notre Dame needs to make some decisions about where they’re going to fall; and the major conferences need to force their hand a bit — why are we letting them have their cake and eat it too?

With the recent addition of USC (a long-time Notre Dame rival) and UCLA to the Big Ten conference, who will join us from the Pac-12 in 2024, talks have turned to Notre Dame following suit. The Big Ten, for its part, claims to be in a “pause period,” but I don’t believe for a second that if Notre Dame wanted to join, they wouldn’t make it work, especially since there are two years to work out any kinks.

The push to get Notre Dame to join the conference is nothing new. Talks of them joining the Big Ten have circulated for decades, and the school considered an offer to join the conference in 1999 before backing out at the 11th hour.

This time, Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren needs to draw a line in the sand with the Fighting Irish — get on board now or say goodbye to Big Ten opponents during the regular season.

As the realignment of college football continues to take shape, Notre Dame can either play the long game and make some major decisions about its future with the Big Ten now, or they can call the ACC or SEC later.

ND already plays the majority of its games against the ACC, but they rely on the high-profile matchups against Big Ten schools (and soon-to-be Big Ten schools) to boost their strength of schedule and financial bottom line. On the other hand, the difficulty of an SEC schedule would likely leave them lying on the field needing CPR. So the time is now for the Big Ten to play its cards right and show ND who has the upper hand.

There would be a lot for the Fighting Irish to celebrate by way of tradition, rivalries, geographic perks, strength of schedule, and a much bigger media rights deal by joining the Big Ten. And perhaps, they have more to lose if the conference issued an ultimatum: Sign a deal with the conference or no more Big Ten matchups.

Here’s what’s at stake for the Fighting Irish if the Big Ten took the hard line:

• Historic rivalries: Goodbye, Notre Dame-Michigan. See ya later, Notre Dame-USC. No more Buckeye matchups. Even lesser rivalries with Michigan State or Purdue would be a loss for ND. And Stanford, another regular opponent of theirs, could also potentially end up shifting to the Big Ten, so that could be an added cost.
• Brand power: There’s no question that Notre Dame is a historic program with a rabid fan base. The Big Ten offers the history and tradition that ND fans have come to expect from their school, and it would be a good fit for their brand and image, certainly more than the ACC would be, especially where football is concerned (though considerations would need to be made around Olympic sports). The brand power of the Big Ten could be especially beneficial come playoff time as final decisions are made around seeding, especially if the playoff is expanded from its current four-team format.
• A national stage to boost recruiting: Look at the hype around this Saturday’s game. If Notre Dame hangs in there even a little bit, that’s a major showcase for them that will benefit their ability to recruit on a national level. If we take that away by refusing to play them, it could be costly.

Notre Dame stands to lose in the long run if the Big Ten starts courting other schools for expansion instead. While NBC is encouraging the conference to play nice with the Irish, we need to stop giving away our power and tell the Fighting Irish once and for all — join us now or your luck may just run out.

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You’re Nuts: Who scores the first touchdown of the season for Ohio State?
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 Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

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

We made it! It’s finally game week! This year has the possibility of being a special year for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and the first game of the season will allow us to see where the Buckeyes stand. While Ohio State has had some interesting season-openers over the years, this has the possibility of being one of the most memorable openers in school history.

What is always interesting is to see which player scores the first touchdown of the year. Does the first touchdown predict how the season is going to go? Not at all. It’s just fun to see who gets the honors of scoring the first touchdown of the year, especially if Ohio State goes on to win a national title.

It doesn’t take very much skill to predict who is going to be the first Buckeye to score a touchdown this year. Ohio State could break their drought and return the opening kickoff of the year for a touchdown. Maybe Denzel Burke picks off a pass and takes it for six. Maybe Ryan Day and Kevin Wilson find a way to work out a play for an offensive lineman to score. Anything is possible!

In 2014, Ohio State’s first touchdown was scored by Darron Lee when he returned a fumble against Navy in the third quarter. Lydell Ross scored a two-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter of the 2002 opener against Texas Tech. Lately, the trend has been towards running touchdowns, as the last three seasons have seen rushing scores as the first touchdowns of the year. Miyan Williams broke a huge run last year in the first game of the season against Minnesota to open up the campaign.

Today’s question: Who will score Ohio State’s first touchdown of the 2022 season?

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

Brett’s answer: Marvin Harrison Jr.


If we had asked which Buckeye would score the first Ohio State touchdown of the Rose Bowl, I would have been the winner had I picked Marvin Harrison Jr., as the wide receiver hauled in a 25-yard touchdown in the second quarter of “The Granddaddy of Them All”. Harrison went on to score three touchdowns in one of the wildest Ohio State games that I have ever seen.

TreVeyon Henderson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and a number of others are all solid choices. Who knows, we could even get C.J. Stroud scrambling into the end zone just to get back at everyone that last year questioned his ability and desire to run the football when needed.

So why did I go with Harrison? One reason is because I’m doing college football fantasy football this year, and I drafted Stroud and Harrison, so I’m hoping the duo hooks up for scores early and often throughout the season. Also, Smith-Njigba is going to get so much attention and coverage, it could open things up for Harrison and some of the other receivers. Plus, Harrison’s big frame is quite an inviting target for Stroud in the end zone.

Meredith’s answer: TreVeyon Henderson


Ohio State has so many options for the first touchdown of the year (and that’s not even considering dark horse options, like a defensive or special teams touchdown or, perhaps even more farfetched, a run from C.J. Stroud for a score).

I’m going to continue with the theme of recent years and go with a rushing touchdown, this time from running back TreVeyon Henderson. The true sophomore wasn’t solidly on our radar this time last year, but he broke his way into the starting role, and our hearts, just a few games into the 2021 season.

Now, even with the strength in the passing game, it feels like Ohio State will still work to establish the run early. The receivers on the edge, though enormously talented (seriously, so talented) have seen more limited action than Henderson. Handing the ball off to Henderson and getting the running game rolling also serves to take pressure off Stroud.

The matchup is also there for Henderson. In particular, the Buckeyes will be working to catch Notre Dame’s elite edge rushers off guard. While the Fighting Irish will be looking for ways to catch Stroud, it should open up the run in the middle for Henderson behind a bolstered offensive line.

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Column: The Buckeyes won’t crumble under pressure this season and this is why
meganhusslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

This season is one of the most highly anticipated in history for Buckeye football, but I’m confident that they will shine in the spotlight.

We’re almost there, folks. The moment we’ve been waiting for since Jan. 2. One of the greatest season openers in Ohio State history is just four days away, and with that comes an extreme amount of pressure. In fact, this entire season comes with a lot of pressure. Will the Buckeyes live up to expectations?

In my 20 years of life, I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited for an Ohio State football season, nor have I heard this much chatter about a team. The talent is there. A revamped defense is there. An embarrassment of riches on offense? Oh yeah, that is most certainly there. There is no limit to how much success this team can experience. They could go undefeated and end the season with a ring and a Heisman finalist.

That’s the thing. It is almost expected that the Buckeyes win the Natty, have multiple Heisman finalists and one of them ending up hoisting it, a Biletnikoff winner (JSN) and Doak Walker award winner (TreVeyon Henderson). Plus, Jim Knowles put out there that he expects his defense to be top five in the nation after experiencing struggles last year. That’s a lot.

Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Accomplishing all of this is very feasible in my mind. As long as the team stays healthy and plays their game, not getting caught up in all of the hype, there is honestly no reason why these expectations can’t be met.

The common answer all offseason for these players has been to go 15-0 and win the national championship. These guys are extremely selfless. You haven’t heard one peep from Stroud talking about how he wants to win the Heisman, or the individual statistics that JSN or Henderson hope to reach. This team is all in, for each other — and I think that is the difference maker.

Last year, the team was obviously very talented. While the defense wasn’t the greatest, it was still a historic team. Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson did provide some veteran leadership, but it was a fairly young squad. Stroud and Henderson were both starters for the first time, JSN was breaking into his role, and the defense was pretty inexperienced.

Now, with a year of playing with each other under their belts, I see this season turning out very differently. From the Rose Bowl alone, it’s obvious that Stroud meshes well with all of his receivers. Clearly he demonstrated that with JSN all year long, but it was great to see him, Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming connect so well, even though it was their first time playing together in starting roles.

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

With the quarterback and the receivers comfortable with each other and the running back room probably being the best one-two punch in the nation, the offense is looking 100% solid. That leaves it up to the defense to ensure the team is completely qualified to make it all the way to the second week of January.

I got a good feeling about the D. Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau are going to be absolutely unreal as the bookends on the line. Sawyer has majorly bulked up in the offseason, and now with both of them in their second year, they have to feel more confident in their positions.

The secondary is looking mighty fine with the returns of Denzel Burke and Ronnie Hickman as well as the additions of transfer Tanner McCalister and freshman Sonny Styles. The linebacker room is also improved, with five-star recruit C.J. Hicks joining the team (finally— it’s been a long time coming) and Steele Chambers working with Knowles.

This is an experienced team, guided by one of the best coaching staffs in the nation. They weren’t satisfied with last year’s finish and are hungry to win it all this season. I don’t think anything, not even the amount of pressure they are under, will cause them to falter.

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Why is this News? All the articles and tweets Buckeye fans need for August 30, 2022
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 Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.

Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.

Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.

You’re welcome!

For your Earholes...


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

Ask LGHL


Introducing ‘Ask LGHL,’ asking and answering questions throughout the football season
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land

Ask LGHL: Will the offensive line be nasty enough to convert on 3rd and short?
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land

On the Gridiron


Ohio State 17.5-point favorites over Notre Dame
Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land

Notre Dame offensive lineman Jarrett Patteson ‘questionable’ for Ohio State game
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts

Ryan Day Tells 97.1 The Fan “The Urgency’s Gonna Be Here” for Top-Five Matchup with Notre Dame
Griffin Strom, Eleven Warriors




Presser Bullets: Marcus Freeman Excited to Play “Great Team” in “Hostile Environment,” Not Focused on Coaching Against Alma Mater
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors

Marcus Freeman Pulls Inspiration from Jim Tressel in Head Coaching Role
Jack Emerson, Buckeye Sports Bulletin

What Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman said about Ohio State to start game week
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts

Marcus Freeman ‘emotionless’ about return to Ohio State
Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch

Gonna be one hell of a season for C.J.


Five Things to Know About Notre Dame Before Its Season Opening Top-Five Clash with Ohio State
Griffin Strom, Eleven Warriors

Three Big Storylines as Buckeyes open title hunt with top-five matchup (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row

Five Questions as Buckeyes set for Notre Dame clash (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes

Film Study: What does Notre Dame’s Tyler Buchner bring to the quarterback position?
Chris Renne, Land-Grant Holy Land


Most interesting betting odds for Ohio State heading into 2022 season
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts


Troy Smith’s Charity Auction Inspired by Personal Struggles with Mental Health, Desire to Give Back to Ohio State
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors

Sonny Styles role unclear but work-ethic, football IQ impressing Buckeyes
Jeremy Birmingham, Dotting the Eyes

Emeka Egbuka gearing up for breakout sophomore season with Buckeyes (paywall)
Tim May, Lettermen Row

This dude really is the best!


B1G Thoughts: The case for Nebraska to fire Scott Frost
Jordan Williams, Land-Grant Holy Land

You’re Nuts: Which non-Ohio State game are you most excited for in Week 1?
Josh Dooley and Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land

On the Hardwood


Chatman, James to visit; Swain set to decide; Sueing ready to go?
Steve Helwagen, Bucknuts

Happy Birthday, DT!


The more things change, the more things stay more or less the same.

Outside the Shoe and Schott


Olympic Recap: Women’s Volleyball Falls to Texas, Women’s Ice Hockey Adds Associate Coach
Braden Moles, Buckeye Sports Bulletin

Field Hockey: Ohio State Improves to 2-0 On the Season; Tops UAlbany, 3-0
Ohio State Athletics

Men’s Soccer: Buckeyes Bounce Mustangs 3-0 in Wolstein Classic Finale
Gaurav Law, The Lantern

Men’s Gymnastics: Buckeyes Seventh on the 2022 CGA Team Academic List
Ohio State Athletics

And now for something completely different...


Is this going to be the best movie ever or the greatest movie ever?

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Silver Bullets Podcast: Notre Dame Preview
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

A recap of Week 0 and a preview of Week 1.


An Ohio State game week is finally upon us, and the matchups of iconic college football programs don’t get much bigger than Ohio State vs. Notre Dame. This is a massive game from many standpoints — the College Football Playoff picture, recruiting, Midwest bragging rights, etc. — and we can’t wait to see how it unfolds in the Horseshoe.

Before we got to our Notre Dame talk, Chip Minnich and I spent some time discussing the recently launched Ohio State NIL club and what that might mean going forward. We also walked through the “Week 0” results in the Big Ten, particularly the Nebraska meltdown in Ireland against the Northwestern Wildcats. Despite being a guy named Frost, Nebraska’s coach has perhaps the hottest seat in college football. After chatting about what went wrong for the Cornhuskers and the many areas they just simply weren’t good enough on Saturday, we touched on the Illinois opener against Wyoming. We also previewed the upcoming B1G slate that’s scheduled during the work week.

To help us prepare for Saturday, we brought in special guest Brendan McAlinden, a staff writer and podcast co-host over at SBNation’s One Foot Down, which covers Notre Dame. Brendan fills us in on what we can expect from the Fighting Irish on Saturday night. We would have appreciated him being on the show even if he had power, but he didn’t, so kudos to Brendan for finding a workaround with his phone’s personal wifi hotspot just to join our Zoom call. We also appreciate how much statistical homework he did when figuring out what Notre Dame has to do to pull an upset at Ohio Stadium.

Resuming our preview of Week 1, we talked about Jim Harbaugh’s unorthodox approach to his starting quarterback battle to start the year, although it probably won’t have too much of an effect given Michigan’s competition in the non-conference schedule. We walked through the rest of the Saturday slate before getting into the Buckeyes and the Irish.

Chip and I made our “picks to click,” selecting one player each on offense and defense who we think will have a big impact on the game. We also made our score predictions for the big showdown in the Shoe. Let us know what we got right or wrong in the comments section below!

We’ll see you next week, when we’ll check in on how we did with our predictions and picks to click and prepare for the Buckeyes’ next game against Arkansas State.

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2025 four-star safety to visit for Ohio State-Notre Dame
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


2025 four-star safety DJ Pickett via @DJPICKETT5 on Twitter

Game week is finally upon us, and the visitor list for the Ohio State home opener versus Notre Dame continues to grow.

Game week officially kicked off yesterday, and Ohio State football on the near horizon is a sight for sore eyes for all of Buckeye Nation. While most of the attention this week will focus on the current team as it prepares for Saturday’s game against the Irish, recruiting never stops for Ohio State.

2025 four-star safety to visit Ohio State this weekend


The ‘Shoe will be full Saturday with hundreds of thousands of fans for the Buckeyes’ home opener. However, fans will not be the only ones in attendance, as Ryan Day and the Ohio State football team will also be playing host to a ridiculously long list of recruits. The list of prospects visiting this weekend continues to grow on the daily, and this occurred again on Monday.

2025 four-star safety DJ Pickett of Tampa, Florida (Zephyrhills) took to Twitter Monday to share that he has added his name to the list of visitors Saturday.


While Pickett is still years away from making any collegiate decisions, he is far from unfamiliar with the Buckeyes. The program offered the blue-chip safety on April 28, and has since camped with the team. Although, the prior visits went as well as possible, they will not be able to compete with the atmosphere that will be present Saturday night in Ohio Stadium.

Ohio State is not alone it its pursuit of Pickett. The rising safety has already received more than 30 scholarship offers from some of the top programs across the nation including the likes of, Alabama, Arizona State, Auburn, LSU, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Miami, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, etc.

Pickett has also been able to take multiple visits to some of the above schools. Arizona State was the first to get involved but teams like Ohio State, Michigan State, Florida State, Florida and Texas A&M appear to have the early edge.

Despite only two years of high school football under his belt, Pickett has shown elite-level potential at safety. There are no 247Sports Composite Rankings yet for the 2025 class, but Pickett is viewed as a four-star prospect in 247Sports own rankings and is viewed as one of the best prospects in thew entire class.

Pickett is the No. 2 safety according to 247Sports and is the No. 10 overall prospect. He is also viewed as the No. 2 prospect in the talent-rich state of Florida.

Quick Hits

• 2023 four-star defensive end Desmond Umeozulu unsurprisingly committed to South Carolina Monday. He chose the Gamecocks over Ohio State, North Carolina and Pitt. Ohio State is still heavily involved in recruiting fellow 2023 DE’s Damon Wilson, Matayo Uiagalelei and Keon Keeley. Of the trio, Uiagalelei looks to be the closest to committing to the Buckeyes. Keeley was once committed to Notre Dame but recently de-committed from the Irish and is expected to take an official visit to Ohio State this weekend.

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Ask LGHL: Will the offensive line be nasty enough to convert on 3rd and short?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.

Every day for the entirety of the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.

Question: Can the Ohio State offensive line be tough enough to let running backs pick up yards in high-pressure situations?


There has been a lot of discussion during this offseason about whether or not the Ohio State football team was soft last season; whether or not they were a finesse team.

Now, I am certainly never going to tell a group of 100+ grown men that could all easily break me in half that they were soft, but that has certainly been the consensus around the college football world, at least in relation to the other teams at the top of the sport.

So, for the first Ask LGHL column of a 2022 game week, we are looking at whether or not the Ohio State offensive line can reverse that trend thanks to overlapping questions from TJ, John, and J.


We all know that last season saw the Buckeyes lead the country in yards and points, but despite those lofty rankings, they only managed to come in at 47th in rushing yards per game — they were third in passing ypg.

With a passing attack as prolific as the one led by C.J. Stroud, the running game deficiencies were most evident in short-yardage, high-pressure situations; third and fourth downs against the better teams on OSU’s schedule. While Ohio State was second in the country on third-down conversions in 2021 (52.6%), they were 46th on fourth down (57.89%). Of course, the Buckeyes threw the ball in these situations quite a bit, so that throws off the data fairly significantly.

So while improving the toughness of the offensive line will certainly give Ryan Day more flexibility in short-yardage situations — especially against higher-quality opponents — there are better ways to evaluate last year’s deficiencies.

As a whole, Ohio State’s running backs ran the ball 196 times between the tackles for an average of 5.5408 yards per carry. That is more or less that OSU averaged as a whole for the season. In 2021, the Buckeyes put up 5.5414 yards per carry, which was third in the country. Of course, those overall numbers include quarterback yardage, including the 133 yards given up on sacks.

But, if QB totals didn’t really bring down the overall rushing average, what was the counterbalance to those negative plays? The answer would be outside of the tackles. Last year, Ohio State ran for 1,344 yards on 114 attempts inside the tackles according to Pro Football Focus. These rushes, including jet sweeps, end-arounds, and reverses, resulted in an 11.79 ypc average.



Obviously, anytime you can get skill position players as dynamic as the Buckeyes have out in space, you are going to see incredible results. So the question is, will Ohio State be able to improve the interior blocking enough to create a little less separation between the between-the-tackle and outside-the-tackles running? We will see.

Going into the season opener against Notre Dame, the offensive line is one of the most solidified units on the team, with virtually no changes since the end of the Rose Bowl in January, and — as far as we know — no one dealing with substantial injuries.

We should all be shocked if anyone other than Dawand Jones (RT), Matt Jones (RG), Luke Wypler (C), Donovan Jackson (LG), and Paris Johnson Jr. (LT) anchor the offense on OSU’s first series on Saturday. This is a fairly experienced line, but thanks to a new offensive line coach (and running game coordinator) in Justin Frye, guys are finally back playing their natural positions.

Wypler and Dawand Jones started last year and will return to their respective center and right tackle positions. Johnson will move back to left tackle after playing right guard in 2021, and Jackson and Matt Jones have made the expected steps forward to take over at the guard positions.

In my mind, having an experienced and well-established offensive line is always important, but especially so when adjusting to a new position coach. Early during fall camp, Frye said that practices have been productive for all of the guys in his room.

“Right now, they’re just working. They’re buying in,” Frye said. “There’s not a guy out there right now that’s just showing up. Those guys are using their opportunities, whether they win the rep or lose the rep, they’re using them right now.”

That level of focus and intensity will be important for the Buckeyes this season if they are going to make improvements against the better defensive lines on their schedule, including Notre Dame this weekend.

As I showed in the third down and yards-per-carry stats above, those wide-net statistics won’t tell the story of the offensive line’s success, they will need to prove it in a small handful of situations in an even smaller handful of marquee games. For me, the proof will not be in ypc or conversion percentages, but in how confident I feel in the Buckeyes’ ability to have success in those situations, whether they run the ball or pass the ball.

If I can feel confident in their ability to convert on 3rd and 3 either through the air or on the ground, then I will know that Frye has gotten his guys to where they need to be.

We will obviously learn a lot on Saturday, and it is dangerous to take too much from the preseason platitudes of coaches and players, but it sounds like the entire team has a bit of a chip on its shoulder about the whole “finesse” label that has been slapped on them in the past couple of years.

The Ohio State offensive line is made up of bona fide top-tier talent; Matt Jones was No. 68 nationally in 2018, Johnson was No. 9 in 2020, Wypler was No. 108 in 2020, Jackson was No. 19 in 2021, and Dawand Jones transcends recruiting rankings. So, if a new coach can get them in the right positions, they can play with an anger and intensity that they haven’t yet had the opportunity to show, and they can continue to improve throughout the season, this very well might be the best offensive line in the country.

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B1G Thoughts: The case for Nebraska to fire Scott Frost
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

Week 0 saw three teams in action including Nebraska, who should’ve left Scott Frost in Dublin, Ireland

Every Monday after the Big Ten slate of games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and maybe a joke or two. Be sure to check out the I-70 Football Show in the Land-Grant Holy Land podcast feed for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.

The case to fire Scott Frost


Week 0 has come and gone, and it was a glorious day of wire-to-wire football. Aside from the games themselves, one of the best parts of football is the communal aspect of it. On the field, football is the ultimate team sport, where a roster of over 85 players works as one to achieve a goal. Off the field, it can bring the most people together. Look at the TV numbers. Nothing draws a crowd like a football game. On Saturday, many of us turned on the TV, opened Twitter, and proceeded to watch and tweet the games together like one big community.

It was there, as a community, we saw the epitome of the Scott Frost Era. An era that if the world was merciful would have ended last year. But, seemingly because the Big Ten is a non-serious conference, has been extended due to a reimagined contract, including Frost taking a pay cut and agreeing to a cheaper buyout. A buyout that drops on Oct. 1, in case you want to keep track.

Frost came into this season touting new energy around the program. Frost fired his entire offensive staff, let his starting quarterback walk, and brought in 22 transfers, many of whom are expected to be impact players this season. If you listen to Frost and the national media, this was Nebraska’s year. They were so close last year and with the new staff, the transfers, and a new Scott Frost — so confident in his changes he gave up play calling to new offensive coordinator Mark Whipple — Nebraska was going to finally break through. Despite four mediocre seasons under the tutelage of the former Nebraska quarterback, there was hope.

Yet, what the world failed to realize is that new coaches, a new starting quarterback, a renewed focus on special teams, and 22 transfers to boot cannot fix the core of the issue. Which is simply: Scott Frost is the head coach. The game started so well, as many Nebraska games do, with Nebraska firing on all cylinders. Texas transfer Casey Thompson came out on fire, throwing the ball to transfer teammate Trey Palmer. Thompson also connected with transfers Marcus Washington and Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda, who went up for an awesome touchdown catch on the first drive and finished the game with four catches for 120 yards and a touchdown.

Nebraska started fast and looked to be the better team, but Northwestern knew what we all knew — if you keep the game close, the coaches will make a mistake, the players will stop executing, and Nebraska will give you the game in the fourth quarter. Pat Fitzgerald, who does not have his best team in Evanston, coached like a man who knew he did not have to bring his A-game — and trust me, he did not — to leave Ireland with a win.

Nebraska, whose defense was a good unit last year, could not stop the run, got bullied up front all night, and let Ryan Hilinski, who is objectively one of the worst quarterbacks in the Big Ten, look like a world-beater. Despite this, Nebraska went on to hold two 11-point leads. Fitzgerald and his quarterback did everything they could to lose this game. Fitzgerald by settling for field goals, refusing to pick up first downs, running dives, and no other running plays, and ultimately playing not to win, while Hilinski made it his job to throw short on every third down play despite multiple leaks in Nebraska’s secondary.

Frost couldn’t accept the win. Despite Fitzgerald’s good Irish nature trying to hand him the game, Frost refused to be anything other than the worst coach on the field. Up 28-17, Frost decided to kick an onside kick that went straight to a Northwestern player and led to an immediate scoring drive. The Cornhuskers never scored again. Thompson, after starting 17-24 for 230 yards and a touchdown, finished the game 25-42 for 365 yards and two interceptions, one on the final drive to seal the loss.

Nebraska left this game with another close loss, and they have no one to blame but their head coach, who in turn blamed the offensive staff for their lack of creativity. Maybe some of you, including the national media, believed the hype. Believed that Nebraska could turn it around. But with Scott Frost at the helm, there is no hope.

Nebraska should be on their way to their fifth losing season in five seasons under Frost. Hopefully, this story ends with Frost being fired after his buyout drops. But if we must deal with frost in Lincoln for the rest of the year, expect more games to end in the fourth quarter after Nebraska gets out to a double-digit lead. It’s the Frost way.

Until then, Frost and Nebraska will continue to be the laughingstock of college football:

Illinois routs Wyoming


Illinois is going to be a fun football team. If you watched this game, then like me early in the first quarter you had to double-take and make sure you were watching a Bret Bielema-led team. After scoring in 40 seconds on a pass to all-Big Ten candidate running back Chase Brown, the Fighting Illini spent most of the first half in spread formations, including empty, and letting transfer quarterback Tommy DeVito drop back and pass.

Welcome to 2022, where new offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr., who previously led a top offense at UTSA, has been tasked with modernizing Bielema’s run-heavy scheme. As expected in a Week 0 game with a new coordinator, there were bumps. But overall, the offense looked more multiple while maintaining their toughness and overall blue-collar mentality. Brown looks even better than last year, finishing the game with 19 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns while adding three catches and a touchdown through the air.

DeVito is not a world beater, but he is an upgrade over Artur Sitkowski, and when Illinois can keep him clean — they finished the game with zero sacks allowed — he can make throws to keep drives alive and put some points on the board. Wyoming is not the toughest test. They entered 2022 without seemingly every good player from last year’s team as many of them transferred to P5 programs, including two quarterbacks and their star wide receiver. Yet, Illinois came into the game with a plan, dominated a weaker opponent, and end the game with their backups. That’s all you can ask for a Week 0 game.

The schedule isn’t easy, but if Illinois can win the games they’re supposed to, then I fully expect them to make a bowl game in 2022, which would be a major success in Bielema’s second season at the helm.

Chase Brown is still good at football:

Jim Harbaugh makes a decision to not make a decision


Jim Harbaugh, via a university-sanctioned podcast, has announced that he isn’t willing to make a quarterback decision, instead choosing to start incumbent starter Cade McNamara in Week 1 against Colorado State, while J.J. McCarthy will start Week 2 against Hawaii. He will then, somehow, miraculously be able to decide on the starter despite not being able to make one in the nine months since last season ended.

In-season quarterback competitions have never worked. It likely cost Ohio State a national championship in 2015. But Harbaugh is content with bucking trends. Michigan’s non-conference schedule is a joke, so this won’t hurt their chances to win their first three games, but come conference play this has a chance to ruin their season. Watch out for the Maryland game, as Taulia Tagovailoa, Rakim Jarrett, and Dontay Demus Jr. look to upset the reigning Big Ten champions.

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Ohio State 17.5-point favorites over Notre Dame
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Buckeyes are heavy betting favorites in their season opener.

DraftKings Sportsbook odds: Betting Line: Ohio State -17.5 // Over/Under: 58.5

No. 2 Ohio State is set to kick off its season with a Top-5 matchup at home on Saturday night, as they will host No. 5 Notre Dame in a tough non-conference battle. C.J. Stroud and the Buckeyes will look to build off last year’s electric offense by hopefully pairing it with a competent defense under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, while Marcus Freeman enters his first full season as the headman of the Fighting Irish needing to replace both his starting quarterback and running back from a year ago.

The Vegas odds favor Ryan Day’s squad heavily, as Ohio State begins the week as over a two-touchdown favorite in the team’s first contest of 2022. This number is likely leaning heavily on the Buckeyes’ offense, as Stroud begins the campaign as the Heisman frontrunner with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and running back TreVeyon Henderson at his disposal. Despite losing a pair of first-round wide receivers to the NFL Draft in Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, Day’s offense is expected to not miss a beat with a stable of five-star wide receivers, a two-headed monster at RB with Henderson and Miyan Williams, and an offensive line that is playing its talent at the correct positions.

The defense will be the real question mark for the Buckeyes, as Day brought in Knowles as well as Perry Eliano and Tim Walton to try and fix a much maligned unit from the past few seasons. The talent is certainly there, with a trio of former five-star prospects on the defensive line in Zach Harrison, Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau up front and a bunch of returning stars in the back seven, but it remains to be seen whether they will be finally able to put it all together after ranking 60th in the nation in total defense a year ago — a number which even feels high given how bad they looked in 2021.

Notre Dame, on the other hand, will be looking to replace both quarterback Jack Coan and running back Kyren Williams — two of the most important players on the offense a year ago. Dual-threat QB Tyler Buchner will be leading the charge for the Irish offense this season, and he will have the luxury of tossing the rock to tight end Michael Mayer. On of the nation’s top talents at the position, Mayer led the team a season ago with 71 catches for 840 yards and seven TDs. They will, however, be without wide receiver Avery Davis, who tore his ACL in the preseason, and will potentially be without guard Jarrett Patterson, who is questionable with a foot injury.

The Fighting Irish defense has some playmakers at all three levels, led by defensive end Isaiah Foskey and safety Brandon Joseph. Foskey, an edge-rusher with some first-round NFL Draft grades, led Notre Dame a year ago with 10 sacks to go along with 52 total tackles. Joseph, whom Ohio State fans will remember from his time at Northwestern, is one of the country’s premier safeties coming off a 79-tackle and three-pick season with the Wildcats. Cornerback depth is a bit of a concern, which could be a significant issue going up against a team like the Buckeyes who will certainly look to air it out.

Despite their preseason No. 5 rating, the oddsmakers are clearly not buying into the hype surrounding Notre Dame. The 17.5-point spread is quite hefty for a battle between a pair of teams ranked this highly, and it makes sense given all that the Fighting Irish lost from a year ago. Notre Dame finished last season at No. 8, and then went on to lose its starting QB and RB as well as its head coach as Brian Kelly jumped ship to LSU. This game could be closer than the spread would indicate if Ohio State’s defense continues to struggle, but if Knowles can right the ship and the Buckeyes’ offense continues to hum as expected, things could get ugly quickly.

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

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Sun Belt Billy gets fired from UFail after one season

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You’re Nuts: Which non-Ohio State game are you most excited for in Week 1?
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

We have put Week 0 behind us, and we are ready for the REAL start of the college football season.

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.

This week’s topic: Which non-Ohio State game are you most excited for in Week 1?

Josh’s Take:


It. Is. Here! Week 1, Gene. We finally made it. We somehow survived the spring and summer seasons without football, which was especially tough for me due to Cincinnati disemboweling their professional baseball team and calling it quits on the season. To borrow a page from Lana Del Ray: I got that summertime, summertime sadness. But the Buckeyes are back to lift my spirits, and I am excited for some college football.

Before we get to the Week 1 matchups we find most exciting, it is important for us to acknowledge Week 0. I do not want to completely ignore it, and proper respect must be paid. So without further ado: Week 0, you were... actual college football for which records are kept. Beyond that, I think we’re better off as acquaintances. I might shoot you the occasional glance or a courtesy nod, but until you spend time reflecting and really improving yourself, I do not envision us having a deep, meaningful, or even friendly relationship. Call me shallow, but I don’t find you attractive. I am into sexy, ranked teams. Always have been. If you “glow up”, maybe we can grab a cup of coffee and talk. Until then, my heart belongs to Weeks 1-14.

With that out of my system, Gene, let’s talk big boy football games. I think there are plenty of interesting ones on the schedule. And I’m not just saying that because, as the kids would say, I am thirsty for CFB. While there are only a few matchups involving two ranked teams, you don’t have to look far to find other intriguing options. West Virginia - Pitt has some history, Penn State - Purdue is a nice Big Ten surprise on a Thursday, the neutral site games on Sunday and Monday will get some eyeballs... I could go on and on. But other than Ohio State’s battle with Notre Dame, I am most interested in the game involving Ohio State’s last opponent. I am of course referring to the Utah Utes, as they go toe-to-toe with the Florida Gators in Gainesville on Saturday night.

Utah gave OSU all they could handle in the 2022 Rose Bowl, and Florida is hoping to return to their previous form under new head coach Billy Napier. So this should be a good game, between two teams (and coaches) that I am either impressed or highly intrigued by. Furthermore, it is just an interesting, sort of off-the-wall non-conference matchup that I typically find appealing. I appreciate when good teams challenge themselves early in the season, going up against another team with which they rarely cross paths. The Utes and the Gators have only played each other once, back in 1977, making this game all the more unique.

As far as players and coaches go, I am slightly more familiar with Utah, given their very recent bowl game against the Buckeyes. On offense, they return the terrific trio of Cameron Rising, Tavion Thomas, and Micah Bernard. Rising and Thomas could find themselves on plenty of watch lists, while Bernard is a perfect complimentary piece. If a receiver or two can make up for the loss of 12-year college vet Britain Covey, the Utes could wind up with an explosive unit — albeit one that smashes your face in, as opposed to throwing over the top. And what is wild to think about, is that if Rising were to miss time, the team has another former Texas QB waiting in the wings. Ja’Quinden Jackson only saw action in three games last year, but was a former four-star recruit and top-10 player in the state of Texas (ESPN had him ranked No. 2 in the talent-rich Lonestar State).

Utah’s defense did lose star linebacker Devin Lloyd and leading sacker Mika Tafua, but their secondary should be better than what we saw in the Rose Bowl, and they added both a stud transfer and a stud recruit at linebacker. The Utes’ defense also gets the benefit of going up against a talented but largely unproven Florida offense. The Gators averaged nearly 31 points per game, but lost their leading rusher and leading receiver.

It might sound like I am making a case for Utah here, but I am genuinely interested to see what Florida looks like under Napier, and with Anthony Richardson entrenched as the starting QB. Napier compiled a 40-12 record at his last stop (Louisiana), and is known to have a strong offensive acumen. He has also been recruiting well, so I would imagine Florida will improve over their 6-7 record in 2021. At the very least, their new coach is not a visor guy — a huge step up from established visor guy.

The Gators’ offense will be led by Richardson, who is a tank of a QB. At 6-foot-3, 230, I have heard him compared to Cam Newton, and I can definitely see it. He was not wildly efficient in a timeshare last season, but I expect improvement now that the job is officially his. Behind him we’ll see Montrell Johnson Jr., who played for Napier at Louisiana, as well (potentially) Trevor Etienne – brother of Travis – and Lorenzo Lingard. The latter has not yet broken through as a college player, but was a consensus five-star recruit in 2018. Can the Gators throw? That is the important question. TBD on the results.

Florida also needs to be better than 74th in scoring defense (2020 & 2021) — which they typically have been. However, they do not return many guys who “wow” you on that side of the ball. The number of recruiting stars is there, but players will have to step up, and maybe they get contributions from freshman Chris McClellan and/or transfer Jalen Kimber. Again, TBD, but that is part of the reason I am excited to watch this game.

Utah and Florida is not a matchup we’re likely to see again in the CFP. But that’s fine. It should be a good football game, featuring two teams potentially on the rise — both possessing a great deal of talent. And that’s all I need, Gene. Let’s really get this thing going!

Gene’s Take:


Josh was kind enough to not pick one of the ranked-on-ranked matchups this coming weekend, and for that he will be getting a (metaphorical) raise. In his defense, however, there are not many to choose from, and those that do exist aren’t all that exciting outside of Ohio State’s game — which is off limits for this exercise. Besides the Buckeyes, the only games that feature a pair of ranked teams are Cincinnati-Arkansas and Oregon-Georgia. The Bearcats are a fantastic story under Luke Fickell, but I worry they’ve lost too much to replicate that success in 2022. The Ducks are led by Bo Nix — need I say more?

There are a bunch of teams I’m interested in seeing for the first time this season. I’m very high on NC State this year and I think they have a legitimate chance to win the ACC, but their opener against East Carolina doesn’t exactly knock my socks off. Penn State at Purdue will be a really fun game on Thursday night, and I’m very intrigued to see what both of those squads look like to kick off the year. Houston, BYU and Kentucky are all teams in the latter half of the preseason AP Poll that are looking to have big years, and I like UCLA and Maryland as a pair of unranked teams who should have made the Top 25, but all begin the year against sub-par opponents.

So, the game I’m looking forward to is one that’s a bit off the radar, as neither team begins the 2022 campaign with a number next to their name. However, it could be one of the more entertaining and hotly contested games of Week 1, and it will be played in one of college football’s most gorgeous venues. I am, of course, talking about the North Carolina Tar Heels at Appalachian State Mountaineers in Boone, NC.

On the UNC side of things, we’ve already seen them in action this season with their Week 0 win over Florida A&M, 56-24. Sam Howell is gone, but in his place is Drake Maye — brother of former Tar Heels hooper Luke Maye — who shined in his debut as the team’s starter, completing 29 of 37 passes for 294 yards and five touchdowns. Josh Downs returns as one of college football’s top receivers, catching nine passes for 78 yards and a pair of scores on Saturday. On defense, Power Echols (phenomenal linebacker name) led the the team with 10 total tackles and a pair of sacks against the Rattlers.

App State, on the other hand, returns seven starters on offense, including quarterback Chase Brice. The former Clemson and Duke QB had a career year in 2021, throwing for over 3,300 yards with 27 touchdowns to 11 interceptions as he led the Mountaineers to an 10-4 record. The core of senior receivers from a year ago are gone, but they return a two-headed monster at running back with Camerun Peoples and Nate Noel. The defense must replace three of their top six tacklers, but senior linebackers Trey Cobb and Nick Hampton will lead the charge, as well as super-senior corner Steven Jones Jr.

This should be a really fun game between two teams from the same state, and the Vegas odds would agree. As things currently stand on Monday morning, North Carolina is a just a 1-point favorite on the road. With things set to kick off at noon on ESPNU, there aren’t a ton of other big games at the time slot to draw your eyes — unless you’re into Colorado State at Michigan or Sam Houston at Texas A&M. I plan on watching as much college football this coming Saturday as my body can handle, and I will be starting things off hopefully with a banger between the Tar Heels and the Mountaineers.

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Get your limited edition Brutus Buckeye bighead bobblehead today
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



There are less than 300 of these bad boys in the world, your OSU memorabilia collection needs one of them.

Let’s face it, the Ohio State fanbase has been accused of having an over-inflated sense of self-worth in the greater college football landscape, so having a bobblehead that depicts our beloved mascot with an exaggeratedly large head, just kind of fits. To be fair, no one is ever going to accuse Brutus Buckeye of having a small, nutty noggin, but the OSU installment of FOCO’s Bigheads collection ups the silliness even more than normal.

Get your limited edition Brutus Buckeye Bigheads bobblehead!



These collectibles are extremely limited, there are only 222 versions featuring Brutus standing on a traditional scarlet and gray platform, and only 72 of him on a gold base; it’s gold, so you know it’s special.

The 10-inch, handcrafted, hand-painted figures retail for $55 and would make a perfect addition to any oversized Ohio State collection. As with everything that you can get from. our friends at FOCO, these bighead bobbleheads are officially licensed, and because they are such collector’s items, they are individually numbered.

Hurry and order yours now, before supplies run out!

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Film Study: What does Notre Dame’s Tyler Buchner bring to the quarterback position?
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Buchner is a dangerous runner, but what else does he bring to the table?

As Ohio State makes its final preparations for the Week 1 matchup against Notre Dame, it will be taking a closer look at recently announced starting quarterback, Tyler Buchner. The Fighting Irish QB was used in a change of pace fashion last season due to his ability as a runner that gave a different look to their starter, Jack Coan. For the Irish, they will lean on his ability to make plays with his feet, but there are questions remaining about who he is as a passer.

Buchner entered Notre Dame as a consensus four-star recruit as the No. 71 player nationally. On Aug. 13, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman announced that Buchner was going to be the starter Week 1, leaving no questions to who will be taking the field for those first snaps against Jim Knowles’ new Ohio State defense. Knowles will be looking at Buchner’s ability as a runner as something the Buckeyes will need to takeaway immediately. Buchner’s inexperience as a passer brings an interesting dynamic for the Irish offense, and they will need to throw the football to have any chance.

Buchner has shown in limited experience that he can be a capable starting quarterback. Without seeing him in the Spring Game, that leaves film exclusive to his spot duty, with only significant snaps coming against Virginia Tech. Outside of his running ability, there is not a large sample size, but there is enough to get a semblance of what Buchner is bringing to the table as a quarterback.

Running Ability


This is where Buchner earned his stripes, er, golden dome for Notre Dame. Buchner is a surprisingly physical and elusive runner who is hard to bring down. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees tries to utilize Buchner’s legs in a variety of ways, including zone reads, moving the pocket, and short yardage QB powers. Bringing this dimension as a running threat from the quarterback position will be a challenge for Ohio State’s defense. Looking into a few concepts Notre Dame likes to use, there’s a lot to see from Buchner, even in his limited role.

Zone Read

In this first play, Notre Dame is running a zone read off of a split-zone concept. Buchner is keying on the play side defensive end here. Once the defender commits to taking on the block inside, Buchner pulls the ball, taking it to the outside. Buchner shows his burst by getting to the edge and getting upfield. He also shows his balance with the stiff arm at the end of the run.

Ohio State will need to be well prepared for this. The linebackers and defensive ends will need to be on the same page on who is taking the running back or quarterback on any given play. Staying disciplined is the No. 1 key to slowing down the zone read with a quarterback like Buchner.


QB Power

This next play should look familiar to Ohio State fans, and if you take a look at any Ohio State game in the Urban Meyer era, this play probably gives some mixed feelings. Like Meyer, Rees really trusts his quarterback with the ball in his hands in short yardage situations. This play is a run the whole way. Buchner does a play fake by showing pass to let the running back lead through the hole. Buchner follows and fights through contact to get a first down. Using his size and strength he is able to fight for extra yards.

For a quarterback, Buchner does not avoid contact. This might change with him as the starter, but that would take away a significant part of his skillset.


Elusiveness

The last aspect to look at with Buchner is his elusiveness. He is able to break tackles and shows his escapability here. In the play below, Notre Dame is in a 3rd-and-long situation, which means this is an obvious passing down. Purdue has the play covered pretty well downfield, and All-American, first round NFL Draft pick George Karlaftis applies pressure in the pocket. Buchner is able to break a tackle in the backfield and scrambles for a first down.

Ohio State will need to create pressure, but it will be important for the Buckeyes to maintain their rush lane integrity. If they get upfield or overcommit, Buchner has the ability to do some damage moving the sticks.

Passing Ability


Notre Dame used Buchner as a change of pace quarterback last year due to his ability to run the football. Jack Coan was a much more consistent passer compared to the second-year Buchner, but the Fighting Irish let Buchner loose as a passer at times. We’re going to look at how Buchner was able to do some damage downfield, but we’ll also see the inconsistency he showed as a passer last season.

Downfield Passing

In the first play, Notre Dame uses Buchner’s legs as a weapon. They fake a quarterback run and slip the receivers behind the defenders. Buchner takes a hard step like he’s running to the outside, sets his feet and hits the receiver in wide open space. This is a great concept Rees used here, using the first receiver to clear out and using Buchner’s running ability to suck in the defenders. By using the danger of his legs, Notre Dame created an easy throw and a big play. Buchner did not do anything significant here, but this shows the conflict his skillset can create for defenses.


In the next play, Notre Dame is playing Virginia Tech, who uses exclusively man coverage on the outside. Buchner gets solid protection from the offensive line and steps into his throw after a quick drop. With a one-on-one match up to the outside, Buchner knows if he makes a good throw his receiver will have a chance. For a quarterback with some accuracy issues, the arm strength and touch Buchner puts on this throw is impressive. He throws it where only his receiver gets it, and shows that he can deliver some throws downfield if he is kept clean in the pocket.


In the last play of this section, Buchner once again has some time to throw. This is a classic four verticals concept with all the receivers getting up field. Virginia Tech shows a one high look, which means the slot receiver is going to work across the one-high safety’s face. This is not a challenging throw, but Buchner gets some velocity on the throw with solid ball placement that allows the receiver to turn up the field.

Buchner is not a bad passer by any means, but his struggles with consistency led to some mistakes. If the Buckeyes can get pressure, Buchner has shown a tendency to let that effect him as a passer. As we can see, Buchner has the arm talent to be dangerous from a clean pocket.

Accuracy Issues


Buchner was by no means a perfect passer, and that is a big reason he was a change of pace player instead of a full-time starter. In this play, Buchner is pressured and in a situation in his own half of the field there are a few options. In this case, taking the sack and bringing the punt team on would have been best case scenario, or throwing the football away. Instead he forces the issue and tries to make a big play through contact. This leads to a pick in plus territory for the opponent, and shows that sometimes Buchner is unwilling to give up on a play, leading to mistakes.

If Ohio State can create consistent pressure, Buchner struggled when he was uncomfortable in the pocket.


In the next play, Buchner uses his athleticism once again to try to extend the play. Buchner gets out of the pocket and is looking downfield. Cincinnati has this play well-covered, but Buchner forces the issues anyway trying to make a play that is not there. The throw is late across the middle, but does come up short, showing the limit to Buchner’s abilities.


The last play shows why Buchner is classified as a dual-threat. There is no reason a quarterback should miss a throw on a bubble screen, but here is an example of that. Notre Dame has a two-on-one advantage to the outside, which is why the bubble is being thrown. Buchner rushes his mechanics with two players getting in the passing lane, but if you look closely neither player is in position to alter the play. This shows the levels to Buchner’s passing game. We saw deep throws in great locations and now missed bubbled screens.


For Ohio State to contain Notre Dame’s offense, the Buckeyes will need to stop Buchner from beating them with his legs. Buchner is an athletic, elusive quarterback who doesn’t fear contact and the coaching staff is heavily reliant on his physicality in short yardage. The Fighting Irish will look to get Buchner the ball in a multitude of ways. The quarterback run will be an added dimension that is hard to prepare for, but if Ohio State can remain disciplined in containing the quarterback run, this Notre Dame offense can become one dimensional fast.

As a passer Buchner, has arm-talent, but he is limited as a passer from an accuracy standpoint. Buchner didn’t throw a lot last year, but he had his moments flashing some arm strength. With that sample size, we also saw how pressure can effect him as a thrower. If Ohio State can contain him as a scrambler and get pressure on Buchner, he can be inconsistent as a passer.

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