Buckeye Clips: NFL Week 9 highlights
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 Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
Terry McLaurin shines as usual, while Austin Mack has a breakout performance

Weekends in the fall are always the best. On Saturdays, you get to watch the current crop of Buckeyes easily dispatch their opponents, while Sundays provide an opportunity to watch all of the Ohio State football alum tear it up in the NFL. This week was no different, as there were no shortage of standout performances from your favorite crop of OSU alum in the league.

The Rookies


The biggest rookie performance of the weekend was by none other than Austin Mack. An undrafted free agent wide receiver, Mack got an expanded role with the New York Giants on Sunday, and he sure did make the most of it. He finished the afternoon with four catches for 72 yards to lead the team, and nearly had his first NFL touchdown before he was ruled down just a yard short.

Mack was the Giants’ highest-graded player on offense against Washington, according to PFF, despite playing less than half of the team’s offensive snaps.


There was not a ton of other action from Ohio State’s NFL rookies this past weekend, especially with guys like Damon Arnette (injury) and Jordan Fuller (bye week) not on the field this Sunday. We did, however, get good news on the Fuller injury front.


Other miscellaneous news and notes for Buckeye rookies

• Chase Young had a sack and two QB hits for the Washington Football Team.
• Malik Harrison led the Baltimore Ravens with 11 total tackles, while teammate J.K. Dobbins had 12 carries for 30 yards.
• Jonah Jackson started at guard for the Detroit Lions.

The Veterans


On the other sideline opposite Mack, Terry McLaurin continued to put on a show as he has done all season long for Washington. The newly appointed captain finished with a team-high seven receptions for 115 yards and a TD, including this impressive 68-yard score.


McLaurin wasn’t the only former Ohio State wide receiver putting up numbers on Sunday. It appears the Carolina Panthers have figured out that Curtis Samuel is a Swiss Army knife on offense, as the speedster now has six total touchdowns in his last three games, including this 14-yard score on a pop pass. Samuel finished his afternoon against the Kansas City Chiefs with nine receptions for 105 yards and a TD, with another 13 yards rushing on three carries.


There was also this, which in and of itself is just awesome.


There were a treasure trove of Buckeye performances in the Sunday night game, where the Ohio State-heavy New Orleans Saints dominated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. One of those impact performers was Malcolm Jenkins, who picked off Tom Brady in the third quarter.


Jenkins is truly an iron man, and in an era where injuries to major stars happen all the time, the incredibly talented safety has missed only TWO (2!!!) snaps since 2018.


His running mate, Marshon Lattimore, is a certified Mike Evans stopper.


Star wide receiver Michael Thomas also made his return back from an ankle injury that has kept him sidelined since Week 1, catching five passes for 51 yards.


Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cam Heyward made a huge play in their game against the Dallas Cowboys, helping to sack Garrett Gilbert in a crucial situation late in the fourth quarter on this impressive bullrush move. Heyward finished with four total tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, and three QB hits.


Other miscellaneous news and notes for Buckeye veterans:

• Ezekiel Elliott had 18 carries for 51 yards for the Dallas Cowboys.
• Dre’Mont Jones had two tackles, a sack, a pass breakup and a QB hit for the Denver Broncos.
• Jerome Baker led the Miami Dolphins with seven total tackles.
• Kendall Sheffield had three tackles and a forced fumble for the Atlanta Falcons.
• Taylor Decker, Corey Linsley and Andrew Norwell started for their respective offensive lines.

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Top recruits put Ohio State on short lists
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

2022 five-star DE Enai White | Brian Dohn/247Sports
The Buckeyes’ recruiting efforts are paying off, making the cut for some of the nation’s top talents in both basketball and football.

The Ohio State football team had a very productive weekend. The Buckeyes won on the field Saturday night versus Rutgers, moving to 3-0 on the year. Additionally, the team won off the field, making the short list for multiple of the nation’s top recruits.

The streak continued Monday, as another of the nation’s highly regarded prospects listed Ohio State among his top schools. 2022 five-star defensive end Enai White (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Institute) included the Buckeyes in his top 13 schools.


Alongside Ohio State, White included Clemson, LSU, Alabama, Tennessee, USC, Ole Miss, Penn State, Miami, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida and Oregon in his list of schools moving forward.

While White was able to whittle his list of suitors to 13 schools, there are no further insights into his recruitment at this time. He will likely wait to visit some of the above mentioned schools before cutting things down further.

Ohio State’s 2022 class is already off to a historic start. The class currently sits atop the 247Sports Class Rankings with seven verbal commitments. However, the Buckeyes do not yet hold a commitment from a defensive linemen.

White is the No. 2 weakside DE in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, and is the No. 25 overall prospect in the class.

Basketball Buckeyes make the cut for four-star SG


Ohio State isn’t just winning over recruits on the gridiron. The Buckeyes also made the cut for one of the nation’s top prospects on the hardwood.

2022 four-star shooting guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (Youngstown, NY/Lewiston Port Senior) announced his top six schools Monday and included the Buckeyes.


Alongside Ohio State, Gayle Jr. also included UConn, Pitt, Marquette, Syracuse and Georgetown in his list of top schools. Not only did Gayle Jr. announce his final schools, he also announced his planned commitment date of Nov. 13.

Upon first glance, Ohio State would seem like the school with the hardest route to a commitment. The five other schools in contention are all basketball powerhouses with prolific histories. However, Holtmann has proven to be one of the nation’s top recruiters, and the hard work may soon payoff as the Buckeyes are the runaway favorite in this race.

While the 247Sports Crystal Balls are nowhere near an exact science, they are able to provide a strong glimpse into what the recruit is thinking based off of conversations with the experts. With this, Ohio State holds 100 percent of the predictions (five in total) with a confidence score of 7/10.

This will definitely be one to follow for Buckeye Nation, as Gayle Jr. could become the second member of Ohio State’s 2022 basketball class, joining three-star SG Bowen Hardman. Gayle Jr. is the No. 7 SG in the cycle, and the No. 76 player in the country overall.

Quick Hits

• Ohio State 2022 OLB commit Gabe Powers was named the Defensive Player of the Year in the Ohio Capital Conference. The five-star Marysville native is the highest rated player in the Buckeyes’ class, coming in as the No. 1 OLB in the nation and the No. 33 player overall.

• Ohio State 2021 four-star WR commit Marvin Harrison Jr. is now the all-time Catholic League leader in career receiving yards with 2,467 yards, passing Houston Texans WR Will Fuller. Harrison spoke with Bill Kurelic of BuckNuts on breaking the record.

• Five-star 2022 OT Zach Rice will be announcing his top eight schools this Saturday, the prospect announced via Twitter. Rice, who was one of the guys involved in the Ohio State social media buzz a short while back, is the No. 2 OT in the class and the No. 29 player in the country overall. Expect the Buckeyes to make the cut.

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NAME OF THE WEEK
Among the many serendipitous happenings in Arkansas football’s surprising turnaround season is this: Its team leader in tackles for loss and tackles per game is a linebacker named Bumper Pool. That’s his real name, not a nickname.

James Morris Pool had been called “Bumper” his whole life by his father, so at age 16 he had it legally made his first name. As one would expect from a linebacker named Bumper from Lucas, Texas, he likes to hit people. Pool is second nationally in tackles per game (12.8) among players who have been in more than one game. He had 14 in Arkansas’s win over Tennessee Saturday.

Entire article: https://www.si.com/college/2020/11/10/power-5-left-behind-passing-revolution

For you on this day, KSB

Traveling Space Available


We spent the day in the Ramstein terminal,

Retired military, traveling for free, when space is available.


Ten seats to Dover Air Force Base,

We count noses; it looks like at least one of us will get out,


A change appears on the screen,

“9 seats, human remains on board.”


We forget that Dover is the military’s morgue,

The tenth seat is taken by the escort, a solemn but necessary duty


All morning troops in camo lug their duffle bags,

shuffle duty-bound to planes headed East


We watch, silently wish them luck,

Turn back and share stories of the day we left, in camo, flying West


I think back to the sign, “remains on board,”

Remember that day of awakening I experienced


It’s April of 1969, a bright day at Ton So Nhut,

Honor guard in starched fatigues, at attention, colors snapping in the wind


Flag draped caskets are loaded into the belly of a 707,

I watch as they head home.

Cincibuck

Please see main thread here:

https://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/threads/2020-fundraising-please-read.663011/

ScriptOhio said:

Reverse BOOM:

Commits to LSU, who saw that coming?

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Nuclear suck being demonstrated by Ped State, appropriately.

I think the 27 yd reception was McCall’s, originally misattributed to Fleming in the box score and subsequently corrected.

Zurp said:

When does the voting end?

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Apparently, when Trump says it ends.

Sad to hear
And too young.

OSUBasketballJunkie said:

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Canadian? I thought it said he was from New Jersey? Did we give them to the Canucks? ;-)

You're a legend, thank you

OHSportsFan said:

For all 7 people watching, Tulsa making their way down the field on a boat made of booth reviews.

Benefit of 2 very questionable calls - first a fumble, then a 4th down catch.

Go ahead TD upcoming. ECU getting screwed.

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Following up on this. The last 3 minutes of SVP’s “Bad Beats” feature everything that went wrong/against ECU.

By the way, this segment always gives me heartburn as a gambler. Luckily nothing I was on made the list this week (11-4 week, not to brag).

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BayBuck said:

So... still using this seed recipe, or have you updated it since the aughts?

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Lol, I've started using a mix from Penzey's spices called "Northwoods". That and some salt a butter is all I need. Haven't done them this year as we didn't carve the pumpkins

So, a threesome?

Penn State Post-Game Thoughts

1. With the 38-25 win, Ohio State now leads the series versus Penn State, 22-14 (.611 winning percentage), including 20-8 (.714 winning percentage) in Big Ten play. Ohio State has outscored Penn State 834 to 678 (23.2 to 18.8 on a per game basis). In Big Ten games, Ohio State has outscored Penn State 773 to 531 (27.6 to 19.0 on a per game basis).

2. A 13-point win against a pre-season top-10 team seems pretty impressive, but the game wasn't really that close. Ohio State settled for three FG attempts inside the 5-yard line, and missed two of them (one with an injured Blake Haubeil; one with his backup, walk-on Dominic DiMaccio). Penn State was clearly gifted a FG of their own when the clock malfunctioned (or something) at the end of the first half, and a second FG after a phantom roughing the passer call allowed them to convert a 3rd-and-12. If Ohio State makes their two short FG, and the refs don't gift Penn State six points, then your final score is 44-19. If Ohio State converts TDs in those goal-to-go situations, then the final score is 56-19. You get the idea.

3. Justin Fields had another Heisman-caliber performance. He was 28/34 (.824) for 318 yards, 4 TDs, and no interceptions.

4. If I have one quibble about Fields - or perhaps it is really a quibble about the Ohio State offense in general - it is this: The Buckeyes have a difficult time converting touchdowns inside the 5-yard line. Over the past four games with Fields at QB (Wisconsin and Clemson last season; Nebraska and Penn State this season), Ohio State has been at or inside the 5-yard line eleven times, with the following results: 4 TDs; 4 FGs; 2 missed FGs; and 1 fumble. Four touchdowns in eleven tries inside the 5-yard line is quite simply awful. Granted, Wisconsin, Clemson, and Penn State have solid defenses, and perhaps one or two of those FG attempts were dictated by the game situation, but the Buckeyes clearly have some major difficulties in scoring when the playing field gets compressed.

5. Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson are the best receiving duo in the country, and quite possibly in Buckeye history. For the second straight game, both receivers eclipsed the 100-yard mark, which has never happened before at Ohio State. Olave had 7 receptions for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns (26 yards; 49 yards), while Wilson had 11 receptions for 111 yards (no TDs) and added another 62 yards on a rush.

6. Jeremy Ruckert had a big game, at least by the standards of Buckeye tight ends, with 4 receptions for 25 yard and a pair of touchdowns. Luke Farrell (1 reception, 16 yards) and Jake Hausmann (1 reception, 13 yards) also made it onto the stat sheet. A big tight end can be a real asset in goal-to-go situations (see above), and Ruckert (or Farrell or Hausmann) could be the X-factor that finally allows Ohio State to become more efficient inside the 5-yard line.

7. The Buckeyes' tailback tandem of Master Teague (23 carries, 110 yards, 4.8 average, TD) and Trey Sermon (13 carries, 56 yards, 4.3 average) were somewhat better this week, but it's becoming apparent that Ohio State will not be able to win a close game against a top opponent by relying on its running game. It's Justin Fields or bust in 2020.

8. Q: How often does a defensive tackle lead the team in tackles? A: Basically never, but Tommy Togiai accomplished that rare feat last night. Togiai had seven tackles (4 solo, 3 assists) and added 3 sacks for 13 yards lost. Javonte Jean-Baptiste had a solo sack, and Zach Harrison (4 tackles, TFL) and Jonathon Cooper (5 tackles) combined for a fifth sack. After a rough game against Nebraska in week one, Cooper had a much better and more physical game against Penn State.

9. Marcus Hooker looked like his big brother on a 31-yard interception return that he almost took to the house. Hooker's near pick-six late in the 4th quarter pretty much clinched the game for Ohio State, although the Buckeyes certainly made things interesting by: (1) not scoring a touchdown inside the 5-yard line, and (2) subsequently missing the chip shot field goal. Hooker also added 6 tackles (5 solo, 1 assist) for the contest.

10. The Buckeye front seven were stout all night long, with 5 sacks, 2 additional TFLs, and surrendering just 44 yards rushing on 27 attempts (1.6 average, no TDs). After being torched recently by running quarterbacks (Trevor Lawrence, Adrian Martinez, Luke McCaffery), the defense did an especially nice job on Penn State QB Sean Clifford. Subtracting out the five sacks for minus 23 yards, Clifford had 13 rushes for just 28 yards (2.15 average) and a long run of 11 yards.

11. Where Clifford hurt the Buckeyes was in the passing game. Although Clifford's stats weren't great - 18 for 30 (.600) for 281 yards, 3 TDs, INT, 5 sacks - he made several big plays, including eight completions of 16+ yards. Clifford's biggest plays of the night were a 37-yard completion to Jahan Dotson to convert a 3rd-and-17, and a 21-yard TD to Dotson on the very next play to cut Ohio State's lead to 31-19. Those two plays kept the game fairly close and the final score almost respectable.

12. Turn back the clock to September 28, 2013. #4 Ohio State versus #23 Wisconsin. The Buckeyes win the game, 31-24, but Badger quarterback Joel Stave connects with wide receiver Jared Abbrederis 10 times for 207 yards and a touchdown, including receptions of 23, 33, 36, and 64 yards. Who was guarding the otherwise forgettable Abbrederis that evening? None other than Buckeye All American cornerback (and future first round draft pick) Bradley Roby. I've never seen a Buckeye corner get torched quite so badly as Roby that night, but Shaun Wade certainly entered the discussion with his "coverage" on Penn State's Jahan Dotson, who had 8 receptions for 144 yards and 3 touchdowns (14, 20, 21 yards). Sure, Dotson made some nice individual plays, but there were times when Wade simply looked overmatched and/or disinterested. Bradley Roby was able to rebound from his awful night back in 2013, so maybe Shaun Wade can do the same thing in 2020. If Wade can't be a lockdown corner going forward, then the Buckeye defense will have a difficult (if not impossible) time stopping the high-powered offenses that they hope to meet in the playoffs.

13. Remember how I said that the game wasn't really as close as the final score? Ohio State outgained Penn State 526 total yards to 325 total yards, and won the time of possession battle 37:01 to 22:59. In addition, Ohio State was 12 for 21 (.571) converting 3rd and 4th downs, while Penn State was just 3 for 10 (.300). Ohio State basically dominated the game everywhere but on the scoreboard.

Olave sounds like a prayer

Wife did with kids yesterday.

Committed to Kentucky. Just could not wait

We stil have almost two years...

Not surprising, but the Buckeyes have been eliminated

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OregonBuckeye said:

We know scUM has no issues with that

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Wait they actually have one?
Did they make it themselves or Delaney felt that much pity for them?

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GOODBYE, GOOD DAKICH. After three years with the Buckeyes, one of our favorite turncoats is moving on.

After two seasons as a member of the Ohio State coaching staff under Chris Holtmann, Dakich is taking a job as the director of basketball operations at Elon University, The Dispatch has learned. An official announcement is expected as soon as Tuesday, pending final approval from human resources at Elon.

The move will reunite Dakich with one of his former coaches. He will work at Elon for Mike Schrage, a longtime member of Holtmann’s coaching staff who was an assistant at Ohio State for two seasons before taking the head coaching position for the Phoenix for the 2019-20 season. Prior to taking the Elon job, Schrage was an assistant for Holtmann at Butler from 2016-17 and then with the Buckeyes from 2017-19.

"We are really happy for Dak," Holtmann told The Dispatch in a statement. "This is the next step in Andrew's coaching career. He has a very bright future in our business. Andrew has a really good feel for the game and how teams work, as we all saw during his playing season as a Buckeye.

"He's working for an excellent coach and person in Mike Schrage. Looking forward to following their success at Elon."

It's still unbelievable to me that he played meaningful minutes for an Ohio State team that finished third in the Big Ten, but I'm eternally grateful because if he didn't, Chris Holtmann's actual plan was to sign some kids from a local summer rec league.

Godspeed, Dakich.