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.

Column: Ryan Day is okay with Justin Fields getting sacked and you should be too
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 Steve Nurenberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
If the Buckeyes are going to reach their potential this season, it’s going to have to involve some risks.

Man, 2020 has been a weird year, huh? Working from home, virtual school, Zoom parties, we’ve all had to accept things that in the before times we would have been uncomfortable with. But, such is life, right?

That philosophy of rolling with the punches during this global pandemic should apply to how we watch our favorite college football team as well. For example, I know that as fans, we are conditioned to hate seeing our team’s quarterback get sacked, and when said QB is as otherworldly talented as Justin Fields is, you doubly (triply?) hate the idea that any sack could potentially lead to a season-ending injury.

But, to paraphrase one of the sterling examples of the now nearly extinct genre of television theme songs, “You take the good, you take the bad, and there you have the sacks of Fields.”

One of the few complaints that fans had about Fields’ play in 2019 was that he had a tendency to hold onto the ball too long, leading to far too many sacks for a quarterback of his athleticism and with as many weapons as the Buckeyes deploy on each play. I certainly was one that would scream, “Just get rid of it,’” at the TV anytime a defender chased him down in the backfield.

But, as Ohio State head coach Ryan Day explained on Tuesday during his weekly press conference, he doesn’t mind the sacks too much, because they are a byproduct of Fields doing what he does best, making plays.


Day said, “For every sack, you’re going to get two or three extended plays,” meaning that If Fields is sacked three times in a game — like he was by the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday — there are another six to nine nice plays that he is also making, because he is extending plays beyond what a normal QB would be able to do.

So for every sack, Fields is finding a late-breaking wide receiver, scrambling for a first down, and/or letting a route develop long enough so that he can hit a WR deep; and for Day that tradeoff is worth it.

Obviously, we all love seeing the crazy plays that Fields’ scrambling can create, but a lot of us are also terrified of what could happen if his knee is tweaked again like it was last year and he has to miss a drive, a quarter, or (Woody forbid) a game. Worse yet, what if he is hit in the head and sent into the concussion protocol for weeks on end?

With all due respect to Gunnar Hoak, Jack Miller III, and C.J. Stroud, the shape of the season would be irrevocably changed by having them behind center instead of Fields. So, there are ample reasons why hating Fields getting sacked makes sense. But, while I’m sure Day doesn’t particularly like it either, he’s comfortable with the risk, and honestly, that’s all we should need to know.

You might be thinking to yourself, “Self, isn’t there a happy medium between a Justin Fields sack-fest and him making insane street ball plays on the reg?” And, if you are smart, you might reply, “Self, that’s kind of what we are getting now, isn’t it?”

Fields was only sacked three times in the season opener, and if you trust him to make game-defining decisions on designed plays, you should trust him to do it when those plays break down as well.

For most of the last two decades in Ohio State football history, the program has played things safe. Whether that was Jim Tressel’s punt-focused approach or Urban Meyer’s obsession with J.T. Barrett right/J.T. Barrett left/J.T. Barrett up the middle. Now, don’t get me wrong, both of those coaches won national titles for which I am eternally grateful, but they both also underachieved more times than they would likely prefer to admit.

Winning 11-12 games per year and dominating the Big Ten is great, and there’s nothing wrong with that being A goal, but it shouldn’t be THE goal. To be able to not only get to the playoffs, but to actually play for and win College Football Playoff titles on a regular basis, you can’t take the safe, easy route.

Whether it’s Nick Saban changing quarterbacks at halftime in the title game, or Dabo Swinney hitching his wagon to a true-freshman, you have to be willing to take risks to chase the ultimate prize, and this is what Day is doing with Fields. Between scrambles and designed runs, OSU’s QB1 ran the ball 12 times on Saturday for a sack-adjusted 75 yards and a touchdown.

Conventional wisdom (and many on the OSU beat) would say that that’s too much; that the coaches are putting Fields in danger and jeopardizing Ohio State’s season every time he holds onto the ball sack or otherwise. And, if you are looking at it from the safe, old school mentality that we grew up on, sure, that makes sense. But we are living in a different era of football now.

By playing things as close to the proverbial vest as possible, what teams and players are actually doing is limiting their ceiling, putting a cap on their potential. Day knows that this year’s Buckeyes have the potential to be truly special, and he doesn’t want to do anything that could prevent them from achieving each and every one of their incredibly lofty goals.

Wherever the Buckeyes end up this season, there is no doubt that Justin Fields will be the one driving them; and sure, injuries could end up derailing the enter thing, and that would suck. But, if we want to see Ohio State reclaim the crown as college football’s best team, we have to trust both Fields and Day and get used to the idea that sacks happen, and that’s okay.


After some unexpected start and stops, I am back to posting a column every single day from preseason camp until whenever Ohio State’s football season ends. Some days they will be longer and in depth, some days they will be short and sweet. Let me know what you think of this one, and what you’d like to see me discuss in the comments or on Twitter. Go Bucks!

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#MOTSAGRising: Studs and Duds
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

1-0! Yes, there are still games going on, but the Buckeyes are done for the day and we here at The Men of the Scarlet and Gray need something to accompany Mike’s post game review. His analysis was spot on and I have a few tidbits to add to it! Here we go!

1. STUD: Justin Fields was efficient and poised for the entirety of the game amid getting off to a slow start and being sacked four times. Fields finished the game with 2 passing touchdowns after slinging it 21 times, with a single incomplete pass. He rushed 15 times for 54 yards and a score as well. Coach Day would need to prevent that many rushing attempts, but the line collapsed and his receivers were covered tightly during those plays–so lets see if they will improve against Penn State. For now lets enjoy the win!
2. STUDS: Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba were balling out today! The duo of Wilson and Olave were a given, but toe-tapping action Jaxon stole the show! We all heard the hype about the inbound group of elite receivers, but wow is all we can say. For contrast, this catch and debut reminds me of Olave’s explosive debut against TTUN, but with less usage and just a splendid catch that made an impact. The future of Zone 6 is definitely bright, but the dangerous duo of Wilson and Olave grabbing 13 catches for 233 yards and a score will a staple of this years offensive attack.
3. DUDS: A combination of the Slobs, Sermon and Teague started off too slow, landing them on the dud-side of things. Not by a lack of effort or talent, but they did not fare too well and it limited the offense as a whole during the first half. Let me explain before I get blown up–the offensive line got beat up early and often before turning it around in the second half. While it is true that their line is elite, they are still bringing along two new starters at Left Guard and Right Tackle and they look like they need additional time to gel. The thunder and lightning combination of Sermon and Teague need to be better too as they looked hesitant to hit the holes aggressively when they had them. Sermon looked good late while Teague had little to no wiggle and looks to hulk-smash defenders with his style of play. I have faith that they’ll get better, but this is just a minor setback for a major comeback.
4. DUDS: Linebacker tackling, D-Line pass rushers, and tackling. Linebacker has always been a problem for the Buckeyes, but this week featured the trio of Borland, Browning, and Werner leaving tight ends open in the seams and the flats–and it is infuriating as always. The tackling could be better, but they did enough to stop the bleeding during the second half. The D-Line needs to provide consistent pressure and they need to do better with containing and stopping the quarterback runs. For the defense as a whole–they need tackle better, but again–they shut them down late. Overall great showing and promise. They need to fine tune things a bit, but the promised return of the vaunted Silver Bullets is achievable this early in the season and we are just a game into this short season.
5. STUD: Haskell Garrett’s return. Garrett attempt to stop a fight this offseason resulted in him getting shot in the face and it seems like he has recovered. Garrett finished game one with a sack and a forced fumble that led to a Banks touchdown–which ultimately shifted the momentum toward Ohio State and halted the Nebraska offensive attack. Hopefully his stellar performance in week one will pave it forward because the confidence is there, but they need more people to step up in the absence of a dominant pass rusher like Joey and Nick Bosa and Chase Young. They have the pieces but they need to step up against Penn State.

#GoBucks




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#MOTSAGRising #NewBlood Amid Slow Start, Buckeyes Roll, and Impress Late by Mike Scharf
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

No. 5 Ohio State officially started their quest in its pursuit of another second-straight College Football playoff run, pulling away with a 52-17 win against Nebraska. Although the Buckeyes led after every quarter, they only led 24-14 at halftime, but ended taking control of the game, dominating the second half out scoring Nebraska 28-3.

As the fifth-ranked Buckeyes opened their season against Nebraska things were looking interesting early. As noted, the ability to run the ball with dual-threat quarterbacks Adrian Martinez and Luke McCaffrey was going to be a key factor heading into the game and the duo showed up poised and confident. Nebraka took advantage of an Ohio State defense that lost seven starters to the NFL draft and marched 75 yards in four plays for a game-opening touchdown drive, a drive that took less than 2 minutes. As Nebraka stuck with the ground game, the Buckeyes defense tightened up over the course of the game, allowing one touchdown and causing a couple of second-half fumbles.

The Justin Fields Heisman campaign is officially underway and it didn’t disappoint. The Junior quarterback had a flawless 2020 debut. Fields completed 20-of-21 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns along with 54 yards on the ground and one touchdown. Along with Fields his wide receiver core did not let down. Garrett Wilson (seven catches, 129 yards, and one touchdown), Chris Olave (six catches, 104 yards), and notably an incredible highlight toe-tapping touchdown catch by freshman Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the back of the endzone in the fourth quarter.

Going forward, the Buckeye coaches have stressed enough not relying on Fields in the running game. Fields was two yards shy of being the team’s leader in today’s game with 54 yards on 15 attempts. Though Nebraska defense came to play and looked very much improved from a year ago. The effort to replace JK Dobbins’ was on full display as three running backs saw quality time on different drives. The trio of Master Teague, Oklahoma transfer Trey Sermon and redshirt freshman Steele Chambers combined for 128 yards on 27 carries.

Next weekend is possibly the Buckeyes biggest test of the season as they travel to Happy Valley. The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions will clash in a 7:30 primetime game on ABC.




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