New Ohio State assistant coach Jeff Hafley is ready to make some changes in the secondary
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The new co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach isn’t ready to completely abandon press coverage, but knows some other schemes are needed to improve the Ohio State secondary.

“We have talent here. So I think we’ve got to make the most of our talent and I think we have to make it easy for our players to play fast, do what they do best, coach them up, fundamentals, technique. We need to do a good job with that. But there will be scheme involved, as well. It’s a little bit of both.”

Ohio State co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Jeff Hafley via Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts


Ohio State unveiled new co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Jeff Hafley to the media on Wednesday. The Buckeye secondary are coming off their worst season in quite some time, with their pass defense finishing just 86th in the country. Ohio State had employed a press-man coverage philosophy, and while it had worked for a number of years, opponents figured the Buckeye coverage scheme out last season.

New co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Jeff Hafley does believe in playing press coverage, but also knows that it can’t be the only type of coverage that is used in pass defense. Ohio State’s pass coverage going forward will depend on who they are playing and what type of personnel the Buckeyes have out on the field.

One area which could see a bigger change in the Ohio State secondary under Hafley is the rotation that is used for defensive backs. In evaluating Ohio State defensive backs during his time in the NFL, Hafley was confused by how often some of the star Buckeye cornerbacks came off the field. But, Hafley also knows that if talent is stockpiled in the secondary, a rotation is needed to help all of that talent see the field.

Last year Ohio State’s secondary suffered a bit with the loss of energy of Kerry Coombs, who joined the Tennessee Titans coaching staff following the 2017 season. Hafley should be able to bring back some of that energy. Hafley has had success coaching at both the college and NFL levels, which should help Ohio State’s secondary make a big improvement this season.

“It was more of a business decision. Coach Day, he’s been in the NFL. He knows what it takes to get quarterbacks to the NFL. Just the offensive mind he has, he’s a smart guy. So that’s why [I came to Ohio State].”

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields via Kyle Rowland, The Toledo Blade


Things have been moving fast and furious over the past month for transfer quarterback Justin Fields. After placing himself in the NCAA’s transfer portal late in 2018, Fields moved into his dorm on Jan. 5, and just a couple days later was attending classes at Ohio State. Ever since making it to campus, Fields has been working at learning Ohio State’s playbook with new quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich and quality control coach Corey Dennis.

Yesterday, Fields spoke with the media for the first time since transferring to Ohio State, sharing the spotlight with some of the early enrolls who had committed to the Buckeyes on National Signing Day. While Fields didn’t comment on what caused him to leave the Georgia program, he did rave about Day’s ability to develop quarterbacks that are prepared for the NFL.

As long as Fields’ transfer waiver is granted by the NCAA, something that Fields and Ohio State are waiting on the NCAA to rule on, the quarterback would give the Buckeyes about as perfect a replacement for Dwayne Haskins as they could imagine. Not only does Fields have the tools to pass the football like Haskins, but he offers up even more ability to make plays with his legs than Haskins did. If Fields is allowed to play in 2019, Ohio State will again be in the thick of the College Football Playoff race.

“I want to leave a legacy here. I want people to be like, ‘Oh, Zach Harrison, he was one of the greatest to come through Ohio State.’ That’s going to mean a lot more to me because, coming from home, I’ll be able to take my kids here and grow up in a community where they know my name and stuff like that.”

Ohio State defensive end Zach Harrison via Colin Hass-Hill, Eleven Warriors


A month into his time at Ohio State, defensive end Zach Harrison is already hard at work with his Buckeye teammates. The Olentangy Orange product committed to Ohio State over Michigan and Penn State in December, and has already turned his focus to leaving a legacy at Ohio State. The lure of staying close to home at Ohio State was too much for Harrison to pass up.

Little did Harrison know that when he committed to Ohio State, he would be playing for a couple of coaches from Michigan who tried to get the defensive end to play in Ann Arbor. New Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison and linebackers coach Al Washington spent a lot of time with Harrison during the recruiting process, and now are part of Ryan Day’s first coaching staff at Ohio State.

Harrison has already earned positive reviews for the work he is doing in the weight room, but he knows there is still plenty of work to do. The defensive end is still working on maximizing his freakish physical tools, but he has an incredible group of coaches to help him reach his goals. Along with talented defensive ends like Chase Young and Jonathon Cooper working with him, it isn’t far-fetched at all to think Harrison could turn into one of the best to play for Ohio State by the end of his playing career.

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


The Buckeyes look to win back-to-back games for the first time since December

Ohio State (14-7, 4-6) was able to avenge a previous loss when they defeated Rutgers at home in their last time out after falling to the Scarlet Knights on the road last month. The Buckeyes will look to use that win to spark some momentum when they take on a struggling Penn State (8-14, 1-10) on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. EST. The Big Ten tilt, taking place at Value City Arena in Columbus, will be broadcast on ESPN.

Preview


The Buckeyes finally got the old Kaleb Wesson back on Saturday when they took down Rutgers 76-62, their second win in their last three games. The sophomore big man put up 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-4 from deep, while adding five assists and four rebounds. Most importantly, Wesson was able to stay out of foul trouble, recording only two personal fouls while playing a season-high 38 minutes. The 27 points were the second-most Wesson has scored in a game this season, behind only his 31 against Youngstown State, as he helped Ohio State get some revenge for their earlier 64-61 loss to the Scarlet Knights in Piscataway.

While Wesson was the star of the show, Chris Holtmann got some good production from his supporting cast as well. C.J. Jackson played one of his better games of the season, scoring 20 points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists, while Luther Muhammad continued his efficient scoring with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting — all from deep. As a team, Ohio State turned the ball over just six times while forcing 12 Rutgers turnovers and held the Scarlet Knights to under 44 percent from the field. Their efficiency with the basketball allowed them to come away with the double-digit victory despite being out-rebounded 36-25.

After losing five in a row, Ohio State has been able to find more success lately, winning two of their last three games, with the lone loss coming against Michigan on the road — one of the best teams in the country. Part of their improved play of late can be attributed to a game plan that focuses less on forcing the ball down low to Kaleb Wesson, instead relying on moving the ball and creating opportunities for other guys to make open shots. One guy that has stepped up big is Muhammad, who has scored in double-digits in three of the last four games. The freshman guard has not shot a ton, but when he has he has been extremely effective, hitting nine of his last 15 from three-point range.

The Buckeyes are at the beginning of an important stretch, as they will take on three-straight Big Ten opponents with losing conference records before a rematch with Michigan State. They will likely still be without Kyle Young, who continues to nurse a stress fracture in his right leg. As they have done in the previous four games in Young’s absence, they will look to fill the void with guys like Jaedon LeDee and Justin Ahrens, while giving increased minutes to Musa Jallow.

After finishing 9-9 in Big Ten play a season ago and placing sixth in the conference, the Nittany Lions have taken quite a step back as they have already lost 10 conference games this season and find themselves dead last in the Big Ten. Their lone B1G win this season was actually in their last time out, when they defeated Northwestern 59-52 in a low-scoring, gritty road win. Before their victory over the Wildcats, Penn State had lost eight-straight games, their longest losing streak in six years.

As he has been all season, Lamar Stevens was the star for PSU against Northwestern. The junior forward scored a team-high 18 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists as he knocked down 8-of-10 attempts at the free throw line. Rasir Bolton added another 14 points for the Nittany Lions, but was extremely inefficient from the field, hitting just 3-of-14 attempts. Unsurprisingly based on the final scored, neither team shot well at all in the game, with Penn State hitting at about a 38 percent clip and the Wildcats and paltry 32 percent.

Stevens has been one of the Nittany Lions’ lone bright spots this season, averaging 18.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. His scoring numbers are up from a year ago, when he averaged 15.5 points per game, however his shooting percentage has dipped a little, going from around 47 percent a year ago to under 42 percent this season. Bolton, the freshman guard, is the only other player averaging double-digit points for Penn State this season (11.8 PPG). Redshirt junior Mike Watkins, someone who has given Ohio State some trouble in the past, needs just six more blocks to move into the No. 2 spot in Penn State history, currently sitting at 185 career rejections.

The Nittany Lions lost a ton of last season’s production with departure of Tony Carr, who chose to begin his professional basketball career by signing overseas. Carr averaged nearly 20 points per game last year to lead the team. The biggest problem areas for Penn State this season have been three-point shooting and free throws. Hitting just 64 percent from the charity stripe ranks the Nittany Lions 11th in the conference, while their 28 percent from deep ranks second-worst. One area that PSU beats out the Buckeyes is in rebounding, where their 36.8 boards is good for sixth in the Big Ten (OSU ranks 11th with 34.8).

Prediction

ESPN BPI: OSU 81%

Vegas Line: OSU -7.5 (as of Wednesday night)


Ohio State fans likely remember last season’s series against Penn State, which ended with the Nittany Lions sweeping all three games, including a half-court buzzer-beater on the Buckeyes’ home floor and a PSU win in the quarterfinal match of the Big Ten Tournament. Although Penn State took all three games last season, the last 10 games between the two conference opponents are actually evenly split, with Ohio State winning five in a row following two wins by the Nittany Lions in the 2013-14 season.

This year’s Penn State squad is very different from the one that defeated the Buckeyes a trio of times last season. The main difference is the absence of Tony Carr, who had career games against Ohio State seemingly every time the two teams met. However, the same could be said about this Buckeyes team, who have lost the scoring of Keita Bates-Diop and Jae’Sean Tate from a year ago. More or less, these two Big Ten teams are also entirely different.

This season, these two teams will meet just once in the regular season. This time, Ohio State will have the edge. Penn State will likely look to try and get Kaleb Wesson into foul trouble early on by throwing Watkins at him, but hopefully Wesson will be able to take what he learned against Rutgers and duplicate it against the Nittany Lions. With a more efficient offense and a focus on avoiding turnovers against a decent Penn State defense, the Buckeyes will come out on top as they kick-off what should be three very winnable games on Ohio State’s schedule.

LGHL Final Score Prediction: 74-65 Ohio State

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Highlights
- Schlegel is the bad cop
- Boone stories
- Heacock vs Bollman
- Patterson having nightmares about Heacock
- Luke vs Heacock
- Beanie vs Freeman
- Beanie's kids in football... they coming in 2028
- Working w/ Cardale on youth football and coaching
- Tressel punishment
- OL depth
- Saine vs Boom
- S&C under Coop
- Beanie's bad combine

How Buckeye great William White is helping tackle ALS: BTN LiveBIG
BTN.com LiveBIG Staff via Big Ten Network

Not one to be sidelined, White is leading the fight against the neurodegenerative disease.

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JCOSU86 said:

Offense: Pete Johnson, Robert Smith, Terrell Pryor


Defense: Sean Springs, Denzel Ward, Neal Colzie, Jack Tatum

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for the nickle: Antoine Winfield

blast from the past

Interesting that Ohio State considers Justin Fields to be a member of the Class of 2019:

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ScriptOhio said:

According to 247Sports' rankings, Bogle is a top-10 player from the Sunshine State, the No. 3 weak-side edge rusher nationally and the No. 71 overall player. He is also the second head-to-head recruiting win Mullen has over Alabama coach Nick Saban since December 2018.
/

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cdiddy70 said:

Prove it.

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Actually, since you made the initial claim, you prove it.

buckeyefool said:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/07/bigbopper.autopsy.ap/index.html

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson suffered massive fractures and likely died immediately in the 1959 plane crash that also killed early rock 'n' rollers Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, a forensic anthropologist said Tuesday after exhuming the body.

The performer's son, Jay Richardson, hired Dr. Bill Bass, a well-known forensic anthropologist at the University of Tennessee, to look at the remains in Beaumont, Texas.

There have been rumors a gun might have been fired on board the plane and that the Big Bopper might have survived the crash and died trying to get help.

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Big Ten Power Rankings: White-hot Purdue moves to top of list
Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network

For the third time in as many weeks, there's a new No. 1 in my Big Ten Power Rankings, presented by ArcelorMittal. This week, it's white-hot Purdue, winner of seven straight, taking the place of Michigan, now No. 2.

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That's all I'm saying. Not run it exclusively. Just as a change of pace or situational circumstances.

Now that is a Scrabble name.

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Not that we were holding out hope, but not a finalist.

01. Jack Sawyer, TE/DE, Pickerington (OH) North; 6'5" 225 lbs - committed on 02/03/2019

02. Kyle McCord, QB, Philadelphia (PA) St. Joseph's Prep; 6'3" 195 lbs - committed on 04/30/2019

03. Jayden Ballard, WR, Massillon (OH) 6'2" 165 lbs - committed on 6/21/2019

04. Ben Christman, OT, Richfield (OH) 6’6” 295 lbs - committed on 6/26/2019

05. Reid Carrico, LB, Ironton (OH) 6'3" 218 lbs - committed on 9/10/2019

06. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Philadelphia (PA) 6’4” 175 lbs - committed on 10/31/2019

07. Sam Hart, TE, Aurora (CO) 6’5” 225 lbs - Committed on 12/30/2019

08. Jaylen Johnson, DB, Cincinnati (OH) 6’1” 205 lbs - Committed on 1/7/2020

09. Donovan Jackson, OL, Bellaire (TX) 6’4” 270 lbs - Committed on 1/8/2020

10. Michael Hall Jr., DT, Streetsboro (OH) 6’3” 290 lbs - Committed on 2/1/2020

11. Jakailin Johnson, CB, St. Louis (MO) 6’0” 170 lbs - Committed on 3/15/2020

12. Evan Pryor, RB, Charlotte (NC) 5’10” 190 lbs - Committed on 03/16/2020

13. Andre Turrentine, DB, Nashville (TN) 6’0” 175 lbs - Committed on 03/17/2020

14. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Hopewell (VA) 5’10” 190 lbs - Committed on 03/27/2020

15. Tunmise Adeleye, DL, Bradenton (FL) 6’3” 240 lbs - Committed on 04/15/2020

15. Jantzen Dunn, ATH, Bowling Green (KY) 6’2” 178 lbs - Committed on 04/20/2020

16. Jesse Mirco, P, West Fremantle (AUS) 6’3” 200 lbs - Committed on 05/06/2020

17. Denzel Burke, ATH, Scottsdale (AZ) 6’0” 189 lbs - Committed on 05/24/2020

18. Jordan Hancock, CB, Suwanee (GA) 6’0” 175 lbs - Committed on 07/19/2020

19. Tyleik Williams, DT, Manassas (VA) 6’3” 315 lbs - Committed on 08/27/2020

20. Zen Michalski, OT, Knobbs Creek (IN) 6’6” 288 lbs - Committed on 10/03/2020

21. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Steilacoom (WA) 6’1” 190 lbs - Committed on 12/11/2020

Boom! Baloney!

So easy to make and made up of nonsense!

Yeah. But in the Ohio Stadium? Props. Legend.

Jaxbuck said:

who are we to judge?

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buckeyeplanetitians.

Registration is Now Open for the Eighth Annual BTN Big 10K on Aug. 11
BTN Communications via Big Ten Network

Registration is now open for the BTN Big 10K, the summer race that turns Chicago into a Big Ten tailgate party. The eighth annual BTN Big 10K and 5K takes place on Sunday, Aug. 11, with a course navigating city streets and a start and finish in Grant Park along Chicago’s picturesque lakefront. Registration begins at $55 for adults for the 10K and $40 for the 5K. For children 12 and under, registration is $25 for the 5K. For all additional information on the BTN Big 10K, visit www.BTNBig10K.com or Facebook. Those who register will also receive a school-specific technical

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*Checks score*

Guess it really was the Chipotle.

Best Buckeye said:

Face it , this is not our best team ever. I don't know who the leader(s) is/are. I also saw no consistent teamwork. Go Bucks!

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Repeat as needed.....

Overall strength of the B1G helping them out. Experts projecting 9-10 from B1G as of today, so if they can some how get around .500 in B1G play, they may sneak in.

Right now, I'd put $ on them getting a pretty high seed in the NIT, hosting a game or two, and maybe getting another game in St. John Arena this season?