How to watch Ohio State vs. Western Carolina: Preview, game time, live streaming online
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State will look to build on their first 3-0 start since 2014 when they host Western Carolina tonight.

Ohio State looked decidedly better on Thursday night when they took down Providence 72-67 on Thursday night in the Gavitt Tipoff Games. The Buckeyes jumped out to a 38-28 lead at halftime, running their record to 283-17 under Thad Matta when building a lead of at least 10 points. Ohio State survived a second half push by the Friars to earn their third win of the season.

Ohio State didn’t spend much time trailing against the Friars on Thursday night. Providence took a 17-16 lead midway through the first half on a Rodney Bullock three-pointer before a Trevor Thompson jumper gave Ohio State the lead for good. The Friars creeped to within one point at 50-49 with 10 minutes left in the second half, but Ohio State was able to extend the lead and earn the hard-fought victory.

JaQuan Lyle paced Ohio State with 21 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, giving the sophomore his first double-digit scoring effort of the 2016-17 season. Trevor Thompson came off the bench to nearly notch a double-double, scoring 12 points and adding nine rebounds off the bench. Jae’Sean Tate added 14 points for Ohio State in the victory.

Tonight’s game against Western Carolina marks the second game Ohio State will play in the Global Sports Invitational. The Buckeyes already took down North Carolina Central last Monday in their first game in the non-bracketed event. Following tonight’s game, Ohio State will close out their participation in the event with games at home against Jackson State on Wednesday and Marshall on Friday night.

Before he became a head coach, Thad Matta spent the 1995-96 season as an assistant coach at Western Carolina. That year, the Catamounts earned the automatic bid by winning the Southern Conference Tournament, and as a 16th seed, Western Carolina nearly upset Purdue in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, losing by a slim 73-71 margin to the Boilermakers. The 1995-96 season remains the only time in which the Catamounts have participated in the NCAA Tournament.

Western Carolina head coach Larry Hunter is quite familiar with Ohio, as he spent the first 25 years of his head coaching career in the Buckeye state. Hunter was the head coach at Wittenberg University in Springfield from 1976-89, leading the Tigers to the Division III National Championship in 1977. Hunter returned to his alma mater in 1989 to coach the Ohio Bobcats for 12 seasons, registering just one NCAA Tournament appearance during that span. This marks Hunter’s 12th year as the head coach of Western Carolina, where he has posted a 171-191 record.

The Catamounts have struggled mightily to start the season, losing three of their first four games. Western Carolina opened the season with a loss to the Miami Hurricanes before getting their only win of the year against Hiwassee College. The Catamounts have dropped their last two games, falling to North Carolina Central and Marshall, with both games being a part of the Global Sports Invitational.

Numbers to know

124


With Thursday night’s win over Providence, Ohio State has registered 124 wins at home since the start of the 2009-10 season, which is most in the country. Sitting just behind the Buckeyes on that list is Kentucky, who has 121 wins over that same span. Since Thad Matta became Ohio State’s head coach in 2005, the Buckeyes have 205 home wins, which is tied for Memphis for most during that span.

14


Ohio State is 14-1 against current Southern Conference teams, with the only loss coming in 1995 when they fell 83-70 to Chattanooga. Tonight’s game will be the second time the Buckeyes have squared off against Western Carolina, as the Buckeyes defeated the Catamounts 85-60 in 2010, in a game that was played at St. John’s Arena. The last time Ohio State played a Southern Conference team was in 2015, when they beat Mercer 64-44.

6


After forcing North Carolina Central into committing 20 turnovers last Monday, the Buckeyes were only able to force three turnovers against Providence. Surprisingly, Ohio State has been very effective in the few instances under Thad Matta when they force six turnovers or less, putting together a 12-3 record.

Cast of characters

Ohio State

JaQuan Lyle


After struggling in the first two games of the season, JaQuan Lyle rebounded with a team-high 21 points on Thursday night. Not only were the 35 minutes Lyle played a season-high, but the sophomore was sniffing around his second career triple-double, adding eight rebounds and seven assists. The 21 points were the most Lyle has scored since he put home 22 points in the 79-75 win over Penn State last year in the Big Ten Tournament.

Marc Loving


The senior forward put together a solid all-around effort against the Friars, nearly registering a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds. Loving also added three assists and two blocks in 37 minutes on the floor. The Toledo native is now just two field goals away from 300 makes during his Ohio State career, along with being just 31 points away from hitting 1,000 points as a Buckeye.

Western Carolina

Devin Peterson


After averaging just five points per game last season, the junior guard is pacing Western Carolina with 12 points per game through four games this year. Peterson scored a career-high 19 points in Western Carolina’s lone win of the season against Hiwassee College last week.

Haboubacar Mutombo


Even though he is just 6-5, the redshirt junior is active on the glass, pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds per game this year. Last time out, Mutombo set a career-high by grabbing 13 rebounds in the loss to Marshall. The effort marked the second time this year in which Mutombo has registered double-digit rebounds, as he was credited with 11 boards against Hiwassee College.

How to watch


Game time: 7 p.m. ET

Radio: 97.1 WBNS-FM

TV: Big Ten Network

Streaming: BTN2Go

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Ohio State survived: Inside the play that saved the Buckeyes season - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State survived: Inside the play that saved the Buckeyes season
cleveland.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It's the play that saved Ohio State's season and Michigan State knew it was coming Saturday before the Buckeyes did. Ohio State realized Michigan State was going for two as soon as the Spartans scored a touchdown with 4:41 to play.
Big Ten Week 12 Power Rankings: Buckeyes remain on top despite scareESPN (blog)
Ohio State football | Momentum building for momentous Michigan gameColumbus Dispatch
Ohio State CB Gareon Conley, once a Wolverines commit, among host of Buckeyes with Michigan connectionsLandof10.com
BuckeyeGrove.com (subscription) -Bleacher Report
all 618 news articles »

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5-star Ohio State target names leaders, sets commitment date
Charles Doss via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


6 schools are in the running for the No. 2 LB for 2017.

After recently visiting Ohio State, a class of 2017 linebacker will announce his commitment soon. Taking to Twitter to state his plans, four-star standout Anthony Hines (Plano, TX / Plano East) will officially be off the board on Dec. 2.

Down to six programs, Ohio State, Florida, Penn State, TCU, Texas A&M and UCLA, Hines, who made the trek from Plano, Texas to Columbus, Ohio for the Buckeyes matchup with Nebraska earlier this month, received around 90 full ride scholarship offers from colleges around the country throughout the recruiting process.

One of the most sought after prospects on the high school level, the Under Armour All-American racked up well over 600 total tackles during his time with the Plano East Panthers.

Although Ohio State is always looking to add talent to the team, all signs point towards Hines suiting up on the college level elsewhere. At the moment many around the recruiting scene are pegging the 6-foot-2, 225-pounder to end up with the Texas A&M Aggies.

Stay with Land-Grant Holy Land for the latest:

OSU pledge wins championship


Urban Meyer and Ohio State might be in the NCAA championship picture, but one of his soon to be Buckeyes beat them to the punch by winning a title over the weekend.

Ohio State class of 2017 pledge Chase Young and his DeMatha Catholic teammates locked up their fourth consecutive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title by defeating Washington, DC’s St. John’s, 34-29, on Saturday.

Coming from behind down 15 points, the Stags rallied to the win over the Cadets in the final eight minutes of regulation to once again bring home the championship trophy to their Hyattsville, Md. campus.

Fighting off double teams all evening long, Young, who is currently considered the second weak-side defensive end, and the 30th overall prospect in the class of 2017, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, came up with a huge sack that helped switch the momentum of the game in favor of the Stags for good.

After a being a massive part of leading his DeMatha Catholic squad to an undefeated 12-0 record, the future Buckeye took to his Twitter page to share his excitement with the world:

Quick Hits

• A key 2017 Ohio State target announced his current leaders, and the Buckeyes offered a top 2018 prospect on Friday. Want to know more? Land-Grant Holy Land has your back.
• Tate Martell, Brendon White and numerous other future Buckeyes shined during playoff action over the weekend. Which Ohio State commit will be named MVP? The Poll is now open. Let your voice be heard and vote.
• Ohio State basketball signee Braxton Beverly will soon lead the Buckeyes down the court. See what the point guard will add to the OSU roster with these recently shot highlights by the crew at CourtSideFilms.com.

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Big Ten has three in AP Top 5 for first time in 56 years - Columbus Dispatch
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Big Ten has three in AP Top 5 for first time in 56 years
Columbus Dispatch
The Buckeyes were No. 2 and Wolverines No. 3. They meet in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday in a game with Big Ten and national championship implications. Clemson is No. 4, and No. 5 Wisconsin gives the Big Ten three of the first five for the first time ...

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Buckeyes kick-off rivalry week, prepare to take on TTUN - NBC4i.com
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Buckeyes kick-off rivalry week, prepare to take on TTUN
NBC4i.com
joked Matt Fiore, a second-year Buckeye. That remains a well-kept secret, but it's been well publicized that this will be the first Michigan Week in decades that the Mirror Lake Jump, which involves students jumping into a frigid campus lake the ...


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Urban Meyer: 'We'll lose next week if play like that' - 247Sports
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Urban Meyer: 'We'll lose next week if play like that'
247Sports
Recently, fans have seen the Buckeyes look like the most dominant program in the nation. Just three weeks back, Ohio State put up 62 points and racked up 590 total yards against Nebraska, a consensus top-25 team. But in the adverse weather conditions ...

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Ohio State takes over ‘Thursday Night Football’, Ezekiel Elliott keeps breaking NFL records
Alexis Chassen via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The NFL is far more enjoyable with so many Buckeyes making big plays.

With just a few weeks left in the 2016 NFL regular season, former Ohio State players are still in the spotlight. Week 11’s Thursday matchup included six Buckeyes and several big plays, followed by another incredible game for Ezekiel Elliott. The rookie class out of Ohio State continues to prove their draft value was not oversold.

‘Thursday Night Football’


Color rush games have typically been overlooked this season due to uniforms that burn your retina or matchups that make sleep a better option. Week 10’s TNF game however, saw the Carolina Panthers (Corey “Philly” Brown, Kurt Coleman, Ted Ginn Jr., Andrew Norwell) host the New Orleans Saints (Vonn Bell, Michael Thomas).

The first Buckeye to come up big on Thursday was Panthers’ safety Kurt Coleman who snagged his first interception since Week 4, and only his second of the season. Teammate Corey “Philly” Brown had his first game of the year without a single reception, but fellow Buckeye Ted Ginn Jr. had a hell of a night with 46 yards on three receptions and a touchdown — almost two.


Heading into the matchup, Saints’ wideout Michael Thomas led all rookies in receptions (51), receiving yards (613) & touchdown catches (five), and he only expanded that lead in Week 11. The receiver added five receptions for 68 yards on Thursday, including an incredible diving catch for the first down late in the game. Teammate Vonn Bell recorded seven combined tackles against the Panthers, totaling 51 so far his rookie season.


It was a good game for Buckeyes on both sides of the ball. And although they might faceoff as opponents for 60 minutes, they still root for the same team on Saturdays.

Ezekiel. Elliott.


The former Ohio State running back wasted no time in making a name for himself in the NFL. Not only was he the highest drafted running back in several years, but he also proved that taking a rusher in the first round can be fruitful. Hall-of-fame inductee Tony Dorsett was on hand Sunday as Elliott surpassed his formerly held rookie rushing record for the Dallas Cowboys set in 1977.

It would be 39 years before anyone would touch that record, and Elliott is about to scorch it. In just 11 weeks, the Buckeye has surpassed Dorsett’s rookie season record of 1,007 rushing yards, with five weeks left and a really good chance at the postseason -- with the Cowboys leading the NFL 9-1.


This wasn’t the first week Elliott revised the record books. Ahead of Week 11, Elliott had already matched or surpassed multiple NFL records.

In Week 10 against the Steelers, Elliott scored two touchdowns in the final minutes of the game — totaling three on the day — making him the first player to score two go-ahead touchdowns in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter of the same game since Ahmad Rashad in 1974.

His non-fourth quarter score against the Steelers was an 83-yard touchdown reception, marking the longest touchdown pass from a rookie passer to a rookie teammate since 1986 — Colts quarterback Jack Trudeau to Bill Brooks for an 84-yard touchdown.

Elliott along with rookie quarterback Dak Prescott are friends on and off the field, even living together since the draft to establish a rapport. This may have been one of the best decisions they could’ve made, with Prescott to Elliott becoming the second pair with at least 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a season — and becoming the first pair in NFL history to do so in the team’s first nine games.

The Buckeye is also the third player in NFL history with 1,000 rushing yards in his first nine games.

Heading across the border


This week’s “Monday Night Football” matchup is between the Houston Texans (Braxton Miller, John Simon) and Oakland Raiders down in Mexico — the first NFL game to be played south of the border since 2005. The teams will faceoff at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, marking the final international game of the 2016 season.

Miller has made an appearance in seven of the Texans’ games this season, but has yet to have a breakout performance. His rookie year so far consists of nine receptions for 62 total yards and no scores. Simon, on the other hand, is having a career season and could have a big game against Derek Carr and the Raiders.

Veterans take a seat


Some of the most formidable Buckeyes in the NFL over the past five-plus seasons are seeing their 2016 season end early. Cam Heyward (Steelers) announced this week that he will be sidelined the remainder of the year with a torn pectoral. As a leader of the Pittsburgh defense, Heyward’s absence will be noticeable, but he vowed to be even more involved on the sideline.

Weeks after being benched for the first time in his career, James Laurinaitis (Saints) missed several games with an injury before being designated to IR. After spending seven seasons with the Rams in St. Louis -- and never once missing a game — the linebacker has only seen action in five games with his new team. A report earlier this week said Laurinaitis, if healthy, would be released to sign elsewhere before the end of the year; if he’s not medically cleared, he’ll finish the season on IR.

Plays of the week


Ted Ginn Jr.

The receiver had to wait an extra quarter before claiming his first touchdown of the 2016 season -- as an early game score was called out of bounds. Just before half, thanks to a penalty, the Panthers were just out of field goal range and decided to go for the endzone. The Buckeye was able to drag both feet inbounds in a play so close the field judge called him out.


Terrelle Pryor

Another week, another loss for the Cleveland Browns, but one thing that doesn’t suck is the Buckeye’s ability at wideout. Pryor has slowly accumulated 627 receiving yards so far this season and is one of the only offensive weapons the team seems to have. At least fans get to watch an exciting, big-play receiver as their team inches toward 0-16.


He may have finished the day with only 97 yards, but considering those were on just five receptions, he averaged 19.4 yards per reception on the day -- and is now averaging 12.3 yards per reception on the season.

Other notes

• Lots of Buckeyes on bye this week, including those on San Diego Chargers (Joey Bosa, Joshua Perry), New York Jets (Darron Lee, Nick Mangold, Devin Smith), Atlanta Falcons (A.J. Hawk) and Denver Broncos (Jeff Heuerman, Bradley Roby). Bosa and Perry were amongst those that swung by OSU practice this past week.
• After spending most of his rookie season sidelined, Devin Smith (Jets) was finally activated to the active roster in Week 10, and could see playing time following the bye.
• Cardale Jones was inactive Sunday for the Bills after missing practice earlier in the week due to illness. Former and current teammates Tyvis Powell and Nick Vannett (Seahawks) were also listed as inactive in Week 11.
• Mike Adams (Bears) had a tough day Sunday, despite getting the start at right tackle against the Giants, he was lined up against Jason Pierre-Paul and was lit up all day.
• Never one to mince words, former Ohio State player Alex Boone (Vikings) had a short explanation for his new haircut.

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Future Buckeyes shine: Martell, White stay undefeated - 247Sports
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Future Buckeyes shine: Martell, White stay undefeated
247Sports
Every Sunday during football season Bucknuts' wraps up the weekend that was in high school football in Ohio and elsewhere, focusing on those who will continue their careers playing for the Buckeyes. Over the weekend a number of future Buckeyes played ...

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Buckeyes remain No. 2 in AP Poll; Michigan moves to No. 3 - 247Sports
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Buckeyes remain No. 2 in AP Poll; Michigan moves to No. 3
247Sports
Michigan (10-1, 7-1) moved up one spot to No. 3 following its 20-10 win over visiting Indiana. Ohio State and the Wolverines will of course have their showdown in Columbus this Saturday (noon ET; ABC). Clemson (10-1) moved one spot to No. 4. Wisconsin ...

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Waiver Wire Notes: Hammond Clears, Puempel Awaits His Fate
T6S via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


TORONTO, ON – MARCH 5: Andrew Hammond #30 of the Ottawa Senators gets set to face a shot against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at the Air Canada Centre on March 5,2016 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Senators defeated the Maple Leafs 3-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

After exhausting the trade market to find a suitor for Andrew Hammond, the Senators placed Andrew Hammond on waivers yesterday signalling perhaps one of the organization’s most precipitous falls from grace since Dany Heatley clashed with Cory Clouston.

About 18-months since Hammond’s Cinderella’esque emergence on the NHL scene concluded, but the Senators saw enough of Hammond during his 2014-15 season in which he posted a 20-1-2 record, a 1.79 goals against average and a .941 save percentage to ink the goaltender to a three-year contract extension that paid him an average of $1.35-million per season.

Just two months into the second year of that contract, the Senators painted themselves into a corner through their misevaluation of how long Craig Anderson would be out of the lineup.


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Thanks to this belief and the situation becoming compounded because of a lower-body injury to Hammond, the Senators felt it was necessary to acquire an experienced goaltender to insulate their minor league prospects.

Now the Senators are faced with a situation wherein Hammond needs to play and re-establish some value, but the Senators have two young goaltenders they want to play regularly and allow to develop at the AHL level.

It never really helped that Hammond balked at the suggestion of a conditioning stint, but given his track record and history that doesn’t even include his gaudy first season’s numbers, he’s proven himself over a larger sample size of games to be a superior alternative to Condon. This coupled with some rumours purporting that the organization was frustrated by Hammond’s health woes and inability to step in for Anderson, put him in poor standing with management.

Whatever the case, Hammond must now report to the minor leagues or the Senators can try to loan him to another AHL team. Mind you, considering how fluid the Anderson situation is and how quickly it can change, it’s entirely possible that Hammond could find himself back with the Senators at some point.

Joining Hammond in Binghamton could be Matt Puempel.

The 24th overall pick from the 2011 NHL Draft has struggled with every opportunity he’s been given at the game’s highest level.

In 52 career games, the 23-year old Puempel tallied four goals and six points.

Renowned for his shot and finishing ability as a prospect, Puempel never demonstrated that touch in the NHL. Some may blame his lack of production on the simplicity of him logging regular minutes with the team’s bottom-six forwards, but Puempel was caught in a shitty spot.

Puempel’s always struggled with his skating and play away from the puck and because of it, he hasn’t garnered the trust of the coaches to log big minutes with the team’s more skilled players. Instead, he’s slogging through minutes with the Senators’ fourth liners. Considering how reliant he is on his linemates to carry the puck and doing the leg work within the defensive and neutral zones, his production rates playing bottom-six minutes were doomed.

Now he’s being mentioned in the same breath as former first round flops like Brian Lee, Jim O’Brien and Curtis Lazar. (Jokes! Lazar’s career point production rates is mildly better than Puempel’s, but Puempel has a better goals per 60 minutes of 5v5 ice time rate.)

It’s weird looking back at Ottawa’s vaunted 2011 draft class and Ottawa’s roster.

Puempel’s failure is just a microcosm of Ottawa’s state, the team has essentially struggled to draft and develop impactful first or second round talents of late.

Hopefully Thomas Chabot and Colin White buck that trend, but the Senators don’t have any significant first or second round talents on their current roster since Erik Karlsson’s 2008 draft year.

That’s a long time for any franchise, let alone a franchise that lacks the kind of financial support that other clubs enjoy.

If the Senators are going to change their fate, they need to do a better job of cultivating and developing their high end prospects. It’s one thing to develop a number of players who play NHL games, it’s another to develop players who can step into the lineup and be productive players, especially in an era where it’s easy to find quality roster filler via free agency as the offseason drags into the dog days of August and September.

(As an aside, thanks to a few separate deals, the team no longer has its three first round picks or it its second or third rounders. The only prospects left to show from that draft are Jean-Gabriel Pageau [4th round] and Ryan Dzingel [7th round].)



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Buckeyes stay at No. 2 in Coaches Poll - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes stay at No. 2 in Coaches Poll
247Sports
It was the final home game for future Buckeyes Tate Martell and Haskell Garrett as well as Tyjon Lindsey who did not play as he gets ready for knee surgery. After the game Martell took to Twitter with a few words of advice for Bradenton (Fla.) IMG ...

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Ready or not, Michigan Week here for Buckeyes - Bucyrus Telegraph Forum
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Ready or not, Michigan Week here for Buckeyes
Bucyrus Telegraph Forum
1 vs. No. 2 showdown, archrivals Ohio State and Michigan meet for the 112th time Saturday at high noon in Ohio Stadium. There will be as much at stake now as there was in 2006, when the top-ranked Buckeyes outlasted the visiting Wolverines 42-39 for ...
Friday funday for the Buckeyes247Sports

all 3 news articles »

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The Wrap, v. 1.12: Jim Harbaugh, Lions, Buckeyes, Badgers, Huskers, Hawkeyes and Spartans, oh my - Landof10.com
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The Wrap, v. 1.12: Jim Harbaugh, Lions, Buckeyes, Badgers, Huskers, Hawkeyes and Spartans, oh my
Landof10.com
If the Lions win, thanks to a head-to-head win over Ohio State (10-1, 7-1), they'll clinch the East slot in the title game if the Buckeyes knock off Michigan (10-1, 7-1) at Ohio Stadium earlier in the day. Nebraska needs to beat Iowa in Iowa City and ...

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4-star QB or big-time defensive back? Which Ohio State commit is your MVP?
Charles Doss via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Who gets your vote this week?

Future Ohio State defensive back Shaun Wade didn’t just lead his Trinity Christian (FL) squad to a massive 64-16 victory over Taylor County (FL) last weekend; the class of 2017 standout also won the Land-Grant Holy Land MVP of the week award.

Rolling over his soon-to-be Buckeye teammates Brendon White (31%), Tate Martell (20%), Brian Snead (6%), and Haskell Garrett (3%), Wade locked up 40% of your votes to be named player of the week after making seven total tackles and scoring two defensive touchdowns against Taylor County.

Over the weekend, Wade and many other Ohio State commits were back in action trying to lead their teams to a state title. Which Buckeye pledge will grab your vote this go around? The poll is now open. Let your voice be heard.

Here are your five MVP nominees:

Tate Martell


By now this shouldn’t come as a surprise, but Tate Martell is up for another Land-Grant Holy Land MVP of the week award.

Once again leading Bishop Gorman (NV) to a victory, Martell has the Gaels one step closer to potential state and national championships. In Friday’s 58-10 blowout over Faith Lutheran (NV), the four-star signal caller passed for four touchdown and rushed for another score to help pace Bishop Gorman to the Sunset Regional semifinal win.

Brendon White


Taking on a very solid Lorain squad, White came up big for Olentangy Liberty on Friday.

Playing all over the field for the Patriots, White hauled in four receptions for 28 yards, completed 2 out of 3 passing attempts for 31 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a 1-yard score to get Olentangy Liberty past Lorain, 24-20.

Marcus Williamson


It might’ve not been pretty, but Williamson and IMG Academy (FL) picked up a hard fought come from behind win on Saturday.

Needing all four quarters to defeat Bishop Sullivan (VA), the Ascenders battled back in the Under Armour Brothers in Arms Classic to get the victory, 16-6. Per reports, Williamson, a Westerville, OH native, finished with 10 total tackles for IMG Academy.

Shaun Wade


Making easy work out of Florida State University School, 38-7, Wade and Trinity Christian (FL) picked up their ninth win of the season on Friday.

Playing wide receiver and cornerback for the Conquerors, Wade, a five-star prospect, had 45 receiving yards and four total tackles for Trinity Christian.

Wyatt Davis


Davis and the St. John Bosco (CA) offense came to play on Friday. During the Braves 54-14 win over Santa Margarita (CA), the future Buckeye and the rest of the big boys up front helped block the St. John Bosco offense to five scoring plays of over 70 yards.

Poll
Which Ohio State commit is your MVP of the week?

• Tate Martell
• Brendon White
• Marcus Williamson
• Shaun Wade
• Wyatt Davis

0 votes | Results

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Big Ten Week 12 Power Rankings: Buckeyes remain on top despite scare - ESPN (blog)
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Big Ten Week 12 Power Rankings: Buckeyes remain on top despite scare
ESPN (blog)
Ohio State (10-1 overall, 7-1 Big Ten): The Buckeyes didn't earn any style points Saturday in a 17-16 win over Michigan State, but then again, that could be said of quite a few top-10 teams. Ohio State remains in the thick of the College Football ...
Ohio State Buckeyes hold off feisty Michigan State Spartans, 17-16Detroit Free Press
Buckeyes have to play better, but could tough win against Spartans help Ohio State as Michigan looms?Landof10.com
Ohio State escapes Michigan State; can Buckeyes score enough to beat Michigan? Doug Lesmerisescleveland.com
Columbus Dispatch -FOXSports.com
all 494 news articles »

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Michigan State exploited Ohio State's 2 main weaknesses
Chad Peltier via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Spartans got close to the upset by targeting the Buckeyes' volatile passing game and hitting explosive plays on defense.

The numbers predicted a blowout win over the Spartans. The only caveats would be if the passing game was sloppy, if the weather was bad, or if the offensive coaching staff got conservative.

And just like that (along with some gutsy playcalling from the Spartans), a team with a 28-point S&P+ margin went down to the wire with a team whose S&P+ ceiling was just 18.5 points. That's pretty typical for Ohio State-Michigan State since Meyer and Dantonio have been in charge.

But still, if you would've told me that Ohio State would win the turnover battle and hold Michigan State quarterbacks to 8/21 passing, then I would've predicted the blowout that the advanced stats did. But as the volatility stats show -- Ohio State is the 13th-most volatile team in the country -- the Buckeyes are capable of incredible week-to-week variation in play. And this week that showed up in the offense's inability to take advantage of scoring opportunities and in losing the explosive play battle.

Ohio St MSU
Rushing SR 55% 45%
Rushing exp plays 3 (9%) 5 (15%)
Passing SR 29% 29%
Passing exp plays 1 (5%) 1 (5%)
Red zone TDs 50% 50%
Scoring opps efficiency 3.4 4.0
Drive efficiency 45% 33% (2)
Pts off turnovers 0 0


In the table above, scoring opportunity efficiency looks at the average points scored per scoring opportunity -- drives with a first down past the opponents' 40 yard line. Drive efficiency looks at the percentage of drives that were scoring opportunities. The number in parentheses is the number of three-and-outs the offense had. The number in parentheses in the Pts off turnovers row is the number of turnover opportunities the Ohio State offense had to score and includes turnovers on downs. These stats only include stats up to the first two drives of the second half.

In the advanced stats preview we noted that three advanced stats would matter most:

Passing sloppiness


The 2016 Buckeyes are capable of wide swings in performance for two main reasons: if the passing offense has an off day or if the defense allows explosive plays. Both were issues against Michigan State, but the passing offense was the most egregious.

On the season J.T. has a 41.7% passing success rate, which isn't great -- but it's clear that there are also on- and off-days. It's not just a static and inefficient passing game, but there are decent swings in Barrett's week-to-week efficiency. The Spartans aren't great in pass defense, either, at 95th in passing success rate, but J.T. had just a 29% passing success rate this week.

Some of that was due to a relatively down day for the offensive line, and a large percentage of the performance can be attributed to the weather, but that kind of performance also isn't out of line with the offense's floor on a good-weather day, either.

Containing explosive passes


The only defensive key for the Buckeyes was to contain a potential explosive passing game. The concern pre-game was R.J. Shelton, but he was held to just one catch for five yards. In fact, the Spartans' only real offensive weapon was L.J. Scott.

In fact, all three of the Spartans' scoring drives came following an L.J. Scott explosive play on first down. Especially early on, the Spartans' offensive staff had a few scripted misdirection plays to take advantage of the Buckeyes' defense.

Scoring opportunity inefficiency


The Ohio State offense is one of the best in the country at maximizing efficiency from scoring opportunities, averaging 5.36 points per scoring opportunity. Against the Spartans, they averaged just 3.4 points -- and the Michigan State defense allows an average of 4.6 points per scoring opportunity typically.

If the offense had played to its average level when they crossed the MSU 40 yard line, they would have scored 27 points for a double digit margin in line with what The Power Rank numbers projected.

Instead, passing inefficiency (leading to their first field goal), a fumble (on their next possession), and sacks (on their first possession and on the field goal drive) doomed the Buckeyes' scoring opportunities. Overall, it wasn't a great day for the offensive line, with the Spartans sending multiple blitzers without fear of getting burned by the Buckeyes' passing game.

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Ohio State remains No. 2 in the latest Coaches Poll
Harry Lyles Jr. via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


It was a tough game against Sparty, but the Bucks hold firm behind the Crimson Tide.

Yesterday was a close one! The Ohio State Buckeyes edged out the Michigan State Spartans for a 17-16 win in East Lansing. The Buckeyes got revenge for their 2015 loss against Sparty that kept them out of the College Football Playoff, and are in good position this season. With that, they remain No. 2 in the latest Coaches Poll.

The last regular season opponent that stands between the Buckeyes and whatever comes next, whether that’s a Big Ten Championship game and/or the College Football Playoff is the Michigan Wolverines

A win over the Wolverines would serve the Buckeyes well, whether or not they make it to the Big Ten Championship game or not. It doesn’t necessarily solidify their spot in the final four, but they’re in good position, especially if they have a repeat performance of last season’s game.

The Coaches Poll, in its entirety:

AP Coaches S&P+ Massey
1 Alabama Alabama Alabama
2 Ohio State Michigan Ohio State
3 Clemson Ohio State Michigan
4 Michigan Clemson Clemson
5 Washington Louisville Washington
6 Wisconsin Washington Wisconsin
7 Oklahoma LSU Penn State
8 Penn State USC Colorado
9 Colorado Auburn Louisville
10 Oklahoma State Wisconsin Oklahoma
11 Louisville Florida State USC
12 USC Penn State WMU
13 Florida Oklahoma FSU
14 Florida State Colorado Auburn
15 Nebraska Western Kentucky Wash. State
16 Auburn Boise State Stanford
17 West Virginia Florida Boise State
18 Western Michigan Texas A&M Florida
19 Boise State Miami Oklahoma State
20 Utah Temple Texas A&M
21 Houston Houston Nebraska
22 Texas A&M North Carolina Houston
23 Washington State San Diego State LSU
24 Tennessee Western Michigan Tennessee
25 North Carolina Oklahoma State WVU
AP Coaches S&P+ Massey
1 Alabama Alabama Alabama
2 Ohio State Michigan Ohio State
3 Clemson Ohio State Michigan
4 Michigan Clemson Clemson
5 Washington Louisville Washington
6 Wisconsin Washington Wisconsin
7 Oklahoma LSU Penn State
8 Penn State USC Colorado
9 Colorado Auburn Louisville
10 Oklahoma State Wisconsin Oklahoma
11 Louisville Florida State USC
12 USC Penn State WMU
13 Florida Oklahoma FSU
14 Florida State Colorado Auburn
15 Nebraska Western Kentucky Wash. State
16 Auburn Boise State Stanford
17 West Virginia Florida Boise State
18 Western Michigan Texas A&M Florida
19 Boise State Miami Oklahoma State
20 Utah Temple Texas A&M
21 Houston Houston Nebraska
22 Texas A&M North Carolina Houston
23 Washington State San Diego State LSU
24 Tennessee Western Michigan Tennessee
25 North Carolina Oklahoma State WVU

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Future Buckeyes shine: Martell, White stay undefeated - CBS sports.com (blog)
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Future Buckeyes shine: Martell, White stay undefeated
CBS sports.com (blog)
Every Sunday during football season Bucknuts' wraps up the weekend that was in high school football in Ohio and elsewhere, focusing on those who will continue their careers playing for the Buckeyes. Over the weekend a number of future Buckeyes played ...
Cardale Jones calling for change?247Sports

all 7 news articles »

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Get Tom Dienhart’s Best of Week 12 in the Big Ten
Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer via Big Ten Network

No big surprises in Week 12, as the leaders in both divisions held serve. Now, Wisconsin and Michigan can wrap up the West and East titles, respectively, with wins next week. Here is a look at all the Week 12 action. Biggest surprise: It wasn’t a surprise to see Minnesota beat Northwestern, 29-12. It was a surprise to see the Gophers shut down the potent Wildcat attack. Watch game highlight. Biggest disappointment: No real “big” disappointment. But the offensive struggles of Ohio State disappointed. The Buckeyes had just 310 yards and 17 points at Michigan State. OSU scored 62 points

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Revenge was a dish best served cold and gritty as Ohio State snuck past Michigan State
Grant Freking via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


You know who’s up next.

No Sad Pizza.

No post-game takedown of the coaching staff by the running back.

There would be no Michigan State upset of a highly-ranked Ohio State team on Saturday.

Barely.

Fifty years to the day that No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Michigan State played to a 10-10 tie at Spartan Stadium, No. 2 Ohio State edged Michigan State 17-16 on Saturday, a meat grinder, cold mess of a contest that may have undone much of the progress made by J.T. Barrett and Ohio State’s offense in 62-3 blowouts of Nebraska and Maryland in recent weeks. In this author’s opinion, any film of what transpired during Saturday’s mostly-blustery and B1G-y competition in East Lansing should be rounded up and tossed into Lake Michigan.

In the end, the Buckeyes’ defense stood firm. Down one with two minutes remaining in the game and owning zero timeouts, the Spartans had a chance to break Scarlet and Gray hearts at the horn for the second consecutive season. But after Gareon Conley followed up Tyquan Lewis’ first-down sack with an interception of an unwise Tyler O’Connor hoist, Ohio State was able to ice the game in victory formation.

While the Buckeyes still have plenty to work before Michigan beckons, they did move to 10-1, offering a reminder of just how good their fan base has had it in recent years, as Ohio State has now won double digit games in 11 of its past 12 seasons.

And though Michigan State has proven to be a pain in the ass recently, Ohio State still owns the recent series, having now prevailed 10 of the past 13 games. There are also high schoolers in East Lansing who’ve never seen the Spartans win a home game against the Buckeyes; the last time Michigan State topped Ohio State in Spartan Stadium was on Nov. 6, 1999, a span of six straight losses.

Now, Michigan Week beckons.

On to the rankings.

1. Mike Weber


The freshman running back’s career-best 52-yard scamper on Ohio State’s third possession post-intermission was not only the Buckeyes’ only meaningful offensive play of the second half, the sprint set up the visitors’ lone score of the second half. The run also pushed the Detroit native over 1,000 yards on the season, and Weber now joins Maurice Clarett (2002) and Robert Smith (1990) as the only Scarlet and Gray ball carriers to clear 1,000 yards as freshmen.

With the Buckeyes’ coaches (predictably) preferring to unnecessarily ride Barrett in a tight game, Weber finished with just 14 carries even though he registered nearly eight yards per tote. It’s worth noting that Curtis Samuel only had four carries on the day, too.

In any case, Weber’s performance against Michigan, the school he was originally committed to, will go a long way to determining whether Ohio State’s offense can achieve functionality opposite a stout Wolverine defense.

2. The audacity of Mark Dantonio


Hey, real’s gotta recognize real. Dantonio’s decision to snap the ball to upback Chris Frey when the Spartans were in punt formation and staring at 4th-and-6 from their own 38 trailing by seven late in the fourth quarter failed to result in a score, but the call did halt Michigan State’s streak of four straight drives ending in punts, with an interception pre-dating the onset of the streak.

The Spartans wound up punting five plays later, but they did flip field position. Ohio State went 3-and-out on its next drive, and the hosts traveled 56 yards in eight plays on the ensuing possession, seemingly ready to tie the game...until Dantonio decided to go Full Brady Hoke and go for two and the (potential) win. The two-point conversion came up short with Malik Hooker picking off O’Connor in the end zone.

Props to Dantonio, though. Ohio State is 4-0 in overtime under Urban Meyer and at 3-7 overall and 1-6 in conference play, the Spartans had nothing to lose. Dantonio also knew the Buckeyes were in full Conservative Offense Mode (more on that later) and that his squad would more than likely get the ball back.

3. You get a punt, and you get a punt, and you get a punt, and you get a punt


25 possessions. 14 punts.

B1G.

4. LJ Scott


Meet LJ Scott, Michigan State’s offense on Saturday.

The sophomore back scored on a 64-yard catch-and-run on the game’s second play from scrimmage. On the first play of Michigan State’s fourth possession, Scott broke a 61-yard run that fueled a successful field goal attempt. During the Spartans’ fourth-quarter TD drive, Scott accounted for all 56 yards of the march on eight carries. He was a big-play machine.

Though he was bottled up for stretches, Scott finished with 160 yards on 19 carries, good for an average of 8.4 yards per rush. Scott added two catches for 76 yards; his total offensive output of 236 yards represented just over 70 percent of Michigan State’s total yardage on the day.

5. College GameDay at the break of dawn


The guys and gals of college football’s beloved pre-game show will unsurprisingly be in Columbus next weekend for Ohio State and Michigan’s titanic clash. The eye-opening part of GameDay’s announcement was that next Saturday’s show will begin at 7 a.m. local time in Columbus, meaning that if you’re standing in line for a Kegs ‘n’ Eggs event when the sun rises from its nightly slumber, you’ll be able to catch Rece and the Gang attempting to subvert frostbite on live television.

6. Ohio State’s offense


Operating against a Michigan State defense that had struggled mightily in pressuring the quarterback, defending the pass, and was missing future first round pick Malik McDowell, the Buckeyes—who were held to 132 total yards in last year’s loss to the Spartans—finished with a season-low 310 yards of offense on Saturday, with just 86 of those yards coming through the air.

In the first half, Ohio State’s offense mostly stopped itself.

On their first drive, the Buckeyes primarily used their run game to advance to the Spartans’ 28. Then, the Buckeyes elected to pass three times in a row, and the drive ended with Meyer opting to punt from the MSU 34.

After the visitors tallied a touchdown on their second possession, Barrett scampered for 19 yards to open Ohio State’s third drive. Then, three straight pass calls preceded a punt, even though Weber had gained eight yards per carry on his three totes to that point. The Buckeyes’ final three possessions of the first half ended with a field goal, a fumble, and a successful attempt to run out the clock.

The Conservative Offense was fully engaged in the first half, with Barrett carrying 15 times (13 designed QB runs) for 63 yards while Weber and Samuel combined for 11 carries and 56 yards.

In the second half, the Buckeyes logged five punts in addition to the game-ending victory formation and the TD drive that Weber was single-handedly responsible for.

Barrett was only 10-of-22 on the day, his worst day in terms of pure completions and attempts since he went 9-of-21 vs. Indiana six weeks ago. He didn’t make things easy on Meyer, Ed Warinner, & Co. by consistently missing easy throws, wind be damned. Barrett was also pressured more than he’s been in any game since the loss to Penn State.

Quite frankly, the offense has to be better against Michigan. Saturday can’t come soon enough.

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Ohio State opens as 7-point favorites over Michigan
Luke Zimmermann via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Hmm...

The Game 2016 is upon us.

College football’s most decorated and passionate rivalry again pits two top teams. For the first time since 2006’s “Game of The Century”, both Ohio State and Michigan are likely to be Top 4 programs when the two go head to head in Columbus next Saturday afternoon at noon.

A week ago, with Ohio State coming off a huge blowout win over Big Ten have not Maryland and Michigan having lost on the road against a just above .500 Iowa team, it would’ve been reasonable to think the two programs’ trajectories could have OSU positioned to recapture some of the magic which saw them emphatically ruin Jim Harbaugh’s The Game debut. But after both teams mostly struggled against lesser opposition this past Saturday, Buckeye and Wolverines anxieties alike would seem merited.

With Michigan most likely lacking quarterback Wilton Speight due to a collarbone injury, OSU is still getting the oddsmaker’s benefit of the doubt. Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes opened as a whomping 7-point favorite over John O’Korn and the Wolveriens Sunday morning. While homers on both sides will surely get the line to oscillate as we get closer to kickoff, something along the lines of OSU -3.5 would’ve sounded less ambitious to us.

What say you? Will Ohio State win yet another over their most hated rivals? Or is this the season Michigan finally breaks through en route to the Big Ten Championship Game?

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Wrestling: Buckeyes Defeat Arizona State - Eleven Warriors
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Wrestling: Buckeyes Defeat Arizona State
Eleven Warriors
The Ohio State Wrestling Buckeyes improved to 1-0 on Saturday afternoon with a 27-15 victory over the host Arizona State Sun Devils. The Buckeyes won six of ten matches, including five wins by bonus points to notch the first team win of the young season.

and more »

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Ohio State hockey slips by Rensselaer, 3-2
Matt Torino via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Puckeyes completed the sweep with a third period winner from Tanner Laczynski.

Ohio State barely beat a middling team on Saturday, but all that matters is that they found a way to get that “W” in the end. In their never ending quest to be as popular as the football team, the Ohio State mens hockey team tried to imitate their football counterpart with the 3-2 victory over Rensselaer on Saturday night.

It wasn’t nearly as dramatic, with a failed two point conversion and game sealing interception, but hey, a game winner from your best freshman in years isn’t a bad way to end things either. The No. 14/13 Buckeyes improved to 8-1-4 on the year while the Engineers end the series at 2-10-1 for 2016-17.

This was a back and forth affair, with two ties, but Ohio State never trailed for a single second. They scored the opening period’s only goal at 14:48 as Luke Stork scored his fourth of the year, with Matt Miller and Mason Jobst registering the assists. Shots were 14-7 in favor of the Buckeyes, but Rensselaer goalie Chase Perry would have a solid night and keep the Engineers in it till the bitter end.

Withstanding that storm paid dividends just 4:58 into the second, as Jacob Hayhurst scored his first of the year, on the powerplay, to tie the game up at one apiece. THe powerplay came from Sasha Larocque being sent off for holding at 3:19.

Sam McCormick would score his first collegiate goal just under five minutes later, at 9:51, to give OSU the lead right back. Tanner Laczynski and John Wiitala had the assists. The freshman connection of McCormick and Laczynski put the Buckeyes back on top, but that lead would last for less than three minutes.

At 12:44, on a two-man advantage, Riley Bourbonnais scored his sixth of the year to tie it right back up. Nick Schilkey was sent off for the first penalty at 11:37 for tripping, and Larocque was once again sent off, also for tripping, at 12:36. The 5-on-3 only lasted for eight seconds before Bourbonnais converted.

OSU again markedly outshot RPI, 14-6, in the second, but Matt Tomkins allowed two goals on those six shots, both with a man disadvantage, and couldn’t hold Ohio State’s lead because of it.

Luckily, Ohio State would only need one more goal to get the win, and Laczynski was the one who’d get it. At 9:56 of the third period, Tanner scored his fifth of the year during a 4-on-4 situation, with Josh Healey recording the loan assist. Tomkins would do his best to make that stand up.

He stopped all 11 shots fired on him in that third period, raising his total for the night to 22. The Buckeyes still outshot RPI by one, 12-11, in that third showing they didn’t completely take their foot off the gas even after Laczynski’s goal, and showed a fight they didn’t show last night after taking the lead quickly.

This is the kind of game the Buckeyes are going to have to be able to win if they want to survive in conference. They’ll face more talented teams in conference and face them one after another, but you have to be able to get points in tough games, and Ohio State showed they could do that tonight.

It’d probably just be nicer for our blood pressures if they put these teams away more easily.

Ohio State will have Thanksgiving weekend off to do some Black Friday shopping but will open their conference schedule the following weekend, on December 2nd, with a road game at Minnesota. That’s one way to break into Big Ten play.

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Ohio State’s conservative play-calling is a problem
Chuck McKeever via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Look no further than the Michigan State game to see why.

The narrator of Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses asks and answers an existential question that feels all-too-familiar for fans of the Ohio State football program.

What’s a ghost? Unfinished business, is what.

The ghost of the Buckeyes’ recent past looks an awful lot like Michigan State kicker Michael Geiger running the length of the field with his arms pinwheeling, a 17-14 final score looming large on the scoreboard of Ohio Stadium.

It wasn’t pretty, but on Saturday afternoon, the Buckeyes turned on the light and dissolved this most odious of specters, walking off the field in East Lansing 17-16 victors. Granted, this is hardly the Michigan State of years past. But Mark Dantonio’s particular brand of football has been Urban Meyer’s Achilles heel for years now, and it just wouldn’t have felt right if the margin had been any less razor-thin.

Look, the Ohio State coaching staff takes a lot of heat #online. The reversion to ultra-conservative, predictable football has been so fast in so many games this season, pretty much any time a team has hung with the Buckeyes for a full half. We saw it (to a degree) against Wisconsin. We saw it big time against Penn State, and again in an ugly win over Northwestern.

This particular iteration of the vanilla ice cream cone offense felt particularly un-decadent, given how bad Michigan State has been all season. Yes, weather and wind were an issue. Yes, J.T. Barrett’s downfield passing attempts—when they were called for—were perhaps less-than inspiring. But there’s no getting around the fact that the Buckeyes, scorers of 124 points in the last two weeks, got dragged down into a rock fight against a defense missing its best player. This happened because at the first sign of trouble, the offense’s game plan devolved into a crudely-drawn picture of a turtle inside its shell.

It’s not all gloom and doom, despite all this. Let’s pass out some accolades to the guys who showed up and made a difference.

Blue chip stocks


Cameron Johnston, P: Even the Buckeyes’ stalwart punter wasn’t able to completely avoid the mistakes that plagued the whole team on Saturday, as his most important boot of the game ended up going for a touchback at the worst possible time. But the ball being placed at the 20 probably seemed worse than it normally would given Johnston’s body of work the rest of the game.

The Aussie punted seven times for 291 yards, landing three of those inside the 20 (and one inside the five). That’s a damn impressive performance for a guy who didn’t even get to take the field in the Nebraska game two weeks ago; he was a vital part of the effort that completely stifled the Spartan offense on Saturday.

Chris Worley, LB: The Buckeye outside linebacker had himself a day against MSU. Worley finished the game with seven total tackles, including one for a loss. He also single-handedly killed a Spartan drive with a ridiculously athletic interception in the second quarter. No. 35 is as capable as the Buckeyes could possibly hope for. Who knows what the final score of this one would’ve looked like without him?

Mike Weber, RB: The Cass Tech’s product fumbled in the second quarter; otherwise, his day was mistake-free. He went for 111 yards and a touchdown on just 14 carries; that total put him over 1,000 yards on the season. He’s the third consecutive feature back to hit the 1K mark under Meyer, following in the footsteps of Ezekiel Elliott and Carlos Hyde. (Speaking of Ezekiel Elliott, do you think Weber and Curtis Samuel should’ve gotten more touches in this one? I’ll hang up and listen.)

Solid investments


The Rushmen package: When opposing teams are forced into obvious third-down passing situations, the Buckeye defense likes to bring in the big guns along the front line. When all four starting-caliber defensive ends—Jalyn Holmes, Tyquan Lewis, Sam Hubbard, and Nick Bosa—are on the field at the same time, other teams get into trouble.

These four Buckeyes all earned their keep on Saturday, contributing to a defensive effort that saw Sparty go just 3-12 on third downs. From the Rushmen package, Ohio State was able to effectively harangue Tyler O’Connor; even when the Buckeyes were in their more traditional look, the same names gave Michigan State a problem. In a game when the run defense looked so lost so often, it was great to see the Buckeyes clamp down on the passing attack. Big ups especially to Tyquan Lewis for his final-drive strip sack, and Jalyn Holmes for returning to the game in a big way after being sidelined with an injury.

Junk bonds


The designed QB run: It’s not like J.T. Barrett can actually be called junk. He’s helped lead the Buckeyes to a national championship, he’s proven himself more than capable of picking defenses apart, and he’s one of the more slippery runners at any position in college football. Dude can flat out play.

But it took him 24 carries to breach the 100-yard mark on the ground on Saturday. Again and again, the play call came in either as a designed run for Barrett or an option look that Barrett often kept for himself. This is the boring, conservative football discussed above. Without Malik McDowell, Michigan State was still able to stifle this method of attack time after time.

There is no Cardale Jones on the sideline to take over if Barrett—already the victim of one season-ending injury in his career—falls down the wrong way on one of his umpteen carries. Or if the wear and tear from taking so many punishing hits on these keepers finally takes its toll and Barrett can’t keep going. To see Urban Meyer walk into his garage, bypass the Ferrari and the Lambo, and instead drive his Dodge Neon into the wall 20 times is an exercise in frustration.

Buy/Sell


BUY: Ohio State’s playoff chances. It was hardly the kind of win to inspire the committee, but Michigan State’s defensive stoutness did inspire a little bit of hope that the Spartans can take down Penn State next weekend. If that happens, all the Buckeyes need to do is beat Michigan to walk into Indianapolis to take on an opponent they’ve already beaten once. (Given Michigan’s recent struggles against Iowa and Indiana, this doesn’t seem out of reach!)

SELL: Wet Urban Meyer. We bought up tons of this stock early in the season, when Urban Meyer In The Rain looked like the most powerful force in college football. Saturday’s game put that notion to rest. RIP.

BUY: SB Nation’s advanced stats guys. By the advanced metrics, it’s been clear all season that Ohio State doesn’t give up tons of big plays, but when they do, they’re backbreakers. (See: IsoPPP here.) Paging Mr. LJ Scott.

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