-
New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.
LGHL Here's what Ohio State needs to still make the College Football Playoff
- News
- 0 Replies
Here's what Ohio State needs to still make the College Football Playoff
Luke Zimmermann via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes control what they control. Beat Michigan, and let the chips fall where they may.
Jim Harbaugh may have the best Michigan team in a generation, but the Wolverines will not finish the 2016 season undefeated. After falling from the ranks of the unbeaten on a field goal as time expired in Iowa, Michigan will now look to try to rebound from the loss next week against a plucky Indiana team.
Speaking of the Hoosiers, Kevin Wilson and co. were again unable to find their signature win, coming up short against Penn State, 45-31. In doing so, coupled with Michigan’s loss, Ohio State finds themselves in a somewhat precarious situation.
Despite continuing to shake off a midseason funk that saw them blow a should’ve-won game at Penn State, Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes no longer control their Big Ten destiny. If Ohio State wins out and Penn State wins out – the Nittany Lions travel to Rutgers then finish the season hosting Michigan State — James Franklin and the Nittany Lions (and not OSU) would be the Big Ten East Division champions.
This is certainly less than ideal for Ohio State’s playoff aspirations. No non-conference champion has ever made the College Football Playoff in all two years of its existence.
On the other hand, if Ohio State doesn’t handle their business against Michigan State and Michigan in each of the next two weeks, what difference does any of it make?
Assuming that the Buckeyes’ momentum continues the way it’s been going the last two weeks and Michigan’s exposed some sort of flaw in the Death Star during their loss to Iowa, here’s what we need to be mindful of as we continue forward towards the college football regular season’s climax:
Penn State losing would make everything easier for everyone
It doesn’t even have to be at Rutgers and/or versus Michigan State. Wisconsin, currently in cruise control in the Big Ten West — the Badgers have just a road trip to Purdue and a date with Minnesota to go — is more than capable of beating PSU on a neutral field.
While an 11-2 Badgers team with a win over LSU would be impressive in its own right, it seems pretty unlikely the College Football Playoff selection committee would so rigidly cling to a but two-year old tradition that they’d put Wisconsin in over an ostensibly 11-1 team that already beat them.
If anything, both teams could get in with enough chaos.
It’s almost impossible to claim to know definitively how the committee would handle an 11-2 Penn State against an 11-1 Ohio State
Precedent remains a bit of a bad word here. The College Football Playoff selection committee has never done a lot of things until they do. The committee could very conceivably take a more impressive total body of work of a one-loss team non-conference champion over a two-loss champion who beat them heads up.
Is this that edge case? It’s tough to say.
Based on all the talking points we heard from former committee chair Jeff Long, conference championships when all other things are equal are huge. But Long’s two years on the committee have come and gone. And how equal those other things are remains paramount in this particular case.
Alabama seems like a mortal lock. But who else are fighting for the other 3 playoff spots?
As mentioned re: the Wisconsin-Big-Ten-champs scenario, it’s not out of the question that two Big Ten teams could get in.
In terms of the field’s current potential makeup, Alabama is a virtual lock. After their de facto bye week against FCS Chattanooga, ‘Bama could lose any game between now and the committee’s final picks and still probably be in.
Even with an upset loss to Pitt earlier today, Clemson just needs to beat Wake Forest next Saturday to clinch a berth in the ACC title game. A loss would send one-loss Louisville to Orlando, where they would likely face Virginia Tech, who is in pole position in the coastal division.
Washington remains the lone other potential one-loss conference champion, though after losing their first to USC at home Saturday while feeling the impact of a string of bad injury luck, it remains to be seen if they can stay healthy enough to win out. UW still has a game against Arizona State, a road trip to face rivals Washington State, and a possible Pac-12 championship game yet to come.
If the Pac-12 winds up functionally eliminating itself from consideration, you could see one-loss Louisville under consideration against a one-loss Ohio State, two-loss Big Ten champ Penn State, and perhaps even two-loss Big 12 champion Oklahoma.
Numbers never lie?
Nate Silver’s statistical analysis vertical FiveThirtyEight took its fair share of lumps for joining everyone else in missing predicting this most recent presidential election, but it did have one model that was closer than just about all of its peers.
The site also missed correctly projecting the Cubs to end a hundred and eight years of futility en route to a World Series title at the start of the baseball playoffs. So while your mileage may vary, here’s how their calculations have the College Football Playoff potentially shaking out:
/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7459407/Screen_Shot_2016_11_12_at_11.57.59_PM.png)
The math would seem to point towards a final four of Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, and Washington with Louisville, Penn State, and Oklahoma just on the outside looking in.
The human element makes predicting voter behavior challenging at best, and with the prospects of an Ohio State-vs-Wisconsin-2014-title-game like performance from any of the contenders, projections can only go so far until we have complete data.
So just how nervous as an Ohio State fan should I be that the Buckeyes will win out yet somehow be left out in the cold?
You should recognize that the possibility exists, but you should also not listen to any Chicken Little reporters or bloggers whose lack of imagination has them inclined to think you should spend the next three weeks praying for a rigorous parlay of losses.
FiveThirtyEight’s “80%” seems Pollyannaish, but saying Ohio State fans should feel about 60, 65% confident about their playoff chances should the Buckeyes win out regardless of everything else doesn’t seem wrong.
If everything comes to pass—Ohio State beats Michigan again, but Penn State does enough reputation restoration to somehow keep the Buckeyes out of the playoff—OSU has no one to blame but themselves. At the very least, Ohio State faithful will be able to take pleasure in Jim Harbaugh having never finished better than third in his own division in two years at the helm at his alma mater. And a win over Michigan would be a pretty decent consolation prize when everything’s said and done.
Continue reading...
Luke Zimmermann via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes control what they control. Beat Michigan, and let the chips fall where they may.
Jim Harbaugh may have the best Michigan team in a generation, but the Wolverines will not finish the 2016 season undefeated. After falling from the ranks of the unbeaten on a field goal as time expired in Iowa, Michigan will now look to try to rebound from the loss next week against a plucky Indiana team.
Speaking of the Hoosiers, Kevin Wilson and co. were again unable to find their signature win, coming up short against Penn State, 45-31. In doing so, coupled with Michigan’s loss, Ohio State finds themselves in a somewhat precarious situation.
Despite continuing to shake off a midseason funk that saw them blow a should’ve-won game at Penn State, Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes no longer control their Big Ten destiny. If Ohio State wins out and Penn State wins out – the Nittany Lions travel to Rutgers then finish the season hosting Michigan State — James Franklin and the Nittany Lions (and not OSU) would be the Big Ten East Division champions.
This is certainly less than ideal for Ohio State’s playoff aspirations. No non-conference champion has ever made the College Football Playoff in all two years of its existence.
On the other hand, if Ohio State doesn’t handle their business against Michigan State and Michigan in each of the next two weeks, what difference does any of it make?
Assuming that the Buckeyes’ momentum continues the way it’s been going the last two weeks and Michigan’s exposed some sort of flaw in the Death Star during their loss to Iowa, here’s what we need to be mindful of as we continue forward towards the college football regular season’s climax:
Penn State losing would make everything easier for everyone
It doesn’t even have to be at Rutgers and/or versus Michigan State. Wisconsin, currently in cruise control in the Big Ten West — the Badgers have just a road trip to Purdue and a date with Minnesota to go — is more than capable of beating PSU on a neutral field.
While an 11-2 Badgers team with a win over LSU would be impressive in its own right, it seems pretty unlikely the College Football Playoff selection committee would so rigidly cling to a but two-year old tradition that they’d put Wisconsin in over an ostensibly 11-1 team that already beat them.
If anything, both teams could get in with enough chaos.
It’s almost impossible to claim to know definitively how the committee would handle an 11-2 Penn State against an 11-1 Ohio State
Precedent remains a bit of a bad word here. The College Football Playoff selection committee has never done a lot of things until they do. The committee could very conceivably take a more impressive total body of work of a one-loss team non-conference champion over a two-loss champion who beat them heads up.
Is this that edge case? It’s tough to say.
Based on all the talking points we heard from former committee chair Jeff Long, conference championships when all other things are equal are huge. But Long’s two years on the committee have come and gone. And how equal those other things are remains paramount in this particular case.
Alabama seems like a mortal lock. But who else are fighting for the other 3 playoff spots?
As mentioned re: the Wisconsin-Big-Ten-champs scenario, it’s not out of the question that two Big Ten teams could get in.
In terms of the field’s current potential makeup, Alabama is a virtual lock. After their de facto bye week against FCS Chattanooga, ‘Bama could lose any game between now and the committee’s final picks and still probably be in.
Even with an upset loss to Pitt earlier today, Clemson just needs to beat Wake Forest next Saturday to clinch a berth in the ACC title game. A loss would send one-loss Louisville to Orlando, where they would likely face Virginia Tech, who is in pole position in the coastal division.
Washington remains the lone other potential one-loss conference champion, though after losing their first to USC at home Saturday while feeling the impact of a string of bad injury luck, it remains to be seen if they can stay healthy enough to win out. UW still has a game against Arizona State, a road trip to face rivals Washington State, and a possible Pac-12 championship game yet to come.
If the Pac-12 winds up functionally eliminating itself from consideration, you could see one-loss Louisville under consideration against a one-loss Ohio State, two-loss Big Ten champ Penn State, and perhaps even two-loss Big 12 champion Oklahoma.
Numbers never lie?
Nate Silver’s statistical analysis vertical FiveThirtyEight took its fair share of lumps for joining everyone else in missing predicting this most recent presidential election, but it did have one model that was closer than just about all of its peers.
The site also missed correctly projecting the Cubs to end a hundred and eight years of futility en route to a World Series title at the start of the baseball playoffs. So while your mileage may vary, here’s how their calculations have the College Football Playoff potentially shaking out:
The math would seem to point towards a final four of Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, and Washington with Louisville, Penn State, and Oklahoma just on the outside looking in.
The human element makes predicting voter behavior challenging at best, and with the prospects of an Ohio State-vs-Wisconsin-2014-title-game like performance from any of the contenders, projections can only go so far until we have complete data.
So just how nervous as an Ohio State fan should I be that the Buckeyes will win out yet somehow be left out in the cold?
You should recognize that the possibility exists, but you should also not listen to any Chicken Little reporters or bloggers whose lack of imagination has them inclined to think you should spend the next three weeks praying for a rigorous parlay of losses.
FiveThirtyEight’s “80%” seems Pollyannaish, but saying Ohio State fans should feel about 60, 65% confident about their playoff chances should the Buckeyes win out regardless of everything else doesn’t seem wrong.
If everything comes to pass—Ohio State beats Michigan again, but Penn State does enough reputation restoration to somehow keep the Buckeyes out of the playoff—OSU has no one to blame but themselves. At the very least, Ohio State faithful will be able to take pleasure in Jim Harbaugh having never finished better than third in his own division in two years at the helm at his alma mater. And a win over Michigan would be a pretty decent consolation prize when everything’s said and done.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State is finally using Curtis Samuel the right way, and everyone else should be terrified
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State is finally using Curtis Samuel the right way, and everyone else should be terrified
Chuck McKeever via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
No. 4 is looking like the most dynamic player in CFB not named Lamar Jackson.
What on paper seemed to be a relatively unexciting Saturday of college football erupted into something much more volatile and interesting as the day wore on. The crown jewel of the unexpected spasms of excitement came early in the evening, as the Pitt Panthers sealed an upset win over the No. 2 Clemson Tigers. No. 4 Washington faced its toughest test of the season against the No. 20 USC Trojans, and followed the Tigers’ suit by coming up empty-handed. To cap off the evening, the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines lost on a last-second field goal to the Fightin’ Contract Extensions of Iowa. Power, the novelist David Mitchell once wrote, mocks all its illustrious favorites as they lay dying. So it is in bizarre British literature; so it is in college football.
The Ohio State Buckeyes—no one’s idea of a favored power for a good many weeks—had a slightly different day taking on the Maryland Terrapins. For the second consecutive game, Urban Meyer’s team walked off the field on the right side of a 62-3 boat race. There’s an awful lot of praise to be handed out here, with the Buckeyes once again looking like the team we all thought they might be after the Oklahoma game. Let’s dive in.
Blue chip stocks
Curtis Samuel, H-back: The most obvious fix for Ohio State’s midseason woes has finally been implemented. After unconscionably leaving the shifty playmaker out of the game plan for several ugly weeks, the Buckeyes have completely shifted their offensive focus to Samuel. It’s paying dividends. Samuel is the only player in college football with more than 500 rushing and 500 receiving yards this season; that his increase in touches has matched Ohio State’s return to form is no accident.
Against the Terrapins, Samuel rushed four times for 38 yards and two touchdowns. He led the Buckeyes in receiving, reeling in five catches for another 74 yards and a touchdown. If Ohio State wants to beat Michigan in two weeks, they’re going to need a huge day from Samuel (and a complete abandonment of the ultra-conservative offense that Urban Meyer tends to default to in tight games when the script isn’t working).
Raekwon McMillan, LB: McMillan, like Samuel, simultaneously makes this column an easy one to write (because he wrecks fools so consistently) and a difficult one to write (because one runs out of new adjectives to describe the same person’s excellence after 10 consecutive weeks). McMillan is a force on Ohio State’s defense, the kind of player who leads by example and seems to be involved in every single tackle.
Against a hopelessly outgunned Maryland offense, Raekwon cooked. He was in on 10 total tackles (recording six on his own), including a sack and two tackles for loss. He killed a Terrapin drive on his own by punching the ball out from Wes Brown’s hands. He is, was, and will continue to be a monster on defense. This is what Wilton Speight’s nightmares look like.
Jerome Baker, LB: Baker provides a lightning complement to the steady, thunderous rumble of McMillan. The speedy outside linebacker came to play on Saturday, getting in on seven tackles, including a sack. Singling out individual defensive excellence is tough when the entire 11-man squad is playing so lights-out that they’ve given up six total points across the last two weeks, but without Baker—who made things miserable for the rotating cast of QBs and backs that Maryland trotted out—that line might look a little different.
Solid investments
J.T. Barrett, QB: “J.T. Barrett, pocket passer” is a development that not many saw coming heading into this season, and one that would’ve been unthinkable just a few weeks ago. But that’s precisely who Barrett has been in the past two weeks. The coaches should be lauded for modifying the Buckeye game plan away from the vanilla read-option and instead trying to open things up downfield. Barrett, who’s had more time to throw in the last two weeks than he could’ve dreamed of against Penn State or Northwestern, has made the most of his chances. He’s not perfect, but it’s a reinvigorated offense with him going through his progressions and hitting guys beyond ten yards.
Against Maryland, Barrett was excellent through the air, going 18-of-27 for 253 yards and a brace of touchdowns. One of those scores was among the prettiest throws of Barrett’s career, as he put the ball where only Curtis Samuel could get it as No, 4 streaked into the end zone. He didn’t abandon the run entirely, either, adding another two TDs on 11 carries for 47 yards. At his best, Barrett seems to play the game at a different speed than everyone else. This felt like one of those times.
Demario McCall, RB: There’s an embarrassment of riches on Ohio State’s bench. More on the rest of them in a minute—let’s talk about No. 30, Demario McCall. McCall, who has mostly seen touches in garbage time this season, got involved earlier than usual in this game despite Mike Weber’s efficacy (12 carries, 93 yards) on the ground. McCall made the most of his looks, going for 53 yards and a score on 13 carries. He’s not as powerful as Weber, but dang, McCall can really run, and he showed that off against the Terrapins.
Junk bonds
Missed opportunities: For the second consecutive week, the Buckeyes came up seven points short of setting the internet aflame with jokes. A shame.
Buy/Sell:
BUY: Ohio State’s playoff chances. With Michigan’s loss, the Buckeyes now need Penn State to drop another game if they want to play in the Big Ten championship. The Nittany Lionshave to go on the road into the birthplace of college football probably won’t lose to Rutgers next week, which means Michigan State is the only real hope for this scenario to unfold. Still, if the Buckeyes beat Michigan, there’s a great chance they still go to the playoff even if they don’t play for the conference championship, given today’s shakeups. There’s no precedent for this yet in the playoff system, but this could be the year it finally happens.
SELL: D.J. Durkin’s Tom Thibodeau mask. For the fourth time this season, starting Maryland quarterback Perry Hills left a game with an injury. He’s been plagued by problems with his throwing shoulder all year, yet not only did he start for the Terrapins, he was also called on to execute a few designed runs. On one of those, he took the hit that sidelined him for the rest of the game. Maryland has a few of the more seasoned backup QBs in the Big Ten—why a) start a banged-up Hills and b) then call plays that increase his likelihood of aggravating an injury? Not the most sensible thing in the world.
BUY: Ohio State’s run defense. Look at these stupid numbers. (via ESPN.com)
/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/7459265/Screen_shot_2016_11_12_at_8.52.52_PM.png)
BUY: Ohio State’s bench. Joe Burrow, Demario McCall, Binjimen Victor, K.J. Hill...the list of Buckeye backups who balled out on Saturday night is a long one. The future looks bright.
Continue reading...
Chuck McKeever via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
No. 4 is looking like the most dynamic player in CFB not named Lamar Jackson.
What on paper seemed to be a relatively unexciting Saturday of college football erupted into something much more volatile and interesting as the day wore on. The crown jewel of the unexpected spasms of excitement came early in the evening, as the Pitt Panthers sealed an upset win over the No. 2 Clemson Tigers. No. 4 Washington faced its toughest test of the season against the No. 20 USC Trojans, and followed the Tigers’ suit by coming up empty-handed. To cap off the evening, the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines lost on a last-second field goal to the Fightin’ Contract Extensions of Iowa. Power, the novelist David Mitchell once wrote, mocks all its illustrious favorites as they lay dying. So it is in bizarre British literature; so it is in college football.
The Ohio State Buckeyes—no one’s idea of a favored power for a good many weeks—had a slightly different day taking on the Maryland Terrapins. For the second consecutive game, Urban Meyer’s team walked off the field on the right side of a 62-3 boat race. There’s an awful lot of praise to be handed out here, with the Buckeyes once again looking like the team we all thought they might be after the Oklahoma game. Let’s dive in.
Blue chip stocks
Curtis Samuel, H-back: The most obvious fix for Ohio State’s midseason woes has finally been implemented. After unconscionably leaving the shifty playmaker out of the game plan for several ugly weeks, the Buckeyes have completely shifted their offensive focus to Samuel. It’s paying dividends. Samuel is the only player in college football with more than 500 rushing and 500 receiving yards this season; that his increase in touches has matched Ohio State’s return to form is no accident.
Against the Terrapins, Samuel rushed four times for 38 yards and two touchdowns. He led the Buckeyes in receiving, reeling in five catches for another 74 yards and a touchdown. If Ohio State wants to beat Michigan in two weeks, they’re going to need a huge day from Samuel (and a complete abandonment of the ultra-conservative offense that Urban Meyer tends to default to in tight games when the script isn’t working).
Raekwon McMillan, LB: McMillan, like Samuel, simultaneously makes this column an easy one to write (because he wrecks fools so consistently) and a difficult one to write (because one runs out of new adjectives to describe the same person’s excellence after 10 consecutive weeks). McMillan is a force on Ohio State’s defense, the kind of player who leads by example and seems to be involved in every single tackle.
Against a hopelessly outgunned Maryland offense, Raekwon cooked. He was in on 10 total tackles (recording six on his own), including a sack and two tackles for loss. He killed a Terrapin drive on his own by punching the ball out from Wes Brown’s hands. He is, was, and will continue to be a monster on defense. This is what Wilton Speight’s nightmares look like.
Jerome Baker, LB: Baker provides a lightning complement to the steady, thunderous rumble of McMillan. The speedy outside linebacker came to play on Saturday, getting in on seven tackles, including a sack. Singling out individual defensive excellence is tough when the entire 11-man squad is playing so lights-out that they’ve given up six total points across the last two weeks, but without Baker—who made things miserable for the rotating cast of QBs and backs that Maryland trotted out—that line might look a little different.
Solid investments
J.T. Barrett, QB: “J.T. Barrett, pocket passer” is a development that not many saw coming heading into this season, and one that would’ve been unthinkable just a few weeks ago. But that’s precisely who Barrett has been in the past two weeks. The coaches should be lauded for modifying the Buckeye game plan away from the vanilla read-option and instead trying to open things up downfield. Barrett, who’s had more time to throw in the last two weeks than he could’ve dreamed of against Penn State or Northwestern, has made the most of his chances. He’s not perfect, but it’s a reinvigorated offense with him going through his progressions and hitting guys beyond ten yards.
Against Maryland, Barrett was excellent through the air, going 18-of-27 for 253 yards and a brace of touchdowns. One of those scores was among the prettiest throws of Barrett’s career, as he put the ball where only Curtis Samuel could get it as No, 4 streaked into the end zone. He didn’t abandon the run entirely, either, adding another two TDs on 11 carries for 47 yards. At his best, Barrett seems to play the game at a different speed than everyone else. This felt like one of those times.
Demario McCall, RB: There’s an embarrassment of riches on Ohio State’s bench. More on the rest of them in a minute—let’s talk about No. 30, Demario McCall. McCall, who has mostly seen touches in garbage time this season, got involved earlier than usual in this game despite Mike Weber’s efficacy (12 carries, 93 yards) on the ground. McCall made the most of his looks, going for 53 yards and a score on 13 carries. He’s not as powerful as Weber, but dang, McCall can really run, and he showed that off against the Terrapins.
Junk bonds
Missed opportunities: For the second consecutive week, the Buckeyes came up seven points short of setting the internet aflame with jokes. A shame.
Buy/Sell:
BUY: Ohio State’s playoff chances. With Michigan’s loss, the Buckeyes now need Penn State to drop another game if they want to play in the Big Ten championship. The Nittany Lions
SELL: D.J. Durkin’s Tom Thibodeau mask. For the fourth time this season, starting Maryland quarterback Perry Hills left a game with an injury. He’s been plagued by problems with his throwing shoulder all year, yet not only did he start for the Terrapins, he was also called on to execute a few designed runs. On one of those, he took the hit that sidelined him for the rest of the game. Maryland has a few of the more seasoned backup QBs in the Big Ten—why a) start a banged-up Hills and b) then call plays that increase his likelihood of aggravating an injury? Not the most sensible thing in the world.
BUY: Ohio State’s run defense. Look at these stupid numbers. (via ESPN.com)
BUY: Ohio State’s bench. Joe Burrow, Demario McCall, Binjimen Victor, K.J. Hill...the list of Buckeye backups who balled out on Saturday night is a long one. The future looks bright.
Continue reading...
Google Buckeyes celebrate with fans on the road - 247Sports
- News
- 0 Replies
Buckeyes celebrate with fans on the road - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Buckeyes celebrate with fans on the road
247Sports
Buckeye fans travel well, that's an undisputed fact. For years Ohio State fans have taken over opposing stadiums and watched their team dominate on the road. Saturday in College Park was no different. The Scarlet and Gray defeated Maryland 62-3 (the ...
and more »
Continue reading...
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Buckeyes celebrate with fans on the road
247Sports
Buckeye fans travel well, that's an undisputed fact. For years Ohio State fans have taken over opposing stadiums and watched their team dominate on the road. Saturday in College Park was no different. The Scarlet and Gray defeated Maryland 62-3 (the ...
and more »
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State hockey ties UConn, 3-3
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State hockey ties UConn, 3-3
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 Buckeyes dominated the Huskies, but couldn’t put them away.
Ohio State University enjoyed running roughshod over eastern seaboard schools today. The football team toyed with Maryland and won by 59. The hockey team dominated every facet of the game versus UConn except the scoreboard.
Ohio State hockey officially tied with UConn, 3-3, and lost in and exhibition shootout held after the overtime period ended, 2-1 in five rounds. The final score and shootout would have you think this was an even tilt that could’ve gone either way. That was hardly the case.
UConn was outshot 49-17 over the three periods plus overtime. The first period the shots were just eight apiece, with the Huskies scoring two to OSU’s one and taking that lead into the first intermission. So the onslaught didn’t start right away. Tage Thompson scored both UConn goals, both on separate powerplays, at 2:30 and 9:45 respectively.
Mason Jobst got one back for the Buckeyes at 12:11 with his third of the year. Nick Schilkey had the lone assist. Maybe Christian Frey was shaking off the rust still from his return this weekend. His save percentage has been far from fantastic this season, but Ohio State doesn’t really have any other viable options in net at this point, so they had to keep riding the Texan.
He’d be solid the rest of the game, but wouldn’t really face much. In fact, he’d only face two shots in the second period total. Ohio State had 25 of their own. Yes, Ohio State outshot UConn 25-2 in the second period. That’s the kind of thing I’d imagine would happen to Rutgers if they ever formed a D1 hockey team.
Unfortunately for the Bucks, only one goal would find its way past UConn netminder Rob Nichols. Schilkey scored his tenth of the season from Luke Stork and Matthew Weis at 4:36, but that’d be it for the period. Despite playing probably the best period they’re ever going to play in their collegiate careers, the Buckeyes couldn’t pull ahead.
They would get that go ahead goal just 1:11 into the third, however. David Gust kept his hot streak going one night after his hat trick, with his eighth of the year, on the powerplay. Dakota Joshua and Jobst had the assists.
UConn only had six shots in the third, and yet still one found its way in. Brian Morgan’s third of the year at 10:20 tied the game up once again and for good. OSU would outshoot UConn 14-6 in that third period and still not be able to get another in to take a win they more than earned.
Poor goaltending will only get you so far even if you completely run another team off the ice, and saving 14/17 shots is not going to get you to becoming a competitive top tier Big Ten team. Frey has to be better or Matt Tomkins will get every chance to take the job, and he’s had yet to seize it in his years of opportunity.
Ugliness between the pipes aside, the Buckeyes dominated possession and would win this game going away 99 out of 100 times. They only had two shots on goal in overtime to UConn’s one and lost the exhibition shootout, but the latter’s barely hockey anyway. There’s probably just as much value in watching Tyler Durbin kick field goals into a net and comparing that to his normal on field kicks, for reference. It’s useless.
The Buckeyes should have gotten a sweep, but they’ll have to settle for the 1-0-1 weekend against a middling Hockey East team. It could have been worse — just look at last weekend’s debacle against Robert Morris. OSU will get the chance to avenge these mediocre results with two games at Rensselaer next weekend before opening Big Ten play on December 2 at Minnesota.
Continue reading...
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 Buckeyes dominated the Huskies, but couldn’t put them away.
Ohio State University enjoyed running roughshod over eastern seaboard schools today. The football team toyed with Maryland and won by 59. The hockey team dominated every facet of the game versus UConn except the scoreboard.
Ohio State hockey officially tied with UConn, 3-3, and lost in and exhibition shootout held after the overtime period ended, 2-1 in five rounds. The final score and shootout would have you think this was an even tilt that could’ve gone either way. That was hardly the case.
UConn was outshot 49-17 over the three periods plus overtime. The first period the shots were just eight apiece, with the Huskies scoring two to OSU’s one and taking that lead into the first intermission. So the onslaught didn’t start right away. Tage Thompson scored both UConn goals, both on separate powerplays, at 2:30 and 9:45 respectively.
Mason Jobst got one back for the Buckeyes at 12:11 with his third of the year. Nick Schilkey had the lone assist. Maybe Christian Frey was shaking off the rust still from his return this weekend. His save percentage has been far from fantastic this season, but Ohio State doesn’t really have any other viable options in net at this point, so they had to keep riding the Texan.
He’d be solid the rest of the game, but wouldn’t really face much. In fact, he’d only face two shots in the second period total. Ohio State had 25 of their own. Yes, Ohio State outshot UConn 25-2 in the second period. That’s the kind of thing I’d imagine would happen to Rutgers if they ever formed a D1 hockey team.
Unfortunately for the Bucks, only one goal would find its way past UConn netminder Rob Nichols. Schilkey scored his tenth of the season from Luke Stork and Matthew Weis at 4:36, but that’d be it for the period. Despite playing probably the best period they’re ever going to play in their collegiate careers, the Buckeyes couldn’t pull ahead.
They would get that go ahead goal just 1:11 into the third, however. David Gust kept his hot streak going one night after his hat trick, with his eighth of the year, on the powerplay. Dakota Joshua and Jobst had the assists.
UConn only had six shots in the third, and yet still one found its way in. Brian Morgan’s third of the year at 10:20 tied the game up once again and for good. OSU would outshoot UConn 14-6 in that third period and still not be able to get another in to take a win they more than earned.
Poor goaltending will only get you so far even if you completely run another team off the ice, and saving 14/17 shots is not going to get you to becoming a competitive top tier Big Ten team. Frey has to be better or Matt Tomkins will get every chance to take the job, and he’s had yet to seize it in his years of opportunity.
Ugliness between the pipes aside, the Buckeyes dominated possession and would win this game going away 99 out of 100 times. They only had two shots on goal in overtime to UConn’s one and lost the exhibition shootout, but the latter’s barely hockey anyway. There’s probably just as much value in watching Tyler Durbin kick field goals into a net and comparing that to his normal on field kicks, for reference. It’s useless.
The Buckeyes should have gotten a sweep, but they’ll have to settle for the 1-0-1 weekend against a middling Hockey East team. It could have been worse — just look at last weekend’s debacle against Robert Morris. OSU will get the chance to avenge these mediocre results with two games at Rensselaer next weekend before opening Big Ten play on December 2 at Minnesota.
Continue reading...
Google Can Ohio State still make the College Football Playoff without winning the Big Ten? -...
- News
- 0 Replies
Can Ohio State still make the College Football Playoff without winning the Big Ten? - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Can Ohio State still make the College Football Playoff without winning the Big Ten?
cleveland.com
Ohio State tight end Marcus Baugh leaping over a defender in the Buckeyes blowout of Maryland on Saturday. (Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer). Print Email · Ari Wasserman, cleveland.com By Ari Wasserman, cleveland.com The Plain Dealer Email the author ...
Big Ten tiebreakers mean Michigan and Penn State have better shots than Ohio StateSB Nation
Buckeyes blast Terps, accrue style points in blowout winComcast SportsNet Chicago
Can Ohio State Make The College Football Playoff Without Playing for The Big Ten Championship?Eleven Warriors
Toledo Blade -isportsweb.com (blog) -Landof10.com
all 385 news articles »
Continue reading...
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Can Ohio State still make the College Football Playoff without winning the Big Ten?
cleveland.com
Ohio State tight end Marcus Baugh leaping over a defender in the Buckeyes blowout of Maryland on Saturday. (Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer). Print Email · Ari Wasserman, cleveland.com By Ari Wasserman, cleveland.com The Plain Dealer Email the author ...
Big Ten tiebreakers mean Michigan and Penn State have better shots than Ohio StateSB Nation
Buckeyes blast Terps, accrue style points in blowout winComcast SportsNet Chicago
Can Ohio State Make The College Football Playoff Without Playing for The Big Ten Championship?Eleven Warriors
Toledo Blade -isportsweb.com (blog) -Landof10.com
all 385 news articles »
Continue reading...
Google Big Ten tiebreakers mean Michigan and Penn State have better shots than Ohio State - SB Nation
- News
- 0 Replies
Big Ten tiebreakers mean Michigan and Penn State have better shots than Ohio State - SB Nation
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Big Ten tiebreakers mean Michigan and Penn State have better shots than Ohio State
SB Nation
The Buckeyes could still win the division. If Penn State loses one of its last two games and Ohio State beats both MSU and Michigan, the Buckeyes will finish 8-1 and advance to Indianapolis. But that's not likely, obviously. If Ohio State wins its last ...
Can Ohio State Make The College Football Playoff Without Playing ...Eleven Warriors
Wolverines, Buckeyes try to stay on course - Cheboygan Daily TribuneCheboygan Daily Tribune
How much did Ohio State and Michigan crush Maryland and Rutgers this season?cleveland.com
Sporting Alert (blog)
all 20 news articles »
Continue reading...
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Big Ten tiebreakers mean Michigan and Penn State have better shots than Ohio State
SB Nation
The Buckeyes could still win the division. If Penn State loses one of its last two games and Ohio State beats both MSU and Michigan, the Buckeyes will finish 8-1 and advance to Indianapolis. But that's not likely, obviously. If Ohio State wins its last ...
Can Ohio State Make The College Football Playoff Without Playing ...Eleven Warriors
Wolverines, Buckeyes try to stay on course - Cheboygan Daily TribuneCheboygan Daily Tribune
How much did Ohio State and Michigan crush Maryland and Rutgers this season?cleveland.com
Sporting Alert (blog)
all 20 news articles »
Continue reading...
Google Ohio State vs. Maryland | The Bottom Line - Columbus Dispatch
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State vs. Maryland | The Bottom Line - Columbus Dispatch
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Ohio State vs. Maryland | The Bottom Line
Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State and Michigan keep circling and suspiciously eyeing one other like sumo wrestlers while they flatten anything in their collective massive wake. A week after catching a full dose of the Wolverines, Maryland turned to see the Buckeyes bearing ...
November 11, 2016 | College hoops: Buckeye basketball is backAmico Hoops (press release) (registration) (blog)
all 153 news articles »
Continue reading...
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Ohio State vs. Maryland | The Bottom Line
Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State and Michigan keep circling and suspiciously eyeing one other like sumo wrestlers while they flatten anything in their collective massive wake. A week after catching a full dose of the Wolverines, Maryland turned to see the Buckeyes bearing ...
November 11, 2016 | College hoops: Buckeye basketball is backAmico Hoops (press release) (registration) (blog)
all 153 news articles »
Continue reading...
Google Buckeyes blast Terps, accrue style points in blowout win - Comcast SportsNet Chicago
- News
- 0 Replies
Buckeyes blast Terps, accrue style points in blowout win - Comcast SportsNet Chicago
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Buckeyes blast Terps, accrue style points in blowout win
Comcast SportsNet Chicago
The win is sure to score the Buckeyes significant style points heading into next week's set of top-25 rankings. Arguably, Ohio State's resume, even with one loss, already looks better than that of unbeaten Washington, and continued winning — and ...
and more »
Continue reading...
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Buckeyes blast Terps, accrue style points in blowout win
Comcast SportsNet Chicago
The win is sure to score the Buckeyes significant style points heading into next week's set of top-25 rankings. Arguably, Ohio State's resume, even with one loss, already looks better than that of unbeaten Washington, and continued winning — and ...
and more »
Continue reading...
Google Clemson's loss to Pittsburgh: What does that mean for Ohio State's College Football Playoff...
- News
- 0 Replies
Clemson's loss to Pittsburgh: What does that mean for Ohio State's College Football Playoff push? - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Clemson's loss to Pittsburgh: What does that mean for Ohio State's College Football Playoff push?
cleveland.com
You'd think that drop would happen, but it doesn't really matter for the Buckeyes. Like the answer to everything else when it comes to Ohio State's playoff pursuit, it all pretty much rests in the team's own hands. Whether Clemson punches its ticket to ...
What We Learned: Ohio State can make CFP without winning its divisionCBS sports.com (blog)
all 147 news articles »
Continue reading...
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Clemson's loss to Pittsburgh: What does that mean for Ohio State's College Football Playoff push?
cleveland.com
You'd think that drop would happen, but it doesn't really matter for the Buckeyes. Like the answer to everything else when it comes to Ohio State's playoff pursuit, it all pretty much rests in the team's own hands. Whether Clemson punches its ticket to ...
What We Learned: Ohio State can make CFP without winning its divisionCBS sports.com (blog)
all 147 news articles »
Continue reading...
Google Can Ohio State Make The College Football Playoff Without Playing for The Big Ten...
- News
- 0 Replies
Can Ohio State Make The College Football Playoff Without Playing for The Big Ten Championship? - Eleven Warriors
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Can Ohio State Make The College Football Playoff Without Playing for The Big Ten Championship?
Eleven Warriors
Michigan's loss to Iowa muddies and already cloudy Big Ten East picture, one that puts the Buckeyes in a hole in terms of the divisional race. Ohio State should be in the top-4 come Tuesday night in the next batch of College Football Playoff rankings ...
Wolverines, Buckeyes try to stay on courseCheboygan Daily Tribune
How much did Ohio State and Michigan crush Maryland and Rutgers this season?cleveland.com
Big Ten Score: College Football Week 11 Results On Nov. 12Sporting Alert (blog)
all 24 news articles »
Continue reading...
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Can Ohio State Make The College Football Playoff Without Playing for The Big Ten Championship?
Eleven Warriors
Michigan's loss to Iowa muddies and already cloudy Big Ten East picture, one that puts the Buckeyes in a hole in terms of the divisional race. Ohio State should be in the top-4 come Tuesday night in the next batch of College Football Playoff rankings ...
Wolverines, Buckeyes try to stay on courseCheboygan Daily Tribune
How much did Ohio State and Michigan crush Maryland and Rutgers this season?cleveland.com
Big Ten Score: College Football Week 11 Results On Nov. 12Sporting Alert (blog)
all 24 news articles »
Continue reading...
BTN Dienhart: How wild, upset-filled Week 11 could impact playoff
- News
- 0 Replies
Dienhart: How wild, upset-filled Week 11 could impact playoff
Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer via Big Ten Network
It was a crazy Saturday in college football, as No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Washington all lost, promising big changes in next week’s College Football Playoff poll. It was the first time since October 1985 that three top-four teams lost on the same day.
Continue reading...
Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer via Big Ten Network
It was a crazy Saturday in college football, as No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Washington all lost, promising big changes in next week’s College Football Playoff poll. It was the first time since October 1985 that three top-four teams lost on the same day.
Continue reading...
Google Curtis Samuel is Ohio State's most dangerous player since Ted Ginn Jr.: Doug Lesmerises -...
- News
- 0 Replies
Curtis Samuel is Ohio State's most dangerous player since Ted Ginn Jr.: Doug Lesmerises - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Curtis Samuel is Ohio State's most dangerous player since Ted Ginn Jr.: Doug Lesmerises
cleveland.com
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Ohio State has figured how and how much to use him, which means Curtis Samuel will enter the stretch run of this season as the most dangerous Buckeye on offense since Ted Ginn Jr. Quarterbacks Braxton Miller and Terrelle Pryor ...
Watch: Why are Buckeyes moving to Samuel as punt returner?247Sports
all 4 news articles »
Continue reading...
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Curtis Samuel is Ohio State's most dangerous player since Ted Ginn Jr.: Doug Lesmerises
cleveland.com
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Ohio State has figured how and how much to use him, which means Curtis Samuel will enter the stretch run of this season as the most dangerous Buckeye on offense since Ted Ginn Jr. Quarterbacks Braxton Miller and Terrelle Pryor ...
Watch: Why are Buckeyes moving to Samuel as punt returner?247Sports
all 4 news articles »
Continue reading...
BTN How did we do? Week 11 Big Ten predictions revisited
- News
- 0 Replies
How did we do? Week 11 Big Ten predictions revisited
Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network
Before we turn our attention to Week 12, it's time to revisit how the BTN.com team and Big Ten fans did with their Week 11 Big Ten game predictions.
Continue reading...
Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network
Before we turn our attention to Week 12, it's time to revisit how the BTN.com team and Big Ten fans did with their Week 11 Big Ten game predictions.
Continue reading...
Google Pirates end Buckeyes' run - Athens Messenger (registration)
- News
- 0 Replies
Pirates end Buckeyes' run - Athens Messenger (registration)
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Pirates end Buckeyes' run
Athens Messenger (registration)
Nelsonville-York's Noah Andrews rushes against Wheelersburg while teammate Hunter Edwards looks on. The Buckeyes lost to the Pirates, 38-6, on Saturday. prev. next. JACKSON -- The Wheelersburg Pirates lived up to their No. 1 ranking on Saturday ...
Continue reading...
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Pirates end Buckeyes' run
Athens Messenger (registration)
Nelsonville-York's Noah Andrews rushes against Wheelersburg while teammate Hunter Edwards looks on. The Buckeyes lost to the Pirates, 38-6, on Saturday. prev. next. JACKSON -- The Wheelersburg Pirates lived up to their No. 1 ranking on Saturday ...
Continue reading...
Google Ohio State vs. Maryland postgame notes - Columbus Dispatch
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State vs. Maryland postgame notes - Columbus Dispatch
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Ohio State vs. Maryland postgame notes
Columbus Dispatch
The Buckeyes scored 45 points in the first half, marking their first time scoring 40-plus points in the first half since Kent State (45) in 2014. • J.T. Barrett accounted for four more touchdowns on the afternoon, bringing his school-record total to 98 ...
Ohio State routs Maryland 62-3fox8.com
Ohio State Buckeyes rout Maryland TerrapinsDayton Daily News
Buckeyes blast Terps, accrue style points in blowout winComcast SportsNet Chicago
cleveland.com -BuckeyeGrove.com (subscription) -Landof10.com
all 150 news articles »
Continue reading...
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Ohio State vs. Maryland postgame notes
Columbus Dispatch
The Buckeyes scored 45 points in the first half, marking their first time scoring 40-plus points in the first half since Kent State (45) in 2014. • J.T. Barrett accounted for four more touchdowns on the afternoon, bringing his school-record total to 98 ...
Ohio State routs Maryland 62-3fox8.com
Ohio State Buckeyes rout Maryland TerrapinsDayton Daily News
Buckeyes blast Terps, accrue style points in blowout winComcast SportsNet Chicago
cleveland.com -BuckeyeGrove.com (subscription) -Landof10.com
all 150 news articles »
Continue reading...
Google J.T. Barrett record confusion, more Ohio State interceptions: Buckeyes notes, quotes and...
- News
- 0 Replies
J.T. Barrett record confusion, more Ohio State interceptions: Buckeyes notes, quotes and nuggets - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
J.T. Barrett record confusion, more Ohio State interceptions: Buckeyes notes, quotes and nuggets
cleveland.com
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett came into Saturday's game against Maryland needing one touchdown to tie Drew Brees' career record for touchdowns responsible for. Barrett did it. He threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns, and ...
Ohio State vs. Maryland postgame notesColumbus Dispatch
Ohio State routs Maryland 62-3fox8.com
Ohio State Buckeyes rout Maryland TerrapinsDayton Daily News
Landof10.com -BuckeyeGrove.com (subscription) -Comcast SportsNet Chicago
all 148 news articles »
Continue reading...
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
J.T. Barrett record confusion, more Ohio State interceptions: Buckeyes notes, quotes and nuggets
cleveland.com
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett came into Saturday's game against Maryland needing one touchdown to tie Drew Brees' career record for touchdowns responsible for. Barrett did it. He threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns, and ...
Ohio State vs. Maryland postgame notesColumbus Dispatch
Ohio State routs Maryland 62-3fox8.com
Ohio State Buckeyes rout Maryland TerrapinsDayton Daily News
Landof10.com -BuckeyeGrove.com (subscription) -Comcast SportsNet Chicago
all 148 news articles »
Continue reading...
Google Buckeyes are more than four touchdown favorites - 247Sports
- News
- 0 Replies
Buckeyes are more than four touchdown favorites - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Buckeyes are more than four touchdown favorites
247Sports
Even Ohio State fans thought it was a stretch when the Buckeyes were favored by three scores a week ago when No. 10 Nebraska came to town. OSU took care of business at home, winning that contest 62-3. This week, the Scarlet and Gray face a 5-4 ...
and more »
Continue reading...
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Buckeyes are more than four touchdown favorites
247Sports
Even Ohio State fans thought it was a stretch when the Buckeyes were favored by three scores a week ago when No. 10 Nebraska came to town. OSU took care of business at home, winning that contest 62-3. This week, the Scarlet and Gray face a 5-4 ...
and more »
Continue reading...
LGHL After torching Maryland, Ohio State may not be looking ahead to the Michigan game, but...
- News
- 0 Replies
After torching Maryland, Ohio State may not be looking ahead to the Michigan game, but everybody else is.
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
And can you blame them?
COLLEGE PARK--If Maryland had any momentum left after a blasting by Michigan last week, it was throughly and emphatically obliterated by Ohio State.
A J.T. Barrett pick-six on the opening drive was called back after a Maryland pass interference penalty, and then, the blowout was on. Ohio State grabbed a 21-3 lead after the first quarter. It was 45-3 at halftime, and that was with the Buckeyes blowing multiple scoring opportunities.
The Buckeyes dominated the line of scrimmage, holding the Terps to a paltry 43 yards rushing, with most of those gained long after the Buckeye starters were on the sidelines, wondering what to do for dinner after the game. They torched them in the passing game, as J.T. Barrett worked a below average Maryland secondary horizontally and vertically, finishing with 253 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for another two, as he continues his assault on the Big Ten record books.
Even Ohio State’s backups got into the action, outscoring Maryland 17-0 in the second half, as the Terps never got close to a scoring opportunity.
It was a beatdown in every facet of the game. Offense. Defense. Special teams, and at every position group. And the Maryland faithful knew it, with an already paltry crowd heading for the exits just after halftime. Ohio State’s heavy alumni presence in the DC area made their voices loud early and often, taking over the stadium.
The only dramatic question for the game after the first ten minutes or so was whether Ohio State would beat Maryland worse than Michigan did a week before. And the answer to that question is yes. The Buckeyes won by 59 points. The Wolverines only won by 56.
If you ask Ohio State players or coaches about this, they’ll beg off the question, pointing only to their next opponent, the suddenly reeling Michigan State Spartans. But even a cursory glance at the box score makes it hard to not wander over to the regular season finale.
Ohio State beat Rutgers 58-0. Michigan beat Rutgers 78-0. Michigan beat Wisconsin by 7. Ohio State beat Wisconsin by 7. The Indiana game will certainly invite new comparisons as well. Michigan clobbered Penn State, and Ohio State...well, okay, you get the picture.
The Big Ten’s eastern expansion teams haven’t provided much of a challenge to Ohio State. In their three meetings, the Buckeyes have outscored Maryland 163-55, winning all three games. Rutgers has seen a similar fate, getting crushed by the Buckeyes 163-24.
Weirdly enough, outside of bringing in sweet television lucre, the new programs operated as near vassal states in the offseason satellite camp recruiting wars, with Ohio State and Rutgers allying against Michigan’s plans in New Jersey, while the Terps and Wolverines worked together in DMV. Both programs are coached by members of the Ohio State and Michigan coaching trees, and hope to emulate a small fraction of that success as they try to make their own programs more competitive.
Those days may come later (probably sooner for Maryland than Rutgers), but this season has shown how far they still have to go.
Both teams still have games to play before the finale, and sure, Michigan could lose to Iowa or Indiana, technically. And yes, Michigan State is capable of giving Ohio State a game, even though the program is slogging through a horrible season.
But it’s all a prelude to the battle for the Big Ten, failing some unexpected upsets, with the winner getting a pathway to the Big Ten title game, a likely playoff spot, and leverage in the next stage of recruiting battles between the blue bloods.
J.T. Barrett said that “it is November, and that’s where the season really hangs your hat on” after the game. Meyer added that “November is here, and we have a big one coming one week from today.” Ohio State is acutely aware of the calendar, and what those games mean.
To achieve those goals, they still need to take things one week at a time. But the rest of college football fandom could be excused if they’re taking a peak at the game in two weeks.
This was fun, but it isn’t the main event. That’s coming soon.
Continue reading...
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
And can you blame them?
COLLEGE PARK--If Maryland had any momentum left after a blasting by Michigan last week, it was throughly and emphatically obliterated by Ohio State.
A J.T. Barrett pick-six on the opening drive was called back after a Maryland pass interference penalty, and then, the blowout was on. Ohio State grabbed a 21-3 lead after the first quarter. It was 45-3 at halftime, and that was with the Buckeyes blowing multiple scoring opportunities.
The Buckeyes dominated the line of scrimmage, holding the Terps to a paltry 43 yards rushing, with most of those gained long after the Buckeye starters were on the sidelines, wondering what to do for dinner after the game. They torched them in the passing game, as J.T. Barrett worked a below average Maryland secondary horizontally and vertically, finishing with 253 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for another two, as he continues his assault on the Big Ten record books.
Even Ohio State’s backups got into the action, outscoring Maryland 17-0 in the second half, as the Terps never got close to a scoring opportunity.
It was a beatdown in every facet of the game. Offense. Defense. Special teams, and at every position group. And the Maryland faithful knew it, with an already paltry crowd heading for the exits just after halftime. Ohio State’s heavy alumni presence in the DC area made their voices loud early and often, taking over the stadium.
The only dramatic question for the game after the first ten minutes or so was whether Ohio State would beat Maryland worse than Michigan did a week before. And the answer to that question is yes. The Buckeyes won by 59 points. The Wolverines only won by 56.
If you ask Ohio State players or coaches about this, they’ll beg off the question, pointing only to their next opponent, the suddenly reeling Michigan State Spartans. But even a cursory glance at the box score makes it hard to not wander over to the regular season finale.
Ohio State beat Rutgers 58-0. Michigan beat Rutgers 78-0. Michigan beat Wisconsin by 7. Ohio State beat Wisconsin by 7. The Indiana game will certainly invite new comparisons as well. Michigan clobbered Penn State, and Ohio State...well, okay, you get the picture.
The Big Ten’s eastern expansion teams haven’t provided much of a challenge to Ohio State. In their three meetings, the Buckeyes have outscored Maryland 163-55, winning all three games. Rutgers has seen a similar fate, getting crushed by the Buckeyes 163-24.
Weirdly enough, outside of bringing in sweet television lucre, the new programs operated as near vassal states in the offseason satellite camp recruiting wars, with Ohio State and Rutgers allying against Michigan’s plans in New Jersey, while the Terps and Wolverines worked together in DMV. Both programs are coached by members of the Ohio State and Michigan coaching trees, and hope to emulate a small fraction of that success as they try to make their own programs more competitive.
Those days may come later (probably sooner for Maryland than Rutgers), but this season has shown how far they still have to go.
Both teams still have games to play before the finale, and sure, Michigan could lose to Iowa or Indiana, technically. And yes, Michigan State is capable of giving Ohio State a game, even though the program is slogging through a horrible season.
But it’s all a prelude to the battle for the Big Ten, failing some unexpected upsets, with the winner getting a pathway to the Big Ten title game, a likely playoff spot, and leverage in the next stage of recruiting battles between the blue bloods.
J.T. Barrett said that “it is November, and that’s where the season really hangs your hat on” after the game. Meyer added that “November is here, and we have a big one coming one week from today.” Ohio State is acutely aware of the calendar, and what those games mean.
To achieve those goals, they still need to take things one week at a time. But the rest of college football fandom could be excused if they’re taking a peak at the game in two weeks.
This was fun, but it isn’t the main event. That’s coming soon.
Continue reading...
Google Ohio State vs. Maryland | Quarter-by-quarter analysis - Columbus Dispatch
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State vs. Maryland | Quarter-by-quarter analysis - Columbus Dispatch
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Ohio State vs. Maryland | Quarter-by-quarter analysis
Columbus Dispatch
Pretty much everything the Buckeyes tried in the first quarter, it worked. Barrett completed 5 of 6 passes for 85 yards, Mike Weber ran for 39 yards and Samuel had 85 yards from scrimmage. OSU was even more efficient on defense, at least for Maryland's ...
No. 5 Ohio State football goes on the road to face Maryland: Buckeye Breakfast Gamedaycleveland.com
Buckeyes are more than four touchdown favorites247Sports
Ohio State routs Maryland 62-3fox8.com
SB Nation -Landof10.com
all 432 news articles »
Continue reading...
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Ohio State vs. Maryland | Quarter-by-quarter analysis
Columbus Dispatch
Pretty much everything the Buckeyes tried in the first quarter, it worked. Barrett completed 5 of 6 passes for 85 yards, Mike Weber ran for 39 yards and Samuel had 85 yards from scrimmage. OSU was even more efficient on defense, at least for Maryland's ...
No. 5 Ohio State football goes on the road to face Maryland: Buckeye Breakfast Gamedaycleveland.com
Buckeyes are more than four touchdown favorites247Sports
Ohio State routs Maryland 62-3fox8.com
SB Nation -Landof10.com
all 432 news articles »
Continue reading...
Google Wolverines, Buckeyes try to stay on course - Cheboygan Daily Tribune
- News
- 0 Replies
Wolverines, Buckeyes try to stay on course - Cheboygan Daily Tribune
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Wolverines, Buckeyes try to stay on course
Cheboygan Daily Tribune
We're coming into the home stretch with three weeks remaining in the college football regular season. Michigan and Ohio State appear to be on a collision course for a game with huge implications at the end of the month, but have to get through two ...
and more »
Continue reading...
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Wolverines, Buckeyes try to stay on course
Cheboygan Daily Tribune
We're coming into the home stretch with three weeks remaining in the college football regular season. Michigan and Ohio State appear to be on a collision course for a game with huge implications at the end of the month, but have to get through two ...
and more »
Continue reading...
