tBBC Awards: Wisconsin; JT Record Holder, Bosa Strength, Durbin Boots
WVaBuckeye via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
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I went to twitter to beef up securi . . , errr . . , the participation in the weekly awards. Not that the locals aren’t good enough mind you but we needed some help! As you will see, one of our new “regulars” likes to follow another lead so to speak and the bromance between them is sickening, so I highly suggest you stay away from their twitter accounts! Please welcome Jeremy, Jim, Ryan, Chris and Brad as regular fan guests to our weekly awards!
Offensive
tOSU Offensive MVP
Scott – I’m going with Beck and Warriner. Much better play calling.
Ben v. – JT gets my vote, and not because of his flashy stats, but because he put the team on his back again and led them to victory. The game reminded me so much of Penn State two years ago where he willed the team to victory and if you look at the last play of both games, Bosa getting to Hackenberg and the whole defensive line getting to Hornibrook the endings mirrored each other as well.
Brandon – JT Barrett. He still looked like a mess in the first half (81 passing yards/38 rushing yards) but his second half was the Barrett we are all used to. In all, he finished the day with 318 total yards and three touchdowns while playing in one of the toughest environments in college football. His day could have been even better if his WRs made a few catches but you will have that when you play your second and third string WRs more than your starters.
Jeremy – The easy answer is JT Barrett. He made plays with his feet and his arm when we needed him. Yes he had struggles and Zone6 let him down with some drops and missed TD chances. But when we needed him he rose to the occasion and led us to this important road win against a very determined and worthy Wisconsin team
Ryan – JT Barrett. He’s the leader. He led last night. He took control of the situation and took OVER the game when it was needed. The defense fed off of his energy on their last drive. Him running all over the field was NOT what any of us wanted to see a steady diet of last night, but he executed in the 2nd half exceptionally. He’s no stranger to tough road wins (see Sparty and Penn State in 2014), he thrives off of it.
Jim – Very Much has to be JT. He is the TRUE leader out there on the field. This guy has matured so much over the years.
Chris – I agree with Jeremy, Joe Thomas Barrett is the easy answer because he’s the only answer. 17/29 for 226 passing and 92 yards rushing make him the only answer. Weber could have been this guy but didn’t get the touches to even consider him. I still don’t think Samuel is being used right and was put in some bad spots tonight.
Brad TBU – Is there Anyone not picking JT? Overall another solid performance. Marcus Baugh came up with a catch in 3rd quarter. Wilson’s catch in the 4th quarter was as big. Samuel did have his moments.
Memo to God ERR Urban can we please throw out that Damn option Play That Whisky stop twice. & Mikey Weber just does what Mikey Webber does run people over & inflict as much pain as humanly possible.
WVa – What more can I say that already hasn’t? JT Barrett stepped up when he needed to and took care of business in a hostile environment. His biggest strength is how calm he stays under pressure and I can honeslty say he is the best ever QB at Ohio State in that regards.
Joe Thomas Barrett is an easy choice
tOSU O-line MVP
Scott – Pat Elflein. Couple high snaps messed with the timing but it’s all good
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Ben v. – Billy Price and Pat Elflein. They took a young offensive line into a hostile Camp Randall and walked away with the win. Although it wasn’t pretty most of the night, they were able to keep those linebackers at bay when it mattered most in the 2nd half.
Brandon – Pat Elflein. Billy Price and him dominated the middle of the line at times and created enough push on a few 3rd/4th and short in the second half. He continues to be the glue that holds everyone together.
Jeremy – Every week I see Elflein’s name for this. Nope I’m going true freshman Michael Jordan. Hostile road environment against a good defense he held his own, got great pushes on Weber’s 4th and 1 runs, rarely was out of position on his pulls save for Watts blitz.
Ryan – Have to go with Elflein on this one. He made some high snaps, particularly when JT was not the one taking the snaps. He overcame those issues at the end, and in OT. Have to agree with Jeremy, though, Michael Jordan is growing up (which is scary considering his size) before our eyes.
Jim – Elflein is my call, he’s the most experienced lineman out there. It only made sense to move him to center. I seen him make line adjustments during the game and pick up some blitz packages (In the second half). High snaps? yes , Still not bad for a 1st year center.
Chris – I’m just going to keep agreeing with Jeremy, aren’t I? Elflein was mediocre tonight. Too many high snaps for someone with his tenure. I always tell my boys that the snap is the most important part of the play. If it is off, it completely destroys the timing. Michael Jordan made some mistakes but they weren’t nearly as glaring as the rest of the line.
Brad TBU – Elflein & Billy Price set the tone for the Offensive line & tore a huge hole in the Dline on JT’S Touchdown. Jones had a decent game after a shaky start. Price & Jordan are just getting better.
WVa – The best part about a great leader is you rarely see another position players mistakes matter. What I mean about that is that whatever deficiencies the Buckeyes line had at the beginning of the season? Is being handled internally by Elflein and Price. The two returning stars played amazingly Saturday night.
Pat Elflein and Billy Price have to both get credit here.
tOSU Offensive Unsung
Scott – Mike Weber. Got some huge conversions in second half.
Ben v. – Without Curtis Samuel this team would be in a world of hurt. He opens up so many options with his versatility that you can’t really take him off the field. His ability to make guys miss and turn on the burners when he gets the ball makes him a threat to go the distance every time he touches it. He didn’t score against Wisconsin but he showed up when we needed him most.
Brandon – Curtis Samuel. It is hard to say Samuel is ever an unsung hero but last night was a different situation. For some reason, the coaching staff decided he was going to be the between the tackles guy last night and move him out of the H-Back role for most of the night. I’m not entirely sure Weber was fully healthy. Even with an aggressive and very good defense on the other side, Samuel did his best to be an every down back while also being expected to block and do a few other things he is normally not counted on to do for an entire game. It certainly wasn’t his best performance but he still finished the night with 104 total yards on the night and had a few big runs after the catch down the stretch.
Jeremy – Mike Weber and Noah Brown. Weber had big runs to keep drives alive. Brown had some great downfield blocks, his catch and fighting for extra yardage and of course that winning TD catch!
Ryan – Noah Brown. He seemed to disappear somewhat since the Oklahoma game, but he returned tonight, and it was MUCH appreciated. He caught some big passes, the TD pass being the most important obviously. He fought for extra yards on every catch and wasn’t going to be stopped last night.
Jim – Weber came on strong with the run game, I wish it were him not JT running the ball more but, that’s how it’s called in Urbans Offense.
Curtis Samuel is the speed that the team needs on the edges.
Mr. Wilsons scrabble play down the sideline catch… WOW!
Chris – [insert Jeremy’s opinion here] Seriously though, Weber gets this for me. He averaged 4.2 yards per carry. J.T. had a couple of bad reads that I think could have sprung Weber for some big runs. Weber is the kind of kid that won’t say a thing about it and just go right back to work. He had some real nice blocks on blitz pick-up too.
Brad TBU – Living in the State up North does have a few advantages & one for me, was being able to watch Mike Weber play at Cass Tech. He is continuing that thankfully wearing the beloved Scarlet & Gray. He is just a downhill power runner, with a mean streak.
WVa – First, Chris has to stop reading Jeremy’s opinion each week or get in the document first! Just kidding fellas . . , I cannot believe it is happening with the season he is having but he went totally unnoticed Saturday night and he had JT’s back more times than the number on JT’s jersey’s back had his back(corny I know). It’s amazing to me that every back in the Urban Meyer coached system since arriving becomes one of the best, vicious blockers on the entire team!
Mike Weber Jr. gets the nod
Defensive
Hell yes!!! Ugly hard fought won! But it's a win!!! Hallelujah Football Jesus
— jaybuckeye74 (@CBJFan92)
October 16, 2016
Luke Fickell and Greg Schiano. Made the halftime adjustments.
Ben v. – Nick Bosa by a long shot. The kid flat out can play and was finally let loose out there to show what he can do. He pressured Hornibrook quite often and made some nice tackles stopping the run as well. He will only get better.
Brandon – Sam Hubbard. Statistically, there were guys who had better days but Hubbard easily played his best game of the season. On the day, he wound up with five tackles, one sack, and two tackles-for-loss. Those numbers are great but they don’t even factor all of his pressures which forced Hornibrook to get rid of the ball. Really there were four defensive MVPs and they were all on the line. Hubbard, Jalyn Holmes, nick Bosa, and Dre’Mont Jones were all pretty disruptive all night…especially the second half.
Jeremy – Jalyn Holmes! He was the one guy who was consistent the entire game getting into backfield. Non stop motor on him.
Ryan – Gareon Conley. He had 1 (should have been 2) interception in a KEY must have situation. You can always count on him to step up in tough situations.
Jim – Gareon Conley, had a great INT when one was needed most. AND YES the 2nd one was a good catch and cover. (Blind Replay Official).
Chris – Jerome Baker… This kid… WOW! 13 total tackles (8 solo) and 1.5 tackles for loss. The kid flies to the ball and plays hungry every down. He’s going to end up being an all-time great. Plus, it was very important for him to have a great game since Raekwon apparently missed the flight to Madison…
Brad TBU – In order Holmes , Hubbard, Conley & last name Baker the biggest hit of the Night however belonged to Malik Hooker.
WVa – I am going to jump on Scott’s bandwagon here. I had my worries just like the rest of Buckeye Nation and Luke Fickell and Greg Schiano both shut me up. What a remarkable turnaround and different halves just because of mixing up coverage. They went from full time man, to jumping into zone and having a d-lineman(Bosa) drop into coverage to take the TE away? Purely genius on their parts and probably why they are at the top of Purdon’t list right now.
I need Brandon’s counting expertise here but it appears to be a tie between Conley and Holmes. I am honestly surprised Chris Worley didn’t get a single mention.(see Unsung below)
tOSU D-line MVP
Scott – Nick Bosa. Why not?
Ben v. – See above.
Brandon – Larry Johnson. He had his entire unit ready to play last night. His guys up-front combined for 15 tackles, six tackles-for-loss, four sacks, and about a billion QB pressures. They made big-time plays but now the focus will be on improving and shoring up the ends from crashing in too quickly on those dang outside runs.
Jeremy – Holmes again. Consistency goes far with me.
Ryan – Nick Bosa. The name says it all. He’s played more and more snaps each week and has caused constant pressure in the backfield when he’s on the field. Disruptive, agile, the list of adjectives can go on and on. He lines up inside the line, on either end of the line, and always ends up causing pressure. He’ll be starting before the season’s end.
Jim – Bosa was turned loose an a great time for it. I am very impressed with the play of Worley too.
Chris – Sam Hubbard. 5 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and a QB hurry.
Brad TBU – Bosa is just going to be something special. Let’s also give a tip of the cap to Damon Webb who put the clamps on Fumagalli in the 2nd half. & Chris Worley played like a Boss . more on him later
WVa – Nick Bosa has had the luxury of taking his time to develop this season and at some point very soon he will become a starter just because it makes sense. He may be a lot better than his big brother when it is all said and done. I remember some match-ups between Joey and Wisconsin and Sparty o-linemen and he struggled mainly because of his style. Nick has a better high end gear and when he get’s handled, it doesn’t happen again. He made two of their linemen look silly late in the game Saturday.
Nick Bosa is coming into his own fairly quickly
tOSU Defensive Unsung
Scott – Gareon Conley. That was a pick.
Ben v. – Gonna go with Worley and Baker here. McMillan didn’t have his best game, and those two made sure it went hardly unnoticed. They were flying to the ball all night and making big tackles.
Brandon – Jerome Baker. Honestly, before I looked at the stats I though Baker had a horrible night. Every time I noticed him, it seemed like the Badgers were pushing him around. I think as quietly and unsung as possible, Baker led the team in tackles and 13 tackles and 1.5 tackles-for-loss.
Jeremy – Conley and Baker. Conley had 2 (yes review moron that was an interception you complete idiot) interceptions. Baker made 2 great impactful plays
Ryan – Chris Worley. He was flying around making plays ALL night. He had 7 total tackles (6 solo), and was constantly around the ball. Raekwon, where you at?
Jim – The D Line in the second half. Watch the way they started to keep whisky from getting to the Linebackers. LOVE (BB) Landers. Good things come in small packages.
Chris – I was down on the secondary most of the game. After calming down and thinking about it, I believe most of the problem was scheme. I’ll go with Conley here. It’s hard to say a guy with 2 INTs… YES, 2… is unsung but I’m doing it mainly to get back on the Jeremy Train.
Brad TBU – Without a doubt Chris Worley has quietly come up big at key times for this team.
WVa – Chris Worley had one of those types of plays on Saturday night that don’t come along very often and in some ways reminded me of the Clarett play of getting the football back after a turnover. The difference here is Worley chased down a running back with a head start! I for one am enjoying the player he is becoming and don’t believe he will be unsung/inkown for much longer!
Chris Worley was noticed by us for sure!
Odds and Ends
tOSU Special Teams MVP
Scott – Tyler Durbin. Money. Pure money.
Ben v. – Tyler Durbin. That last field goal had me worried just because I am still not sure what we have in him, but he was clutch and came through 3 times last night. Thank the heavens!
Brandon – Cameron Johnston. His first half performance was one that kept the Buckeyes in the game by flipping field position over and over. He had four punts and averaged 53.8 yards per punt.
Jeremy – Tyler Durbin (bet Urbs knows his name by now). Has stepped into the role and solidified his stake on it. Honorable mention to the Aussie. He boomed the hell out of the punts tonight.
Ryan – The Aussie punter kid got a little work out in the first half, which I’m glad he wasn’t out of shape from the lack of punts he’s had to do this season, so far (knock on wood). But, Durbin (that’s his name, right? ^_^) was clutch with his field goals last night. They were tough angles on the field goals and I held my breathe, but he put ‘em right down the middle each time.
Jim – K.I.C.K.E.R.
Chris – Definitely Tyler Durbin. There were 2 of those FGs that I thought he was going to miss. I was horribly wrong.
Brad TBU – Durbin may be the consensus panel choice. But for me Cameron Johnston #95 pinned them deep all night. No one changes field position to a more favorable one than him.
WVa – Tyler Durbin has a cannon for a leg and clearly ice in his veins. Easy choice here.
Tyler Durbin wins this hands down
tOSU Needs Improvement
Scott – Execution. Time for WR to do their thing.
Ben v. – This is usually my time to harp on the WR play, but Brandon does a good job of that so I am going to say Damon Webb. He was caught out of place so many times last night it was frustrating the hell out of me. Is Erick Smith not healthy or not better at this point? Do we not have someone who can stick to a receiver? Webb has to get better and quick.
Brandon – WR rotation. I say this over and over but we as fans can not be upset with Barrett or his WRs when it comes to the passing game. A huge part of any passing game is the chemistry a QB builds with his playmakers. I get it, Coach Smith is building this mantra of everyone plays and they are all equal but it is hurting the team. If you think James Clark or Terry McLaurin are the best two, stick them in there and let them play. The way it is right now, Barrett has a new set of guys on the outside every series and it is impossible for anyone to get in a rhythm. Your starters are Noah Brown and Parris Campbell…both have made plays in limited opportunities. Let them play or OSU is in trouble here in a few weeks.
Jeremy – WRs have to get separation and can’t drop all these passes. Gotta stop with these stupid penalties by the sidelines (yes Urban I’m talking to you). And lastly fix the issue in the secondary. We can’t be losing receivers or be 20 yards away from them. Can’t claim BIA tonight with the way they played. And OCs can not ever again forget Mike Weber in the game plan! Inexcusable
Ryan – The WRs need to improve greatly before we travel to East Lansing and play TTUN at home. We cannot have JT running every game because the receivers aren’t separating and dropping the ball. Dontre and Samuel made big catches yesterday, but the true WRs need to improve, and preferably fast. Also, Damon Webb.. what’s going on? He’s getting burned multiple times in the past few games.
Jim – I think they are all starting to grow into their positions as the season goes along.
There has been some hiccups along the way and there will be some in the future too. But WOW guys, for such a young inexperienced team, I for one am very Impressed with what they have done thus far.
Chris – Boy… This is tougher than I thought. I had plenty of opinions at about 8:30 Central Time about what needs fixed. I’m leaning towards the whole Zone 6 crew. The separation is just not there and routes have a tendency to be real sloppy.
Brad TBU – Though he came up with a huge reception last night. For the love of God, Will some please show Dontre Wilson how to block a blitzing Safety or Corner. Is that really asking to much.
WVa – I am going to stay on the play calling path for just one more week. I sometimes get the feeling that Warinner and Beck go conservative but then I realize it has to be happening during those drives that they “script” so maybe it’s poor game planning? Either way, no matter what was happening
to the Buckeyes in the first quarter, running the ball and spreading things around would have been a tall order with Wisconsin being ready for Weber and Samuel in some ways.
Looks like WR rotation and play is the flavor of the week and weeks past.
tOSU Next Big Star
Scott – Ned Flanders. I mean Robert Landers.
Ben v. – Nick Bosa. He already has better stats than his brother through 6 games and that is saying something. He continues to grow every week, and this week he came up huge a few times for the Buckeyes.
Brandon – Nick Bosa. He is a very good player but he is going to be a huge star in the coming years. You can see he is finally getting healthy and he has the ability to absolutely dominate games. He finished the night with two tackles, one sack, one tackle-for-loss, and one QB hit.
Jeremy – Robert Landers. While I think Holmes was the most consistent tonight we have been seeing glimpses of what a disruptive force Landers can be in the middle.
Ryan – Bosa is already a star, so Bob Landers will be my pick. The kid is a monster. He’s ridiculous in the middle of the line and seriously, his name is Bob! He’s undersized, but he doesn’t let that stop him from being a force in the middle.
Jim – Man! I just cannot pick one. You almost can take your pick of players. I do think we will be very impressed with the future of our receivers.
Chris – Jerome Baker… Absolutely love this kid.
Brad TBU – Excellent choices Gentleman but Every guy all of you just named have reached stardom. The 2 kids I’m looking at are Davon Hamilton & Dre’mont Jones both had very Solid games last night.
WVa – I had a tough time choosing just one until I read Brad’s. Dre’mont Jones had an excellent game and is another up and comer that’s buying some playing time!
Robert Landers is getting some attention each week
TB1G Coach of the Week
Scott – Pat Fitzgerald. Huge win over Sparty.
Ben v. – Urban Freaking Meyer and his coaching staff. After that abysmal first half, the Buckeyes made the adjustments that were necessary at the half and came out a different team after the break. Even though they gave up that late touchdown I was more confident in them coming out of there with a win after what I saw from the 2nd half Buckeyes.
Brandon – Urban Meyer. I usually pick someone else here but the performance on Saturday night was probably even tougher than we all realize. His team got absolutely punched in the mouth in the first half and was still able to hang close enough to make a move in the second half. Call it blind homerism but I was 100% confident they were winning that game at halftime. The Wisconsin coaching staff had two weeks to gameplan and only went into halftime with a 10 point lead. OSU always makes amazing second half adjustments and Saturday night was the same case.
Jeremy – I’ll be a homer and say Urban. Took his young team on the road again against another top 10 team and watched his team come back and spoil the upset bid. Nervous moments but this is definitely something he will use to help this team grow!
Ryan – Harbaugh for drinking milk with a steak while on a bye..
No seriously, Cryst. They used the bye week to create a gameplan against Ohio State and executed it tremendously. Our halftime adjustments and JT were the difference makers, but Wisconsin is for real, and Cryst had them ready to battle all night.
Jim – I tell ya what. I was very critical of the play calling towards the end of the 4th (shh) to force OT. Why do I doubt Urb and CO. But to go into Madison (from experience folks, It’s not easy to do) with a young team and pull out a win! Well, I believe I will let the Ohio State Coaches do the coaching from here on out.
Chris – Easy pick, Chris Ash. Rutgers scored! Okay… Kevin Wilson at Indiana. Wait… I’m new here. This is the best coach of the week for the B1G not the idiot coach that blew a really good chance of beating Nebraska at home by going away from what was working and punting late in the game while trailing… But I digress… Urban gets it for me. Tough environment with a young team against a top 10 team. Patty Fitz would get it but Sparty has already quit this year.
Brad TBU – This is a trick question isn’t Mr. Hunt. As Bill King calls him the Pontiff or I call him the lord or God it’s Urban Frank Meyer if 56- 4 doesn’t impress the Hell out of you. Then I can’t help you.
WVa – I have a good time with the fellas above on twitter and that’s why they are here now! Brad, no trick! Just would like to know if you pay attention to the rest of the conference and judging by answers I am going to say no! Urban Meyer does get the call for me this week.
Urban Frank Meyer is mostly everybody’s choice!
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