Ohio State vs. Wisconsin: Buckeyes football heads to Madison for Badgers showdown - UPI.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State vs. Wisconsin: Buckeyes football heads to Madison for Badgers showdown
UPI.com
One measure of a successful college football program is the nitpicking from fans and media after a 21-point victory. Such was the case after second-ranked Ohio State's 38-17 win over Indiana on Saturday in Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes were good, but not ...
Ohio State football | Jack Looks Back: Chic Harley was a sight Badgers grew tired of seeingColumbus Dispatch
Gilreath enjoys revisiting upset of BuckeyesMilwaukee Journal Sentinel
Passing concern? JT Barrett, Ohio State not panicking after rocky aerial outingESPN (blog)
Hamilton Journal News
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VIP Scoop: Do Buckeyes have a shot with nation's top receiver? - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


VIP Scoop: Do Buckeyes have a shot with nation's top receiver?
247Sports
But the question has been raised by many how serious DPJ really is about the Buckeyes, or if he's just listing them among his possible landing spots out of respect to them offering first and the efforts Urban Meyer and his staff have put into ...

and more »

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The BBC Playoff Committee: Week 1
Mike Meals via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The calendar has flipped over to October. All across the country, conference play is in full swing, with most teams having played 2 or 3 conference games already. As such, the crew from The Buckeye Battle Cry took it upon ourselves to make sure you know who would be playing in the New Year Six Bowl Games.

This year, the College Football Playoffs will be played in the Peach Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl, pitting the four best teams in the country in a tournament to be crowned National Champions. That also means the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Cotton Bowl will host the eight next best teams, in an effort to maintain traditional rivalries and match ups, while setting up the most entertaining matchups possible.

After tallying the votes among the least official bowl selection committee this side of the NCAA, we have made our predictions on who will be the Final Four, and who we see in the remainder of the games.

The Playoff Teams

For 6th place, we actually currently have a tie. Louisville, behind the incredible season from Lamar Jackson so far, are still getting a lot of support even with their recent loss to Clemson. They tied Texas A&M. The Aggies are off to one of their best starts in recent history, and are carried by the play of Trevor Knight and Myles Garret. However, A&M has a big game looming in the near future with Alabama, and the rest of their SEC West schedule could greatly change their position with voters.

In 5th place, and the last team out of the playoff, is Michigan. The eventual Big Ten East runner-up comes off a woodshed beat down of Rutgers last week, and are playing their best football of the season right now.

Our 4th place team, and the first team in the Playoff, is Washington. The Huskies don’t get a lot of exposure on the east coast, but anyone who watched their Friday night game vs Stanford, and last week’s dominate effort against Oregon, knows they are playing great football right now. The question is if anyone can run the table in the PAC 12, as there are questions with every team.

In the 3rd slot, we currently have ACC front runner Clemson. The Tigers took out Louisville earlier this season at home, and have tried but failed to succeed in Clemsoning the season away. Dabo has his hands full still, with NC State, Florida State, and an ACC Championship matchup with either UNC or Miami looming in the future.

At #2, we find our beloved Ohio State Buckeyes. The general consensus is that Ohio State will continue to dominate the Big Ten, and may even be the best team in the country. But you can’t look past this weekend’s showdown at Camp Randall, and future games against Michigan and Michigan State (yes, I know Sparty looks bad, but when has that game been easy lately for the Buckeyes?)

The #1 seed currently, according to the committee, is Alabama. The defending National Champions were a near unanimous pick at #1. The Tide, even with a freshman quarterback leading the offense, is still commanding respect from the voters. This Alabama team still has a ton of talent, but they seem to have a few more weaknesses than recent Bama teams. Of course, the SEC west will still push and challenge and push Saban’s boys. Like the Big Ten east, there is a clear favorite in a division that is far from a cakewalk.



As for predictions, this committee sees Alabama winning the Peach Bowl, and the Buckeyes moving on from the Fiesta. Call it homerism if you want, but know that there is a lot of sentiment that this Buckeye team is at least as good, if not better, than the 2014 team that took down the Tide. Ohio State is currently the unanimous pick to win the National Championship after the final gun in Tampa on January 9th.

Placing the rest of the New Year’s Six

In the Rose Bowl, we currently see the matchup being Michigan from the Big Ten taking on PAC 12 potential runner up Utah.

In the Sugar Bowl, which matches the SEC vs the Big 12, our committee is pitting Texas A&M against Oklahoma, in a former Big 12 rematch.

As for the Cotton Bowl, which will feature the highest ranking Group of Five team playing an at large, you can look forward to a rematch from last year’s Peach Bowl, as Houston travels to Dallas to take on Florida State. It will be interesting to see this match up a year later, this time in Houston’s backyard as opposed to FSU’s. Also, you have to notice the head coaches in this game are the current front runners to replace Les Miles at LSU.

Lastly, for the Orange Bowl, the Big Ten looks to send a third team, Wisconsin, to do battle with the aforementioned Louisville Cardinals. This will either be a really exciting game, or a really boring game, depending on which offense Wisconsin sends and if they are able to control the clock, keeping Lamar Jackson on the sidelines as much as possible.

The post The BBC Playoff Committee: Week 1 appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Ohio State-Wisconsin 2016 depth chart: Starters remain the same heading into night game vs Badgers
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The sixth depth chart of the season sees no changes as Buckeyes travel to Madison.



Despite earning their fifth win of 2016, the Ohio State Buckeyes were significantly challenged for the first time this season against Indiana. Even though the 38-17 final score showed a lopsided victory, the game shed light on a handful of deficiencies that the team had not yet been forced to address. In his weekly press conference, head coach Urban Meyer said that the team is learning from the difficult game heading into a tough road-game against the No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers.

J.T. Barrett remains atop the quarterback depth chart, as he will for the entire season, barring injury. However, Barrett had one of his worst passing games of his career going 9 for 21 for just 93 yards on Saturday. While he did compensate with a season-high 137 yards on the ground, it is expected that Barrett will need to execute better in the passing game against Wisconsin in order to walk out of Madison undefeated. Backup Joe Burrow did not play against IU.

At running back, Mike Weber had the lowest output of his young career, accounting for just 71 yards on the ground. Weber remains the co-starter at RB with Curtis Samuel, who is also listed as a co-starter at H-back. A fringe Heisman candidate, Samuel went for 82 rushing yards on nine carries against Indiana.

The starting wide receivers continue to remain as they were in previous weeks. Noah Brown OR Parris Campbell at the X position, with Terry McLaurin OR James Clark at Z, and Corey Smith OR Johnnie Dixon also listed as starters. Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor are the third-string options at the X and Z respectively. Unlike the week before, when 12 players caught passes for Ohio State, Brown was the only wide receiver with a reception against the Hoosiers, gaining just 16 yards. On Monday, Meyer admitted that the receivers would have to be more involved on Saturday in Madison.

The H-back spot remains unchanged with Samuel OR Dontre Wilson slotted to start. While Wilson did not run the ball at all on Saturday, he did lead the team with three receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown.

The tight end spot is firmly locked down by Marcus Baugh with A.J. Alexander listed as the backup. Baugh caught one pass this week for 25 yards, but dropped two others that could have led to big gains and extended drives.

The offensive line starters are listed as Jamarco Jones, Michael Jordan, Pat Elflein, Billy Price, and Isaiah Prince (from left to right). While the Hoosiers hurried Barrett multiple times, there was only one sack recorded.

On the defensive side of the ball, Sam Hubbard OR Jayln Holmes and Tyquan Lewis remain listed as the defensive end starters. The backups at defensive end are Nick Bosa OR Jonathon Cooper, though Bosa’s playing time is increasing week-to-week. In the middle, Michael Hill anchors the defensive line alongside Dre’Mont Jones who replaced Tracy Sprinkle. Davon Hamilton is listed as the co-starter with Jones. Meyer said that the entire defensive line is walking around the Woody Hayes Athletic Center like they are the kings of the hill after a strong performance against IU.

The linebacking core continued to be a strong unit against Indiana. Raekwon McMillan remains slotted in at middle linebacker. Surrounding him are outside linebackers Chris Worley and Dante Booker OR Jerome Baker. Booker, who is dealing with an MCL sprain, did not play against IU, allowing Baker to lead the team in tackles with 11, including two for a loss. Rashod Berry, Joe Burger, and Craig Fada are the backup LBs.

At cornerback, Gareon Conley is the starter on one side and Marshon Lattimore OR Denzel Ward on the other. At the safety position, Damon Webb and Malik Hooker remain the starters. Erick Smith is listed as the backup to Hooker, while Jordan Fuller is the backup to Webb. Hooker, who leads the nation in interceptions, recorded his fourth of the season and, were it not for a suspect clipping call, would have collected his second pick-six of the year against the Hoosiers.

On special teams, senior walk-on Tyler Durbin continues to be the starter for both kickoffs and field goals as Sean Nuernberger recovers from a groin injury that forced him to miss most of camp. Durbin has yet to miss a field goal in his short career, going 5 for 5, and he is currently 35 for 36 in extra points.

Senior Cameron Johnston remains as the team’s punter, which is no surprise considering he is one of the country’s leading Groza Award candidates. He had his busiest day of the year against Indiana, booting six punts for an average of 49.2 yards, which puts him in the top five nationally.

At punt returner, Dontre Wilson OR Corey Smith OR Curtis Samuel are all in play, but Wilson has been getting the majority of the action, handing 10 of the team’s 13 returns for 96 yards. On kickoff returns, Dontre Wilson OR James Clark OR Johnnie Dixon are listed as starters, although Parris Campbell is the team leader with six returns for 208 yards. The long-snapping duties are given to Liam McCollough, and Johnston holds on kicks.

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The View from Beyond the Shoe: A Nation Divided
Mike Meals via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



On Saturday, our beloved Buckeyes took to Ohio Stadium to battle the pesky Indiana Hoosiers. Most people in the media and in Buckeye Nation scoffed when Urban Meyer said of the IU defense “They’re the best defense we’ve faced, and that includes Oklahoma.” Considering the Hoosiers haven’t beaten Ohio State in nearly 30 years, it’s easy to understand why everyone thought Coach Meyer was using coach speak to pump up his team and not to give IU bulletin board material.

Embed from Getty Images​

But as I pointed out on Saturday morning in my “#B1GThingsToKnow” twitter posts, Indiana really does have a much better defense this year. IU Head Coach Kevin Wilson went out and hired Indiana native Tom Allen as his Defensive Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach. Allen’s leadership has completely turned around the IU defense, making them better in every aspect of the game. Through 4 games in 2016, compared to 4 games into the 2015 season, IU has improved their Points Per Game Allowed, Total Defense, Passing Defense, Touchdowns Allowed, Three and Outs, Third Down Conversions, and has even given up less 20+ yard plays. What this shows us is Urban was right, this is a great turnaround and a fantastic defense.





Urban knew on Monday of last week that he and the Buckeyes were going to have their hands full when J.T. and company were on the field. He also knew that the game plan would have to be built to exploit the weaknesses of this newly improved squad, and his offense was going to have to execute. They couldn’t roll into The Horseshoe on Saturday just expecting Indiana to roll over and be the same IU that’s lost 27 some straight games to the Men of the Scarlet and Gray.

So what happened? Indiana turned out to be pretty damn good. Were they as good as advertised? Yes, they were the best defense that Ohio State has faced this year. IU forced the Buckeyes play a game where they were not able to do everything they wanted, as they wanted, when they wanted. Barrett was not his normal self, going only 9-23 passing for 93 yards with a single touchdown and the first interception of the year that can’t be all put on J.T. He also was forced to carry the ball a career-high 26 times for 137 yards with a touchdown.

Why is this a problem? There are a couple reasons. First, J.T. should not be rushing 26 times against Indiana. Not that he can’t handle it, but that is a lot of unneeded contact on what is arguably the most important single player on the field this year for Ohio State. If we need Barrett to carry the load to win the Big Ten Championship Game, I can understand that. There are important things on the line. But against IU in the second B1G game of the year? Ohio State should be able (and was able to) simply out-talent IU. The other issue is a 9-23 passing game, in good weather, simply isn’t getting the job done.

Who is to blame for this game? Do we blame Urban Meyer, the man with 3 National Championships and the best active winning percentage in college football today? Do you blame the offensive coordinators, Tim Beck and Ed Warinner, for their play calling and game planning? Do you assign blame to the players on the field for their execution? Do you blame the success at Ohio State we have recently seen, to the point where a 290 yard, 4 touchdown rushing day seems like a “bad game” to the fans? Do you not blame anyone but instead tip your cap to IU for making the Buckeyes become mostly one dimensional and, in-turn, tip your cap to the coaches above for finding a way to win? Even if it is an “ugly” win in eyes of fans and media, do you just say a win is a win and let it go?

Personally, I don’t want to see J.T. taking that many rushes or hits. I personally am excited and happy we won, but I think the game plan and play calling were bad. Just as I did for the Michigan State game last year, or the Penn State game the year before. I think it is ok to be critical of this team, based on the coaching and talent they have, even when they win. And I know that this coaching staff and these student athletes would all say they could play much better (and many are already saying that).

But therein lies the problem. There are two factions in Buckeye Nation this week. One that says we should be accepting of the “ugly win” and sometimes you have to do that in football. The other says we should expect the team to live up to their potential, and while happy we won, they will be critical of the game plan, play calling, and execution.

I, personally, think it is okay to be critical of the team for not playing up to their own level. I am not going to be leading the calls for Tim Beck’s head on a stake this week, as I am not suggesting anyone loses their job (as a coach or a player) from this game. I do think we should be critical to expect these mistakes to be taken care of and not repeated. We all know a game played exactly like this one but against a better opponent would be disastrous for the Buckeyes and their National Championship hopes.

I’m not saying the Buckeyes need to go full “Civil War” this week. We do not need to have the program tore apart in order for a rebuild to take place. This team needs to be tough upon themselves and make sure they learn from this week, improve on it, and move on. And as the fans of the Buckeyes, we need to realize that it is okay to expect perfection, and to demand that things be fixed when that is not achieved.

I also know a few very important things. We are so lucky as Buckeye fans that a 21 point Big Ten victory leaves us something to complain about. If a team like IU wins a conference game by 21 points, they would probably hang a banner in Assembly Hall. So I understand the argument that we should be accepting of the win, no matter how it came, and move on to Wisconsin.



I also know that Urban Meyer will not accept this game, and everyone associated with the program will be pushed to be their best before the Buckeyes roll into Camp Randell next weekend. The last thing I know is that if the Buckeyes leave Madison next weekend with a good road win, none of this will matter because winning seems to cure all that ills us.

And that is what Buckeye Nation needs. We need a good, clean, hard fought road win. Something we all, media and fans alike, can feel good about. Something that allows the Buckeyes to enjoy a victory. Something that re-unites Buckeye Nation. Because as we all know, united we stand, divided we still beat Michigan but we fall short of that National Tittle we want.

And that is not a world that I want to live in.

The post The View from Beyond the Shoe: A Nation Divided appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Buckeyes in the NFL – Week 5
Ben van Ooyen via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Another week of professional football is in the books, and the Buckeyes again showed off well this week. Zeke went off on the Bengals, Bosa made his NFL debut, and “El Guapo” keeps finding the end zone for the 49ers.

Zeke goes Big in Big D:


Ezekiel Elliott showed why he was the #4 overall pick in the draft this week with his breakaway speed and ability to hit the open holes. He had a 60 yard touchdown scamper (below), and a shorter 13 yard touchdown run as well on his way to 134 yards on 15 carries. He also hauled in three pass catches for 37 yards.



Zeke continues to get better every week and grows more comfortable in the offense. He is now leading the NFL in rushing through five weeks with 546 yards on 109 carries, along with five touchdowns.



Big Bear Makes his Big NFL Debut:


It was a long awaited debut for Joey Bosa in a Chargers uniform, but the #3 overall pick finally got a chance to play on Sunday and boy did he not disappoint. He had two sacks to go along with three tackles for a loss on the day. He only played 27 snaps on Sunday, but made a big impact while he was on the field. I assume we will see more of him each week going forward along with more quarterback sacks.





Carlos Hyde keeps finding the end zone:


While Ezekiel Elliott is getting most of the attention, Carlos Hyde is having a great season himself albeit on a pretty bad San Francisco 49ers team. Hyde has 377 yards rushing in four games this season, and is tied with Melvin Gordon of San Diego for the most rushing touchdowns with six. Hyde currently sits at eighth in rushing in the NFL averaging 75.4 yards per game.



Buckeyes in the NFL Week 5:


Cardale Jones – DNP

Adolphus Washington – Three total tackles, one sack

Philly Brown – Two catches for 13 yards

Ted Ginn Jr. – 1 catch for 5 yards, one fumble

Kurt Coleman – Four total tackles

Andrew Norwell – Started on O-Line

Mike Adams – DNP

Mike Nugent – 0/1 FG’s, 2/2 on XP’s

Terrelle Pryor – Five catches for 48 yards, Two rushes for 3 yards, 1/3 passing for 5 yards

Ezekiel Elliott – 15 carries for 134 yards, 2 TD’s, Three receptions for 37 yards

Rod Smith – One catch for four yards

Jeff Heuerman – Played, no stats

Bradley Roby – Two total tackles

Taylor Decker – Started on O-Line

Corey Linsley – DNP

Braxton Miller – One catch for 12 yards

John Simon – Six total tackles, 1 TFL

Jack Mewhort – Started on O-Line

Michael Bennett – DNP

Jack McQuaide – Starting Long Snapper

Alex Boone – Started on O-Line

Nate Ebner – Three total tackles

Vonn Bell – Bye Week

James Laurinaitis – Bye Week

Michael Thomas – Bye Week

Eli Apple – Played, no stats

Johnathan Hankins – Two total tackles

Darron Lee – Four total tackles

Nick Mangold – Started on O-Line

Jalin Marshall – DNP

Devin Smith – DNP

Malcolm Jenkins – Two total tackles

Cameron Heyward – One total tackle

Ryan Shazier – DNP

Joey Bosa – Two sacks, Three tackles for a loss

Joshua Perry – Three total tackles, 1 TFL

Carlos Hyde – 22 carries for 78 yards, 1 TD, Six receptions for 36 yards

Tyvis Powell – DNP

Nick Vannett – DNP





The post Buckeyes in the NFL – Week 5 appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Ohio State’s passing game took a step back against Indiana
Christopher Jason via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


J.T. Barrett and his receivers had a tough day.

If there is one common denominator with every loss of the Urban Meyer era, it would be the abundance of designed quarterback runs and scrambles. Whether it were the two losses in 2013 against Michigan State and Clemson, the 2014 loss at Virginia Tech or the 2015 loss against Michigan State, the most common number on the quarterback chart below would be the amount of times that the quarterback runs the ball. Good things usually happen to an Urban Meyer-led Buckeye team when there is balance on offense, meaning their designed runs stay below double digits and the scrambles stay below four-or-five — based on the average number of plays that they run.

If you did not know the score and only read J.T. Barrett’s chart below, you would think they lost the game. The passing game was as bad as it’s ever been, but the Buckeyes beat Indiana with talent, their defense and a running game that racked up 290 yards on 50 carries. If Barrett’s chart looks like this next week against Wisconsin, or in the future against Nebraska or Michigan, they’ll get knocked off.

Here it is:

J.T. Barrett

• Without going back through every game of the past four seasons, the 22 designed runs are definitely the highest of Barrett’s career and probably the highest total number of designed runs that have been called since Meyer has been at Ohio State.
• What makes this a little different from the past four losses, is that the play calls against Indiana were mostly zone read, and Barrett was just taking what the defense gave him. Even though he made good read after good read, it’s on the play callers to keep his hits down, especially with the schedule toughening up in the near future.

Here’s a good example:



Barrett sees the end crashing down on Mike Weber and uses his patience to hold the ball at the mesh point, forcing the end to completely commit to Weber.



Barrett pulls the ball at the last second and creases the Hoosier defense. The blocking is set up perfectly and the quarterback rushes for 27-yards on the play — his season long rush. This was one example of many that showed that Barrett took what the defense gave him throughout the day.

• If we rewind to the Oklahoma game, the variety of play calling is what made the offense run on all cylinders. The offense came out throwing the ball short and intermediately — taking advantage of Oklahoma’s secondary — and getting Barrett into a rhythm throwing the ball. Against Indiana, they ran the ball four straight plays before going deep to Curtis Samuel. It was a good play call — as Samuel had about three steps on the defensive back — but Barrett massively underthrew the ball, which looked like it shook his confidence.

This play needed to be 6 points.

• From there on out, Barrett dropped back a total of 24 times and only completed nine of 21 pass attempts. The passing game as a whole just was not on the same page on the afternoon and it never got going.
• The four pass break-ups was also a tied a career high for Barrett, which is due to the lack of separation from the receivers and sometimes inaccurate throws from the quarterback.
• The offensive line has been unbelievable this year, but they let up a season-high six pressures and a season-high two sacks. Also, a season-high two balls were batted at the line of scrimmage.
• Although the offense did not look as explosive or diverse as it did against Bowling Green, Oklahoma or Rutgers, I think this performance was more of an outlier than a commonality. Fans should expect a crisp passing game, mixed with a solid running game against Wisconsin. But, if you see a similar chart to the one above, expect the Buckeyes to come home with their first loss.

Skill Positions

• As mentioned above, not only was Barrett out of sync, but the wideouts — which had been an asset this season -- just could not separate from the Hoosier defensive backs. This will need to improve against a very good Wisconsin defense that held LSU to 14 points, Michigan State to 6 points and Michigan to 14 points. The receivers have been the key to success this season.
• The lack of touches for Curtis Samuel were inexcusable. The Buckeyes ran 18 plays before Samuel touched the ball for the first time and then another four plays before he was the main ball carrier on a series. Good things happen when he touches the ball, folks.

The "Curtis Samuel drive" looked like this:

1. Samuel 12-yard rush
2. Samuel 7-yard rush
3. Samuel 22-yard rush
4. Barrett 27-yard rush
5. Samuel 5-yard rush for a touchdown

• Mike Weber continued to be solid with the ball in his hands. He was the focal point of the Indiana defense, which is why Barrett ran the ball 24 times on the day. The defense constantly crashed down on Weber and when he was given the chance, he produced.
• Barrett’s lone interception came off a ball that bounced right off Marcus Baugh’s hands. Baugh typically has soft hands, but he could not hold onto this one, which resulted in an interception. Luckily, the defense bailed out the tight end.

• The game-changing play of the game came by way of a kick return from Parris Campbell. Indiana cut the Buckeye lead to 17-10 with 1:03 left in the first half and were due to receive the ball after the half. If Campbell did not return the ball into Indiana’s side of the field, they most likely would have knelt the ball and it could have led to a completely different outcome (Indiana scored after halftime). Campbell took the ball from the 3-yard line and followed Johnnie Dixon through a perfectly set-up kick return down to the Indiana 6-yard line. A few plays later, Barrett ran it in to extend the lead to 14 points. Huge play by Campbell.

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Buckeyes in the NFL: Week 5 - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes in the NFL: Week 5
247Sports
Make sure you're in the loop -- take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now! With so many Buckeyes gracing the rosters of NFL teams, each Tuesday, Bucknuts will take a look at how each former Ohio State player did in their game.

and more »

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Buckeyes, Wolverines add to 2019 DT Jowon Brigg's offer list - Scout
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes, Wolverines add to 2019 DT Jowon Brigg's offer list
Scout
The two most recent offers are the Buckeyes and Wolverines, two storied rivals who are currently atop the Big Ten standings. Briggs said he did not grow up a fan of either school, or any school at that rate. "I wasn't into football in my early years as ...


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Can the Gladewater Bears Defense Stop the High Powered Gilmer Buckeyes Offense? - TexasHSFootball.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Can the Gladewater Bears Defense Stop the High Powered Gilmer Buckeyes Offense?
TexasHSFootball.com
Friday night will bring a clash of a stout defense versus an explosive offense when the #14 Gladewater Bears visit the #11 Gilmer Buckeyes in a highly anticipated district rivalry matchup. The Buckeyes, who's only loss on the year is to #18 Carthage ...


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tBBC Awards: Indiana; JT, Curtis and Parris shine; Landers leads the D-line
WVaBuckeye via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Every week, the staff gets together and plays pick-up-sticks and while we are at it we hash out our awards selections. Sometimes Brandon cheats while some of us aren’t looking and it’s why we don’t play Jenga anymore. Let’s hit the ground running with the offensive side of the ball.





Offensive


tOSU Offensive MVP

Scott –. JT Barrett. His passing game was off so he tucked the ball away and captained the ground game to nearly 300 yards.

Ben v. – Curtis Samuel gets my vote, even though he could have used way more touches. It was a shame to see him so underutilized when the offense clearly needed a spark.

Brandon – Curtis Samuel. I want to say Barrett so bad but his passing inefficiency was just too bad. I also wanted to pick Weber here but he was a mess early on. He seemed very flustered for some reason. So I ultimately settled on Samuel because of his dynamic performance the few times he touched the ball. He only had 9 carries but turned it into 82 yards (9.1 ypc) and a touchdown.

JC – JT. No passing – okay – how about the run? JT no doubt!

WVa – I am going to agree with Ben and Brandon here but not because I can’t make up my own mind! Curtis Samuel showed why he can be the workhorse of the team even though he only got about a third of the carries as Barrett. People close to me during the game were actually yelling at Urban Meyer to run Weber Jr. more but should have been yelling for more of Samuel in my opinion. I think Saturday was a case of trying to set up some “tendencies” for Whisky to bite on.

Samuel is the offensive leader this week

tOSU O-line MVP

Scott –. Pat Elflein. Until he graduates.

Ben v. – Pat Elflein had quite a few nice blocks out there leading to some big plays, his senior leadership is key going into this week’s big road game.

Brandon – Pat Elflein. This will never change.

JC – Pat Elflein. I have this copied and pasted for each week.

WVa – Until I see someone step up other than Michael Jordan(that feels so strange typing that) and plays at Elfleins level, it’s going to always be Pat!

Pat Elfein is playing at a first team AA level right now and is getting better each week with better competition.

tOSU Offensive Unsung

Scott –. Curtis Samuel. Made the most of a few touches.

Ben v. – Dontre Wilson. He as well as Samuel needs more touches on the ball as he has proven that he can be dynamic with the ball in his hands. His touchdown grab on Saturday was proof of that.

Brandon – Dontre Wilson. He will never be the team leader in any category but that does not mean he is not one of the most dynamic players on the team. He had another solid three catch, 42 yard, one touchdown performance.

JC – I agree with Scott. Samuel made the best of the fewest touches.

WVa – I am the tie-breaker this week and just can’t do it. I think both Dontre Wilson and Curtis Samuel were the unsung hero’s last week. Both are deserving of more touches in this offense and I am pretty sure we will see that this week against the Badgers.

Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson this week in spite of Brandon’s pick-up-sticks win.

Defensive


tOSU Defensive MVP

Scott –. Malik Hooker. Save for a horrible penalty call he would have had another pick six. Yeah it was garbage time but I like typing Hooker.

Ben v. – Jerome Baker. After taking over for Donte Booker he has done nothing but flat out play his tail off. I think he had around 9 first half tackles which means he is always on the ball making plays. Booker may as well sit back and watch the rest of this season.

Brandon – Jerome Baker. This young guy continues to impress me and I’m not sure how he can leave the line-up when Booker is healthy. Whether it is Worley or Booker, I think one of them may have lost their job for the long term…but I wouldn’t be surprised if both Booker and Worley start against Wisconsin, if healthy, due to the Badger size. Baker had a very solid 11 tackle, two tackles-for-loss performance against Indiana.

JC – I want to say Hooker … I am a fan. But I have to go with Raekwon he is the QB on this side of the ball.

WVa – Baker was walking away with this weeks award until I read JC’s comment. Other than Malik Hooker, is there anyone on the defensive side of the ball that has been playing at a really high level consistently like Raekwon McMillan? You would have a difficult time changing my mind here due to the fact that he is around the ball more than anyone I can think of in the last ten years including Shazier!

Two of the three linebackers isn’t a bad thing, Baker and McMillan it is!

tOSU D-line MVP

Scott –. Robert Landers. Heard his name a lot Saturday. Get used to it.

Ben v. – Robert Landers. He is making a name for himself on the inside and continues to get better every week.

Brandon – Tyquan Lewis. He is quietly a steady force at his defensive end position. Another very solid day with five tackles, one sack, and two tackles-for-loss.

JC – Robert Landers. His name is being mentioned more and more. He deserves the notice.

WVa – What an awesome story Robert Landers is. What stands out about him the most to me is how smart he is and is always playing with better leverage than the guy he is up against. There was a play Saturday I noticed he didn’t want to come out, motioned to another player to leave and that player just shrugged. The next thing you knew he was running as fast as he could to get off the field before the snap.

Robert Landers by a landslide!

tOSU Defensive Unsung

Scott –. Front seven. Indiana had nowhere to run. Nowhere.

Ben v. – Nick Bosa. Seemed like whenever he was in there he was in the backfield making plays and also his huge stuff on that 4th down deep in Ohio State territory was huge for the momentum of the game.

Brandon – Robert Landers. Here is another young guy who might be playing himself into a starting job. The team leader in tackles-for-loss added to his total on Saturday with two more.

JC – Robert Landers again. He is definitely working himself into the line up.

WVa – I am in agreement with Ben, Brandon and JC here, I do not believe Landers is getting the attention he deserves and with the raw talent that is around his hard working self he may never get the recognition.

Robert Landers with back-to-back walk-off homers!

Odds and Ends


tOSU Special Teams MVP

Scott –. Parris Campbell. That was a huge kick return. Huge I say.

Ben v. – Gotta be Cam Johnston. He was utilized way more than I wanted him to be, but when you are averaging 50 yards a kick with no returns you can be my MVP all day.

Brandon – Cameron Johnston. Six punts with a 49.2 yard average…with most of them landing inside the 20. Another very good day at the office for the best punter in the nation.

JC – Cam. Cam. Cam. Who else?

WVa – Parris Campbell is a star in the making and he showed how prophetic Urban Meyer is. The 92 yard return wa nothing short of spectacular and could not have come at a better time. His next return(in spite of a hold) was almost better if he would have gotten the edge.

Cam Johnston has been holding down the fort around here an aweful lot in his time in Columbus!

tOSU Needs Improvement

Scott –. Route running by receivers.

Ben v. – I’ve been saying it since the season began that our passing game has me concerned and it was proven this week against Indiana. Noah Brown had two first quarter catches and nothing the rest of the game. Terry McLaurin and Parris Campbell were basically nonexistent. Yeah we stopped throwing in the 2nd half, but that won’t cut it against a Wisconsin and certainly not against Michigan. We need to get things fixed and quickly.

Brandon – WR play. I really think this is a product of the coaching staff wanting to play so many guys outside. With the beef of the schedule coming, they really need to just settle on Noah Brown and Parris Campbell outside and let them get in some type of rhythm. Of course you need to sub but I think each wide receiver playing three to four series a half, if lucky, is really hurting their passing game. Barrett is not comfortable with any of them and we are already almost halfway through the season.

JC – Play calling. Plain and simple. Warriner & Beck are the worse.

WVa – I am really concerned about the WR play right now and I really shouldn’t be. I do believe one of the best receivers in the country is Brown and he deserves atleast 6/7 touches a game regardless of the game plan. You cannot tell me the secondary’s have been better since Oklahoma!

Play Calling and WR play is the soup of the day.

tOSU Next Big Star

Scott –. Robert Landers.

Ben v. – Jerome Baker get my vote this week, he along with McMillan and Worley are doing a great job this season replacing Darron Lee and Joshua Perry from last season. The opposing team’s run games are basically running into a brick wall.

Brandon – Jerome Baker. It will be really interesting to see how the LB rotation plays out after Booker is healthy. Baker has shown he is incredibly athletic and is a play-maker at the LB position.

JC – Once again, pick a name. This team is the Buckeyes equivalent to the 1996 Yankees.

WVa – I am going with Parris Campbell because he was almost here with the return. We will see him touching the ball in anyway they can atleast 4/7 times a game and that includes returns.

Jerome Baker’s table is almost ready

TB1G Coach of the Week

Scott –. Mark Dantonio. It takes a special talent to lose to a sub-.500 BYU team 19 points in East Lansing.

Ben v. – James Franklin. He has the AD’s support for the job but we all know how that goes in the end. Well he put together a great game on Saturday against undefeated Maryland getting the Lions to 4-2. He has a long way to go this season, but that game was a great starting point for them going forward.

Brandon – Darrell Hazell. Look, I understand beating Illinois is not impressive for most teams but Purdue is not one of those teams. In a season where all 13 people who follow Purdue know they will be searching for a coach in a few months, Hazell has now won his third game of the year with the Boilermakers. Most people only expected them to win one game all year, and that was against FCS Eastern Kentucky in week one, but he has his team sitting at 3-2 with two FBS wins. Credit where credit is due. Any B1G win for Purdue makes Hazell the Coach of the Week.

JC – I think I will go with the unconventional choice of Paul Chryst … I know, they had a bye this past weekend. But that in itself makes him the chief motivator in the Dairy State … he actually has his team believing they could beat the Buckeyes this coming week – after Saturday, naturally, he’ll be the dud. But for now let’s give some assistance in that false hope medicine bottle that Chryst undoubtedly is feeding his team.

WVa – I have to laugh at Scott here because I can always depend on him to throw out a pretty good one each week. I am going to make it a different coach than all that have been mentioned for an obvious reason. One of the hardest things to do in the coaching profession is stay the course. After back-to-back blow out blankings by the top two teams in the B1G, Chris Ash was nothing but positive about their journey so far. He was blunt when saying everyone expected them to be 2-4 at this point and they are. Look at three of the losses for perspective. All three are undefeated and in the top 5(Ohio State, Michigan and Washington) and lost by a combined 184-13 to them. If you can continue to improve and stay the course you set on, you will be successful. They may have a shot this week against the Illini.

No clear cut favorite this week.

The post tBBC Awards: Indiana; JT, Curtis and Parris shine; Landers leads the D-line appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Ohio State vs. Wisconsin: Buckeyes football heads to Madison for Badgers showdown - UPI.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State vs. Wisconsin: Buckeyes football heads to Madison for Badgers showdown
UPI.com
One measure of a successful college football program is the nitpicking from fans and media after a 21-point victory. Such was the case after second-ranked Ohio State's 38-17 win over Indiana on Saturday in Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes were good, but not ...
Gilreath enjoys revisiting upset of BuckeyesMilwaukee Journal Sentinel
Ohio State Buckeyes take show on the roadMyDaytonDailyNews
Ohio State football | Ground game keeps Buckeyes flying highColumbus Dispatch
Times Record News
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Bad vibe from him for some time.
It would not surprise if he flipped to Bama.

Around the B1G: Week 7 Edition
Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Big Ten is clearing up nicely and it is painfully obvious there are two really good teams (Ohio State/Michigan), two pretty good teams (Wisconsin/Nebraska), and eight not so good teams. Currently, the B1G sits with those four top teams sitting in the Top-10 nationally. This week, the B1G features two pretty good games. The biggest is our Buckeyes traveling north to take on Wisconsin in a Top-10 matchup. The second is Nebraska traveling to Bloomington to take on Indiana.

Illinois (1-4 overall, 0-2 conference)

Last Week: Lost to Purdue, 31-34. In the highly-anticipated match-up between these two power houses, Illinois was somehow able to lose a game to Purdue. Illinois was able to move the ball offensively behind back-up quarterback Chayce Crouch who had a pretty good all-around game throwing for 142 yards and rushing for 137 yards. Running back Reggie Corbin chipped in with 95 yards on 11 carries and three touchdowns. Defensively, the Fighting Illini were led by linebacker Hardy Nickerson who had eight tackles and two interceptions.

This Week: Illinois travels to New Jersey to take on Rutgers. This game can be seen on ESPNews at noon.

Indiana (3-2 overall, 1-1 conference)

Last Week: Lost to Ohio State, 17-38. Riding off their huge win against Michigan State, the Hoosiers came into Columbus and gave Ohio State another scare. Richard Lagow was very impressive on the day throwing for 182 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Devine Redding grinded out 78 tough yards on 22 carries. Linebacker Tegray Scales seemed to be everywhere as he had 10 tackles on the day with one pass break-up and one QB hit on Barrett.

This Week: The Hoosiers host a top-ten opponent in the Nebraska Cornhuskers. This game can be seen on ABC/ESPN2 at 3:30 pm.

Iowa (4-2 overall, 2-1 conference)

Last Week: Beat Minnesota, 14-7. For the fourth straight game, the Hawkeyes had a game decided by seven points or less. In those four games, they are 2-2. The dynamic running back duo of Akrum Wadley and Leshun Daniels combined for 173 yards on 31 carries and one touchdown to pace the offense. C.J. Beathard added 142 yards through the air but had two interceptions thrown.

This Week: The Hawkeyes travel to West Lafayette to take on the Boilermakers. This game can be seen at noon on ESPN2.

Maryland (4-1 overall, 1-1 conference)

Last Week: Lost to Penn State, 14-38. As I alluded to last week, Maryland was the fraudiest of all frauds when it came to B1G fans looking for anything to spout conference dominance. Sure they were 4-0 but none of their wins were even remotely decent. This team was exposed against a very bad Penn State team. Once again, Maryland used a small village approach to rush the ball as eight players combined for 170 yards on 38 carries.

This Week: Maryland hosts Minnesota. This game is at noon on ESPNU.

Michigan (6-0 overall, 3-0 conference)

Last Week: Beat Rutgers, 78-0. The Wolverines came out with the sole intention of making a point and they did just that. Buckeye fans everywhere love to point out the fact that they “ran up the score” but what were the Wolverines supposed to do? They ran the ball 56 times and only threw the ball 16 times…with nine of those coming in the first quarter. Should they have just downed the ball? For the day, 11 different players ran the ball combining for 481 yards on 56 carries and nine rushing touchdowns.

This Week: Bye Week.

Michigan State (2-3 overall, 0-2 conference)

Last Week: Lost to BYU, 14-31. Sparty is floundering like we have not seen them in a while. No one would have guessed they would be sitting at 2-3 right now after taking it to the chin from BYU. This is how good it went against a not so decent team, the Spartans rushed for 85 yards on 32 carries and threw for 121 yards. BYU ran for 260 yards on 5.3 yards per carry against the Spartans defense.

This Week: Sparty hosts a resurgent Northwestern team. The game can be seen at 3:30pm on BTN.

Minnesota (3-2 overall, 0-2 conference)

Last Week: Lost to Iowa, 7-14. Two straight losses to open B1G conference play have all but eliminated the Gophers chance to win the West. Quarterback Mitch Leidner did Mitch Leidner things and threw two interceptions while only managing 166 yards through the air.

This Week: Minnesota travels east to take on the Maryland Terrapins. This game can be seen at noon on the ESPNU.

Nebraska (5-0 overall, 2-0 conference)

Last Week: Bye Week.

This Week: Travels to Bloomington to take on the pesky Hoosiers. This game is at 3:30pm on ABC/ESPN2.

Northwestern (2-3 overall, 1-1 conference)

Last Week: Bye Week.

This Week: Travels to East Lansing to take on the floundering Spartans. This game will be televised by BTN at 3:30pm.

Penn State (4-2 overall, 2-1 conference)

Last Week: Beat Maryland, 38-14. It looks like over the past two weeks the Nittany Lions have figured out what they want to do on offense. By focusing on the rushing attack of Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley, the Nittany Lions have been churning out points left and right. Barkley led the team with 202 yards on 31 carries while adding a touchdown. McSorley chipped in with 81 yards and one touchdown on the ground while adding 152 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

This Week: Bye Week.

Purdue (3-2 overall, 1-1 conference)

Last Week: Beat Illinois, 34-31. Purdue was able to pull of their third win of the season after beat the Fighting Illini in Champaign. Quarterback David Blough was very efficient on the day throwing for 220 yards and one touchdown while adding 36 yards and another touchdown on the ground. As a team, Purdue ran for 231 yards and three touchdowns. Navon Mosley was the star on defense leading the Boilermakers with 13 tackles.

This Week: The Boilermakers will host the Iowa Hawkeyes. This match-up can be seen at noon on ESPN2.

Rutgers (2-4 overall, 0-3 conference)

Last Week: Lost to Michigan, 0-78. If you are Rutgers, you have to be embarrassed to even be a football team. In the last two weeks, they have been outscored 136-0…that is pretty sad for any FBS school. I’m not even going to waste our time talking about what they did on Saturday.

This Week: Rutgers hosts Illinois at noon on ESPNews.

Wisconsin (4-1 overall, 1-1 conference)

Last Week: Bye Week.

This Week: Host our Ohio State Buckeyes. This Top-10 clash will be at 8pm on ABC.

CURRENT STANDINGS:

EAST CONF. OVERALL WEST CONF. OVERALL
Michigan 3-0 6-0 Nebraska 2-0 5-0
Ohio State 2-0 5-0 Iowa 2-1 4-2
Penn State 2-1 4-2 Wisconsin 1-1 4-1
Maryland 1-1 4-1 Northwestern 1-1 2-3
Indiana 1-1 3-2 Purdue 1-1 3-2
Michigan State 0-2 2-3 Minnesota 0-2 3-2
Rutgers 0-3 2-4 Illinois 0-2 1-4

The post Around the B1G: Week 7 Edition appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Ohio State Buckeyes take show on the road - MyDaytonDailyNews
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State Buckeyes take show on the road
MyDaytonDailyNews
COLUMBUS — It's the Ohio State Buckeyes vs. the world the next two weeks. That's how center Pat Elflein described playing at places like Wisconsin and Penn State, where Ohio State will travel this Saturday and next for important Big Ten games in prime ...
Ohio State football | Ground game keeps Buckeyes flying highColumbus Dispatch
Barrett, Buckeyes want to improve while winningTimes Record News
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Mansfield News Journal
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3-Star PG commits to Ohio State
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Beverly becomes second member of Buckeyes’ 2017 class.

The Ohio State basketball team earned a much needed commitment Monday afternoon. Three-star point guard Braxton Beverly (Hazard, KY / Hargrave Military Academy (HS)) became the second member of Thad Matta’s 2017 class.

The Buckeyes had been looking to add a guard to this class for sometime now. With the addition of Beverly, four-star center Kaleb Wesson (Westerville, OH / Westerville South) is no longer the lone commit for the Buckeyes’ 2017 class. The one-time Miami (OH) commit chose the Buckeyes over programs like George Washington, Alabama, Butler, Tennessee and West Virginia/

Beverly is a smaller PG than Matta has typically brought in his career at Ohio State. Standing at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, he makes up in talent what he lacks in size. Beverly is an offensive playmaker, once scoring 70 points in one showing. He will likely never repeat reach that again playing against college level talent, but he this is still something the Buckeye basketball program needs.

Ohio State has missed out on some other PG recruits in the last year, but that doesn’t mean Beverly is of a lesser talent. He is currently seen as the No. 62 point guard in the country according to the 247Sports composite rankings.

Beverly will initially look to provide depth at a position headed by current Buckeye star JaQuan Lyle. However, if Lyle is able to live up to his talent level, he could forgo the rest of his Buckeye career in favor of the NBA after this season, leaving the door open for Beverly.

Beverly’s commitment follows an official visit to the program over the weekend. He also has ties with the program, with his former high school teammate, Derek Funderburk, currently being a freshman on this Buckeye team.


After losing multiple players to transfers at the end of last season, the Buckeyes found themselves with more room on the team than initially expected, and to be blunt, intended. With this being said, look for Matta and the rest of the Buckeye basketball coaching staff to continue recruiting more talent for this class. The program is still in contention for some of the top talents in the 2017 class including five-star shooting guard M.J. Walker (Lithia Springs, GA / Jonesboro) and five-star forward Troy Brown (Las Vegas, NV / Centennial).

Buckeye target set to attend Wisconsin game this weekend


A Buckeye four-star defensive end target will get an opportunity to see the Ohio State football team in prime time – just from the opposing team’s sideline.

Malik Vann (Fairfield, OH / Fairfield) announced Monday afternoon that he will be visiting Wisconsin this weekend when the Buckeyes come into town. While Vann will be visiting Wisconsin, both the Badgers and the Buckeyes are recruiting the blue-chip prospect and both teams will have an opportunity to impress him.


This is not the first time this season Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes have been able to show off their program in an away environment, as many elite recruits were in attendance for the Oklahoma game earlier this season. It goes without saying, Meyer and Buckeye Nation will hope for a similar outcome, as an away victory under the lights can leave a big impression on a recruit.

The 6-foot-1.5, 243-pound DE last visited Ohio State in April and with more than a year of high school ball left, he has plenty of time left in his recruitment process.

With scholarship offers from roughly 15 schools including the likes of Michigan State, Notre Dame, Clemson, Pitt, Louisville, Maryland and Wisconsin, the Buckeyes will need to get Vann back in Columbus again if they are serious about him.

Regardless, a good showing this weekend will only benefit the Buckeyes’ chances in recruiting Vann.

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Wisconsin football: Paul Chryst, Badgers prepare for Buckeyes - Bucky's 5th Quarter
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Wisconsin football: Paul Chryst, Badgers prepare for Buckeyes
Bucky's 5th Quarter
Madison — The No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers (4-1 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) host the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0, 2-0) on Saturday night under the lights of Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin defeated Hawaii 28-0 last year during an evening game, but the level ...

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Ohio State Buckeyes take show on the road - Hamilton Journal News
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Ohio State Buckeyes take show on the road
Hamilton Journal News
17, but the pressure builds the deeper the Buckeyes take an undefeated record into the season. “It's everybody against you,” Elflein said Monday. “Everybody hates you, and everybody's yelling at you and saying stuff to you. It's pretty much everybody ...
Ohio State football | Ground game keeps Buckeyes flying highColumbus Dispatch
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Is defense setting tone for Buckeyes?Mansfield News Journal
OSU - The Lantern
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Kurelic: Wade makes Bama visit; moving into Top 3 for O-lineman - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Kurelic: Wade makes Bama visit; moving into Top 3 for O-lineman
247Sports
Make sure you're in the loop -- take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now! But nobody can accuse former OSU running back Robert Smith of playing favorites this week, as the Big Ten Network personality had an interesting pick for ...

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Win helps Huskers prep for rematch with Buckeyes - Kearney Hub
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Win helps Huskers prep for rematch with Buckeyes
Kearney Hub
The dominating performance was something Cook wanted to see after the loss to the Buckeyes and Friday night's win over Indiana. NU sputtered at the start against the Hoosiers but immediately took it to the Boilermakers Sunday in front of 8,004. “We had ...

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did anyone happen to record this game if so can u send me private message ty.

Thad Matta Picks up Second 2017 Commit Today
Shannon Sommers via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The 2017 Ohio State men’s basketball commit list has doubled in size earlier today. Center Kaleb Wesson has been the only commit for next season so far. That all changed today when 5’11” point guard Braxton Beverly announced he has chosen The Ohio State University Buckeyes as his future destination.





Beverly, formerly committed to Miami of Ohio, is from Hazard, Kentucky. He is known for his tough, skilled play and his long-range shooting ability.

247 Sports has Braxton listed as a three-star recruit. They have him ranked 307 nationally, 62 best at the point guard position along with being the 17 best in the state.

Beverly attends Hargrove (VA) Military Academy currently. This is the same school Derek Funderburk played last year.

Thad Matta’s teams in recent years have shown a need for shooters so having a kid who scored 70 in a game is heading in the right direction hopefully.











The post Thad Matta Picks up Second 2017 Commit Today appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Is Ohio State the best team in the nation?
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes have Alabama beat in most major statistical categories, but is it enough to earn them the top spot in a future AP Poll?

“But if you’re one who believes as much, if not more, in stats and analytics, there’s mounting evidence that the best team in the country through six weeks is the one that handed Saban his most recent postseason loss--Ohio State.”

-Stewart Mandel, FOX Sports


The Alabama Crimson Tide have held the top spot in the AP Poll since they won 2015’s College Football Playoff. They opened the season with a 52-6 romp of USC, and have followed up with big wins over the likes of Ole Miss and Arkansas--both of which were played on the road--on their way to a 6-0 record and a tie for the top spot in the SEC West. This week, the Tide received 56 or 61 first place votes in the poll, and there seems to be little talk of anyone else deserving the top spot.

Still, the Buckeyes are a surprising contender for the No. 1 spot, having most recently defeated Indiana by 21. Their defensive rankings would certainly suggest that the Buckeyes might be better than they are getting credit for, coming in second nationally in total defense, allowing just 3.7 yards per play, and scoring defense with opponents scoring just 10.3 points per game. On the offensive side, the Buckeyes have averaged 53.2 points per game (No. 3 nationally) and 537.6 yards per game (No. 5), all while maintaining a +1.6 turnover margin (No. 4). Alabama, though impressive in all of their contests thus far, remains lower than Ohio State in each of these categories. Ohio State also trumps Alabama in the S&P+ efficiency rankings, as well as Jeff Sagarin’s computer rankings.

This week, both Ohio State and Alabama are heading into their toughest games up to this point, with the Buckeyes headed to Madison to face Wisconsin and the Tide to Tennessee. With two in-conference road matchups against highly-ranked opponents, each team has the opportunity to separate itself from the competition and garner more first-place AP Poll votes prior to the first College Football Playoff Committee vote, which is scheduled to come out Nov. 1.

“Until Ohio State plays a full season and beats Michigan, let’s pump the brakes on the Buckeyes-Browns comparisons.”

-Nicholas Goss, NESN


Even before a 20-point loss to Tom Brady and the Patriots, Ohio residents already seemed to have lost all confidence in the Cleveland Browns. According to a poll conducted by Public Polling Policy in Ohio in preparation for November’s presidential election, 62 percent of Ohioans believe that the Ohio State Buckeyes would beat the Browns in a head-to-head matchup. What’s more, just 23 percent of those polled picked Cleveland to win.

The Browns currently sit at 0-5 on the season, having suffered blowout losses Philadelphia and New England, but close losses to Baltimore, Miami in overtime and (sort of) Washington. Already this season, Robert Griffin III, Josh McCown, Cody Kessler, Charlie Whitehurst and former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor have taken snaps at quarterback. Of this group, four (Griffin, McCown, Kessler and Whitehurst) have suffered injuries this season, with three being knocked out of the game completely (Whitehurst was able to return at the end of yesterday’s game). Pryor, of course, is an NFL receiver. While many of the issues at quarterback this year can be attributed purely to bad luck, the fact remains that an NFL team cannot win consistently without consistency at quarterback.

The Buckeyes, meanwhile, boast a 5-0 record and, this year at least, have no quarterback controversy whatsoever behind J.T. Barrett. With a slew of standout receivers and a powerful rushing attack, the offense has been unstoppable thus far this season. And the defense, even after allowing 17 points to Indiana, remains one of the best in the nation.

Even so, the fact remains that the Browns are an NFL team. Regardless of how good Ohio State is as a unit, the competition they face are also college teams (including Rutgers). While the Buckeyes can drop a significant number of points on these opponents, they would be hardpressed to complete passes with the likes of Joe Haden defending, and would have trouble on the defensive line facing nine-time Pro Bowler Joe Thomas.

“In football, you’ve gotta play, gotta get reps to get up to speed. You can’t just run out there after a year of not playing and think you’re going to make plays right away.”

-Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa, via Eric Seger, Eleven Warriors


In many ways, Saturday’s game against Indiana marked a crowning moment in the young career of freshman defensive end Nick Bosa. Early in the fourth quarter, Bosa halted the Hoosiers on the four-yard line on fourth down, halting a drive that would have closed the Buckeyes’ lead to just one score. It is unsurprising that the younger Bosa is making an impact at Ohio State, but what is perhaps unexpected is how early his presence has already been felt on the defense. A five-star recruit coming out of high school, Bosa suffered a partially torn ACL during his senior season which set him back in his strength training and cost him time as he worked his way into the defensive line rotation.

But Bosa took on his rehab with vigor, earning himself a spot in the rotation as he continued to build strength in his injured knee. It all paid off quickly, as Bosa recorded a sack in the Buckeyes’ season opener against Bowling Green. Fellow defensive end Sam Hubbard commented that Bosa “gets better each week” as he gets more reps in a position beside impact players like Hubbard, Jalyn Holmes and Tyquan Lewis.

Bosa now has two sacks on the season--second most on the team--for 18 total yards lost, with his second sack coming against Rutgers. Still, he says that he has tried not to give into the hype too much, especially given that Joey Bosa just recorded his first NFL snaps yesterday, which included four tackles, three of which were solo, and a sack in the first half alone. The younger brother has recorded 13 tackles on the year, including eight solo tackles and four tackles for loss. Urban Meyer has acknowledged that, as Bosa continues to get healthy, he will see more playing time, and that he is already starting to fulfill his extremely high expectations.

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Scarlet and Gray Drive Time Re-Wind: View From the Fan, Indiana Recap, Corey Smith and Meals with #B1GThingsToKnow
WVaBuckeye via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Welcome to the daily rewind of the previous days or weekends articles here on the Buckeye Battle Cry with some commentary and links to the author’s twitter account!






Ben van Ooyen dominates the day and it begins with View From the Fan . . ,



Ben van Ooyen covers the quickest recap in the biz . . ,



Ben van Ooyen brings us his latest Senior Spotlight . . ,



Mike Meals brought some great tid-bits during the Indiana game . . ,













The post Scarlet and Gray Drive Time Re-Wind: View From the Fan, Indiana Recap, Corey Smith and Meals with #B1GThingsToKnow appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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